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Tom Doherty Associates
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Fantasy. Fiction. HTML: From debut author Daniel Abraham comes A Shadow in Summer, the first book in the Long Price Quartet fantasy series. The powerful city-state of Saraykeht is a bastion of peace and culture, a major center of commerce and trade. Its economy depends on the power of the captive spirit, Seedless, an andat bound to the poet-sorcerer Heshai for life. Enter the Galts, a juggernaut of an empire committed to laying waste to all lands with their ferocious army. Saraykeht, though, has always been too strong for the Galts to attack, but now they see an opportunity. If they can dispose of Heshai, Seedless's bonded poet-sorcerer, Seedless will perish and the entire city will fall. With secret forces inside the city, the Galts prepare to enact their terrible plan. In the middle is Otah, a simple laborer with a complex past. Recruited to act as a bodyguard for his girlfriend's boss at a secret meeting, he inadvertently learns of the Galtish plot. Otah finds himself as the sole hope of Saraykeht, either he stops the Galts, or the whole city and everyone in it perishes forever. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member TerryWeyna
It’s a thrill when a new, really good fantasy writer comes along, someone comfortable with the old tropes and willing to explore them with new ideas. Daniel Abraham is off to a good start with A Shadow in Summer, a fantasy rich with politics and a new, strange sort of magic that partakes in equal
A Shadow in Summer has obviously been influenced by The New Weird, even if it is not part of it. The city of Machi is its own character, a vaguely Asian trading center where cotton rules because of the presence of the andat Seedless, a creature that can cause cotton seeds to drop from the boles without human intervention. Seedless is a living poem, created by a high caste of humans who can hold visions created of and composed of words and ideas, and sometimes even create them with the perfect words in the perfect order. In this world, poets are among the most honored and rewarded of humans because of their ability to bring forth the andat.
Whether the andat appreciate being used, however, is another question: they don’t. They incessantly attempt to escape, and as years go by, they are sooner or later successful. As a result, it is harder and harder for a poet to find a new andat that is of any commercial use, and no one has any interest in an andat that can’t be used for profit. Seedless is one of the last who has value – for once an andat is called, it is very difficult, often impossible, to catch it again. An andat comes from blissful nothingness into a simulacrum of life, devoted to easy service but experienced as unpleasant servitude. A poet, on the other hand, comes from a childhood of unceasing, brutal labor and discipline – called “training,” of course – into a life of honor, dignity and riches. The dynamic between the poet and the andat, therefore, is that of one who has escaped slavery and now owns a slave of his own.
The characterization in A Shadow in Summer is particularly well-drawn. Otah is a student of poetry for whom the brutality proves to be too much, despite his remarkable talent. Maati is the poet for whom Otah once did a kindness that was not a kindness, a man both weak and strong, who longs for the honor of holding an andat within his power but recognizes, too, the wrong of it. Seedless itself is sly, sad, smart. Amat is a canny woman who longs for mercantile power, who has the brains of a capitalist and the scheming of a tycoon.
But it is the plotting that makes this book especially fascinating. There is so much scheming, so many plots within plots, that the reader must pay close attention in order to understand the complexities of this well-imagined society. The book holds the best of mystery even as it partakes entirely of modern, urban fantasy.
Best of all, A Shadow in Summer tells an entire story in the first book of a series of four. The reader isn’t left hanging on a cliff edge, hoping that the next book comes along before interest falls off. To the contrary, this book whets one’s appetite for more because of the very skill of it, that is, because of Abraham’s ability to tell a single, unified story while still leaving plenty of room for further development. I’m looking forward to Winter’s Cities, the second book of The Long Price Quartet, because this author has what it takes to tell a story, the same way I look forward to the next Swainston or Mieville. I hope we’ll be hearing a lot more from Abraham.
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measure of the mercantile and the poetic. The driving force for many of the characters is a love of country or city, a love of home; for others, it is a love of the ethical, the true, the moral; for some, it is both. This first book of a quartet – “The Long Price Quartet” – is quite promising.A Shadow in Summer has obviously been influenced by The New Weird, even if it is not part of it. The city of Machi is its own character, a vaguely Asian trading center where cotton rules because of the presence of the andat Seedless, a creature that can cause cotton seeds to drop from the boles without human intervention. Seedless is a living poem, created by a high caste of humans who can hold visions created of and composed of words and ideas, and sometimes even create them with the perfect words in the perfect order. In this world, poets are among the most honored and rewarded of humans because of their ability to bring forth the andat.
Whether the andat appreciate being used, however, is another question: they don’t. They incessantly attempt to escape, and as years go by, they are sooner or later successful. As a result, it is harder and harder for a poet to find a new andat that is of any commercial use, and no one has any interest in an andat that can’t be used for profit. Seedless is one of the last who has value – for once an andat is called, it is very difficult, often impossible, to catch it again. An andat comes from blissful nothingness into a simulacrum of life, devoted to easy service but experienced as unpleasant servitude. A poet, on the other hand, comes from a childhood of unceasing, brutal labor and discipline – called “training,” of course – into a life of honor, dignity and riches. The dynamic between the poet and the andat, therefore, is that of one who has escaped slavery and now owns a slave of his own.
The characterization in A Shadow in Summer is particularly well-drawn. Otah is a student of poetry for whom the brutality proves to be too much, despite his remarkable talent. Maati is the poet for whom Otah once did a kindness that was not a kindness, a man both weak and strong, who longs for the honor of holding an andat within his power but recognizes, too, the wrong of it. Seedless itself is sly, sad, smart. Amat is a canny woman who longs for mercantile power, who has the brains of a capitalist and the scheming of a tycoon.
But it is the plotting that makes this book especially fascinating. There is so much scheming, so many plots within plots, that the reader must pay close attention in order to understand the complexities of this well-imagined society. The book holds the best of mystery even as it partakes entirely of modern, urban fantasy.
