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A review by geckoedit
Betrayal's Shadow by Dave-Brendon de Burgh
5.0
Speculative fiction, and in particular, high fantasy has seen a resurgence lately, thanks to novel-based TV shows like "A Game of Thrones" and film empires like The Lord of the Rings making it "cool" to read about knights and dragons. However, as with any genre, factions develop and subgenres appear. Dubbed "grimdark", the latest craze is for gritty, violent, realistic and dystopian/political books and films. Betrayal's Shadow, is gritty, violent, realistic and dystopian, and serves as a great example of this subgenre. And I bet Dave-Brendon de Burgh will hate me for saying so, as he says, "I hope that [grimdark] doesn't become established. because a lot of genres in speculative fiction, after becoming established, have to start following rules that didn't exist before." Betrayal's Shadow is definitely not a rules-follower - when was the last time you saw an extra-terrestrial zombie outbreak in a medieval fantasy novel?
With big names such as Robert Jordan, Raymond E Feist and more laying a solid groundwork in SFF, and setting some pretty clear rules, I fully expected Betrayal's Shadow to follow the usual tropes - high-born damsels in distress, noble knights, a low-born youth who is "the chosen one" and must go on an epic journey to find a shiny thing that will save his kingdom, and all the other endless clichés. In addition, such a book would be bloated with Jordan-esque chapters about the colours of dresses. On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised by how de Burgh takes those tropes, piles them up, sets them on fire and dances over their smoldering embers.
Set in the Mahaelian kingdom, 500 years after the unification of the kingdoms by the magician-king Jarlath (who still holds the throne), a weathered soldier leads a company of elite knights to a state where there have been reports of an uprising. Along the way, they come under attack from mysterious forces, laying a trail of mystery that leaves Brice questioning his loyalties and dealing with the ghosts of his past. In the capital, the king's favourite concubine buys a dagger "for protection" and his most trusted advisor tries to navigate the baffling political intrigues of the ruling classes. Beneath the city, an enslaved child escapes from captivity, becoming his people's only hope for salvation...
Read my full review on Literogo.com
With big names such as Robert Jordan, Raymond E Feist and more laying a solid groundwork in SFF, and setting some pretty clear rules, I fully expected Betrayal's Shadow to follow the usual tropes - high-born damsels in distress, noble knights, a low-born youth who is "the chosen one" and must go on an epic journey to find a shiny thing that will save his kingdom, and all the other endless clichés. In addition, such a book would be bloated with Jordan-esque chapters about the colours of dresses. On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised by how de Burgh takes those tropes, piles them up, sets them on fire and dances over their smoldering embers.
Set in the Mahaelian kingdom, 500 years after the unification of the kingdoms by the magician-king Jarlath (who still holds the throne), a weathered soldier leads a company of elite knights to a state where there have been reports of an uprising. Along the way, they come under attack from mysterious forces, laying a trail of mystery that leaves Brice questioning his loyalties and dealing with the ghosts of his past. In the capital, the king's favourite concubine buys a dagger "for protection" and his most trusted advisor tries to navigate the baffling political intrigues of the ruling classes. Beneath the city, an enslaved child escapes from captivity, becoming his people's only hope for salvation...
Read my full review on Literogo.com