G.P. Taylor, Shadowmancer

I loved this book,Shadowmancer, I thought it was fantastic. I am now reading the second, Shadowmancer, the curse of Salamander Street. I lovd the suspense and adventure and the fact it is all about friendship and loyallty. I think the three main characters are an example to all children, not to people by how they look and sound. It is a perfect book, breathtaking for all ages and dos not disapoint. You won't want to put it down until you have read it from cover to cover.It is so readable, I have read it three times and are not yet bored by it. The way all the characters are different yet bond and work together so well is an example we should all follow, you don't have to be the same to be good friends, different personalties go well together as well. there are so many morales and lessons in this book which are all so exampery it just works. The title is so brilliant as well, Shadowmancer. It makes you want to read it and gives nothing away.

Shadowmancer has great Christian symbolism in it, has very good points and addressed them precisely. It had a lot of symbolism in the book, it had hordes of very detailed imagery.

I would reccomened the 'Shadowmancer' for people aged 10+ because I believe that this book would suit most ages.

The way 'Shadowmancer' was written makes it very hard for even the most skilled readers to read.

There was so much Christianity embedded in this story, I was thankful I was a Christian, otherwise I would have put the book down from page 100. There are so many biblical point of views in this book that it has the capability to offend many people.

This book ended just as you would have expected from the get-go. Don't read it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good fiction book!

Fantastic, original works to help children ( and adults ) work out right from wrong/ good versus evil.

G.P. Taylor, Shadowmancer - In my 40-odd years of reading thousands of books I have only ever not managed to finish reading two, one was the truly awful "the Greeks bring gifts" and the other is Shadowmancer. The story as far as I managed is pedestrian, obvious and overloaded with Christian symbolism, at times to a toe-curling degree, and the writing technique is just plain awful.

Don't waste your money.

I think Shadowmancer has a nice story based on the elements it combined, Religion, myths, and created things. I think it had power to enlighten most of us.

But too many bad points, I'm not so comfortable with the book, maybe because religion is involved.

I found G.P. Taylor's Shadowmancer to be a boring and poorly written example of an attempt to merge Sunday-school-style Christian doctorine with popular fiction. It is so bad in some parts that I found myself literally rolling my eyes as I read. Characters are thin and events unfold much too quickly and predictably; there is no drama or suspense in this story. The plot is a highly unoriginal tale of clear-cut good vs. evil, and you know from the beginning how it has to end. The heroes are so boring that I actually hoped a couple of them might meet unfortunate ends just to make the story more interesting (but alas, it is not so).

I doubt even the most dyed-in-the-wool Christians would really appreciate the "messages" that not-so-subtley pepper this story. The biblical lessons which flow from the mouths of so many characters are all too obvious and basic: anyone who has ever followed any Christian teaching has heard all this before, and I doubt there is anything new or inspiring that may be gleaned from this book. Of course, maybe an 11-year-old might find some insight here, if they haven't been exposed to these lessons already.

If you are looking for a Christian alternative to Harry Potter, this is definately not it. I found the Harry Potter books to be quite innocent fantasy, while this book contains much more explicit examples of truly evil witchcraft and devil-worship. Yes, I understand that the devil-worshippers are the bad guys, but to an impressionable youth they are undoubtably the most interesting characters in the book. Not to mention that the Harry Potter books are excellent literary works, and I am suprised that anyone would compare this story to JK Rowling's creation in the first place as they are clearly not fit to be in the same league.

Shadowmancer

G. P. Taylor

Putnam, May 2004, $16.99, 275 pp.

ISBN: 0399242562

In England, Vicar Obadiah Demurral lost his belief in his religion and God years ago, as he firmly believes that the Almighty has turned a deaf ear towards humanity. Obadiah is a "poisoned angel", a SHADOWMANCER, who communicates with the dead and has plans to rule the world. To achieve his ambition, Obadiah needs to obtain two Keruvim, an amulet that he already possesses and some other artifact of power that he seeks. Together, the twin Keruvim objects will turn Obadiah into an invincible force.

On a quest to recover the stolen relic taken from his village, African Raphah tracks the object to England where he meets two young victims of Obadiah's evil wrath, Thomas and Kate. The trio team up in an effort to stop Obadiah from accomplishing his malevolent objective even if it means going into hell for their heavenly cause.

SHADOWMANCER is an exhilarating religious allegorical fantasy that provides a deep message without preaching inside a wonderful action-packed good vs. evil war. The story line is fast-paced as Obadiah comes closer and closer to achieving his evil objective while the three youngsters are the only souls with faith in God and his way. Though some bad dudes change sides too conveniently, readers from high school age and up will appreciate this timely cautionary tale. G.P. Taylor admonishes the leaders of organized religion not to abuse power especially at the cost and loss of the congregation and pleads with the congregation to keep the faith even when the leaders abuse their positions of power and fail them.

Harriet Klausner