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Shadowleague #1
The Heart of Myrial
This fast-moving adventure opens Maggie Furey's second fantasy sequence, "The Shadowleague"; her first was the "Artefacts of Power" tetralogy. The Heart of Myrial is set in a particularly artificial-seeming fantasyland, which proves to be not a world but a technomagical construct, divided into isolated regions by sorcerous barriers of force. Thanks to the machinations of a bad guy who may have good motives, these "curtain walls" are now failing--the first symptoms being clashes between the enclaves' different environments, leading to prolonged descriptions of truly lousy weather. In theory the barriers are guarded by and can be penetrated only by Loremasters of the Shadowleague, a secret inner circle of representatives from this patchwork world's various species: humans, dragons, centaurs, wind-sprites, insectile aliens, and more. In practice the Shadowleague is almost impotent.
Against this complex background, various characters struggle across the landscape through terrible weather. A woman Loremaster and her irrepressibly feisty firedrake companion play leading parts in the large cast (many of whom suffer death or worse). After tortuous regroupings and plot twists centered on a particular city that houses a key magical shrine, the book concludes with a gory invasion of nasties through the holed curtain wall. It reads well enough, and of course there's more to come. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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995 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Furey
32 books198 followersMaggie Furey was born in North East England and spent most of her adult life residing in County Wicklow, Ireland. She was a qualified teacher, but has also reviewed books on BBC Radio Newcastle, been an advisor in the Durham Reading Resources Centre and organized children's book fairs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 8, 2020
Ingenious ideas. Awful storytelling. Yes, I am reading another series so that you don’t have to.
Just when I went down to 10 open series the word “Myrial” shouted at me from the shelves and I was suddenly not sure why-ever I have thought that starting the 11th one would be a bad idea. And really, nothing heralded the disaster because we enter a world that has been superficially created as a safe haven for species endangered in their worlds of origin. There is a whole menagerie of those creatures from invisible wind sprites to insect-like subterranean dwellers to humans with everything you can imagine, including angels and vampires in between. Each race was given lands (or waters) with climate suited to their particular needs and protection in the form of indestructible barriers. When we begin, the world of Myrial is racing towards an apocalypse as the Curtain Walls start to crumble thus opening the hitherto protected little enclaves to climate changes and violent clashes.
What a terrific premise!
As the series’ title suggests, the Shadowleague lead by a centaur Cergorn, Archimandrite is at the focal point of this story. It comprises of Loremasters recruited from different species and bound by their ability of telepathic communication and secret oaths. It is not an easy thing to be the Loremaster, as their lives are apparently nasty, brutish and short, but what they actually do, remains a mystery. They are sent on dangerous missions, they need to be smart and fearless and possess a range of skills from fighting to travelling through the Curtain Walls and yet none of their achievements prevents them from tripping over the “what for” question.
I had the impression that the author didn’t really consider the worldbuilding details to be that significant so she just skipped them. Firstly we read that one Iskander created the Shadowleague to preserve the wisdom of the Ancients but it was altogether too late because most of the knowledge had been irrevocably lost at that point so the Shadowleaguers are forced to swift through superstitions and half-forgotten lore. The Ancients are, of course, an enigma, as they created the world, placed the inhabitants and vanished without a trace.
However, later on, it is suggested that the Shadowleague has been formed to keep the various species from abuse of power hence they are the guardians of arcane knowledge and their main mission is, essentially, to keep ordinary folks in the dark. Moreover, the Ancients themselves are indicated as the founding fathers (and mothers?).
What is the ultimate goal and the overall rationale, then? Is it the knowledge seeking or knowledge keeping? If the former then why the secrecy? If the latter then why do they send the Loremasters on these mysterious missions? There are no satisfactory answers in the book that would explain the inconsistencies. I expected them, especially that the tale is narrated via several POVs which gave Ms Furey a chance to provide different insights into the state of affairs.
The cast is huge for such relatively short book. Nearly every chapter starts with a new POV and let me tell you, they do not die fast enough to balance this overabundance. The main ones include: Loremasters Veldan and Elion, whom I expected to be the main characters, for the bigger part actually remain in the background. Veldan is an archetypical pretty girl who has been scarred hence became insecure, while Elion is proud and bitter in his vehemence. They both blame each other for the failures and misfortunes. Theoretically the set up puts them in an explosive situation when they are forced to work together while hating each other’s guts. The problem is that this does not really happen. I was ready for the flying sparks from chapter one, but they actually meet only towards the end of the book and do not really cooperate in any meaningful way. The couple of interactions between them are about as electrifying as a play-doh hit by lightning .
