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    Knight's Shadow
    Knight's Shadow
    Knight's Shadow
    Audiobook20 hours

    Knight's Shadow

    Written by Sebastien De Castell

    Narrated by Joe Jameson

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Following his beloved debut, Traitor's Blade, Sebastien de Castell returns with volume two of his fast-paced fantasy adventure series, inspired by the swashbuckling action and witty banter of The Three Musketeers. Knight's Shadow continues the series with a thrilling and dark tale of heroism and betrayal in a country crushed under the weight of its rulers' corruption.

    A few days after the horrifying murder of a duke and his family, Falcio val Mond, swordsman and First Cantor of the Greatcoats, begins a deadly pursuit to capture the killer. But Falcio soon discovers his own life is in mortal danger from a poison administered as a final act of revenge by one of his deadliest enemies. As chaos and civil war begin to overtake the country, Falcio has precious little time left to stop those determined to destroy his homeland.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJan 24, 2018
    ISBN9781541483804
    Knight's Shadow

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    Reviews for Knight's Shadow

    4.5/5

    194 ratings15 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      The second story about the king's Greatcoats is another wonderful, engrossing tale about Falcio and his band of Greatcoats trying to save the land of Tristia from itself.

      To say any more about the story would be spoilers, so I'll simply say that Sebastien de Castell is fast becoming one of my favourite fiction writers!
    • 5/5
      Absolutely amazing 2nd favorite series I've ever read behind red rising. And it's close
    • 3/5
      The story continues and the country is still going to hell, but then who wants to read about a happy peaceful place anyway.

      Evil Trin is raising armies (I hate her, she is a total bitch!). The Dukes are asses. But there is always hope, a new ruler, and maybe the country can get back on its feet...or maybe not.

      I actually liked this one better than book 1. I can't put my finger on what did it, but yes it was good :)

      Falcio and the gang is still trying to stay alive, do good and be good. Sure Falcio can be a little too good, but I like him. Even a new member who was kind of annoying was interesting. A good group.

      But there are also twists and turns that I did not know what to make of. What is truly going on? And new revelations that made me want answers. But that is what the next books are about. To find out more, and that will be interesting. There is particularly one thing I wonder about. And of course what will happen next.

