15 July, 2010

Review - Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk

I admit, I have a penchant for assassins. Am I the only one? Looking at the amount of fantasy and science fiction novels revolving around assassins, I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and say, nope.
In the holy city of Othir, treachery and corruption lurk at the end of every street, just the place for a freelance assassin with no loyalties and few scruples. Caim makes his living on the edge of a blade, but when a routine job goes south, he is thrust into the middle of an insidious plot. Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers, and sorcery from the Other Side, his only allies are Josephine, the socialite daughter of his last target, and Kit, a guardian spirit no one else can see. In this fight for his life, Caim only trusts his knives and his instincts, but they won't be enough when his quest for justice leads him from Othir's hazardous back alleys to its shining corridors of power. To unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he must claim his birthright as the Shadow's Son...
Shadow's Son (2010) [US] [UK] was a quick read about one of my favorite topics, assassins. I don't know what it is, do I really wish I were an assassin? Admittedly, probably part of me, and I'm guess others as well, but shouldn't we be a little worried that it's so popular? Should we really wonder why there are so many terrible things happening in the world, I mean, we all want to be assassins!

Okay, I don't actually think things are that bad, andassassins are just cool I guess. The solitary life, the late nights, the creeping around in other people's houses. Some of us already pretty much live the life anyway right? Hehe, yes, that was a joke.

Back on topic. Shadow's Son, like I said before, is a quick read, but with the added bonus of being one of those stories that reveals all the pertinent information as the plot unfolds and at a quick pace. I kept comparing this toThe Crown Conspiracy (review) as I read because of these similar elements. Thus preserving the mysteries that slowly come to light about Caim's past and about his companion Kit, the spirit who only Caim can see and who flitters in and out of his life throughout the book.

Add to this some great main protagonists in Caim and Josephine and you have one heck of a ride. Caim is the assassin with the heard of gold, which, however unbelievable that may be that a hardened individual could kill with hardly a thought and then show compassion, it works yet again in Shadow's Son.

Josephine is thrown into the mess after her father is killed and I couldn't help but be drawn to her. She's shown as a somewhat impetuous and rebellious teen, and again, Sprunk pulls you into her character as she experiences not only some hardships, but atrocities as well.

Why Should You Read Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk?

Shadow's Son is a well-written book with some great characters and set in medieval territory with dark magic. What's not to love? The only real complaint I have is that it was only 278 pages...I really didn't want to stop reading. Luckily, this is the first in a trilogy and Melissa of My World has found out that Jon is hard at work on the sequel due out next year.

4 out of 5 Stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher

17 comments:

Todd Newton said...

I agree 100%. Thoroughly enjoyed this book, wished it was longer, and can't wait to see more from him.

DEZMOND said...

again a book with amazing cover, and I like the setting as well. Could this get made into a movie someday?

bloggeratf said...

Stick to creating life instead of killing it! I think that is what draws everyone to the assassin character - it is the opposite of being a creator, a father or mother, which you are soon about to be!

So, doctor Alec is trying to say that your nervousness over creating life is subconsciously translated into a desire to end it!

For real though, I loved the Brent Weeks so this is getting put on my list too.

Brenda said...

I may have to take this site off my google reader. I really don't need any more books on my TBR list, but with every good review here, another one gets added.

Unknown said...

Huge fan of assassins as well. The book was great as was the review. The series looks to be a winner. I look forward to his future projects.

On an unrelated subject, any word on the baby?

bloggeratf said...

Hmmm he hasn't responded yet... might be baby time!

Unknown said...

@Alex- I would have to agree with you on that one. I hope that is the case and that momma and baby are doing fine.

Bryce L. said...

Yup, baby time. Little one kept us up late, but mom and baby are doing great. 8 Ibs. 7 ozer so he's a big'un. :)

More to come.

Todd Newton said...

Woo! Congratulations!!

bloggeratf said...

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Party time!!!! Post up some pictures of the little critter.

Unknown said...

Bryce- Congratulations. Glad to hear that mom and baby are doing well.

As Alex said time for some picutures.

ediFanoB said...

Great review!
Belated congratulations!

Melissa (My World...in words and pages) said...

Great review! I really enjoyed this one as well. And I can see the similarities with The Crown Conspiracy. I am looking forward to getting more of Caim in future books.

Thank you for the links as well. :) And happy to help spread the happy words.

Bryce - Congrats on everyone, mom and baby, making it home save. And he is a big one, but you had already knew that would be. :) Enjoy and try to relax. And let mom get some rest too. Congrats to you both.

Jon Sprunk said...

Belated congratz, Bryce!!!

Bryce L. said...

Thanks all.

I realize no one will probably notice this, but I had to say something.

PS. He's still really big. At 4 months he's already wearing his 9-12 month clothes.

Unknown said...

I noticed.

Bryce L. said...

Haha, I finally noticed your notice. :D