Furthermore, you will meet Kazairl the firedrake (essentially an overgrown lizard with glowing eyes); a family of nomadic traders and a family of unfortunate paupers; Toulac, a sixty-year-old soldier turned bodyguard turned mercenary turned sawmill manager who has more stamina and endurance than some 20-year-olds I know; Lady Seriema a powerful and wealthy woman (also an unhappy spinster) and her most trusted servant Presvel; Lieutenant Galveron (love you already) and a sulky, lackadaisical adolescent Scall bringing the worst combination of YA hallmarks you could come up with.
I had high hopes for two ambiguous individuals complex enough to be interesting: Zavahl the Hierarch of Myrial and Priest-King of Callisiora, a cold-blooded and contemptible fool but a fool who initially arouses some pity in the reader, and Lord Blade who from the outset is pitched as a ruthless and cunning antagonist.
Contrary to what you can find in the majority of fantasy books, he is not an aspiring evil overlord. Lord Blade is a man with a vision and a mission; an altruist at heart who simply does not think that artificial division of the various races is a laudable idea but rather sees it as a road to perdition via stagnation atrophy. And this clash between two warring visions is such an interesting concept: do you see the change as threat of anarchy and chaos or do you consider it a chance for evolution and growth?
Unfortunately, this concept does not have a chance to shine, as the author attempts to execute it via backdoor story-telling focused on secondary and tertiary events and characters. The writing style is another problem. I did not find a single sentence worth highlighting and I needed to remind myself that this book is actually not that old as it sounds. What we can actually see happening is not that interesting or important. Most of the game-changers, we observe only via not even flashbacks, but the protagonists’ reminiscing about the past. That means endless talking while the snail-pace of the proper story never has the chance to pick up.
Partially, it is because the exciting secrets and mysteries are divulged too quickly . On the other hand, it takes the whole book to lose a bloody ring (the sarcasm, lol) that will presumably need to be found and retrieved from a Dangerous Place in the instalments to come. Nonsensical if you ask me because it basically renders the whole friction between tradition vs progress irrelevant in the long run. But, hopefully, we will see more than a minuscule fragment of the whole world next time.
Stay tuned, I will let you know.
Also in the series:
2. Spirit of the Stone ★★★☆☆
3. Echo of Eternity ★☆☆☆☆
Just when I went down to 10 open series the word “Myrial” shouted at me from the shelves and I was suddenly not sure why-ever I have thought that starting the 11th one would be a bad idea. And really, nothing heralded the disaster because we enter a world that has been superficially created as a safe haven for species endangered in their worlds of origin. There is a whole menagerie of those creatures from invisible wind sprites to insect-like subterranean dwellers to humans with everything you can imagine, including angels and vampires in between. Each race was given lands (or waters) with climate suited to their particular needs and protection in the form of indestructible barriers. When we begin, the world of Myrial is racing towards an apocalypse as the Curtain Walls start to crumble thus opening the hitherto protected little enclaves to climate changes and violent clashes.
What a terrific premise!
As the series’ title suggests, the Shadowleague lead by a centaur Cergorn, Archimandrite is at the focal point of this story. It comprises of Loremasters recruited from different species and bound by their ability of telepathic communication and secret oaths. It is not an easy thing to be the Loremaster, as their lives are apparently nasty, brutish and short, but what they actually do, remains a mystery. They are sent on dangerous missions, they need to be smart and fearless and possess a range of skills from fighting to travelling through the Curtain Walls and yet none of their achievements prevents them from tripping over the “what for” question.
I had the impression that the author didn’t really consider the worldbuilding details to be that significant so she just skipped them. Firstly we read that one Iskander created the Shadowleague to preserve the wisdom of the Ancients but it was altogether too late because most of the knowledge had been irrevocably lost at that point so the Shadowleaguers are forced to swift through superstitions and half-forgotten lore. The Ancients are, of course, an enigma, as they created the world, placed the inhabitants and vanished without a trace.
However, later on, it is suggested that the Shadowleague has been formed to keep the various species from abuse of power hence they are the guardians of arcane knowledge and their main mission is, essentially, to keep ordinary folks in the dark. Moreover, the Ancients themselves are indicated as the founding fathers (and mothers?).
