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Unstoppable Shadow
Friendless orphan from the slums of Talon, Scab is no ordinary boy. So everyone keeps telling him. He’s pretty sure ‘the Slow’ doesn’t happen to anyone else, but he daren’t ask, in fear of the next beating.
Taken from the city, Scab finds himself closer than ever to having a bed of his own, but it comes at a price. A painful one.
Veteran assassin, Silas is ready for a normal life with a family. Something the Shadows would never allow. Not helping matters, the strange, grey-eyed boy from the slums gives him glimpses of how life might be with a son.
Offering Scab the opportunity to follow the same violent path as his own, Silas finds himself bound tighter to the Shadows. With his future entwined with the boy’s, he’s beginning to wonder if death may be the only way out.
Taken from the city, Scab finds himself closer than ever to having a bed of his own, but it comes at a price. A painful one.
Veteran assassin, Silas is ready for a normal life with a family. Something the Shadows would never allow. Not helping matters, the strange, grey-eyed boy from the slums gives him glimpses of how life might be with a son.
Offering Scab the opportunity to follow the same violent path as his own, Silas finds himself bound tighter to the Shadows. With his future entwined with the boy’s, he’s beginning to wonder if death may be the only way out.
- GenresFantasy
276 pages, Paperback
Published February 15, 2021
About the author
Alex Mead
2 books3 followersBorn and raised in Wiltshire, UK, Alex has lived and worked in Paraguay, Costa Rica and Thailand. Finding his way back home to start a family, he still travels to far-flung places when possible, though not always in the physical sense…
A fan of all things dark and morally ambiguous, be it in books, movies, tv shows or games, his own contribution bled out of him in the form of Unstoppable Shadow, his debut fantasy novel.
Stay tuned for the sequel, and visit alexmeadbooks.com for a free short story.
A fan of all things dark and morally ambiguous, be it in books, movies, tv shows or games, his own contribution bled out of him in the form of Unstoppable Shadow, his debut fantasy novel.
Stay tuned for the sequel, and visit alexmeadbooks.com for a free short story.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 21, 2021
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Unstoppable Shadow
Silas works for the Shadows, assassinating the scum of the earth. When he stumbles across a boy named Scab during a job, he has no idea how drastically his life is about to change. Seeing potential in the boy, he takes him to the Shadow Castle. Better to live a life in the shadows than one on the streets doomed to die of poverty. But what Scab experiences in the Shadow Castle will unleash a power seeded deep within him. A power intent on chaos and destruction.
Reading Unstoppable Shadow reminded me of the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. Albeit there is less magic and a simpler plotline, the premise of a child rescued from the streets to become a skilled killer remained the same. Scab, who later becomes known as Mara, is an interesting character study. While his inner monologue remained childish, his actions became increasingly skilled and violent. And then there is Silas, a broken man regretting his chosen path in life. As his actions continue to make him question his purpose, it seems as though his downfall leads to Mara’s uprising.
Mara and Silas’s struggles combined with the underbelly atmosphere created the perfect tone for a grimdark novel. But I do wish more time was spent with Mara while he trained. His time in the Shadow Castle was short-lived, and the animosity felt towards him grew at a rapid pace. Superstition plays a hand with some of the events, but the emotional build-up was absent as Mara’s time at the castle was summarized. If there was a bit more time spent building his character before he began his descent it would have packed a harder punch.
I was grateful Unstoppable Shadow focused on characters instead of politics. While you’ll recognize some of the events taking place are due to unseen players making moves, it does not overshadow the plot. And interest in the characters continues to strengthen as the story progresses. Silas’s fight against his haunted past and guilt drives him into desperate situations while Mara’s innocence is tested as the darkness within him grows. As the two characters weave in and out of each other’s lives tension and action abound.
Unstoppable Shadow contains a straightforward plot with complex characters. This fast-paced novel may be just the book you are looking for if you enjoy grimdark fantasy that does not delve into deep politics.
Silas works for the Shadows, assassinating the scum of the earth. When he stumbles across a boy named Scab during a job, he has no idea how drastically his life is about to change. Seeing potential in the boy, he takes him to the Shadow Castle. Better to live a life in the shadows than one on the streets doomed to die of poverty. But what Scab experiences in the Shadow Castle will unleash a power seeded deep within him. A power intent on chaos and destruction.
