Plague of Shadows

Pathfinder Tales #3

by Howard Andrew Jones

A Desperate Quest

The race is on to free Lord Stelan from the grip of a wasting curse, and only Elyana, his old elven adventuring companion and former lover, has the wisdom and reflexes to save him. When the villain turns out to be another of their former companions, Elyana and a band of ragtag adventurers must set out on a perilous race across the revolution-wracked nation of Galt and the treacherous Five Kings Mountains, bound for the mysterious Vale of Shadows. But even if they can succeed in locating the key to Stelan's salvation in a lost valley of weird magic and nightmare beasts, the danger isn't over. For Elyana's companions may not all be what they seem.

From sword and sorcery icon Howard Andrew Jones comes a fantastic new adventure set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Role Playing Games

373 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2011

About the author

Howard Andrew Jones was an American speculative fiction and fantasy author and editor, known for The Chronicles of Hanuvar series, The Chronicles of Sword and Sand series and The Ring-Sworn trilogy. He had also written Pathfinder Tales, tie-in fiction novels in the world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, published by Paizo. He was the editor of Tales from the Magician's Skull and had served as a Managing Editor at Black Gate since 2004. He assembled and edited a series of eight volumes of the short fiction of Harold Lamb for publication by Bison Books.

Reviews

[P. Aaron Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good entry into the pulp sword-and-sorcery quest genre. The characters' motivations are both unusually believable and unsually complex (non-contiguous, and sometimes mutually incompatible, qualities). The world-building (dependent here on the Pathfinder RPG property) is serviceable. The pacing bogs only very occasionally, and the action sequences are handled with just the right degree of detail, evocative and clear without belaboring each sword swing or blood spatter.

The two real standout elements here are the interlude structure and the complex love triangle which binds the three primary characters.

This is the tale of a retired adventuress, her retired ex-sweetheart, and the apparently not-so-retired traveling companion who used to be a part of their merry dungeon-delving band. There's a quest narrative here (the search for a mysterious artifact to cure a curse), but it could have bogged down or turned into an episodic ODTAA parody of the genre. It doesn't because the clever device of having our protagonist be a retiree means she (a) gets to spend plenty of the text reflecting on the past in a thoughtful manner and (b) breaking up such musings with dramatic action scenes which pop in as flashbacks between major chunks of the main book. As a pacing device, that's pretty clever.

The love triangle, not to get too spoilery about it, is central here, forming not only the basis for our protagonist's quest, but for the curse which sets it in motion. The 'villain' of the piece is one of the legs of this triangle, and his character development is handled particularly well. Of special note is a brief discourse on the nature of love between our protagonist and our villain, and it's pretty serious fare for a tossaway paperback like this one. It elevates the material, and possibly the genre as a whole.

[Mikhail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Howard Andrew Jones is normally a pretty solid writer, but he's pretty clearly just phoning it in here.

[Yanik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having previously read The Walkers from the Crypt and was decently pleased with that, Plague of Shadows was my first full Pathfinder novel and I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality. I’ve seen reviews label it as ‘fast food fantasy’ and sure, the world and story are formulaic and quite basic, but the characters and writing were interesting, well layered and often had me smiling.
It was also, incidentally, the biggest e-book I’ve read so far and was pleased to find it didn’t hinder my reading process by much.

There’s quite some action, as one would expect from the genre. It’s meaty, visceral and detailed without losing much of the momentum. Combat experience and overview in the heat of battle are taken into account, making every POV and situation interesting.
What’s less interesting, even though they were decently well handled, was that there were no less than three dragon-like battle encounters in the book. Even if the characters warn against not underestimating them and how dangerous such encounters are, it was too much for me.

I am no romance fan and there is plenty of it throughout. In general, it is handled decently, but I could really do without every other male character going after the main character. Other reviews warned me about a couple of love triangles. I was not expecting a bewildering love polyhedron.

