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The Fade
The astonishing new fantasy from the award-winning author of The Haunting of Alaizabel CrayA subterranean world of vast caverns, underground seas, crystalline forests. A civilisation born of darkness, in darkness, protected by shadows. A city of merchants, whose eyes have turned upward to the surface, where the lethal light of day beats down on their world. A conspiracy so vast that it will swallow them all ...A stunningly original fantasy from a multi-award winning author. With a beautiful baroque world, sharp characterisation and Chris Wooding's trademark insight into the fantasy genre, the dawning of Halflight is an event more than worth waiting for.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
September 19, 2019
This is a very interesting book, one which I respect but one which I didn't quite enjoy.
THE GOOD
The setting is absolutely fascinating. Very briefly, it's set on an alien world where the local humanity-equivalent went underground after their binary stars began to pump out something that vaguely looks like extreme radiation. The societies and species thus created are interesting and memorable, the description of the vistas are gorgeous, everything is just begging for an art gallery or two.
Wooding is also an absolute master at action sequences, and those moments when the story really revs up to a tight infiltration or escape are the best in the book. It is quite challenging to write an action sequence that is both unusual, but also perfectly clear in what is happening to the reader, and Wooding nails it.
THE BAD
...And yet. Two problems, somewhat but not entirely related. First, Wooding uses an odd sort of bifurcated story structure, where there's the active plot, and then a series of flashbacks receding ever further into the past. The main issue is that despite Wooding's best efforts, the flashbacks are just much less interesting or exciting than the main plotline. The characters are mostly standalones or else less vivid (Rynn and Jai, the protagonist Orna's husband and son, were fairly bland), and the fact that the flashbacks are all about makes it hard for them to build up. The result is interesting, but it constantly shoots the book's pace in the foot. Towards the very end I just found myself skipping the flashback scenes entirely.
The related issue is that both world and protagonist are difficult to relate to or have sympathy for. The setting is pretty grim, with endless wars, violence, oppression, and so forth. A key part of the setting is a war between two endless rivals, but as both are pretty dreadful societies, it's difficult to feel great interest in the war's outcome.
Likewise, Orna, our heroine, is a difficult character to love. She's an assassin, and Wooding doesn't shy from showing her doing horrid things in the past. Much of the story is concerned with her overcoming her training and upbringing out of love for her family, but this is kind of sabotaged by the fact that her husband and son, mentioned above, are far more vaguely sketched out and generally blander characters than the various underworld figures she interacts with.
Finally...
CONCLUSION
Magnificent setting and high-quality writing, uneven characters and pacing, a consistently grim and gloomy theme and tone. It's not a bad book, but I think you need to enjoy very dark books more than I do to really appreciate this.
THE GOOD
The setting is absolutely fascinating. Very briefly, it's set on an alien world where the local humanity-equivalent went underground after their binary stars began to pump out something that vaguely looks like extreme radiation. The societies and species thus created are interesting and memorable, the description of the vistas are gorgeous, everything is just begging for an art gallery or two.
Wooding is also an absolute master at action sequences, and those moments when the story really revs up to a tight infiltration or escape are the best in the book. It is quite challenging to write an action sequence that is both unusual, but also perfectly clear in what is happening to the reader, and Wooding nails it.
THE BAD
...And yet. Two problems, somewhat but not entirely related. First, Wooding uses an odd sort of bifurcated story structure, where there's the active plot, and then a series of flashbacks receding ever further into the past. The main issue is that despite Wooding's best efforts, the flashbacks are just much less interesting or exciting than the main plotline. The characters are mostly standalones or else less vivid (Rynn and Jai, the protagonist Orna's husband and son, were fairly bland), and the fact that the flashbacks are all about makes it hard for them to build up. The result is interesting, but it constantly shoots the book's pace in the foot. Towards the very end I just found myself skipping the flashback scenes entirely.
The related issue is that both world and protagonist are difficult to relate to or have sympathy for. The setting is pretty grim, with endless wars, violence, oppression, and so forth. A key part of the setting is a war between two endless rivals, but as both are pretty dreadful societies, it's difficult to feel great interest in the war's outcome.
Likewise, Orna, our heroine, is a difficult character to love. She's an assassin, and Wooding doesn't shy from showing her doing horrid things in the past. Much of the story is concerned with her overcoming her training and upbringing out of love for her family, but this is kind of sabotaged by the fact that her husband and son, mentioned above, are far more vaguely sketched out and generally blander characters than the various underworld figures she interacts with.
Finally...
CONCLUSION
Magnificent setting and high-quality writing, uneven characters and pacing, a consistently grim and gloomy theme and tone. It's not a bad book, but I think you need to enjoy very dark books more than I do to really appreciate this.
March 21, 2021
The Fade was a really different sci fi with good enough writing. I liked the concept and what it wanted to say.
October 19, 2013
I’ve enjoyed two of Chris Wooding’s series, the Firely-goes-Steampunk adventures in the Tales of the Ketty Jay series and the Japanese-themed epic fantasy series “The Braided Path”. In between those two series he also wrote a standalone fantasy novel set in a world of underground caverns where civilisations are engaged in a long war from supremacy far beneath a surface that is so hostile life can barely survive there.
