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Shadowdance #1
A Dance of Cloaks
This is a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780356502786.
Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. Marshalling the thieves’ guilds under his control, he declares war against the Trifect, an allegiance of wealthy and powerful nobles.
Aaron Felhorn has been groomed since birth to be Thren’s heir. Sent to kill the daughter of a priest, Aaron instead risks his own life to protect her from the wrath of his guild. In doing so, he glimpses a world beyond poison, daggers, and the iron control of his father.
Guilds twist and turn, trading allegiances for survival. The Trifect weakens, its reputation broken, its money dwindling. The players take sides as the war nears its end, and Thren puts in motion a plan to execute hundreds.
Only Aaron can stop the massacre and protect those he loves…
Assassin or protector; every choice has its consequences.
Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. Marshalling the thieves’ guilds under his control, he declares war against the Trifect, an allegiance of wealthy and powerful nobles.
Aaron Felhorn has been groomed since birth to be Thren’s heir. Sent to kill the daughter of a priest, Aaron instead risks his own life to protect her from the wrath of his guild. In doing so, he glimpses a world beyond poison, daggers, and the iron control of his father.
Guilds twist and turn, trading allegiances for survival. The Trifect weakens, its reputation broken, its money dwindling. The players take sides as the war nears its end, and Thren puts in motion a plan to execute hundreds.
Only Aaron can stop the massacre and protect those he loves…
Assassin or protector; every choice has its consequences.
455 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 709 reviews
May 25, 2011
Giving this an average rating because I thought it was a pretty average book -- not bad, but not great either.
Right away, I sensed that Dalglish was attempting for a "Song of Ice and Fire" feel for this book. The title format as well certain phrases and names dropped as homages hinted at this, but he also states as much in his afterword.
This was both good and bad. On the one hand, I knew I was going to be in for some political intrigue; on the other, I also knew I was going to have to prepare myself for most of the characters I meet dying horribly and needlessly.
Turns out I was right on both accounts, but I was never engaged the same way with "A Dance of Cloaks" as I was with George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones" and I think I know why. While Dalglish does a good job with his character and world building, he doesn't do enough. For example, when key characters died, the book succeeded in shocking me but where it failed was making me actually care, which is what I think is more important. It's hard to be affected when you don't feel any connection to the characters, and I wish Dalglish would have developed some of the secondary characters a bit more especially if he was going to have so many of them.
Speaking of shock-value, expect much violence. I saw it coming, and normally I wouldn't care, but I have a weakness for eyes and fingernails. Any time anything happens to those two body parts I get a little squeamish, and unfortunately for me, Dalglish seems to have a particular fixation for eye gouging and other eye-related torture and injuries.
Right away, I sensed that Dalglish was attempting for a "Song of Ice and Fire" feel for this book. The title format as well certain phrases and names dropped as homages hinted at this, but he also states as much in his afterword.
This was both good and bad. On the one hand, I knew I was going to be in for some political intrigue; on the other, I also knew I was going to have to prepare myself for most of the characters I meet dying horribly and needlessly.
Turns out I was right on both accounts, but I was never engaged the same way with "A Dance of Cloaks" as I was with George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones" and I think I know why. While Dalglish does a good job with his character and world building, he doesn't do enough. For example, when key characters died, the book succeeded in shocking me but where it failed was making me actually care, which is what I think is more important. It's hard to be affected when you don't feel any connection to the characters, and I wish Dalglish would have developed some of the secondary characters a bit more especially if he was going to have so many of them.
Speaking of shock-value, expect much violence. I saw it coming, and normally I wouldn't care, but I have a weakness for eyes and fingernails. Any time anything happens to those two body parts I get a little squeamish, and unfortunately for me, Dalglish seems to have a particular fixation for eye gouging and other eye-related torture and injuries.
August 1, 2016
Executive Summary: A premise that should be right up my alley, just seemed to fall flat in its execution.
Full Review
I was only vaguely aware of this book when it was chosen by a Kickstarter backer for the April Sword & Laser pick. It wasn't on my To-Read list though. A quick scan of my friends showed people who mostly weren't that impressed.
That said, I've surprised at times by books that were chosen, and I try to always read the S&L pick, even if I'm not that into it.
Most people who read my reviews will likely notice the books I don't like that much tend to receive shorter reviews than the books I really like. This one won't be much different. I'm not the type of person to rip apart something I don't like. I just move on.
The premise is one that should appeal to me. Several thieves guilds are vying for power over a city run more by the rich merchants than the King himself. I've always enjoyed playing rogues, assassins and thieves in various games over the year. Any class with stealth is usually my first pick.
I would say the first 20-25% of the book was enjoyable for me. Maybe that was due to my low expectations coming in. I'm not really sure. After that however it started to drag for me.
I don't really like any of the characters. There felt like too much was going on. I'd guess that's because he was trying to build things for a larger series, but for me this made things a bit too haphazard.
The book also doesn't come to much of a conclusion. Things were building steadily towards this festival. The books end with it where a lot of things happened. However so much was left unresolved that you're almost forced to keep reading to get any sort of closure. Unfortunately, I'm just not that interested in continuing this series to find out things resolve. One was enough for me.
2.5 Stars.
Full Review
I was only vaguely aware of this book when it was chosen by a Kickstarter backer for the April Sword & Laser pick. It wasn't on my To-Read list though. A quick scan of my friends showed people who mostly weren't that impressed.
That said, I've surprised at times by books that were chosen, and I try to always read the S&L pick, even if I'm not that into it.
Most people who read my reviews will likely notice the books I don't like that much tend to receive shorter reviews than the books I really like. This one won't be much different. I'm not the type of person to rip apart something I don't like. I just move on.
The premise is one that should appeal to me. Several thieves guilds are vying for power over a city run more by the rich merchants than the King himself. I've always enjoyed playing rogues, assassins and thieves in various games over the year. Any class with stealth is usually my first pick.
I would say the first 20-25% of the book was enjoyable for me. Maybe that was due to my low expectations coming in. I'm not really sure. After that however it started to drag for me.
I don't really like any of the characters. There felt like too much was going on. I'd guess that's because he was trying to build things for a larger series, but for me this made things a bit too haphazard.
The book also doesn't come to much of a conclusion. Things were building steadily towards this festival. The books end with it where a lot of things happened. However so much was left unresolved that you're almost forced to keep reading to get any sort of closure. Unfortunately, I'm just not that interested in continuing this series to find out things resolve. One was enough for me.
2.5 Stars.
November 7, 2017
3 Stars
Decent is probably the best word I can use to describe this book. It isn't bad, but there wasn't anything outstanding about it I could point to either. Still, if assassins/thief guilds are your thing it may be worth giving it a shot.
The plot focuses on a conflict between the thieves guilds of Veldaren, a city that is the primary setting for the story, and the merchant leaders who rule the city. The overall feel I got from the book was a bit of a cross between R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt books and some of Raymond E. Feist's novels, particularly the ones that focused on the Mockers Guild (although this book was grimmer than either of those comparisons). Unfortunately, the world of this book felt a bit underdeveloped. The story takes place entirely inside Veldaren which never felt distinctive. References are made to other cities and locations but they don't feel very meaningful because they are never seen and have no impact on the plot. Elves and orcs are mentioned in passing but again are never seen. I think there are the seeds of some interesting worldbuilding but, at least in this book, they were never realized.
Another different between this book and the comparison titles above is the quality of the writing. For the most part it was fine, but a few things were noticeable. POV switches happen in the midst of events with no warning, switching from one person's thoughts to another. That's very difficult to do without being confusing, and this book didn't quite pull it off. Some of the dialogue also felt a bit stilted. Also, and this is admittedly purely my preference, but I don't love the heavy use of modern names for characters (Aaron, Kayla, Alyssa, Madelyn, Laurie, etc.). I also usually prefer a bit more description from author's, at times I found it hard to picture events and locations.
Another problem for me was an inability to really connect with the characters. There was no one character that fully captured my interest, and I frankly didn't like most of them, including ones I was supposed to like.
I don't think this is a terrible book by any means, it just wasn't for me. I can definitely see others enjoying it more than I did.
Decent is probably the best word I can use to describe this book. It isn't bad, but there wasn't anything outstanding about it I could point to either. Still, if assassins/thief guilds are your thing it may be worth giving it a shot.
The plot focuses on a conflict between the thieves guilds of Veldaren, a city that is the primary setting for the story, and the merchant leaders who rule the city. The overall feel I got from the book was a bit of a cross between R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt books and some of Raymond E. Feist's novels, particularly the ones that focused on the Mockers Guild (although this book was grimmer than either of those comparisons). Unfortunately, the world of this book felt a bit underdeveloped. The story takes place entirely inside Veldaren which never felt distinctive. References are made to other cities and locations but they don't feel very meaningful because they are never seen and have no impact on the plot. Elves and orcs are mentioned in passing but again are never seen. I think there are the seeds of some interesting worldbuilding but, at least in this book, they were never realized.
Another different between this book and the comparison titles above is the quality of the writing. For the most part it was fine, but a few things were noticeable. POV switches happen in the midst of events with no warning, switching from one person's thoughts to another. That's very difficult to do without being confusing, and this book didn't quite pull it off. Some of the dialogue also felt a bit stilted. Also, and this is admittedly purely my preference, but I don't love the heavy use of modern names for characters (Aaron, Kayla, Alyssa, Madelyn, Laurie, etc.). I also usually prefer a bit more description from author's, at times I found it hard to picture events and locations.
Another problem for me was an inability to really connect with the characters. There was no one character that fully captured my interest, and I frankly didn't like most of them, including ones I was supposed to like.
I don't think this is a terrible book by any means, it just wasn't for me. I can definitely see others enjoying it more than I did.
January 15, 2013
Ugh what a terrible book. One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to give authors more of a chance. Especially indie authors. This book definitely tried my patience and I had to force myself through it. I'm now regretting that resolution because Dance of Cloaks never got better, the ending wasn't satisfying and it was a total waste of time. I should have gone with my instinct on this one and put it down after the first few chapters but I figured, well, this book has a pretty high rating on goodreads so maybe it gets better. Nope.
Characters are inconsistent with either very fluctuating or non-existent motivations. Aaron/Haern has a bizarre complex with his name and the fact that his father wants him to be a killer. Half the time he kills people on a whim then he decides he doesn't want to be that person and he kills people on a whim anyway. Except for the random person who it's suddenly wrong to kill? There's no justification for his actions.
Thren was the most consistent character in the book but that's because he was so 2-dimensional that he didn't have anywhere to go. He was stuck in the "black/white" aspect of the story.
I can respect that Dalglish tried to put some dimension into his characters but they're so flaky and inconsistent that they're annoying to follow and to read. Kayla in particular is wishy-washy (and sadly not purposefully wishy-washy).
The plotline is relatively simple and so to be a good book needed to be character driven. Unfortunately, the characters fail at driving any sort of plot and plunder along at the author's whim.
Oh and then there's really no conclusion, just a set up for a sequel.
Characters are inconsistent with either very fluctuating or non-existent motivations. Aaron/Haern has a bizarre complex with his name and the fact that his father wants him to be a killer. Half the time he kills people on a whim then he decides he doesn't want to be that person and he kills people on a whim anyway. Except for the random person who it's suddenly wrong to kill? There's no justification for his actions.
