The Way of Shadows
core novel 2008 Night Angel Trilogy
Record
| First published | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.15 (164,877 ratings, collected 2026-08-27) |
| Page count | 645 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780316033671 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
The Way of Shadows opens in the slums of Cenaria City, where Azoth, a street child known as a guild rat, apprentices himself to Durzo Blint, the city's most feared "wetboy," an assassin whose skills border on the supernatural. Taking the name Kylar Stern, he spends years mastering combat, deception, and magic, including growing command of a mystical living metal called the ka'kari. As his training deepens, Kylar becomes entangled in the machinations of the Sa'Kage, the criminal council that rules Cenaria's underworld, while trying to protect his childhood friend Elene and conceal his violent double life from her. Looming over the city's internal intrigue is the threat of a foreign invasion, forcing Kylar to weigh his growing skill as a killer against his uncertain sense of loyalty and morality.
Where it sits
- Universe: Night Angel Trilogy
- Series: Night Angel Trilogy core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Brent Weeks
Awards (verified)
- Compton Crook Award (Best First Novel), 2009: nominated
- David Gemmell Legend Award, 2009: nominated
Notes
- From the series record (Night Angel Trilogy): Brent Weeks's debut trilogy, all three books published in 2008.
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 Night Angel Trilogy: position 1 of 3: next Shadow's Edge (2008)
Sources
- Wikipedia: Brent Weeks
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_of_Shadows
- David Gemmell, official author site (winners/nominations record)
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