Silver Shadows

Forgotten Realms: Songs & Swords #3

by Elaine Cunningham

Arilyn Moonblade, the half-elf heroine of Elfshadow, returns to confront a evil when she is asked to save a band of wild elves from extinction, a mission that soon becomes a deep, personal struggle. Original. 90,000 first printing.

Genres: Forgotten Realms, Fantasy, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Collections

374 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.


Elaine Cunningham is an American fantasy author.

Reviews

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elaine Cunningham is probably the best writer from a technical standpoint among TSR novel veterans from the 1990s, so much so that for much of this book I didn't mind at all how her scenes linger, because they're full of evocative details that bring the characters and world to life. TSR was lucky to keep her during the time that most of their stable of authors had been driven away by antagonistic management.

This is a slow burn fantasy adventure, in which the main character doesn't engage with the central plot until the book is half done. And again, this was not a problem at the time. It only became a problem during the second half when the book outstayed its welcome. At ~375 pages, this exceeded the word count of most Forgotten Realms novels, and particularly during those last 60 pages I wished it had been cut shorter. There were easy cuts available, including the side plot involving the thirteenth son of the city's ruler. If there were an essential story need for a conniving douche, this series already had Danilo Thann, but the author chose to send him away for the duration of this book, losing the series' one enjoyable character. There was also little need to introduce a new character on page 240 for the sole purpose of creating a LOTR-heavy elf/dwarf buddy routine for the final acts.

Ultimately, the book's finale fell flat. The fight scenes were always a drag, intelligibly written but the play-by-play did nothing for me and I found myself skimming to get to the outcome. I wonder if Cunningham was borrowing from Salvatore for these; he was one of those alienated writers at this time, so did either the author or editor insist on inserting his style of granular combat?

Somehow, this is still one of the best Forgotten Realms books I've read in quite some time.

[Nimrod Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

About 7 years after reading Elfshadow and Elfsong I finnaly got around to check up on Arilyn and follow her journey in Silver Shadows. Unfortunately there's very little of Danilo in this book, which is quite a shame. It was nice to check up on Arilyn, and we do learn more about her sword and its powers which was nice. The plot in the first 3/4 is ok, but the last 1/4 felt uneven and has a few problems.

All in all, Silver Shadows is ok, but falls a bit in comparison to first two books in the series.
First 3/4 - 3.5-3.75/5, last 1/4 - 3.25/5
3.5/5

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all of Cunningham's books, well-worth reading and full of fully fleshed-out characters (especially for a sharecrop fantasy series), but I did come across one major editing error :

Third-string character Tamsin is killed off-page, but his twin sister Tamara senses his demise. Suddenly by page's end, Tamara has disappeared from the narrative but just as suddenly, Tamsin is in the same scene with the other characters with nary an explanation. I can only suppose the author changed which twin died between different drafts and the editor got the drafts mixed up somehow...

[RoxanaSparrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho!

En esta historia, volvemos a acompañar a nuestra querida semielfa Arilyn Hojaluna, quien se embarca en una misión como Arpista, en la que debe camuflarse como elfa.

Lo que más me ha fascinado es darme cuenta de que esta historia ocurre simultáneamente con el segundo libro. Incluso la escena compartida entre Arilyn y Danilo en el libro anterior se repite aquí, pero desde el punto de vista de ella. ¡Este detalle me encantó! Ayuda a conectar mejor las tramas y aporta una profundidad increíble a la historia.

También disfruté mucho viendo cómo la relación entre Arilyn y Danilo va evolucionando poco a poco, dejando que las cosas sucedan de manera natural. Todo esto, sumado a las referencias y detalles del universo de Dungeons & Dragons, hace que la experiencia sea aún más emocionante.

Es cierto que por una parte a Danilo en este libro se le ve muy poco, y que hubo alguna parte intermedia que se me hizo un poco más lenta, y aunque no me ha atrapado tanto como el primer y segundo libro (que fueron sublimes para mí), este tercer volumen también me ha gustado bastante.

Ahora comienzo con el cuarto libro, ¡al cual también le tengo muchísimas ganas!

[Thingolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books on the Forgotten Realms, although it has some obvious flaws.
Firstly, I do not agree that the book is any worse than the first two books in the series. There are new bright characters, numerous storylines and a good writing style. The book can rightfully be considered a variation on the theme of the confrontation between nature and civilization and part of a tradition that begins with Rousseau and Cooper. Moreover, I cannot consider Elaith Craulnober, who is absent from this novel, a strong character.
Secondly, I believe that one should not turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of the book. Some plot twists seem a little awkward and not fully thought out. The author's ignorance of some of the realities of pre-industrial societies is striking: for example, it is impossible to maintain SO large garrisons in fortresses.
Nevertheless, I strongly recommend this novel even to those who are not very interested in the Forgotten Realms, and I will also definitely read the rest of the books in the series.

[Stuart Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another well written book with some nice plot lines thrown in. A lot of the forgotten realms novels likes to focus on the big picture issue in the form of big business/greed taking over from the native peoples, instead of American Indians though, we wind up with the poor Elves, who are divided racially by the loss of kingdom after kingdom over time to the unthinking humans. While that storyline runs throughout larger themes in FG, I am able to ignore that and focus on the usually cool character development we see in Cunningham’s novels, this one no different. The only other objection I had in this one was the ease with which the retired master assassin is eventually killed in his own lair, that bothered me, particularly without a cool, prolonged fight. Should not have happened. Even a competent assassin would have recognized a missing piece of jewelry, figured out how it was stolen back, and prepared for another such incursion. But that’s just me. Onward!!

[Casey Sánchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be fully honest, I struggled to get invested in this installment until around page 131 (Chapter Eight). There were parts I definitely liked in the beginning, don't get me wrong, but I struggled to really get invested. I was thinking about knocking two stars off for it, but when it picked up, it really grabbed me.

Cunningham has such a great way of making you care about each character and their agencies. I loved Hawkwing, Foxfire and Ferret. I loved Jill and Kendel's friendship. I loved that - even as a shadow of his soul, Danilo refuses to leave Arilyn behind. Ugh - Danilo is easily my favorite character, followed by Arilyn and Foxfire. There was so much I found myself caring about that giving this any less than four stars feels like a disservice to the parts I adored.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed jumping back into The Forgotten Realms, Arilyn is one of my favorite characters, and I wish Danilo had more scenes in this book but the ending was just perfect.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a long time reader of the Forgotten Realms but have never read the Harpers Series. I picked up Silver Shadows at the used bookstore and was under the belief that this story was a stand alone book and not part of a larger (reprinted) 'Songs and Swords' series. As a result, my rating of 3 is a little bit of a result of coming in 'mid-story'. While I think the book is well written and there are chapters and scenes that grip your attention, I found the book to have too many characters who seemed to just 'pop up' as the story demanded. In addition, these characters seemed to have previous history with others in the book which wasn't clearly laid out as the story unfolded. Had I read the previous books of "Elfshadow" and "Elfsong" these characters and their appearances may have made more sense. I also felt that some of the secondary stories didn't add much to the overall narrative and seemed to tease a bigger story that isn't realized in this book.

[E J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm about 1/3 into it so far and thoroughly enjoying it. It seems Cunningham has fallen into her stride with this book. The previous book felt so short such that I got the impression that the author's hands were tied trying to keep things concise. Indeed, Elfsong had a slightly strange flow to it as it read like two books in one, notwithstanding that the encounter with the dragon was way too brief. But with Silver Shadows being longer, Cunningham can spread her wings, so to speak, and it shows in the narrative. I like her diction very much (it's so much easier to read and understand what's going on compared to Erin Evans), and all the elements of political intrigue, humour, personal conflict and swords-and-sorcery action are firing off endorphins throughout my brain.

---

Finished. Come on, how good was that? Five fucking stars!

[Jimmy J. Crantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual I feel it’s hard to rate Cunningham’s books in this series. Some things I just absolutely love, some things I really dislike. I feel like the least interesting character is actually the main character Arilyn - who feels like a girl who just gets everything she wants, has super powers, and lives without any real human weaknesses. But the rest of the world painted by Cunningham makes up for it, the stories stay with me, and I look forward to reading the next book!