Thren was the most consistent character in the book but that's because he was so 2-dimensional that he didn't have anywhere to go. He was stuck in the "black/white" aspect of the story.
I can respect that Dalglish tried to put some dimension into his characters but they're so flaky and inconsistent that they're annoying to follow and to read. Kayla in particular is wishy-washy (and sadly not purposefully wishy-washy).
The plotline is relatively simple and so to be a good book needed to be character driven. Unfortunately, the characters fail at driving any sort of plot and plunder along at the author's whim.
Oh and then there's really no conclusion, just a set up for a sequel.
February 6, 2017
I'm left feeling quite conflicted after finishing this book. I did throughly enjoyed this book but I was also in a constant state of confusion while reading it. There are so damn many names and places and it all moves so quickly that it's insanely difficult to keep everything straight. But part of what I enjoyed about the book was how fast paced it was. Hence the feeling conflicted. Despite all of that, it was an excellent and deliciously vicious story and I'm definitely looking forward to the second book!
September 21, 2017
Great cover, okay story.
The concept was great, just wish more time had been spent fleshing out the characters and the world. The characters all had potential to be very interesting, but never fully came to life for me - except maybe Aaron. His conversion was partially what kept me reading, although I think some of his experiences were a little unbelievable and rushed, especially in the very beginning.
I was prepared for many a violent and bloody run-in, but there were a couple scenes I could have done without. One was so stupid and gross I considered stopping, because I can't stand when authors add things just for shock factor. The other was an unnecessary scene involving a little girl. Not very detailed (thankfully) or well written, and added absolutely nothing to the story.
Other than that I can’t say there was ever a dull moment, as there was always someone fighting, dying, plotting, or hiding, so the story kept a quick pace. Not a great read, but simple and sort of entertaining. I'm going to try sequel in hopes that it gets better.
The concept was great, just wish more time had been spent fleshing out the characters and the world. The characters all had potential to be very interesting, but never fully came to life for me - except maybe Aaron. His conversion was partially what kept me reading, although I think some of his experiences were a little unbelievable and rushed, especially in the very beginning.
I was prepared for many a violent and bloody run-in, but there were a couple scenes I could have done without. One was so stupid and gross I considered stopping, because I can't stand when authors add things just for shock factor. The other was an unnecessary scene involving a little girl. Not very detailed (thankfully) or well written, and added absolutely nothing to the story.
Other than that I can’t say there was ever a dull moment, as there was always someone fighting, dying, plotting, or hiding, so the story kept a quick pace. Not a great read, but simple and sort of entertaining. I'm going to try sequel in hopes that it gets better.
September 3, 2011
CLASSIFICATION: Featuring a world wherein there are multiple factions at work, this book is a dark, character-driven, gritty fantasy novel in the vein of George R.R. Martin, Brent Weeks and Peter V. Brett.
FORMAT/INFO: A Dance of Cloaks is 217 pages divided over twenty nine numbered chapters with a prologue & epilogue. Narration is in the third person via several different point-of-views, both major characters and supporting ones as well, including the main protagonist Aaron Felhom, Thren Felhom, Alyssa Gemcroft, Kayla, Veliana, Maynard Gemcroft, and many other minor players. A Dance of Cloaks was supposed to be a stand alone novel however the author soon realized that the entire story could not be told in a single volume and hence is the first book in the Shadowdance trilogy.
This book is set in Dezrel, the same world as that of the Half-Orc Series and enough background information is provided for readers. The plot of the book is set before the events of the Half-Orc series. The book ends on a clean note but clearly indicates there is more to follow!
August 19, 2010 marked the North American publication of A Dance of Cloaks via paperback and ebook format. Cover art is provided by Peter Ortiz.
ANALYSIS: I read this book last year however due to certain personal reasons could not get the review published. While I was reading it, I was certainly struck by its fast pace, constant plot switches and mainly the unpredictability it brought to the table. A bit of history before one reads this book, the tale is set in the world of Dezrel, the same one of the Half-Orc series however any new reader can jump into this book and have no problem with it [I did the same]. It focuses on the character of Aaron Felhom who is in line to be the heir to Thren Felhom, the leader of the Spider Guild and a thoroughly deadly individual.
This book originally a standalone was supposed to show how Aaron became the person whom some readers have already met in Book 2 of the Half Orc series. Secondly the author was heavily impressed by George R.R. Martin’s "A Game of Thrones" and therefore was inspired to create a world wherein nothing is ultimately safe and the reader will be forced to turn the page to find out what happens next. It is safe to surmise that David has indeed accomplished what he set out to do.
Firstly there are four primary story threads ongoing in this tale, the first one focuses on Thren and his relentless march to wipeout the Tri-fect and secure a kingdom for himself, the second one focuses on Aaron, Thren’s heir and who is rather forced to learn how to become an effective ruler, the third thread focuses on Maynard Gemcroft, who is worried about his daughter Alyssa and about the precarious nature of his house and lastly Alyssa who is willful and faces danger through her choices. There are a few more characters and I feel to spell it all out would ruin the charm of this book. For most characters, nothing goes out as planned and the atmosphere prevalent is one wherein the reader will be forced to think about each character’s motives and plans.
The author does a fine job of constantly switching the tale focus and keeping the reader hooked with various twists and new POV characters. I was very surprised by this book as I simply went in without any assumptions, and yet I was completely blown away by the writing and overall plot. The prose is very good and draws the reader in and then keeps them hooked. The world setting is not explored much beyond the city of Veldaren but then you hardly notice as the action and intrigue never lets up. The world is much deeper than imagined and we do get glimpses and conversations of other things rummaging on the background but readers who have read the Half-Orc series might be able to glean more from them.
Negative points if any were almost negligible, not that this book is a masterpiece and will be counted as the next “A Game of Thrones”. What it is though; a fine book from an upcoming writer who read the aforementioned book and crafted a worthy tale set in his world. There are a few tropes which have been utilized here but again they have been presented in such a way that you do not cringe. Some readers might be a bit thrown off by the number of POV introduced especially during and just before the climax, also a couple of characters make an appearance after being introduced in the earlier half, but then again its not difficult to read and find out what they are up to. Another thing the author is guilty of; is that of finding the tale is longer than he imagined it to be, but considering his inspiration, this can be easily forgiven.
CONCLUSION: A Dance of Cloaks is a gritty book with intriguing characters and has a plot which will keep you hooked till the end. David Dalglish will definitely be gaining new fans with the release of this book and if he can continue his form with the next two releases in the Shadowdance trilogy, I can foresee him ascending new heights and being counted as one of fantasy’s rising stars.
FORMAT/INFO: A Dance of Cloaks is 217 pages divided over twenty nine numbered chapters with a prologue & epilogue. Narration is in the third person via several different point-of-views, both major characters and supporting ones as well, including the main protagonist Aaron Felhom, Thren Felhom, Alyssa Gemcroft, Kayla, Veliana, Maynard Gemcroft, and many other minor players. A Dance of Cloaks was supposed to be a stand alone novel however the author soon realized that the entire story could not be told in a single volume and hence is the first book in the Shadowdance trilogy.
This book is set in Dezrel, the same world as that of the Half-Orc Series and enough background information is provided for readers. The plot of the book is set before the events of the Half-Orc series. The book ends on a clean note but clearly indicates there is more to follow!
August 19, 2010 marked the North American publication of A Dance of Cloaks via paperback and ebook format. Cover art is provided by Peter Ortiz.
ANALYSIS: I read this book last year however due to certain personal reasons could not get the review published. While I was reading it, I was certainly struck by its fast pace, constant plot switches and mainly the unpredictability it brought to the table. A bit of history before one reads this book, the tale is set in the world of Dezrel, the same one of the Half-Orc series however any new reader can jump into this book and have no problem with it [I did the same]. It focuses on the character of Aaron Felhom who is in line to be the heir to Thren Felhom, the leader of the Spider Guild and a thoroughly deadly individual.
This book originally a standalone was supposed to show how Aaron became the person whom some readers have already met in Book 2 of the Half Orc series. Secondly the author was heavily impressed by George R.R. Martin’s "A Game of Thrones" and therefore was inspired to create a world wherein nothing is ultimately safe and the reader will be forced to turn the page to find out what happens next. It is safe to surmise that David has indeed accomplished what he set out to do.
Firstly there are four primary story threads ongoing in this tale, the first one focuses on Thren and his relentless march to wipeout the Tri-fect and secure a kingdom for himself, the second one focuses on Aaron, Thren’s heir and who is rather forced to learn how to become an effective ruler, the third thread focuses on Maynard Gemcroft, who is worried about his daughter Alyssa and about the precarious nature of his house and lastly Alyssa who is willful and faces danger through her choices. There are a few more characters and I feel to spell it all out would ruin the charm of this book. For most characters, nothing goes out as planned and the atmosphere prevalent is one wherein the reader will be forced to think about each character’s motives and plans.
The author does a fine job of constantly switching the tale focus and keeping the reader hooked with various twists and new POV characters. I was very surprised by this book as I simply went in without any assumptions, and yet I was completely blown away by the writing and overall plot. The prose is very good and draws the reader in and then keeps them hooked. The world setting is not explored much beyond the city of Veldaren but then you hardly notice as the action and intrigue never lets up. The world is much deeper than imagined and we do get glimpses and conversations of other things rummaging on the background but readers who have read the Half-Orc series might be able to glean more from them.
Negative points if any were almost negligible, not that this book is a masterpiece and will be counted as the next “A Game of Thrones”. What it is though; a fine book from an upcoming writer who read the aforementioned book and crafted a worthy tale set in his world. There are a few tropes which have been utilized here but again they have been presented in such a way that you do not cringe. Some readers might be a bit thrown off by the number of POV introduced especially during and just before the climax, also a couple of characters make an appearance after being introduced in the earlier half, but then again its not difficult to read and find out what they are up to. Another thing the author is guilty of; is that of finding the tale is longer than he imagined it to be, but considering his inspiration, this can be easily forgiven.
CONCLUSION: A Dance of Cloaks is a gritty book with intriguing characters and has a plot which will keep you hooked till the end. David Dalglish will definitely be gaining new fans with the release of this book and if he can continue his form with the next two releases in the Shadowdance trilogy, I can foresee him ascending new heights and being counted as one of fantasy’s rising stars.
November 15, 2016
I have to say that this story didn't get me that excited. To be honest, I think a large part of that is because of the narration, which is some of the worst I have heard. The narrator is fine with the story itself, but his characters are just awful and it makes you cringe so much that it becomes unlistenable. If you ever wondered what a Lebanese/Scottish/Slavic accent sounds like, you'll hear it this story, just before it changes into a northern English with a hint of god knows what. He just failed to hold onto an accent and deliver clear definition with each player. The other big problem was that in trying so hard to create a character accent, he forgot all about inflection. There were moments of great drama and the voice came out as flat as my last souffle attempt. Saying "quick, we need to move before we burn to death" in the same way as you'd say "are those peas?" doesn't work and you completely lose the atmosphere of the story.
I was hovering around 2 stars until I changed to reading the story instead of listening. Then it dramatically improved and pushed it back out to a three.
