Previously Published at TheQwillery.comA co-worker recommend this series to me seven years ago. I attempted to read the first book shortly after that but got caught up in another book and never finished The One Kingdom. Being the dedicated reader I am, I recently returned to the series and I'm glad I did. Sean Russell is a very talented writer, especially when it comes to world-building and character development, which is his his focus in the three books—building a wonderful world that sucks the reader in and then taking time to explore it with some great characters. Russell is also wonderful at writing some great female characters. All of the characters develop and change and no one is left untouched by the end of the series. There's enough variety that anyone can find a character to relate to. I've read that he always wanted to stay away from High Fantasy as he never wanted to appear to be a Tolkien wannabe, but then he came up with a story that had to be told. I, for one, am glad he did. The Swans' War trilogy is a worthy addition to the High Fantasy sub-genre.The One Kingdom is a great start to the series. The story pace is quick and exciting. At the beginning, we meet three young cousins (Toren, Fynnol, Baore) who seek a little adventure as they plan to travel down a river near their Northern home to the more populated south to buy horses and come back home men of the world. They quickly become entangled in a struggle between three long-dead siblings and two royal houses at war over a crown. The pace slows down a lot in the middle of the book where we're introduced to many supporting characters needed to tell an epic story. Normally, I hate it when a story slows down in pacing, but not this time since there's a lot of world-building and character development. Its the middle of the book that makes the end really matter, as you read as fast as you can to see how it comes to an end. There's a cliff-hanger ending, but thankfully the full series is out, so no waiting.In The Isle of Battle, the majority of the characters spend their time in one location, which normally would worry me, but its in the second book that we really see the majority of the character development taking place. The second book for me is the most internal book of the series, where we see the effects of the conflicts changing all of our characters. The pace of this book is slow, but, in my opinion, it matches the struggles of the characters and the environment they find themselves in, so I actually enjoyed it. Russell is very skilled at using the terrain to influence the pacing of his story. I don't know if it's intentional or not, but I really felt it creeping into the pacing and the characters as they interacted with it. Book one was a meandering river book, with several different side paths. Book two takes place in a swamp and you really feel the characters struggling to make their way through it, both physically and internally as they struggle with how they are dealing with the war around them. The third book is all about the mountains and plains with highs and lows the characters face as the story comes to a crashing end.The Shadow Roads concludes the story and doesn't feel the need to give a storybook ending to the tale. One of my favorite quotes from the series is found in the last book and I've included it below. I feel it explains how Russell ends The Swan's War trilogy. It might not be the most satisfying ending to some readers, and my initial response was to be a little bothered by it as well, but the more I thought about the quote and reality I actually enjoyed the ending more. We don't always know why things happen the way they do, and we don't always get an explanation why, and neither do the characters. Now, that's not to say we are left completely in the dark, I feel the readers get enough information to make their own conclusions.The Swans' War trilogy will not be for every lover of fantasy. For those of you who like stories with elves, dwarves and such, you won't find them here. Neither will you find goblins, dragons, and other monsters roaming the wilderness. Russell uses humans as both the heroes and villains very skillfully. The second quote I have below shows how he sees mankind. The magic system in the world is very basic and limited to just a few people in world, so, for those of you who like a good wizard battle or interesting magic system, you'll need to look elsewhere. Lastly, as I've mentioned above, the pacing can be slow at times, so for those you who like a quick, action-packed read, be warned.I really enjoyed The Swans' War trilogy and I hope Sean Russell returns to fantasy soon. I recommend that lovers of High Fantasy add these books to their collections and for any other fantasy-lover, look for the books on your friend's shelves or at your local library. I have no problem recommending these books to adult or teen readers. There is mild violence and little to no strong language and only the slightest adult situation.Favorite Quotes from the Books“There isn’t one story. There are myriad tales to be told, all different and puzzling. It is vain to ask them to makes sense. Just tell the tales. They will speak for themselves.” Cynddl in The Shadow Roads.“We are not a peaceful people. It is the great tragedy of our race. War is in our blood.” Toren in The Shadow Roads.
