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Shadowmarch volume 1 by Tad Williams
01/01/2005 . Source: Paul Skevington 
pub: DAW. 656 page hardback. Price: $25.95 (US), $38.00 (CAN). ISBN: 0-7464-0219-0. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.dawbooks.com and www.tadwilliams.com
As I mentioned in my review of Tad Williams' last book, 'The War Of The Flowers', I am a great admirer of his trilogy of fantasy novels, 'Memory, Sorrow And Thorn'. In my opinion they are an important part of the canon of genre literature and their influence can still be observed in the works of newer authors.
'Shadowmarch', as the publishing blurb puts it, is Williams' 'triumphant return to high fantasy', a statement with which I wholeheartedly concur.
Williams' strength has always been in combining human concerns with the magic and exoticism of fantasy. Whilst many authors fail to control this volatile mix of elements, Williams himself revels in the interplay between the fabulous and the familiar. This is effectively demonstrated by the opening of the novel, which starts with a human-oriented view of the history of the world, then quickly moves on to a sequence depicting the reader as a dreamer who flies over the lands of men, past an ephemeral barrier known as 'the Shadowline' to finish in a castle inhabited by a strange race of faeries named the 'Qar'.
The Shadowline is a potent symbol, separating the mundane from the mythical, a visible and permanent reminder of the division of two worlds. However, the line is not as stable as the inhabitants believe it to be. The land of dreams is invading the realm of truth, slowly and stealthily, like the approach of madness on an unwary individual. It is an important reminder of the instability of the land that all writers, particularly genre writers, inhabit: the imagination, a halfway point between joy and insanity.
Like George R.R. Martin's 'A Song Of Ice And Fire', Williams' mortal world is populated with detailed characters enmeshed in a realm of shadowy and dangerous politics. The Eddon twins, angry crippled Barrick and headstrong Briony are perfect as our chief protagonists. Barrick's brooding presence in the novel is resonant of Shakespeare's Hamlet. He is a much needed dark counterpoint to his sister, with whom we are most encouraged to identify. Surrounding them are a plethora of supporting players. For example Chert, a member of a hobbit-like race called the 'funderlings' who reluctantly adopts a human child and Quinnitan, a young girl chosen to become a wife in an insane God-Emperor's vast harem.
Like Martin's work, this first volume emphasises the mortal realm over the mystical with plots, secret agendas and treachery flying all over the place like sparrows in a wind tunnel. Williams' book differs in that he allows the influence of magic and the 'other' to be far more definitely felt: the wonderfully bizarre nature of the Qar Yassamez, the frightening God dimension that Quinnitan is forced to visit and Chert's unplanned journey into his people's sacred realm. All serve to drive home the fact that beneath all the intrigue lie deeper mysteries that will unfold as the series progresses. The subtle trick of introducing each chapter with a quote from the Qar emphasises the feeling that those mysteries are never truly that far beneath the surface.
Admittedly, a lot of the ingredients that Williams uses in this novel are familiar to fantasy readers: characters of noble birth, mysterious children, elf-like creatures (the Qar) and quest motifs. It's nothing you won't have seen before, but the quality of Williams' writing drives the book far beyond the realms of stock fantasy. You will be counting every page, dreading the point where you will reach the end only to begin the long wait for book two!
I would also mention that the tone of the book is perfect for this type of narrative. Dangerous, but not Mieville nut-crunchingly dark. Safe, but not Eddings cuddly-safe. 'Shadowmarch' is not a polemic. That's not the intention, but Williams doesn't pull his punches when required to depict the harsh reality of a truly believable world. Murder, torture, genocide, rape. All are present in varying degrees and are sensitively dealt with. Battle is not glory and black and white are nothing but shades in a continuing spectrum of colours.
Williams has again created an essential piece of fiction that I'm very happy to have caught early on in its development. He has had years of writing experience since he created 'Memory, Sorrow And Thorn' and it shows. 'Shadowmarch' is shaping up to be even better than its predecessor. The next two books will demonstrate clearly if he has created yet another must-read trilogy. I believe the chances of this happening are, like Mr Kipling's cakes, exceedingly good.
Paul Skevington
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