The novel starts literally in the middle of the story as Orna, a highly skilled assassin and warrior who is a ‘Cadre’, an indentured servant working for a wealthy merchant family, is caught up in a disastrous battle that leaves her husband and fellow Cadre dead and her captured by the enemy. The rest of the books moves both forward and backwards from this first chapter, alternate chapters either moving forward in time or moving back through a series of flashbacks showing key moments in Orna’s past life. In the first plotline Orna first has to survive (which presents both physical and mental challenges) and then escape from prison inside an enemy fortress, knowing that even if she does she would then face a long and arduous journey home through dangerous territory. Despite the problems and dangers she is determined to return, both to see her son, who joined the army against her wishes, and to investigate whether someone on her side has betrayed her nation to the enemy. The second plotline covers her entire life from an idyllic childhood through slavery, war and her career as a professional killer. Along the way incidents from her past turn out to have relevance for things happening in the present day and the flashbacks do a good job of gradually revealing Orna’s character with mysteries introduced early in the book eventually being explained.
Although I think the flashbacks do a good job of providing characterisation and allowing for more detailed world-building, I think they do suffer slightly from often not being quite as compelling as the present-day story. Orna’s escape from the prison is particularly tense, she can’t escape alone so is forced to ally with some of the other prisoners and events show both sides of her character as she is alternately compassionate and ruthless. I think this part of the book also has the best supporting characters since Orna’s fellow inmates are more interesting than her late husband or her son who feature heavily in the flashbacks. The story is narrated by her, which I think works well and it does allow for some subtle misdirection as Orna’s misreading of some of the other characters becomes significant in the plot. The book does a good job of making her likeable despite some of the horrible she has done and ends up doing since it does a good job of showing how she became the person she is.
The world-building is fascinating, it is perhaps arguable whether the plot really needed to be set in an underground world but it does make for a dramatic and memorable backdrop for the events in the story. Particularly good is the characters’ instinctive fear of the surface, justified by one tense sequence as Orna is forced to travel through the unforgiving landscape where being out in full sunlight would be a fatal mistake. Although there is a fair amount of detail in the world-building it also does a good job of suggesting that there is a lot that we haven’t seen, one example is the mentions of various non-human races who mostly play little role in the story. While the story itself is adequately concluded in one book without any obvious need for a sequel, it would be interesting to read another book further exploring the world even if it wasn’t directly connected to The Fade.
In terms of writing it is perhaps closer in tone to Wooding’s Braided Path series rather than the more escapist Ketty Jay series. While the writing in the Braided Path books could be a bit uneven at times I think The Fade is generally better-written than Wooding’s earlier series.
It isn’t the modern fashion for fantasy novels to introduce a complex and intriguing world and tell an entire story in a standalone novel of only 300-odd pages, but I think The Fade does it very well.
The novel starts literally in the middle of the story as Orna, a highly skilled assassin and warrior who is a ‘Cadre’, an indentured servant working for a wealthy merchant family, is caught up in a disastrous battle that leaves her husband and fellow Cadre dead and her captured by the enemy. The rest of the books moves both forward and backwards from this first chapter, alternate chapters either moving forward in time or moving back through a series of flashbacks showing key moments in Orna’s past life. In the first plotline Orna first has to survive (which presents both physical and mental challenges) and then escape from prison inside an enemy fortress, knowing that even if she does she would then face a long and arduous journey home through dangerous territory. Despite the problems and dangers she is determined to return, both to see her son, who joined the army against her wishes, and to investigate whether someone on her side has betrayed her nation to the enemy. The second plotline covers her entire life from an idyllic childhood through slavery, war and her career as a professional killer. Along the way incidents from her past turn out to have relevance for things happening in the present day and the flashbacks do a good job of gradually revealing Orna’s character with mysteries introduced early in the book eventually being explained.
Although I think the flashbacks do a good job of providing characterisation and allowing for more detailed world-building, I think they do suffer slightly from often not being quite as compelling as the present-day story. Orna’s escape from the prison is particularly tense, she can’t escape alone so is forced to ally with some of the other prisoners and events show both sides of her character as she is alternately compassionate and ruthless. I think this part of the book also has the best supporting characters since Orna’s fellow inmates are more interesting than her late husband or her son who feature heavily in the flashbacks. The story is narrated by her, which I think works well and it does allow for some subtle misdirection as Orna’s misreading of some of the other characters becomes significant in the plot. The book does a good job of making her likeable despite some of the horrible she has done and ends up doing since it does a good job of showing how she became the person she is.
The world-building is fascinating, it is perhaps arguable whether the plot really needed to be set in an underground world but it does make for a dramatic and memorable backdrop for the events in the story. Particularly good is the characters’ instinctive fear of the surface, justified by one tense sequence as Orna is forced to travel through the unforgiving landscape where being out in full sunlight would be a fatal mistake. Although there is a fair amount of detail in the world-building it also does a good job of suggesting that there is a lot that we haven’t seen, one example is the mentions of various non-human races who mostly play little role in the story. While the story itself is adequately concluded in one book without any obvious need for a sequel, it would be interesting to read another book further exploring the world even if it wasn’t directly connected to The Fade.
In terms of writing it is perhaps closer in tone to Wooding’s Braided Path series rather than the more escapist Ketty Jay series. While the writing in the Braided Path books could be a bit uneven at times I think The Fade is generally better-written than Wooding’s earlier series.
It isn’t the modern fashion for fantasy novels to introduce a complex and intriguing world and tell an entire story in a standalone novel of only 300-odd pages, but I think The Fade does it very well.