What is the ultimate goal and the overall rationale, then? Is it the knowledge seeking or knowledge keeping? If the former then why the secrecy? If the latter then why do they send the Loremasters on these mysterious missions? There are no satisfactory answers in the book that would explain the inconsistencies. I expected them, especially that the tale is narrated via several POVs which gave Ms Furey a chance to provide different insights into the state of affairs.
The cast is huge for such relatively short book. Nearly every chapter starts with a new POV and let me tell you, they do not die fast enough to balance this overabundance. The main ones include: Loremasters Veldan and Elion, whom I expected to be the main characters, for the bigger part actually remain in the background. Veldan is an archetypical pretty girl who has been scarred hence became insecure, while Elion is proud and bitter in his vehemence. They both blame each other for the failures and misfortunes. Theoretically the set up puts them in an explosive situation when they are forced to work together while hating each other’s guts. The problem is that this does not really happen. I was ready for the flying sparks from chapter one, but they actually meet only towards the end of the book and do not really cooperate in any meaningful way. The couple of interactions between them are about as electrifying as a play-doh hit by lightning .
Furthermore, you will meet Kazairl the firedrake (essentially an overgrown lizard with glowing eyes); a family of nomadic traders and a family of unfortunate paupers; Toulac, a sixty-year-old soldier turned bodyguard turned mercenary turned sawmill manager who has more stamina and endurance than some 20-year-olds I know; Lady Seriema a powerful and wealthy woman (also an unhappy spinster) and her most trusted servant Presvel; Lieutenant Galveron (love you already) and a sulky, lackadaisical adolescent Scall bringing the worst combination of YA hallmarks you could come up with.
I had high hopes for two ambiguous individuals complex enough to be interesting: Zavahl the Hierarch of Myrial and Priest-King of Callisiora, a cold-blooded and contemptible fool but a fool who initially arouses some pity in the reader, and Lord Blade who from the outset is pitched as a ruthless and cunning antagonist.
Contrary to what you can find in the majority of fantasy books, he is not an aspiring evil overlord. Lord Blade is a man with a vision and a mission; an altruist at heart who simply does not think that artificial division of the various races is a laudable idea but rather sees it as a road to perdition via stagnation atrophy. And this clash between two warring visions is such an interesting concept: do you see the change as threat of anarchy and chaos or do you consider it a chance for evolution and growth?
Unfortunately, this concept does not have a chance to shine, as the author attempts to execute it via backdoor story-telling focused on secondary and tertiary events and characters. The writing style is another problem. I did not find a single sentence worth highlighting and I needed to remind myself that this book is actually not that old as it sounds. What we can actually see happening is not that interesting or important. Most of the game-changers, we observe only via not even flashbacks, but the protagonists’ reminiscing about the past. That means endless talking while the snail-pace of the proper story never has the chance to pick up.
Partially, it is because the exciting secrets and mysteries are divulged too quickly . On the other hand, it takes the whole book to lose a bloody ring (the sarcasm, lol) that will presumably need to be found and retrieved from a Dangerous Place in the instalments to come. Nonsensical if you ask me because it basically renders the whole friction between tradition vs progress irrelevant in the long run. But, hopefully, we will see more than a minuscule fragment of the whole world next time.
Stay tuned, I will let you know.
Also in the series:
2. Spirit of the Stone ★★★☆☆
3. Echo of Eternity ★☆☆☆☆
February 29, 2020
I read this series many years ago and thought it might be nice to start to read them again. Not sure why but I just couldn't get into this, the first book. When I read a book I give it to page 100 if I'm not keen just to make sure I am not being unfair. What did I see in these books the first time round? Goodness knows! I have too many more books that are waiting to be read so decided today after reading to just after 100 pages that I would much prefer to move onto my next book waiting to be read. The charity shop? Probably.
June 13, 2022
I feel like this book has a lot of words, and yet somehow not too much happens? But I'm not mad at it? Some of the descriptions are excessive, but I am enjoying the story so far.
June 5, 2008
There's a lot of detail in this trilogy. Believe me -- even the donkey who appears about three times in the whole thing gets a good paragraph of description. It stopped bothering me after about half of the first book, though -- I think it was a little of both me getting into the swing of it, and the introductory parts being over with.
