Shadow Figure

by E.B. Dawson

Sarah Johnson has often had the strange sensation that something is missing from her life--something incredibly important, which she has forgotten. Her life is turned upside down when a terrorist group known as The League kidnaps her and her parents. When her captors insist that they are holding her for her own protection, she begins to re-examine everything she believed to be true.

Genres: Short Stories

26 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 22, 2019

About the author

I grew up in Southeast Asia. My first experience with America was when I was six years old. Sometimes I amuse my friends by telling them stories of my first impressions of this country (clean bathrooms, Toy Story, Taco Bell, getting lost in department stores).

My family moved to California when I was eleven and completely changed the course of my life. On the outside I'm a well-adjusted American adult, but in all honesty some days I still wake up to the sound of the grass being cut by machetes.

I have traveled a fair amount and lived in four separate countries. I see the world very differently from most people that I know. And because I am an analytical introvert I try to understand everything in my life. I pour this into my writing.

Everything I write is deeply personal to me. People who know me well recognize the shadows of people I've met, experiences I've had, and emotions I've walked through in my writing. My goal is not just to entertain and explore imaginary worlds, but to take the reader on a journey that explores difficult questions and instills some sort of hope.

Reviews

[deborah o'carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a direct sequel to Government Man (I love that idea! Sequel short stories!) and I can’t talk too much about it because of spoilers for the first one, but it was another fascinating story. It delves further into the dystopian world introduced in the first, but from a new perspective, a certain heroine this time. It was intense too and I especially loved the “Shadow Figure” and all the things related to it. It’s heartwrenching in a sense, but full of possibility too (that I’m really excited about), and I somehow loved it. I definitely want to read more about these characters!

[Beth Wangler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad Dawson continued the story she began in Government Man. I loved her approach in choosing Sarah's perspective for this story.

How to review this without spoilers for it or Government Man...

Sarah was a wonderfully-relatable character. I appreciated that she reacted to her circumstances the way a normal person would. I loved her struggle with what to believe. As a teacher myself, I particularly appreciated her line of work ;)

Dawson used a new perspective to continue a familiar story, but Shadow Figure is more than just that. Every choice she made was nuanced and built beautiful themes.

I can't wait to read more in this universe.

[E.B. Dawson]

This series is all about the search for truth, how people often allow themselves to be deceived because it's comfortable, what it takes to change a set of beliefs, and what obstacles stand in the way of that. Thought it is distinctively dystopian and has several action sequences, it is probably quite different from what many people picture as dystopian. Instead of telling this story through a large blockbuster lens, I have opted for very close glimpses into certain characters' lives. You get to see their psychological and emotional reactions to the world around them as certain truths about their government are revealed.

These stories are steeped in nuance and symbolism. Each has taken me to a place I did not expect. Shadow Figure, in particular, became much more personal than I had expected it to be with the heart of certain conversations coming from real life experiences. I am excited to continue to explore the unique nature of this series and I sincerely hope you join me for the journey.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Government Man, so when I heard there would be a sequel I was ecstatic! And while it didn't hit me emotionally like Government Man did, I still found it a very compelling story.

Whereas the first Government Man focused on Caleb, Shadow Figure centeres primarily on Sarah. And while I definitely found Caleb to be a more sketched out character, I still found being in Sarah's head thoroughly satisfying as well. There was just something very relatable about how she processed and reacted to her circumstances.

My main complaint with this story is that we didn't really learn anything new about the storyline. It was interesting to see it all processed through a different character for sure, but basically everything that was revealed we already knew. That said, Shadow Figure is a solid continuation of the series. I can't wait to read what happens next!

[J.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

E.B. Dawson hit it out of the park with this series. Part one was powerful, to say the least. A hint of humor, a huge helping of perfect character development, and a powerful story. And in part two she amped it all up. I was totally in love with every second, and I'm so eager to see where it goes.
The story seems simple, but the deeper you get the more layers you find. The emotions are so real, and I found myself smiling through most of it. Even the sad parts. It just leaves you with a feeling of eager anticipation and hope. I am so excited to see what comes next.

[Janelle Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars. I loved this follow up story to Government Man. Where the emotional impact wasn’t quite there in the last story, this one delivers in spades. I really connected with the characters and their struggles. Sarah is relatable and likable, and the pacing of the story is really well done.

I wish there had been a little bit more of an interaction between Sarah and her captors. I feel this would have amped up the emotional impact of a key part in the story, but this doesn’t detract from it at all.

Dawson’s prose is beautiful and I’m sure she will gain more fans with this series!

[Linus C Bittner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good, it wasn't quite as good as the first one was but it's still really good.
I also really like how the first one was from Caleb's point of view and this one is from Sarah's.

[Squire Whitney: Hufflepuff Book Reviwer · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, I’ve been really enjoying this Light Behind the Shadows series. As the author mentioned in her synopsis, these stories are dystopian, but they’re very distinct from what one usually imagines as “dystopian.” Rather than focusing world-building and action sequences and plot with the occasional love triangle thrown into the mix, these stories instead opt to zero in on character moments—exploring the moments when someone begins to realize what they have believed all their lives is wrong.

I think I might have liked Shadow Figure a bit better than Government Man. While I found Caleb to be more of an engaging character than Sarah, Sarah was nonetheless relatable, and Shadow Figure just struck me as a better fleshed out story on the whole. One of the few issues I had with Government Man was that it seemed too short for its own good. Caleb’s arc is such a dramatic one that I thought it warranted more page-time to fully explore it. The story, on the whole, felt condensed. Shadow Figure, however, didn’t seem condensed to me. Sarah’s arc, being a bit less pointed than Caleb’s, feels better suited to the sort story format.

All things considered, this is another great chapter in a very promising series of short stories. I eagerly await the next installment!

[S.M. M. Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with part one and had been begging for the story to be continued for ten thousand years...
At first I was a bit nervous as the 2 part is from a different characters perspective... but let me tell you, Dawson did not disappoint. The raw emotion was there is full force. I was left with NEEDING more at the end, and I look forward to part three of this short story series.
It is quickly becoming one of my favorite set of short stories by Dawson ever, and I am sooo freaking excited for what's next!