May 2012 Fantasy BotM: Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk

[Loerwyn]

There's a few of us who will say the first is the most formulaic and perhaps the 'lesser' of the trilogy.

I'd really, really encourage you to stick with it and go for at least Lure afterwards.

 

[algernoninc]

I've started the second book in the series already. I like it when I can follow through with a story while it is still fresh and not after a ouple of years of waiting.

 

[Jon Sprunk]

There's a few of us who will say the first is the most formulaic and perhaps the 'lesser' of the trilogy.

I'd really, really encourage you to stick with it and go for at least Lure afterwards.

I agree that book 1 is the most formulaic. After nearly two decades of crashing and burning as an aspiring novelist, I went back to the basics of the genre. I hope the result was akin to fantasy lit "comfort food."

With books 2 and 3 (which were plot-arced together), I felt I had the leeway with my publisher to branch out a little bit and write truer to my heart. Not that disavow Son -- I still love it as my "first born" -- but the later books have more of my soul in them.


P.S.: I hope no one minds me poking my nose into this thread. Please feel free to be completely honest about the book(s) here. You won't offend me. After 15 years working in juvenile corrections, I have the mental equivalent of rhinoceros hide.

 

[Contrarius]

P.S.: I hope no one minds me poking my nose into this thread. Please feel free to be completely honest about the book(s) here. You won't offend me. After 15 years working in juvenile corrections, I have the mental equivalent of rhinoceros hide.

I, for one, very much enjoy having the author around. I am not as thick skinned as you, but even though it may embarrass me at times to say unflattering things around the author I think the benefits of talking with the author far outweigh the cost of any small blushes on my part.

I'm about 25% through with the book right now. I hope to find time to finish it today. I gotta say I'm still not thrilled with the prose, but I'm reminding myself that it's a first book....

edited to add -- Levictus may prove interesting. However, I'm just holding my breath until I hear

Spoiler

"Caim, I am your father...." (except in this case, "brother" is more likely...)

edited again to add -- okay, don't take this one too seriously, it's just the kind of mood I'm in this afternoon -- from the end of chapter 9 --

Spoiler

Levictus stands on a rooftop -- and when he's gone, he leaves the carcasses of a dozen headless pigeons? Really? What is this, Jack of Shadows does Ozzy Ozbourne?

 

[Contrarius]

I'm sorry Jon, but.....I'm going to be writing a review today, and it ain't gonna be a good one. More to come later.

I did at least think that Levictus had some possibilities....

 

[Jon Sprunk]

I'm sorry Jon, but.....I'm going to be writing a review today, and it ain't gonna be a good one. More to come later.

I did at least think that Levictus had some possibilities....

There's no need to be sorry. No book speaks to everyone. I appreciate that you tried it, and perhaps something I write in the future will be more to your tastes.

 

[Contrarius]

My review is now up over at Goodreads, under the user name Contrarius. It's quite long, so I won't repost it over here unless someone really wants it.

 

[Snowy]

Right, well I can't let the (maybe) final post to this thread be about a negative review.

While initially I was not sold on the 'safe' ground that the story trod, both in prose and plot, as I remarked in my previous post I really warmed to the characters, the story engaged me and I ended up thoroughly enjoying the story.

I am now about 3/4 of the way through the second book now and enjoying it more than I did the first - you can tell that the author's self-imposed shackles have been loosened and the writing and story are far better.

All in all, thoroughly enjoying the series, looking forward to the third, and highly recommended.

 

[alexande]

Great,I hope I'll be starting the book soon.

 

[sullivan_riyria]

I read and enjoyed Shadow's Son. On a completely different note: how terrific is this cover?

Here's the US cover:

One of my favorites for sure - Pyr did an exceptional job.

 

[Jon Sprunk]

Thanks, Mike. (And I agree, the covers are terrific.)

 

[Jon Sprunk]

And thanks to SFFWorld for featuring my debut book in May. I enjoyed watching the conversation, and hope my comments were constructive.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I didn't get around to starting this book till last week, but I'm about half-way through it now. Will keep on with it, even though the month of May has passed us by. Am enjoying the story so far. I haven't read any "assassin" books (except for the first Brent Weeks book, which I thought was adequate, but not exceptional), so I can't fairly compare it to anything else in that subgenre. Still, the prose is crisp and there aren't many wasted moments, as the plot moves along briskly. The book's fairly short when compared to the "epic" fantasies I'm used to, so there's not much room for extensive world-building. The three main characters seem somewhat predictable so far, though they are engaging nonetheless (and Caim has sufficient flaws to leave room for later growth). Assuming the book ends strong, I can see myself moving on to "Shadow's Lure." A definite thumb up (so far) to Jon on his debut work.

 

[Nexte100]

Just wanted to check in and say that I really enjoyed this series. The first of the novels wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but it intrigued me enough to pick up the second one, which really did hook me.

I found the prose was quite good, and though some of the plot devices were somewhat cliched for those of us who are well read in fantasy, there was some really fresh material within too.

I agree with the poster that said they wished we got more exposition on Kit. She was one of my favorite characters in the series (actually, my only favorite, come to that), and even at the conclusion, I still feel like we know very little of her back story.

One of the points I did like is the various shades of gray that characters are painted in. There were many times that I hated Caim for what he said and did, but I felt that my reaction to his actions probably revealed how invested I was in the characters. I also checked myself a few times, thinking how his uncouth ways were definitely "in character".

The romances were neat, though I wish they could have seen a bit more "fleshing out". I know that sometimes puts a series in danger of becoming a borderline paranormal romance, but I'd almost rather not have them if they're going to get short shrift.

Spoiler

About 60-70% of the series sees Josey pining for Caim without any contact or even word of his actions, and Caim seems to flip-flop between the two many times solely to add drama to the love triangle and keep the reader guessing.

The "villains" in the third book were quite interesting, and I loved Balaam's POV segments. Again, he uses moral ambiguity and infuses even the antagonists with the motivations of normal, well-intentioned people.

In the end, I think it's a testament to how much I liked this series that I would have wished for another 2 books or so to see what comes of the characters, particularly

Spoiler

Kit and Caim

A great read, and its a privilege to be able to communicate this directly to the author. Thanks Jon. Is there any chance that you'll be writing more about this particular cast of characters? Or have we seen the last of them?

 

[Jon Sprunk]

Nexte100,

Thanks for your response. I'm so glad you enjoyed the series. (weird, though, that I cannot see your spoilers for some reason.)

To answer your question: honestly, I don't know. I'm working on a new series right now. But it's very possible that someday I'll return to these characters, because I loved writing this saga so much. This is my first baby, if you know what I mean.