A review by platanus
Curse of the Shadowmage by Mark Anthony, Fred Fields

2.0

It would have taken very little for me to give this 3 stars.

The book is a monument of lost potential, potential the author has intentionally created only to tear it all down in the name of mediocrity, cheesy one-liners and an overall happy end no matter the cost to the story and the characters.

His urge to have every character enjoy a pay-off of their having been heroes at some point makes their every sacrifice and hardship void of meaning.

At some point in the novel I was even excited for implied criticism of the harpers and the justification of the sacrifices they demand of their agents, but no, it never actually comes to that much excitement.