Reviews

A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham

eli_mageofpages's review

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

lib_britannia's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

ianmitchell's review against another edition

4.0

This novel, the first in a quartet, is set in a land with a bit of an oriental feel, where powerful magical beings called andat are controlled by men called poets. Each andat is unique and based on an idea formed by the poet. The novel follows an apprentice poet, a former instructor of his who basically dropped out of poet school, and a woman they both love, as well as a senior employee in a foreign trade house. These individuals all get caught up in a complex plot involving the local andat.

There is very little action in this book, so fans of heroic fantasy may not enjoy it. Instead, this book is very character driven. The characters are all very well developed compared to most fantasy novels. The writing is also very good - the author really made the world come alive for me. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and suspect fans of Guy Gavriel Kay will enjoy this book. Unfortunately I've heard the North American publisher is not releasing the final novel in mass market paperback - meaning either picking up the hard cover, an e-book, or an import, unless they change their mind or another publisher picks it up.

osteven's review

4.0

http://millennium.newport.lib.ca.us/reco...

demosthenes34nz's review

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mary_soon_lee's review

4.0

I plan to write brief reviews of the books that I read this summer, of which "A Shadow in Summer" is the first.... I found it an original, engrossing, well-written, atmospheric fantasy, at times rising to excellence. The concept of the andat was entirely fresh (to me). Of the four point-of-view characters, Otah was my clear favorite. I look forward to reading more of this quartet in the future.

sonice's review

5.0

5.0 stars.  You know what this felt like?  The first season of a really good tv show.  The writing was incredible.  Rarely do you see an author do such a good job of writing characters as flawed and nuanced as this.  I was frustrated by them frequently, but they were all just so believable.  The book has almost no action to speak of, yet is incredibly immersive and demands your attention all the same.  The ending feels just like good a season finale. 

And, just like good tv, it's best consumed by bingeing; I'll be starting Season 2 (Betrayal in Winter) later today. 

Edit: Or, you know what? I think I'll space these out to one per month. I guess theres a large time just between each book, and that feels better consumed with a little break between each one.

indy_rose's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

hankdatank's review

dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A bit slower paced than what I usually prefer. Listened as an audiobook but I think it would have been better if I had read it, struggled to keep track of who was who for the first half of the book.

wzwy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I started reading this book thinking it was a story that spanned multiple generations with magic at the core of it all, but finished it realizing that it was actually a deep exploration of the characters and how they explore and survive the world they live in with refreshingly realistic (aka not black and white) thoughts and behaviours.

It’s difficult to finish this book without sending oneself into melancholic but at times reflective meditation about our place in the world.