Rating: 
Summary: Hard-Hitting and Intense
Review: A few things. If you haven't read Cale's prequel story in Halls of Stormweather, you should do so first. It adds depth to the conflicts in this book. Also, be advised that this book has a fair amount of violence in it, but it works very well to highlight the evilness of the villains, and the terrible world Cale is stuck in. ON to the reveiw.This book picks up where Halls left off and further explores the conflicts in Cale's life, his relationship with Jak Fleet, his secret past, etc. And in addition, another layer of inner conflict is added in this novel, but I won't spoil that for you by writing about it. The novel starts out dark and intense, keeps up throughout, and ends in a very satisfying way (but still leaves plenty open for sequels). Cale's guildmaster, the Rightous Man, has a summoning go awry in his efforts to destroy a rival, and all Hell breaks loose in Selgaunt. When Cale and the family he loves are directly effected, he takes action and the novel takes off like a bullet. I read this whole thing in one sitting. In the process of facing external demons, Cale also must face his internal demons. He does, and the tale is well told. IMO, Cale is one of the best characters to come along in FR books for a long time. If you want a wild ride, have a read.
Rating:
Summary: Shadow's Witness
Review: A piece of art, truly magnificent and impossible to put down. Shadow's Witness combines the treachery and intrigue of the guilds and the supernatural of the Aybess into one, thus Shadow's Witness. As a fan of fantasy books I think this might be the best fantasy book I have ever read! It only compares to Halls of Stormweather another great fantasy book. I am planning on reading it at least 25 more times in my lifetime. The only slightly bad thing about this book is that it is a bit too discriptive at some parts. But my overall feeling great story.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read!
Review: After reading the short story about Erevis Cale in "Halls of Stormweather" I was very excited to get my hands on this full novel about him. The Characters in "Shadow's Wintess" are quite a nice change from your average Hero's in Fantasy novels and thats what makes the difference in this novel. Its about time that some rogues took center stage in a novel instead of being the supporting characters. The novel begins very strong, but around page 250 in begins to lag a bit. Fortuneatly it does end on a high note leaving the reader wanting more. There are so many unfinished aspects of this novel that a sequel is inevitable, or so I hope. Because of the small amount of monotonous reading around the fourth quarter of the novel I was tempted to give it only four stars, but the extra little things that appeal to me as a long time Forgotten Realms reader earned the fifth star. Extras such as the appearance of a few organizations that have been neglected in the more recent Forgotten Realms novels such as the Harpers, Night Mask affiliations, and the Zhentarim. For being written by a first time novel author this book is excellent!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read!
Review: After reading the short story about Erevis Cale in "Halls of Stormweather" I was very excited to get my hands on this full novel about him. The Characters in "Shadow's Wintess" are quite a nice change from your average Hero's in Fantasy novels and thats what makes the difference in this novel. Its about time that some rogues took center stage in a novel instead of being the supporting characters. The novel begins very strong, but around page 250 in begins to lag a bit. Fortuneatly it does end on a high note leaving the reader wanting more. There are so many unfinished aspects of this novel that a sequel is inevitable, or so I hope. Because of the small amount of monotonous reading around the fourth quarter of the novel I was tempted to give it only four stars, but the extra little things that appeal to me as a long time Forgotten Realms reader earned the fifth star. Extras such as the appearance of a few organizations that have been neglected in the more recent Forgotten Realms novels such as the Harpers, Night Mask affiliations, and the Zhentarim. For being written by a first time novel author this book is excellent!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read!
Review: After reading the short story about Erevis Cale in "Halls of Stormweather" I was very excited to get my hands on this full novel about him. The Characters in "Shadow's Wintess" are quite a nice change from your average Hero's in Fantasy novels and thats what makes the difference in this novel. Its about time that some rogues took center stage in a novel instead of being the supporting characters. The novel begins very strong, but around page 250 in begins to lag a bit. Fortuneatly it does end on a high note leaving the reader wanting more. There are so many unfinished aspects of this novel that a sequel is inevitable, or so I hope. Because of the small amount of monotonous reading around the fourth quarter of the novel I was tempted to give it only four stars, but the extra little things that appeal to me as a long time Forgotten Realms reader earned the fifth star. Extras such as the appearance of a few organizations that have been neglected in the more recent Forgotten Realms novels such as the Harpers, Night Mask affiliations, and the Zhentarim. For being written by a first time novel author this book is excellent!
