What do you think?
Rate this book
Shadow Blade
Ashai Larish is an assassin from the brutal Denari Lai order. Religious zealots, Denari Lai are kept loyal through an addiction to the same magic that makes them unstoppable. They have become the main weapon for the nation of Nishi'iti, and in a hundred years, they have never failed.
Until now. Ashai just has to kill Pushtani King Abadas Damar and his daughter/heir, Markari. He infiltrates the king's inner circle, putting him in the perfect place to strike. Only the venerable Captain Bauti of the Royal Guard, whose love for Makari is well-known in the palace, suspects Ashai of anything.
Except Ashai has fallen for Makari and cannot complete the hit. When a second Denari Lai strikes, Ashai finds himself fighting for Makari's life instead of taking it. To make matters worse, the order cuts him off from his magic, leaving him weakened and in withdrawal.
Meanwhile, far north, in the Pushtani mines that border Nishi'iti, a slave named Pachat learns that his love, a hand-slave to Makari, has been killed. His grief ignites a rebellion, with him as the leader of the other miners. Urged on by Nishi'iti special forces, the rebellion sweeps across the borderlands, threatening to erupt into all-out war. Yet all Pachat wants is to avenge his beloved's death, so he walks away from the rebellion to seek his lover's killer: an assassin named Ashai.
As Pachat makes off for the capitol city, Ashai is forced to rely on the capitol city's organized crime gang. Despite his best efforts to hide it, Makari discovers Ashai's true identity, and suddenly, he finds himself without her love, without his faith, and without the Denari Lai, Ashai finds himself alone at rock bottom.
Can Ashai kill the second assassin and win back Makari's love? Will Pachat gain the revenge he so lustily seeks?
Until now. Ashai just has to kill Pushtani King Abadas Damar and his daughter/heir, Markari. He infiltrates the king's inner circle, putting him in the perfect place to strike. Only the venerable Captain Bauti of the Royal Guard, whose love for Makari is well-known in the palace, suspects Ashai of anything.
Except Ashai has fallen for Makari and cannot complete the hit. When a second Denari Lai strikes, Ashai finds himself fighting for Makari's life instead of taking it. To make matters worse, the order cuts him off from his magic, leaving him weakened and in withdrawal.
Meanwhile, far north, in the Pushtani mines that border Nishi'iti, a slave named Pachat learns that his love, a hand-slave to Makari, has been killed. His grief ignites a rebellion, with him as the leader of the other miners. Urged on by Nishi'iti special forces, the rebellion sweeps across the borderlands, threatening to erupt into all-out war. Yet all Pachat wants is to avenge his beloved's death, so he walks away from the rebellion to seek his lover's killer: an assassin named Ashai.
As Pachat makes off for the capitol city, Ashai is forced to rely on the capitol city's organized crime gang. Despite his best efforts to hide it, Makari discovers Ashai's true identity, and suddenly, he finds himself without her love, without his faith, and without the Denari Lai, Ashai finds himself alone at rock bottom.
Can Ashai kill the second assassin and win back Makari's love? Will Pachat gain the revenge he so lustily seeks?
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 26, 2019
6 people want to read
About the author
Chris Barili
16 books12 followersChris Barili has been writing since he was fourteen years old. He is pursuing his Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Popular Genre Fiction, with Western State Colorado University in Gunnison, CO. His fiction has appeared on The Western Online (as T.C. Barlow), and in the anthologies "These Vampires Don't Sparkle" and "Zombiefied Reloaded" by Sky Warrior Books. Later this year, his work will appear in a third Sky Warrior anthology, "The Dragon's Hoard," as well as the anthology "Temporally Out of Order" by Zombies Need Brains LLC.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Want to read
April 2, 2019Endorsed by Kevin J. Anderson?! Count me in.
And then I got lucky and received an eARC! Read and review to come closer to publication date.
And then I got lucky and received an eARC! Read and review to come closer to publication date.
August 9, 2020
Spies and assassins, deception, adventure, magic – Shadow Blade, by Chris Barili has it all. With an intriguing story line that keeps readers guessing, with twists and turns around every corner, this story is everything a fantasy adventure should be. In the tradition of high fantasy, Barili has created a rich medieval style world of kings and castles, princesses and assassins, where magic is addictive and nothing is as it seems. Chris Barili has crafted a delightful fantasy adventure in Shadow Blade. It has a well- developed fantasy world, with unique and memorable characters that will stay with you. You won’t want to put it down.
December 6, 2019
Predictable and it doesn't really end just stops. What happens next?! I guess we are supposed to imagine that everything works out all right. Oh, and there was a spot of Deus ex Machina which made me down it a star right there. You can't just introduce some new thing midway through the novel, something with no precedent. There are some other issues I have with the plot but I don't want to do a spoiler.
August 17, 2024
Awesome world build and a fun story. The action is plentiful and well executed. The characters are great. This had me captivated and I burned through it! Who doesn’t like spies, assassins, and magic? Look forward to reading the next one! Chris Barili is talented. Definitely recommend for fantasy enthusiasts!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews