Lord of the Shadows (Second Sons Trilogy: Book 3)

By Jennifer Fallon

Darkness threatens Ranadon again in the form of an eclipse. The Goddess wants to give the people of Ranadon a sign—and only Dirk Provin can interpret it. To do so, Dirk has systematically betrayed his one-time allies to join his most hated enemies. Now, with neither side trusting him, Dirk sets his own devious plot in motion

Senet’s Crippled Prince, Misha, has found unexpected and tenuous sanctuary among the Baenlanders of Mil. To secure their trust, he offers them the one thing they cannot refuse. Meanwhile, Alenor, Queen of Dhevyn, betrayed by her husband, Kirsh, and Tia Veran, deceived by Dirk, set out for revenge and to finally free their people at any cost. As the second sons and the rest of their generation pursue different paths to survival and freedom, they discover that the will of the Goddess—and of men—works in mysterious ways. And as Dirk’s old enemies join with new ones, his attempt to save Ranadon may cost him his friends, his love...and his life.

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| Genre: Science Fantasy
| ISBN-10: 055358670X
| ISBN-13: 9780553586701
| Content: Hero, Adventure, 16+
| Publisher: Spectra; Reprint edition (June 1, 2004)
| US Cover Illustrations: John Taylor Dismukes
| Mass Market Paperback: 592 pages
| Source: Personal copy
| Read an Excerpt
| Rating: 5 Stars
Fantasy Series Book Review by Mulluane
Neris once told Dirk that in order to restore the world back to peace and harmony it would require the death of an idea. Something that was much more difficult then just killing the people who are keeping that idea alive. So this is what our hero Dirk sets off to do and the best way to do so is from inside of the corrupt Shadowdancers. But to do this he must sever every tie, betray every friend, and worse of all, he must keep his plans to himself. Not another living soul must even suspect what he is up to or all is lost. Isolated, feared and hated, Dirk is truly alone with only his numerous doubts for company. But it remains to be seen if the ends are justified by the means as things rarely fall out quite as he plans.

The third installment of the Second Sons Trilogy is the best book of all. The pages just flew by and the plot twisted, turned and kept me on the edge of my chair. Every time I thought I had a glimmer of where the story was going, I discovered that I did not have a clue. Marqel and Eryk both, one by sheer malice, the other by pure innocence, keep Dirk on his toes as they upset his carefully laid plans at every turn. But he rises to each challenge and even as he betrays, he manages to save the ones he loves, be it friend or potential love interest, as they run into problems of their own. Rarely have I ever had the pleasure to spend quality time with such a multi layered character.

Dirk is not the only intriguing character in this series, though the main focus is always on him. Jacinta, Queen Alenor's cousin, makes an excellent compatriot for Dirk. Intelligent, witty, loyal as well as beautiful, this spunky lady is a delightful addition to the story. Misha, the crippled prince, comes into his own here too, showing all of the intelligence and backbone we suspected he was capable of. Only Marqel, of all the main characters, shows no character development at all. She stays true to her greedy, manipulative self while being nowhere near as smart as she believes herself to be. This is definately a character driven story and oh my what characters they are!

This is an atypical fantasy in that there is no magic, none at all. There are very few battle scenes either and while there is romance, it is rarely given much focus. What this story is about is a corrupt religion based on a lie, supported by a power hungry monarch and the lengths the people of this world must go to to restore things back to the way they were before Belagren created her false cult. It is also about faith in all its forms. The faith of Alenor in Dirk, even though he does things that threaten that trust at every turn. The faith of Tia in her almost unshakable belief that Dirk is the devil incarnate. The blind faith of the Lion of Senet in Belagren's lies, a faith that led to him sacrificing his own son. The faith of Kirsh in Marquel's love, even when there is evidence to the contrary right in front of his eyes. Misha's faith in himself as he battles an addiction that may very well kill him. Dirk's total lack of faith, with his religion, with his ruler, with his friends; he trusts no one, not even himself. Put all that together on an alternate world of two suns and what you get is a fascinating story that might more accurately be termed Science Fantasy.

If you want to read a great series that is fast paced, full of well fleshed out characters, rift with political intrigue, full of surprises and with lots of drama, this will fit your tastes beautifully. This series has a place on my favorites shelf and I expect it always will.

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Librarything rating 4.2/5 Amazon Rating 4.6 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews) What Should I Read Next?

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Science Fantasy Book Review of Lord of the Shadows (Second Sons Trilogy: Book 3) by Jennifer Fallon - Reviewed by Mulluane - on September 2 2008 - Rating: 5.0