Shadowmarch Totally Explained

Everything about Shadowmarch totally explained

Shadowmarch is the first novel in the Shadowmarch trilogy, by Tad Williams. It was released in hardcover on November 2, 2004, and in trade paperback on November 1, 2005. A paperback edition was released in September, 2006. Book III in the series, currently titled Shadowrise (working title), is forthcoming. Shadowplay was published March 6, 2007 (Hardcover) in both the USA and the UK.

Before the Book

Shadowmarch has had a long history before appearing in print. Originally, Tad Williams conceived Shadowmarch as an idea for a fantasy movie and later a fantasy tv series, which might have been described as "Hill Street Blues meets Babylon 5 meets Lord of the Rings". When both of these options fell through, Shadowmarch was reborn as an online serial. Released between June 2001 and August 2002 in bi-weekly episodes, it was an ambitious exploration of what online publishing done right might mean. Despite a vibrant (and at present still thriving) community gathering around this project, a lack of subscribers willing to pay the one-time $14.99 fee necessary to read chapters beyond the five initial free ones meant that after the first year, the online project halted, with the completed first novel (and subsequent volumes) returning to orthodox publishing. The book contains additional chapters not found in the original online version, while the rest of the original material was substantially revised and edited for book publication (notably being rewritten completely to past tense, since the online project used present tense to "give it a sense of immediacy").

The Shadowmarch Trilogy

Shadowmarch, November 2004.
Shadowplay, March 2007.
Shadowrise, (formerly announced as Shadowfall) forthcoming. Please keep in mind that this is only a working title, which might well be changed before publication.

Plot summary

The first Marchlands kingdom, Southmarch (commonly called "Shadowmarch"), lies directly on the edge of the mysterious Shadowline, a shroud of endless mist that marks the entrance to the realm of the fairy-folk, the Qar. Crossing the Shadowline is said to drive any human mad, but, as far as anyone knows, the line hasn't moved any further south for centuries. Now, inexplicably, it has begun to creep slowly but surely deeper into the lands of Southmarch, bringing an unknown menace with it.
Coupled together with this threat is the dissension and endless political maneuvering of many of Southmarch's nobles. The king of Southmarch has been captured and is imprisoned in a distant land, and when the prince regent is murdered, the burden of rule falls to the inexperienced princess, Briony, and her moody brother, Barrick. Faced with invasion, betrayal, and conniving nobles seeking to take advantage, it's up to them alone to hold Southmarch together.

Characters in "Shadowmarch"

Primary Characters

Barrick Eddon - the prince of Southmarch; Briony's twin brother; one of the main protagonists

Briony Eddon - the princess of Southmarch; Barrick's twin sister; one of the main protagonists

Chaven - the physician of the royal family

Chert Blue-Quartz - a Funderling

Ferras Vansen - captain of the Royal Guard.

Flint - a mysterious child from beyond the Shadowline, Chert Blue-Quartz's ward.

Kendrick Eddon - the prince regent of Southmarch

Qinnatan - An acolyte of the Hive in Xis

Secondary Characters

Gailon Tolly - the duke of Summerfield, brother of Hendon and cousin to the Eddon twins.

Hendon Tolly - brother of Gailon and cousin to the Eddon twins

Jeddin "Jin" - captain of the Autarch's Leopard Guard.

Mathhias "Matty" Tinwright, a poet

Prusus - Scotarch of Xis, chosen heir of Autarch Sulepis

Puzzle - ancient court jester to the Eddons

Queen Upsteeplebat - Rooftopper monarch

Shaso dan-Heza - the master of arms of Castle Southmarch.

Sulepis Bishakh am-Xis III - monarch of the powerful Xandian nation of Xis. Revered as a living god.

