Well I'm nearly through my reviews of all my holiday books. Just in time to have another batch of books finished and in need of a review too!
This one was an "Amazon Recommended" book based on my previous purchases and my viewing history. It was also free I think so I wasn't expecting too much. I read a few reviews and most of them said that it wasn't a bad story but that it was let down by some really bad editing.
The book was actually self-published by Gunzel himself and I think I have an updated version because, to be honest, there were no more editing errors here than in any other book I've read recently.
*SPOILER ALERT*
Land of Shadows starts off at a reasonable pace, though there are some quite unpleasant scenes in the few first few chapters. This book is graphic in places and certainly not one to sit down with the kids and read! I found myself grimacing a couple of times early on but somehow the violence felt necessary.
Gunzel does however quickly set about laying down the characters and there is nothing new to readers of fantasy here. Eric, the Blacksmith's son, lives in a small rural village which is preparing for the annual summer harvest. He generally enjoys his life and has no real desire to leave. His best friend Jacob is a smooth-talking hit with the ladies who also knows his way around a quarterstaff.
Morcel is a mercenary who 10 years ago witnessed one atrocity too many and, as a result of his actions, ended up being branded a slave and forced to fight in the arenas in the capital. He has lasted longer than most but no-one lasts forever.
Jade is a young girl who has been training her whole life to fulfil her destiny. When The Gatekeeper comes of age she must find him and protect him with all her powers, as he is fated to save the world.
Sometime soon after Eric comes of age, things begin to happen. His village is attacked and he barely escapes with his life. He is eventually (despite at least one attempt on his life) rescued and along with his best friend Jacob and his "guardian" Jade sets of for the capital to begin to live up to the destiny he never knew he had.
In an interesting twist we are also given a glimpse into the life of the antagonist, a ruthless and cruel demon by the name of Dragot - who is also trying to find the Gatekeeper and destroy him before he can fulfil his destiny and save the world.
We are also given some background into the world of Tarmerria, its politics, history and the mysterious beings called "crytons" against whom the last war was fought. These clearly will become relevant soon but probably in a way no-one expected (again a classic fantasy plot line).
Make no mistake though, this is ambitious stuff. Gunzel has thought long and hard about this world and created a universe and story that goes far beyond the scope of this book. He should be given credit for that; a lot of people would settle for something safe with a nice easy plot which you can tie a bow round at the end. It is risky to invest the time and effort in creating a world when you have no idea whether the next instalment will ever see the light of day.
The plot itself is nothing original and pulls together elements from all the "best" fantasy series. There is a definite feeling of this being a collaboration of ideas-by-others in some places, but in Gunzel's defence there is very little in the fantasy genre that hasn't been done before in one guise or another!
I enjoyed the occasional glimpses into Dragot's world (if slightly sadistic and brutal) and don't real blame Gunzel from sticking to tried and tested techniques. The whole "farm-boy has to save the world but doesn't have any idea" could have come straight out of Wheel of Time or Eragon (to name just a few) but Gunzel does enough with his take to keep it fresh.
The characters of Eric and Jacob really do remind me at this early stage of Rand and Matt from the first few Wheel of Time novels, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing if Gunzel takes the time to develop them further in the later instalments.
Jade is more interesting but I hope that her character isn't reduced to the role of "romantic interest" only as is hinted at towards the end of the book. I think she has more to give and it would be disappointing if Gunzel went down this route too far.
Morcel, again, is someone we have encountered in different stories under different names but he also has enough about him to be interesting and worth finding out more about.
Land of Shadows is actually quite short and Gunzel packs a fair amount into the story. He is also trying to establish the characters and the environment at the same time too. As a result, some of the pacing can feel slightly inconsistent and rushed in places. I'd rather it was this way than the other way (turgid boring passages about nothing) but I felt he could have balanced things a touch better occasionally.
All in all though I was pleasantly surprised by Land of Shadows and will definitely be reading the rest of the series if it continues in this vein. I found the characters and storyline to be interesting, if not unique, and enjoyed enough of the universe Gunzel has created to be enticed back for another go.
Verdict: 4 stars out of 5
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