The Way of Shadows
- Author: Brent Weeks
- Publisher: Orbit
- Classification: Dark Fantasy, Night Angel Trilogy
The Way of Shadows, part one of The Night Angel trilogy, is set in a fantasy land where life is brutal for most of the population. The landed gentry live well, but for many their homes are the slums that spring up in any urban area.
These are ruled by ruthless gangs with members as young as 5. Their only way to make a living is to steal off the unfortunate who walk through the gang’s territory. If the gang member doesn’t bring in enough money and they miss their quota, very tough punishments are meted out.
Asoth is one of these gang members, a guild rat. But he’s also smart and wants to get out. But with no money of his own, and his only protection being the rest of the gang the only way out for Asoth is to apprentice with Durzo Blint.
Durzo Blint is a wetboy, more accurately ‘the’ wetboy. Wetboys are like assassins in the same way that a cat is like a tiger. They train harder, longer, and all are gifted with abilities which allow them to move faster than the eye can see. Although Durzo isn’t interested in taking on an apprentice, Asoth is persistent…
The perfect killer has no friends, only targets
Good book. Good series. In places it’s very brutal particularly the description of Asoth’s first job, to kill the head of his gang. So this is not a series for the more gentler of readers, however, for everyone else there’s an interesting story line with some great characters.
Asoth’s journey to become a wetboy is not a smooth one, which means you get behind him as a character. And his relationship with Blint is also interesting as he becomes a farther figure to the young apprentice.
This is good dark fantasy with a bit of a brutal edge, so give it a read…
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