Shadowrise

Definitely my least favorite so far but still really good and it's only part 1 of a planned trilogy so it should be expected to be the weakest link.

All the characters have been split up and are having their own adventures. Although is it considered an adventure if you're trying to save mankind?

The Autarch of Xis has made his move and his prepared to take control of the Gods (don't see that going well)

The Qar are split. Some want to kill all humans and some are trying to pass down knowledge to help everyone in the upcoming war.

Barrick has finally made it to his destination in the Shadowline to receive the answers he's been needing.

Briony is trying to survive in a foreign court but something isn't right.

Qinnitan is trying to escape Vo, who may the most badass evil character I've ever read.

All in all I enjoyed this installment but I could use a break after reading two in a row. Tad is a great writer but can be mentally draining after a while.

Tad Williams is the master of typical fantasy and I say that in the kindest sense. There is a lot of cliche fantasy in this series, but he still manages to make it engaging, interesting and full of in depth characters. I was specifically fond of Barrick's journey. Although he is sullen and moody a lot of the time, I found his journey behind the Shadowline to be some of the most interesting parts of this installment. Although I didn't entirely fall in love with Williams characters like I did many of the characters from his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, they are still very well drawn out and slowly grow as the their fates force them into situations that test their courage, their persistence and their wits. In the third book of the Shadowmarch series, we start to see all the threads that have thus far been separate start to weave together into what is sure to be an epic showdown. I was happy that some of the reasons behind many things that have happened so far have been revealed, along with the motives of many of the characters that have been only hinted at previously. I look forward to the conclusion and to find out the fates of all involved

I have the occasional argument with friends about whether Tad Williams has anything of his own to say. While I agree that [b:Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn|91981|The Dragonbone Chair (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #1)|Tad Williams|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309286899s/91981.jpg|840191] was derivative, I thought [b:Otherland|28695|City of Golden Shadow (Otherland, #1)|Tad Williams|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329075235s/28695.jpg|1570074] was innovative and interesting, as was [b:The War of the Flowers|28692|The War of the Flowers|Tad Williams|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1347622742s/28692.jpg|1872421]. The first two books of [b:Shadowmarch|28694|Shadowmarch (Shadowmarch, #1)|Tad Williams|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1290856030s/28694.jpg|832564] seemed to bear out that promise.

Shadowrise, unfortunately, bogs down substantially. It's not bad, but it is dull. The complex plot moves on, and Williams does a good job of keeping all the key characters in play. Potentially intriguing things happen, but somehow they're not really intriguing. For one thing, he doesn't really explore them - they just happen, then are left behind. While all the characters are on desperate, life and death quests, the book somehow becomes just a series of events - “this happened, then this happened, then that happened, then the other thing happened”. Even the complex relationships of the gods, which we learn more about, didn't really hold my interest. One revelation apparently intended as a key tipping point in the human-fairy relationship evoked no more from me than acknowledgement - because I never got very deeply involved.

The book isn't bad - it just feels like filler. Williams notes that he intended it to be shorter, and it probably would have been a better book that way. One case when one wishes for a firmer editorial hand.

I already have [b:Shadowheart|7876746|Shadowheart (Shadowmarch. #4)|Tad Williams|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1279550641s/7876746.jpg|11066482], book 4 of the series, but I feel as if I can fairly well predict what will happen in that heavy volume. I foresee more of the same - moving, complex parts, but no great surprises. I hope I'm wrong.

If you're considering whether to read past book 2, and you're not a die-hard Williams fan, I'm afraid I have to advise against. Too big an investment of time for too little return.