Best of all, A Shadow in Summer tells an entire story in the first book of a series of four. The reader isn’t left hanging on a cliff edge, hoping that the next book comes along before interest falls off. To the contrary, this book whets one’s appetite for more because of the very skill of it, that is, because of Abraham’s ability to tell a single, unified story while still leaving plenty of room for further development. I’m looking forward to Winter’s Cities, the second book of The Long Price Quartet, because this author has what it takes to tell a story, the same way I look forward to the next Swainston or Mieville. I hope we’ll be hearing a lot more from Abraham.
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LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
The book is set in the city-states of the Khaiem, cities each ruled by a leader and which are world powers due to their control of andats, spirits made flesh by well-trained poets. The andats are the power that keeps the Khaiem from being overpowered by the other countries in the world, and are
The story in this book revolves around one such andat, who hates his poet, and the poet, and the poet's trainee, and the boy who could have been a poet but left, and a foreign trade company and its machinations and employees. One employee of the trade company, Amat, is a badass and completely awesome and I want an entire book about her.
Anyway, the world-building is quite good. The story has enough twists that it might just verge on overdoing it, but it comes out feeling like a complex and nuanced and thus real plot instead. And the characters are very real. I liked it quite a bit and do look forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes up in my rotation.
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thus a huge tactical power as well.The story in this book revolves around one such andat, who hates his poet, and the poet, and the poet's trainee, and the boy who could have been a poet but left, and a foreign trade company and its machinations and employees. One employee of the trade company, Amat, is a badass and completely awesome and I want an entire book about her.
Anyway, the world-building is quite good. The story has enough twists that it might just verge on overdoing it, but it comes out feeling like a complex and nuanced and thus real plot instead. And the characters are very real. I liked it quite a bit and do look forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes up in my rotation.
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LibraryThing member rocalisa
A Shadow in Summer - Daniel Abraham (DNF)
Fantasy; book 1 of The Long Price Quartet.
I'd seen this mentioned around the blogsphere and thought the premise looked rather good - a world where an empire maintains its mercantile power by having poets make fundamental ideas take physical form and use
Fantasy; book 1 of The Long Price Quartet.
I'd seen this mentioned around the blogsphere and thought the premise looked rather good - a world where an empire maintains its mercantile power by having poets make fundamental ideas take physical form and use
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their resulting power to the empire's advantage. The idea was clever, but the characters didn't grab me and about a third through I found myself bored and wanting to read something else. After starting that something else, I found I didn't feel any desire to go back to this one. A pity, as the idea was great, but it wasn't enough to save the book for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member tcgardner
Where to start? First off this book was not what I thought it would be. It is more of a literary work that a standard fantasy trope.
This is a book about relationships and human interaction. What is the true nature of love? Responsibility, loyalty, nurturing, sex? How do we express our love of
I must say the first half of the book was slow for me and I was tempted to not finish the book, but I pushed through and the story picked up pace and held my interest.
My problem: No real action. Lots of narrative (too much), and dialogue (not a bad thing). For such interesting world magic, trapping "forces" in human form bound by a poet, this was not explored much. We see only one of these "forces." For what it is, the books is good. Just not my favorite type of read.
Overall a pretty good read, but do not expect any action to speak of. Recommended.
This is a book about relationships and human interaction. What is the true nature of love? Responsibility, loyalty, nurturing, sex? How do we express our love of
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others? Just a few questions this book raises.I must say the first half of the book was slow for me and I was tempted to not finish the book, but I pushed through and the story picked up pace and held my interest.
My problem: No real action. Lots of narrative (too much), and dialogue (not a bad thing). For such interesting world magic, trapping "forces" in human form bound by a poet, this was not explored much. We see only one of these "forces." For what it is, the books is good. Just not my favorite type of read.
Overall a pretty good read, but do not expect any action to speak of. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member pwaites
The city-state of Saraykeht has grown wealthy off of the cotton trade. Their court poet, Heshai, has put into words and bound an idea and spirit, Seedless, who can remove seeds from cotton with a wave of his hand. Thanks to Heshai and Seedless, no other nation can snatch away Saraykeht’s trade or
But the merchants of Galt have developed a plan. Saraykeht can not be conquered by force as long as Heshai has control over Seedless. But what if they can make him loose control?
Central to their plans is the merchant Marchat Wilsin, head of the Galt trading house in Saraykeht. In his reluctance, he inadvertently gives a hint of what is to come to Amat, his business manager. Amat, her assistant Liat, Liat’s lover, and the poet’s apprentice become the sole hope of saving Saraykeht.
A Shadow in Summer was decent in regards to female characters, which is something important to me in all the books I read. I don’t think I would recommend it specifically for female characters, but it manages to do all of the following:
A) Recognize that women exist
B) Recognize that women do things
C) Recognize that those things that aren’t always about or motivated by men
D) Recognize that there can be multiple women who exist and do things and even interact with each other
Really, these are not high standards but so many books fail to pass them. Thankfully, A Shadow in Summer wasn’t one of them. I liked Amat quite a bit. She’s an older woman who’s clawed her way up from poverty to a position of relative authority and importance. Now she’s finding that under threat. She may be able to keep her position, but at the expense of doing nothing and watching her beloved city fall.
I think I first heard of A Shadow in Summer from a list on great world building in fantasy. Having now read it, I can say with certainty that it deserved its place on that list. Saraykeht has a decidedly non-Western feel, although I’m not sure what the specific cultural influences (if any) were. I loved that the language relied was as much body language as spoken language. Their culture possesses a large number of gestures to communicate feelings such as gratitude or inquiry with subtle variations making them even more expressive. It’s no wonder foreigners have a hard time completely understanding the nuances of communication in Saraykeht!
I also liked how economics played such a role in the narrative. Few fantasy books really consider how their economy functions, so this was a delight. And also a potential sign of just how nerdy I am that I liked this so much…
For all that, A Shadow in Summer isn’t a perfect book. I liked Amat and a couple of the other characters, and I found Seedless fascinating if uneasy. However, I never really loved any of them. I still felt a distance there. Something that kept me hesitant with Amat was how later on in the book she becomes involved with a brothel which contains child sex slaves. It was disturbing how casually the narrative mentioned them and how the utter horror of it was never addressed. Additionally, the fact that they were young boys feels like it ties into the association of homosexuality with pedophilia, particularly because the book didn’t contain any queer representation.
