Denver Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club

A SHADOW IN SUMMER
by
DANIEL ABRAHAM
A Shadow in Summer hardback cover A Shadow in Summer (2006)
The Long Price Quartet - Book One

Cover art by Stephan Martiniere

Tor hardcover
331 pages (left)

Tor fantasy paperback
384 pages (right)
From the the inside flaps of the hardcover:
       The city-state of Saraykeht dominates the Summer Cities.  Its wealth is beyond measure; its port is open to all the merchants of the world; and its ruler, the Khai Saraykeht, commands forces to rival the Gods.   Commerce and trade fill the streets with a hundred languages, and the coffers of the wealthy with jewels and gold.  Any desire, however exotic or base, can be satisfied in its soft quarter.  Blissfully ignorant of the forces that fuel their prosperity, the people live and work secure in the knowledge that their city is a bastion of progress in a harsh world.  It would be a tragedy if it fell....
       Saraykeht is poised on the knife-edge of disaster.
      At the heart of the city's influence are the poet-sorcerer Heshai and the captive spirit, Seedless, whom he controls.  For all his power, Heshai is weak, haunted by memories of shame and humiliation.  A man faced with constant reminders of his responsibilities and his failures, he is the linchpin and the most vulnerable point in Saraykeht's greatness.
      Far to the west, the armies of Galt have conquered many lands.  To take Saraykeht, they must first destroy the trade upon which its prosperity is based.  Marchat Wilsin, head of Galt's trading house in the city, is planning a terrible crime against Heshai and Seedless.  If he succeeds, Saraykeht will fall.
      Amat, House Wilsin's business manager, is a woman who rose from the slums to wield the power that Marchat Wilsin would use to destroy her city.  Through accidents of fate and circumstance Amat, her apprentice Liat. and two young men from the farthest reaches of their society stand alone against the dangers that threaten the city.
      But in this city of power and intrigue, no one is without secrets.  The price each of the city's protectors must pay to save Saraykeht may be greater than they can afford.  And the Galts are not the greatest threat they face....  

Read for group discussion on November 14, 2007
RATINGS:
How we each rated this book
Dan - Amy 8 stack of books 10   Wow! Don't miss it
8-9  Highly recommended
7    Recommended
5-6  Mild recommendation
3-4  Take your chances
1-2  Below average; skip it
0    Get out the flamethrower!
U    Unfinishable or unreadable
-    Skipped or no rating given
Cheri 8 Barb -
Aaron 9 Cynthia 8
Jackie 8 Ron 9
Jenn 8 Jessica 9
Jennifer 5.5
Our book group has read the following books by Daniel Abraham
-- A Betrayal in Winter  in November 2008
-- An Autumn War  in November 2009
Bibliography:
Daniel Abraham is an American fantasy and science fiction writer.  He lives in New Mexico.

The Long Price Quartet
--A Shadow in Summer (2006)
--A Betrayal in Winter (2007)
--An Autumn War (2008)
--The Price of Spring (2009)

Other works
--Hunter's Run (2008, with Gardner Dozois and George R.R. Martin)
--"Shadow Twin" (2004, novella, with Gardner Dozois and George R. R. Martin)
--George R.R. Martin's Wald Cards:  The Hard Call (2008, graphic novel with art by Eric Battle)

Pseudonymous urban fantasy, The Black Sun's Daughter series
--Unclean Spirits (2008, as M.L.N. Hanover)
--Darker Angels (2009, as M.L.N. Hanover)

Links:
Our book club's page for A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham
Our book club's page for An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham
Aaron's review of A Shadow in Summer on Fantastic Reviews
Daniel Abraham -- Works and Information
BookPage Fiction Review: A Shadow in Summer
A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham - Official sffworld.com review
SF REVIEWS.NET: A Shadow in Summer / Daniel Abraham
SF Signal: REVIEW: A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham
Locus Online: Daniel Abraham interview excerpts (2008)

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 This page was last updated November 22, 2009