Mortality is a big theme throughout the story with ideas like the long levity, the inevitability of death and the importance of the act of killing often weaving into the characters’ motivations.
Something quite thoughtful was how many of the losses sustained during the story have a big impact on the characters as they go through their mourning processes.

The story itself is perhaps the weakest link, while not too predictable, it is standard fantasy, complete with an ancient magical artifact, dragons and an evil tower. While constantly evolving, the plot often times undermines itself. There are, however, enough twists, location changes and shake ups to make it fun and interesting.
The most appealing aspect, to me, were the characters and their interactions. The cast is relatively small and every character (save perhaps for the Lord around so much pivots) gets their time to shine. There are some lovely interactions and conversations strewn about and I was especially fond of Elyana’s interactions with the half-Orc Drelm; both being sort of outcasts, stoic warriors and not very elaborate in their speech, making for lots of things being said between the lines.
The premise of a couple of seasoned, retired adventures dragging along rookies and remembering old times was very well done.

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and was glad that Andrew Jones’s writing stepped up from The Walkers from the Crypt, it was fun to see these characters again.
I’m looking forward to continuing in Bells of the Dead and Stalking the Beast.

[Paul McNamee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good adventuring with a nice angle, as someone else noted, "what happens when elves get too old for this s*&^?" A blend of D&D adventuring with tones of Jirel of Jory and the western, Unforgiven. The payoffs here are setup through characters, hard truths and exposed lies. I look forward to Jones next entry in the Pathfinder universe, and I need to check out some of the other authors and novels of this world.

[John Drawdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel. It had good action and plot twists that fit in well with the story, but I didn't see coming (which is quite rare). The main character is likable, but not compelling. However, there are a couple of outstanding supporting characters.

[Ahimsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jones once again proves he is a master of the sword-and-sorcery genre. There are twists and turns aplenty, but the plot is secondary to the Howardesque action. A most entertaining read.

[ik.ben.henri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had fun reading this.

[James T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fan of author Howard Andrew Jones novels. After his untimely passing, I realized that there would never be a new HAJ novel, so I decided to investigate his Pathfinder tie-in novels, even though Pathfinder was never something that caught my interest.

Pathfinder is a derivative of a derivative, so HAJ was given a pretty limited canvas but he uses it well. The prose is his action-packed, direct and minimalist style. It creates something greater than the sum of its parts. This stile creates a very enticing and arresting opening and the remainder of the story a very digestible quality.

The story itself takes a lot of twists and turns that I was not expecting. I’m not sure I always liked the direction the sudden pivots went in but they were always unconventional and unexpected.

The characters were well done, and feel very at place with contemporary character driven fantasy books. Some of them, like Arcil, made me deeply uncomfortable. Some might find his story and character cathartic, I found him too close to real life evils I’m trying to escape when I read a fantasy book.

Overall, this book feels like a rough draft of what would become HAJ’s Ringsworn trilogy. It’s a character driven, contemporary, epic fantasy, with the action and feel of a Sword and Sorcery story.

Overall, I thought it was a solid novel that I would recommend to fans of his works or the Pathfinder games. I didn’t love it, and wasn’t always thrilled by all of the narrative choices, but it’s still a good read.

I also appreciated the Easter eggs. Amber, Dune and the Lord of the Rings. There were probably other homages I missed.

Excited to read the follow up as it sounds like a bit more unique story with some of the better characters from this novel.

[Luke Scull · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. My first novel by Howard Andrew Jones (RIP). Some really interesting character dynamics relationships and fun action, let down by the feeling the novel was written rather in a rush. The pieces are all there, but it feels a step below some of the other Pathfinder novels I've read in terms of quality of the writing. I'd probably have loved it back in my late teens though! I look forward to reading more swords and sorcery by Mr. Jones.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever been pulled into a world with the force of being pulled into a black hole? I was totally engrossed in the first 50 pages or so of Plague of Shadows. What wasn’t there to like? It introduces a wise, strong, mysterious female elf protagonist training a young, intelligent, and brave young noble while trying to solve a mysterious curse in the midst of not one, but two, different love triangles. Much of the action takes place in an extremely well-conceived, vividly portrayed vision of the Plane of Shadows. Who would have thought that something that sounds so dark and dim could be so innovative and fascinating?
And, while this will be a negative to some readers, I even felt that there were spots where I could hear the dice rolling in the background. Yes, I know that some editors of game fiction want to guarantee that you can’t directly connect the combat in their related novels to the action in the fiction. I want to perceive how something in the novel could or might work in the game. I really liked the fact that I could visualize a game situation as well as a “life” situation during several of the battle scenes. That wasn’t what dispelled my enjoyment of the novel.

I don’t even know if I can explain what I hated about the latter portion of this novel without providing a spoiler. Let me simply say that there are times in fiction (whether in short stories, novels, or on stage or screen) when one wants to completely transform the readers’/viewers’ perspective of certain characters within the course of a story. Most commonly, this is where our idea of the villain or presumed villain changes for the better and sometimes, it is where our idea of the protagonist or one of her/his allies changes for the worse. From the beginning of Plague of Shadows, one senses that one or the other of these transformations is likely to occur.

Now, such transformations can be fairly interesting, but I hate them when there is inadequate foreshadowing or foundation-building for the transformation. I like it when the protagonist has missed a vital clue or has a significant misunderstanding of something that has happened in the past to cause the transformation(s). Oh, there are misunderstandings in the background relationships of Plague of Shadows, but the transformation(s) are (were) sudden and basically inexplicable—even during the dénouement section.

I don’t mean to say that the conclusion is completely unsatisfying. In spite of “liking” the heroes who survived, I found myself frustrated by the fact that the characters I found most interesting don’t appear to be set up for the sequel and those which are set up for the sequel don’t really make sense as adventuring companions in the long run. In short, Plague of Shadows started out at my diamond level and ended as cubic zirconia.

[Timothy McNeil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plague of Shadows, in the end, is genre fiction at the median level. The references to the world come across as forced, as though author Jones had imported an existent story into a company's setting. He also does a less than admirable job of making the reader feel any sense of distance, which makes the journeys seem somehow less important than the brief spasms of conflict. Jones also has one of the worst in-book references to a game mechanic I have ever read where he has a bard actually say, as he plucks his musical instrument, "How about a little inspiration". I burst out laughing, and had it happened in the first third of the book, that might have been enough to make me put it down and never return to it. As it was, the story was near its climax and Jones had built up enough good will for me to forgive such an awkward placement.
Jones isn't an untalented author, but there isn't anything new or original in this tale. It is predictable, and somehow doesn't even neatly fit into the world for which it was commissioned. There is nothing world-shattering happening in the novel; it is a small, self-contained story that does little to illustrate where Paizo is steering their world. Still, Paizo recently featured Jones at one of their panels at GenCon, so he is undoubtedly in their plans for future novels. I don't have any immediate interest in reading him again, but if I heard some good word of mouth, I could be convinced to give him another chance. That would still presuppose I could cut the price of the book in half.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short take:

I'm on a good streak with these Pathfinder Tales, this being the third in a row that was fun and made good use of a shared world and the freedom that the genre offers. Just as in "Liar's Blade" and in "Night Glass," the stakes in this story are largely of a personal nature. Sufficient time is set aside for the characters to breath and act so that these stakes have meaning, far more than I expected, in fact. The action was exciting, the magic was cool, and the little corners of Golarion that Jones revealed were interesting. The more I read in this world, the more intriguing--and lived in--it gets. I'm definitely looking forward to Jones' follow-up to this tale.

[Alex Denby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good if you're looking for a straightforward quest-type fantasy, though not much really stands out.

[Shannon Schmelzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plague of Shadows is the third Pathfinder Tales novel and, honestly, I didn't care much for it.

