Let me preface this by saying with fantasy it can be difficult to follow characters, locations, and the what the world is like in general if you have not read the book but bear with me. Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov is the first in a trilogy of fantasy epics that follow master thief Shadow Harold in his journey to Hrad Spein, a centuries old tomb for humans, elves, dwarves, and ogres encased in a mountain that has been sealed for centuries, and all recent expeditions to it have not returned. Shadow Harold has made his living stealing valuable goods for other people for many years. The book begins with Shadow Harold taking a job from his friend, an owner of a bar for people outside the law, that seems easy enough. However, after Harold is captured by the city guard he realizes that the job was much more then it seemed. It turns out the the King set Harold up in order to recruit him to go to Hrad Spein to find an artifact that is the key to saving the kingdom from destruction by the hand of the book's villain, The Nameless One, who has begun stirring again in the northern wastes after centuries of inactivity. The rest of the book follows Harold as he prepares for his treacherous journey, and Harold realizing the gravity of the situation as assasains and members of a previously unknown cult are suddenly after his life. From the Forbidden Territory in the center of the capital city, an area desecrated by misuse of magic where the dead walk and spirits run free. To gaining the company of an Elfin princess and ten Wild Hearts, the most experienced and dangerous fighters in the world, and of his traditional nemesis in the castle guard for his journey. Harold also faces a demon who will suck out his bone marrow if Harold does not get something for the demon. On his journey Harold battles with fatigue, exhaustion, unknown magic, horrible monsters, and his lingering mental reservations about the journey that he considers to be basically a suicide mission. Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov is everything you want from a fantasy epic, great characters, magic, a classic theme, monsters, and a teeming, vibrant world. If you are a fan of high fantasy I greatly recommend this book. This book is the only fantasy book that has held my attention as well as The Wheel of Time series, in my opinion the best fantasy series ever created (yes better than Lord of the Rings).
Discussion
1) In the book the captain of the city guard is forced to work with Shadow Harold by the order of the king. The captain is apprehensive and has trouble trusting Harold as Harold is a known thief, lier, and killer. Do you think you could work effectively and fight alongside someone who you knew has committed several serious offenses, such as the ones described above? Why or why not?
2) Harold could have run away from the King and his request and lived a comfortable life in the country, but he didn’t even though he regards the quest as madness, and has never thought of himself as a hero. What makes people do things like this? A sense of duty? Money? Have you ever done something like this?
4 comments:
1. I think it would be hard to work effectively with someone like Harold. I feel like I would constantly be worried that he was lying or plotting something worse. Therefore, I wouldn't be able to focus on the real job at hand because I would constantly be thinking about what he was doing/thinking.
2. No, I haven't ever done something like that, but depending on the situation people may do it because they feel it is their duty, while others may do it for money. I think some people may even feel that their life is somewhat boring and see a situation like that as a challenge.
1. I don't think I would be able to work effectively and fight alongside someone I didn't trust. Especially within the situation you described, I would not be able to function efficiently without worrying. In a situation where death is a very possible outcome, I would feel as though the person I didn't trust was only making the possibility of my death more probable due to the fact that I would constantly be looking over my shoulder instead of focusing on the task at hand.
I agree with both of you when you say that it would be difficult to work with someone who you knew had committed serious crimes. I definitely would be wondering if I could really trust them or if they were just playing me.
As for me I believe that what drives people to do things that may not be absolutely logical are a sense of duty, guilt, money, jealousy, and love.
1. I think it would be hard to work with someone like him but he is at least competent at what he does so I don't think it would be so bad.
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