There are some inconsistencies with the story that annoyed me, silly things like a father telling his son that family is everything, blood is thicker than water etc etc than happily watching one son kill another and praising him?! My other beef is that whilst our main character has a lot of shit happen, things still work out really well in almost every occasion. The characters he meets roll over to his golas way to easy and it seems that everything happens completely to easy.
Underneath all this, is a solid story. I like a lot of the other characters and would have preferred a lot more detail on the actual Dance of the Cloaks, which we are given very little detail, but has so much potential in the story.
Overall I am not inspired to read book two, i'll have to read other reviews to see if I can be inspired to jump into the next in the series. Overall, i have to say that this book did not meet my expectations. I wasn't to big on Brent Weeks either, so if you loved hi assassin stories you would probably enjoy this as long as you read and not listen.
I was hovering around 2 stars until I changed to reading the story instead of listening. Then it dramatically improved and pushed it back out to a three.
There are some inconsistencies with the story that annoyed me, silly things like a father telling his son that family is everything, blood is thicker than water etc etc than happily watching one son kill another and praising him?! My other beef is that whilst our main character has a lot of shit happen, things still work out really well in almost every occasion. The characters he meets roll over to his golas way to easy and it seems that everything happens completely to easy.
Underneath all this, is a solid story. I like a lot of the other characters and would have preferred a lot more detail on the actual Dance of the Cloaks, which we are given very little detail, but has so much potential in the story.
Overall I am not inspired to read book two, i'll have to read other reviews to see if I can be inspired to jump into the next in the series. Overall, i have to say that this book did not meet my expectations. I wasn't to big on Brent Weeks either, so if you loved hi assassin stories you would probably enjoy this as long as you read and not listen.
February 12, 2021
DNF.
That was terrible. Let me correct myself - what I read of it was terrible. Maybe just after I gave up the book suddenly turned a corner and became amazing, but I'm going to guess not.
Our story concerns an underground war being fought between the three richest families in the city in Veldaren who have divided control of the city between themselves (although the author mentions a king later on,so I'm not sure how that works, but okay) and the thieves guilds, who are united under the control of one man, Thren Felhorn, who the back cover reliably informs us is the greatest assassin of his time. Our protagonist is his son, Aaron/Haern who is thirteen during this story. Another character, Kayla the thief, gets involved with Aaron's shenanigans. We also briefly see a character from the other side of the divide, Alyssa Gemcroft, the only child of one of these rich families; in her brief extract her dad throws her into the dungeons he apparently has in his mansion because of a disagreement they have, and her boyfriend sends assassins to kill him.
At this point I had read one quarter of the book and decided to give up. I didn't care about any of the characters, the world building was, putting it politely, sketchy and the plot was all kinds of 'Huh?'
In the author's note it seems this was originally a self-published novel that for some reason was picked up by Orbit books, who gave it to an editor (I wonder what the unedited version was like - this was bad enough), slapped a half-decent (if somewhat Assassin's Creed ish) cover on the front and shipped it to all the usual bookstores. So thanks very much, Orbit books; if you hadn't done that I wouldn't have wasted the best part of a day trying to read this nonsense.
This book has been recommended to readers who love assassins and thieves; well, I love assassins and thieves, and thought this was terrible. I recommend it to no one. That said, I do have a bought new only partially read once copy going spare, so if you're curious and would be willing to pay postage, I'll gladly send it to you.
That was terrible. Let me correct myself - what I read of it was terrible. Maybe just after I gave up the book suddenly turned a corner and became amazing, but I'm going to guess not.
Our story concerns an underground war being fought between the three richest families in the city in Veldaren who have divided control of the city between themselves (although the author mentions a king later on,so I'm not sure how that works, but okay) and the thieves guilds, who are united under the control of one man, Thren Felhorn, who the back cover reliably informs us is the greatest assassin of his time. Our protagonist is his son, Aaron/Haern who is thirteen during this story. Another character, Kayla the thief, gets involved with Aaron's shenanigans. We also briefly see a character from the other side of the divide, Alyssa Gemcroft, the only child of one of these rich families; in her brief extract her dad throws her into the dungeons he apparently has in his mansion because of a disagreement they have, and her boyfriend sends assassins to kill him.
At this point I had read one quarter of the book and decided to give up. I didn't care about any of the characters, the world building was, putting it politely, sketchy and the plot was all kinds of 'Huh?'
In the author's note it seems this was originally a self-published novel that for some reason was picked up by Orbit books, who gave it to an editor (I wonder what the unedited version was like - this was bad enough), slapped a half-decent (if somewhat Assassin's Creed ish) cover on the front and shipped it to all the usual bookstores. So thanks very much, Orbit books; if you hadn't done that I wouldn't have wasted the best part of a day trying to read this nonsense.
This book has been recommended to readers who love assassins and thieves; well, I love assassins and thieves, and thought this was terrible. I recommend it to no one. That said, I do have a bought new only partially read once copy going spare, so if you're curious and would be willing to pay postage, I'll gladly send it to you.
July 15, 2014
I understand the difficulty with self-publishing and the burning desire to have your work out there, for the whole world to enjoy. So, self-published works, especially debuts, will always get a lot of slack from me. Unfortunately, the edition I read was a republication through Orbit, done with the cooperation of a professional editor, and which according to the author is a better version than what was originally self-published. I dread to think what that self-published version read like, because this reworked version with its new, tied off plot lines was jumbled, hectic and childish.
Orbit, what happened?!
There are too many characters in the book, without a clear protagonist. The author tries to make it look like Aaron is, but without any success. Kayla is featured a lot, but there is no character depth to her. The same goes for all the others. Eventually, all the characters behave and think similarly, and completely irrationally. I particularly got tired of the feebly written death threats issued by various characters to each other every three pages or so: “I will bury you in my cloak!”, “I will drown you in the river!”, “I will hang you upside down till you die!” or some such nonsense that a twelve year old would find highly entertaining.
And that is probably the biggest reason I was disappointed with this book. It made me feel old, since I was unable to enjoy the shallow and juvenile plot or the absurd and unnecessary violence or the one-dimensional and yet superhuman characters.
The saddest thing about this book is that I connected more with the note from the author at the end of the book, than I did with the book’s content. Those few pages where the author told about the book were actually gripping, touching and credible.
This book barely scratches the 2 star rating for me, because despite being based on a good idea and having an interesting magic system, the writing itself left much to be desired.
Orbit, what happened?!
There are too many characters in the book, without a clear protagonist. The author tries to make it look like Aaron is, but without any success. Kayla is featured a lot, but there is no character depth to her. The same goes for all the others. Eventually, all the characters behave and think similarly, and completely irrationally. I particularly got tired of the feebly written death threats issued by various characters to each other every three pages or so: “I will bury you in my cloak!”, “I will drown you in the river!”, “I will hang you upside down till you die!” or some such nonsense that a twelve year old would find highly entertaining.
And that is probably the biggest reason I was disappointed with this book. It made me feel old, since I was unable to enjoy the shallow and juvenile plot or the absurd and unnecessary violence or the one-dimensional and yet superhuman characters.
The saddest thing about this book is that I connected more with the note from the author at the end of the book, than I did with the book’s content. Those few pages where the author told about the book were actually gripping, touching and credible.
This book barely scratches the 2 star rating for me, because despite being based on a good idea and having an interesting magic system, the writing itself left much to be desired.
October 5, 2013
First posted at Fantasy Review Barn
Update 10/4/13- I received a copy of the now traditionally published version from NetGalley. At the 40% mark I realized I had no desire to reread the whole book. I checked my book marks from the old version and skipped around the new and didn't find any major differences. All the previous complaints were still there, as well as the things I liked the first time around. Therefore my review from December (seen below) still stands. (If my review includes details that have in fact been changed I will gladly change it. New cover, same book as far as I can tell.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
‘A Dance of Cloaks’ takes place in a world where it appears well over a third of the population are trained as assassins, or are rich enough to afford them. Also it would seem that every women is beautiful , though professions are limited to hot ninja assassin(breathtaking beauty a must) or prostitute. Readers of ‘A Dance of Cloaks’ can expect more redheads than seem humanly possible, rapes and threats of rapes, and a murder rate that puts other GRIMDARK authors to shame. In the first chapter alone we have an eight year old killing his older brother and a father throwing his daughter into a cold dungeon. If one wants to know the gist of the review without reading it, no, I would not recommend this book to too many people, unless said people really, really like assassins.
And it is a real shame, the book has some potential. Taking place within one large city, there is a type of class war brewing. The Trifect, an alliance of the three richest men of the land are in practice ruling the city. Standing against them are large gangs of thieves that are being united by Thren Felhorn, the most feared criminal and leader of the largest gang. There is also a king who seems to have some power, but conveniently not enough to affect the first two groups, and a religious divide in which both sides want to influence but officially stay neutral. When dealing with the scheming, counter scheming, leads and false leads, and espionage this book is downright interesting. Anytime a character seems to have the upper hand something shifts. Thren is built up as something almost invincible for a while, but even he shows flaws. His son Aaron is an interesting character, though is personality conveniently fits whatever the author wants him to be at the moment, there is some inconsistency in his actions. I also felt the book had a stronger than average conclusion, I was surprised by how non-cliched it was in comparison to much of the book.
There was just so much in this book that didn’t work. As much as the class war interested me, it didn’t pass the logic test. The criminal guilds seemed to subsist solely on their thieving, which not only supported them but made them major powers. There were some illusions to protection schemes in the mix, but no major prohibited substances that typically are the base of criminal organizations power base. Just lots of fear and killing. Not only were these ‘guilds’ stocked with vicious killers, every one of the killers was unbelievable deadly. Thrown knifes never missed, usually put right in the throat or eye. If one of these killers was a female, she was assuredly described as a beauty, with the worst offenders being the faceless, who were more ninja from a video game than half-way realistic characters.
The book took a line from the Terry Goodkind guide of bad-guys, with rape being the main threat used on female characters. An early scene in which a young heiress is about to endure her horror actually has her thinking about how she was going to change her life when she got a chance, not the attack at hand. Toward the end of the book the narrative is still focused on her mistakes leading up to being kidnapped and attacked.
My last minor issue was with a drifting POV. If as a reader I have spent a page following a character and knowing only their thoughts, it is problematic when for one paragraph I get thought bubbles from a second character, only to switch right back to the focus character. It didn’t happen often, but I always noticed it.
2.5 stars. Really not much of an outing, but the strength of the conclusion(and the fact that all three books of the trilogy were packaged together on my kindle) means I may give the second book a try sometime.
Update 10/4/13- I received a copy of the now traditionally published version from NetGalley. At the 40% mark I realized I had no desire to reread the whole book. I checked my book marks from the old version and skipped around the new and didn't find any major differences. All the previous complaints were still there, as well as the things I liked the first time around. Therefore my review from December (seen below) still stands. (If my review includes details that have in fact been changed I will gladly change it. New cover, same book as far as I can tell.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
‘A Dance of Cloaks’ takes place in a world where it appears well over a third of the population are trained as assassins, or are rich enough to afford them. Also it would seem that every women is beautiful , though professions are limited to hot ninja assassin(breathtaking beauty a must) or prostitute. Readers of ‘A Dance of Cloaks’ can expect more redheads than seem humanly possible, rapes and threats of rapes, and a murder rate that puts other GRIMDARK authors to shame. In the first chapter alone we have an eight year old killing his older brother and a father throwing his daughter into a cold dungeon. If one wants to know the gist of the review without reading it, no, I would not recommend this book to too many people, unless said people really, really like assassins.
