 First edition | |
| Author | Brent Weeks |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Illustrator: Calvin Chu Design: Peter Cotton |
| Language | English |
| Series | Night Angel |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Orbit |
Publication date | October 2008 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback, paperback, and mass paperback) |
| Pages | 688 |
| ISBN | 0-316-03367-7 |
| OCLC | 225870139 |
| Followed by | Shadow's Edge |
The Way of Shadows is a 2008 fantasy novel written by Brent Weeks and the first novel in the Night Angel series.
The novel is set in Cenaria City, capital of the Kingdom of Cenaria on the continent of Midcyru. Beginning in the Warrens—a lawless slum district—the story expands into the East Side, where the wealthy and middle class reside.
Though Cenaria operates under the guise of a monarchy, true power lies with the Sa'Kage (Lords of the Shadows), a council of criminal masterminds
The Way of Shadows follows Azoth, a street child who becomes apprenticed to Durzo Blint, the city's premier wetboy—an assassin with supernatural abilities. Assuming the new identity of Kylar Stern, he undergoes years of rigorous training in both combat and magic, particularly concerning a powerful artifact called the ka'kari.
As Kylar masters his craft, he becomes embroiled in a complex political conspiracy involving the criminal Sa'kage organization and a looming foreign invasion. While protecting his childhood friend Elene and navigating court intrigue, he must reconcile his assassin's duties with his moral compass. The narrative culminates in Kylar confronting crucial decisions about power, loyalty, and identity that will affect both his life and the kingdom's fate.
The entire Night Angel trilogy was published as mass market paperback volumes in October 2008. Since its debut, the trilogy has been printed in more than 14 languages, and has more than one million copies in print. The Way of Shadows was also published as a graphic novel by Yen Press, adapted by Andrew McDonald and Ivan Brandon. Orbit Books published a hardcover 10th Anniversary Edition of the trilogy in November 2018. [1]
David Andrew Gemmell was a British author of heroic fantasy, best known for his debut novel, Legend. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. He went on to write over thirty novels. Gemmell's works display violence, yet also explore themes of honour, loyalty and redemption. There is always a strong heroic theme but nearly always the heroes are flawed in some way. With over one million copies sold, his work continues to sell worldwide.
Blood of Elves is the first novel in The Witcher series written by the Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, first published in Poland in 1994. It is a sequel to the Witcher short stories collected in the books The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny and is followed by Time of Contempt. The book won the Janusz A. Zajdel Award in 1994 and the David Gemmell Legend Award in 2009. An English translation was published in the United Kingdom in 2008 (Gollancz) and in the United States in 2009 (Orbit).
Sherrilyn Kenyon is a US writer. Under her former married name, she wrote both urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She is best known for her Dark Hunter series. Under the pseudonym Kinley MacGregor she writes historical fiction with paranormal elements. Kenyon's novels have sold over 70 million copies in print in over 100 countries. Under both names, her books have appeared at the top of the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today lists, and they are frequent bestsellers in Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
The Farseer trilogy is a series of fantasy novels by American author Robin Hobb, published from 1995 to 1997. It is often described as epic fantasy, and as a character-driven and introspective work. Set in and around the fictional realm of the Six Duchies, it tells the story of FitzChivalry Farseer, an illegitimate son of a prince who is trained as an assassin. Political machinations within the royal family threaten his life, and the kingdom is beset by naval raids. Fitz possesses two forms of magic: the telepathic Skill that runs in the royal line, and the socially despised Wit that enables bonding with animals. The series follows his life as he seeks to restore stability to the kingdom.
Waylander is a fantasy novel by British writer David Gemmell, published in 1986. It is the first of three Waylander stories, followed by Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf and Waylander III: Hero In The Shadows.
Stan Nicholls is a British author and journalist, working full-time since 1981. He is the author of many novels and short stories but is best known for the Orcs: First Blood series.
Joseph Edward Abercrombie is a British fantasy writer and film editor. He is the author of The First Law trilogy, as well as other fantasy books in the same setting and a trilogy of young adult novels. His novel Half a King won the 2015 Locus Award for best young adult book.
Tui Tamara Sutherland is an American children's book author who has written more than 60 books under her own name and under several pen names. In 2009, she won $46,200 over three games on Jeopardy! She is best known for writing the Wings of Fire series of epic dragon fantasy novels. Sutherland's books have sold over 15 million copies.
The Riftwar Cycle is the name given to the series of books authored or co-authored by Raymond E. Feist that revolve around the fantasy worlds of Midkemia and Kelewan.
Brent Weeks is an American fantasy writer. His debut novel, The Way of Shadows, was a New York Times best seller in April 2009. Each of the five books in his Lightbringer series made the NYT list as well, starting with The Black Prism in 2010. He lives and works near Portland, Oregon with his wife, Kristi, and their two daughters.
Night Angel is a fantasy novel series written by Brent Weeks.
Shadow's Edge is a fantasy novel written by Brent Weeks and the second novel in the Night Angel series released in November 2008.
Larry Correia is an American fantasy and science fiction writer, known for his Monster Hunter International, Grimnoir Chronicles, and Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series. He has authored or co-authored over 30 novels, has over 50 published short works, two collections of stories, and has co-edited four published anthologies.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is a 2010 fantasy novel by American writer N. K. Jemisin, the first book of The Inheritance Trilogy. Jemisin's debut novel, it was published by Orbit Books in 2010. It won the 2011 Locus Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for the World Fantasy, Hugo, and Nebula awards, among others. Its sequel, The Broken Kingdoms, was also released in 2010.
Mark Lawrence is an American-British novelist who wrote The Broken Empire trilogy. In 2014, Lawrence won the David Gemmell Award for Fantasy for best novel for Emperor of Thorns. He operates the annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off.
Wolf in Shadow is a 1987 post-apocalyptic heroic fantasy novel by British author David Gemmell. It is similar to Gemmell's first book Legend in that Legend arose from Gemmell's own illness with cancer, and Wolf in Shadow was written while he dealt with his mother's cancer and subsequent death.
The David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, established in memory of David Gemmell, were awarded from 2009 to 2018. In 2009, only the Legend Award for best fantasy novel was awarded. Beginning in 2010 the Morningstar Award for best fantasy newcomer and the Ravenheart Award for best fantasy cover art were added. The award was closed in 2019.
The Broken Empire Trilogy is a trilogy of fantasy novels written by American-British author Mark Lawrence. The first volume, Prince of Thorns, was published on August 2, 2011. The second, King of Thorns, was published on August 7, 2012. The third and final volume, Emperor of Thorns, was published on August 6, 2013.
The Powder Magetrilogy is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brian McClellan. It consists of the novels Promise of Blood (2013), The Crimson Campaign (2014) and The Autumn Republic (2015). In 2014, Promise of Blood received the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer. Several short stories and novellas set in the world of The Powder Mage trilogy have been published, as well as an additional trilogy called Gods of Blood and Powder.
The Imager Portfolio is a 12 book series of fantasy novels recently completed by American novelist L. E. Modesitt, Jr. The series is published by Tor Books. The first novel, Imager, was first published in 2009; Endgames, the final volume, was completed in February 2019. The entire series is available in hardcover, mass market paperback, e-book (Kindle), Audible audiobook, and various other electronic formats. Tantor Audio employed William Dufris to narrate the series.