There are also a lot of characters. I was very confused at first, particularly with trying to keep up with the characters all meeting and parting and coming together again in new formations. However, characters are a strength of this trilogy. There are no pure, unadulterated good guys or bad guys. There are basically good guys who make bad decisions, or guys who are being bad temporarily but will be good, or people who just aren't suited to what they're supposed to be doing. All the characters have their good points and their flaws, and they all have reasons for doing whatever they do.
Unfortunately, relationships aren't such a strong point. There's a lot of love at first sight, or typical fatherly devotion, and the gawky young lad inevitably grows up well and gets the girl. A girl realising a guy is her father immediately throws aside the fact that he's a rebel, left her mother, did bad things, and so on, and immediately embraces him as her father to an extent that doesn't feel realistic.
Plotwise, it was reasonable, but felt kind of awkward to me. There was no one true bad guy, the defeat of which would save the day. In the end, the problem was essentially a failing computer system. The climax of the book felt a bit odd to me because first they dealt with a minor bad guy and saved a kid, and then they just got to fixing a computer system. I suppose it partly feels odd to me because lately I've been immersed in fantasy where there is an ultimate bad guy. Without that kind of focus, though, it felt quite slow-paced and in the amount of writing it took Frodo to get to Mordor, the story had barely moved past Rivendell. If the rest of the book had been faster paced, the relationships might not have felt so odd.
It also felt odd to have a very happy ever after kind of ending. There were all kinds of calamities and deaths throughout the trilogy, but the last ten pages seem to return everything to what it was before -- not painstakingly fixed, but brought back by the metaphorical tapping of a few keys.
I'm not sure I recommend this trilogy as highly as other books I've been reading lately, but it was definitely an enjoyable read and something to seek one's teeth into. There's a lot of world building and interesting things happening with characters.
There are also a lot of characters. I was very confused at first, particularly with trying to keep up with the characters all meeting and parting and coming together again in new formations. However, characters are a strength of this trilogy. There are no pure, unadulterated good guys or bad guys. There are basically good guys who make bad decisions, or guys who are being bad temporarily but will be good, or people who just aren't suited to what they're supposed to be doing. All the characters have their good points and their flaws, and they all have reasons for doing whatever they do.
Unfortunately, relationships aren't such a strong point. There's a lot of love at first sight, or typical fatherly devotion, and the gawky young lad inevitably grows up well and gets the girl. A girl realising a guy is her father immediately throws aside the fact that he's a rebel, left her mother, did bad things, and so on, and immediately embraces him as her father to an extent that doesn't feel realistic.
Plotwise, it was reasonable, but felt kind of awkward to me. There was no one true bad guy, the defeat of which would save the day. In the end, the problem was essentially a failing computer system. The climax of the book felt a bit odd to me because first they dealt with a minor bad guy and saved a kid, and then they just got to fixing a computer system. I suppose it partly feels odd to me because lately I've been immersed in fantasy where there is an ultimate bad guy. Without that kind of focus, though, it felt quite slow-paced and in the amount of writing it took Frodo to get to Mordor, the story had barely moved past Rivendell. If the rest of the book had been faster paced, the relationships might not have felt so odd.
It also felt odd to have a very happy ever after kind of ending. There were all kinds of calamities and deaths throughout the trilogy, but the last ten pages seem to return everything to what it was before -- not painstakingly fixed, but brought back by the metaphorical tapping of a few keys.
I'm not sure I recommend this trilogy as highly as other books I've been reading lately, but it was definitely an enjoyable read and something to seek one's teeth into. There's a lot of world building and interesting things happening with characters.
November 4, 2007
There are some hints that this may be a similar (perhaps thousands of years later) world to the one that the Aurian Saga takes place in. I really like both the character descriptions and the premise and will be looking for the rest of the books in this series. Each character's both positive and negative attributes are discussed. Even the "bad guys" have something redeeming about them or make you empathize with them.
July 28, 2017
This book probably doesn't honestly deserve four stars, but it gives me a sense of nostalgia, so I can't help it. The writing isn't the smoothest; a lot of the dialogue would sound unnatural when actually spoken aloud, and some of the other passages had the same, rough language. But I like it. I like the world building (and now that I've read more sci-fi since I last read this trilogy about ten years ago, I've got a new appreciation for it), I like Veldan and Toulac and Kaz. I like how many story lines Furey balances throughout, and keeps them all engaging. I just like it.
November 28, 2024
This book started very slowly and it didn’t grab me initially. It seemed to plod along until around chapter 21 (of 29) when things definitely picked up. At that point it seemed the author was done with the background and ready to tell the story. I will definitely read the next book in the series to see where she takes it from here.