Yasammez - Qar noblewoman. Also known as the "Scourge of the Shivering Plain", or "Lady Porcupine"

Races and Peoples

Funderlings, a little people, similar to dwarves, who are skilled in stonecraft; also known as 'Delvers'

Rooftoppers, tiny beings who dwell on the roofs of Southmarch castle and are known only to a few

Qar, an ancient race of non-humans who were once the inhabitants of much of the known world

Tuani, the dark-skinned human natives of Tuan

Xis, the war-like people of the southern continent

Sneak Previews

Prior to the publication of the book in November 2004, Tad Williams' US publishers Daw Books released three Sneak Previews of Shadowmarch that contained teaser chapters for the upcoming book. These Sneak Previews were distributed for free and were designed to attract potential readers. They prominently featured artwork by Michael Whelan that was originally created for Shadowmarch, but later discarded. Image:Preview_Shadowmarch1.jpg|Sneak Preview #1 featuring Briony. Image:Shadowmarch_Preview2.jpg|Sneak Preview #2 featuring Barrick. Image:Shadowmarch_Preview3.jpg|Sneak Preview #3 featuring Shadowmarch Castle

Foreign Editions

Shadowmarch: An Epic Fantasy. Orbit Hardcover ((ISBN 1-84149-288-4, 656 pages). November 2004.

Shadowmarch: Die Grenze. Klett-Cotta Hardcover (ISBN 3-608-93717-X, 814 pages). July 2005. Translated into German by Cornelia Holfelder von-der Tann.

De Schaduwgrens. Luitingh Fantasy Paperback (ISBN 90-245-5603-1, 799 pages). April 2006. Translated into Dutch by Erica Feberwee.

Marchia Cienia. Rebis (ISBN 83-7301-770-4, 723 pages). May 2006. Translated into Polish by Pawel Kruk.

Slottet i Sydmark: Skuggmark 1. B. Wahlströms (ISBN 13: 978-91-32-33289-0, 327 pages ). October 2006. Translated into Swedish by Ylva Spangberg.

Varjojen marssi 1: Lauluja kuusta ja tähdistä. Karisto Oy (ISBN 951-23-4782-2, about 420 pages) August 2006. Translated into Finnish by Auli Hurme-Keränen. Varjojen marssi 2: Pimeä kaupunki. Karisto Oy (ISBN 951-23-4783-0, about 420 pages). September 2006. Translated into Finnish by Auli Hurme-Keränen.

Stínové pomezí. Laser-books (ISBN 80-7193-216-7, 754 pages). November 2006. Translated into Czech by Petr Kotrle.

Les Royaumes des Marches 1 : Chateau d'Ombre t1. Calmann Levy (ISBN 978-27-0213792-5, about 350 pages) March 2007. Translated into french by Jean-Pierre Pugi.

Les Royaumes des Marches 1 : Chateau d'Ombre t2. Calmann Levy (ISBN 978-27-0213803-8, about 350 pages) March 2007. Translated into french by Jean-Pierre Pugi.

Sjenovita međa, I. dio. Algoritam (ISBN 978-953-220-548-0, 664 pages). August 2008. Translated into Croatian by Tajana Pavičević. Image:Shadowmarch_uk.JPG|UK Book Cover Image:Die_grenze.JPG|German Book Cover Image:Shaduwgrens.gif|Dutch Book Cover Image:Marchia_cienia.jpg|Polish Book Cover Image:Swedish_Cover.gif|Swedish Book Cover Image:Finnish_Cover.jpg|Finnish Book Cover (Part One) Image:Finnish_Cover_2.jpg|Finnish Book Cover (Part Two)

Reviews

Review by Paul Skevington

Computercrowsnest, 1 January, 2005.

Review by William Thompson

The SF Site, 2005.

Review by Sandy Auden

The Alien Online, 19 December, 2004.

Review by Edward Carmien

SFRevu, November 2004.

Review by Cheryl Morgan

Emerald City, November 2004.

Awards and Honors

SF Site Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2004: Readers' Choice

#9 for Shadowmarch.

Locus Magazine 2004 Recommending Reading List.

Shadowmarch subsequently placed 15th as Best Fantasy Novel in the annual Locus Awards.

Best of 2004

Emerald City by Cheryl Morgan.

Shadowmarch was also long-listed for the Quill Award and the British Fantasy Award. (External Link

)Nominated in 2006 for the Phantastik Preis Award (Germany), in the category of Foreign Novel.

Footnotes

Further Information

Get more info on 'Shadowmarch'.

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