Review round-up: THE WAY OF SHADOWS by Brent Weeks
We’ve just published The Way of Shadows, the first part of brand new fantasy series The Night Angel Trilogy by debut author Brent Weeks, in the US, the UK and Australia.
The story of street urchin Azoth’s apprenticeship to Durzo Blint, the most highly-skilled and widely-feared contract killer of the age, has already been generating some significant online buzz. Here are a few examples of the coverage we’ve seen so far:
From Grasping For The Wind:
“What Brent Weeks has done is fill his story with very human, very flawed characters. Each and every one has motivations that stem from their own involvement in law-breaking dealings. Even the most righteous of characters turns out to have made mistakes. That type of characterization makes this story very unlike traditional epic fantasies, adding a depth of character those stories often lack.”
From Civilian Reader:
“Weeks has created a vivid new world full of political intrigue, individual struggle, a dark and gritty complexity, and superb characters … Solid, extremely well written, and deftly plotted, The Way Of Shadows is a promising debut from a talented new voice in urban fantasy fiction.”
From fantasybookreviewer.blogspot.com:
“Overall, I was more than pleasantly surprised by this book. I actually loved it. The characters, the plot, and the quick pacing really worked for me. About halfway through the book I thought I would name it my debut novel of the year, but after finishing the book, I’m not sure if that claim is enough. The Way of Shadows is definitely in my top 5 novels of the year, and might even hold the top spot.”
From fantasyscifibookreview.blogspot.com:
“What you get … is a suspenseful, quick-reading action adventure. You have assassins, mad kings, crime lords, prostitutes and nobles all taking on major roles. You see Azoth’s development from a desperate child on the street to an accomplished killer. You see Durzo fight his need to connect to other human beings while being convinced that he’s better off alone. And even after almost 700 pages, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.”
If you’d like to check out the very start of the series for yourself, you can read the first chapter of The Way of Shadows here on the Orbit website.
And don’t forget that once you’ve discovered The Way of Shadows and found yourself eager for more, you won’t have too long to wait for the next instalment: we’re publishing part two, Shadow’s Edge, in November and the conclusion of the series, Beyond the Shadows, in December. All three volumes will be available in the US, the UK and Australia.
Plus, visit Brent Weeks’ homepage at www.brentweeks.com to find out more about the author.






Tammy
October 12, 2008
at 6:53 pm
good luck with the releases in the uk
I hope Orbit online does a competition on the website to win a set of all 3. Maybe Orbit can work some fantasy magic and run a competition for a set of 3 signed copies on the orbitbooks.net site
Karin
October 12, 2008
at 9:14 pm
I just gotta say…these covers are dang beautiful. Again. Wonderful job!
r schultz
October 16, 2008
at 6:55 am
Hurry up. I read the first and need the second and third. I enjoyed the brutal characterization of the rich and most specifically the poorer side of town in to many books they make being poor seem like not a tough thing. In this book being poor and being dead arnt much different. Modern day people could take a note we have no need to prostitute for meals or steal. At the same time we are covered with laws. The old “keep it or it might get stolen” would be welcome with today’s entitlement generation. This book (although set in a different time, place, world) left me thinking often of how it is better and worse in our “modern” world. To this, I was surprised as I have enjoyed sci-fi and fantasy for years and kept them separate. Maybe just the troubles of this age or as I prefer this was just very well written. Please excuse if I ramble. For this book and the style of writing I say MORE MORE MORE.
Engel
October 18, 2008
at 11:09 pm
Incredible already.
I just bought the book this morning and I’ve already gotten so into it, it’s taking a lot of mental resistance to type this and not to go back and read more.
I hope I will be patient enough to wait for the second one.
It’s fantastic and captivating and I really should get back to reading!
Thank Brent for this work.
dave
April 9, 2010
at 12:01 am
i just like the first two books and i cant wait to get the third beyond the shadows