February 6, 2011
I was walking up and down in the bookstore with the need to read something. The Fade did not catch my eye - neither the title nor the cover seemed interesting. Eventualy, more bored than interested I did look at it. The back cover promised a great conspiracy, but I have learned not to expect too much - it is very hard to write a good conspiracy or intrigue.
I had a look at page one to see if I would even enjoy the author's style. The writing was fast paced and I quickly found myself halfway down page four.
I finished the book over the next couple of days, reading in the train, restaurant and wherever else I had some time and could pull it out of my bag.
It is the book's greatest strength, the writing is quick and effortless pulls the reader along. The story may not be the best. When the conspiracy starts to unravel, you may very likely realize exactly what is going on and end up watching the main character move in an ignorance you do not share. Maybe you will be disappointed that there are not more twists to the plot. I spend some time pondering this and realized that, for me, in the end the plot comes to it's only logical conclusion.
I understand that people may be underwhelmed by this book, while others may fall madly in love with it. For me, it is a great book, because of the pace and the fact that the author uses every information he gives.
I had a look at page one to see if I would even enjoy the author's style. The writing was fast paced and I quickly found myself halfway down page four.
I finished the book over the next couple of days, reading in the train, restaurant and wherever else I had some time and could pull it out of my bag.
It is the book's greatest strength, the writing is quick and effortless pulls the reader along. The story may not be the best. When the conspiracy starts to unravel, you may very likely realize exactly what is going on and end up watching the main character move in an ignorance you do not share. Maybe you will be disappointed that there are not more twists to the plot. I spend some time pondering this and realized that, for me, in the end the plot comes to it's only logical conclusion.
I understand that people may be underwhelmed by this book, while others may fall madly in love with it. For me, it is a great book, because of the pace and the fact that the author uses every information he gives.
March 9, 2010
This was a fantastic sci-fi story, on a world where civilisation exists underground, away from the scorching and fatal sun. Orna is an assassin, a spy, and essentially a slave, indentured to the house that employs her. However, when she is captured by the enemy, and her husband is killed, she realises that her loyalties have been misplaced and desperately tries to make her way home, back to her son.
Wooding writes beautifully, and the world he's created is intensely compelling. This is one of the most absorbing novels I've read in a long time.
Wooding writes beautifully, and the world he's created is intensely compelling. This is one of the most absorbing novels I've read in a long time.
April 1, 2024
4.5/5
Those who know me know that I love Chris Wooding and would probably pay to read his grocery list if he ever released it. The Fade was one that I just never got around to reading until now, and I am kicking myself for not getting to it sooner.
The story opens with intensity, immediately introducing us to Orna, and the conflict that the world is engulfed in. Wooding has always been a master of world building to me, and The Fade is no different. By modern fantasy standards, realizing a standalone at a mere 300 pages is almost unheard of, and yet Wooding manages to nail the execution here. We are thrown into a world teeming with tension, as various races and social hierarchies all fight for power. Forced underground after the surface becomes nearly unlivable, the reader is introduced to a unique and expansive underground world.
The author doesn't give readers any time to settle in, and we are thrown right into the middle of a fight scene right from the get go. Orna is a woman of many talents, but mainly, she is a skilled assassin. After the death of her husband, she finds herself imprisoned, and the only thing keeping her alive is the drive to find her son.
The narrative style is something that I do think will give some readers some trouble, as we constantly jump between the present and the past. With each subsequent flashback, we jump even further back into the past. I understand why this is done, but it does unfortunately pull you out of the main storyline which I found to be significantly more interesting than any moment shown in the flashbacks. Still, these flashbacks were fun to read, and helped me understand the world and to also grow more feelings towards Orna and her struggle. Sadly, basically every other character in this story is one dimensional, which was the biggest detractor of this book for me. I love what Wooding managed to do in only 300 pages, but I wish the book was longer as well.
This is an exciting novel filled with dark themes and rip roaring action. It is a lot more like The Braided Path than The Tales of the Ketty Jay, and Wooding's typical strengths do shine. It is tough to get into plot details without risking spoilers for the ending, but I personally loved the ending. I know others won't, but I appreciate when authors make the bold choice to end their books in a more....complex way. With the way the story started and progressed, I personally thought the ending was perfectly fitting.
Overall, this was a tale of revenge and betrayal, driven by a strong female main character who would do anything to defend and save those she loves.
Those who know me know that I love Chris Wooding and would probably pay to read his grocery list if he ever released it. The Fade was one that I just never got around to reading until now, and I am kicking myself for not getting to it sooner.
The story opens with intensity, immediately introducing us to Orna, and the conflict that the world is engulfed in. Wooding has always been a master of world building to me, and The Fade is no different. By modern fantasy standards, realizing a standalone at a mere 300 pages is almost unheard of, and yet Wooding manages to nail the execution here. We are thrown into a world teeming with tension, as various races and social hierarchies all fight for power. Forced underground after the surface becomes nearly unlivable, the reader is introduced to a unique and expansive underground world.
The author doesn't give readers any time to settle in, and we are thrown right into the middle of a fight scene right from the get go. Orna is a woman of many talents, but mainly, she is a skilled assassin. After the death of her husband, she finds herself imprisoned, and the only thing keeping her alive is the drive to find her son.
