Rating: 
Summary: Weak story, but credit for novelty
Review: 'Shadow Moon' is not only the first of a 3 book series, but also the sequel to George Lucas' fantasy film "Willow". Those who have enjoyed the film and want to catch up on what happened after the movie will be in for a big surprise, however, as the story takes drastic turns.The Sacred Princess Elora, who appeared as just a baby in the film, has finally reached her teen years and is almost ready to fulfill her prophecy. Unfortunately she has grown into a spoiled rich-girl and isn't the most pleasant messiah a world could have. Behind her rise, however, is a dark force which seeks to imprison the good guys and bring all around chaos to the world. Only a small (figuratively and literally) bunch of heroes can rise up and save the day. Although this sounds like typical fantasy fare, Chris Claremont and George Lucas have turned the world of 'Willow' upside down with 'Shadow moon'. Don't expect a light hearted, childish romp like the film generally was. This book is grim, and sometimes very unpleasant to read. Perhaps this particular take was drawn by comparing it with the film, but any way you look at it, 'Shadow Moon' is a dark, violent and humourless book. On the plus side, I had to commend the authors for bravely taking the story into a different direction. On it's on, the story reads like common fantasy fare. Include the film as canon, and you have a pretty deep and engrossing world. Not an easy book to read, but one that will more than likely have you picking up the sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: Great potential, but saddly disappointing
Review: A continuation of Willow, a fan of Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the X-men, Shadow Moon seemed like a dream. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as good as it could have been. The story itself, the key points of the plot, were excellent, a best seller waiting to happen. Too bad it will have to keep waiting. The brilliant minds of the authors moved to fast for a reader to keep up. I am sure in their own minds the flow from one paragraph to the next, one idea to the next, was obvious. A book of science fiction/fantasy should not be as labourious to read as a science textbook. I often had to re-read a paragraph, a page or an entire chapter in order to determine what "might" be happening. What this book needed the most was an editor who was totally unfamiliar with the story, who would be brave enough to pass constructive criticism to two of sci fi/fantasy greats. At the end of this book I found myself asking "What happened?" My advice is to anyone who has read this book is to read the next in hopes of an improvement. To anyone who wants to read it but hasn't yet, wait for better reviews of future books in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Description excercises the mind!!!!
Review: All right. I've heard it one too many times. "The descriptions of this book were too drawn out!" "The writing style was confusing!" So read harder! And pay attention to what you're reading. Man...I personally thought that this series was the best I've read since I first immensely enjoyed Tolkien all those years ago. If you want a goofy, fun-filled pop fantasy like the Willow film was...you better not even attempt to read this book or any of the others, because fun they are not. However, if you want to be swept up in the emotional rollercoaster that I have loved with all three of these books, by all means, pick up Shadow Moon as soon as you can. I just finished Shadow Star not five minutes ago, and I feel like I may cry. I want to spend MORE time with these characters...I want to hear them talk, and see them live. I love them, like friends. And that's the beauty of this series. One comes to genuinely care about the characters involved. Don't get me wrong...it takes a while, and these books are REALLY dark, and at times quite depressing. But stick with them, please! They ring true like epic films at times, and you can almost hear the John Williams score playing in the background...granted, if Lucas were to make these into films, they were have to earn a heavy R rating to keep them true to form. But, no matter! Read these books...I guarantee you will not be disappointed. The Ascension scene in Shadow Moon is one of the most haunting scenes I can remember in recent fiction. REad them!
Rating:
Summary: A shocking transformation
Review: For someone who loved Willow, I was first excited by this book, and then I was terribly shocked at the dramatic twist in tone. As other reviewers have stated, it was difficult to accept a novel that opens by killing off the characters you love best, and drastically altering the ones who remain. I stuck with it, though, because when I put my subjectivity aside, it was an intriguing, if dark, story. It's unfortunate that it takes so long to let go of what you lost in order to learn to love what you get; and that hangs over your reading of the book like the shadow in its name. Because it is worth the read. A richly detailed and creative landscape/setting and finely edged characters bring this story to vivid life and give it depth lacking it much comtemporary fiction. I was also drawn in by the writing style - the author has a voice which is complex and unique. In the end I was left with the impression not of device or triteness, but of sincerity and boldness - and couldn't wait for the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: A freshman in high school has better ficitonal panache
Review: I cannot believe this book! Chris Claremont, who took the X-Man to unparalleled heights of popularity with exceptional storytelling, and the pre-eminent screen writer of our time teaming up to write a fantasy trilogy sounds too good to believe!
It was.
There was nothing that was worth recomending this book to someone else. While I can forgive a complete change in the cast (thirteen years has passed) I cannot forgive the unbelievably bad writing that pervades the book from beginning to end. Conversations seem to start in the middle and end with no resolution. There is no character development at all. Everything is rendered by plot, but the plot is left obfuscated by the terse, oblique prose that it is nigh impossible to follow along with it. Each character seems to be a carbon copy of the others, and that's not all! The dialogue! Ah, the dialogue that leaves one wondering just what on earth was communicated. At least the characters seem to understand each other, as I did not.
Another thing about novels like these is that there is a certain amount of world building that is incumbent in order to actually build upon the story. The thrill that you get from discovering other world like Middle Earth, or Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time universe, is absent here. The authors assume that you know the history, the geography and the political climates, and when they deign to throw a tidbit your way, it is presented in such a way as to leave you more confused then if you didn't know. None of the wonder that is an importat part of a fantasy series is left intact.
In other words, if they wanted to tell a different story, a more mature story than what was presented in the movie, then I would tip my hat to them. They ~tried~ to do that, presenting nothing more but a mish mash of pages, words, and sentences that is a chore, not a joy, to read.
Please, someone send Claremont and Lucas to a remedial writing class.
(Now I think I understand why the latest Star Wars movies have been sub-par.)
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Bother....
Review: I seriously enjoyed the movie "Willow", which this book (and the other two in the series) are a "continuation" of. I've wanted to read these books for a while, because the movie *sorta* left me with a question or two. All this series did was CONFUSE me. I'm an avid fantasy reader, so it's not like these are out of my genre, but the way the books are written, the "explaination" of how the "magic" works, even the events in the book, are so boring and confusing that after I forced my way through this book I had no desire to read the second. It took me a year and major desparation for something to read before I picked up #2. Two and a half years after I forced my way through 2, I finally read 3. Wasted time. I enjoyed the side panel of my cereal box more than this series. There was serious potential after the awesome movie, but they missed the mark by a mile with this series.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Bother....
Review: I seriously enjoyed the movie "Willow", which this book (and the other two in the series) are a "continuation" of. I've wanted to read these books for a while, because the movie *sorta* left me with a question or two. All this series did was CONFUSE me. I'm an avid fantasy reader, so it's not like these are out of my genre, but the way the books are written, the "explaination" of how the "magic" works, even the events in the book, are so boring and confusing that after I forced my way through this book I had no desire to read the second. It took me a year and major desparation for something to read before I picked up #2. Two and a half years after I forced my way through 2, I finally read 3. Wasted time. I enjoyed the side panel of my cereal box more than this series. There was serious potential after the awesome movie, but they missed the mark by a mile with this series.
Rating:
Summary: A beginning to the story that had only just begun...
Review: If you enjoyed Willow, sit down with the Shadow War trilogy, and prepare to see the world we glimpsed in Willow fleshed out - with all the ugliest problems and the most beautiful creatures.
Definitely a darker story than the movie, it nonetheless has more depth, and keeps your attention. I loved the series - even though ***SPOILER*** my two favorite characters from the movie are killed off within the first 50 pages of the first book ***END SPOILER***
That said, when I began this series, I truly thought "Wow - this is nothing like the movie, I think this is going to be a real stinker". Pushing onward, I quickly became consumed by the storyline, and finshed the series in a very short time.
Now my only complaint is that it's over!!
Get through the first 1/3 of the first book, and you'll be hooked. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: george lucas does not equal gold
Review: Star wars, indiana jones and, this? my only explanation is that george lucas only provided the ideas for this story and had no part in the actual novel. As i've indicated, shadow moon starts out well, with familiar characters from the willow movie, and goes down hill FAST. Chris claremont, who is on top of his game in the X-men comic books, made a terrible mistake jumping into fantasy novels. This is the first book in a long time that has truly been a chore to read. Weak characters, anticlimactic battles, and a truly pathetic supporting cast ( two words; Brownies suck!) are just a few of the flaws. If there were parts of the book that were good, I could say it was an unpolished gem, but as it is, the gem isn't only unpolished, but still embedded in a giant chunk of earth.
Rating: 
Summary: remember Willow?
Review: There are a lot of better fantasy novels out there, but this one has some really original turns and the story differs from a "classical" fantasy plot. Those who know Willow (the movie or the book) know that the Sacred princess Elora Dannan was saved by Willow & company to rule the kingdom and bring it to bounty someday. Willow returns to his home and family, but he looses them in an unexplained catastrophe. He then roams the world, seeking the anwser. He changes his name and in time finds himself in the new home of Elora. He loves her still and in his mind she is still the little girl he cared for years ago. But he is in for a big surprise. She is now in her teens and she is incredably spoiled and would not listen to anybody. She is close to her accension day, when the prophecy should be fulfilled, but everything is not as simple as that. Some forces would use her for their causes and Willow can`t let that happen.
So a new story begins and we follow a new course of destiny for each of the charachters.
A nice story, but the charachters could use some work and Elora`s behaviour changes too quickly.
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