Shadowplay
core novel 2007 Shadowmarch
Record
| First published | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.93 (8,365 ratings, collected 2026-08-19) |
| Page count | 656 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780756403584 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
Shadowplay continues directly from Shadowmarch as Barrick, having crossed into the lands beyond the Shadowline, begins to learn more about the beliefs and history of the Qar, the ancient non-human people massing against Southmarch, gaining a perspective on the conflict that few humans have ever had. Meanwhile Briony, having fled Southmarch, moves incognito through hostile territory seeking allies who might help her reclaim her family's threatened castle and repel the forces gathering against it. As both twins operate far from each other and from the seat of their family's power, the novel widens the scope of the conflict, revealing more about the ancient struggle among gods that underlies the tensions between Southmarch's three faiths and the Qar beyond the Shadowline.
Where it sits
- Universe: Shadowmarch
- Series: Shadowmarch core; position 2 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Tad Williams
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 2 of 4: previous Shadowmarch (2004) · next Shadowrise (2010)
Sources
← Shadowmarch dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.