      Action, drama, betrayals, I do look forward to more.
    • 4/5
      Falcio is slowly dying from a poison, he's found the heir to the throne and he's trying to keep her from danger, he's also finding that all is not right and he's the only one who seems to care. Falcio is a bit messed up by the end but he seems to be realising that actually the people around him care about him.I enjoyed it, sometimes it felt like there was nothing more that the author could throw at Falcio and then he'd find something else to do to the poor guy. I laughed out loud at the meeting with the Dukes and thought his solutions were genius.Had moments where it didn't flow quite as well as it might but overall very enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this even more than the first book. Mostly well paced with political intrigue, plenty of twists and engaging characters this audiobook is well narrated and really quite a fun adventure.
    • 5/5
      The second book I enjoyed more than the first. The world is built on and the characters developed. But golly Mr De Castell gallops along in his plots. They seem to go from one impossible situation to the next with barely a breather in between. It's very, very enjoyable though.
    • 3/5
      Knight's Shadow is the second in the Greatcoats series by Sebastien de Castell. This is a much darker installment. I think it's fair to say we fully cross into grimdark territory now. The story picks up maybe a few weeks after events in book one. Falcio val Mond has successfully completed his King's last command of him and has found the King's Charoite. Still the kingdom is in turmoil with a civil war threatening. The peasants have been stirred up against the lords and many Ducal Knights seem to have gone rogue. Falcio must figure out who is behind the chaos and put a stop to it before it rips the country apart. Time is running out though. It appears Falcio has been poisoned and he's not sure how many days he has left.Things start off very well with a lot of banter and camaraderie between Falcio, Kest and Brasti. The trio's friendship is easily by favorite thing about these books. It's too bad that much of the lightheartedness and fun factor is discarded in favor of a darker tone. I think the story could have used a few more moments of lightness to balance out all the grimdark. Again, the story kind of plods and meanders it's way to the resolution. This time de Castell does a better job of keeping the overarching plot in focus among all the twists and turns the story takes. The grand finale is quite spectacular and helped make up for the plodding parts along the way.If you were hoping for deeper backgrounds of Kest and Brasti prepare for disappointment. They are still fun characters, and great supporting roles for Falcio, but at this point it's pretty obvious that this series is all about Falcio's hero journey to restore the King's line and bring, well, if not peace then at least stability to the country. There are some new additions to our merry band of misfits and I like how they, too, compliment the overall party.I think the author may have been paying a small homage to Princess Bride in this book. First there's a whole scene about Falcio only being "mostly dead, still partly alive" from the poisoning. It is pure fun even if it's a fairly serious moment. Then there's a conversation about "I don't think that word means what you think it mean" similar to Inigo commenting on Visini's (mis)use of the word "inconceivable." Then there's a duel scene where Falcio receives twin marks on his cheeks before the fight really takes off. I think there was another moment but it's escaping me at the moment. I don't see this mentioned in other reviews I skimmed so would love to hear from someone else who has read the book to see if they noticed this too.While there are a few breathless moments of excitement, there is a fairly long stretch in the middle of the book that just plods along. I found myself easily able to put the book down in favor of doing other things, which is never a good sign. The magic is still unexplained and now there's an extra layer of not explaining Saints very well too. A fair amount of conveniences continue to help our characters out, though they aren't quite as glaring as in the first book. There are also some fairly horrific scenes. The worst was we were told what happened to Falcio's wife in the first book and it ends up described in graphic, stomach-churning detail in this book. I get that it's meant as a sort of motivation for Falcio but I question the need to go to that level of detail. Overall it's a good sequel for Traitor's Blade. If de Castell could even out the pacing I think I'd enjoy these books more. While I'm not in a big rush to continue I am curious enough about where this all is heading that I will likely read book three at some point.
    • 4/5
      4.5/5 stars
      This one took me a bit to get into but once I picked it back up, I loved it! Falcio, Kest, and Brasti are just the greatest. I love their banter, their friendship, and everything they go through together and separately in this novel! The character development is phenomenal. I loved getting to know more characters and the "mystery" that they had to figure out. Each character's role was just so well thought out and I just loved it. I loved Brasti's quips and puns, so good. Falcio also had some pretty good lines as well.
      The plot was fast paced and enthralling. There was so much happening, yet everything was given the time it needed - except maybe the last battle, I would've enjoyed a little more from that. I liked how the world was more laid out and we were given some more history as well - about the land, the Saints, the dukes, the knights, we got a little more throughout the novel about everything.
      The writing was fantastic. I love how de Castell weaves the story together, and how things connect. The characters are well written and believable (well I mean, is anyone that good with a sword or a bow, but suspending that belief is easy), as people, I quite enjoy them. The way he describes things is wonderful, and I like how there is some flowery language but most is to the point and no words are wasted.

      Overall, I really liked this book! Even though it basically picks up where the last stops, I still had a bit of trouble getting into it, but it was phenomenal otherwise :)
    • 4/5
      Pros : The second book of Greatcoats is funny (actually hilarious), brilliant and entertaining. Falcio is one of the best and most idiot heroes.Cons: It's too detailed. I've always believed 90% of over_400_pages books can be written in less than 400 pages. One more time it is proven. There are so many memories of King that can be withdrawn or at least be shortened.That's the only reason I don't give it full 5 star.Am I going to read the next two books?Definitely and actually can't wait.
    • 3/5
      Not as excellent as the first novel, but still quite good. Still plenty of swashbuckling.
    • 3/5
      Diese und weitere Rezensionen findet ihr auf meinem Blog Anima Libri - Buchseele

      Ich habe kein Internet… Kein Fernsehen… Der Radioempfang in der Wohnung ist sch***e… Mein Datenvolumen auf dem Handy ist aufgebraucht… Ich fühle mich, als würde ich in meiner eigenen kleinen Seifenblase irgendwo außerhalb von Raum und Zeit schweben, mein Rhythmus ist total hinüber und ich habe seit Ewigkeiten nicht mehr so viel gelesen wie in den letzten drei Tagen – oder so viele Rezis am Stück geschrieben.