The plot was fine, but the characters I found mostly forgettable or irritating. Star of the show Elyana is as interesting as a dry piece of toast, and yet nearly every one of her "friends" are stumbling over each other wanting to hook up with her.

Lead villain Arcil is about the same. We start off with "Big scary lich" but by the end he is so smitten with Elyana that it is eye rollingly stupid.

The only guy who doesn't seem to be hot for this elf is our other surprise villain, Vallyn, and that seems to be only because he is carrying a torch for another villain.

At it's best though, I did enjoy the "Tour" this book gave us. It very much reminded me of one of an old Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance novel, in that part of the point seemed to be showcasing the setting. And here we get to see northern Taldor, Galt, an outpost of Kyonin as well as the Vale of Shadows. Mostly this novel fleshes out Galt, which seems like an absolutely abysmal place to live what with their masked secret police and guillotines that can steal souls.

[Elilith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce roman était assez ennuyant jusqu'à la fin qui a un peu repris du peps on va dire. Il n'y avait pas vraiment de question qui nous poussait vers l'avant et je trouve beaucoup trop de combats qui peuvent vite être barbants dans un roman. Comme je disais, la fin était légèrement meilleure, à partir du quatrième quart j'ai accroché, mais clairement si je n'avais pas été du genre à tout finir même ce qui me fatigue, je ne serais arrivée jusque là. J'ai trouvé intéressant la "visite" de plusieurs endroits assez différents, mais peu élaboré et au final assez quelconque et archétypale. Le pays où se passe la majorité de l'action, le Galt, n'a aucune qualité rédemptrice, aucun avantage, aucune nuance. Alors oui c'est pas un pays de gentil dans le lore mais il n'y a pas UN SEUL PERSONNAGE intéressant qui y vive alors qu'on y passe la moitié du livre. On s’attend à mieux d'un roman.

[Lio Leeuwerink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great example of what the sword & sorcery genre can be. The book has great action sequences, plenty of intrigue and inter-party relationship dynamics. The characters have complex yet easy-to-grasp motivations.
I would have given the book 4 stars if not for the love triangle that is at the center of this book's core conflict. There is almost no romance in this book, since the love triangle has been played out in the main character's past. But the aftermath of the choices they made are what motivates several characters, giving this book an unique view into the workings of such relationships without being burdened by the main character's desire to be loved. This interesting dynamic elevates the story to a new level.

[Victor Sanchez · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have a tolerance of how much hype I can get over a specific group, society, race or individual. And this book just surpassed my "elves are superior in everyday" meter so, I'm down. I can only hear so long how ugly and smelly and stupid orcs and half-breeds are before it becomes intolerable.

I would use this book when I want to research biological essentialism and eugenics in tabletop game later.

[Adam Windsor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light and easy RPG tie-in novel. The characters are pretty thin and the plotline takes many detours into somewhat tangential fight scenes ... which honestly makes it feels more like an actual set of RPG sessions turned into fiction. If you have an itch for that kind of undemanding fantasy fare, this book will scratch it.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first this book just seemed like a Pathfinder adventure translated to novel form. However, as the story progressed, the characters, especially Elyana, became more detailed and more interesting. The plot twists were fun and engaging so that in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

[Topher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the ?third? book in the pathfinder series. I'm a bit meh on this one. I enjoyed reading it, but, wasn't really that into it. I did very much enjoy the ending, as it left something open for a continuation if desired but was otherwise a nice wrap-up to the story.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had potential but read as a series of thinly linked encounters. It reminded me of the kind of modules I would have liked running when I was an 11 year old DM, but as a reader, I wasn’t thrilled.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

So invested in the world of the roleplaying game and yet not so sold on the novelizations.

Took a couple of false starts to get through because the characters just didn't do much for me. Though I do appreciate that the author had clearly done some homework on the setting.

