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    Shadowland
    Shadowland
    Shadowland
    Ebook256 pages3 hours

    Shadowland

    By Mrinal Bose

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Shadowland is the story of a doctor who seeks survival, sanity and justice after he is stripped of his right to a small piece of land in Kolkata suburb. Set against the backdrop of a degenerate Marxist regime in Bengal in the nineties, it's a compelling narrative of the doctor’s long battle with the powers-that-be, and a masterly portrait of contemporary India.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMrinal Bose
    Release dateMar 12, 2008
    ISBN9781452307336
    Shadowland
    Author

    Mrinal Bose

    I'm a fiction writer, columnist,and literary blogger based in Kolkata, India. My fiction and columns have appeared in The Pedestal Magazine, January magazine, suite 101.com and Future among many other online and print magazines. In real life, I'm a practicing physician, and when I'm not attending on my patient, I'm either contemplating fiction or writing it.

    Read more from Mrinal Bose

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    Reviews for Shadowland

    4/5

    24 ratings9 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I really liked this story. It caught my attention from the very beginning as Usher Vance, the old storyteller, started spinning his tale. What he didn’t realize, the story would end up being about him. I love the fact Gray strung the plot out, revealing bits and pieces the further we got into the story. No one was as they seemed.The characters were well-developed, along with the story. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. The plot, for the most part, was well-paced. I did think it bogged down in the middle with all the battles, but they were necessary for the advancement of the plot. I never thought about fighting from chariots before, or the logistics of using them to tear through the wall of defending soldiers. At times, I felt I was in the chariot with Uther and Samel as they chased down Horsa. I could see the piles of dead and dying, as the chariot and horses leapt and weaved their around around or over them. As I’m writing this review, a week and half later, the images still seem fresh in my mind. Very well done. If you’re looking for an alternative spin on the Arthurian story, you’ll want to read this story. I give it 5 feathers.
    • 3/5
      I've read a few fantasy versions of the Arthurian legends, especially tales of the period before Arthur was born. I don't think Shadowland offers enough of a spin on the original tale to justify creating a novel. There was some druid mysticism, but most of it felt extraneous to the plot. The part about a boy entering the body of a wolf while he slept felt "borrowed" from George R. R. Martin. Also, the story alternated between an old man remembering/narrating his own past and the events he was describing. There was no real purpose to framing the story that way and it felt unnecessary to me.The writing was good, with very few typos for a self-published novel. You might enjoy it if you are unfamiliar with the legends, but it fell flat for me.I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
    • 5/5
      All I can say is, holy cow! What a book! I picked this up free through Bookbub. I was more intrigued by the title and cover. Reading the review left me with little knowledge of what I was getting into.

      This is the story if Uther Pendragon. I read of Arthur, but now much on his father. This is the story of him. We learn of Merlyn and how he becomes the Druid. Cal his best friend that transforms in his dreams into a wolf. Clarissa who is the lady of the lake.

      I honestly fell in love with this story. Well written. So much action that I was never once bored with the story.