And it is a real shame, the book has some potential. Taking place within one large city, there is a type of class war brewing. The Trifect, an alliance of the three richest men of the land are in practice ruling the city. Standing against them are large gangs of thieves that are being united by Thren Felhorn, the most feared criminal and leader of the largest gang. There is also a king who seems to have some power, but conveniently not enough to affect the first two groups, and a religious divide in which both sides want to influence but officially stay neutral. When dealing with the scheming, counter scheming, leads and false leads, and espionage this book is downright interesting. Anytime a character seems to have the upper hand something shifts. Thren is built up as something almost invincible for a while, but even he shows flaws. His son Aaron is an interesting character, though is personality conveniently fits whatever the author wants him to be at the moment, there is some inconsistency in his actions. I also felt the book had a stronger than average conclusion, I was surprised by how non-cliched it was in comparison to much of the book.
There was just so much in this book that didn’t work. As much as the class war interested me, it didn’t pass the logic test. The criminal guilds seemed to subsist solely on their thieving, which not only supported them but made them major powers. There were some illusions to protection schemes in the mix, but no major prohibited substances that typically are the base of criminal organizations power base. Just lots of fear and killing. Not only were these ‘guilds’ stocked with vicious killers, every one of the killers was unbelievable deadly. Thrown knifes never missed, usually put right in the throat or eye. If one of these killers was a female, she was assuredly described as a beauty, with the worst offenders being the faceless, who were more ninja from a video game than half-way realistic characters.
The book took a line from the Terry Goodkind guide of bad-guys, with rape being the main threat used on female characters. An early scene in which a young heiress is about to endure her horror actually has her thinking about how she was going to change her life when she got a chance, not the attack at hand. Toward the end of the book the narrative is still focused on her mistakes leading up to being kidnapped and attacked.
My last minor issue was with a drifting POV. If as a reader I have spent a page following a character and knowing only their thoughts, it is problematic when for one paragraph I get thought bubbles from a second character, only to switch right back to the focus character. It didn’t happen often, but I always noticed it.
2.5 stars. Really not much of an outing, but the strength of the conclusion(and the fact that all three books of the trilogy were packaged together on my kindle) means I may give the second book a try sometime.
August 6, 2016
Review: http://tenaciousreader.wordpress.com/...
Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish is dark and bloody delve into the world of assassins. If you are one to enjoy the grimdark path that a book like this will take then definitely give it a shot. Personally, I really enjoyed it. It’s a book that sucked me in and kept me turning pages. I love unpredictability; I love books where any characters safety is not a sure thing. In this, Dance of Cloaks succeeds extraordinarily well. It is not as complex as Martin’s ASoIaF, nor are the characters quite as memorable. But let’s face it, for fans of Martin, that is a very high bar for a book to achieve. I would say this is on par with Brent Week’s Night Angel trilogy and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed that series.
I first read this when it was self-published, and I was still fairly new to the genre. I have seen others complain that there is nothing new in this, that it is unoriginal. Well, I didn’t have that complaint. Maybe because everything in the genre was still fresh for me, maybe because the grimdark scene lines up better with my horror roots, I don’t really know (or care).
I enjoyed the characters, the city, the politics and the magic. I may not have felt quite as attached to some of the characters as would be ideal, but overall, I enjoyed it enough to not care.
If you are squeamish, you probably shouldn’t read this book. If you are tired of assassins or thieves, don’t read this book. As for me, I’m not squeamish, I don’t like characters to be safe, and I am not tired of thieves or assassins even now, two years after I first read this book.
*disclaimer – I never use grimdark as a deragotory term. I quite enjoy all of the most predominant books that have been given this label
Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish is dark and bloody delve into the world of assassins. If you are one to enjoy the grimdark path that a book like this will take then definitely give it a shot. Personally, I really enjoyed it. It’s a book that sucked me in and kept me turning pages. I love unpredictability; I love books where any characters safety is not a sure thing. In this, Dance of Cloaks succeeds extraordinarily well. It is not as complex as Martin’s ASoIaF, nor are the characters quite as memorable. But let’s face it, for fans of Martin, that is a very high bar for a book to achieve. I would say this is on par with Brent Week’s Night Angel trilogy and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed that series.
I first read this when it was self-published, and I was still fairly new to the genre. I have seen others complain that there is nothing new in this, that it is unoriginal. Well, I didn’t have that complaint. Maybe because everything in the genre was still fresh for me, maybe because the grimdark scene lines up better with my horror roots, I don’t really know (or care).
I enjoyed the characters, the city, the politics and the magic. I may not have felt quite as attached to some of the characters as would be ideal, but overall, I enjoyed it enough to not care.
If you are squeamish, you probably shouldn’t read this book. If you are tired of assassins or thieves, don’t read this book. As for me, I’m not squeamish, I don’t like characters to be safe, and I am not tired of thieves or assassins even now, two years after I first read this book.
*disclaimer – I never use grimdark as a deragotory term. I quite enjoy all of the most predominant books that have been given this label
February 6, 2021
Well.
This review may sound like a hater's, but I didn't hate 'A Dance of Cloaks' by David Dalglish. Not exactly. It was, like, for another type of reader than me, maybe for a young audience, perhaps boys, looking for a lightweight but violent fast read, who are also starting the turbulence and depressions of puberty. It isn't bad or too creepy or nasty for most kids who play modern video games, but perhaps sensitive (or literary) readers might feel this is equal to eating plain popcorn on top of white bread with a thin bloody jam. It makes that kind of impression. Parents might be somewhat put off, but I can think of a few young adults who might think this is fun and engaging. There is a lot of cut throats, stabbed body parts (in particular eyes being cut, poked or gouged), off-screen torture, and an opening scene with a little 8-year-old boy killing his 17-year-old brother under the command of their father, because the older boy seemed a touch stupid, and thus a disappointment to daddy, who admittedly was having a bad day. There is a rich and slightly criminal aristocratic father in the following chapter who throws his defiant daughter into his prison, directing that she be mildly tortured because the young lass disagreed with his political assessment. To be fair, he was also upset because he had reports she was sleeping with aristocratic wankers from the castle next door. I honestly don't know if it was the sleeping around or the fact they had no political value which irked her dad. The book's characters pretty much have the reputed attitudes of the historical Borgia family, to reveal a slight spoiler.
The novel is so shallow in the backstories, and derivative of the Japanese 'Adult Swim' Cartoon Network imports, except the characters are paper cutouts glued onto popcycle sticks. They've all got only three modes of feeling (want to kill something now, will wait awhile to extract goodies if you are important and rich before I kill you, and I'm impressed by how well you kill so I like you and will be your friend). No depths whatsoever. It reads like it's written for readers without a lot of time to waste on world building or connecting with the book. It's a bit reminiscent of the martial arts movies from the 1970's. The bad ones, anyway. But, you know, they were fun to watch with your friends and lots of beer.
The characters all dance and spin, flipping over backwards to avoid thrown knives and then running up walls, throwing themselves stylistically off of roofs, you know, basic Matrix-styling, as they each kill and fight dozens of henchmen, throwing knives and cutting throats, looking cool in black. So what if the target sometimes is family? Who cares? None of the characters do. Family blood is best when it's pouring out on the floor, eliciting pride. But rich or poor, friend or foe, it's all about a 'what have you done for me lately' kind of honor. All of the daddies are proudest when their children are suffering torture without falling unconscious from daddy's punishments, without breaking under the pain and maiming. Affection is not quite allowed, unless it can be used for personal gain.
My copy doesn't indicate if this is YA, (thankfully I borrowed this from the library), but is this a middle school read? In any case, I couldn't finish it.
An excerpt: "The big man (Aaron's criminal dad, Thren, an assassin/thief clan boss) grabbed him (Aaron, the 8 year old, now 13) by the neck and yanked him away from Robert (Aaron's traitorous teacher). Thren watched his son, his visage not changing in the slightest. The tip of his sword still pressed against Robert's neck, but despite it Robert smiled. ""I see the boy lives,"" he said. The movement rubbed the tip against his flesh, drawing a tiny drop of blood. ""I wonder if it is you with the weight of lies around his neck, Thren?""
""Do not mock me, old man,"" Thren said. His voice seemed torn out from a deep cavern, reluctant and heavy. ""Kayla (a hot babe mercenary) told me of Gerand's (the King's chief evil minion, who the King had tasked with plotting to exploit the shadow war between the Trifect, which are three rich aristocratic families and the guilds, who are a variety of criminal families) exit. You spoke with him before the attempt on my son. I want the truth, all of it. Any more lies and I will force the heavens to wait for your arrival while you rot in a cell.""
"Robert glanced at Aaron, who stood with the big man's arms wrapped around his chest. His lip quivered, but he showed no tears, and Robert felt a strange sense of pride. That was a boy worth training, he realized.""
I happen to think an entire society which is based on training sons and daughters to be unfeeling psychopaths by killing children, friends, relatives, servants, teachers, or completely innocent strangers in front of them, and, perhaps worst of all, torturing everybody in the family periodically in order to claim bragging rights on who lasted longest without breaking, is wrong. Still, unrelenting horrific violence without any redeeming value has not stopped me before from enjoying a good read. I think I might have liked this novel better if the writing and plot had been more than a long sketch of an action movie.
Nothing personal, honest.
Obviously I'm not the target audience.
This review may sound like a hater's, but I didn't hate 'A Dance of Cloaks' by David Dalglish. Not exactly. It was, like, for another type of reader than me, maybe for a young audience, perhaps boys, looking for a lightweight but violent fast read, who are also starting the turbulence and depressions of puberty. It isn't bad or too creepy or nasty for most kids who play modern video games, but perhaps sensitive (or literary) readers might feel this is equal to eating plain popcorn on top of white bread with a thin bloody jam. It makes that kind of impression. Parents might be somewhat put off, but I can think of a few young adults who might think this is fun and engaging. There is a lot of cut throats, stabbed body parts (in particular eyes being cut, poked or gouged), off-screen torture, and an opening scene with a little 8-year-old boy killing his 17-year-old brother under the command of their father, because the older boy seemed a touch stupid, and thus a disappointment to daddy, who admittedly was having a bad day. There is a rich and slightly criminal aristocratic father in the following chapter who throws his defiant daughter into his prison, directing that she be mildly tortured because the young lass disagreed with his political assessment. To be fair, he was also upset because he had reports she was sleeping with aristocratic wankers from the castle next door. I honestly don't know if it was the sleeping around or the fact they had no political value which irked her dad. The book's characters pretty much have the reputed attitudes of the historical Borgia family, to reveal a slight spoiler.
The novel is so shallow in the backstories, and derivative of the Japanese 'Adult Swim' Cartoon Network imports, except the characters are paper cutouts glued onto popcycle sticks. They've all got only three modes of feeling (want to kill something now, will wait awhile to extract goodies if you are important and rich before I kill you, and I'm impressed by how well you kill so I like you and will be your friend). No depths whatsoever. It reads like it's written for readers without a lot of time to waste on world building or connecting with the book. It's a bit reminiscent of the martial arts movies from the 1970's. The bad ones, anyway. But, you know, they were fun to watch with your friends and lots of beer.
