MARCH FEATURE #2: Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov

[paulgoatallen]

Okay, here's a short explanation of why I'm so excited about Shadow Prowler. Alexey Pehov is huge in Russia. His Chronicles of Siala saga has been compared numerous times to Michael Moorcock's Elric saga and it has finally been translated into English.

The author's website (http://www.alexeypehov.com) is pretty informative and after a few minutes there, I'm thinking this series will be classic high fantasy.....

It'll be interesting to see if this Russian fantasy is markedly different from comparable American sagas. Anyone for a little adventure fantasy literary escapism?

Paul

[dalnewt]

Shadow Prowler  I started this book late yesterday night and am amazed by the similarity in theme to Lord of the Rings in which a band of characters seek to restore a magic artifact and, thereby, defeat or otherwise neutralize an immortal enemy called the 'Nameless One' who has built an army of ogres, giants, evil men and orcs while exiled in a frozen desert realm beyond the 'Desolate Mountains'. (The Nameless One is actually an ancient magician who mastered the forbidden, shamanistic ogre magic of 'Kronc-A-Mor' and survived execution in Avendoom by preserving his spirit and, eventually, inhabiting a new body.) I haven't gotten very far into the book, but the world created by Pehov is intricate, finely detailed and comprises many sentient races which, in addition to the above, include dark and light elves, goblins, dwarves, gnomes, half-animal men and dark, demon-like flying creatures. The protagonist is a master thief named 'Shadow Harold' who states that the shadow of the night is, "..my helpmate, my lover, my companion. I hide inside her, I live with her, and she is the only one always ready to shelter me...." Harold cloaks himself in shadow, and he is the most accomplished thief in Avendoom. At this point in my reading, Harold's been brought before the king, the kings most trusted advisers (including a master archmagician and head of the 'Oder of Magicians') and a mysterious elfin princess to learn the history of the "Nameless One." (Note, this book has been translated into English and the prose has a sort of musical resonance to me.) 

[dalnewt]

I've read about 3/4 of the book and am enjoying it. This book differs significantly from Lord of the Rings. The protagonist, Harold, does not leave the city of Avendoom immediately. Instead, he's given a week by the king to make preparations, and he goes about gathering necessary supplies and informational materials. Along the way he's stalked by assassins, attacked by thick-head (goat-men) Doralissians, threatened by a demon who emerges willy-nilly from any solid surface and faces terrors within a deadly, walled 'Forbidden Territory' commonly called 'the Stain'. Many of Harold's complications are due to the manipulations of a mysterious 'Master' who controls a flying 'emissary' demon, many men (some of whom are nobles and guards), and several members of the Guild of Thieves. (Note, this mysterious Master is not the Nameless One, but some other player who wants to prevent Harold and, ultimately, the king from recovering the 'Rainbow Horn'.)

Harold is a likable, humble, sly and humorous protagonist. He doesn't want to have anything to do with saving his homeland and wishes he could disappear into some southern kingdom. But, after being threatened with imprisonment. he hastily agreed to help the king hoping to cut and run once he was set loose. But, the king tricked him into formally accepting the 'commission'. To fail a 'commission' would incur the wrath of the god of thieves, Sagot. That, in turn, would cause disastrous luck and a very short-lived life.

The narrative is quick-paced and inventive. It follows the experiences of Harold as he traverses the sprawling, multi-faceted city and tries to survive while accumulating the materials he needs to retrieve the 'Rainbow Horn'. Harold's dialogue with other characters and his internal musings are very amusing and intelligent.    

Historical information is gradually revealed within the story. Here's a summary:

The quest is to recover (and ultimately recharge) the 'Rainbow Horn' an ancient artifact given by the dark elves to the first king of Avendoom in the country of Valiostr. (The 'Horn' radiates a multitude of rainbow colors when magic is directed at it.) The artifact contains massive amounts of ancient, shamanistic power which originated with early ogres. For some unknown reason it neutralizes the 'Kronk-a-Mor' shamanism used by the 'Nameless One'. No contemporary magician understands ogre shamanism, but the 'Horn' is believed to have been created by the ogres as a fail safe against their ancient shamanistic battle magic of 'Kronk-a-Mor', (the same magic which empowers the 'Nameless One').  (Note, magicians practice wizardry, a form of magic which is immediate but weakens the user. In contrast, the early ogres, the goblins, gnomes and dark elves practice shamanism which requires a longer ritual of dancing, singing, etc..., but doesn't weaken the user.

