The Shadow Casket
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The Shadow Casket
Narrated by:
Simon Bubb
Buy Now for £16.99
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Narrated by:
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Simon Bubb
About this listen
A TRAITOR IN THEIR MIDST.
A REVOLUTION ABOUT TO BEGIN.
It's been three years since Aren seized the Ember Blade. Three years since they struck the spark they hoped would ignite the revolution. But the flame has failed to catch. The Krodans have crushed Ossia in an iron grip of terror. The revolution seems further away than ever.
Far in the north, the Dawnwardens seek to unite the fractious clans of the Fell Folk and create a stronghold from which to retake their land. But even if they can overcome the danger of treachery from within, they still have to contend with the dreadknights. Only the druidess Vika can resist these near-unstoppable foes, and there's only one of her.
But what if there was a weapon that could destroy the dreadknights? A weapon of such power it could turn the tide? A weapon that, if it fell into the wrong hands, might mean the end of all hope?
The Shadow Casket has returned from out of the past, and it will save or damn them all.
'The Ember Blade is Lord of the Rings for the modern generation - an epic world full of history, depth and adventure' Ed McDonald, author of Daughter of Redwinter
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Critic reviews
A breathtaking sequel to The Ember Blade and a must-read for all fantasy fans.
Full of action, heart, humor, and an expansive cast of endearing characters that I didn't want to leave behind. One of my favorite reads of the year
This story gets a 10/10 from me. The world, the plot, the lore, the twists and turns, the characters and banter and adventures and humor all come together to make this the shadowy ruin in a valley (the dark fantasy equivalent of a shining city on a hill) that one can only dream of when embarking on a fantastical adventure
A brilliant epic fantasy read. It has everything that I want in a fantasy novel; a brilliant world to explore, characters that I both love and hate and a plot that twists and turns
This is a confused re-telling of The Ember Blade (which I thought was excellent) in that the main cast is trying to fetch a magical artifact from a dangerous place. However, while the Ember Blade was skillfully woven into the fabric of the first book it shared its name with and was a constant, ever-present idea, the Shadow Casket itself is dumped in the second book out of nowhere and forgotten about when it's convenient. I just did not care at all about this object that was apparently deserving enough to be the namesake of book two, because it's the focus of about 10% of the narrative.
Character-wise, it's a mixed bag - Fen, for example, has major character defining moments, changes of heart and perspective, and... we just don't get to see them? It's all after the fact? Instead, we get these weird one-sided conversations from some random woman who only seems to be there to pontificate on the nature of revolution and make Aren all awkward because she's got lady parts. There's some very strong Grub stuff in there, but most of the individual character arcs are middling.
This isn't a terrible book, but it doesn't feel like a worthy successor to The Ember Blade because it lacks focus, and fundementally misunderstands what made the first one so good; the ideals of camaraderie and fellowship are completely lost in a meandering, somewhat cynical story where the magic artifact in the title isn't even important for the plot to exist. I'll read the next one, but this was a huge disappointment.
Quest For The Magic McGuffin Two:Electric Boogaloo
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Great second book, looking forward to the next
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I was wrong.
Chris has created a masterpiece.
It ruined my life. I want to read it again.
11 out of 10.
I want Grub to be my friend.
11 out of 10, Chris Wooding how dre you! I love it.
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With the second book it becomes obvious that the full story wasn't paved out and the author struggles with trying to connect all the threads in a meaningful way. Some are just brutally cut off, others are reduced in a very unsatisfying way, ending in a disappointing anti climax (e.g. the chosen one).
It is as many others point out a lot of the same from the first book, just slightly lower quality.
That being said, I'd say it's enough here to make it worth the time for me.
It's still better than the average fantasy novel (which isn't particularly good), just don't expect top tier quality on this one.
Pity, cause I'm sure the author could deliver if he'd actually finished the whole story before writing the first novel. I have hopes for his next work, but not the next novel in this series.
Ok, but does not deliver on all fronts
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Great book, full of plotty twists and great narration. Zoomed through it.
Exciting, gripping entry
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