The characters all dance and spin, flipping over backwards to avoid thrown knives and then running up walls, throwing themselves stylistically off of roofs, you know, basic Matrix-styling, as they each kill and fight dozens of henchmen, throwing knives and cutting throats, looking cool in black. So what if the target sometimes is family? Who cares? None of the characters do. Family blood is best when it's pouring out on the floor, eliciting pride. But rich or poor, friend or foe, it's all about a 'what have you done for me lately' kind of honor. All of the daddies are proudest when their children are suffering torture without falling unconscious from daddy's punishments, without breaking under the pain and maiming. Affection is not quite allowed, unless it can be used for personal gain.
My copy doesn't indicate if this is YA, (thankfully I borrowed this from the library), but is this a middle school read? In any case, I couldn't finish it.
An excerpt: "The big man (Aaron's criminal dad, Thren, an assassin/thief clan boss) grabbed him (Aaron, the 8 year old, now 13) by the neck and yanked him away from Robert (Aaron's traitorous teacher). Thren watched his son, his visage not changing in the slightest. The tip of his sword still pressed against Robert's neck, but despite it Robert smiled. ""I see the boy lives,"" he said. The movement rubbed the tip against his flesh, drawing a tiny drop of blood. ""I wonder if it is you with the weight of lies around his neck, Thren?""
""Do not mock me, old man,"" Thren said. His voice seemed torn out from a deep cavern, reluctant and heavy. ""Kayla (a hot babe mercenary) told me of Gerand's (the King's chief evil minion, who the King had tasked with plotting to exploit the shadow war between the Trifect, which are three rich aristocratic families and the guilds, who are a variety of criminal families) exit. You spoke with him before the attempt on my son. I want the truth, all of it. Any more lies and I will force the heavens to wait for your arrival while you rot in a cell.""
"Robert glanced at Aaron, who stood with the big man's arms wrapped around his chest. His lip quivered, but he showed no tears, and Robert felt a strange sense of pride. That was a boy worth training, he realized.""
I happen to think an entire society which is based on training sons and daughters to be unfeeling psychopaths by killing children, friends, relatives, servants, teachers, or completely innocent strangers in front of them, and, perhaps worst of all, torturing everybody in the family periodically in order to claim bragging rights on who lasted longest without breaking, is wrong. Still, unrelenting horrific violence without any redeeming value has not stopped me before from enjoying a good read. I think I might have liked this novel better if the writing and plot had been more than a long sketch of an action movie.
Nothing personal, honest.
Obviously I'm not the target audience.
June 1, 2019
Not good enough for me to want to continue the series. Some of the magic is cool, and for a male author the female characters are fairly well done, but... Meh.
October 12, 2015
3.75/5.00
Started off extremely slow but progressively got better. Definitely an interesting read with lots of action and suspense but the amount of characters and details in the beginning made the story drag on and on. I enjoyed the latter part of the book so much more and would continue the series!
Started off extremely slow but progressively got better. Definitely an interesting read with lots of action and suspense but the amount of characters and details in the beginning made the story drag on and on. I enjoyed the latter part of the book so much more and would continue the series!
August 20, 2023
(english version below)
Aufgrund einer Kurzgeschichte des Autors, die in dieser Welt spielt, und die mir aufgrund ihres Schreibstils Lust auf Mehr gemacht hatte, hatte ich mich dazu entschlossen, diese Reihe anzufangen.
Der Schreibstil konnte mich weiterhin überzeugen.
Mit der Geschichte an sich hatte ich ein paar Schwierigkeiten.
Vom ersten Moment bis zum Schluß passiert durchgehend etwas und es passiert ziemlich viel. Mit vielen Protagonisten, die immer mehr und mehr werden. Aber auch wenn es einen roten Faden gibt, hat es sich die ganze Zeit angefühlt, als sei alles nur ein Auftakt. Es wirkte so, als ob die Spielfiguren erstmal positioniert werden müssen und jede Partei einfach nur so vor sich hin handelt. Manche vielversprechende Figuren verschwinden dann auch relativ schnell wieder. Und die meisten Hauptfiguren ließen mich ziemlich kalt.
Viele Ideen wurden nur angerissen. Es fühlte sich alles ein bisschen wie nicht zu Ende gedacht an.
Zum Ende hin ging dann alles etwas arg schnell. Es fühlte sich für mich nicht wie ein befriedigendes Ende an - auch nicht für den ersten Teil einer Reihe.
Da es aber dennoch interessant genug war, dass ich wissen möchte wie es weitergeht, werde ich auch das zweite Buch irgendwann lesen.
-------
Because of a short story by the author set in this world and his writing style, which I liked, I had decided to start this book series.
The writing style kept on convincing me.
However, I struggled with the story itself.
From the beginning to the end, there is something happening all the way through, and quite a lot is happening. There are many protagonists, their number increasing. And even though there is a thread, the whole time it felt to me like everything was just a prelude. It felt like the characters had to be positioned first and each party was just going about its own business. Some promising characters then disappear relatively quickly. And I didn't bond with or care much about most of the main characters.
Many ideas were only touched upon. It all felt a bit like not being thought through to the end.
Towards the end, everything went a bit too fast. It didn't feel like a satisfying ending to me - not even for the first part of a series.
But since it was still interesting enough that I want to know what happens next, I will also read the second book at some point.
Aufgrund einer Kurzgeschichte des Autors, die in dieser Welt spielt, und die mir aufgrund ihres Schreibstils Lust auf Mehr gemacht hatte, hatte ich mich dazu entschlossen, diese Reihe anzufangen.
Der Schreibstil konnte mich weiterhin überzeugen.
Mit der Geschichte an sich hatte ich ein paar Schwierigkeiten.
Vom ersten Moment bis zum Schluß passiert durchgehend etwas und es passiert ziemlich viel. Mit vielen Protagonisten, die immer mehr und mehr werden. Aber auch wenn es einen roten Faden gibt, hat es sich die ganze Zeit angefühlt, als sei alles nur ein Auftakt. Es wirkte so, als ob die Spielfiguren erstmal positioniert werden müssen und jede Partei einfach nur so vor sich hin handelt. Manche vielversprechende Figuren verschwinden dann auch relativ schnell wieder. Und die meisten Hauptfiguren ließen mich ziemlich kalt.
Viele Ideen wurden nur angerissen. Es fühlte sich alles ein bisschen wie nicht zu Ende gedacht an.
Zum Ende hin ging dann alles etwas arg schnell. Es fühlte sich für mich nicht wie ein befriedigendes Ende an - auch nicht für den ersten Teil einer Reihe.
Da es aber dennoch interessant genug war, dass ich wissen möchte wie es weitergeht, werde ich auch das zweite Buch irgendwann lesen.
-------
Because of a short story by the author set in this world and his writing style, which I liked, I had decided to start this book series.
The writing style kept on convincing me.
However, I struggled with the story itself.
From the beginning to the end, there is something happening all the way through, and quite a lot is happening. There are many protagonists, their number increasing. And even though there is a thread, the whole time it felt to me like everything was just a prelude. It felt like the characters had to be positioned first and each party was just going about its own business. Some promising characters then disappear relatively quickly. And I didn't bond with or care much about most of the main characters.
Many ideas were only touched upon. It all felt a bit like not being thought through to the end.
Towards the end, everything went a bit too fast. It didn't feel like a satisfying ending to me - not even for the first part of a series.
But since it was still interesting enough that I want to know what happens next, I will also read the second book at some point.
January 20, 2023
DNF 67%
I ended up sticking this in my DNF circus with Jennifer Estep's narcissist assassin. Let them bounce off each other's egos. I really want to read The Bladed Faith, but I don't think David Dalglish is my type of author.
I ended up sticking this in my DNF circus with Jennifer Estep's narcissist assassin. Let them bounce off each other's egos. I really want to read The Bladed Faith, but I don't think David Dalglish is my type of author.
December 9, 2013
Update: Okay, so I got through the book, albeit slowly (11 days to get from page 83 to page 445), and I had thought that if I managed to finish it, I might bump my star rating up a notch. But no. I still think this is a weak book. It's not terrible, but it's cheesy and confusing and the action felt purposeless despite all the violence and drama.
To be honest, the part of the book I liked best was the author's note at the end, which is quite sweet and absolutely brimming with gratitude. In fact, I feel badly ripping at the book now--but what worth has a review if it's not a review of the words on the page? I'm sure the author is a lovely person, and he does have talent, but I don't think this novel should have transitioned from self-published to trade-published.
I would recommend this novel to people who like books that are mindlessly action-packed and enthusiastically violent. You might find it really fun.
Original review:
Good crikey, don't judge a book by its cover--not even that cover, all stuffed full of ninja-kicks and floaty cloaks and awesome. Because the book itself? Not quiiiite so awesome.
I'm very partial to stories about thieves and/or assassins, so I happily pounced on this one, but as of page 83, I already know what I want to complain about, and I'm not entirely sure I can finish this novel. My eye-strain thus far is due to me rolling 'em so hard I can see my own spine.
Why did Thren decide his elder son had to die? I read that conversation and I don't freakin' know. Why did Maynard Gemcroft lock up his daughter? I read that conversation and I don't freakin' know. Translation: Shit happens in this book because the author decreed it would happen, not because it makes any damned sense.
Right now, the brutal, capable Lord of the Thieves--who has held that position for decades--just asked a twenty-something independent thief to join his council. Not his guild, but his inner council. And he only just met her. Yeah, she's talented, but are you kidding me?
And the reasons for that offer are as well-justified as a kidnapper's decoupage ransom note: because they've got two boyos lined up for some dangerous mission (that they're going on because they decided to go on it), and they arbitrarily need a third.
Also, you know how some fantasy books aren't overtly sexist, but the sexism is just kinda steeped in there, all nice and subtle? Yeah, this is one of those. The women might be capable, and they might have goals, but they're either a villain or they're targeted for romantic conquest by at least one of male characters. Plus, there was this lovely quote at the beginning of chapter 5:
"Moonlit revelries had lost their allure, and most kept their drink and their women inside."
Yeah, nice, how "most" is a category that only includes men. Women are possessions ranked equal to beer.
The writing quality is fine; it's nothing beautiful, but it's not clunky. It's the storytelling that is clunky. As mentioned, things happen without adequate explanation. There are a lot of fights and derring-do, which are clearly-written and engaging scenes, but then the political battle that is driving all the action is about as well-motivated as a stoned kitten with a calculus assignment.
I mean, I understand why everyone wants to kill each other, and there's a nicely multi-sided fight being set up, but I don't see why I should care about these people's problems. It's all happening merely because the author decreed it should happen, and the characters are too one-dimensional to sympathize with. Even the kick-ass "girl" thief is just a love interest for the protagonist, who hasn't done anything yet, himself, except get rescued (by the "girl"--for which I shall give the book one grudging brownie point.)
Okay. I'll quit ranting and get back to reading this thing. If I give up on it, find something else to snarl about, or--gasp!--change my mind, I'll update this review.
