A Shadow in Summer

Narrator Neil Shah matches his delivery to the complex social conventions of the formal society portrayed in this fantasy. Among them is the adopting of a "pose" to reflect the tone of the comment to follow. Shah expresses the attitude of the pose, such as a pose of apology or reassurance, in the dialogue as the characters engage with one another. Each subplot in the story centers on a different character. Shah fully captures the strength and resolve of Mantat, an older woman who is always scheming. He's equally at ease portraying the two young men featured in subplots that weave together. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

February 27, 2006
Gesture and posture convey as much information as spoken words in Abraham's impressive first novel, a fantasy set in a world where poets create and bind powerful shape-shifting creatures called "andat." The Empire hangs on, literally, by a thread; the cloth industry depends on the ability of andat Seedless to magically remove seeds from cotton plants to keep commerce flowing and the barbarians in check. Seedless, who can also remove unborn children from their mother's womb, aims to drive his poet-creator, Heshai-kvo, mad with grief. A love triangle develops among a threesome\x97Heshai's apprentice, Maati; Itani, a laborer with a past; and the beautiful scribe Liat\x97as they unknowingly assist the andat in his plot to abort a wanted child. When Liat's master, Amat Kyaan, uncovers the plan, Amat must flee and live as a bookkeeper in a brothel. The complex characters all struggle to navigate a path between their duty to their Empire and to themselves. A blurb from George R.R. Martin will help alert his fans to this promising newcomer.