For such a minor part of the narrative, it had a rather large impact on my feelings towards the book. It’s made me waver on whether or not I’m really willing to pick up the sequel. I think I ultimately will continue on with this series, but it won’t have a super high priority. At least it stands on it’s own.
I feel like A Shadow in Summer would appeal to fans of Guy Gavriel Kay. It also reminded me of N.K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, mostly for how the spirits are involved. If you enjoy fantasy with original world building and lots of political intrigue, you should give A Shadow in Summer a look.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Content note: I feel like this book could be difficult to read for those who’ve had miscarriages since a forced abortion plays a pretty heavy role in the plot.
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dare attack for fear of what Seedless might be ordered to do.But the merchants of Galt have developed a plan. Saraykeht can not be conquered by force as long as Heshai has control over Seedless. But what if they can make him loose control?
Central to their plans is the merchant Marchat Wilsin, head of the Galt trading house in Saraykeht. In his reluctance, he inadvertently gives a hint of what is to come to Amat, his business manager. Amat, her assistant Liat, Liat’s lover, and the poet’s apprentice become the sole hope of saving Saraykeht.
A Shadow in Summer was decent in regards to female characters, which is something important to me in all the books I read. I don’t think I would recommend it specifically for female characters, but it manages to do all of the following:
A) Recognize that women exist
B) Recognize that women do things
C) Recognize that those things that aren’t always about or motivated by men
D) Recognize that there can be multiple women who exist and do things and even interact with each other
Really, these are not high standards but so many books fail to pass them. Thankfully, A Shadow in Summer wasn’t one of them. I liked Amat quite a bit. She’s an older woman who’s clawed her way up from poverty to a position of relative authority and importance. Now she’s finding that under threat. She may be able to keep her position, but at the expense of doing nothing and watching her beloved city fall.
I think I first heard of A Shadow in Summer from a list on great world building in fantasy. Having now read it, I can say with certainty that it deserved its place on that list. Saraykeht has a decidedly non-Western feel, although I’m not sure what the specific cultural influences (if any) were. I loved that the language relied was as much body language as spoken language. Their culture possesses a large number of gestures to communicate feelings such as gratitude or inquiry with subtle variations making them even more expressive. It’s no wonder foreigners have a hard time completely understanding the nuances of communication in Saraykeht!
I also liked how economics played such a role in the narrative. Few fantasy books really consider how their economy functions, so this was a delight. And also a potential sign of just how nerdy I am that I liked this so much…
For all that, A Shadow in Summer isn’t a perfect book. I liked Amat and a couple of the other characters, and I found Seedless fascinating if uneasy. However, I never really loved any of them. I still felt a distance there. Something that kept me hesitant with Amat was how later on in the book she becomes involved with a brothel which contains child sex slaves. It was disturbing how casually the narrative mentioned them and how the utter horror of it was never addressed. Additionally, the fact that they were young boys feels like it ties into the association of homosexuality with pedophilia, particularly because the book didn’t contain any queer representation.
For such a minor part of the narrative, it had a rather large impact on my feelings towards the book. It’s made me waver on whether or not I’m really willing to pick up the sequel. I think I ultimately will continue on with this series, but it won’t have a super high priority. At least it stands on it’s own.
I feel like A Shadow in Summer would appeal to fans of Guy Gavriel Kay. It also reminded me of N.K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, mostly for how the spirits are involved. If you enjoy fantasy with original world building and lots of political intrigue, you should give A Shadow in Summer a look.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Content note: I feel like this book could be difficult to read for those who’ve had miscarriages since a forced abortion plays a pretty heavy role in the plot.
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LibraryThing member macsbrains
It's hard to review this book separate from its companions in the series. Though the first book, A Shadow in Summer, has its own self-contained plot, the 4 books together are 1 story.
It is an emotional, character-driven plot dressed in all the trappings of fantasy, but in a creative and
The first volume is the weakest, but only in comparison to the superb strength of the sequels. These books, particularly the final volume, The Price of Spring, are so phenomenal that I consider them some of the best books that I have _ever_ read. It's been two years for me and I still can't stop thinking about them -- to the point where I felt compelled to write this review, even though I hate writing reviews.
If the synopsis on the flap sounds even vaguely interesting to you at all then you should definitely read this book and the sequels. The series is rewarding, and the ending profound. That's rare enough in itself to merit your attention.
It is an emotional, character-driven plot dressed in all the trappings of fantasy, but in a creative and
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well-formed world that reveals piercing insights about humanity and the consequences of their actions that you would more often see in science fiction. The first volume is the weakest, but only in comparison to the superb strength of the sequels. These books, particularly the final volume, The Price of Spring, are so phenomenal that I consider them some of the best books that I have _ever_ read. It's been two years for me and I still can't stop thinking about them -- to the point where I felt compelled to write this review, even though I hate writing reviews.
If the synopsis on the flap sounds even vaguely interesting to you at all then you should definitely read this book and the sequels. The series is rewarding, and the ending profound. That's rare enough in itself to merit your attention.
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LibraryThing member ow1goddess
I wasn't sure about A Shadow in Summer. I'd read a summary that sounded intriguing so I picked it up from the library. Once I got about 3 chapters in, I had a very hard time putting it down.
This is a very lush, sensual novel. Abraham concentrates on details and his world is very captivating and
The plot of the novel follows the andat Seedless and his plot to break his poet Heshai. The empire stays powerful because of its andat, and Seedless' job is to remove the seeds from cotton for the textile industry- but Seedless can also remove a child from the womb. The plot against Heshai ends up involving a half dozen characters who get caught up in it.