To be honest, the part of the book I liked best was the author's note at the end, which is quite sweet and absolutely brimming with gratitude. In fact, I feel badly ripping at the book now--but what worth has a review if it's not a review of the words on the page? I'm sure the author is a lovely person, and he does have talent, but I don't think this novel should have transitioned from self-published to trade-published.
I would recommend this novel to people who like books that are mindlessly action-packed and enthusiastically violent. You might find it really fun.
Original review:
Good crikey, don't judge a book by its cover--not even that cover, all stuffed full of ninja-kicks and floaty cloaks and awesome. Because the book itself? Not quiiiite so awesome.
I'm very partial to stories about thieves and/or assassins, so I happily pounced on this one, but as of page 83, I already know what I want to complain about, and I'm not entirely sure I can finish this novel. My eye-strain thus far is due to me rolling 'em so hard I can see my own spine.
Why did Thren decide his elder son had to die? I read that conversation and I don't freakin' know. Why did Maynard Gemcroft lock up his daughter? I read that conversation and I don't freakin' know. Translation: Shit happens in this book because the author decreed it would happen, not because it makes any damned sense.
Right now, the brutal, capable Lord of the Thieves--who has held that position for decades--just asked a twenty-something independent thief to join his council. Not his guild, but his inner council. And he only just met her. Yeah, she's talented, but are you kidding me?
And the reasons for that offer are as well-justified as a kidnapper's decoupage ransom note: because they've got two boyos lined up for some dangerous mission (that they're going on because they decided to go on it), and they arbitrarily need a third.
Also, you know how some fantasy books aren't overtly sexist, but the sexism is just kinda steeped in there, all nice and subtle? Yeah, this is one of those. The women might be capable, and they might have goals, but they're either a villain or they're targeted for romantic conquest by at least one of male characters. Plus, there was this lovely quote at the beginning of chapter 5:
"Moonlit revelries had lost their allure, and most kept their drink and their women inside."
Yeah, nice, how "most" is a category that only includes men. Women are possessions ranked equal to beer.
The writing quality is fine; it's nothing beautiful, but it's not clunky. It's the storytelling that is clunky. As mentioned, things happen without adequate explanation. There are a lot of fights and derring-do, which are clearly-written and engaging scenes, but then the political battle that is driving all the action is about as well-motivated as a stoned kitten with a calculus assignment.
I mean, I understand why everyone wants to kill each other, and there's a nicely multi-sided fight being set up, but I don't see why I should care about these people's problems. It's all happening merely because the author decreed it should happen, and the characters are too one-dimensional to sympathize with. Even the kick-ass "girl" thief is just a love interest for the protagonist, who hasn't done anything yet, himself, except get rescued (by the "girl"--for which I shall give the book one grudging brownie point.)
Okay. I'll quit ranting and get back to reading this thing. If I give up on it, find something else to snarl about, or--gasp!--change my mind, I'll update this review.
June 2, 2012
Really enjoyed this, in the same vein as Jon Sprunks shadow series but grittier with more sword play.
Dalglish writes some of the best fight scenes I've ever read. Not the grandiose battle scenes of an Erikson but gritty close action stuff.
The main characters are portrayed with depth and feeling and each is given a story that we follow throughout the book. I especially liked that the women were strong characters and some of them could fight as well as or better than the men, especially the nameless women using a mix of magic and assassin qualities.
The battles of the chief protagonist Aaron are the centre of the plot both against his Father and the various altercations he gets into - really interesting.
All in all a highly enjoyable novel.
Dalglish writes some of the best fight scenes I've ever read. Not the grandiose battle scenes of an Erikson but gritty close action stuff.
The main characters are portrayed with depth and feeling and each is given a story that we follow throughout the book. I especially liked that the women were strong characters and some of them could fight as well as or better than the men, especially the nameless women using a mix of magic and assassin qualities.
The battles of the chief protagonist Aaron are the centre of the plot both against his Father and the various altercations he gets into - really interesting.
All in all a highly enjoyable novel.
September 11, 2014
Despite this book being personally recommended to me I was on the fence about starting it for a long time before I gave it a go. Recent experiences have left me skeptical of self-published or Indee authors especially when they’ve generated mass amounts of 5 star reviews. But I'm happy to have had Mr. Dalglish bring me around.
I was half expecting something like Brent Weeks' Night Angle -which I'm not a fan of. Admittedly, A Dance of Cloaks is similar story to Weeks' Way of Shadows but the writing is much better. The characters are intriguing in their own ways and believable. The dialog does not feel forced or unrealistic, like many of the new authors have a tenancy to write it. Magic was not overly prevalent in the story, but I don't think it needed to be. Most times it,magic was associated with religious factions and it worked well. However, it’s a pet-peeve of mine to see magic in fantasy be used as a substitute for modern technology, like land mines for example. But as said, since magic isn't an overly strong element, when this occurs it did not detract much from the story.
There was none of the stable fantasy creatures or races in A Dance of Cloaks, but they are referenced from time to time to let us know they are out there. I felt like this played well into the storyline too.
Over all, while A Dance of Cloaks didn't blow me away, I had fun reading it. It totally ended-up being a different story then it started out as and I love that. I do expect to read the rest of the Shadowdance series as well as picking up some of David Dalglish's other books.
I was half expecting something like Brent Weeks' Night Angle -which I'm not a fan of. Admittedly, A Dance of Cloaks is similar story to Weeks' Way of Shadows but the writing is much better. The characters are intriguing in their own ways and believable. The dialog does not feel forced or unrealistic, like many of the new authors have a tenancy to write it. Magic was not overly prevalent in the story, but I don't think it needed to be. Most times it,magic was associated with religious factions and it worked well. However, it’s a pet-peeve of mine to see magic in fantasy be used as a substitute for modern technology, like land mines for example. But as said, since magic isn't an overly strong element, when this occurs it did not detract much from the story.
There was none of the stable fantasy creatures or races in A Dance of Cloaks, but they are referenced from time to time to let us know they are out there. I felt like this played well into the storyline too.
Over all, while A Dance of Cloaks didn't blow me away, I had fun reading it. It totally ended-up being a different story then it started out as and I love that. I do expect to read the rest of the Shadowdance series as well as picking up some of David Dalglish's other books.
January 6, 2014
I'm really glad I read this one for two big reasons:
1) This was a fun book with tons of interesting things going on. Dalglish presents a gritty story revolving around a bunch of characters that you love to hate ... or just plain hate, which are the kind of characters I tend to enjoy reading about. Heroes are boring. Give me a cast of selfish pricks to read about anytime. :)
2) A Dance of Cloaks felt like the kind of book I'm trying to write myself, and I'll be happy if my story comes off half as entertaining as this one. I took some mental notes while reading on what I enjoyed and what I thought could use some more attention-the biggest among these being the lack of feeling I had when particular characters died. Does this mean that more character development was needed, or are the readers not really supposed to feel bad when a scumbag dies? :)
If you enjoy this book then you will want to immediately continue with the series and I'm biting my nails hoping Amazon ships my copies with warpspeed...
1) This was a fun book with tons of interesting things going on. Dalglish presents a gritty story revolving around a bunch of characters that you love to hate ... or just plain hate, which are the kind of characters I tend to enjoy reading about. Heroes are boring. Give me a cast of selfish pricks to read about anytime. :)
2) A Dance of Cloaks felt like the kind of book I'm trying to write myself, and I'll be happy if my story comes off half as entertaining as this one. I took some mental notes while reading on what I enjoyed and what I thought could use some more attention-the biggest among these being the lack of feeling I had when particular characters died. Does this mean that more character development was needed, or are the readers not really supposed to feel bad when a scumbag dies? :)
If you enjoy this book then you will want to immediately continue with the series and I'm biting my nails hoping Amazon ships my copies with warpspeed...
September 19, 2015
4 Stars
What a fabulous and fun ride is Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish. Book one of the Shadowdance series starts out strong right from the start. I wish that I could have read this book straight through, but a busy schedule made me read it slowly over a couple of weeks.
Dalglish has created a wonderful fantasy that center on a Thieves Guild and our main protagonist, the young Aaron. There is a great deal of killing, sneaking, hiding, and sabotage. It is great. I loved the small doses of magic and wished for more. Ethnic, the dark paladin was a favorite of mine and he needed so much more time.
The growth of Aaron makes this book work.
This is a read that I enjoyed from cover to cover and cannot wait for more.
Highly recommend!
What a fabulous and fun ride is Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish. Book one of the Shadowdance series starts out strong right from the start. I wish that I could have read this book straight through, but a busy schedule made me read it slowly over a couple of weeks.
Dalglish has created a wonderful fantasy that center on a Thieves Guild and our main protagonist, the young Aaron. There is a great deal of killing, sneaking, hiding, and sabotage. It is great. I loved the small doses of magic and wished for more. Ethnic, the dark paladin was a favorite of mine and he needed so much more time.
The growth of Aaron makes this book work.
This is a read that I enjoyed from cover to cover and cannot wait for more.
Highly recommend!
March 14, 2016
REACH THE ZENITH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's great and extremely rare when you find a author who is extraordinarily eccentric .
And David Dalglish is exactly that .
This was a engrossing and absorbing book. I really enjoy reading books where the character's are so vulnerable , raw and exposed . Unpredictability is a definite turn on and turn pager ! Many of the character's are faced with faith and redemption that was not cajoling or contemptuous .
Spellbind and thrilling this was a tight and raving read ...
Guess it's fair to say Dalglish got me hooked !
It's great and extremely rare when you find a author who is extraordinarily eccentric .
And David Dalglish is exactly that .
This was a engrossing and absorbing book. I really enjoy reading books where the character's are so vulnerable , raw and exposed . Unpredictability is a definite turn on and turn pager ! Many of the character's are faced with faith and redemption that was not cajoling or contemptuous .
Spellbind and thrilling this was a tight and raving read ...
Guess it's fair to say Dalglish got me hooked !
October 27, 2010
Rating: 5 out of 5
It’s nice when you find an author whose work you adore. When this happens, you gleefully anticipate each coming release, and dive into every volume without the “I hope this doesn’t suck” feeling that can come about when opening a virtual unknown.
Luckily for me, I’ve found a couple new favorites over the last few months. At the top of that list is David Dalglish, he of the half-orc series I’ve been raving about on this site (and others) since I first opened “Weight of Blood”. Now from mister Dalglish, comes “A Dance of Cloaks”, a prequel of sorts to his best-selling series. (Which, by the way, you need not read in order to enjoy this tome. It works perfectly as a stand-alone.)
This novel is in many ways a wondrous oddity – as most of the author’s books are. It is set in a fantasy world, and yet the story it tells is real world appropriate. In fact, I would hasten to call this a fantasy novel at all. A more befitting description would go as follows:
“A Dance of Cloaks is what would you get if Mario Puzo #1) knew how to write, and #2) constructed The Godfather to take place in a land of swords, spears, and magic rather than New York and Sicily.”
The plot follows a standard gangland trope: young child, son of powerful mafia (in this case, thief guild) boss is groomed to take over a position he’s not sure he wants; inner turmoil, scheming, and conflict ensue. In this case, the son is Aaron Felhorn, whose father, Thren, is the legendary (and brutal) leader of the Spider Guild.
