The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (The Night Angel Trilogy: Book 1)

9/10

I Twittered the other day (follow me at Twitter.com/JoshSHill/) that I had just realized people don’t actually want good writing, they just want to be entertained. This might seem like a realization I should have made earlier, but there it is. And while some may think that that is obvious, I think it’s just plain sad. Books should be a combination of entertainment and good writing.

That leads me to The Way of Shadows, by Brent Weeks. My girlfriend leant me the book and I was tasked with reading it as soon as possible. And while the intent of the author was laudable, the actual telling of the story was ... amateurish.

First let me praise the book though, so that any of my grievances will not necessarily dissuade you from reading The Way of Shadows.

The first in a trilogy of books, Weeks introduces us to a master assassin and his new apprentice. The world is intriguing, and any book that looks into the dark and shadowy world of assassins is immediately interesting to me.

Sticking with my desire not to summarize the entirety of the book for you, and negate any need to actually read the book (looking at you SFFWorld), here’s what I can say. Coming up from the gutters where life is less than cheap, Azoth, aka, Kylar, is apprenticed to the cities best wetboy (better than an assassin).

Over the course of a decade and more Kylar is trained in the arts of death. But at the same time the city in which he trains is itself coming closer to its own death. Political intrigue, the life and times of the noble court and lots of death make up what was a brilliant concept. 

Apparently though, I am doomed to continually read books by authors who have conceived of a novel and, at times, brilliant idea, but failed to complete even a basic introductory writing course.

The Way of Shadows was poorly written. From basic grammar and spelling mistakes and whole words missing from sentences leaving the reader baffled, to a structuring that seems to only be suitable to a rare type of schizophrenic, this book was a very tough read.

Any character that sees their name written more than once in the book was eventually given their own perspective, leaving the storytelling muddy and confused. I was often left spellbound, only to be unexpectedly dragged away to some irrelevant and boring passage. I’m all for cliffhangers, but they have to be done well, and Weeks hasn’t the writing know-how to pull this off.

Often characters or descriptions would stray so far into the obscure, uninformed or downright confusing that the story would halt and leave you scratching your head. Whole pieces of information were left by the wayside and dragged the reader down with it.

Should you read this book? I am not going to be giving this to people for presents anytime soon, but maybe lack of serious writing talent is not a hindrance to an enjoyable book for you. It’s your choice. Either way, Weeks had serious potential, and one can only hope that it gets better in the books to come.

Review by

31 positive reader review(s) for The Way of Shadows

30 positive reader review(s) in total for the The Night Angel Trilogy series

Brent Weeks biography

The Night Angel Trilogy

The Way of Shadows reader reviews

from US

I'm not sure what this person was reading, but it wasn't the Night Angel trilogy. The story is interesting, the pacing top-notch, the characters reasonably well-rounded and believable/likable. The writing is perfectly competent. There may well have been typos, possibly even more than is usual (all books have some), but I doubt you'll notice unless you're specifically looking for it- I certainly didn't. It definitely doesn't take away from the story, at any rate. Sort of an amateurish thing to harp on in a book review, tbh. Strongly recommended. I'm a fairly picky reader and had tried and aborted several books prior to this (I always have trouble getting started on a new book or series after finishing a previous one), but this one kept me enthralled from page 1. I wouldn't say that its an all-time great fantasy series like Tolkien or RR Martin or anything, but its probably in the next tier down, easily one of the better fantasy series you'll read.
9/10 ()

from America

I think that the book was really good, but there was some of those typos that left me baffled. But as I kept reading the book, the typos didn't madder any more, it was addicting to read so I read the first book in a day. S o I recommend this book to read and I think that you will most definitely enjoy this book alot.
10/10 ()

from US

To be fair... we all want to be entertained more than anything while reading books. If your paying attention more to grammar and spelling errors than to the story itself you should probably pick up a dictionary instead. The overall story of the entire series is very good. Leaves just enough to the imagination that you want to pick up the next book and continue the story.
9/10 ()

from England

I had no problems following the storyline and have to say that the Night Angel trilogy as a whole, is one of the richest, most engrossing, creative, and entertaining fantasy works I have ever read. Perhaps there are editorial mistakes in this book, I can't remember having read it a few years ago, but don't let that put you off. As a trilogy, Night Angel is one of the very best out there.
10/10 ()

from Netherlands

I thought this was one of the most amazing books I´ve ever read. The action is awesome and I loved how mysterious everything was. Maybe not always correct spelling, but that´s only relative with the awesomeness of this book.
10/10 ()

from United States of America

The most awesome book I have ever read.
10/10 ()

from Canada

My favorite book of all time!!!!! Great characters, plot, and action scenes. I could not put it down!
10/10 ()

from England

Easy to read, fast paced and keeps you guessing. Read this for quick, action packed scenes with quite a complex plot. However, don't expect literary perfection. Suitable for mature teens and over.
10/10 ()

from Sydney

Great book, a must read.
10/10 ()

from Norway

This is, without doubt. The best book i have ever read, and i have read a lot of books. But the world Weeks have made in this books is simply amasing, and with both lovable, and hateable characters and a great complex storry that would make anyone proud. It has great language and is writen so well i never put it away once i start reading it, i have read all his books many times and never grow tired og the amazing storyline.
10/10 ()

from The Slipstream's Concscious

Decent?!? Being a fan of fantasy I have read both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. I forgot to pack a book when traveling recently and could only grab a book by cover art due to the limited time restraints of my flight departure. I chose this unfortunately. The book has the framework to be developed into an incredible and almost original story. Its copywrite is 2008 and I'm pretty sure Assassin's Creed came out before or during that period. Regardless, all forms of pop-culture and media feed off each other and we are forced to swallow this. I enjoyed the charcter development...when they were being developed. Years went missing in this story when all of a sudden childhood friends have ascended to an influential part of society. Weeks attempts to persuade the reader in a short few sentences that this is ok, and I suppose it is b/c it is mainly about Kylar/Azoth's acceptance of his role and the struggle he has to let go of his past. It insists on the reader to assume the happenings in the gaps of time...then BOOM! Kylar/Azoth is face to face with Doll Girl/Elene after his first kill(s)...then BOOM! Durzo has a daughter...then BOOM! It goes on and on and on. Worth a read, shit I gave it an 7 out of 10 but this could have easily been a 9 or 10 with proper patience and development of environment and character/story arcs. Descripitive and at times brutal, it has enough of the superficial to overlook the lack of profound writing. Cheap and rewarding.
7/10 ()

from West Midlands

Loved it! Couldn't put it down and finished the 2nd and 3rd in short order to. And I think a few foibles in the writing (not that I noticed enough to get hung up on it) only make it more real!
10/10 ()

from Minnesota, USA

The cover was a serious turn off, I wasn't expecting much, but started reading because my husband couldn't put the book down. I finished the book in one day, I couldn't put it down. You know so many books get high reviews because of their so-called great writing, and I can barely finish them, they are so boring, almost feels like the authors are in love with their own writing. This book is not about great writing, this book is about a GREAT STORY, told in an exciting, well edited way, without boring paragraphs describing what the hero is wearing or what the town looks like.
10/10 ()

from Newcastle

I honestly thought when I first started reading The Way of Shadows that it was going to be a winner, but unfortunatley I was left dissapointed. It seemed that Kylars ageing happened to quickly, throw some random bad language in and you've generally got a book that had great potential but went off the boil. The plus side is Durzo Blint is a cool character.
6/10 ()

from Melbourne

Best Book ever! I read a book to be entertained and that is exactly what it did.
10/10 ()

from Somewhere

I thought the characters were realistic, the world was well developed and it didn't try and be nice. More still, when you read the other books you realize it is more complex and clever than just an Assassin Creed type bloodbath.
10/10 ()

from Ohio

Great characters and a little on the dark side.
10/10 ()

from Portland

I 'm in a state of utter disbelief to find that it was possible for a few select people to label this novel, and its author as anything short of genius. Brent Weeks created a world with the capability to challenge Tolkein and his Middle Earth. The genuine characters were backed with incredible depth in such a way so as cultivate an incredible journey, which is at the heart of any good fiction novel. His co-linear storyline would hook me instantly, leave me at a climax and then real me in with a new chapter. All in all a masterfully addictive piece of writing in which the world and characters unravel before you; only to be re-strung by the many twists and turns, leaving the reader with an uplifting sense of catharsis. 10/10 I couldn't put it down.
10/10 ()

