Silver Shadows: A Book Review

And here is the second outstanding book review. Thought it best to get them written up before going on my holiday. As I'm taking a trilogy with me I didn't really want to come back home to 5 reviews needing writing! Silver Shadows by Elaine Cunningham is a Forgotten Realms novel and its major character is Arilyn Moonblade from the novel Elfshadow. It is set at around the same time as the novel Elfsong which also (briefly) features Arilyn. This book basically details the adventures that Arilyn is having while her partner Danilo Thann is battling a renegade bard in the north.

Here Arilyn is caught up in the machinations of Lord Inselm Hhune, a prominent guildmaster i the fractured land of Tethyr whose illegal logging operation is provoking the peaceful wild elves of the Tethir Forest. Exacerbating matters is Hhune's vicious henchman, a brute by the name of Bunlap (silly name I know!), who seems hellbent on destroying the elves outright. With Hhune elsewhere (he has gone north to Waterdeep and features in Elfsong whilst there), Bunlap has carte blanche to run things his way.

Arilyn is tasked by Queen Amlaruil of Evermeet (the island home of the elven peoples) to offer the wild elves the route of Retreat to Evermeet's well guarded shores. Initially hostile to the idea of helping the queen who has never regarded Arilyn (a half-elf) with anything less than revulsion, Arilyn does come around to the idea after finding out that her soul (and that of Danilo also) have become bonded to the magical Moonblade she wields. Horrified at the idea of being trapped in the blade when she dies, she agrees to serve as Evermeets emmissary to the wild elves in the hope that the queen can sever the bond that will trap her and her partner's souls.

In the forest she has to be careful to conceal her mixed heritage, as while the elves will tolerate a non-wild elf in their presence, they would kill her in an instant if they knew she was a half-elf. There Arilyn befriends the war leader of the people, a charismatic male elf named Foxfire, and she is watched closely by a female named Ferret. But when the elves strength is not enough, Arilyn must call on an unusual ally, the human Tinkersdam, a priest of Gond (God of Technology and Invention) and his explosive conconctions. I would be grossly underestimating him if I said that Tinkersdam is a very fun character.

I can't really say amore about the plot without giving away some huge surprises, as the plot twists and turns, with the characters having to go all over the place before eventually figuring out Bunlap's plan and fighting a truly epic battle.

Elaine's lyrical writing style is perfect for elves, and it is no surprise that most of her Realms novels feature elves strongly (though the less said about her awful Counsellors & Kings trilogy the better). I am taking her Starlight & Shadows trilogy on holiday to Malta with me. there is another sequel to this book (The Dream Spheres which is sat on my To-Read list at the time of writing this) and another (Restoration) being written. Silver Shadows though gets a solid 4/5 rating from me.