Again, as with gangland tales, there is a war going between the different Thief Guilds and the Trifect (this world’s version of the corporate elite). The war is fought the way urban gang wars always are – through subterfuge, theft, and plain, old-fashioned assassination. The fighting has stretched out for years, draining the resources of all involved. And now Thren, being the brutally efficient power-mongerer that he is, has come up with a sweeping plan to end this conflict once and for all and win himself (and his eventual successor) a legacy that will be whispered about for centuries.
There are many plot twists in this book, as to be expected, and a ton of characters, each with plans and schemes of their own. It forms a convoluted mess of intrigue and double-dealings, all of which are satisfying in the end. It’s difficult to write from so many viewpoints, remain true to their makeup, and keep the reader invested, but Dalglish pulls it off big time here. Each character has a distinct voice, and their actions make sense to their construction.
However, with all that said, this book is much, much more than a straight-ahead tale of gangs and duplicitous characters. The emotional depth is amazing, and for this we have two characters to thank – little Aaron, and his teacher, an old man named Robert Haern.
The interplay between these two is so well done. Haern is a man who’s trained many men, including the king, himself. He is brought in by Thren to inspire the greatness that being the heir of the Spider Guild leader requires. His instructional method is minimalistic and intellectual, and he immediately draws in the quiet and reclusive Aaron, who is the type of son who will do anything just to please his father. Their interplay is so convincing that, even though they have a very short time together in the beginning and Aaron becomes immediately attached to this strange old man, it is completely believable. Haern is the first person that treats the younger Felhorn as an equal, after all, and the only one that listens. Think back to your own childhoods. When was the first time you felt a strong connection to a parental figure? Most likely, it will be a circumstance much like one I just described.
Thren gets more than he bargained for, though, because Haern shows Aaron how to think – and any time a youngster learns the power of their own mind, they’re going to go off and try to find their way on their own. Thren wants his son cold, hard, and merciless. What the old teacher gives him is a child who makes his own opinions and develops his own sense of right and wrong.
This is where the story moves from intriguing to heartbreaking. There are two main points here – one unique to Aaron, the other not. The first point is the loss of childhood. Aaron is forced to grow up way too quick, made to observe and take part in vicious acts that no thirteen-year-old (or younger: he commits the murder of a member of his own family at age 8) should ever have to. In doing this, he is stripped of his innocence and made to become a man before his time. He ends up handling it quite well, but there is a subversive sadness that flows beneath the words, telling us how unfortunate it is that this bright and solitary child has had the weight of such horrors thrust upon his shoulders.
The second theme, and one that I found just as interesting, was the running premise of how dangerous family can be when it’s rife with dysfunction. Every character – and I mean every one – has daddy issues of one sort or another. It intrigued me greatly, and demonstrated the consistency of the author. All of his books are, deep down, tales of overcoming circumstances that aren’t the characters’ fault, be it from abuse, rape, neglect, arrogance, or abandonment (or all of the above) by their parental figures. It helps make the circumstances real, make them matter, and draws you closer to the characters than most books. For example, Stephen King is one of my favorite writers of all time. Of all his books, the only one whose emotional weight I still feel today is Bag of Bones. When it comes to Dalglish, I now have two novels that will stick with me forever. That’s an achievement, folks. A HUGE one.
A Dance of Cloaks is a wonderful book. It can be rough to read at times, and confusing at others, but in the end, you realize that all the confusion, all the clutter, had a purpose, and that purpose pays off. In fact, this is my favorite work by the author, and fully deserves its perfect score. The only other book I’ve given that to recently was Cost of Betrayal, again by Mr. Dalglish. Now, Cost is still the slightly better book, but being as gut-wrenching and painful as it is, it isn’t something I’ll read over and over. This one, however, I will be, which is why I say favorite.
Go out and buy this book, folks. Go out and make this author a huge success. His talent for storytelling is, to me, second-to-none. You won’t find many better than this, and once you reach the end, you’ll shudder with anticipation for the second book to come out.
Yes, it gets one huge recommendation from this reviewer.
Plot - 10
Characters - 10
Voice - 10
Execution - 10
Personal Enjoyment – 10
Overall – 50/50 (5/5)
It’s nice when you find an author whose work you adore. When this happens, you gleefully anticipate each coming release, and dive into every volume without the “I hope this doesn’t suck” feeling that can come about when opening a virtual unknown.
Luckily for me, I’ve found a couple new favorites over the last few months. At the top of that list is David Dalglish, he of the half-orc series I’ve been raving about on this site (and others) since I first opened “Weight of Blood”. Now from mister Dalglish, comes “A Dance of Cloaks”, a prequel of sorts to his best-selling series. (Which, by the way, you need not read in order to enjoy this tome. It works perfectly as a stand-alone.)
This novel is in many ways a wondrous oddity – as most of the author’s books are. It is set in a fantasy world, and yet the story it tells is real world appropriate. In fact, I would hasten to call this a fantasy novel at all. A more befitting description would go as follows:
“A Dance of Cloaks is what would you get if Mario Puzo #1) knew how to write, and #2) constructed The Godfather to take place in a land of swords, spears, and magic rather than New York and Sicily.”
The plot follows a standard gangland trope: young child, son of powerful mafia (in this case, thief guild) boss is groomed to take over a position he’s not sure he wants; inner turmoil, scheming, and conflict ensue. In this case, the son is Aaron Felhorn, whose father, Thren, is the legendary (and brutal) leader of the Spider Guild.
Again, as with gangland tales, there is a war going between the different Thief Guilds and the Trifect (this world’s version of the corporate elite). The war is fought the way urban gang wars always are – through subterfuge, theft, and plain, old-fashioned assassination. The fighting has stretched out for years, draining the resources of all involved. And now Thren, being the brutally efficient power-mongerer that he is, has come up with a sweeping plan to end this conflict once and for all and win himself (and his eventual successor) a legacy that will be whispered about for centuries.
There are many plot twists in this book, as to be expected, and a ton of characters, each with plans and schemes of their own. It forms a convoluted mess of intrigue and double-dealings, all of which are satisfying in the end. It’s difficult to write from so many viewpoints, remain true to their makeup, and keep the reader invested, but Dalglish pulls it off big time here. Each character has a distinct voice, and their actions make sense to their construction.
However, with all that said, this book is much, much more than a straight-ahead tale of gangs and duplicitous characters. The emotional depth is amazing, and for this we have two characters to thank – little Aaron, and his teacher, an old man named Robert Haern.
The interplay between these two is so well done. Haern is a man who’s trained many men, including the king, himself. He is brought in by Thren to inspire the greatness that being the heir of the Spider Guild leader requires. His instructional method is minimalistic and intellectual, and he immediately draws in the quiet and reclusive Aaron, who is the type of son who will do anything just to please his father. Their interplay is so convincing that, even though they have a very short time together in the beginning and Aaron becomes immediately attached to this strange old man, it is completely believable. Haern is the first person that treats the younger Felhorn as an equal, after all, and the only one that listens. Think back to your own childhoods. When was the first time you felt a strong connection to a parental figure? Most likely, it will be a circumstance much like one I just described.
Thren gets more than he bargained for, though, because Haern shows Aaron how to think – and any time a youngster learns the power of their own mind, they’re going to go off and try to find their way on their own. Thren wants his son cold, hard, and merciless. What the old teacher gives him is a child who makes his own opinions and develops his own sense of right and wrong.
This is where the story moves from intriguing to heartbreaking. There are two main points here – one unique to Aaron, the other not. The first point is the loss of childhood. Aaron is forced to grow up way too quick, made to observe and take part in vicious acts that no thirteen-year-old (or younger: he commits the murder of a member of his own family at age 8) should ever have to. In doing this, he is stripped of his innocence and made to become a man before his time. He ends up handling it quite well, but there is a subversive sadness that flows beneath the words, telling us how unfortunate it is that this bright and solitary child has had the weight of such horrors thrust upon his shoulders.
The second theme, and one that I found just as interesting, was the running premise of how dangerous family can be when it’s rife with dysfunction. Every character – and I mean every one – has daddy issues of one sort or another. It intrigued me greatly, and demonstrated the consistency of the author. All of his books are, deep down, tales of overcoming circumstances that aren’t the characters’ fault, be it from abuse, rape, neglect, arrogance, or abandonment (or all of the above) by their parental figures. It helps make the circumstances real, make them matter, and draws you closer to the characters than most books. For example, Stephen King is one of my favorite writers of all time. Of all his books, the only one whose emotional weight I still feel today is Bag of Bones. When it comes to Dalglish, I now have two novels that will stick with me forever. That’s an achievement, folks. A HUGE one.
A Dance of Cloaks is a wonderful book. It can be rough to read at times, and confusing at others, but in the end, you realize that all the confusion, all the clutter, had a purpose, and that purpose pays off. In fact, this is my favorite work by the author, and fully deserves its perfect score. The only other book I’ve given that to recently was Cost of Betrayal, again by Mr. Dalglish. Now, Cost is still the slightly better book, but being as gut-wrenching and painful as it is, it isn’t something I’ll read over and over. This one, however, I will be, which is why I say favorite.
Go out and buy this book, folks. Go out and make this author a huge success. His talent for storytelling is, to me, second-to-none. You won’t find many better than this, and once you reach the end, you’ll shudder with anticipation for the second book to come out.
Yes, it gets one huge recommendation from this reviewer.
Plot - 10
Characters - 10
Voice - 10
Execution - 10
Personal Enjoyment – 10
Overall – 50/50 (5/5)
September 16, 2011
FBC REVIEW
ANALYSIS: I read this book last year however due to certain personal reasons could not get the review published. While I was reading it, I was certainly struck by its fast pace, constant plot switches and mainly the unpredictability it brought to the table. A bit of history before one reads this book, the tale is set in the world of Dezrel, the same one of the Half-Orc series however any new reader can jump into this book and have no problem with it [I did the same]. It focuses on the character of Aaron Felhom who is in line to be the heir to Thren Felhom, the leader of the Spider Guild and a thoroughly deadly individual.
This book originally a standalone was supposed to show how Aaron became the person whom some readers have already met in Book 2 of the Half Orc series. Secondly the author was heavily impressed by George R.R. Martin’s "A Game of Thrones" and therefore was inspired to create a world wherein nothing is ultimately safe and the reader will be forced to turn the page to find out what happens next. It is safe to surmise that David has indeed accomplished what he set out to do.
Firstly there are four primary story threads ongoing in this tale, the first one focuses on Thren and his relentless march to wipeout the Tri-fect and secure a kingdom for himself, the second one focuses on Aaron, Thren’s heir and who is rather forced to learn how to become an effective ruler, the third thread focuses on Maynard Gemcroft, who is worried about his daughter Alyssa and about the precarious nature of his house and lastly Alyssa who is willful and faces danger through her choices. There are a few more characters and I feel to spell it all out would ruin the charm of this book. For most characters, nothing goes out as planned and the atmosphere prevalent is one wherein the reader will be forced to think about each character’s motives and plans.
The author does a fine job of constantly switching the tale focus and keeping the reader hooked with various twists and new POV characters. I was very surprised by this book as I simply went in without any assumptions, and yet I was completely blown away by the writing and overall plot. The prose is very good and draws the reader in and then keeps them hooked. The world setting is not explored much beyond the city of Veldaren but then you hardly notice as the action and intrigue never lets up. The world is much deeper than imagined and we do get glimpses and conversations of other things rummaging on the background but readers who have read the Half-Orc series might be able to glean more from them.