July 18, 2019
I came very close to not reading this, at first it felt like a sequel, talking about the past heaps; and THEN new main characters popped up who were like, whales, and dragons, and grasshoppers!
I really wasn't in the mood for such fancy-fantasy, but I'm pleased I continued.
Part Two is fondly awaited!
I really wasn't in the mood for such fancy-fantasy, but I'm pleased I continued.
Part Two is fondly awaited!
February 21, 2022
I picked this book up from a "little free library" in my city (a box where people put books), and so knew absolutely nothing about it going in. I'd never heard of Maggie Furey, despite being a massive fan of the genre. I was surprised to find my library doesn't even have the series.
First, the "bad", to get it out of the way: there were a few clumsy transitions or overwrought speeches, but nothing egregious. And honestly, I'm so sick of reading books that lack heart for fear of being a bit cheesy. There were also quite a few typos (no more than a dozen in the whole book that I saw, but more than in most books I think). That may be a matter of the edition I happened to get, of course.
This is a nearly neutral comment, not really a critique, but there were times where I wasn't sure if something was supposed to be a twist or not. A piece of information would become pretty obvious to me, then be confirmed within 30 pages or so. The initial set up had me thinking "oh, that'll be the big twist"--but Furey didn't draw those out, or try to have a "gotcha" surprise moment. It was revealed in time, in case you missed it initially, but also hinted at enough to keep readers engaged and wanting to think about what's happening. It's a good balance, though if you're wanting shocking twists and turns, it may not satisfy (though there's still at least one twist I'm betting will happen, that has not been confirmed--we'll see).
But overall, I was blown away by this book. Most of the major fantasy authors and series pale in comparison, at least for me. The protagonists are lovable (and sometimes hatable), and the antagonists are complex and compelling. Most of all, the relationships between characters have incredible heart, whether that be grudging respect or immediate kinship or something else entirely. I feel like I know these characters as people, I understand them, I root for them, I fear for them. It has all the beloved elements of high fantasy, with a unique voice and robust world. Furey doesn't hold back on giving us that world, but she also keeps a quick pace and leaves you wanting more (but, crucially, not NEEDING more to follow or feel satisfied with the information given). I can't wait for more.
Damn my library for not carrying the series. Now I have to wait up to 2 weeks for the second book to arrive.
First, the "bad", to get it out of the way: there were a few clumsy transitions or overwrought speeches, but nothing egregious. And honestly, I'm so sick of reading books that lack heart for fear of being a bit cheesy. There were also quite a few typos (no more than a dozen in the whole book that I saw, but more than in most books I think). That may be a matter of the edition I happened to get, of course.
This is a nearly neutral comment, not really a critique, but there were times where I wasn't sure if something was supposed to be a twist or not. A piece of information would become pretty obvious to me, then be confirmed within 30 pages or so. The initial set up had me thinking "oh, that'll be the big twist"--but Furey didn't draw those out, or try to have a "gotcha" surprise moment. It was revealed in time, in case you missed it initially, but also hinted at enough to keep readers engaged and wanting to think about what's happening. It's a good balance, though if you're wanting shocking twists and turns, it may not satisfy (though there's still at least one twist I'm betting will happen, that has not been confirmed--we'll see).
But overall, I was blown away by this book. Most of the major fantasy authors and series pale in comparison, at least for me. The protagonists are lovable (and sometimes hatable), and the antagonists are complex and compelling. Most of all, the relationships between characters have incredible heart, whether that be grudging respect or immediate kinship or something else entirely. I feel like I know these characters as people, I understand them, I root for them, I fear for them. It has all the beloved elements of high fantasy, with a unique voice and robust world. Furey doesn't hold back on giving us that world, but she also keeps a quick pace and leaves you wanting more (but, crucially, not NEEDING more to follow or feel satisfied with the information given). I can't wait for more.
Damn my library for not carrying the series. Now I have to wait up to 2 weeks for the second book to arrive.
March 7, 2013
I enjoyed this book very much. As all beginning series it started out slow because of telling of past history, letting know who all the characters are, what the countries are like. But once that is all said and done the story picks up to a exciting adventure. This not a tale of just one central character but many well rounded and full story lines.
This world is made up of Dragons, humans, vampires, mythical beast, and possible aliens. I am always on search for new authors who can take me deep into their worlds and Maggie Furey is now one of them.
This world is made up of Dragons, humans, vampires, mythical beast, and possible aliens. I am always on search for new authors who can take me deep into their worlds and Maggie Furey is now one of them.
November 24, 2013
This book was sooooo slowly paced. It took me forever to finish. I read other things in between. However, I wish I really do wish to know what happens to the characters. definitely leaves you on a cliff hanger. Dang.
August 29, 2007
Good trashy fantasy is hard to find. Maggie Furey tried, but this is mediocre trashy fantasy, at best.
February 18, 2022
A solid bit of ensemble high fantasy, with feisty, telepathic dragons, retired warriors with itchy feet, and the classic clumsy apprentice. Flashes of sci-fi occasionally threaten to make things interesting, but some of the other characters... have the opposite effect. The Heart of Myrial largely follows the late 90s flavour of the genre, but there's the odd "ooh," and there's the odd "argh."
The premise is interesting. A world split into realms by impassable curtains of bad weather, each of which is home to different races. Sprites, centaurs, dragons, vampires etc. There's a secret society, the Shadowleague, who oversee things, and they're theoretically the only people that can cross the curtains.
But the curtains are failing, there's a bad guy with plans, and hostile races are ready to take advantage.
Some of the characterisation is excellent, and each of the cast is notably different and with good reason to be where they are. They bounce off each other nicely, and keep the story going. At least, the good guys do. The bad guys, on the other hand, are rubbish. I found it very difficult to suspend disbelief with such one-dimensional antagonists.
The premise is interesting. A world split into realms by impassable curtains of bad weather, each of which is home to different races. Sprites, centaurs, dragons, vampires etc. There's a secret society, the Shadowleague, who oversee things, and they're theoretically the only people that can cross the curtains.
But the curtains are failing, there's a bad guy with plans, and hostile races are ready to take advantage.
Some of the characterisation is excellent, and each of the cast is notably different and with good reason to be where they are. They bounce off each other nicely, and keep the story going. At least, the good guys do. The bad guys, on the other hand, are rubbish. I found it very difficult to suspend disbelief with such one-dimensional antagonists.
October 5, 2021
The Heart of Myrial is best described as "A bunch of good ideas" and "written like the script was dragged through the mud."
The very idea of picking this book up again to read more has been an honestly exhausting experience. I look at the book and think about how little I want to read it before I think about anything else, and when I do read it, there's a lot of fun to be had with concepts and ideas, but always not enough to keep me engaged in more than one chapter at a time.
If you're patient with it, I think there could be some value to it, but I'd rather read something that's also engaging with my short time on this earth than something that I keep putting off.
The very idea of picking this book up again to read more has been an honestly exhausting experience. I look at the book and think about how little I want to read it before I think about anything else, and when I do read it, there's a lot of fun to be had with concepts and ideas, but always not enough to keep me engaged in more than one chapter at a time.
If you're patient with it, I think there could be some value to it, but I'd rather read something that's also engaging with my short time on this earth than something that I keep putting off.
May 21, 2023
What an amazing whirlwind of a book! All go, everything happens over a period of two days, with lots of characters to keep track of, but not so many that I couldn't follow it all. A very good start to a trilogy.
May 15, 2024
I've read far too many enemies to lovers recently because I was team Blade on this reread
February 16, 2025
Captivating read with a good range of characters.
February 9, 2011
A sprawling fantasy epic in an intriguing variant on the "science fiction settlers colonized a new world" setting, The Heart of Myrial follows the lives, large and small, affected by the disintegration of the Curtain Walls which artificially separate environments and hostile races from each other. Devestating climate has driven the country of Callisiora to the brink as Veldan, her firedrake partner Kazairl, and the dragon Seer Aethon attempt to pass through.
The main problem with this book is it was immediately obvious that it was going to be the first in a series. I have no problem with sprawling epics, but it took almost seventy pages to return to the perspective and storyline that began the book. There are no spear-carriers in this book: everyone has a name, history and storyline. A little flavor and color is wonderful, but when everything is important, nothing is. And all these storylines intertwine, crisscrossing over each other in a way that would be compelling in smaller doses, but becomes hard to swallow in this quantity.
Then there's the infodumping in the early portions of the book, sometimes compounded by its insertion in, "As you know, Bob," dialogue. It's an intriguing world that Furey has created, promising many secrets, and the development does improve as it continues, but the start is rocky.
