A Shadow in Summer

I finished A Shadow in Summer this past weekend. I thought it was a very good debut novel for Abraham. In some was it has a lot of familiar plot elements typical to fantasy, but the presentation of those elements was very unique. The setting has a definite Asian vibe to it

Strengths:
The introduction of the poets and andat. The andat are demi-god like spirits that are bound into corporeal form by poets in the crafting of their poem. Each poem is unique and reflects the personality of the poet, which is mirrored in the personality of the andat.

Communication: Abraham, in addition to verbal, gives us a secondary form of communication, in the form of poses. I series of forms and gestures designed to show mood, as well as ask and answer simple questions, and relate position such as student to master, etc.

weaknesses: Characters. While the main characters had depth, none of them were all that memorable. Otah is probably the most interesting. The andat Seedless was also fairly interesting.

I enjoyed the book , and that's key for me. Although ASiS only the first book in a four book series, it feels like a complete story. In some ways that's great, The sub-story is completed. In another way there is no cliffhanger, It didn't leave me immediately wondering when the next installment was due.

7.5 out of 10