Really, almost all the action could be summed up in a sentence or two. Not a lot actually happens in the book. The characters are its strength, as each is a very real, believable person who has to make hard choices and change as a result. Once I got in their world, I found it hard to get out, and I was interested to see what would happen to them.
This is a very lush, sensual novel. Abraham concentrates on details and his world is very captivating and
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real. He likes to describe from all senses, so his world has sight and sound but also texture and scent. The culture has an elaborate systems of gestures, formal poses that people use to communicate additional information clearly, which gets a little repetitive sometimes but overall had a nice effect. For the magical element, he has the andat, powerful beings created and controlled by poets. These are like small gods, as they are concepts or ideas which have been forced into physical bodies by the strength of the poet's words. However, the andat despise their servitude and long only to destroy themselves and return to abstraction. They work to break the control of the poet who bound them while the poet tries to train an apprentice to continue to hold the binding after he dies.The plot of the novel follows the andat Seedless and his plot to break his poet Heshai. The empire stays powerful because of its andat, and Seedless' job is to remove the seeds from cotton for the textile industry- but Seedless can also remove a child from the womb. The plot against Heshai ends up involving a half dozen characters who get caught up in it.
Really, almost all the action could be summed up in a sentence or two. Not a lot actually happens in the book. The characters are its strength, as each is a very real, believable person who has to make hard choices and change as a result. Once I got in their world, I found it hard to get out, and I was interested to see what would happen to them.
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LibraryThing member kgodey
The empire of Galt has been making war against the entire world with their powerful machines, but the cities of the Khaiem are not afraid. They are protected by their poets who control the andat, physical manifestations of a certain idea bound by the poet's words. However these poets are growing
There is a gaping plot hole in this book that makes it somewhat hard to enjoy. Skip the next paragraph if you don't want to be spoiled.
**SPOILERS**
There is a convoluted plot to free Saraykhet's andat that depend on a very precise sequence of events and a good deal of conjecture. However, a much simpler plot would have been to simply assassinate the city's poet, who is constantly wandering around the city unprotected and drunk. Since the whole book is centered around this plot, it falls kind of flat. At the end, the poet gets assassinated by one of the good guys to "save the city" - it seems a lame excuse to create internal conflict for the main character.
**END SPOILERS**
Other than the plot hole, though, the book is pretty good. I enjoyed the writing and the characters, especially Amat the extremely competent overseer. It's not often that you have female characters in their fifties being protagonists in a fantasy novel.
The story is well told, although somewhat matter of fact. Abraham's characters are very decisive and pragmatic, almost to a fault - any internal conflict is either resolved or put aside to deal with pressing matters. This makes the book fast reading, but the characters aren't as likeable or sympathetic, and it made the characters' actions not really have any impact on me.
I'll be reading A Betrayal in Winter, but I'm not in any huge rush.
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rare and there is a plot brewing that could undermine the security that the city of Saraykhet has enjoyed for so long. The city's fate lies in the hands of a poet's apprentice, a manual labourer, an aging overseer of a merchant house and her young and beautiful apprentice.There is a gaping plot hole in this book that makes it somewhat hard to enjoy. Skip the next paragraph if you don't want to be spoiled.
**SPOILERS**
There is a convoluted plot to free Saraykhet's andat that depend on a very precise sequence of events and a good deal of conjecture. However, a much simpler plot would have been to simply assassinate the city's poet, who is constantly wandering around the city unprotected and drunk. Since the whole book is centered around this plot, it falls kind of flat. At the end, the poet gets assassinated by one of the good guys to "save the city" - it seems a lame excuse to create internal conflict for the main character.
**END SPOILERS**
Other than the plot hole, though, the book is pretty good. I enjoyed the writing and the characters, especially Amat the extremely competent overseer. It's not often that you have female characters in their fifties being protagonists in a fantasy novel.
The story is well told, although somewhat matter of fact. Abraham's characters are very decisive and pragmatic, almost to a fault - any internal conflict is either resolved or put aside to deal with pressing matters. This makes the book fast reading, but the characters aren't as likeable or sympathetic, and it made the characters' actions not really have any impact on me.
I'll be reading A Betrayal in Winter, but I'm not in any huge rush.
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LibraryThing member Narilka
A Shadow in Summer is the first in the Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham. I went into this book blind based entirely on my enjoyment of reading his Dagger and Coin series. Due to that experience I went in hoping for a character based fantasy with a rich world. To that end I was not
The city-state of Sarayketh is unknowingly poised on the edge of disaster. It has grown quite wealthy by cornering the market on the cotton trade. This is due to the city's poet, Heshai, putting an idea into words and binding a spirit that can remove seeds from cotton with the wave of its hand. Commerce and trade is the way of life, with high and low born all doing business knowing that their city is a safe haven in a harsh world. Far to the west the merchants of Galt have other ideas. They have hatched a plan to strike at Saraykeht and take back the cotton trade. The head of Galt's trading house in the city is planning a crime so vile that if it succeeds, Sarayketh will fall.
This is definitely a book with great ideas. The concept of a poet-sorcerer giving shape and form to an idea and then binding it to a spirit, granting is human shape and speech, is pretty cool. That a city is able to capitalize on this is no surprise. Being able to magically remove seeds is a highly useful ability, one that has far greater applications than just with cotton. Abraham has also come up with a form of silent language where his characters take poses to enhance their verbal speech. This goes beyond mere body language and into the realm of art with how nuanced some character's poses can take. Unfortunately the poses are not well described so I had a hard time visualizing them in my head, constantly switching from full body martial arts style poses to something more like sign language. I mostly settled on a type of sign language primarily utilizing hands and arms as it would be easiest for all ages and levels of mobility.
The characters are solid. Abraham has quite a gift for writing elderly women! Amat was easily my favorite with Seedless as a close second. Heshai, Marchat Wilsin, Maati, Otah and Lait were good, but didn't capture my attention the way Amat and Seedless did. If this series follows a similar progression as his other works, most of the characters will have a complex character arc they go on over the next three books, which I'm very much looking forward to reading.
