What do you think?
Rate this book
Classic World of Darkness Fiction
Caravan Of Shadows
Book by Byers, Richard
378 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
2 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Richard Lee Byers
199 books370 followersA resident of the Tampa Bay area, Richard spends much of his leisure time fencing, playing poker, shooting pool and is a frequent guest at Florida science-fiction conventions. His current projects include new novels set in the Forgotten Realms universe and the eBook post-apocalyptic superhero series The Impostor.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 30, 2016
This book is based off of a role playing game. Many times with books based on games the end result can be hit or miss. Thankfully the author Mr. Beyers is one I am familiar with from his Dark Elf stories. He does a reasonably good job with the source material.
Joey is a ghost and in the Shdowlands, a strange underworld, which exists on the other side of the veil between the living and the dead. He is a thrall to George who enslaved him with magic manacles that force him to do George's bidding. These two run into a travelling carnival of ghosts whose leader is on the run from something. It turns out she is a Saint to some obscure Christian sect, but once on the other side it turns out her Heaven has been taken over by a corrupt Saint named Danzinger. The rest of the story is their travails against this Danzinger fellow.
I've read a few of the World of Darkness books- some like the Vampire tales are truly good, others not so much. This one was just ok. Even Mr. Byers couldn't do that much with it. It has interesting elements such as the Vampire Club in Vegas where they cater to the living, the dead and the undead. I also enjoyed the concept of Specters- spirits who have gone insane and serve the Void. My favorite character is the ghost of Doc Holliday who is now a bounty hunter in the Shadowlands. The rest of the characters are just ok, though the perpetually treacherous George is a pretty good character in his own right.
The setting was interesting, but it was essentially a rehash of the traditional fantasy adventure of a group that has to travel to fulfill a quest, but with the Shadowlands setting. Perhaps I expected more, but it was never bad-yet it failed to live up to the quality of the other WOD books I'd read. In the end I would recommend being more familiar with the source material as that will help. I don't recommend this unless you enjoy this WOD setting and especially the Wraith setting. Otherwise take a pass, not because it's bad (it's not) but because it's really not that good..and there are other things you could read instead.
Joey is a ghost and in the Shdowlands, a strange underworld, which exists on the other side of the veil between the living and the dead. He is a thrall to George who enslaved him with magic manacles that force him to do George's bidding. These two run into a travelling carnival of ghosts whose leader is on the run from something. It turns out she is a Saint to some obscure Christian sect, but once on the other side it turns out her Heaven has been taken over by a corrupt Saint named Danzinger. The rest of the story is their travails against this Danzinger fellow.
I've read a few of the World of Darkness books- some like the Vampire tales are truly good, others not so much. This one was just ok. Even Mr. Byers couldn't do that much with it. It has interesting elements such as the Vampire Club in Vegas where they cater to the living, the dead and the undead. I also enjoyed the concept of Specters- spirits who have gone insane and serve the Void. My favorite character is the ghost of Doc Holliday who is now a bounty hunter in the Shadowlands. The rest of the characters are just ok, though the perpetually treacherous George is a pretty good character in his own right.
The setting was interesting, but it was essentially a rehash of the traditional fantasy adventure of a group that has to travel to fulfill a quest, but with the Shadowlands setting. Perhaps I expected more, but it was never bad-yet it failed to live up to the quality of the other WOD books I'd read. In the end I would recommend being more familiar with the source material as that will help. I don't recommend this unless you enjoy this WOD setting and especially the Wraith setting. Otherwise take a pass, not because it's bad (it's not) but because it's really not that good..and there are other things you could read instead.
January 1, 2020
The story follows a recently-dead boxer by the name Joey Castello, as he learns just what it means to die. The titular "Caravan of Shadows" doesn't become obvious until further into the book. It's primarily a story of self-discovery and growth, both for the main character and the primary supporting character of George.
I'm not very familiar with the Wraith setting in the World of Darkness series, but I think this novel does a good job of bringing it to life. It doesn't flood you with facts early on, but you learn about the world around the same time as Joey does.
The pacing of the plot is fine, although one can't help but feel that this a series of adventure arcs in a role-playing game (which it is). Aside from the main characters and the primary villain in the form of Doc Holliday, the story feels a little light on characterisation, with some even being relegated into nameless NPCs who are just tagging along.
The finale was a bit anti-climactic and it used a lucky break as a means of resolving the situation, so it didn't sit quite well with me. I was expecting a more "miraculous" (in the context of the plot) sort of victory. Oh well, the journey there was entertaining enough.
I'm not very familiar with the Wraith setting in the World of Darkness series, but I think this novel does a good job of bringing it to life. It doesn't flood you with facts early on, but you learn about the world around the same time as Joey does.
The pacing of the plot is fine, although one can't help but feel that this a series of adventure arcs in a role-playing game (which it is). Aside from the main characters and the primary villain in the form of Doc Holliday, the story feels a little light on characterisation, with some even being relegated into nameless NPCs who are just tagging along.
The finale was a bit anti-climactic and it used a lucky break as a means of resolving the situation, so it didn't sit quite well with me. I was expecting a more "miraculous" (in the context of the plot) sort of victory. Oh well, the journey there was entertaining enough.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews