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A review by tikaany
Shadow of the Conqueror by Shad M. Brooks
3.0
A pretty entertaining book overall.
I think the general consensus is that the worldbuilding is what really shines in this novel, and I agree. The story is also pretty well crafted. The style however has some issues, with room for improvement in the prose. It's also littered with spelling mistakes and typos - not a poor reflection on the author, we all make them, but rather on the industry-standard proofreaders that really should have picked up on it, it feels like a bit of an insult to the author.
Aside from that, the biggest problem is a lack of stakes for the first half of the novel. The protagonist is an expert at virtually every skill under the sun, and his seemingly endless powers make it worse - he never faces any significant challenges, always relying on yet another skill that he's the best in the world at or discovering some new application to his dubiously defined powers. He faces some stronger opponents in the second half, though he is never truly challenged, as his powers can even bring him back from the dead (it actually happens once). I also feel that the overreliance on rape as a way to make things appear monstrous is a little lacking in taste, but that's just my opinion - I feel characterisation can be achieved in better ways.
Overall, a very entertaining book to read, particularly once it gets past the duller first half. Worth a read, especially if you can get it cheaply second hand - the retail price is quite high.
I think the general consensus is that the worldbuilding is what really shines in this novel, and I agree. The story is also pretty well crafted. The style however has some issues, with room for improvement in the prose. It's also littered with spelling mistakes and typos - not a poor reflection on the author, we all make them, but rather on the industry-standard proofreaders that really should have picked up on it, it feels like a bit of an insult to the author.
Aside from that, the biggest problem is a lack of stakes for the first half of the novel. The protagonist is an expert at virtually every skill under the sun, and his seemingly endless powers make it worse - he never faces any significant challenges, always relying on yet another skill that he's the best in the world at or discovering some new application to his dubiously defined powers. He faces some stronger opponents in the second half, though he is never truly challenged, as his powers can even bring him back from the dead (it actually happens once). I also feel that the overreliance on rape as a way to make things appear monstrous is a little lacking in taste, but that's just my opinion - I feel characterisation can be achieved in better ways.
Overall, a very entertaining book to read, particularly once it gets past the duller first half. Worth a read, especially if you can get it cheaply second hand - the retail price is quite high.