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From Amazon
Sara Ash's Lord of Snow and Shadows is the promising opener to the Tears of Artamon series. The novel sets the stage in grand fashion as Ash deftly introduces the principal players in her well-realized fantasy realm. She begins with Gavril, a carefree portrait painter basking in the sunny climes of an irrelevant island republic. He soon discovers he is heir to a great and terrible legacy in the snowy wasteland of Azhkendir. Kidnapped by his murdered father’s personal guard, he is both captive and the Drakhoan--ruler of Azhkendir. His inheritance turns out to be more than just a crown, however. A dark force of immeasurable power is growing inside him while he finds his realm under siege from within and without.
Ash masterfully avoids most of the usual fantasy memes--except, of course, the reluctant hero, Gavril--and imports a vast menagerie of technologies and culturally resonant magics into her world. Her conflicting armies wield magic, muskets, and heavy cannon alongside darker forces that are too delicious to mention here. Apart from a few niggling inconsistencies (Gavril's transformation from foppish artist to deft statesman, for one), Ash's novel is a frosty infusion of new air into a genre overrun with the usual maidens-with-broadswords clichés. –-Jeremy Pugh --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
In this excellent start to a new fantasy series from British author Ash (Moths to a Flame), Gavril Andar, an idealistic young artist, falls for the nobly born Astasia Orlova, whose portrait he's been hired to paint. Luckily, he's attractive enough for Astasia to return the favor. He doesn't know he's also Gavril Nagarian, son of the recently assassinated ruler of the wintry kingdom of Azhkendir, and that fate is about to deal him a dreadful blow. Like his father before him, Gavril becomes soul-bound to the Drakhaoul, a creature that grants awesome power at a terrible price. Kidnapped, Gavril finds himself trapped in Kastel Drakhaon, reluctant to draw on his new magical abilities, as their use only makes him more beast-like and less human. But with Prince Eugene of Tielin threatening to reconquer all of the Rossiyan Empire, he may have no choice. Fascinating and unpredictable, Gavril's tale gains richness from the grand scope of Ash's narrative, with its echoes of Russian history under the czars. Enhanced by supporting characters who are living, breathing individuals, this book will leave readers drooling to get their hands on the sequel from the moment they turn its final page.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review by Bibliotropic ([...]),
By
This review is from: Lord of Snow and Shadows: Book One of The Tears of Artamon (Mass Market Paperback)
The first book in the Tears of Artamon trilogy is definitely worth reading. Sarash Ash handles well the large cast, the numerous layers of politcal intruige, and weaves a deep and fascinating story without getting too bogged down in details. I've seen some authors try to write political intruige and have their book come off as dull and dry, and I'm happy to report that this is far from the case in Lord of Snow and Shadows.Ash's style is tight, with no words wasted or left out. In addition to this trilogy, she's written a few other books which I'm going to have to track down, since her style and storytelling ability alone will be enough to keep me coming back to her novels, even if at some point the story itself happens to be less than thrilling. I loved the fact that Ash took inspiration from Europe's history, cultures,and various aspects of mythology in her worldbuilding. The world is familiar and yet entirely new. The mix of magic and technology, the overlap, and various views held by different people in different cultures was also a treat to see, because the way she wrote even conflicting opinions was as if both sides were right. Some authors will try to pull this off by having magic be primitive and technology be vital, or by technology being overbearing and magic being the best way. While each character has their own opinion on sciences and magics in Lord of Snow and Shadows, the narrative voice offers no bias one way or the other, and we see the opinions purely through the eyes of the characters. My only comnplaints in regards to this novel are trivial and subjective, such as the fact that I found it hard to think of Kiukiu as an adult, or at least very close to one. The childish nickname of "Kiukiu", plus the fact people treated her as though she were a juvenile in the early stages of the book, constantly left me with the impression that she was prepubescent, which made some later scenes in the book just seem odd. I occasionally had to take a step back from the story to remind myself that no, she's not a little child no matter what my preconceptions were. But again, that's a subjective complaint. Other people may not have the same reaction. I did, however, adore the relationship between Eugene and Jaromir, or rather the lack of a relationship that made me want to yell at the two of them to just get a room already! The relationship between then was technically that of mentor and ward, but they both acted as though it had long ago toppled over into something much more intimate. Eugene calling him "my Jaro" and embracing him, the way Jaromir was constantly on Eugene's thoughts, and the way it seemed to him that all colour left the world when he believed Jaromir to be dead seemed a lot like Eugene felt something beyond a mentor's affection and an interest in seeing Jaromir rule Azhkendir. Really, I cheered for Eugene and Jaromir to get together more than I cheered for Gavril and Astasia, or Gavril and Kiukiu. I can't imagine myself disliking the rest of the series after such a promising start and an intruiging cliffhanger at the end, and as I said earlier, I'll probably read more of Ash's novels for the style alone even if the story isn't too great. I'm loving what I've seen of this series so far, and can't wait to start the second book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sarah Ash, an amazing writer,
By Morgan (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lord of Snow and Shadows: Book One of The Tears of Artamon (Mass Market Paperback)
I LOVED this book, and the entire series. I thought the detail and description was intense and the storyline thoughtful and expansive. Although the overall mood of the story seemed a little bit dark and depressed, the romance, and the transformations in the book made the mood seem less so....I would recomend this to readers who enjoy not-so fantasy, or not way over the top fantasy. If you read the first book and like it I highly suggest that you read the next two in the trilogy!!!!!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Fantasy...,
By
This review is from: Lord of Snow and Shadows: Book One of The Tears of Artamon (Mass Market Paperback)
I was looking for something new in a good fantasy book, and stumbled across this title from an author I had never heard of. The reviews were good, and the description sounded unique, so i dove in.I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. The writing is well-paced. The characters are deep, beleivable, and all too human in their capacity for error in spite of great power. There seems to be a tremendous potential in the way of backstory and world detail so that Sarah Ash should be able to continue this series and expand upon it to keep fans like me happy. I look forward to the sequels.
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