By now I have become completely immersed in this world, with its large cast of heroes, innocent victims and evil villains. I begin to understand why this is a book about groups more so than individuals. Each group, depending on the task at hand, is made up of characters vital to that quest. In addition, the group dynamic makes for an interesting study in human nature. It becomes easy to see who is a natural leader, a loyal follower, a potential problem or simply a reluctant participant. Even though I tend to favor character-driven fantasy, experiencing a story centered around groups was a fascinating alternative. I got to observe as the various groups broke apart, then reformed anew. Some with basically the same members as before but almost always with new members from another group. How that person or persons fit into their new group gave me insights into their character I might not have seen otherwise. In my opinion, it was very well done. Read Complete Review @ Dragons, Heroes and Wizards
What do You think about The Shadow Roads (2005)?
The swans’ war trilogy by Sean Russell concludes with volume three The Shadow Road in which this captivating, complex mystery comes to its dramatic conclusion. Beginning with The One Kingdom wherein readers are introduced to the author’s world that is truly unique, original and highly distinctive followed by The Isle of Battle. Here we enter the land of Ayr that has been left in utter turmoil to find that a deadly feud from the past is now being awoken from its slumber. The once predictable plot is now turned on its head with such surprise and tension, that is so fast-paced and dramatic you will not be able to put it down. An exhilarating, thrilling conclusion to a truly epic series that is full of electric tension and suspense that is testimony to how great an accomplished writer Sean Russell is. Much anticipation and expectation preceded his last work with standards raised high that he has now crushed, by producing something of outstanding caliber to end his saga. This book by a universally loved writer captures your imagination, taking you on a fast-paced action packed rollercoaster of a ride that maintains its momentum throughout. The truly unique, original storyline is so unpredictable as to make you want to read on, leaving you sat on the edge of your seat whilst it builds up to a striking and magnificent climax that astonishes. An inspired tale that took me on a journey of magical, fantasy imaginings with such creativity as to enthuse and move me. I cannot enthuse enough about an author who has risen to new heights, pushing the boundaries by excelling once more. To those readers who love authors such as Stephen Donaldson, Janny Wurts, Robin Hobb and Raymond E Feist I can grantee that you will love Sean Russell who has such depth and fluidity to his work. Just like author Kate Elliot who wrote the outstanding, remarkable series Crown of Stars, Sean goes into such background detail and design with his books surrounding a world that is beautifully ingenious. Subtle, understated and completely gripping this well-crafted story will delight many fans of this genre standing out on the bookshelf for its individuality and noticeable contrast to other works. If you love thrilling journeys, stirring battles and memorable characters in a luminous world that is full of drama and excitement then look no further as here is a trilogy that will send chills down your spine.
—Lucinda
While in general, I enjoyed the series and would recommend it, I had a harder time with this book than the first two. I found myself, on a number of occasions, having to remind myself that this was a trilogy. The further in I got, the more concerned I got about how the series would be completed. As a result, I found the climax / end of the book to be something of a let down, as if Russell woke up one day and figured that was it and wrapped it up. I found that story elements that had been eluded
—Matt
“The Shadow Roads” is the third book in the “Swan’s War Trilogy”, and it presented a satisfying conclusion to the series. It took until the last book, but the author finally revealed more of the backstory for the children of Wyrr and what they were fighting against. I found the past was more interesting than the current story, and I would have enjoyed learning more about what took place to cause the situation; however, the author only provided a glimpse from time-to-time throughout the main story. It felt like parts of this story in the “hidden lands” were disjointed with large leaps of time and distance as Wyrr’s three children traveled toward a major confrontation. This dramatic meeting sets the stage for the conclusion of the two main story arcs – saving the One Kingdom from doom and destruction at the hands of Wyrr’s children, and the looming battle between the Wills and Renne families.I maintain my three-star rating for this book and the series as a whole for the same reasons that I’ve mentioned in previous reviews. It is an interesting story, but I didn’t find anything great or anything that provoked some kind of response in me as the reader. Many of the characters seemed flat with little growth throughout the series, and the side stories were not that relevant to the overall storyline.
—Kyle
