Author: Paul S. Kemp
Cover Artist: Raymond Swanland
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: August 2007
Shadowstorm is the second release in Paul S. Kemp’s Twilight War Trilogy. It delivers the reader right back into the chaos that was brought to us by the first book, Shadowbred. In doing so, Kemp was able to sustain the A Song of Ice and Fire type presentation of multiple point-of-views, and, like George R. R. Martin, did it exceedingly well.
The opening pages of most books is where an author either grabs the reader’s attention, thwarting any desire to leave his/her world or does not set the hook, leaving the reader to idly swim to some other interesting feature. Kemp was able to do more than capture my attention; he strapped me to the front book jacket and warded me against outside evil wasting its time by attempting to lure me away.
Shadowstorm opens with a powerful scene in which protagonists Erevis Cale, Riven, and Magadon have an encounter with Mephistopheles, Lord of Hell and Magadon’s father. Desperate as they had little chance against the archfiend, Cale temps fate by making a deal with Mephistopheles. Cale submits that his word is all he has to give to guarantee payment, but Mephistopheles has other ideas as he takes Magadon as insurance. Well, part of him.
Sembia, suffering from the ailments of civil war, braces itself as Overmistress Mirabeta decides to march on the cities of Saerb and Selgaunt. Tamlin Uskevren, the Hulorn of Selgaunt, continues to lean heavily on the alliance he has made with Prince Rivalen and Shade Enclave. Having learned that the Hulorn has a powerful ally, the Overmistress made an alliance of her own:
“Mirabeta stifled a gasp at the mention of Venomindhar and Venominhandar. The destruction the two greens had wreaked in Sembia generations earlier was legend. She controlled her shock and reminded herself that she wielded power in Sembia. She spoke to the dragon like she would any underling.“You will journey to Saerloon. There, you will answer to Lady Merelith and her commanders as they lay siege to Selgaunt. She will report back to me.”
The dragon hefted the decanter of wine and drained it all in one long gulp. He wiped his mouth and said, “Saerloon is a long journey from here even in my natural form, woman.”
“Overmistress,” Mirabeta corrected him. “And I will arrange for your transport.”
Saerb, with no such alliance, is meant to be “made an example of”. However, the Overmistress makes a mistake; she orders that her general visit the Corinthal estate and kidnap Abelar Corinthal’s young son. This leads to one of the most riveting and important scenes in the entire book as its outcome will have a profound affect on Abelar, and in turn, the third and final book of the Twilight War trilogy, Shadowrealm. This entire strand of the story clenched my heart like a vice grip tightening on an apple, and all I wanted was for Kemp to go “lefty-loosey” and relieve the pressure of the heart-wrenching agony by concluding this storyline. When it did end, I was flooded with relief and a sense of satisfaction. However, it was not the most impressive facet of Abelar’s point-of-view.
Through incredible scenes of unconditional love by Abelar for his son, Endren, and how Endren himself reacted to the plight around him, Kemp was able to get me caring for the well-being of a child that spoke maybe fifteen words throughout the entire book. I already knew of Kemp’s writing prowess, but this took my respect for his ability to another level.
One thing that is common throughout Forgotten Realms books are battle sequences, and Shadowstorm is no different. However, the scenes are not strictly hand-to-hand combat; there is an abundance of magical involvement. I do not think this was a negative as it actually strengthened the fighting scenes by allowing Kemp to incorporate additional battle tactics. On the other hand, with many of the significant participants having the ability to heal, I wonder if Kemp will stretch the capability too far by refraining to eliminate a character from the storyline. But if anything, Kemp has proven in the past that his instincts and his ability to control a plot are to be trusted. He will do a phenomenal job at leaving his readers wanting more without over-using that plot device.
Paul S. Kemp has the imbued genius to produce a well-written story. His characters, plots, and settings are persistently depicted in a vivid manner and his writing style will not frustrate most readers; he truly knows how to set an ideal reading pace. Shadowstorm built upon that reputation. Kemp was even able to keep his most recent Erevis Cale narrative out of the “just here to move the story along” – also known as a “transition” book – category. He did so by applying intense story lines, more abundant and all around better action, and an ending that left everything up in the air. Least to say, I am extremely excited for the 2008 release of Shadowrealm.
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