To reach the Rainbow Horn, Harold and his companions must venture into orc infested 'Border Land' and eventually move into the deep "Forest of Zagrala' to reach one of the entrances to 'Hrad Spein' a/k/a the 'Palace of Bones'.

The foundations of Hrad Spein (the Palace of Bones) were laid at an unfathomably deep level by a mysterious first race who are said to have left ancient writings in those catacombs from which the ogres first learned the shamanism of Kronk-a-Mor. The ogres began to bury their valiant dead in those lowest levels and protected them with deadly shamanic magics/curses. When the ogres retreated to the north, the constantly battling orcs and elves somehow reached an uneasy truce to work together to enlarge Hrad Spein. They built gigantic underground palaces with columns, frescoes, vast halls, statues, and countless corridors and stairs. They also used this underground to inter their glorious dead but never ventured into the lowest ogre levels. Eventually, their constant warring spilled over into Hrad Spein, and they laid curses and traps for each other to guard the dead. Ultimately, they abandoned the place. Men came last and interred their fallen warriors and nobility in the upper three levels until the ancient ogre shamanism mysteriously reactivated and rose to threaten and kill any living thing that entered that underground labyrinth. In sum, Hrad Spein is a deadly, gigantic subterranean layer cake which must be survived to reach the Rainbow Horn.

The Stain or 'Forbidden Territory' was created 300 years earlier when 6 archmagicians and the archmagician head of the 'Order of Valiostr' tried to activate the 'Horn' in the mistaken belief that directed streams of magic into the Horn would overpower the 'Kronk-a-Mor' magic which held the Nameless One to the world. In reality, they were duped by a traitorous archmagician among them. That traitor boasted that he was told by the "Master" that activating the Horn would grant him immortality and more power than the Nameless One. Two of the archmagicians were able to destabilize the flow of magic resulting in the traitors death, but the power pouring out of the Rainbow Horn was overwhelming and uncontrollable. A dying archmagician managed to escape the tower and hand off the Horn to his apprentice. The apprentice then handed it over to the only surviving archmagician w/in the city, who had wisely boycotted the proceedings. He, in turn, managed to magically encircle the malignant shamanistic magic, and that circle was later closed off by an unbroken wall.

Due to the devastating power contained within the "Horn", it was decided that the artifact should be hidden away within Hrad Spein with the remains of Avendoom's first King, Grok, who had been interred somewhere in the elven section of the eighth level. Maps showing where Grok was buried were presumably followed to place the 'Horn' with him, but those maps were deemed to be too risky to keep w/in the palace complex. Consequently, the maps showing the place of Grok's interment (and the 'Horn') were placed for safekeeping in the partially ruined magician's tower within the 'Forbidden Territory."

[dalnewt]

I finished Shadow Prowler  and am looking forward to the second book in the trilogy. Overall, I found it inventive and adventurous with a very likable, roguish and resourceful protagonist who is roped into an impossible quest to retrieve a magic artifact, (the 'Rainbow Horn'), from a vast, underground labyrinth filled with magic traps and malicious shamanic magic. The 'Horn' contains incalculable amounts of shamanic magic which historically held the power of the 'Nameless One' in check, but its power ebbs and must be recharged before the "Nameless One" invades the realm with his countless army of ogres, orcs, giants and other followers.