      Insofern hat es ja schon etwas Gutes, so von der Außenwelt abgeschnitten zu sein (praktischerweise liegt die halbe Uni mit Erkältung flach, sodass der Großteil meiner Kurse auch noch ausfällt), denn das hier ist schon die vierte Rezi, die ich heute schreibe, was großartig ist, weil ich die letzten Wochen nämlich kaum Lust zum Schreiben hatte und stattdessen nur gelesen habe, sodass ich, wenn ich so weiter mache, noch ganz viele Rezis nachzuholen habe, bis nächsten Montag der Telekom-Techniker vorbei kommt.

      Schon heftig, wie abhängig man mittlerweile vom Internet ist, die Vorstellung, bis Montag offline zu sein, ist ziemlich nervig, nicht nur wegen des Bloggens und der fehlenden Unterhaltung, sondern vor allem wegen der Uni. Zum Glück bin ich übers Wochenende bei meinen Eltern, denn das Uni-Wlan reicht zwar, um neue Rezis hochzuladen und zu planen, aber leider nicht, um die Arbeiten, die ich am Theme vornehmen wollte, durchzuführen – man schaue sich nur den Kommentarbereich an *schudder* Von der Suche und dem Download unzähliger Artikel zur Recherche für meine Hausarbeiten ganz zu schweigen…

      Aber genug gejammert, kommen wir zur Rezension, denn darum geht es hier ja:

      Manchmal, da sollte man sich einfach mal an seine Vorsätze halten… so zum Beispiel bei Sebastien de Castells „Greatcoats“-Reihe. „Blutrecht“, der erste Teil, war zwar nicht schlecht, aber er war einfach nicht mein Fall, sodass ich mir eigentlich vorgenommen hatte, diesen zweiten Teil, „Hochverrat“, nicht mehr zu lesen. Aber natürlich waren alle guten Vorsätze vergessen, als ich das hübsche Cover gesehen habe.

      Idiotisch, denn leider konnte ich mit „Hochverrat“ noch weniger anfangen, als mit „Blutrecht“. Das lag vor allem daran, dass es dem Autor in diesem zweiten Teil mehr um den Charakteraufbau geht, das Ganze also recht dialoglastig wird, ich aber nach wie vor nichts mit den Charakteren anfangen kann.

