Shadowmarch
core novel 2004 Shadowmarch
Record
| First published | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.77 (12,858 ratings, collected 2026-08-19) |
| Page count | 796 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780756402198 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
The novel follows the royal Eddon family of Southmarch castle as crises mount: their father the king is held captive abroad, and after his heir is assassinated, twins Briony and Barrick must grapple with rule and rebellion amid family secrets, as an ancient non-human race masses beyond the mysterious Shadowline to reclaim lands they lost long ago. Southmarch itself sits at the edge of three competing faiths whose old conflicts, tied to a struggle among gods, begin resurfacing as the Qar's forces gather. With their father absent and their brother dead, the twins are left to navigate a court riddled with hidden agendas while an ancient threat presses closer to the castle's walls than anyone in living memory has faced.
Where it sits
- Universe: Shadowmarch
- Series: Shadowmarch core; position 1 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Tad Williams
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2005: nominated; Locus Award poll placement (15th place); registered per this canon's no-cutoff rule for Locus poll results.
Notes
- From the series record (Shadowmarch): A complete 4-book epic fantasy tetralogy, Tad Williams's 2nd universe in this canon, confirmed genuinely separate from Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn / Osten Ard (different world, characters, and continuity).
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series Shadowmarch: position 1 of 4: next Shadowplay (2007)
Sources
- Tad Williams, official website
- Wikipedia (English)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowmarch
- sfadb, Science Fiction Awards Database
- sfadb: Tad Williams awards (Locus Award corroboration)
← Shadowmarch dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.