Negative points if any were almost negligible, not that this book is a masterpiece and will be counted as the next “A Game of Thrones”. What it is though; a fine book from an upcoming writer who read the aforementioned book and crafted a worthy tale set in his world. There are a few tropes which have been utilized here but again they have been presented in such a way that you do not cringe. Some readers might be a bit thrown off by the number of POV introduced especially during and just before the climax, also a couple of characters make an appearance after being introduced in the earlier half, but then again its not difficult to read and find out what they are up to. Another thing the author is guilty of; is that of finding the tale is longer than he imagined it to be, but considering his inspiration, this can be easily forgiven.
CONCLUSION: A Dance of Cloaks is a gritty book with intriguing characters and has a plot which will keep you hooked till the end. David Dalglish will definitely be gaining new fans with the release of this book and if he can continue his form with the next two releases in the Shadowdance trilogy, I can foresee him ascending new heights and being counted as one of fantasy’s rising stars.
December 12, 2019
A strong opening book on a series with incredible potential, written with an adrenaline driving pace, intense, emotional drama, heroic battles, seems to have some great epic components. Onto book two, strong writing by David Dalgish, I am a fan!
August 13, 2015
3,5 stars, leaning towards 4 stars.
Don't expect anything innovative, but do expect a well written page turner.
Don't expect anything innovative, but do expect a well written page turner.
April 12, 2014
There were a lot of mixed feelings from the Sword & Laser book club Goodreads group about this book, the pick for April, 2014. Actually, to be fair, the feelings were mostly negative in the group. I don't know if knowing that as I started to read the book lowered my expectations, or maybe I'm just a bit more forgiving for first time authors...I thought this book was pretty okay for a first-timer and liked it reasonably well.
One of the main complaints in the S&L group was that it was quite violent, sometimes needlessly. I didn't really have a problem with the violence until I got to the end. There, it started feeling gratuitous. There was a torture scene at the end that was too much for me. It's interesting, I seem to have a real problem with violence in most books. I don't know if it's because I've been so much physically myself (in non-violent ways), that I can literally feel the pain of the characters, or what, but most books with lots of violence--and especially those with torture--I do poorly with. That is, except for fantasy novels. In fantasy novels, I can usually handle most of it. Sword fights, daggers, bows...I guess I've come to expect those things. I still have issues with torture scenes, though. In most other genres, the violence really turns me off.
In the S&L forums, this book has been compared to the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I can see the comparisons. The setting seems similar between the two worlds, a medieval time frame though the world of ASoIaF is much larger than the world in A Dance of Cloaks so far. The form of the chapters is similar between the two series, where each chapter is (mostly) one POV. There are a lot of characters in both, which can be confusing, especially at first. There are multiple plot lines in both, though again, ASoIaF takes the prize for that one. Finally, in both worlds, the reader shouldn't get too close to any one character, as many die...
At first, this seemed like it was going to be a typical fantasy novel in the form of "beaten down members of society versus the upper echelons." Really, though, the two main factions--the thieves' guilds and the "royals"--were both fighting against eachother and the lower members of society were forced to take sides, though neither option was good. Later in the book, it became clear that there was also a sort of religious war going on between the religion that searches for the good in people and the one that searches to restore order to the world. It also becomes clear that there is a sort of faction in this latter religion, too, that comes into play. In the end, the characters I thought I'd be rooting for turned out to be fairly unlikable, and I found myself surprised at who I ended up "rooting" for. Well, somewhat surprised...there was one character it was obvious was going to be important...
Some people didn't like the characters in this book. Indeed, many of them are pretty horrible people. But as characters, they were believable, mostly. Most of them were selfish, looking out only for themselves, not caring who they have to lie to/kill/etc in order to make it ahead in the world. Some characters, though, such as Alyssa, grew, and had motivations that made sense. She started as a naive heiress and in the end transformed into a bit of a warrior. The son of the "head thief" didn't do nearly as much growing (he made a lot of really stupid mistakes all throughout the book) but his motivations made sense. Even the faceless women, the "faceless" part of the religion for order, had motivations that made sense in the grand scheme (though I expect that those motivations will be better developed/discussed in future books).
The book kind of broke down at the end, just as the plans of multiple characters did. As the city turned to war, the writing became a bit more chaotic and the violence a bit more gratuitous. I think that the end could have been better paced, or maybe started earlier, so that the development of what was actually happening didn't feel so rushed.
To be clear, this is a pretty average fantasy book. It's probably not going to win any awards but it isn't a bad book--I've certainly read far worse, many of which have garnered a lot of praise. It's light, kind of like an action movie in a fantasy setting. But I'm ok with reading light books--it's why I have a category for them! It will be interesting to see what happens to each of the surviving characters in the next book. Obviously, there are two characters who will likely have the biggest role, but there are plenty of side characters left to see what unfolds...
One of the main complaints in the S&L group was that it was quite violent, sometimes needlessly. I didn't really have a problem with the violence until I got to the end. There, it started feeling gratuitous. There was a torture scene at the end that was too much for me. It's interesting, I seem to have a real problem with violence in most books. I don't know if it's because I've been so much physically myself (in non-violent ways), that I can literally feel the pain of the characters, or what, but most books with lots of violence--and especially those with torture--I do poorly with. That is, except for fantasy novels. In fantasy novels, I can usually handle most of it. Sword fights, daggers, bows...I guess I've come to expect those things. I still have issues with torture scenes, though. In most other genres, the violence really turns me off.
In the S&L forums, this book has been compared to the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I can see the comparisons. The setting seems similar between the two worlds, a medieval time frame though the world of ASoIaF is much larger than the world in A Dance of Cloaks so far. The form of the chapters is similar between the two series, where each chapter is (mostly) one POV. There are a lot of characters in both, which can be confusing, especially at first. There are multiple plot lines in both, though again, ASoIaF takes the prize for that one. Finally, in both worlds, the reader shouldn't get too close to any one character, as many die...
At first, this seemed like it was going to be a typical fantasy novel in the form of "beaten down members of society versus the upper echelons." Really, though, the two main factions--the thieves' guilds and the "royals"--were both fighting against eachother and the lower members of society were forced to take sides, though neither option was good. Later in the book, it became clear that there was also a sort of religious war going on between the religion that searches for the good in people and the one that searches to restore order to the world. It also becomes clear that there is a sort of faction in this latter religion, too, that comes into play. In the end, the characters I thought I'd be rooting for turned out to be fairly unlikable, and I found myself surprised at who I ended up "rooting" for. Well, somewhat surprised...there was one character it was obvious was going to be important...
Some people didn't like the characters in this book. Indeed, many of them are pretty horrible people. But as characters, they were believable, mostly. Most of them were selfish, looking out only for themselves, not caring who they have to lie to/kill/etc in order to make it ahead in the world. Some characters, though, such as Alyssa, grew, and had motivations that made sense. She started as a naive heiress and in the end transformed into a bit of a warrior. The son of the "head thief" didn't do nearly as much growing (he made a lot of really stupid mistakes all throughout the book) but his motivations made sense. Even the faceless women, the "faceless" part of the religion for order, had motivations that made sense in the grand scheme (though I expect that those motivations will be better developed/discussed in future books).
The book kind of broke down at the end, just as the plans of multiple characters did. As the city turned to war, the writing became a bit more chaotic and the violence a bit more gratuitous. I think that the end could have been better paced, or maybe started earlier, so that the development of what was actually happening didn't feel so rushed.
To be clear, this is a pretty average fantasy book. It's probably not going to win any awards but it isn't a bad book--I've certainly read far worse, many of which have garnered a lot of praise. It's light, kind of like an action movie in a fantasy setting. But I'm ok with reading light books--it's why I have a category for them! It will be interesting to see what happens to each of the surviving characters in the next book. Obviously, there are two characters who will likely have the biggest role, but there are plenty of side characters left to see what unfolds...
September 15, 2013
I wanted to love it, but sometimes you just meet a book and do not click...at all.
What went wrong then? Oh just about everything. I did not like any of the characters. If everyone had died at the end I would have moved on in a second and been glad since they were all idiots. Was Aaron supposed to be the main person? He felt like a whiny kid who was also a schizophrenic sociopath. I guess maybe his dad is supposed to be the bad guy but hello boring guy. I guess Kayla is gonna be the kickass woman but she is trying way too hard. Alyssa was just a stupid idiot as was the rest of the Trifect. Veliana, eh who? I have forgotten her already. So my problem was definitely characters, no one was likable. And that is super important for me, I need to like someone, cos if I do not, then I just do not care. Or want to read. I fall into skimming.
I read that some felt the book was too violent, but I would not say that. It was more like a little boy who is trying to be tough but fails a bit.
The world was, I mean come on. Sometime hire some guys and just kill everyone. Shitty leadership. I blame everyone. But then is how it's meant to be.
I do not know, I felt this from page 1, I never got interested in the story, I was never moved. I would have quit long ago but read on. I can see why people could like the book but for me this time it was a fail. Everywhere.
So what to say as a conclusion? Maybe I am just burned out on assassins and thieves..no, I love them. I just need to feel some love..or like for someone.
What went wrong then? Oh just about everything. I did not like any of the characters. If everyone had died at the end I would have moved on in a second and been glad since they were all idiots. Was Aaron supposed to be the main person? He felt like a whiny kid who was also a schizophrenic sociopath. I guess maybe his dad is supposed to be the bad guy but hello boring guy. I guess Kayla is gonna be the kickass woman but she is trying way too hard. Alyssa was just a stupid idiot as was the rest of the Trifect. Veliana, eh who? I have forgotten her already. So my problem was definitely characters, no one was likable. And that is super important for me, I need to like someone, cos if I do not, then I just do not care. Or want to read. I fall into skimming.
I read that some felt the book was too violent, but I would not say that. It was more like a little boy who is trying to be tough but fails a bit.
The world was, I mean come on. Sometime hire some guys and just kill everyone. Shitty leadership. I blame everyone. But then is how it's meant to be.
I do not know, I felt this from page 1, I never got interested in the story, I was never moved. I would have quit long ago but read on. I can see why people could like the book but for me this time it was a fail. Everywhere.
So what to say as a conclusion? Maybe I am just burned out on assassins and thieves..no, I love them. I just need to feel some love..or like for someone.
January 13, 2014
Fantastic read! It reminded me a lot of the Night Angle trilogy by Brent Weeks and if you liked it this is definitely worth a try. I absolutely loved the pacing, especially the first 100 pages suck you in brilliantly and from there on the story keeps unpredictably turning and twisting making it a super fun read. David Dalgish starts to build an interesting world, limited to the city it plays in though. Hopefully we get to see a little bit more of the world in coming books.
The characters were great and their futures all but certain. With gritty action scenes, a thrilling plot and satisfying yet open ending I can only recommend this book and will push the next books in the series far ahead in my TBR pile.
The characters were great and their futures all but certain. With gritty action scenes, a thrilling plot and satisfying yet open ending I can only recommend this book and will push the next books in the series far ahead in my TBR pile.
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