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.