The narrative style is something that I do think will give some readers some trouble, as we constantly jump between the present and the past. With each subsequent flashback, we jump even further back into the past. I understand why this is done, but it does unfortunately pull you out of the main storyline which I found to be significantly more interesting than any moment shown in the flashbacks. Still, these flashbacks were fun to read, and helped me understand the world and to also grow more feelings towards Orna and her struggle. Sadly, basically every other character in this story is one dimensional, which was the biggest detractor of this book for me. I love what Wooding managed to do in only 300 pages, but I wish the book was longer as well.
This is an exciting novel filled with dark themes and rip roaring action. It is a lot more like The Braided Path than The Tales of the Ketty Jay, and Wooding's typical strengths do shine. It is tough to get into plot details without risking spoilers for the ending, but I personally loved the ending. I know others won't, but I appreciate when authors make the bold choice to end their books in a more....complex way. With the way the story started and progressed, I personally thought the ending was perfectly fitting.
Overall, this was a tale of revenge and betrayal, driven by a strong female main character who would do anything to defend and save those she loves.
March 26, 2024
> Fantastic world-building.
> Great prose.
> Interesting structure, I didn't mind the flashbacks.
> Decent plot, but the ending is desperately sad and makes the whole book feel pointless.
> Mediocre to poor characterisation, which is the crowning failure for me.
> Great prose.
> Interesting structure, I didn't mind the flashbacks.
> Decent plot, but the ending is desperately sad and makes the whole book feel pointless.
> Mediocre to poor characterisation, which is the crowning failure for me.
November 29, 2010
View #1
One Star...I did NOT like it. Why? A four-star author does some great prep work, then writes a two-star story that is almost not good. An insightful author writes some good words and ideas while the story walks a center-line between OK and UNREMARKABLE. Things get better after a while. I am starting to like this...no, I guess I'm wrong...The publisher has used toxic smelling ink or paper, so I am offended by the odor emitting from my 312 page paperback copy, and I see the story is just moving faster now along that middle-of-the-road. Along comes death, loneliness and despair, some kind of Alfred Hitchcock immitation, then finally there is only one-star.....one.....and it's just too far away, so I don't care about anything I read here, and I can't see the road anymore, anyway. NEXT!.......but wait....
View #2
The Fade is a bitter, nasty, and totally unlikeable book. Lackluster at times, too, but for all of that, this book is effective. If you read it, you won't forget the tale. In fact, it might remind you of the world we are all living in. Published in 2008, The Fade is certainly a product of the man-made, world-wide depression/recession still lingering here on planet earth. Could the insanity machine be too powerful, even for the best among us?
You might not like it, I didn't, but I recommend reading The Fade. Just be sure to finish it in 3 days or less. Then go smack your mortgage lender, a local politician, or your phony financial planner with the soft cover version until he agrees to read through this awful book. If the story doesn't get to him, the fumes will!
One Star...I did NOT like it. Why? A four-star author does some great prep work, then writes a two-star story that is almost not good. An insightful author writes some good words and ideas while the story walks a center-line between OK and UNREMARKABLE. Things get better after a while. I am starting to like this...no, I guess I'm wrong...The publisher has used toxic smelling ink or paper, so I am offended by the odor emitting from my 312 page paperback copy, and I see the story is just moving faster now along that middle-of-the-road. Along comes death, loneliness and despair, some kind of Alfred Hitchcock immitation, then finally there is only one-star.....one.....and it's just too far away, so I don't care about anything I read here, and I can't see the road anymore, anyway. NEXT!.......but wait....
View #2
The Fade is a bitter, nasty, and totally unlikeable book. Lackluster at times, too, but for all of that, this book is effective. If you read it, you won't forget the tale. In fact, it might remind you of the world we are all living in. Published in 2008, The Fade is certainly a product of the man-made, world-wide depression/recession still lingering here on planet earth. Could the insanity machine be too powerful, even for the best among us?
You might not like it, I didn't, but I recommend reading The Fade. Just be sure to finish it in 3 days or less. Then go smack your mortgage lender, a local politician, or your phony financial planner with the soft cover version until he agrees to read through this awful book. If the story doesn't get to him, the fumes will!
February 3, 2015
I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. This was one of my top 3 books I read in 2008. Stunning, gripping, riveting action sequences... emotionally real people. Everyone should be honoured to read something by Mr. Wooding. He is my new English novelist boyfriend after all. ;)
*This book made me automatically buy several other books of Mr. Wooding's... none of which, at this time in late 2009, I have read yet. I'm savouring them.
*This book made me automatically buy several other books of Mr. Wooding's... none of which, at this time in late 2009, I have read yet. I'm savouring them.
September 23, 2018
This one of the most astonishing feats of world-building I have encountered. A subterranean civilization on a moon scorched by the deadly light of two suns. A war between two vividly drawn cultures fought in the caverns of giant fungi. The protagonist, a mother and an assassin, whose story unfolds in reverse order. Sounds perfect and would be perfect, if, paradoxically, the novel was longer. Normally I can’t stand interminable fantasies in which every detail is painstakingly explained several times over. But here I’d really like more background. Why is sunlight so deadly? Who are the alien races inhabiting the moon alongside humans? Are these people actually humans? What happened on the mother-planet? A sequel, please!
March 14, 2011
The plot is a little predictable, but the world building and characterization are both great. Chris Wooding is a great and vastly under-rated writer.
March 8, 2019
I adored his Ketty Jay series. While The Fade is very good, I found it bleak. I think I prefer lighter more irreverant fantasy these days!
February 9, 2021
It was a fantastic read ! It moved very fast and was breathtaking and at the same time tense and heartbreakingly beautiful, Relentlessly scary.! It was my first read by this author and I plan now to find more of his work. I recommend this to anybody that is not too squeamish and can stand this kind of dangerous and fatal action. I did not want it to end, especially where it did, with so many unanswered questions about characters that I had grown close to.
May 10, 2012
The Fade
The plot unfolds in a subterranean world of tunnels and caves on a moon whose surface is apparently uninhabitable due to the increased radiation of two suns. The story is narrated from the POV of one Cadre Massima Leithka Orna, assassin and spy from the city of Veya in Eskara, one of several nations, currently at war with the people of Gurta. Orna is held in one of the Gurta prisons inside a fort called Farakza, situated on the edge of the Borderlands. They prisoners are held in caves beneath the fort that are surrounded by magma. From there she attempts to flee with two other prisoners to find her son and right a wrong – or so she thinks. We learn about the hierarchical system of Eskara in which Orna is bound to Clan Caracassa by a life debt and for whom she works as a spy and assassin.
What follows is flight, fight for survival, recuperance, a peaceful interlude with the coterie of the Sun children, followed by even more betrayal and murder.
I found Orna’s flashbacks to her past life almost more engaging than the accounts of her present exploits. Nevertheless, the ending and the revelations are not really surprising. There are may hints throughout the novel. The novel cleverly poses a number of questions (Who is the ominous Silverfish? What’s Ledo got to do with the Gurta minister? Where is Casta repeatedly disappearing to and what does she really mean by the things she says?) and the reader (well, at least this reader) can’t help but ponder these questions and speculate about who is betraying whom and who might be turned into an unwitting victim. It might, however, be a bit surprising that the reader comes to the correct conclusions before the big revealing showdown, but the first-person narrator apparently is unable to see this coming or to connect the dots. Well, Orna is not leisurely sitting on the sofa sipping wine and reading a novel, but escaping from a prison, fighting for her dear life and trying to unveil a conspiracy whereby she is thoroughly being left in the dark and misled by people seemingly close to her. I’m generously cutting her some slack.
The plot unfolds in a subterranean world of tunnels and caves on a moon whose surface is apparently uninhabitable due to the increased radiation of two suns. The story is narrated from the POV of one Cadre Massima Leithka Orna, assassin and spy from the city of Veya in Eskara, one of several nations, currently at war with the people of Gurta. Orna is held in one of the Gurta prisons inside a fort called Farakza, situated on the edge of the Borderlands. They prisoners are held in caves beneath the fort that are surrounded by magma. From there she attempts to flee with two other prisoners to find her son and right a wrong – or so she thinks. We learn about the hierarchical system of Eskara in which Orna is bound to Clan Caracassa by a life debt and for whom she works as a spy and assassin.
What follows is flight, fight for survival, recuperance, a peaceful interlude with the coterie of the Sun children, followed by even more betrayal and murder.
I found Orna’s flashbacks to her past life almost more engaging than the accounts of her present exploits. Nevertheless, the ending and the revelations are not really surprising. There are may hints throughout the novel. The novel cleverly poses a number of questions (Who is the ominous Silverfish? What’s Ledo got to do with the Gurta minister? Where is Casta repeatedly disappearing to and what does she really mean by the things she says?) and the reader (well, at least this reader) can’t help but ponder these questions and speculate about who is betraying whom and who might be turned into an unwitting victim. It might, however, be a bit surprising that the reader comes to the correct conclusions before the big revealing showdown, but the first-person narrator apparently is unable to see this coming or to connect the dots. Well, Orna is not leisurely sitting on the sofa sipping wine and reading a novel, but escaping from a prison, fighting for her dear life and trying to unveil a conspiracy whereby she is thoroughly being left in the dark and misled by people seemingly close to her. I’m generously cutting her some slack.
December 14, 2013
The Fade has very skilled writing, kickass action, and some seriously squee-worthy world-building. What it does not have, unfortunately, is an affecting story, but I'm still recommending it as a solidly entertaining novel set in a world that is magnificent.
The characters live inside a moon that circles a gas giant orbiting a binary star system. The sunlight from those stars is lethal, however, so the characters live underground in what--to the reader--seems like a fantasia of caverns, crystals, weirdy-weird fungi, weirdy-weird animals, lakes, lava rivers, and many, many sentient species. The author slides you into this place in a wonderfully active, vivid, and non-infodumpy manner, too. At no point are you lectured to--you're simply immersed.
The protagonist is an elite soldier, brutally efficient killer, and a devoted mom who also happens to be a slave for life. She's an interestingly complicated person who is not always likeable, but who is very easy to ride inside the head of.
As I mentioned, the book features both kickass action and a slightly limp plot. How does that work? Well, the protagonist's slightly-fuzzy motivation is to escape the enemy's prison so she can convince her son to leave the military and go to university instead. And although she is engagingly-relentless about this task despite some deliciously-dire circumstances, it's a pretty low-stakes motive to carry the whole book.
At the end of the story, the stakes start to get more global, but the character's motive remains very personal, so even that feels a bit...small. Also, the ending was anti-climactic in that the wider issues don't get resolved in a satisfying manner, either for the reader or for the character.
The Fade is, I think, a pretty great book. Its storytelling has a fatal flaw, but so much else of what the author did in this book was done so brilliantly that I think the novel is still successful and worth reading. I have no problem recommending this to dedicated speculative fiction fans.
