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I just finished reading Shadows Fall by Simon R. Green. I had read three of his other books so I knew his name. It was the kind of book that started out so great and then changed so fast in tone and mood that my head swiveled. It always hurts worse when a book that might have been great goes bad so I am going to report on it and maybe some die-hard fantasy fans will still want to try it despite my thoughts. I have talked about disappointing books before, but this one really tromped on me.
The first paragraph grips the imagination and no matter what tale the book winds out for us, we could imagine our own stories for this interesting setting. A dozen authors would write a dozen completely different stories using this premise. They would be fun to read and it is fun to think about what I would write.
Pg. 1
There’s a town where dreams go to die. A place where nightmares end, and hope itself can rest. Where all stories find their ending, all quests are concluded, and every lost soul finds its way home at last. There have always been such places, scattered here and there in the dark corners of the world, but down the years, as science grew and magic waned, much of the wonder went out of the world, and the hidden places grew few and far between. Now there is only the small town of Shadows Fall, tucked away in the back of beyond and overlooked by the everyday world. Few roads lead there, and fewer still lead out again. You won’t find Shadows Fall on any map, but it’ll be there for you, if you need it badly enough.
How could I resist this beginning?
Next it seemed it would be a murder mystery and then it became the pursuit of a prophecy. It began to seem grim with some strangely humorous asides.
Pg. 43
There was a sudden commotion over by the bar, and they all turned to look. Half a dozen six-foot pixies with Technicolor hair and a weight problem were pushing and shoving an equal number of grizzly bears wearing biker’s jackets and chains. The bears started shoving back and the language was appalling.
Father Time enters the picture with his home-made automatons and now there is something to consider that is deeper than just the story.
Pg. 73
Ash says,
Coincidence is one of Time’s favorite tools.
James wants to know what Father Time does.
Pg. 75
Basically, you have to understand that Shadows Fall is by its very nature essentially unstable. New time zones are always appearing and disappearing, for a whole variety of reasons. People and creatures of all kinds come and go, some of them extremely powerful and potentially destabilizing. Someone has to hold the reins, or the whole town would fall apart overnight. Time keeps things stable by balancing one zone against another, settling disputes before they get out of hand, and generally practicing preventive maintenance. It helps that he’s so powerful that absolutely no one wants to mess with him…
While James is meeting Father Time; Lester Gold, Man of Action, Mystery Avenger and a pulp hero in the past turned florist is being taken under the hill to Faerie where dangerous elves live. His guide is Sean Morrison, "bard, troubadour, and late sixties rock-an-roller with power in his music". Time is different there as we all know who read about the Fae.
Pg. 152
Sean sings to the Faerie Court:
It was a simple tune and a steady rhythm, that held the ear and the mind, haunting and sublime. All who heard could no more have tuned away than they could have stopped breathing. Morrison was a bard, and there was magic in his song and in is voice, the magic that comes from the heart and the soul, focused and given shape though the man and his song. He sang, and the world stood still.
He sang of Shadows Fall, and its unique nature. Of the lost and fearful and the dying who came to the town when the world had no more use for them. He sang of the ancient and noble elves, and the long compact between man and Faerie down all the many years. Of love and honor and duty, and how they held Man and Faerie together…
By the time I reached page 300, I was wondering if the book was a parody of mysteries, fantasy, and horror. Every cliché and trope was brought in and turned on its head, it seemed. And yet, the irony was thick. Then with a few warnings the characters and I were thrust into a savage, brutal war with the Warriors of the Cross. The characters were bewildered by the sudden attack.
The questions kept me going. What on earth or under earth was happening?
There were a few times when someone did something brave or changed their world view which gave hope as the bodies piled up. I was introduced thoroughly to the thoughts of the Warriors who were out to eliminate all “sinners”. On page 410, the story could have ended and I would have been happier with that solution. I would have expected a final showdown that explained the murders in a few pages and all would have been well for me.
But then on pages 438 through 504, more violence happened of such an extreme nature that it was purely gratuitous. Enough is enough and a couple of pages of happy ending just did not help at all. In fact, I thought the ending was sappy.
What is the first paragraph or an early one in the book you are reading? Does it stir your imagination or curiosity? Do you sometimes feel battered by a book that you really thought had promise?
Diaries of the Week:
Write On! Getting over the Ex.
by SensibleShoes
http://www.dailykos.com/...
LGBT Literature: Announcing the Series Reboot and Seeking Writers
by Chrislove
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Robert Fuller says:
At last my joust with the Great American Novel concludes:
http://www.rowantreenovel.com/....
Here are the usual companion links.
Kindle version of The Rowan Tree:
http://amzn.com/....
My Smashwords catalog of free publications - including a new book of quotes (The Wisdom of Science"):
https://www.smashwords.com/....
The memoir of my father, Calvin S. Fuller remains free there as well.
NOTE:
plf515 has book talk on
Wednesday mornings early