The story moves at a glacial pace as we wait for these characters lives to start twining together. This is a fairly short book at 330 pages and it still took me over a week to read due to the pacing. Also highly annoying was theobligatory love triangle and angst it caused . Oy. I'm hoping that now that the foundation has been laid the rest of the series will pick up the pace. I am invested enough by the end that I will definitely be continuing.
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disappointed.The city-state of Sarayketh is unknowingly poised on the edge of disaster. It has grown quite wealthy by cornering the market on the cotton trade. This is due to the city's poet, Heshai, putting an idea into words and binding a spirit that can remove seeds from cotton with the wave of its hand. Commerce and trade is the way of life, with high and low born all doing business knowing that their city is a safe haven in a harsh world. Far to the west the merchants of Galt have other ideas. They have hatched a plan to strike at Saraykeht and take back the cotton trade. The head of Galt's trading house in the city is planning a crime so vile that if it succeeds, Sarayketh will fall.
This is definitely a book with great ideas. The concept of a poet-sorcerer giving shape and form to an idea and then binding it to a spirit, granting is human shape and speech, is pretty cool. That a city is able to capitalize on this is no surprise. Being able to magically remove seeds is a highly useful ability, one that has far greater applications than just with cotton. Abraham has also come up with a form of silent language where his characters take poses to enhance their verbal speech. This goes beyond mere body language and into the realm of art with how nuanced some character's poses can take. Unfortunately the poses are not well described so I had a hard time visualizing them in my head, constantly switching from full body martial arts style poses to something more like sign language. I mostly settled on a type of sign language primarily utilizing hands and arms as it would be easiest for all ages and levels of mobility.
The characters are solid. Abraham has quite a gift for writing elderly women! Amat was easily my favorite with Seedless as a close second. Heshai, Marchat Wilsin, Maati, Otah and Lait were good, but didn't capture my attention the way Amat and Seedless did. If this series follows a similar progression as his other works, most of the characters will have a complex character arc they go on over the next three books, which I'm very much looking forward to reading.
The story moves at a glacial pace as we wait for these characters lives to start twining together. This is a fairly short book at 330 pages and it still took me over a week to read due to the pacing. Also highly annoying was the
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LibraryThing member lorax
An unusual and well-written fantasy; while this is the first in a set of four it stands alone reasonably well. While the fantastic elements are few, they are utterly pivotal, and this book couldn't have been written as mainstream. The fantastic elements center around andat -- abstract ideas forced
If you are pregnant, or are grieving a miscarraige, do not read this book now. Wait, and come back to it later.
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into bodies and controlled by poets. Only one andat, "Seedless", who can remove seeds and thus has given the city of Sarakhet a crucial edge in the cotton trade, appears on-screen, but he is utterly critical to the plot. The characters are diverse and well-realized, and the plot is interesting though a bit slow to get started. The setting is unlike any I've read, and I recommend this book, with one caveat that I feel I have to make since nobody else has done so yet:If you are pregnant, or are grieving a miscarraige, do not read this book now. Wait, and come back to it later.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
In this world, poets can literalize their poetry into slaves who have to do the poets’ bidding. Cities who control one of these beings have huge advantages both militarily and in trade—in fact, their presence protects a loose agglomeration of cities from being overrun by an expansionist nearby
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power. This book, first in a “quartet,” follows one boy who walks away from his training as a poet and one who doesn’t, along with a woman working for a major trade house associated with the expansionist power and her apprentice. It’s very engaging, with everyone ethically compromised; interesting worldbuilding and good palace intrigue. Show Less
LibraryThing member Shortride
George R. R. Martin blurbed it, and I can see the similarities, but Abraham seems to be working in a much smaller world. The characters and story kept me entertained, but the ending seemed concrete enough that I have no desire to move on to the rest of the series.
LibraryThing member Saretta.L
Il mondo descritto da Abraham è sostanzialmente normale: commerci tra le città, governatori potenti, principi pronti a uccidere per poter governare, quartieri di lavoratori e prostitute. La particolarità sta però negli andat, idee che possono assumere una forma umana mantenendo il loro potere
La città Saraykeht subirà il desiderio di libertà dell'andat Seedless che muterà anche le sorti di diversi personaggi.
In questo romanzo l'azione è sostituita da complotti e alleanze continuamente mutevoli; una volta abituati ai nomi e alla tipica gestualità dei personaggi il romanzo scorre fino alla conclusione in cui molto viene determinato mentre diverse strade sono lasciate aperte per il seguito.
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The world described by Abrham is mostly a normal one: trades between cities, powerful governors, princes ready to kill to gain power, quarters of laborer and prostitutes.
The peculiarity are the andat, ideas in human form once bounded by a poet.
Saraykeht city will be subjected to Seedles desire of freedom, who will change also the life of various characters.
In this novel action is replaced by conspiracies and unstable alliances; once accustomed to the names and the communication by body movements the novel flows until the ending, where much is determined while some is left open for the following books.
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una volta legati da un poeta.La città Saraykeht subirà il desiderio di libertà dell'andat Seedless che muterà anche le sorti di diversi personaggi.
In questo romanzo l'azione è sostituita da complotti e alleanze continuamente mutevoli; una volta abituati ai nomi e alla tipica gestualità dei personaggi il romanzo scorre fino alla conclusione in cui molto viene determinato mentre diverse strade sono lasciate aperte per il seguito.
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The world described by Abrham is mostly a normal one: trades between cities, powerful governors, princes ready to kill to gain power, quarters of laborer and prostitutes.
The peculiarity are the andat, ideas in human form once bounded by a poet.
Saraykeht city will be subjected to Seedles desire of freedom, who will change also the life of various characters.
In this novel action is replaced by conspiracies and unstable alliances; once accustomed to the names and the communication by body movements the novel flows until the ending, where much is determined while some is left open for the following books.
