| Shadowmarch | |
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US Hardcover Edition |
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| Author(s) | Tad Williams |
| Cover artist | Michael Whelan |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Shadowmarch trilogy |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Publication date | November 2, 2004 (full) |
| Media type | Online (E-Book (partial) & Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 672 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7564-0219-0 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC Number | 56781061 |
| Dewey Decimal | 813/.54 22 |
| LC Classification | PS3573.I45563 S53 2004 |
| Followed by | Shadowplay |
Shadowmarch is the first novel in the Shadowmarch tetralogy, 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. The second book in the series, Shadowplay was published on March 6, 2007 in hardcover and on March 4, 2008 in paperback in both the USA and the UK. The third book in the series, Shadowrise, was released in hardcover on March 2, 2010. The last book in the series, Shadowheart, was published in hardcover on November 1, 2010.
Contents |
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".[1] 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.[2] 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").
Initially Williams set out to write a trilogy, but work on the final installment became so complex that he and his publishers decided to split the third installment into two novels, both released in 2010.
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 has not 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 is up to them alone to hold Southmarch together.
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.
[1] Nominated in 2006 for the Phantastik Preis Award (Germany), in the category of Foreign Novel.
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