Rating: 
Summary: A new kind of hero
Review: Erevis Cale is butler for the Uskevren family, but he is also a thief and assassin which leaves him torn between the love for the Uskevren family, the hauntings of his past and his membership of the local guild of Night Knives. When a demon is marauding the city and leading ghouls in a devastating raid against the family, he know he must seek it out. In doing so, he must face his past, the guild and the whispers of Mask the Shadowlord!
Starting out pretty good, the book has many nicely described characters, both good, evil and demon. Erevis' city of Selgaunt really comes to life (as with the other books in this serie), and Erevis becomes a good picture of a man torn between past and present. He and his friend Jak is also some of the few heroes which actually gets sick when facing dead and decease in their adventure, nice going! Unfortunately, the end is rolled of too fast, with too quick solutions to some of the problems, but there is still some unexpected turns to keep up the mood!
Rating:
Summary: LIquidnitro2's Review: Shadow's Witness
Review: Erevis Cale is your average butler, he cleans, he organizes, and he helps his lord with matters of family and business. Cale has a dark secret though, a secret that he fears will one day ruin him. In order to save the family he has come to care for he must go out against old foes who he thought he left behind. This incredible tale takes us through the life of Erevis Cale and all of his dark secrets. This is a book that anyone would enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: LIquidnitro2's Review: Shadow's Witness
Review: Erevis Cale is your average butler, he cleans, he organizes, and he helps his lord with matters of family and business. Cale has a dark secret though, a secret that he fears will one day ruin him. In order to save the family he has come to care for he must go out against old foes who he thought he left behind. This incredible tale takes us through the life of Erevis Cale and all of his dark secrets. This is a book that anyone would enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Well written and highly entertaining
Review: For the author's first novel, 'Shadows Witness' is extremely well written and entertaining, with the book keeping me engrossed and entertained right from the very beginning- all the way to the very end. Shadows Witness see's Erevis Cale (butler and some-times thief extraordinere) have to fight to protect his adopted family- the Uskevran's, from a horror from the Abyss that his former guildmaster has summoned into Selgaunt. This misson sees Cale join together with his friend Jak (a halfling thief/priest of Brandobaris) to confront and defeat the Abysmal horror and its minions. Shadow's Witness is good because of the fact that the characters are so interesting and 3 dimensional. Like the other main characters in the Sembia series, the characters in the book have the feel of being real living, breathing people, as opposed to the sometimes sterotyped and cliched heroes in other FR novels. The book also benefits from a slightly gritty writing style that helps to bring the city of Selgaunt and the events that happen in it too life. In conclusion, I would recomend 'Shadow's Witness'and indeed the 'Halls of Stormweather' to any fan of the Realms who is looking for an excellant series with characters that are genuinely interesting and worthwhile reading about. Hopefully WoTC will not make us wait too long for the rest of the Sembia series to be published.
Rating:
Summary: Cale is a wonderful new character
Review: I read "Halls of Stormweather" and enjoyed it very much. One of my favorite characters from that book was Erevis Cale and I could not wait to read this full-length novel that deals with him. However, I was slightly disappointed when I finally did read this story. The story opens on a strong note with Cale's interaction with the Uskevren Family and then turns into almost a dungeon crawl through a Thieves' Guild. Cale and his Hafling friend Jak Fleet go to the guild in order to stop a great evil from harming and killing more people. Most of the book takes place in the guild and it starts to get boring after awhile. The story then ends on a high note with Cale and his nemesis Riven confronting one another. There are also some loose threads that are not dealt with, for example- Does Cale return to his old job? What happens to Tazi? and How do the Harpers deal with this? To sum up, the story started strong, became weak and ended strong. This is still a wonderful addition to the FR line and Cale is a charater to be watched in the future.
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