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LibraryThing member PamelaDLloyd
In celebration of their new website, Tor placed two dozen titles in electronic formats available as free downloads. I downloaded the entire set and this is the first I'm reading. Daniel Abraham is a new author for me. So far (a couple chapters in), I'm enjoying it.I really appreciated the complex
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characters and setting of this novel. The author has created a system of magic quite unlike any I've encountered before and the ways in which the characters are touched by this adds depth to the work. A very fine first novel and one I recommend highly. Show Less
LibraryThing member amanderson
This is one of those epic fantasies, with multiple volumes, much politics, intrigue, good world building, and multiple protagonists. It's set in a very Asian-influenced preindustrial fantasy world, where the people communicate not just by words but by elaborate protocol of arm/body movements. The
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main protagonist is Otah, an intelligent, brave, compassionate young man whom we meet as a boy enrolled in a brutal school, where younger sons of the wealthy ruling families are sent to remove them from the line of succession lest they be killed. Otah is being trained to have the slim chance of becoming a "poet", which in this world is someone who, through use of an ancient, well structured language, can magically bind and hold an elemental force or idea into the form of a man, whose force can then be used for the good of the city-states. These beings are called andats, and they arer what keep the Asian kingdom safe from the fierce Galt people who conquer lots of other peoples and are clever with engineering. They sound sort of like Mongolia crossed with Germany.Basically this book is a like a fantasy version of Shogun, but sadly with a lot less sword action. It has a great world though, the author really makes it come alive with his evocative descriptions and language. The story moves a little slowly, and, hello, three more volumes :(, but the protagonist is very appealing and realistic, and the struggles of all the protagonists are moving. Show Less
LibraryThing member majkia
Set in a vaguely Eastern sort of world, where thoughts can be made flesh by ‘poets’ who then enslave the resultant creature. The creature, an andat, is then held captive and forced to act in ways to increase the power of the city-state the poet serves.
One young man in training to be a poet,
Complex plotting, very well drawn characters, and an intriguingly different world. I enjoyed this greatly and plan to continue the trilogy.
One young man in training to be a poet,
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leaves the school because he finds the brutality of the training unacceptable. He eventually meets up with a young man he’d himself trained and who is now a poet, and finds himself drawn into a mystery involving murder and disappearances and treachery. And even discovers the andat is somehow involved.Complex plotting, very well drawn characters, and an intriguingly different world. I enjoyed this greatly and plan to continue the trilogy.
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LibraryThing member DWWilkin
This was very interesting. It opens with our study of our hero as a child at a school, an academy and I thought of the opening of Eddings and the Belgariad. But this is so much more depth, and we do not really see the development of the world as the protagonist develops.
But there is some
I don't want to rave because Abraham let me done in some place unclear about such things as magic, or that he allowed the political structures to be in place and I could only find out about them as he brought me further along.
His prose was tight, and I can't see how he crammed so much into the 330 pages that he did. Yet he was successful. A well written story and now I am onto the next...
But there is some
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foreshadowing and it becomes obvious later about our hero. Yet he is still developing and we have a very complex political and psychological telling of a story. With many strings being pulled by puppeteers far above the puppeteers we think are pulling the strings.I don't want to rave because Abraham let me done in some place unclear about such things as magic, or that he allowed the political structures to be in place and I could only find out about them as he brought me further along.
His prose was tight, and I can't see how he crammed so much into the 330 pages that he did. Yet he was successful. A well written story and now I am onto the next...
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LibraryThing member page.fault
Shadow in Summer had one of the most interesting magical systems and cultures I've encountered. In this world, poets use words and rhythms to trap ideas into the corporeal forms of andat. In the main culture, gestures and positions play as much role in conversation and nuance as words. The whole
My problem with the book, as seems to be my constant refrain, is the characters. They are all so desperately unhappy, and most of their misery is self-inflicted. It seems that all of the characters are unable to distinguish between justice and vengeance, and seek the latter without counting the potential cost. The characters have high aims--or at least what they perceive to be high aims--but it is somewhat appalling how low they will stoop to achieve their goals. As I read on, I kept thinking of the old poem, "all for a horseshoe nail." I have the sense that the rest of the series will follow the collapse of civilization, all for a petty plan to improve trade, a woman's desire for vengeance caged as justice, and the pride and arrogance of the other members of the cast.
I also felt distanced from the characters, somehow. Their emotions and goals felt stilted, and I had real trouble relating to them. I also absolutely detested one of the main characters: a vain, stupid, selfish girl who I think we are supposed to sympathize with. No one in the world was kind without exacting a price later on. Almost all the characters are consumed by hatred, and those who are not are consumed by guilt. I found it difficult to inhabit such a place long enough to even finish the book.
The book really brought up a lot of questions about the difference between vengeance and justice, but it wasn't something that the characters actually explored. Each chose a position and went pig-headedly onwards, apparently not even considering the pain they will bring to others.
Overall, although I loved the world the characters inhabited, I kept switching over to other books (something I don't generally do) just to get away from the characters' self-inflicted misery.
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sense of the book is that of a complex, intricate world that we barely glimpse. It is beautifully done.My problem with the book, as seems to be my constant refrain, is the characters. They are all so desperately unhappy, and most of their misery is self-inflicted. It seems that all of the characters are unable to distinguish between justice and vengeance, and seek the latter without counting the potential cost. The characters have high aims--or at least what they perceive to be high aims--but it is somewhat appalling how low they will stoop to achieve their goals. As I read on, I kept thinking of the old poem, "all for a horseshoe nail." I have the sense that the rest of the series will follow the collapse of civilization, all for a petty plan to improve trade, a woman's desire for vengeance caged as justice, and the pride and arrogance of the other members of the cast.
I also felt distanced from the characters, somehow. Their emotions and goals felt stilted, and I had real trouble relating to them. I also absolutely detested one of the main characters: a vain, stupid, selfish girl who I think we are supposed to sympathize with. No one in the world was kind without exacting a price later on. Almost all the characters are consumed by hatred, and those who are not are consumed by guilt. I found it difficult to inhabit such a place long enough to even finish the book.