      Die Geschichte ist immer noch durchaus nicht schlecht, aber mein Ding ist „Hochverrat“ genau so wenig gewesen wie schon „Blutrecht“ und ab sofort werde ich mich definitiv von Sebastien de Castells „Greatcoat“-Reihe fern halten. Dem geneigten „Mantel und Degen“-Fantasyfan sei von dieser Geschichte aber nicht abgeraten ;)
    • 4/5
      Excellent tale. Good characters, good action. Just so you know, if you try to read more about this book, about half the online sources call it "Greatcoat Lament" which would have been a much better title. I am also unsure if coloring the Greatcoats brown is a good idea given that there is already an important Browncoat fan base that has nothing to do with this series.I received a review copy of "Knight's Shadow: The Greatcoats: Book 2" by Sebastien de Castell (Quercus) through NetGalley.com.
    • 2/5
      Sigh this book and I just weren't going to get along. It didn't have the things I loved from book one and had more of the elements I really didn't like. There is no humor really, it is quite dark with a lot of focus on sexual violence that got to an unnecessary and insulting level. All three Greatcoat guys are in crisis and mopey and I just found the plot dragging painfully and depressingly. I love the ideas of the world and just wish this second book had had the elements I loved from book one. I think that this series is just going to be more grimdark than I thought and it doesn't work for me.
    • 4/5
      Knight’s Shadow, the second installment in author Sebastian de Castell’s Greatcoats series, takes up where the first book left off. The effects of poison are beginning to hamper Falcio’s efforts to stop Trin and put Aline on the throne; Kest is discovering that there are some unpleasant side effects to being the Saint of Swords; Brasti is still questioning their purpose as Greatcoats; Valiana is the newest Greatcoat but is fast becoming their moral centre; and the Tailor, now in charge, has other plans to secure the throne. Along with all of these characters are a raft of new ones including Dariana, one of the Tailor’s new Greatcoats who seems to be even more skeptical than Brasti about their purpose. The sly humour and witty banter among the Greatcoats is still much in evidence here but this is a much darker book than the first, Traitor’s Blade. It is still more character- than plot-driven which is fine because the characters are very well-drawn. Things are not quite as black-and-white – sometimes the bad guys have ambiguous or even good motives for their bad behaviour and sometimes the good guys act in less than admirable ways. In some ways, the story seems turned on its head – those whom the Greatcoats fought against in the first book, they must protect in this one and those they trusted may quickly betray them. There’s also plenty of action to keep the story moving and, although there is some magic, it is still more sword than sorcery. There are also plenty of surprises and red herrings here to keep the reader guessing. And just as in the first book with Blood Week, there are some rather disturbing scenes - this isn’t grimdark but it certainly skirts it. Knight’s Shadow is the second in a three-part series and I usually have lower expectations for a middle book but I can say with all honesty that it is at least as good as Traitor’s Blade. It kept me up late reading, needing to know how it ends and then, when I finished all approximately 600pages, I wished it were longer. The action, the world-building, the humour, and most of all the characters kept my attention throughout. Definitely one of my favourite reads so far this year.
    • 4/5
      Traitor’s Blade was one of my favorite reads last year so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. When my copy of Knight’s Shadow came I literally threw up my hands and yelled STOP EVERYTHING! My whole carefully planned reading schedule went flying out the window as I dove into this one straight away.How wonderful it is to be back into this world once more, though Falcio and the gang aren’t exactly in good shape when we catch up with them again at the beginning of this novel. Events in the final showdown of Traitor’s Blade left Falcio weakened by a deadly poison which should have killed him, and it still might be killing him even now. The Tailor and her new Greatcoats have taken Aline, the king’s rightful heir, into the mountains to protect her from Trin’s armies and assassins. It’s clear that the Greatcoats are going to need all the help they can get to put a thirteen-year-old girl on the throne, so Falcio and his companions are soon sent off to negotiate an alliance with Duke Isault. However, right before a treaty can be finalized, the Duke and his entire family are brutally murdered, setting our heroes on a path to find the killer and uncover a dangerous conspiracy threatening to tear apart the country. Once again I’m amazed at the seamless way Sebastien de Castell manages to combine action and humor. This sequel is as much fun as the first book, continuing in a similar vein with its snappy narrative style and pacing. I also can’t help but feel the book is aptly titled though, because the entire story also feels shrouded in a slightly darker tone. Time and time again, Falcio, Kest and Brasti are pushed to their limits, forced to go through many situations that will test their loyalties and resolve. I found Knight’s Shadow wildly entertaining, but it’s important to note that the bleaker, grimmer parts also have their role in shaping the characters through difficulty and hardship. This book will really stress the bonds between our mighty trio. You’ll see Falcio react with more vehemence against those who threaten his friends. You’ll see the efficient and methodical Kest lose control. You’ll see Brasti question his own place in the order and challenge Falcio’s authority. We spent the first book getting to know these characters and De Castell continues to build upon them by putting the group through new situations, developing those fascinating relationship dynamics. He also makes things more interesting by giving Valiana a much bigger role, as well as introducing the vicious and cynical Darriana. Kest, Brasti, Valiana and Darri all react to Falcio in their various ways, but they share a common goal in bringing our protagonist back down to earth when he gets too lost in himself, or too lost in the idolatry of his dead king. I’ve got to admit, sometimes Falcio does need that reality check.Despite being a much longer book than its predecessor, the story in Knight’s Shadow feels more driven, streamlined and less meandering, featuring less flashbacks and asides. On the other hand, Falcio and his friends had to fall into several success-and-setback cycles before the story hits its stride and takes off running. The beginning felt slower to me for this reason, and I also found the book a lot more emotionally draining than Traitor’s Blade. Our poor Greatcoats never seem to catch a break! I think I still liked the first book more, just slightly. Traitor’s Blade had a few more original moments, dazzling me with concepts like conversations held by swordfight. It also had more fantasy/magical elements, like fey horses. Knight’s Shadow had a great story but it was also very ambitious with its twists and turns, leading to some inconsistencies, and for all that I still predicted the ending. But these minor points notwithstanding, I had an amazing time with this book. Greatcoats is now up there on my list of favorite fantasy series, and I never miss a chance to recommend it to my fellow readers and friends. I’m sure they’re so sick of hearing me gush about these books by now but I don’t care! I can’t wait to see what De Castell has in store for us next in book three, Tyrant’s Throne.