from Yorkshire

I don't think it's the writing, I think it's the love for the characters and the place and the culture that makes it a good book; one that builds up the history and surroundings so that it becomes a real world instead of just some people in a book. I was moved by The Way of Shadows because I wanted him to succeed and because I felt sorry for Azoth. I think that the passion for the characters is enough to beat good writing for this time.
10/10 ()

from East Anglia

I disagree with many of the points about the writing, I didn't find it confusing, in fact I found it well written because it suited the characters themselves. Personally I couldn't put it down and had to order the next in the trilogy as soon as possible!
9/10 ()

from West Virginia

I found this book to be very good. It is true that there are some confusing moments. However, if you slow down a moment and read on through, the story will grab you and take off. It's a great story, definitely worth a read.
8/10 ()

from Michigan

You sir must enjoy reading dictionaries. I found the book to bee thouroughly enjooable. Sorry for mi spelling and sentense structure.
10/10 ()

from Where?

Good writing can only be read by good readers, Literature if for writing, Fantasy is for enjoyment. Good book, I never really had a problem with reading it. I found I could never put it down :)
10/10 ()

from New Hampshire

I loved this book. Although I agree that it can be confusing at times, and jumpy at other times, there are just some pivotal points and areas of the book that grabbed my interest so deeply that it urged me to keep reading. I'm probably a little biased, I'm not judging this by grammar, spelling, or anything like that. I'm judging it by how much I enjoyed it as a whole.
9/10 ()

from Canada

WOW this is an amazing book. I can't find anything better then this. I'm actually trying to find a book with the same story line but I can't :(
10/10 ()

from Oklahoma

The concept of this story is outstanding. The people and their stories are very enjoyable. I don't know if it is Mr Weeks's writing or his editor but it feels as if whole sections of story are missing. Like you just catch up with the characters weeks or months later. But I would recomend this series to anyone...
7/10 ()

from Wichita, KS

I completely disagree with the review. I don't care much for trying to give an English lesson. I care about the story which was a great start to one of the most amazing series I've read. Book 2 is even better than the first, and Book 3 is even better than that. If you don't take the time and read "The Night Angel" trilogy, then that's your loss.
10/10 ()

from Chicago

I completely agree with your assessment. Finding a grammatical or spelling error in a (supposedly) proof-read novel is like listening to a (supposedly) competent speaker who says "um" or "uh" multiple times. I find myself counting the mistakes... I did, however, enjoy the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good fantasy novel.
6/10 ()

from England

Massivly disagree with the reveiw. OK, some of the writing is not brilliant but I found that with this book that I couldn't care less. The story line and range of incredible characters more than makes up for a few spelling and grammatical errors. Buy this book!
10/10 ()

from Calgary

I can hardly find words to describe how much I disagree with this review. This book was absolutely thrilling from beginning to end. If you have a hunger for proper spelling and grammar as much as the reviewer I suggest picking up the latest installment in the Merriam-Webster dictionary series. I like my fantasy gritty, bloody and absolutely no "Warrior on a quest" type garbage; needless to say this book delivered. I was not too thrilled with some of the characters right off the bat (Logan Gyre comes to mind.) but by the end of the book I knew I was going to be buying the rest of the trilogy. Buy it, read it, love it.
10/10 ()

from Texas

I completely and utterly disagree with you on most of your points; granted there are numerous spelling and grammatical errors. The first of a trilogy (soon to be more, Brent is working on three more books in the same world) has to introduce a lot of story and character and world building. To me, Brent is already a master of his craft. He is ballsy and took a completely new approach to fantasy, which is highly admirable because he probably knew he would get people like you slamming him for it. But he did it. You must read all of the books in the series to fully understand why it was necessary for him to incorporate so many perspectives; it makes for a vast experience of a story. It is a massive achievement and I have read it through at least twice already. If you read all three and still hold that Mr. Weeks is a poor writer, I feel pity for you, my friend. Anyone reading this, get the books; you will not be disappointed.
10/10 ()

9.3/10 from 32 reviews

All Brent Weeks Reviews