Shadow Prowler
Initially, Shadow Prowler bears some similarities to Tolkien’s trilogy about great evil burgeoning to threaten the order of the world. While well developed, the story is often inconsistently told, jumping from first to third person, sometimes within a single paragraph, which jars the reader and detracts from an otherwise admirable performance. Detailed description abounds as we follow master thief Harold, whose character develops during a great quest to save humanity. The world Pehov conjures is filled with other memorable characters, too, including the king’s court jester, Harold’s old thieving mentor (now a priest), and an elf who looks more like a vampire. Those who like fantasy novels offering ogres, elves, undead creatures, wizards, and the like joined in an epic quest will be delighted once they get past the inconsistent narration, for such genre fodder as pitched battles are described so well that they seem to unfold before one’s eyes. A first book in a series that piques interest for the others, especially if they’re more smoothly translated. --Rebecca Gerber