      Excellent read!
    • 2/5
      I purchased this book because the description sounded good. But I soon found it was just another version of the Arthur legend. It might have been kind of exciting as a YA selection. I didn't find the writing particularly well done, and I did not enjoy it much.
    • 5/5
      This is a tale that wraps around your mind and keeps you embraced, engaged and entertained. It's an historical fiction fantasy, written to school, but really completely entertainI love stories of medieval times and fantasy so it had a lot going for it from the start. The writing though was what took you into the era hook line and sinker. You saw, felt and heard what the characters did from page 1 through to the end, and lived in that time. It truly was wonderfully written. I read some other reviews, and seriously thought the lower rated ones somehow missed the mark. I found a few mistakes in this book, but I can find those and more in the biggest named authors out there. The author's writing ability far outweighs a few mistakes. Trust me.If you know anything about King Uther, King Arthur, Merlyn and the Druids, then you will know some of the storyline. How this author goes into the background of these people though is what keeps you fascinated and wondering throughout the pages. I always wonder about characters and in this case historical figures and their lives beyond what I have read, such as their childhood, what shaped their personalities and so forth. This story ventures into that realm of speculation, or maybe truths, you be the judge.It's a great story to give to a younger audience, from 3rd through adult age as it is written with clean yet interesting verbage. No sex or profanity, and even though there are wars fought and therefore violence, it is told with a gravity toward a 'compassionate humanity wins out', giving it an ending feel of the right morals are in place. Morals that when the leaders lived by them, a great nation was born. History tells us how great it was, and also what the falsehoods and falters were. If only present leaders would understand history and see that it repeats itself, for the same reasons.The format of the story is a character that lived it, telling the story of what actually happened. It was a nice and comfortable rendering that made you feel connected, like years had not passed. The fantasy elements were what allowed this possibility and for the story to continue, again connecting you with the past as if it happened just yesterday. I consider it a great way to tell an historical tale that keeps the reader engaged and learning a little history at the same time.Overall I loved the book. I have since purchased it for others, and recommend all who are interested in the medieval times to enjoy this venture. The ebook is extremely easy to buy, very affordabe and one you definitely won't put off reading after reading just the first page.
    • 5/5
      When you read some books they make you feel like they were written specifically for you.

      Shadowland was THE book for me.

      If you ask me why I feel so, I have no specific answer. I loved the writing, I loved the characters, I loved the story - but I've said all these things already about the books that I have read before. But there was something almost magical, almost too hypnotic about this book that has kept me engrossed still.

      The story begins on a Midwinter's eve - an old storyteller sitting on a chair before the fire and the villager's surrounding him to listen to his tale. He begins his story, as every year and every villager hangs on his every word. Then an old friend of the storyteller enters and asks for a different story than he had started - a real story from the time when both of them were kids. He then tells a new story, a new compelling, addicting, story that blew me away.

      In an alternate world it would have been Gray sitting on that chair before the fire and I would have among the villagers hanging onto his every word. His story of bravery and justice and warriors and magic and druids and dark ages and... completely blown away. I was sucked into the little bubble of imagination that this book created inside my head and even while I took my sweet time reading this book, it ended too soon.

      This is not a perfect book by any means - but it is perfect for me. I haven't read books about the Dark Ages much, but this book made me want to pick out more. I loved the imagery, I loved the world and I loved the way the characters grew onto me within the span of the book.

      I will reread this book. Soon.

      This ebook was provided to me for free by the author. This has not had any influence on my opinion of the book.
    • 4/5
      Disclaimer: The fact that I received a free copy of this book as part of First Reads in exchange for an honest review has not affected my rating.

      I have to say that I usually don't read books around Arthur's time, since it's usually the same old thing and story. Was I surprised and happy to receive and win this book. It is a delicious read, with unexpected twists and lovely characters that are not just one-dimensional, but that you can cheer for or be mad at, or feel frustrated with. You get to understand how Usher sees things, and just how surprising it all is for him.
      I hadn't really ever thought what the story behind Arthur's father was, and I loved the way C.M. portrays it in the book. You feel it believable and real, and one can see a hero in him, and how his blood was flowing in Arthur and was what made him who he was. The portrayal of Merlyn was amazing too, quite unexpected in a way, but surprising in a nice kind of way.
    • 4/5
      I love reading about King Arthur, Merlin, Uther and all the magic that comes with the legend. This book did not disappoint. The battle scenes were well written and exciting. Some of the language was off-putting and it could use some better proofreading, but all in all a really good read.
    • 5/5
      This story is full of druids, mystery,magic and tense battles. This book is a great journey into the fantastic dark ages of Great Britain, Merlin and the Celts. This was a well-written attention grabbing story of fantasy. Bravo to the author.

    Book preview

    Shadowland - Mrinal Bose

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