The narrative is told from the first-party perspective of Harold, and it's filled with a droll but self-effacing wit. The bulk of the book concerns Harold's efforts to accumulate the materials and information he needs from within the city of "Avendoom" before leaving on the quest. He is beset by several obstacles including a recurring demon who appears willy-nilly from solid surfaces, assassins ultimately controlled by a mysterious 'Master' (who is apparently a separate entity from the 'Nameless One'), thick-headed goat-men who are misled into hunting him due to misinformation manipulated by the 'Master', horrors within the walled section of the city known as the 'Forbidden Territory' and a bevy of thugs hired by the Guild of Thieves which is surreptitiously controlled by the mysterious 'Master'.  During the last quarter of the book, Harold returns to the castle complex only to face a night attack by traitors wearing the token of the 'Nameless One' who are aided by a shaman and unleash an ogre. Near the end of the book, Harold and his companions, (a dark elfin princess named Miralissa, a diminutive azure-eyed green goblin prankster/jester named Kli-Kli, the stiff captain of king's personal guard named Alistan (who has a gray rat for a crest and is secretly referred to as milord Rat), and a troop of ten 'Wild-Heart' soldiers from the kingdom's hard-fought northern border (including a constantly bickering dwarf and gnome) leave on the quest which initially leads them down the main road connecting Avendoom to the realm's second largest city Ranneng. Along the way they are delayed, sidetracked and attacked. One of their number is killed by flying monsters emerging from a black cloud of shamanic magic, and Harold finally firms his resolve to complete the quest to the best of his ability. (Note, historical episodes are relayed as visions or dreams experienced by Harold. He is also possessed by the ghost of a archmagican during a portion of his time into the 'Forbidden Territory'.)

Note, the complicated history and sheer number of sentient races referred to within the book require liberal reference to the 'Glossary' located at the back of the book. Unfortunately, I eschewed this task as I didn't want to interrupt my reading. Therefore, I mixed-up some of the history. My corrections and inclusions are as follows:

New races appeared on the planet of Siala after a mysterious first race left behind ancient writings in the deepest levels of Hrad Spein (a/k/a/ Palace of Bone). The first-born ogres, learned primordial shamanism from those ancient writings and, at some undisclosed later date, mysteriously lost their higher mental functions and retreated to the North .

The first new race after the ogres was the orcs, who are prideful and warlike. They believe that the planet rightfully belongs to them. They want to exterminate all other races starting with the kingdom of Valiostr. They are believed to ally themselves with the 'Nameless One' for political purposes only.

The elves appeared shortly after the orcs and have waged countless battles against them. They are divided into dark and light elves, but that distinction only refers to their different preferences in magic. The dark elves adhere to traditional shamanic magic while the light practice the instantaneous wizardry of humans. (They are swarthy skinned with golden eyes and fangs. Miralissa is said to be exotic but not traditionally beautiful.)

The dwarves and the gnomes appeared next. They are cousins, but the dwarves are unparalleled craftsmen (and broad/brawny) while the gnomes are diggers and builders (and slighter, with smaller frames and long beards). They are constantly at odds with each other and have fought a devastating war in the past.

All the other races appeared thereafter with men bringing up the rear.

Approximately 500 years earlier, the orcs arose and overran the kingdom of Valiostr conquering its biggest city at that time, Ranneng. The surviving troops rallied under the leadership of a legendary general named Grok, who made a last stand against the orcs on the planes outside of 'Avendoom' (which was then a secondary, port city). Grok was triumphant thanks to delaying tactics by a company of soldiers left behind on a suicide mission and the last-minute arrival of the dark elves. In memory of that treaty between elves and men, Grok received the 'Rainbow Horn'. (Note, Grok was apparently a heroic general of Valiostr not its king.) Meanwhile Grok's twin brother, also named Grok, failed to appear at the battle although he was an archmagician. As a result he was later executed as a traitor, but he preserved his spirit and eventually inhabited a new body by utilizing the ancient ogre shamanic battle magic of 'Kronk-a-Mor'. "The Nameless One' resides in the northern most region of the northern 'Desolate Lands' and has built an army of orcs, ogres, giants and others.  

[Melhay]

Dalnewt

I just wanted to say thanks for all the great information here on this book!  I was torn between this and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.  I have loved The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but I think I am going to have to try to slip this read in as well.  Seems like you really enjoyed the book.

