Shadowprey

The Black Foxes #2

by Dennis L. McKiernan

The Mithgar and Faery novels of Dennis L. McKiernan have long enchanted fans and critics alike. And they were equally enthralled with his bestselling science-fiction/fantasy novel: formerly titled Caverns of Socrates but in e-book form titled Shadowprey. And now this gifted author presents us with the sequel to that story, a gripping tale to fire the imagination and make the heart pound. . . .

The Black Foxes are back in the grasp of the Dark God, and He is seeking revenge

Nearly one year ago a lightning strike damaged Avery—the artificial intelligence, AIVR—and for six months thereafter he refused to communicate with his creators. But then Timothy Rendell, a member of the talented team of Black Foxes, received a three-word message from somewhere within the machine, a message impelling the Foxes to step once again into deadly peril as they try to rescue one of their own from the shadow-world clutches of Mad Avery in his very lethal virtual reality.

Dennis L. McKiernan holds us spellbound by weaving together science and magic and hazard and derring-do in a heart-clutching story, a breathtaking saga spanning magical worlds and alien planets in a tale of science fiction, of fantasy, of horror, and a riveting account of a desperate group of skilled scientists trying to keep a team alive, as well as a high-stakes court case concerning the essence of humanity, the outcome of which means life or death for some.
From Dennis L. McKiernan, one of the most prolific and imaginative authors in science fiction and fantasy today, comes Shadowprey, the thrilling sequel to his acclaimed Shadowtrap (formerly titled Caverns of Socrates).

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2014

About the author

McKiernan was born in Moberly, Missouri, where he lived until he served the U.S. Air Force for four years, stationed within US territory during the Korean War. After military service, he attended the University of Missouri and received a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1958 and an M.S. in the same field from Duke University in 1964. He worked as an engineer at AT&T, initially at Western Electric but soon at Bell Laboratories, from 1958 until 1989. In 1989, after early retirement from engineering, McKiernan began writing on a full-time basis.

In 1977, while riding his motorcycle, McKiernan was hit by a car which had crossed the center-line, and was confined to a bed, first in traction and then in a hip spica cast, for many months. During his recuperation, he boldly began a sequel to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The publisher Doubleday showed an interest in his work and tried to obtain authorization from Tolkien's estate but was denied. Doubleday then asked McKiernan to rewrite his story, placing the characters in a different fictitious world, and also to write a prequel supporting it. The prequel, of necessity, resembles The Lord of the Rings; the decision of Doubleday to issue the work as a trilogy increased that resemblance; and some critics have seen McKiernan as simply imitating Tolkien's epic work. McKiernan has subsequently developed stories in the series that followed along a story line different from those that plausibly could have been taken by Tolkien.

McKiernan's Faery Series expands tales draw from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books, additionally tying the selected tales together with a larger plot.

McKiernan currently lives in Tucson, Arizona.

(Biography taken from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Shaun Hutchinson]

This book made me sad. I enjoyed the first book way back when, and I hadn't realized there was a sequel. I wish I'd remained ignorant. This book was just awful. The weird sex jokes scattered in everywhere, the trial felt like a first-year philosophy course, the reporter was obnoxious. And the actual adventure in VR itself was tedious. I wound up skimming the last 150 pages just to get to the end.

[Matthew Futter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This long-awaited sequel holds hidden depths that often read more like a mystery than the near-future sci-fi you might have expected. Fittingly, too, since its predecessor closed out with a hint at something the cast would have to explore sometime in the future. While nearly twenty years elapsed for us readers between books, the two volumes lead one right into the other for the characters within.

There was one moment in this book where a seemingly-sudden turn of events made me pause in confusion and actually put the book down briefly to think it through. Soon thereafter I decided that if I didn’t know what was going on now, I would probably find out soon, so I returned to this curious volume (at that time, I hadn’t remembered that a core theme of this one was a mystery the characters needed to solve, so wrapped up in the story was I already). As the plot unfolded further, I began to get a glimmer of what was happening below the surface; nothing given away, just good storytelling. And a few more delightful turns in this sequel made me light up with glee!

While the first book in this duo explored science and philosophy in fascinating, equal measure, with a side of deep adventure both in virtual reality and what we’d call the outside world, this volume is mostly story: partly that riveting mystery, with a strong side of courtroom drama. And if legal issues make your eyes glaze over, don’t worry, because the author weaves it all effectively into the plot, telling us only what we need to know at each step, and revealing each stage in a most entertaining manner!

Even though I thought things went a bit off the rails for a moment midway through, I figured that the author had a reason for the apparent non sequitur, and I was richly rewarded for continuing to drink up this story as it evolved, with everything explained by the final page. This book reached a wonderful conclusion, and while it can stand on its own, I highly recommend any newcomers read the first volume before this delightful chaser (the first book was Caverns of Socrates, now titled Shadowtrap in its e-book version). Everything you discover herein will be the richer for knowing the backstory, and what an introduction that one was!

[MrG LikesBooks&Booze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago, when I read Caverns of Socrates, I felt like there just HAD to be a sequel.
Well it took me a long time to find it, but there is indeed a sequel, and it is called Shadowprey. It is only available on kindle, and Caverns of Socrates was retitled to Shadowtrap, but I am very glad that I finally found and read this sequel.
The way there story is told, hoping around for "present" day, to events in the past was a little difficult to get into at first, but it makes sense why it is written this way, and begins to really flow and draw you in as you get deeper into the novel.
The Black Foxes return to Avery's clutches to save one of their own, and the adventure that they embark on, both in VR and in reality is extremely enjoyable.
There were a few things that I didn't quite understand why they were added or occurred, but all in all it was a great read, that I absolutely blew through.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great sequel to the original. Jumps thru many settings and is a page turner. Welcome to the original matrix.

[Malcolm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the Caverns of Socrates so when I saw there was a sequel, I jumped on it. I find I am very disappointed and I really had to push myself to finish the book. The characters are totally flat and unremarkable here. Some characters only appear because they were in the first novel. The courtroom sequences are tedious, the action sequences are dull, and the control room sequences could be left out without any loss.