Yet after all this, there's a definite pleasure in watching the storylines unfold, the revelation of the villain, the building of many small relationships - and the twists that emerge from the original plot and even the backstory. The characters are enjoyable and sympathetic, even - perhaps especially - those minor characters who emerge when a face is needed in the crowd. Also, Furey has an interesting perspective on how people deal with grief and tragedy, something which (I think) will only have more power in future volumes.
I will definitely seek out the second book, but be warned that - while it's implied that the original plot problem may be resolved - by the time the book reaches that point, so many other situations have exploded that the end can properly be called a cliffhanger. It promises to be a fun ride ahead.
The main problem with this book is it was immediately obvious that it was going to be the first in a series. I have no problem with sprawling epics, but it took almost seventy pages to return to the perspective and storyline that began the book. There are no spear-carriers in this book: everyone has a name, history and storyline. A little flavor and color is wonderful, but when everything is important, nothing is. And all these storylines intertwine, crisscrossing over each other in a way that would be compelling in smaller doses, but becomes hard to swallow in this quantity.
Then there's the infodumping in the early portions of the book, sometimes compounded by its insertion in, "As you know, Bob," dialogue. It's an intriguing world that Furey has created, promising many secrets, and the development does improve as it continues, but the start is rocky.
Yet after all this, there's a definite pleasure in watching the storylines unfold, the revelation of the villain, the building of many small relationships - and the twists that emerge from the original plot and even the backstory. The characters are enjoyable and sympathetic, even - perhaps especially - those minor characters who emerge when a face is needed in the crowd. Also, Furey has an interesting perspective on how people deal with grief and tragedy, something which (I think) will only have more power in future volumes.
I will definitely seek out the second book, but be warned that - while it's implied that the original plot problem may be resolved - by the time the book reaches that point, so many other situations have exploded that the end can properly be called a cliffhanger. It promises to be a fun ride ahead.
March 22, 2013
Ugh. What a slowly paced book. The last half of it took dedication to finish and felt like pulling teeth to get anywhere. I would not recommend this book to my friends, at all. I will admit, I bought it based on the cover and it sounded good from the back. Since I've finished the book it has gone straight to the sell pile.
However, I did enjoy some of the characters. Others I was hoping would die as it would at least end their plot involvement and maybe move some of the story along. It seemed like every chapter it bounced around between way too many characters that I never really warmed up to many of them. Most of the characters were predictable and very two dimensional.
I think the pacing of this book could have been increased significantly to actually achieve something. Overall the book of 400+ pages only really occurs in some 24 hr period. I had silly hopes that by the end of the book the plot would have been concluded, or at least SOME part of the plot would have been resolved. NOPE. No such luck. I have no desire to read the next, except for a review that has spoilers.
The reason this gets two stars vs. one is that I did like some aspects of this book. I felt a lot could have been improved upon and what was there had potential. But it was put together in such a fashion that it fights it's true goal, which is to tell a story.
However, I did enjoy some of the characters. Others I was hoping would die as it would at least end their plot involvement and maybe move some of the story along. It seemed like every chapter it bounced around between way too many characters that I never really warmed up to many of them. Most of the characters were predictable and very two dimensional.
I think the pacing of this book could have been increased significantly to actually achieve something. Overall the book of 400+ pages only really occurs in some 24 hr period. I had silly hopes that by the end of the book the plot would have been concluded, or at least SOME part of the plot would have been resolved. NOPE. No such luck. I have no desire to read the next, except for a review that has spoilers.
The reason this gets two stars vs. one is that I did like some aspects of this book. I felt a lot could have been improved upon and what was there had potential. But it was put together in such a fashion that it fights it's true goal, which is to tell a story.
September 4, 2012
I found this book an entertaining read with interesting ideas, although it did drag at times. I liked the various creatures, from the deadly Ak'Zahar to Firedrake Kaz. I liked the various regions and the idea of mind speech and Curtain Walls.
That being said however, Heart of Myrial is not a book without it's flaws.
First of all, Furey introduces too many characters in too short amount of time, especially at the beginning. She also has a tendency to name every character, even though many of these characters never appear again, or die soon after. This is frustrating, because it just gives me extra data that I have to remember. What's the point of naming them if they are never gonna appear again? And since you don't have a clear picture who is important to the story and who isn't, you kinda have to remember them all.
Second, the character dialog. Many characters speak the same way. It doesn't matter if they are a human barbarian or a dragon, they all use same words or sentences. Also, I often felt that the characters talk as if they are reading from a book.