Thanks again!

Melissa

[dalnewt]

Melhay wrote:

Dalnewt

I just wanted to say thanks for all the great information here on this book!  I was torn between this and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.  I have loved The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but I think I am going to have to try to slip this read in as well.  Seems like you really enjoyed the book.

Thanks again!

Melissa

I really did enjoy the book. It's a familiar epic form with a group of individuals setting out to save the kingdom and ultimately all mankind and elfin-kind from the armies of the "Nameless One" and the rapacious orcs. It has lots of action, a smattering of mystery, well-described magic, a very personable protagonist and humorous dialogue. The story has a lot of personality, perhaps because it utilizes the first-person narrative of the protagonist, master-thief Harold. In sum, this book is an excellent first addition to an epic adventure trilogy which has, as an added bonus, a distinct personal vibe and humor.   

[Melhay]

dalnewt wrote:

Melhay wrote:

Dalnewt

I just wanted to say thanks for all the great information here on this book!  I was torn between this and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.  I have loved The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but I think I am going to have to try to slip this read in as well.  Seems like you really enjoyed the book.

Thanks again!

Melissa

I really did enjoy the book. It's a familiar epic form with a group of individuals setting out to save the kingdom and ultimately all mankind and elfin-kind from the armies of the "Nameless One" and the rapacious orcs. It has lots of action, a smattering of mystery, well-described magic, a very personable protagonist and humorous dialogue. The story has a lot of personality, perhaps because it utilizes the first-person narrative of the protagonist, master-thief Harold. In sum, this book is an excellent first addition to an epic adventure trilogy which has, as an added bonus, a distinct personal vibe and humor.   

Well, you sold me!   I have added the book to the list to get, and from the sounds of it I may have to get it sooner than later.  I love to read my fantasy.  I enjoy Paranormal, but fantasy is always the comfortable place for me.  Thank you again!

[dalnewt]

I'm very glad that someone else on this board is going to read Shadow Prowler. It really is enjoyable, adventurous and humorous.   

[TiggerBear]

Hey Paul, B&N's new wrap around is cutting off a third of the play box on the right.

Could you post the link for it? Thank you.

[paulgoatallen]

TiggerBear wrote:

Hey Paul, B&N's new wrap around is cutting off a third of the play box on the right.

Could you post the link for it? Thank you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIlugWyjodg

[paulgoatallen]

From Russia With Love: Beluga Caviar, Stoli Vodka, and Alexey Pehov's Tolkienesque Fantasy Epic

by paulgoatallen

It’s hard to believe that epic fantasy can be divisive but that seems to be the case with Shadow Prowler, the first volume of Alexey Pehov’s Chronicles of Siala trilogy. Originally published in Russia in 2002 – where it was a bestseller – Shadow Prowler is Pehov’s first book to be translated into English (he has published nine thus far). Heavily influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings – the sprawling realm of Siala is inhabited by humans, dwarves, elves, ogres, giants, dragons, and, yes, orcs; the main storyline is about a great evil (the Nameless One) rising once again in preparation for a cataclysmic war; an unlikely hero who must embark on a seemingly impossible quest to obtain a magical artifact, etc. – it’s been interesting listening to how fantasy fans have reacted to this book. They either loved it or they hated it.

Shadow Prowler is either completely derivative, a thinly veiled Lord of the Rings rehash, or it’s a brilliantly compelling grand scale fantasy that is an homage of sorts to classic fantasy sagas like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser adventures, and, to a lesser extent, Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné.

For me, I suppose, it’s all about how you look at it….

Yes, there are definitely similarities between Pehov’s trilogy and Tolkien’s but – and let’s be brutally honest here – most of the epic fantasy sagas out there have more than a few narrative and thematic similarities to Lord of the Rings. Off the top of my head, fantasy series that I recall with a heavy Tolkien influence – Terry Brooks’ Shannara, Goodkind’s Sword of Truth, Salvatore’s Drizzt, Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance trilogy, Eldon Thompson’s Legend of Asahiel saga, James G. Anderson and Mark Sebanc’s Legacy of the Stone Harp saga… I could probably list dozens more but you get the point. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are the foundation on which the majority of epic and adventure fantasy series are derived – calling a novel or series “Tolkienesque” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a slam: in my mind, it can also be a compliment.

It’s all about how you look at it….

And I was truly entertained by Pehov’s novel. But to me, Shadow Prowler was more Feistian than it was Tolkienesque. Raymond E. Feist’s Midkemia sequence is certainly epic fantasy but I would describe the individual novels as more adventure fantasy – interesting characters, yes, but not a marked focus on in-depth character exploration (like Salvatore’s Drizzt novels, for example); brisk pacing; generous amounts of action and adventure; not a lot of deep, philosophical themes; and an undeniable readability factor. And like Feist’s Midkemia novels, Shadow Prowler was a virtually impossible book to put down: Pehov (a former orthodontist!) is a masterful storyteller just as good as Raymond E. – and that’s saying something.

Pehov’s storyline revolves around Shadow Harold, a legendary master thief who is plucked from the streets of the city of Avendoom and forcibly commissioned by the King of Valiostr to help save the kingdom from the dark forces of the Nameless One.

“War is approaching, no matter how hard the Order of Magicians and the multitudes of priests try to put it off. It’s simply a matter of time. Six months, perhaps a year – and then all those things they used to frighten us with when we were children will be upon us. The Nameless One will gather together an army and come to us from behind the Needles of Ice, and the horror will begin…”

All Harold has to do is travel across the realm, into the perilous Forests of Zagraba, and retrieve the Rainbow Horn (a magical artifact that is the only object that can neutralize the Nameless One’s power), which happens to be buried deep in Hrad Spein (aka Palaces of Bone) – ancient, haunted catacombs that have been the burial grounds for ogres, orcs, elves, and human heroes. “No one knows who created Hrad Spein, and in which age, whose thought and strength it was that bit so deep into the bones of the earth, creating those immense caves and caverns that were later transformed into the architectural wonders of the northern world and, later still, into a world of darkness and horror.”

Accompanying Harold on his journey are a misfit group which includes a perpetually arguing gnome and dwarf, a beautiful elfin princess, a goblin jester, and some battle-tested soldiers but, before Harold even begins his quest, he stumbles across a life-changing revelation in a part of the city known as the Stain, a district of Avendoom surrounded by a magical wall to keep a mysterious evil from escaping....

The bottom line is this: Shadow Prowler (and the Chronicles of Siala) isn’t the next coming of The Lord of the Rings. Not by a long shot. The meticulous, richly described world building isn’t there. The jaw-dropping backstory isn’t there. The societal allegory and thematic profundity aren’t there. But if you enjoy adventure fantasy on a grand scale, you will love this literary Russian import, which is comparable to Feist’s Midkemia and Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar sequence. (Pehov’s hero Shadow Harold, particularly, will remind hardcore fantasy fans – at least superficially – of Feist’s Jimmy the Hand and Lackey’s Skif.)

Shadow Prowler is Tolkienesque, in a good way. Beluga caviar, Stolichnaya vodka, and Alexey Pehov’s Chronicles of Siala... From Russia, with love.

[Melhay]

Thanks Paul.  I was wanting this book bad enough, and then you had to mention Feist.  I am going to the book store on lunch and guess what is on the list to get.  I am hoping they have it!  The only problem is I have 3 books in the works now to get done.  Huuhhh, What to do?!?  Thanks for the review.

[Melhay]

Just felt the need to let you know I DID go to the book store on lunch today.  AND Came home with this book.  Thanks to you both!  But I also had a 40% off coupon I got to use on the book.  I am going to have to get this one added in here in April at some point.

[paulgoatallen]

Melhay wrote:

Just felt the need to let you know I DID go to the book store on lunch today.  AND Came home with this book.  Thanks to you both!  But I also had a 40% off coupon I got to use on the book.  I am going to have to get this one added in here in April at some point.

I love "40% Off" coupons...

Paul