[Nano Villa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 que final tan agridulce pero correcto

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, but a bit slow. It also needs proofreading as there were a number of editing errors. Still, I enjoyed it.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great beach read, quick but thoroughly enjoyable!

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been trying to find time to sit down and review this so I'd better get it done before I forget little details.

If you like the Forgotten Realms books as I do (Drizzt, Elminster, Erevis Cale, etc.) then you should damn well know what you are getting into here. Stories set in a D&D equivalent universe in the world of Golarion of Pathfinder. Pathfinder being the best roleplaying game out right now, both first and second edition. But I'm not just here to assert tabletop opinions.

Anyway, so here's a book of adventure from the esteemed Howard Andrew Jones about a beautiful female elf named Elyana with red hair. I almost wish she were the iconic character of the regular pathfinder comics and stories in place of the silver-haired Merisiel, but we don't always get what we want now do we?

The story is about the aforementioned female fighting elf (read: awesome strong female character) and her half orc friend track down the evil magic to break the curse over one of her even closer friends (read: intimate buddy of the past). Now, there are obviously speed bumps along the way, including coming across other unsavory characters and monsters. Battles ensue. I agree with what some other reviewers say about the half orc friend being less fleshed out than Elyana, but in a genre fiction fantasy story I don't expect the Lord of the Rings. I just want to have a bit of fun with fantasy characters on an adventure. And this book exceeds those bare-bones expectations.

Some have critiqued the book for not following the strict rules of the game and quite frankly I reject this idea wholeheartedly. The reason I find it so problematic is because there once was a time when people invented these great tabletop pen and paper games as a way for nerds and nerdettes to gather 'round the table as friends and family and play out their wildest heroic fantasies together with the promise of danger and treasure, inspired by novels they read or historic tales of adventure. Beowulf, Odysseus, the Eddas, Lord of the Rings, Conan, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. We read these stories and many of us want to live them, to experience then ourselves. Games allow us to do that--to become these characters and make decisions as them. Thus we have the essence of roleplaying. To act as another person without fear of judgment or real world repercussions.

So I don't blame people of the game-centric side wanting a book to match the "rules" of a game world, but a good book should be allowed to make its own interpretation on magic "rules". Real life is obviously defined by a set of scientific laws and criteria, but there's still so much we don't know or understand. So much left undiscovered. There always will be. Nothing is yet perfectly etched in stone. So why in the hells would some medieval iron age world have a perfect knowledge of how every rule and spell and gadget work all the time without any doubts? Video games are finite and coded with such strict limitations. But even so there are bugs and glitches people find years later. A book should feel like a portal into a real world though. I hate Brandon Sanderson-esque explanations that all magic has to be perfectly defined and explained to a reader before it is experienced. Magic should be mysterious, awe-inspiring, shocking, dangerous, powerful, and not easily learned or understood. Though there are hundreds of thousands of well-defined spells that we want to see some similar iteration of in a book, it shouldn't be a 1:1 ratio.

To make my point simply, a book is meant to inspire imitation. Not the other way around. Some great fantasy worlds were inspired by real roleplay, and I love that, but it is the exception from what I've studied. So I read a book like this and want to borrow ideas for characters for my own games. If I want to read game books then I'll just read LitRPG. The most miserable, cliche ridden, shallow, wish fulfillment, fully lacking any credibility, unsatisfying genre of fiction I have ever read. That'll come across pretty rude for something that is merely a matter of opinion, so if you like it then more power to you. For me I'll just play a game. I was always annoyed having to wait for my brother to pass me a controller, so reading someone else's fake game world doesn't sit right with me.

That's why I like stories like Pathfinder Tales. They feel real to the world in which they are set. And the credit goes to the authors for that. These are no different from the famous Forgotten Realms and should be treated with the same respect. Elyana very well should be the next Drizzt, but these books are just not as well noticed as Pathfinder isn't as popular as D&D. I recommend you don't let popularity dissuade you from reading something as well written and fun as this. Tim Pratt, Chris Jackson, Liane Merciel, Dave Gross, and Howard's other stories come highly recommended by me.

Go forth and book binge, my friends.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quickly, I had a hard time getting started in this book but I'm so glad I stuck with it. The female lead was a little hard for me to relate to but once I got to know her a bit better, I was impressed. The hero snagged me from the start with his interesting profession and abilities. The unexpected ending made me enjoy the book even more. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a good fantasy novel.

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was excellent, and the plot twists actually surprised me. The only faults I found with the novel had nothing to do with the writing, but are faults with the genre - largely, I don't like healing magic. I think it takes away from the peril. Imagine if John McClain had access to healing potions in the Die Hard movies. (This is also why I don't allow clerics in my personal DnD or Pathfinder games).

However, I thought Howard Jones did a superb job within the constraints of a genre that is not always conducive to effective story-telling. I much prefer his Dabir and Asim stories with their more subtle forms of magic, but again that is a genre preference and really not a criticism of the writing itself.

This novel was MUCH better than most DnD-type world novels where uber-magic typically steals the thunder from characters (leaving them all too often mere archetypes), and that is a credit to Howard Jones' writing. His characters were interesting, and I liked how he wove the past into the present to show characters with conflicting motivations and desires.

The biggest weakness of the novel was the presence of too much healing magic, but (again) that is an expected artifact of the genre, and not a problem with the writing itself. Howard did great with what he had to work with. If he had dispensed with magical clerics and healing magic, he'd have had to explain why his Pathfinder novel doesn't fit in with the Pathfinder game mechanics.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series of Pathfinder Tales books are a mixed bag so far. They're fast food. They offer a deeper look at the various countries of the Inner Sea region of Golarion, clad in fantasy tales. Now, let's say that this is McDonald's fast food. My favorite burger there is the Big Mac. Dave Gross' Prince of Wolves set in Ustalav was a Big Mac. Elaine Cunningham's Witch of Winter was a cheeseburger. Tasty, but not filling, and lacking substance.

Plague of Shadows is a hamburger. Not as tasty as the cheeseburger, and kinda bland, but you eat it anyhow.

It didn't really do anything that I want from a Pathfinder Tale. I want a deeper look and feel for the atmosphere of its Golarion region. This story begins in Taldor, moves through Galt and touches on Kyonin, but none of them in any depth. Galt is pretty much the French Revolution going on perpetually, and it would have been fun to find out more about the power structures and factions. Hell, you don't even get any motivation for the BBEG at the end. I have no idea what this guillotine event is all about. Galt=evil, without any true explanation. Disappointing. Kyonin is similarly skimmed.

The only thing I really liked was Elyana as a character, though again, she lacked any real depth. It would have been more interesting to see her develop more with Drelm, the half-orc.

At least it's a fairly entertaining read, but all in all that's just 2.5 stars for me, rounding up to 3 on Goodreads.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a book whose plot takes place in the campaign setting of a popular roleplaying game (Pathfinder RPG), published under the imprint of the company responsible for the game (Paizo), it should come as no surprise that Plague of Shadows is not art, or even excellent entertainment. Like many such books, in a category of fiction I tend to call "professional fanfic", it stumbles at times over the clumsy limitations of compatibility with game rules that were clearly never well thought out in terms of how they would affect prose.

Despite its limitations, it is an engaging read, moved by a mostly well-crafted yarn, enriched by effective use of commonly powerful themes -- redemption, the bittersweet passions of star-crossed lovers, finding strength in misfortune, coming of age, and even an example of the ". . . and the adventure continues" style of ending, to name but a few such tropes that somehow never come across as trite or hackneyed.

It is really a high-value three stars ("liked it", according to the Goodreads rating system), but not quite so high-value that I could justify giving it four stars ("really liked it"), in part because of the story's flaws (I found myself caught halfway between a groan and a laugh the first time a bard started strumming a lute in the middle of combat).