Book Review: Shady Rulers (Vol. 1)

Reviewed by Kathy L. Brown

An action-packed novel, Shady Rulers interweaves multiple plotlines into the ultimate cross-genre tale. 

Shady Rulers: Volume One highlights fun and excitement, seeking to engage readers with rapid pacing, humorous banter among the characters, and dazzling twists. It ambitiously takes on a challenging narration plan and keeps multiple balls in the air as it juggles competing (and ultimately complementing) storylines and point-of-view characters.

In a world where the two sides of the globe are long separated by a great barrier storm, wildly divergent civilizations have developed. 

Half of the world resembles a classic fantasy setting: medieval-adjacent and replete with orcs, elves, and even a dragon. Here, a charismatic street urchin seeks his fortune while high-elf politics threaten the stability of the known world. Exiled elf prince Terrack organizes the orcs to invade his high-elf homeland. But layer upon layer of intrigue and secrets complicate Terrack’s plan. 

A technologically modern civilization lies beyond the storm, but it is in ruins after a terrible apocalypse. High-ranking shenanigans are afoot here, too, while an adventurous party of nomads-turned-soldiers find themselves completely out of their element, coping with undreamed of challenges. 

Shady Rulers is the first installment of a multipart story and focuses primarily on the various characters’ backstories: the events that bring them to the big confrontation. And there are a lot of characters (twenty-four appear on a character list, with illustrations) as well as a variety of settings (featured on some helpful maps) and an assortment of tantalizing plot hooks. Many of these people, places, and events don’t seem so important in Volume One but may come to the forefront in future books. The unified story gets underway near the end of Shady Rulers. This structure makes it difficult to identify who is the main character. 

The book does a good job keeping the characters in hot water; any success they encounter is followed almost immediately by an even worse setback. The reader stays engaged with the characters through adversity and roots for their success. 

It’s a complicated story with parallel narratives for a large portion of the book, which makes stating a story question difficult. But it’s interesting and gratifying to see the various threads begin to interweave and form the pattern for future books. Often the story plays it for laughs, with smart-aleck characters and slapstick situations. 

In terms of pacing, Shady Rulers moves very quickly. Yet the setting is important for grounding the action and characters, and the book takes the time to paint some lovely pictures. “As Silas drew closer to the bustling northern docks, his senses were assaulted by the cacophony of sounds and smell. The air was thick with the briny scent of the sea, intermingling with the stench of fish and tar. The dockworkers shouted and cursed as they loaded and unloaded cargo, while the merchants hawked their wares in loud, obnoxious voices.” 

Readers will find Shady Rulers a fun, adventurous story, and those who enjoy series will look forward to future volumes.  

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