The characters live inside a moon that circles a gas giant orbiting a binary star system. The sunlight from those stars is lethal, however, so the characters live underground in what--to the reader--seems like a fantasia of caverns, crystals, weirdy-weird fungi, weirdy-weird animals, lakes, lava rivers, and many, many sentient species. The author slides you into this place in a wonderfully active, vivid, and non-infodumpy manner, too. At no point are you lectured to--you're simply immersed.
The protagonist is an elite soldier, brutally efficient killer, and a devoted mom who also happens to be a slave for life. She's an interestingly complicated person who is not always likeable, but who is very easy to ride inside the head of.
As I mentioned, the book features both kickass action and a slightly limp plot. How does that work? Well, the protagonist's slightly-fuzzy motivation is to escape the enemy's prison so she can convince her son to leave the military and go to university instead. And although she is engagingly-relentless about this task despite some deliciously-dire circumstances, it's a pretty low-stakes motive to carry the whole book.
At the end of the story, the stakes start to get more global, but the character's motive remains very personal, so even that feels a bit...small. Also, the ending was anti-climactic in that the wider issues don't get resolved in a satisfying manner, either for the reader or for the character.
The Fade is, I think, a pretty great book. Its storytelling has a fatal flaw, but so much else of what the author did in this book was done so brilliantly that I think the novel is still successful and worth reading. I have no problem recommending this to dedicated speculative fiction fans.
March 17, 2010
Promising setting - not done really that well.
Main Problem: It's a world within caves - and it's nearly never dark, it's definitely never claustrophobic (or agoraphobic, by the way), there is no strategic thinking in 3 dimensions (mind you, underground there is not just 4 directions, there's up and down too. Not so with Wooding. It's so not three-dimensional, it's nearly one-dimensional. So to say).
Noone who ever was in a real cave can find that haunting experience here.
It just gives the overall feeling of not being in some caves at all but simply on some dark plains, in some dark woods or similar.
As underground settings go, Mr. R.A. Salvatore does a much better job. And nearly all of Woodings Cave-World-Elements, from cities in Stalagtites to glowing lichens and giant forrests of mushrooms e.a. have been around for decades. Nothing new or exiting there, nothing never-seen-before. Instead, there's much "been there, seen that - and better executed".
Character... oh well. A female assassin instead of a male one like... well, cave-dwelling Artemis Entreri, Dark-Elf, for example.
Done okay but again, nothing out of the ordinary.
The World Above is a nice treat - but why do people who live so long under the surface as to have developed into different species still think in astronomical terms of the sky above - and not in form of strange myths?!
It simply does not fit.
It could have been a great book. It's not.
It's okay, but that's about it.
The story is nice, but there's so much potential of the setting wasted it's a pity.
Main Problem: It's a world within caves - and it's nearly never dark, it's definitely never claustrophobic (or agoraphobic, by the way), there is no strategic thinking in 3 dimensions (mind you, underground there is not just 4 directions, there's up and down too. Not so with Wooding. It's so not three-dimensional, it's nearly one-dimensional. So to say).
Noone who ever was in a real cave can find that haunting experience here.
It just gives the overall feeling of not being in some caves at all but simply on some dark plains, in some dark woods or similar.
As underground settings go, Mr. R.A. Salvatore does a much better job. And nearly all of Woodings Cave-World-Elements, from cities in Stalagtites to glowing lichens and giant forrests of mushrooms e.a. have been around for decades. Nothing new or exiting there, nothing never-seen-before. Instead, there's much "been there, seen that - and better executed".
Character... oh well. A female assassin instead of a male one like... well, cave-dwelling Artemis Entreri, Dark-Elf, for example.
Done okay but again, nothing out of the ordinary.
The World Above is a nice treat - but why do people who live so long under the surface as to have developed into different species still think in astronomical terms of the sky above - and not in form of strange myths?!
It simply does not fit.
It could have been a great book. It's not.
It's okay, but that's about it.
The story is nice, but there's so much potential of the setting wasted it's a pity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2012
I thought this book was fantastic and for me reminiscent of the time machine by H. G. Wells and China Mieville's bas lag books; all books I love. The distinction between races that live above ground and below, both adapted over hundreds of generations reminded me of Well's time machine, with the political, warring aspects of subterranean life together with an array of individual races with their own cultures reminding me of Mieville's Bas Lag. Whilst Woodings work brought to mind two other fantastic authors' work it still felt like a unique world.
I aquired this book at oxfam for £1 and new nothing other than the synopsis on the back but was willing to take a chance. The first time I tried to read it I was put off by the chapter numbering, it starts off with the number 30 and proceeds to descend or ascend. The first time I tried to read I felt like it was just too much for me to work out at the time but now I have read it, I love the idea. Descending from 30 to 0 is the present moving forwards, ascending from 30 to 40 is Orna, the protagonist, having flashbacks into her past to make sense of the present.
Orna is a very strong character, being a female assassin/ spy etc but with realistic emotions makes her a character that is easy to identify and empathize with; I felt her story developed well, with enough intrigue and action to make it a riveting reading experience.
I do wish there were other books set in this world, like Mieville, Wooding paints an interesting, detailed (but I want more) world. A gem find/read imo, one I would gladly read again.
