Review: The Shadow of the Sun by Barbara Friend-Ish
—nrlymrtl
Mercury Retrograde Press recently allowed Darkcargo access to the Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) of Barbara Friend Ish’s novel The Shadow of the Sun, the first novel in an epic fantasy. While this story starts a little slow, setting up one of the main characters and two main cultures he will be engaged in, I was immensely glad I stuck with it. This was one of those few books a year that would roll around my head during the day when I was not reading it, chomping at the bit to get back to it. The plot and the characters kept my mind and imagination engaged and I could not always guess where the story would take me.
The Shadow of the Sun, due out February 2011, wove together some basic elements of epic fantasy (good guys, bad guys, possibility for ending the world) and strings of celtic fable. I recognized the use of characters from The Tain and several Gaelic words, giving this novel a rich tapestry – the feel of a real, tangible world. There’s magic, sword play, political intrigue, lovers, and honor. I look forward to seeing this book in print and to reading the sequel.
- nrlymrtl, 11/28/2010