Thirdly, what is Furey's fascination with horses? When she is not describing them, people talk about them, or feed them, or clean them.
All in all, the book is not bad, but it's nothing excellent either. I recommend it if you are into fantasy and don't have anything else to read.
That being said however, Heart of Myrial is not a book without it's flaws.
First of all, Furey introduces too many characters in too short amount of time, especially at the beginning. She also has a tendency to name every character, even though many of these characters never appear again, or die soon after. This is frustrating, because it just gives me extra data that I have to remember. What's the point of naming them if they are never gonna appear again? And since you don't have a clear picture who is important to the story and who isn't, you kinda have to remember them all.
Second, the character dialog. Many characters speak the same way. It doesn't matter if they are a human barbarian or a dragon, they all use same words or sentences. Also, I often felt that the characters talk as if they are reading from a book.
Thirdly, what is Furey's fascination with horses? When she is not describing them, people talk about them, or feed them, or clean them.
All in all, the book is not bad, but it's nothing excellent either. I recommend it if you are into fantasy and don't have anything else to read.
April 15, 2011
This is the book that first got me into the genre of fantasy fiction. I read the first page about 20 times and couldn't get beyond that. On the day I decided to give the book another go, and SKIP the first page, I fell in love.
Furey creates such a colourful world that you can believe in. My take on the book is that this world is where humans could well end up during an apocalypse situation, and are now destroying their second home. The characters have depth and are not all-good or all-bad; you can see the diversity in each character's personality. They are people that I would actually want to know, rather than people who just make for a good story. Furey enables you to see the brutality of life in such a graphic way that I yelled out in horror at some points.
If you like dragons (and fire drakes!), kick-ass female heroines, evil alien creatures and a damn good story, give this book a go.
Furey creates such a colourful world that you can believe in. My take on the book is that this world is where humans could well end up during an apocalypse situation, and are now destroying their second home. The characters have depth and are not all-good or all-bad; you can see the diversity in each character's personality. They are people that I would actually want to know, rather than people who just make for a good story. Furey enables you to see the brutality of life in such a graphic way that I yelled out in horror at some points.
If you like dragons (and fire drakes!), kick-ass female heroines, evil alien creatures and a damn good story, give this book a go.
May 15, 2013
J'aime bien Maggie Furey. Je trouve que ses personnages féminins sont rafraîchissants sans être parfaits. Et j'apprécie cela. Parce que j'en ai un peu marre que le personnage héroïque soit toujours le mâle hétéro alors que rien ne peux empêcher les femmes et les LGBTIA d'être des héros. Donc quand je vois un petit mieux chez un auteur j'ai tendance à l'apprécier. Et souvent ce petit mieux c'est simplement d'avoir de vrais personnages féminins. J'ai donc commencé à lire la trilogie shadowleague.
Suite: http://hassan.blog.tdg.ch/archive/201...
Suite: http://hassan.blog.tdg.ch/archive/201...
September 16, 2013
For about the first 5 chapters or so I was wondering why the hoo-ha about her books , it seemed a bit boring , a lot of reminiscencing , slow but ... hang on in there . The plot thickens and starts to take unexpected twists and turns and before you know it you are hooked and cant wait to finish the book . However it has no definite end, you have to continue to the next book .
November 11, 2016
OK, complexity of people felt it should have been a second book in a series, didn't get introduced to characters enough to sort them out in my mind, kept forgetting who was who, especially those who had more than one name. Ends like an episode in a series, lots unfinished, presumably so you buy the next book. Only if it's cheap, as far as I'm concerned.
July 9, 2007
Book one of the trilogy. Again, this was one of those "I randomly grabbed it off the shelf in the bookstore" finds..
They were really great though, and Veldan was such an interesting heroine.. Anyway, yeah. If you like fantasy, it's really, really fun.
They were really great though, and Veldan was such an interesting heroine.. Anyway, yeah. If you like fantasy, it's really, really fun.
May 11, 2014
I read this growing but remembered I loved it. The story was captivating and it introduced me to a new style of writing as she changed characters in each chapter; the end of each left me wanting more.
January 13, 2011
A bit of a slow start but I love the author's other work so I plowed through. So glad I did. I am determined to finish this series as well.
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April 26, 2011BCA Edition: CN000000044196
February 1, 2014
Epic and spellbinding journey!
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