The book really brought up a lot of questions about the difference between vengeance and justice, but it wasn't something that the characters actually explored. Each chose a position and went pig-headedly onwards, apparently not even considering the pain they will bring to others.
Overall, although I loved the world the characters inhabited, I kept switching over to other books (something I don't generally do) just to get away from the characters' self-inflicted misery.
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LibraryThing member lente
I had expectations for this book. I wouldn't say high expectation, but I thought it would at least be an entertaining read. Unfortunately I found it to be a somewhat boring book. Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad exactly, but having read so many excellent books I don't have the patience for a
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mediocre book. This book has had many high star reviews, so no doubt it is also a matter of taste. Show Less
LibraryThing member eviljosh
I got this for free with Leviathan Wakes, and was pleasantly surprised. It's a low fantasy (medieval with a variety of humanoid races, but virtually no magic or the like) work that follows three different sets of characters (two of which merge by the end).
The world that's built up is an interesting
Of the character groups followed, one (a banker and a guard captain and a street performer) was quite good, with real character development and interesting problems. The other two (dealing with nobles and court intrigues) were fairly boring most of the time.
The world that's built up is an interesting
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one. Dragons ruled it in ages past, creating the human races as slaves. The dragons since died out, leaving behind a network of roads and a number of warring human kingdoms. The only magic that the reader sees is a small priesthood that, by virtue of parasitic spiders, can act as lie detectors and have powerful oratorical skills. Of the character groups followed, one (a banker and a guard captain and a street performer) was quite good, with real character development and interesting problems. The other two (dealing with nobles and court intrigues) were fairly boring most of the time.
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LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
A Shadow in Summer is the first of the Long Price Quartet, and Daniel Abraham’s spectacular first novel. It’s of the genre I’m inclined to call “epic fantasy,” except for most people that means swords and elves and Good Versus Evil, and what I mean by it is just second-world fantasy with
It’s hard to say who the main characters are because everyone is important in their own way. There’s Amat, the aging overseer for House Wilsin, who was good friends with the head of that house until she found herself objecting to his political tactics, and Liat her apprentice. Maati, the apprentice to the poet Heshai, and his extraordinary relationship with the poet’s slave, the andat Seedless. And the remote Khai, the ruler of the city; the vile pimp who Amat finds herself working for for a time; and not least, Otah, who could have been a poet but refused the brown robe.
Aside from Otah’s prologue, the action all takes place in the city of Saraykeht, one of a number of loosely allied city-states each ruled over by their own Khai. The cities of the Khaiem have one thing in common that holds them together against other nations like Galt, and that is the andat. The poets describe the andat as “an idea translated into a form that includes volition.” They’re essentially the embodiment of an idea that has been described and enslaved by the poet, who is then responsible for holding and controlling the andat. The andat for Saraykeht is Removing-the-part-that-continues, called Seedless — and he’s central to the city’s dominance of the in the cotton trade. No cotton gin for them, they have an andat to pull the seeds from the cotton.
And Galt, a nation whose dominance is in military rather than in economic matters, knows that the only way to conquer the cities of the Khaiem is to remove the andat. House Wilsin is their tool in a plot to drive the poet mad and force him to release Seedless, destroying Saraykeht, and the plot of the novel revolves around not only this plan but on all the characters’ various reactions, objections, and desperate attempts to halt or at least avenge the Galtic scheme.
It’s an amazing world, based on Asian cultures in the same way that most fantasy is based on European cultures, with no direct parallels to real-world cultures and nations but providing the overall shape of the culture and history of the world. The characters are universally deep and well-drawn, and for the most part intelligent – I do so hate following around people who can’t see what’s happening in front of them. And the sequels! I’m about a hundred pages into A Betrayal in Winter, and the sense one gets is that the whole of A Shadow in Summer was necessary just so that you could understand what is happening in this book. It’s glorious, and I love it.
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a huge cast and extraordinary world-building. And let me tell you, this has it in spades.It’s hard to say who the main characters are because everyone is important in their own way. There’s Amat, the aging overseer for House Wilsin, who was good friends with the head of that house until she found herself objecting to his political tactics, and Liat her apprentice. Maati, the apprentice to the poet Heshai, and his extraordinary relationship with the poet’s slave, the andat Seedless. And the remote Khai, the ruler of the city; the vile pimp who Amat finds herself working for for a time; and not least, Otah, who could have been a poet but refused the brown robe.
Aside from Otah’s prologue, the action all takes place in the city of Saraykeht, one of a number of loosely allied city-states each ruled over by their own Khai. The cities of the Khaiem have one thing in common that holds them together against other nations like Galt, and that is the andat. The poets describe the andat as “an idea translated into a form that includes volition.” They’re essentially the embodiment of an idea that has been described and enslaved by the poet, who is then responsible for holding and controlling the andat. The andat for Saraykeht is Removing-the-part-that-continues, called Seedless — and he’s central to the city’s dominance of the in the cotton trade. No cotton gin for them, they have an andat to pull the seeds from the cotton.
And Galt, a nation whose dominance is in military rather than in economic matters, knows that the only way to conquer the cities of the Khaiem is to remove the andat. House Wilsin is their tool in a plot to drive the poet mad and force him to release Seedless, destroying Saraykeht, and the plot of the novel revolves around not only this plan but on all the characters’ various reactions, objections, and desperate attempts to halt or at least avenge the Galtic scheme.
It’s an amazing world, based on Asian cultures in the same way that most fantasy is based on European cultures, with no direct parallels to real-world cultures and nations but providing the overall shape of the culture and history of the world. The characters are universally deep and well-drawn, and for the most part intelligent – I do so hate following around people who can’t see what’s happening in front of them. And the sequels! I’m about a hundred pages into A Betrayal in Winter, and the sense one gets is that the whole of A Shadow in Summer was necessary just so that you could understand what is happening in this book. It’s glorious, and I love it.