Reading Unstoppable Shadow reminded me of the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. Albeit there is less magic and a simpler plotline, the premise of a child rescued from the streets to become a skilled killer remained the same. Scab, who later becomes known as Mara, is an interesting character study. While his inner monologue remained childish, his actions became increasingly skilled and violent. And then there is Silas, a broken man regretting his chosen path in life. As his actions continue to make him question his purpose, it seems as though his downfall leads to Mara’s uprising.
Mara and Silas’s struggles combined with the underbelly atmosphere created the perfect tone for a grimdark novel. But I do wish more time was spent with Mara while he trained. His time in the Shadow Castle was short-lived, and the animosity felt towards him grew at a rapid pace. Superstition plays a hand with some of the events, but the emotional build-up was absent as Mara’s time at the castle was summarized. If there was a bit more time spent building his character before he began his descent it would have packed a harder punch.
I was grateful Unstoppable Shadow focused on characters instead of politics. While you’ll recognize some of the events taking place are due to unseen players making moves, it does not overshadow the plot. And interest in the characters continues to strengthen as the story progresses. Silas’s fight against his haunted past and guilt drives him into desperate situations while Mara’s innocence is tested as the darkness within him grows. As the two characters weave in and out of each other’s lives tension and action abound.
Unstoppable Shadow contains a straightforward plot with complex characters. This fast-paced novel may be just the book you are looking for if you enjoy grimdark fantasy that does not delve into deep politics.
April 25, 2021
First Fantasy book I've read in years and I was not disappointed. Everything was well written and I really enjoyed the plot. Had no expectations when I first started it and always found myself being surprised and shocked, causing me to put the book down for a few moments to recap before having to pick it up again. A great book I only can recommend
April 15, 2021
Great book
I love fiction books with magic and powers and this book was full of suspense also. I could not put it down. It left me think after I finger reading. What an amazing imagination!
I love fiction books with magic and powers and this book was full of suspense also. I could not put it down. It left me think after I finger reading. What an amazing imagination!
January 28, 2022
Great book
Love the evil kid angle, hope to see more like it. Highly recommend the book to any dark humor fans
Love the evil kid angle, hope to see more like it. Highly recommend the book to any dark humor fans
June 14, 2021
In a way this is an odd review. For me a 3 star review means that I liked a book (as opposed to really liking it or it being one of my favourite books of all times). I definitely didn't like this book as much as other 3 star books, but that is entirely my fault- I don't like grim dark books, and I picked it up without realizing what it was.
For what it was, I think it was pretty good, which is why I am still giving it three stars. I found the way that drugs and illnesses were presented very compelling, and I would be interested in seeing how those factors work in the context of the broader world. The shaddow training sequences reminded me of the godsgrave series, but with less humour and more skill for the main character. It makes sense that a character with the kinds of powers described would advance extremely quickly through training, and I found it wierd in God's grave how they dealt with power imbalance. On the other hand, the humour of the narrator in God's grave is the reason I bothered to continue with the series, and this one lacked that. Make of it what you will.
The cliff hanger ending was very intriguing, and kind of makes me want to continue the series. On the other hand, I really don't like grimdark so I am a bit torn. For anyone who does, I would definitely recommend this book
I was curious about
For what it was, I think it was pretty good, which is why I am still giving it three stars. I found the way that drugs and illnesses were presented very compelling, and I would be interested in seeing how those factors work in the context of the broader world. The shaddow training sequences reminded me of the godsgrave series, but with less humour and more skill for the main character. It makes sense that a character with the kinds of powers described would advance extremely quickly through training, and I found it wierd in God's grave how they dealt with power imbalance. On the other hand, the humour of the narrator in God's grave is the reason I bothered to continue with the series, and this one lacked that. Make of it what you will.
The cliff hanger ending was very intriguing, and kind of makes me want to continue the series. On the other hand, I really don't like grimdark so I am a bit torn. For anyone who does, I would definitely recommend this book
I was curious about
July 12, 2021
It was alright, the writing sometimes felt rushed.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews