It was only supposed to be one little job – a simple curse-breaking for Mennik Thorn to pay back a favor to his oldest friend. But then it all blew up in his face. Now he’s been framed for a murder he didn’t commit.
So how is a second-rate mage, broke, traumatized, and with a habit of annoying the wrong people, supposed to prove his innocence when everyone believes he’s guilty?
Mennik has no choice if he wants to get out of this: he is going to have to throw himself into the corrupt world of the city’s high mages, a world he fled years ago. Faced by supernatural beasts, the mage-killing Ash Guard, and a ruthless, unknown adversary, it’s going to take every trick Mennik can summon just to keep him and his friend alive.
But a new, dark power is rising in Agatos, and all that stands in its way is one damaged mage…
Kop’s Review
I’m going to be honest here. I read this book a while back and am only just now writing up my review for it. This nearly 500 page book was an absolute speed of a read. I couldn’t put it down once I picked it up. The pacing was fast but also consistent. And it was fast because of the clever writing, not necessarily because of any action sequences. I think my favorite aspects was the personality of the protagonist and also the ghost-hunting (mystery) plot. I loved how what starts off as a sort of side-job slowly turns into a real focal point, including learning a bit about the family’s history and how they’re involved in the larger scheme of things. I will say, though, that I personally didn’t find many of the minor characters to be that memorable. Perhaps that’s because the protagonist stuck out to me so much. I found him to be a good balance of serious and snarky, at least in my eyes.
When reading that I found myself enjoying the book but not developing an emotional connection to it. The longer it’s been since I’ve read it, though, the more I’ve grown to really like it as a whole. It was a fun, almost pulpy read. While I do wish it had a little something extra to really assert an emotional connection with me the reader, I still had a great time overall.
All that rambling aside, my final score is a 7.5/10.
Hiu’s Review
I’m gonna be brutally honest here, so apologies in advance. This book was not one that caught my attention going in. The premise didn’t really do anything for me. It just… didn’t seem like anything I hadn’t seen before. To tell the truth, I initially passed on it. I wasn’t supposed to review this book.
But then we had only a few books left to go in SPFBO, I thought I’d check this one out on the side, and next thing you know it’s done. And I’m left with a big grin on my face.
Because, fuck me, but Shadow of a Dead God is fun.
As a reader, one thing I struggle with in a book is when it feels lifeless. When I don’t get a real sense of personality from the characters, or when there isn’t a distinct narrative or authorial voice to pull me into the story. Here, that wasn’t a problem. Mennik Thorn has charisma (and snark) for days. It only takes a few chapters to get a hold of who he is — he’s a mage, he’s broke, he’s got a bit of a problem with rich people, he’s got a bigger problem with running his mouth, and he did not kill that man, officer. But he’s also really loyal to his friends (of which there are few), and is willing to do whatever it takes to save them when they need help.
I thought Mennik really meshed well with the world he was in, too. He has a frantic energy about him, but that’s what you need to survive in the city of Agatos. What with crime lords like the Wren lurking in the shadows, and the magic-dampening Ash Guard looking to dispose of any misbehaving mages. I’m not quite sure what time period this book was trying to emulate, but Shadow of a Dead God really has the feel of a contemporary urban fantasy. Despite being set considerably earlier than modern times and having a lot of up-front magic. It’s that tried and tested mixture of a down-on-his-luck main character, a city that feels like a character in its own right, and a string of unfortunate circumstances.
And look, it’s not easy to string those kind of circumstances together. To avoid uneven pacing while hopping from disaster to disaster, inserting transitions and coincidences that feel natural rather than contrived. But for me, Patrick Samphire pulled it off. Actually, between finishing the book and writing this review, I read another book from an acclaimed urban fantasy series with a similar structure. I enjoyed it, but there were times where I thought… “Y’know, I think I preferred how Shadow of a Dead God pulled this off”.
So we have a frantic plot centered around a murder mystery, a colourful world, and an engaging main character. But I do have some criticisms. Like Kop, I did find myself wishing that the side-characters were fleshed out a little more. I also wished we had more time for some deeper character exploration. But with that said… I’ve found in the past that these episodic-feeling series tend to focus heavily on the main character in the first book, with more exploration of the wider cast coming in the sequels. There was also some light male gaze — mostly in the form of Mennik lusting after an officer that keeps almost arresting him — but I wouldn’t say there was enough to feel off-putting unless this is a particular pet peeve.
If you’re a fan of fantasy novels that take place in well-realized city settings, with a main character who brings a lot of humour to the table, this one is definitely for you. If you like books that meld the genres of fantasy and crime, then that recommendation goes double. I can imagine there will be some readers that will feel the comedic aspects go a little overboard at times, so take a note if you’re sensitive to that, but for me Patrick Samphire nailed the balance between story and humour.
I wasn’t supposed to review this book. I liked it enough that I had to.
My final score is 8.5/10.
Taking both scores into account, The Fantasy Inn’s final SPFBO rating is a 8/10
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