Review: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

I was a little bit nervous about reading The Way of Shadows. I knew I would be publishing an interview with Brent Weeks followed shortly by my review of the book. The last thing I wanted was to trash the book after the author was kind enough to take time to answer my questions. However, I did vow a few months ago not to let things like that interfere with my opinions. Lucky for me, those worries were unfounded, as I had a great time reading The Way of Shadows.

This review will be in the Things I Liked/Things I Didn't Like format, which means I wont do a plot summary. I will quote the summary from the publisher:

For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death.

Things I Liked
--First off, there was a lot to like, as this book might take my label of best book of the year away from The Ten Thousand. It really is that good. I haven't heard a lot of buzz about this book prior to launch, so I think readers are going to be pleasantly surprised.
--The conflicted characters. There is hardly a character that doesnt have a dark side. Even some characters that you think really are "good" have a shady paste that they regret. Or vice-versa. The 2 main characters, Durzo and Azoth/Kylar, both have their dark side and light side. Its cool that there are things to like and dislike about both. However, as the story movies along, its almost impossible not to get attached to these two characters. They are both very well realized.
--While the story appears to be about 2 assassins, its also about much more. It gradually expands to include more of the world giving the book (and series) wider implications.
--The entire series is being published in a 3 month period. No need to wait 1 year between each book.
--The high body count. Not that I like to see lots of deaths in the books I read, but it is a nice change of pace to know that absolutely NO character is safe. Don't become too attached to the characters, as they might not make it until the end of the book. The author doesn't take it easy on his characters, as pretty much all of them face tough choices at some point. And, not all of them make the right ones.
--There were lots of unpredictable elements. Several times I thought I knew where the story was going, or I thought I had figured out the surprise background of some of the characters, and in every case I was wrong.
--The relationship between Durzo and Kylar was well-done and believable. Because of this, it was tough reading some of the later sections of the book, knowing that things between them were going to change.
--I liked the continuing "value of life" theme throughout the book, as well as the morality war between Durzo and Kylar that resulted from that theme.
--For me, it had that hard to define quality of being a must read. The last 400 pages were non-stop and i honestly wanted to take a half day of vacation just so i can read through the book in one sitting. In fact, I got up early this morning to do cardio at the gym, just because I knew I could finish the book in that 45 minute workout.

Things I Didn't Like
--At times early in the book, the writing was a bit awkward, especially when trying to introduce the differences between the various lands in Midcyru.
--Some early plotlines that seemed like they were going to be important, just kinda got dropped. For instance, early in the book Logan becomes regent. Then Logan's mother raises a claim to have herself named regent instead. Seems like its going to be a big deal, time is spent building it up, but then nothing every really happens and it just fades away.
--I kinda wish we didnt zip through 8 or so years in the first 150 pages. I know this is a big book already, but I would like to have seen more of Azoth's training with Durzo. I think that could have been pretty cool. If this was a shared-world series (like Dragonlance), I bet we would see a story about those "missing" years.

Overall, I was more than pleasantly surprised by this book. I actually loved it. The characters, the plot, and the quick pacing really worked for me. About halfway through the book I thought I would name it my debut novel of the year, but after finishing the book, I'm not sure if that claim is enough. The Way of Shadows is definitely in my top 5 novels of the year, and might even hold the top spot. I can't wait to see if the high quality continues in the next 2 books. I'm very glad I will be able to answer that question in 4 weeks when Shadow's Edge is published.