I aquired this book at oxfam for £1 and new nothing other than the synopsis on the back but was willing to take a chance. The first time I tried to read it I was put off by the chapter numbering, it starts off with the number 30 and proceeds to descend or ascend. The first time I tried to read I felt like it was just too much for me to work out at the time but now I have read it, I love the idea. Descending from 30 to 0 is the present moving forwards, ascending from 30 to 40 is Orna, the protagonist, having flashbacks into her past to make sense of the present.
Orna is a very strong character, being a female assassin/ spy etc but with realistic emotions makes her a character that is easy to identify and empathize with; I felt her story developed well, with enough intrigue and action to make it a riveting reading experience.
I do wish there were other books set in this world, like Mieville, Wooding paints an interesting, detailed (but I want more) world. A gem find/read imo, one I would gladly read again.
November 20, 2016
I have really loved a lot of Wooding's books but this was not one of them. I only read the first 80 pages of this book and that was a colossal struggle for me. The first chapter started out action-packed and incredibly engaging...and then things just kind of go down hill.
The book jumps between the current and the past as we read about the struggles our heroine is going through and her history. While this works for a lot of books, in this book it was very jarring and made the story seem very disjointed.
You would think after the first chapter the main heroine would be easy to empathize and engage with; but I struggled with that as well. I just could not engage with the heroine of the story.
This was one of those books where I pretty much struggled to stay engaged with each sentence I read. I would start reading....realize I was skimming...go back and start re-reading...think of something important to do (like pluck cat hair off my pants) and then realize I wasn't reading and try to refocus. This book just did not hold my attention at all.
I finally gave up. It's the holiday season and I am really really busy; I need to be reading a book that really draws me in and intrigues me....not one I am struggling with sentence by sentence. I will admit that I am not incredibly patient this time of year, so there is that. Still I was just so disappointed.
Overall not a good Chris Wooding book. The premise is interesting but the execution is poor, the writing doesn’t flow well, and the characters and story are not at all engaging. Not recommended.
The book jumps between the current and the past as we read about the struggles our heroine is going through and her history. While this works for a lot of books, in this book it was very jarring and made the story seem very disjointed.
You would think after the first chapter the main heroine would be easy to empathize and engage with; but I struggled with that as well. I just could not engage with the heroine of the story.
This was one of those books where I pretty much struggled to stay engaged with each sentence I read. I would start reading....realize I was skimming...go back and start re-reading...think of something important to do (like pluck cat hair off my pants) and then realize I wasn't reading and try to refocus. This book just did not hold my attention at all.
I finally gave up. It's the holiday season and I am really really busy; I need to be reading a book that really draws me in and intrigues me....not one I am struggling with sentence by sentence. I will admit that I am not incredibly patient this time of year, so there is that. Still I was just so disappointed.
Overall not a good Chris Wooding book. The premise is interesting but the execution is poor, the writing doesn’t flow well, and the characters and story are not at all engaging. Not recommended.
May 19, 2009
Another Big Kiss for Chris Wooding for making my reading time 100% Pure Bliss!!!! The Fade is an compelling and intelligent Novel. It is a exceptionally original fantasy from a multi-award winning Author. Deep in the enemy territory a captive languishes in an inescapable prison. A skilled assassin, a thief, a spy; highly intelligent, exceptionally dangerous and dangerously obsessed. She wants out & for those Dark souls who put her in there she wants them Dead.... blown up nothing left DEAD...!!! I found that I could not wait to see how the plot played out. In addition to very insightful social commentary, the characters are believable and easy to identify with, and there are more than a few very surprising twists in store for the reader. The author paints a remarkably realistic picture of a fantasy world with compelling characters and a subtle trace of the irony underlying society. A must read this is not a Children's book. This book is for teens & Up!! A MUST HAVE for ANY fantasy Lover!!! I gobbled it up in one sitting :o)
October 27, 2015
I walked around the local library waiting for something to jump out at me and then I spotted The Fade. From the first sentence I was hooked on the characters and a world unlike any I have ever read before. I couldn't stop thinking about this book and hated having to go to work when all I wanted to do was stay home and finish the story!
The Fade surprised me at every turn, it was unpredictable and I didn't know what would happen next and had no idea how it would end. There were heart-wrenching moments and moments where I wanted to shout 'girl power!' for the will of the woman who refuses to give up.
I liked the parallels drawn between real life and fiction, the warmongering rich people for example, encouraging conflict in order to line their pockets when selling their weapons and medicines.
This is one of the most well written books I have ever read - and led to my later discovery of Wooding's Tales of the Ketty Jay. (If, like me, you loved the TV show Firefly, you will love it!)
I look forward to one day re-reading this book, as I inevitably will!
The Fade surprised me at every turn, it was unpredictable and I didn't know what would happen next and had no idea how it would end. There were heart-wrenching moments and moments where I wanted to shout 'girl power!' for the will of the woman who refuses to give up.
I liked the parallels drawn between real life and fiction, the warmongering rich people for example, encouraging conflict in order to line their pockets when selling their weapons and medicines.
This is one of the most well written books I have ever read - and led to my later discovery of Wooding's Tales of the Ketty Jay. (If, like me, you loved the TV show Firefly, you will love it!)
I look forward to one day re-reading this book, as I inevitably will!