[Ida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between 3 and 4 and tending more towards 3, but I'm going with 4 to demonstrate how until now Songs and Swords have been among the best of the Harper Series.

It's not because I think the story ideas in their cores are so much better than the rest, it's all the steps that stand between an idea, an adventure, and a novel.

This one also sends the MC on an outward adventure to save the world as well as an inward one to self-discovery and realization.

[PRJ Greenwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possesses a more complex plot than is normal for a D&D novel, and is possibly a stronger effort for it. Lots of different threads and subplots going on, but mostly, this is a fantasy take on people defending their land against rapacious industry.

I like Elaine Cunningham: she's one of this milieu's more reliable authors.

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

After an awkward start Cunningham is up to her old tricks - fleshing out secondary characters left-and-right that we find ourselves caring about. I'd pay to read of the further adventures of Jill and Leafbower for example.

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit more scattered and needlessly long, perhaps, than Cunningham's earlier entries in the Harpers series, Arilyn Moonblade's mission to defuse the tension between reclusive wood elves and the humans of Tethyr is nonetheless entertaining while further exploring the lore of the Realms.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply Great

So much fun to read, these stories are just mind candy, I cannot get enough! Elaine may be my favorite author in TFR.

[Alexa Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, fun read. This is #3. of The Harpers Songs & Swords all 3 are very good and very funny as well.

[Drizzita Isilrá · Rating 5 out of 5]

El mejor de la saga hasta el momento. Muchas escaramuzas.

[Ogre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly not up to her others in the series, I was underwhelmed by Silver Shadows. The villains were complete mustache twirlers, and the xenophobic racism of the wild elves is an overplayed trope.

[Zach Kagley]

Proxy read for Troy Denning's On the High Road, from the Cormyr Trilogy, Book II.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arilyn could be an interesting character, and her connection to the spirits of the sword is cool --but the story itself is needlessly convoluted, some characters popped up willy-nilly, and overall it wasn't all that cohesive. I will be reading Thornhold though, at some point. I do like stories of The Harpers.

[Hacedores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro de la saga completamente centrado en la figura de Arilyn... de hecho, tan centrado que personajes tan grandes y tan interesantes como Jill solo aparecen de refilón. Por algún motivo, he echado mucho de menos la "coralidad" de otras novelas de esta autora. Por cierto, no es necesario leerse el segundo para leerse este... de hecho sucede en paralelo. Aparte, este parece hecho para los que adoran a los elfos de Reinos Olvidados... porque nos muestra mucho más de la sociedad y las ideas de los elfos.

Sigue leyendo...

[Brian Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3 1/2 stars)

Attacks are being made in the lands of the Forgotten Realms, and by all appearances they're being done by Elves.
Arilyn Moonblade is tasked to find out why by both the Harpers and the Elves.
All is not as it seems and she is soon in the middle of a fight in which her half-elf background could work for or against her.

The main bulk of the story takes place in Tethyr . It has good characters (if you ignore the comedy dwarf) and quite a few schemes going on in the background as well as good fight scenes.

It's a bit predictable in places, but this series and author are some of the better D&D novels.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't notice this in Elfshadow, but in this book, well, certain things are confusing if you aren't either familiar with the setting, or with the Tolkien canon from which many such settings are derived.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cool one. I wasn't really feeling the fantasy genre when I was reading it, but it still kept me intrigued for all 400 pages. I liked that it was taking place the same time that the book before it was. Great war stuff. A cool story.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish the Forgotten Realms were still this fun.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun high fantasy romp. The prose got a bit purple at times but I feel like that comes with the territory.

[Moon.jak.ksiezyc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a Lyhtari <3

[Kagan Oztarakci · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It was fashionable among society folk to keep a southern woman as a mistress, or so (he) heard tell. He himself had to make due with a wife - his own unfortunately."

"The impossible always takes a little longer."

"If a single original thought should ever enter his head, it would surely die of loneliness!"