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The Order: Shadow of the Assassin
For centuries the magic wielders of Laveria have striven to surpass the power of the gods. All have failed, until now.
Marcus serves the Order, a secret brotherhood tasked by the gods to weed out worshipers of the occult. But after the gods are annihilated in a cataclysmic event known as the Sundering, Marcus discovers his brotherhood is infiltrated by the very Shadow worshipers he was supposed to destroy. Now Marcus is the one being hunted, and his only chance at survival is to break into the king's palace and steal the Orb of Azure, an ancient tool created by the gods to reshape the world.
Calycia bears the blood of the Old Gods, making her the first woman in a hundred generations capable of sorcery. Unfortunately, Calycia’s magic manifests itself in deadly outbursts that places everyone around her at risk. She has spent her entire life trying to suppress her powers, but when the Order instigates a violent uprising, Calycia realizes sorcery might be the only thing that will keep her alive.
With the world falling into chaos, Marcus and Calycia each find themselves thrust upon a desperate race to secure the Orb of Azure. Godhood awaits the first mortal to seize the artifact. Will such divine powers lead Marcus and Calycia to immortality or an early grave?
Marcus serves the Order, a secret brotherhood tasked by the gods to weed out worshipers of the occult. But after the gods are annihilated in a cataclysmic event known as the Sundering, Marcus discovers his brotherhood is infiltrated by the very Shadow worshipers he was supposed to destroy. Now Marcus is the one being hunted, and his only chance at survival is to break into the king's palace and steal the Orb of Azure, an ancient tool created by the gods to reshape the world.
Calycia bears the blood of the Old Gods, making her the first woman in a hundred generations capable of sorcery. Unfortunately, Calycia’s magic manifests itself in deadly outbursts that places everyone around her at risk. She has spent her entire life trying to suppress her powers, but when the Order instigates a violent uprising, Calycia realizes sorcery might be the only thing that will keep her alive.
With the world falling into chaos, Marcus and Calycia each find themselves thrust upon a desperate race to secure the Orb of Azure. Godhood awaits the first mortal to seize the artifact. Will such divine powers lead Marcus and Calycia to immortality or an early grave?
389 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published August 28, 2021
32 people want to read
About the author
Lee H. Haywood
10 books142 followersI am the author of The Gods and Kings Chronicles and Fractured Throne. I currently live in Arizona with my family. When I am not writing (which seems to take up more of my time these days) I enjoy playing soccer, tinkering with Photoshop, and exploring the world.
If you interested in following my exploits, please visit my website, follow me on facebook, or check me out on twitter . If you would like to receive promotional offers for my future publications, please sign up for my newsletter.
Thank you for your support!
If you interested in following my exploits, please visit my website, follow me on facebook, or check me out on twitter . If you would like to receive promotional offers for my future publications, please sign up for my newsletter.
Thank you for your support!
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 23, 2022
This review first appeared as part of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off #spfbo 8 competition on Before We Go Blog.
First let me note this is a prequel. I haven’t read any of Haywood’s other novels in this world and don’t know exactly how this one ties into what came before, but rest assured this was a great introduction to what I can only imagine is a vivid and interesting world and storyline. Anyone wanting to start off in publication order will take a different path, but I’d wager this would be a good place to kick off your journey if The Order is your first foray into this world as well.
I’m usually long winded with my reviews so today I’m going to try to rebel against my usual nature and be more succinct. The Order: Shadow of the Assassin was gritty, borderline grimdark, immensely readable, and I loved it. I go into these first round reads not really knowing what to expect and hoping to find a few books from authors I don’t know that grab my attention and The Order did just that.
So…what did I like? Here’s some highlights…
Writing
World Building
Edge of Grimdark
Story
First the writing. A book might have a great premise, in-depth world building, and interesting characters but if I hate the writing none of that matters. Haywood’s writing is energetic and vivid. At no time was I ever bored with the prose. It wasn’t always action mind you, but even when things slowed down I felt compelled to read on, to read the next chapter, to stay up just a while longer, to see where things would go next. It isn’t “page turner” material per se, but I was definitely hooked.
As for world building I should clarify what I mean. There isn’t grand immersive epic scale world building going on in this book. In fact it’s kinda the opposite. The Order is pretty much set in one city. There are bits and pieces of the wider world portrayed, but most of the time they are alluded to. What I enjoyed was the micro world building going on. The affect it has is to make the story feel more tense and the events more ominous given the confined atmosphere. Not claustrophobic, but more intense.
Now I know this next part will turn off some readers and that’s fine. We all like what we like and hate what we hate. I happen to like dark and edgy tales. Full on grimdark isn’t necessarily my thing but books that walk the line? Yeah I kinda dig those. I didn’t feel like The Order was true grimdark but it has dark overtones and Haywood doesn’t shy away from inserting a few wtf moments. It gave the book a bit more punch without having gore for gore’s sake or misery for misery’s sake, and fit the story well.
Which brings me to the final point. The story. I mean at the most basic level a book that doesn’t have a story that hooks you probably isn’t enjoyable am I right? I really enjoyed this one. The magic system, the characters, the plot…all of it combined to form a narrative that was a truly immersive read where the stakes were high and the possibility of failure was ever present. I really wasn’t sure how it would end. And the end itself, well it left the door open for some really interesting opportunities.
This may be the first time I’ve ever read a prequel where I felt it didn’t hinge on the ties it has to the previous books for its possibility for success. I definitely want to read the other books Haywood has created in this world and I hope there’s more to come in this storyline.
First let me note this is a prequel. I haven’t read any of Haywood’s other novels in this world and don’t know exactly how this one ties into what came before, but rest assured this was a great introduction to what I can only imagine is a vivid and interesting world and storyline. Anyone wanting to start off in publication order will take a different path, but I’d wager this would be a good place to kick off your journey if The Order is your first foray into this world as well.
I’m usually long winded with my reviews so today I’m going to try to rebel against my usual nature and be more succinct. The Order: Shadow of the Assassin was gritty, borderline grimdark, immensely readable, and I loved it. I go into these first round reads not really knowing what to expect and hoping to find a few books from authors I don’t know that grab my attention and The Order did just that.
So…what did I like? Here’s some highlights…
Writing
World Building
Edge of Grimdark
Story
First the writing. A book might have a great premise, in-depth world building, and interesting characters but if I hate the writing none of that matters. Haywood’s writing is energetic and vivid. At no time was I ever bored with the prose. It wasn’t always action mind you, but even when things slowed down I felt compelled to read on, to read the next chapter, to stay up just a while longer, to see where things would go next. It isn’t “page turner” material per se, but I was definitely hooked.
As for world building I should clarify what I mean. There isn’t grand immersive epic scale world building going on in this book. In fact it’s kinda the opposite. The Order is pretty much set in one city. There are bits and pieces of the wider world portrayed, but most of the time they are alluded to. What I enjoyed was the micro world building going on. The affect it has is to make the story feel more tense and the events more ominous given the confined atmosphere. Not claustrophobic, but more intense.
Now I know this next part will turn off some readers and that’s fine. We all like what we like and hate what we hate. I happen to like dark and edgy tales. Full on grimdark isn’t necessarily my thing but books that walk the line? Yeah I kinda dig those. I didn’t feel like The Order was true grimdark but it has dark overtones and Haywood doesn’t shy away from inserting a few wtf moments. It gave the book a bit more punch without having gore for gore’s sake or misery for misery’s sake, and fit the story well.
Which brings me to the final point. The story. I mean at the most basic level a book that doesn’t have a story that hooks you probably isn’t enjoyable am I right? I really enjoyed this one. The magic system, the characters, the plot…all of it combined to form a narrative that was a truly immersive read where the stakes were high and the possibility of failure was ever present. I really wasn’t sure how it would end. And the end itself, well it left the door open for some really interesting opportunities.
This may be the first time I’ve ever read a prequel where I felt it didn’t hinge on the ties it has to the previous books for its possibility for success. I definitely want to read the other books Haywood has created in this world and I hope there’s more to come in this storyline.
April 2, 2023
I got slightly confused before I started writing this as I think this book is also on Goodreads as The Order. I decided to leave my review here as this is the cover I had.
I read Shadow of the Assassin as part of my personal challenge to read all of the Semi-finalists of SPFBO #8. It also fit into the Path of the Anti-hero in Indie Accords discord. I knew nothing going in but I now know this is a prequel to the Gods and Kings Chronicles. The book follows the tales of Marcus and Calcyia in the city of Nexus. Marcus is a member of the secretive Order who is tasked with stealing the Orb of Azure. He family will pay if he fails. Calcyia has come from the neighbouring country of Karu to wed the nephew of King Johan. Capable of feats of sorcery, her magic is unpredictable and unreliable. Both are caught up in the uprising instigated by the Order, leading to them both following despearate paths.
Told from the duel POV of Marcus and Calcyia, Shadow of the Assassin tells both sides of the uprising and what leads to it. The main characters are fully formed - Marcus's questionable actions in the past leading him to the path he now on. Calycia is marrying a man she does not want to in a strange city with a power she can not completely control. There are various side characters, most of who are well fleshed but there are the odd one or two who feel a bit flat. The worldbuilding is sound and gives a good overview of the Nexus, where the majority of the story is told.
I did enjoy this book but I'm not sure where it is going. It is listed as standalone but there are unsolved threads here. Also, a lot of the lore is not explained. I'm no fan of the info dump but I would have liked a bit more information about the Sundering. I hope it all links up in the main trilogy but I'm not sure I would have called this a standalone at any rate. I will carry on with the Gods and Kings Chronicles, if only to find out what happens after this. Especially with that epilogue!
I read Shadow of the Assassin as part of my personal challenge to read all of the Semi-finalists of SPFBO #8. It also fit into the Path of the Anti-hero in Indie Accords discord. I knew nothing going in but I now know this is a prequel to the Gods and Kings Chronicles. The book follows the tales of Marcus and Calcyia in the city of Nexus. Marcus is a member of the secretive Order who is tasked with stealing the Orb of Azure. He family will pay if he fails. Calcyia has come from the neighbouring country of Karu to wed the nephew of King Johan. Capable of feats of sorcery, her magic is unpredictable and unreliable. Both are caught up in the uprising instigated by the Order, leading to them both following despearate paths.
Told from the duel POV of Marcus and Calcyia, Shadow of the Assassin tells both sides of the uprising and what leads to it. The main characters are fully formed - Marcus's questionable actions in the past leading him to the path he now on. Calycia is marrying a man she does not want to in a strange city with a power she can not completely control. There are various side characters, most of who are well fleshed but there are the odd one or two who feel a bit flat. The worldbuilding is sound and gives a good overview of the Nexus, where the majority of the story is told.
I did enjoy this book but I'm not sure where it is going. It is listed as standalone but there are unsolved threads here. Also, a lot of the lore is not explained. I'm no fan of the info dump but I would have liked a bit more information about the Sundering. I hope it all links up in the main trilogy but I'm not sure I would have called this a standalone at any rate. I will carry on with the Gods and Kings Chronicles, if only to find out what happens after this. Especially with that epilogue!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews