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The Widow Unseen Cycle (Blue Rose) #1
Shadowtide
When two envoys from the Sovereign's Finest disappear on a critical mission, an unlikely band of allies, led by Soot, a rhy-crow with dark and secret power, are brought together to combat a hidden threat. As portents bloom across the smuggler's den known as Serpent's Haven, these strange agents quickly find themselves tested by the machinations of a cult dedicated to darkest Shadow. Grieving, afraid, and unsure who to trust or where to turn, they must rely on one another and their erstwhile allies in hopes of rescuing the envoys and foiling a terrible plot. Success will bring no great reward, but failure is unimaginable. Can they overcome their suspicion and fear to fulfill their mission, or will they, too, fall to Shadow?
340 pages, Paperback
Published October 30, 2018
5 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Joseph D. Carriker Jr.
32 books49 followersJoseph Carriker is the developer for Green Ronin’s Blue Rose AGE roleplaying game line. He has been writing in the gaming industry for sixteen years now, and has worked on a variety of game lines over those years.
In 2017, he released his first novel, Sacred Band, and his second, Shadowtide, in 2018. He runs a Patreon dedicated to his Sacred Band world with a variety of short stories, world building and commissioned art.
He is an outspoken queer gamer, having helped organize and take part in the annual Queer as a Three-Sided Die panels at GenCon. Joseph lives in Portland, Oregon with his partner A.J., and likes to believe he does his part in Keeping Portland Weird.
In 2017, he released his first novel, Sacred Band, and his second, Shadowtide, in 2018. He runs a Patreon dedicated to his Sacred Band world with a variety of short stories, world building and commissioned art.
He is an outspoken queer gamer, having helped organize and take part in the annual Queer as a Three-Sided Die panels at GenCon. Joseph lives in Portland, Oregon with his partner A.J., and likes to believe he does his part in Keeping Portland Weird.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 19, 2018
3 stars--I liked the book.
I'm currently running a tabletop game set in the Blue Rose world, so as soon as this book came out, I snatched it up. It will definitely help me flesh out some plots for my players, and was greatly helpful in providing world details and character motives.
If you're interested in the high fantasy/romantic fantasy genre, Blue Rose is a great game system--and a great setting. Recommended to those who like talking animals and dashing heroes in their fantasy books!
I'm currently running a tabletop game set in the Blue Rose world, so as soon as this book came out, I snatched it up. It will definitely help me flesh out some plots for my players, and was greatly helpful in providing world details and character motives.
If you're interested in the high fantasy/romantic fantasy genre, Blue Rose is a great game system--and a great setting. Recommended to those who like talking animals and dashing heroes in their fantasy books!
November 18, 2018
I already love the world this book is set in, so I walked in prepared to like the book.
What I wasn’t expecting was how good it would be; everything from the plants to the architecture in this book serves to make it come alive. The characters are interesting and distinct, with their own motivations. Most remarkably, by the end, I cared about all of them.
If you like action and swords and sorcery, set in a world where people aren’t afraid to color outside the lines with regard to romance, you will *love* this book.
I sincerely and profoundly hope this is the first of a series, because I’m going to need to read more about all of them.
What I wasn’t expecting was how good it would be; everything from the plants to the architecture in this book serves to make it come alive. The characters are interesting and distinct, with their own motivations. Most remarkably, by the end, I cared about all of them.
If you like action and swords and sorcery, set in a world where people aren’t afraid to color outside the lines with regard to romance, you will *love* this book.
I sincerely and profoundly hope this is the first of a series, because I’m going to need to read more about all of them.
July 18, 2019
This is an amazing introduction to the setting of Aldis and a wonderful companion to the Blue Rose roleplaying game. Carriker weaves relatable characters against this fantastic setting in a way that is refreshing, inclusive, and organic. His action sequences are well-blocked, easy to follow, and incredibly cinematic in the theater of the reader's mind. I highly recommend this novel to fans of the fantasy genre who are sick of grimdark worlds and bland, predictable protagonists. You won't regret it!
September 17, 2019
I bought this book originally because I love the setting and wanted to see someone's interpretation of it, and Shadowtides was not a disappointment. I would love for this book to be twice the length as some parts felt too short or lacking in selling me the background. Story-wise, I love it - no complaints!
November 9, 2018
I quite enjoyed Joseph Carriker’s novel, set in the world of Aldis, the setting for the Blue Rose table-top role-playing game.
The prologue opens the book with a dire situation that looks like certain doom to a pair of agents of some sort. The main text of the book then follows the adventures of a trio of agents sent to find out what happened to the first pair. Most of the book takes place in and around the smugglers city of Serpent’s Haven, a ramshackle city built in the middle of a dire swamp, with all of the muck that comes with that sort of environment. Haven is thoroughly a hive of scum and villainy. The three protagonists are Soot, a self aware raven (in this world, self-aware animals are relatively common and called “Rhydan”) who has several magic abilities including the ability to heal wounds; Ydah, a brutish-looking warrior who is still dealing with a deeply personal loss she suffered a year previously; and Morjin, a master spy with a talent for predicting the future and a heart of gold that is his Achilles heel. The three who are more comfortable working alone must band together to unravel the mysteries around Serpentl’s Haven before those mysteries come looking for them!
Most of the book worked very well for me. I quickly came to care about the main characters and several of the supporting cast. The pacing was excellent, managing to avoid a droopy middle section by continually ramping up the pressure on the protagonists. The descriptions were colorful without being overwrought. I had a strong sense of place in the city, and could easily picture it from the imagery the author provided. The surrounding countryside was less clear to me, possibly due to my lack of experience in swamps. It was at various times described as being mostly scrub and grasses poking up out of squelchy mud, and at other times as having plentiful trees. Most confusing to me was the hunt for a pool of water surrounded by a thick corpse of trees that wasn’t seen until the characters were nearly in it. One other amusement was that, after being described as “rare” or at least uncommon, Rhydans make up a significant portion of the cast, nearly half of the introduced characters. That was fine by me; their presence added a great deal of flavor to the world.
The book also presented the amazing diversity that is a cornerstone of the setting. Beyond having self-aware critters running (and flying and slithering) around, the humans and humanoids in the novel didn’t bat an eye at who people preferred as bed partners, nor whether they took part eras to bed at all. Morjin is an unrepentant flirt who falls into love (and bed) with both male and female lovers equally, and is an open “constellation” marriage with a man and a woman back home in the capital city (quit some distance from where the action takes place). This was presented merely as an aspect of the character as he woos another man in Serpent’s Haven. Additionally one of the other characters is shown to be asexual or aromantic towards the end of the book, and while it leads to a awkward moment, everyone recovers with great ease and remain fast friends. It’s refreshing, honestly, to escape the typical tropes that come from an adherence to heteronormativity.
About the only thing about the book that didn’t work for me was how it ended. The exciting story introduced in the prologue ended in an exciting climax. But instead of a short denouement to wrap things up neatly, there were three more chapters detailing the loves of the characters as they made their way back to the capital city of Aldis, the living arrangements they all come to, how they celebrated a winter holiday, and introduces what seems to be the plot for a follow up work. I won’t say it was tacked on, since it flowed naturally from the rest of the story, but it did have a feeling of a movie that went on longer than it should have (I’m looking at you, “Return of the King”). Perhaps I’m just too stodgy and set in my ways, but I prefer less drawn-out resolutions once the story presented in the first scenes has been resolved.
Overall a strong book, which I did enjoy a great deal. As I’m in the planning stages for a game set in the same universe, it helped bring the setting into clearer focus, and helped me understand the tropes and customs that are present in the niche genre. If you enjoy romantic fantasy, or have an interest in the setting g for the Blue Rose game, I strongly recommend picking this book up and giving it a read.
