Being an avid reader of fantasy
fictions, I am always keeping an eye out for fantasy novels that are
unique and original. This is why, when I heard about Daniel Abraham's
Long Price Quartet, a critically acclaimed fantasy quadrilogy,
it attracted my attention and I added it to my “to read” list.
I purchased these books last winter,
and these books have sat on my bookshelf for almost 8
months, waiting for my attention. Last weekend, I finally had the
chance to start reading them. After I finished reading the first
novel, A Shadow in Summer, I was very impressed by it. A
Shadow in Summer is unlike any fantasy novel I've read in the
past, and it refreshed the fantasy genre with strokes of originality.
Today, I would like to provide a book
review for A Shadow in Summer
Synopsis:
Saraykeht is the wealthiest of all
Summer Cities. It embodied the remnant of the empire's glorious past.
Saraykeht's mighty ports opened to welcome merchants from all comers
of the world. Meanwhile, commerce flourished on Saraykeht streets.
Traders flooded the public square, dealing gold, jewels and exotic
merchandize. Along the dreams of wealth and fortune, desires and
unimaginable pleasures can be satisfied and purchased in the city's
soft quarter.
Sarakeht is as wealthy as it is
decadent. Its people believed the city is the icon of
progress. Until a political disaster struck the city, threatening to
tear down this beacon of progress, brick by brick..
What I think about this book:
I believe a lot of readers have
observed, the fantasy genre is filled with books about wars and
conflicts, taking place in medieval, European themed castles and
worlds. I am happy to report, A Summer in Shadow steered away
from those traditions. The story in A Summer in Shadow took place in a world inspired by the culture of feudal Japan.
Furthermore, while the story does revolve around a conflict (a
cultural one), but the conflict did not resolve by armies or wars.
Instead, the central conflict in the story was resolved by politics
and intrigues.
This means, I suspect some readers,
especially the ones who are looking for a fast-paced fantasy novel
with hack & slash actions, may find A Summer in Shadow a
slow book and lacking actions. Admittedly, this book moved at a slow
place. But the slow pace actually suit the theme and the vibe of the
story quite well. This is because A Shadow in Summer is mainly
a character driven book, and the “actions” in the story mostly centred on the crescendo of intrigues and diplomacy. However,
this also means reading A Summer in Shadow, is a rewarding
experience. So if you don't mind reading a non-traditional fantasy
story, then you might find this book to your liking.
One of the trademarks of fantasy
fictions, is a world filled with magic. In fact, one of the key
elements in fantasy novels, is the magic system. A Shadow in
Summer has a very unique magic system. Instead of warriors or
wizards, this book has poets. That's right! In the world of Long
Price Quartet, poets are your fantasy equivalent of warriors and
wizards. These poets don't cast spells, nor do they fight. Instead,
poets spend their entire lives to bind and harness ideas, such as
capturing an “Andat”. What is an “Andat”? Put it shortly, in
the world of Long Price Quartet, Andats are abstract ideas in
human form. Because Andats are abstract ideas, they are immortal and
almost invincible. This is very interesting, don't you think?
Other than a unique magic system, I think another strength for A Summer in Shadow, is the
characterization, let me explain: In recent years, fantasy novelists
(such as George R.R. Martin, Mark Lawrence, or Joe Abercrombie) have
been trying to introduce a sense of “realism” into fantasy novels
by depicting the human condition. Modern fantasy authors aim to
create characters who are not completely good, or completely bad. I
think this literary movement makes sense because in real life, people
are not black and white. However, in my opinion, not many fantasy
novels have managed to fully replicate “the human condition and
realism”. Take for example, in A Song of Ice and Fire, the
central plot still revolves around a conflict between “some sort of
“ good guys and bad guys in the story.
This is not the case in A Shadow in
Summer. In fact, this book did a brilliant job at incorporating “realism” into a fantasy novel. While
the book still has a cast of protagonists and antagonists, but none
of them are depicted as obviously “good” or “bad”. Instead,
the characters here tried to do their best, based on the
circumstances they were given (aren't we all like that?). This method
of storytelling casts dynamic lights on every character, introducing
a level of complexity that resembles people in real life. Then it
gives the power of discernment to a reader, leaving a reader to think
for him/herself, then coming to their own conclusions.
Apparently, A Shadow in Summer
is Daniel Abraham's debut novel. So understandably, it was not a
perfectly written book. Nevertheless, I really liked A Shadow in
Summer for its originality and vivid portrayals of characters.
This is the kind of novel that will make you think about it long
after you closed the last page. I am really excited about
reading this series, and I cannot wait to read the sequel, titled “A
Betrayal in Winter”.
P.S.
The book publisher Orbit re-printed
this series in two omnibuses. Each omnibus collects two novels from the
series. I own these omnibuses, and I think this is the most economical
option if you are looking to purchase the entire series, because
these two omnibuses cost half of what you will be paying if you were purchasing these four novels separately.
However, for the purpose of book reviews,
I am reviewing each novel independently.
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