Shadows Fall

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books Ever written
Review: A Very nice blend of Science fiction, Fantasy and psychologicaly introspective characters. In this surreal world of Simon R. Green's Creation you find everything from Elves to Dead men to Cartoon Characters. And it makes perfect sense. A must-read.

Rating:
Summary: Flawed but worth reading.
Review: Green is an underappreciated writer, who does not seem to have caught the attention of the Neil Gaiman and Glen Cook fans. Some of his later books are more polished, but Shadows Fall is stuffed with ideas, and likeable characters (some human, some not). The problem with it is the resolution. It reads as though Green had written himself into a corner, and did not so much resolve the plot lines as chop them off with an axe. This should not be read as a criticism of the author -- I can't think of anyone who's been able to pull off this sort of thing (though C.S. Lewis came close). Definitely worth reading, but be prepared for a let-down in the last few pages.

Rating:
Summary: Loved the idea, hated the ending.
Review: I love the whole premise of the book, and the author makes a good initial start. He gives us some interesting characters, and a good bit of intrigue, then drops the ball.

I still enjoy re-reading the book, but I have to stop before the "hail mary" ending. The first time I read it, I got to the end, and was EXTREMELY disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Loved the idea, hated the ending.
Review: I love the whole premise of the book, and the author makes a good initial start. He gives us some interesting characters, and a good bit of intrigue, then drops the ball.

I still enjoy re-reading the book, but I have to stop before the "hail mary" ending. The first time I read it, I got to the end, and was EXTREMELY disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: absolutely brilliant, moving and enchanting.
Review: I loved this book, it has changed the way I see things. A work of fiction has never moved me like this one did. The characters were real, alive, passionate and feeling. The story and all the sub-stories were inventive and spiritual. Never before have I read such a brilliant book.

Rating:
Summary: Where dreams go to die
Review: I only got this book through a very kind friend. And I was delighted.

Shadow's Fall is a town where dreams go to die, and bizarre things are commonplace. (Cartoon animals playing with normal animals?) Except there's a prophecy (<sigh> there's always a prophec) of the town's doom tied to one man--and that man has come to town.

It's almost a surreal mystery. And the pieces tie together very nicely; Green thought out the setting pretty well. Perhaps the worst flaw in the book is the pretty-much-irrelevant chapter dealing with Polly's problems, which I thought could've been removed from the book without changing it much.

Rating:
Summary: Still my favorite book of all time
Review: I picked up this book years ago on a whim. By the time I was done with it, I wanted there to be more. But after searching all I could on the author, I found out this was a different kind of book than what he usually does. That's too bad because this is the book that I hold as the standard for everything I've read since. Nothing even comes close. It has everything from cartoon characters, elves, Father time, and of course the unliving turnip headed Jack Fetch. I longed for a movie version, or even an comic adaption, but the best book I've ever read went out of print and disapeared from everywhere but used book stores. It's a shame this book didn't get the recognition it deserves. Please everyone write the publisher and demand this book be re-released so a new generation can discover what true storytelling is.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Idea Falls Short
Review: I thought that Shadows Fall was extremely entertaining up to the halfway mark. Strangely enough, once the action started to pick up a bit I became more and more disenchanted. For one thing, there are far too many subplots woven together to keep the work as a whole cohesive. Shadows Fall has interesting characters (including a thinly disguised rock star who is no longer with us), a creative setting, and an impressive premise. It also has a very disappointing conclusion. Maybe this one book could have been divided into a trilogy or series with each subplot given the attention it deserved.

Rating:
Summary: About the best I have ever read.
Review: Like other books he has written, the author has an army come through town and you can hear their boots step in the blood and gore---maybe it's because he's British,but this is about the best book I have ever read. I was wondering if the author could pull off a good ending after all that was happening, and he did. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Something Green This Way Comes
Review: Shadow's Fall is one of those books that defines genre labeling, so it often gets overlooked by mainstream readers. It's a neat little story, combining elements of a modern fantasy, which reminded me of a meeting between Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes", and Baum's "Oz" stories. The mythical universe of Shadow's Fall comes alive in this book and the reader experiences the best feeling that one could have when reading such a book: you wish you could go there and visit the place for yourself. Higher praise is simply not possible. Green is better known for his fun, romping Deathstalker stories, but this one shows that the author can branch out and write a less traditional story (although in one of the Deathstalker books, there's a couple of chapters which reminded me of Shadow's Fall). All in all, a good story and highly recommended.