Stands a Shadow

Buchanan continues the story of the Roshun assassin Ash, introduced in Farlander (Sept. 2011), who has successfully killed the Matriarch’s son, but grieves the loss of his apprentice, Nico. Ash sets about gaining retribution against the background of the Mann Empire’s continuing siege of the island city Bar-Khos. As a large cast of characters navigate a complicated plot, the story changes viewpoints a little too frequently to build up narrative continuity or cohesiveness. The quick shifts also make it difficult to build any sympathy for such unlikable people as the callous Diplomat Ché. More concerned with the movements of military forces and portraying a complex world than with action, the book has a leisurely pace atypical of military fantasies, feeling more like an epic quest without a well-defined goal. (Nov.)