January 3, 2019
Predominantly, this is an escape story with the captured heroine’s plight in the prison, interspersed with farther reaching flashbacks to the events leading up this this moment in her life. In that, it was fun the way the chapter numbers started in the 20s and alternatively decreased with each subsequent flashback chapter (to 0) and increased with the continuation of the story. The escape itself played second to this aspect and to the inventive characters and immersive world they are in. The underground is not a network of stony tunnels with ambiguous light sources but vast caverns rich in fauna and flora and fungi. There are many races of people, only a few of whom are encountered. Even the surface is visited, giving the reason why the inhabitants live deep underground. Excellent stuff that could well be the basis for a few more stories.
October 3, 2019
There is a lot packed into this one book, but Chris Wooding manages to weave it all together so seamlessly the pages just keep turning and you feel like you're reading an entire series. The worldbuilding is vast, the characters fully fleshed out, and the story full of twists.
Sometimes I didn't fully follow what was happening in the world, but it was written in such a way that I never faltered in my reading, the pages kept flowing by and I kept enjoying the protagonist's story.
If you haven't read anything by Chris Wooding this might not be the best starting point, but you should definitely read his work.
Sometimes I didn't fully follow what was happening in the world, but it was written in such a way that I never faltered in my reading, the pages kept flowing by and I kept enjoying the protagonist's story.
If you haven't read anything by Chris Wooding this might not be the best starting point, but you should definitely read his work.
August 10, 2019
This is one of my all time favorite books.
March 6, 2024
I liked this book, but I didn't love it. Don't get me wrong, Chris Wooding is one of my favorite authors. I thoroughly enjoyed his Tales of the Ketty Jay series and I loved, loved The Ember Blade and The Shadow Casket. (I can't wait for Book Three!!)
But what I loved about those stories wasn't exactly in The Fade where we're stuck with a single character who was likable enough, strong, full of flaws, and a bit complicated. Still, I'm not fond of being stuck with one character throughout an entire book. When we're following through a single POV, it puts up a barrier to all the other characters in the story where the reader isn't getting to know them aside from the perspective of the protagonist.
The underground world is pretty darn cool and the surface world being deadly was a nice touch. And as always, I enjoyed Woodings's writing style. He's a poet behind the pen, even if this book was written in the second person, which I'm not a fan of. All-in-all, it was an alright story, and if there is a sequel to it, I'll read it, mainly out of curiosity. Now, where's that third book of The Darkwater Legacy Series, Mr. Wooding!?! ;)
But what I loved about those stories wasn't exactly in The Fade where we're stuck with a single character who was likable enough, strong, full of flaws, and a bit complicated. Still, I'm not fond of being stuck with one character throughout an entire book. When we're following through a single POV, it puts up a barrier to all the other characters in the story where the reader isn't getting to know them aside from the perspective of the protagonist.
The underground world is pretty darn cool and the surface world being deadly was a nice touch. And as always, I enjoyed Woodings's writing style. He's a poet behind the pen, even if this book was written in the second person, which I'm not a fan of. All-in-all, it was an alright story, and if there is a sequel to it, I'll read it, mainly out of curiosity. Now, where's that third book of The Darkwater Legacy Series, Mr. Wooding!?! ;)
April 2, 2024
The Fade is worth reading for the world-building alone. The setting is incredible. Having read many of Chris Wooding's other works, this is not surprising but I think this is my favorite he has crafted.
The story takes place in a hollowed out moon orbiting a planet with 2 suns, who's equivalent to radiation in the story forces most people below ground into massive cavern systems capable of housing massive cities and even seas. Details of the world and the cultures of those living there are entwined in the story perfectly.
My complaint is that I would have liked to see more as the ending felt rushed. I genuinely think the author was under some deadline and had to accelerate the ending. As a result it seems like the protagonist acts out of character by considering her objective complete prematurely.
Again, if you enjoy world-building or just think this kind of subterranean setting is cool, my complaint is irrelevant.
The story takes place in a hollowed out moon orbiting a planet with 2 suns, who's equivalent to radiation in the story forces most people below ground into massive cavern systems capable of housing massive cities and even seas. Details of the world and the cultures of those living there are entwined in the story perfectly.
My complaint is that I would have liked to see more as the ending felt rushed. I genuinely think the author was under some deadline and had to accelerate the ending. As a result it seems like the protagonist acts out of character by considering her objective complete prematurely.
Again, if you enjoy world-building or just think this kind of subterranean setting is cool, my complaint is irrelevant.
January 5, 2022
I love a story that just throws you into the thick of it, and lets you figure things out as you go along, and this one, for me, is exceptional.
Great story line, great world building, great characters it was just an all out great read.
As in life, things are not all as they seem, and the best of intentions.....
Will definitely be looking into other books by this talented author
Great story line, great world building, great characters it was just an all out great read.
As in life, things are not all as they seem, and the best of intentions.....
Will definitely be looking into other books by this talented author
September 9, 2023
I’m not sure exactly what to say about this, but in a good way. It’s quite a unique read, and it’s probably best to just experience it for yourself!
It has a rather clipped, punchy tone which works well. I found the main character likable and the plot interesting and well-paced. If you’re a fan of Chris Wooding, it’ll likely be something you’ll enjoy.
It has a rather clipped, punchy tone which works well. I found the main character likable and the plot interesting and well-paced. If you’re a fan of Chris Wooding, it’ll likely be something you’ll enjoy.
May 11, 2020
It’s time to accept I’m not going to finish this book. It’s ok, the world of the book is relatively interesting, but the writing just didn’t grab me!
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