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LibraryThing member Kelsomar
This was an interesting book to read and my first experience with Daniel Abraham. While I thought the book was well written I was not drawn into the experiences of the characters in any meaningful way. The world was interesting and the posture custom was new. The best developed character seemed to
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be the city itself. Strangely, after finishing the entire novel the city is the only character I feel I know anything about. That said I will be reading book 2 of this series in the future to see if the pace of the plot and the development of the characters picks up. Show Less
LibraryThing member daschaich
An excellent debut novel: "A Shadow in Summer" is an excellent debut novel by Daniel Abraham, and a promising opening to the "Long Price Quartet" of which it is the first volume. Abraham, an experienced writer of short fiction, creates a universe that manages to be both exotic and mundane, and
The story revolves around a plot to liberate the "andat" Seedless, a god-like figure chained in corporeal form by the "poet" Heshai, and forced to serve and protect the city of Saraykeht. With Seedless out of the way, Saraykeht would lose its competitive advantages in textiles and trade, and be vulnerable to military assault. The central characters are Maati, Heshai's apprentice and one of the very few selected to become poets, and Maati's former mentor Otah, now a renegade who rebelled against the cruel processes used to weed out potential poets. They are connected to the aging trade advisor Amat through her apprentice, and their mutual lover, Liat. Caught up in the whirl of events, Amat and the others attempt to defend Saraykeht and maintain its andat's captivity, while being driven in other directions by forces outside their control.
Unlike volumes in many recent fantasy series, "A Shadow in Summer" manages to resolve this plotline, and can be read as a stand-alone novel, not merely one portion of a larger work. Even better, it is not the sort of doorstopper work that has also become common in the genre, clocking in at 350 pages in a small, mass-market paperback edition.
Granted, "A Shadow in Summer" is not perfect -- it was a bit slow to get started, not really grabbing me until about a third of the way in, and many reviewers have commented on a troubling plot hole. However, despite its few flaws, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and look forward to getting my hands on Abraham's next work.
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features a cast of captivating characters, often conflicted and drawn in shades of grey. The scenery and settings are beautifully evoked through light and elegant descriptions that reveal only as much as they need to in order to spark the imagination.The story revolves around a plot to liberate the "andat" Seedless, a god-like figure chained in corporeal form by the "poet" Heshai, and forced to serve and protect the city of Saraykeht. With Seedless out of the way, Saraykeht would lose its competitive advantages in textiles and trade, and be vulnerable to military assault. The central characters are Maati, Heshai's apprentice and one of the very few selected to become poets, and Maati's former mentor Otah, now a renegade who rebelled against the cruel processes used to weed out potential poets. They are connected to the aging trade advisor Amat through her apprentice, and their mutual lover, Liat. Caught up in the whirl of events, Amat and the others attempt to defend Saraykeht and maintain its andat's captivity, while being driven in other directions by forces outside their control.
Unlike volumes in many recent fantasy series, "A Shadow in Summer" manages to resolve this plotline, and can be read as a stand-alone novel, not merely one portion of a larger work. Even better, it is not the sort of doorstopper work that has also become common in the genre, clocking in at 350 pages in a small, mass-market paperback edition.
Granted, "A Shadow in Summer" is not perfect -- it was a bit slow to get started, not really grabbing me until about a third of the way in, and many reviewers have commented on a troubling plot hole. However, despite its few flaws, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and look forward to getting my hands on Abraham's next work.
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LibraryThing member RuTemple
This one really didn't grab me right out of the gate; I'll try it again later some time.
LibraryThing member patrickgarson
On publishing, Daniel Abraham's debut novel was - and remains - a stark contrast to most mainstream fantasy. Leisurely, character-driven, little violence and plenty of strong female characters. This may not be for everyone, but it was a breath of fresh air for me.
The cities of the Khaiem retain
A Shadow in Summer reminded me very much of Guy Gavriel Kay's work. Limpid, measured prose is married to a barely-magical setting, and I really enjoyed it. There's a sense of care and investment in this book that is rare in contemporary fantasy.
The characters are diverse, interesting, and it is their personal emotions and conflicts that propel the story, as much as the conspiracy itself. Abraham doesn't shy away from writing female characters, and it's a nice change.
Most intriguing of all is the andat, Seedless. Its bitter, sardonic, tortured voice is a great premise and character to hang the narrative from, and every scene featuring it is undeniably magnetic.
Despite that, this is not a book for those who like a quick moving plot. There's a sense of... fate or predestination in A Shadow in Summer (also like Kay) that gives the book a melancholy tone, and an undeniably reserved pace.
I enjoyed the characters and found spending time with them no onerous, but not everyone will feel that way. Nonetheless a refreshing read and interesting entry to contemporary fantasy.
The cities of the Khaiem retain
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trade control through the use of andats - spirits made flesh - that no one else can master. But the andats themselves chafe under Khaiem domination, as do neighboring countries. A conspiracy to destroy an andat's master - a "poet" - has far reaching consequences in the port city of Saraykeht. A Shadow in Summer reminded me very much of Guy Gavriel Kay's work. Limpid, measured prose is married to a barely-magical setting, and I really enjoyed it. There's a sense of care and investment in this book that is rare in contemporary fantasy.
The characters are diverse, interesting, and it is their personal emotions and conflicts that propel the story, as much as the conspiracy itself. Abraham doesn't shy away from writing female characters, and it's a nice change.
Most intriguing of all is the andat, Seedless. Its bitter, sardonic, tortured voice is a great premise and character to hang the narrative from, and every scene featuring it is undeniably magnetic.
Despite that, this is not a book for those who like a quick moving plot. There's a sense of... fate or predestination in A Shadow in Summer (also like Kay) that gives the book a melancholy tone, and an undeniably reserved pace.
I enjoyed the characters and found spending time with them no onerous, but not everyone will feel that way. Nonetheless a refreshing read and interesting entry to contemporary fantasy.
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Awards
IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (Finalist — 2007)
Locus Recommended Reading (First Novel — 2006)
Original publication date
2006-03-07
Local notes
Long Price Quartet, 1
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Abraham |