A shadow creature has invaded the Colony, killing off their livestock and then some of their Colonists. The Colonists soon learn that light dissuades the creature, but their efforts only work for so long. Something like this has not been seen in all of the generations of the Colony. When a young Colonist, Arlan, tracks the shadow creature up the forbidden mountain, he learns the secrets of the Colony's origins and finds startling new technology that changes his views of the Colony's cooperative way of life.
The Name of the Shadow is a unique fantasy that examines the development of community, fear, power and authority. From the beginning, I was intrigued not only by the shadow creature, but by the Colony itself and their way of life. The Colony seemed to be set in the past, technology wise, but functioned cooperatively with a very liberal set of rules and no notion of certain concepts. It was intriguing to see Arlan's evolution as Arlan tracks the creature back to an abandoned structure, everything changes for him. The forbidden knowledge, purposefully hidden from the Colonists, permanently shifts Arlan's way of thinking. He begins to believe himself as a leader and finds reasons to use lethal violence, something the Colony has never dealt with before. As Arlan grows, there are large jumps through time, which were slightly off putting when I was reading. I personally felt a lot of sympathy for the shadow creature and would have loved to learn more about it, or possibly have had a point of view from the creature. While there are some hints of the creature's origins, there is not a full story. I would have also loved to know a little more about the First Generation of Colonists and their vision. Overall, a fast-paced, thoughtful science fiction/ fantasy with a strong mystery and plenty of twists.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
The Name of the Shadow is a unique fantasy that examines the development of community, fear, power and authority. From the beginning, I was intrigued not only by the shadow creature, but by the Colony itself and their way of life. The Colony seemed to be set in the past, technology wise, but functioned cooperatively with a very liberal set of rules and no notion of certain concepts. It was intriguing to see Arlan's evolution as Arlan tracks the creature back to an abandoned structure, everything changes for him. The forbidden knowledge, purposefully hidden from the Colonists, permanently shifts Arlan's way of thinking. He begins to believe himself as a leader and finds reasons to use lethal violence, something the Colony has never dealt with before. As Arlan grows, there are large jumps through time, which were slightly off putting when I was reading. I personally felt a lot of sympathy for the shadow creature and would have loved to learn more about it, or possibly have had a point of view from the creature. While there are some hints of the creature's origins, there is not a full story. I would have also loved to know a little more about the First Generation of Colonists and their vision. Overall, a fast-paced, thoughtful science fiction/ fantasy with a strong mystery and plenty of twists.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
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