The Conqueror's ShadowThe Conqueror’s Shadow

by Ari Marmell
Hardcover, 448 pg.
Spectra, 2010

What a rollicking good read! This book has it all…great battle scenes; the fate of the world in the balance; wise crackin’ tough guys; wicked witches; ugly, brutish trolls; snarky demons…

Sure, it’s a story we’ve read/seen before–baddest of the bad guys retires, reforms (at least sorta), and has to come out of retirement to stop a new bad guy.

This telling of that familiar tale is done with panache and a clever trick or three to shake things up. Well done, and more than primes the pump for reading more in this world.

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4 Stars