The prologue opens the book with a dire situation that looks like certain doom to a pair of agents of some sort. The main text of the book then follows the adventures of a trio of agents sent to find out what happened to the first pair. Most of the book takes place in and around the smugglers city of Serpent’s Haven, a ramshackle city built in the middle of a dire swamp, with all of the muck that comes with that sort of environment. Haven is thoroughly a hive of scum and villainy. The three protagonists are Soot, a self aware raven (in this world, self-aware animals are relatively common and called “Rhydan”) who has several magic abilities including the ability to heal wounds; Ydah, a brutish-looking warrior who is still dealing with a deeply personal loss she suffered a year previously; and Morjin, a master spy with a talent for predicting the future and a heart of gold that is his Achilles heel. The three who are more comfortable working alone must band together to unravel the mysteries around Serpentl’s Haven before those mysteries come looking for them!
Most of the book worked very well for me. I quickly came to care about the main characters and several of the supporting cast. The pacing was excellent, managing to avoid a droopy middle section by continually ramping up the pressure on the protagonists. The descriptions were colorful without being overwrought. I had a strong sense of place in the city, and could easily picture it from the imagery the author provided. The surrounding countryside was less clear to me, possibly due to my lack of experience in swamps. It was at various times described as being mostly scrub and grasses poking up out of squelchy mud, and at other times as having plentiful trees. Most confusing to me was the hunt for a pool of water surrounded by a thick corpse of trees that wasn’t seen until the characters were nearly in it. One other amusement was that, after being described as “rare” or at least uncommon, Rhydans make up a significant portion of the cast, nearly half of the introduced characters. That was fine by me; their presence added a great deal of flavor to the world.
The book also presented the amazing diversity that is a cornerstone of the setting. Beyond having self-aware critters running (and flying and slithering) around, the humans and humanoids in the novel didn’t bat an eye at who people preferred as bed partners, nor whether they took part eras to bed at all. Morjin is an unrepentant flirt who falls into love (and bed) with both male and female lovers equally, and is an open “constellation” marriage with a man and a woman back home in the capital city (quit some distance from where the action takes place). This was presented merely as an aspect of the character as he woos another man in Serpent’s Haven. Additionally one of the other characters is shown to be asexual or aromantic towards the end of the book, and while it leads to a awkward moment, everyone recovers with great ease and remain fast friends. It’s refreshing, honestly, to escape the typical tropes that come from an adherence to heteronormativity.
About the only thing about the book that didn’t work for me was how it ended. The exciting story introduced in the prologue ended in an exciting climax. But instead of a short denouement to wrap things up neatly, there were three more chapters detailing the loves of the characters as they made their way back to the capital city of Aldis, the living arrangements they all come to, how they celebrated a winter holiday, and introduces what seems to be the plot for a follow up work. I won’t say it was tacked on, since it flowed naturally from the rest of the story, but it did have a feeling of a movie that went on longer than it should have (I’m looking at you, “Return of the King”). Perhaps I’m just too stodgy and set in my ways, but I prefer less drawn-out resolutions once the story presented in the first scenes has been resolved.
Overall a strong book, which I did enjoy a great deal. As I’m in the planning stages for a game set in the same universe, it helped bring the setting into clearer focus, and helped me understand the tropes and customs that are present in the niche genre. If you enjoy romantic fantasy, or have an interest in the setting g for the Blue Rose game, I strongly recommend picking this book up and giving it a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2019
A wonderful romantic fantasy! Carriker brings Blue Rose to wonderful life. I didn’t realize that I needed a setting built in brightness and joy until I read this book. Getting adventure, magic, and complex relationships with the addition of inclusion of lgbtq made my heart ache with happiness. An excellent story that has me waiting longingly for the next installment.
October 5, 2019
A Wonderful Fantasy
The Blue Rose RPG is a high romantic fantasy setting, and this novel brings it vividly to life. The complex and strong emotional bonds between the characters draw you into the pages.
I find the first chapter or two a little hard to get into, but it was groundwork well wrought for the amazing adventure to follow. So if you're wavering a little in the beginning, keep going, it gets great.
Definitely going to look for more by this author.
The Blue Rose RPG is a high romantic fantasy setting, and this novel brings it vividly to life. The complex and strong emotional bonds between the characters draw you into the pages.
I find the first chapter or two a little hard to get into, but it was groundwork well wrought for the amazing adventure to follow. So if you're wavering a little in the beginning, keep going, it gets great.
Definitely going to look for more by this author.
March 11, 2019
This is a prime example of what is inclusiveness using the romantic fantasy subgenre: well crafted characters and fantastic relationship-building. This novel teached me, a cisgendered straight individual, to overcome any fears regarding inclusive literature, and to know how topics like star marriages, gay and asexual relationships are nicely handled in fantasy. Also, Mr. Carriker has an amazing setting and combat sense, with nice pacing. The ending was particularly surprising and unconventional for fantasy, not finishing once the "evil" was overcome, but continuing to build the relationships of the characters.
My only drawbacks are a few rushed scenes, some video game-like setup of the final battle, and that to really enjoy the reading you must be familiar beforehand with the RPG; but these are minor compared with the overall quality of the novel. Highly recommended.
My only drawbacks are a few rushed scenes, some video game-like setup of the final battle, and that to really enjoy the reading you must be familiar beforehand with the RPG; but these are minor compared with the overall quality of the novel. Highly recommended.
October 30, 2019
Carriker knows about to write stories with great pacing and characters. I think Soot might be one of my favorite concepts for a character in a very long time and I want him as my friend.
Anyway, it seems like Nisaba Press (Green Ronin) is really allowing their writers to create interesting world building elements within the Blue Rose structure along with allowing authors to have their own unique voices within the landscape unlike some other gaming fiction I have read.
One of the real stand out things for me in this book was how Carriker easily integrated ideas about the poly and LGBTQIA community so seamlessly and naturally into the story. For those of you who do not know, the Blue Rose RPG system is very much a LGBTQIA space and I think Carriker clarified that the prejudices that exist for us in the real world just do not exist in his. There is something just so refreshing when reading a novel where LGBTQIA characters are not stigmatized but just *shock* normal. For me this not only does some great world building but more than anything else, it makes me hope that one day the normalcy of relationships presented in Shadowtide will make it into our reality.
In addition, the plot here is great. The strange swamp town with its interesting inhabitants kept me guessing throughout the book and really made me feel like there is now a great step up for a series starring these wonderful characters. I can't wait to read more from this series and see what else Carriker has in store.
Anyway, it seems like Nisaba Press (Green Ronin) is really allowing their writers to create interesting world building elements within the Blue Rose structure along with allowing authors to have their own unique voices within the landscape unlike some other gaming fiction I have read.
One of the real stand out things for me in this book was how Carriker easily integrated ideas about the poly and LGBTQIA community so seamlessly and naturally into the story. For those of you who do not know, the Blue Rose RPG system is very much a LGBTQIA space and I think Carriker clarified that the prejudices that exist for us in the real world just do not exist in his. There is something just so refreshing when reading a novel where LGBTQIA characters are not stigmatized but just *shock* normal. For me this not only does some great world building but more than anything else, it makes me hope that one day the normalcy of relationships presented in Shadowtide will make it into our reality.
In addition, the plot here is great. The strange swamp town with its interesting inhabitants kept me guessing throughout the book and really made me feel like there is now a great step up for a series starring these wonderful characters. I can't wait to read more from this series and see what else Carriker has in store.
November 3, 2019
First, thank you NetGalley for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review. I love fantasy and video games, what better than a fantasy about a game?! The ideas behind it, I love. Most of the characters were very well developed. The world-building was quite detailed. It just didn’t come together well for me. I feel like there is a niche that this fits in, and it will be great for those people.
November 20, 2023
As with all the other Blue Rose tie-ins I've read; superior tie-in fiction. Dice rolls aren't obvious, characters well drawn, and the casual queerness is remarkably affirming to come across in TTRPG tie-in work. Think Green Ronin should invest in more novels in this setting, because the whole "idealised mercedes lackey" thing really works for me.
November 26, 2018
An excellent introduction to the Blue Rose setting and a wonderful cadre of characters, I look forward to seeing what comes next. :)
February 14, 2021
I wanted to read this because I am a new fan of the ttrpg setting. This novel offered a new insight to the world. I like it a lot just as a story too.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews