Rating: 
Summary: "Shadow of Obsession" Adds to "Band of Brothers" backstory
Review: "Shadow of Obsession" is actually my favorite of the stand-alone _Highlander_ novels. In it, we learn about Darius and his decision to leave The Game ... and why his protege, Grayson, is so bitter. Darius is one of my favorite characters in the _Highlander_ milieu, and learning something more about him is a real treat here. Why a Roman general would give up his command to become a monk is dealt with frankly and sensitively. For fans of _Highlander,_ particularly those who enjoyed Darius as a character, this book is not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: "Shadow of Obsession" Adds to "Band of Brothers" backstory
Review: "Shadow of Obsession" is actually my favorite of the stand-alone _Highlander_ novels. In it, we learn about Darius and his decision to leave The Game ... and why his protege, Grayson, is so bitter. Darius is one of my favorite characters in the _Highlander_ milieu, and learning something more about him is a real treat here. Why a Roman general would give up his command to become a monk is dealt with frankly and sensitively. For fans of _Highlander,_ particularly those who enjoyed Darius as a character, this book is not to be missed.
Rating: 
Summary: A tribute to a wonderful character.
Review: Finally--a novel devoted to Darius, one of the most memorable and beloved figures from Highlander! Neason's portrait of the warlord who turned his back on war is finely drawn and true to the character as we know him from Werner Stocker's fine performances. However, I was disappointed to find that the main plot revolves around a "woman scorned" who is little more than a female version of Grayson, Darius' obsessive nemesis from Band of Brothers. The revenge-for-past-wrongs theme is overused in the series already, and here it seems even more redundant, as Grayson also appears in the novel. Neason obviously did a lot of research and manages to get most of the details right, although history lovers may cringe at the reference to "Aryan" (instead of Arian) Christianity, and the marriage of Galla Placidia to Alaric (she actually married Athaulf, his brother-in-law). But in spite of the flaws, I recommend the novel to those who loved Darius because it provides more insights into his character and details about his life than the television series had the time (or budget) to do.
Rating: 
Summary: Just a little addendum for those interested.
Review: Hi there;At the Highlander convention, Gathering 4, James Horan (Grayson) was a guest. He commented that he had read my novel, SHADOW OF OBSESSION, and was quite delighted at the way I had expanded his character. That's a very nice thing for an author to hear.
Rating:
Summary: response to readers comments
Review: Hi there; First of all, I want to thank all of your for your kind words and comments on SHADOW OF OBSESSION. Darius is one of my favorite character from the Highlander universe and it was a pleasure to write about him. Now, to a couple of specific responses: As for the spelling of Aryan, rather than Arian -- that was taken straight from the history books, including books on Church history of the early centuries. I have seen it spelled both ways, but the dominant spelling was Aryan and thus it was the one I chose to use. It is an earlier spelling than Arian and is found in many older works that sight primary source material. As for the marriage of Alaric of the Visigoths to the sister of Emperor Honorius of Rome, Gallia Placida -- that, too, is a fact taken from the history books. Ataulf was named King of the Visigoths after Alaric's death and it was then that Gallia Placida become his wife. But she was first married to Alaric, which sealed the peace between the Visigoths and Rome. This information is from several sources, including the Encyclopedia Brittanica, The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant, and The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians by J.B. Bury. I am an historian who has been studying pre-Christian through Medieval history in Europe for over 32 years, and I try to be very careful with the facts I put in my books. As for Cynthia being a female version of Grayson -- that was part of the point of her character; she had never fully developed as an individual, but had stopped at the point of her obsession. Remember also, that a media tie-in author is often at the mercy of the media "Powers-that-Be." Much of what I had invisioned for that part of the book and for the contemporary characters, was changed by the demands of others. Anyway, I hope that you continue to enjoy the books I write and thank you again for your kind comments. Peace and Blessings, Rebecca Neason
Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: I can see the episode ( had an episode called shadow of obsession been produced ) in my mind's eye. a gripping piece of Immortal Darius's past.
Rating:
Summary: One of the better Highlander tie-ins
Review: I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Unfortunately, there's the by-now mandatory "Duncan must fight a foe in the present" plot, although as with several of the novels, the present-day scenes seem to be more almost "flash-forwards" that were added on from the basis of a past-day novel that's the focus of the piece (i.e., Darius the Gray Wolf's tale, occasionally flash-forwarding to Duncan). This gives us a lot of background on Darius, essentially, in his pre-sainthood days. However, there are also flashbacks dealing with the off-screen meetings of Darius and Duncan. All of this is quite good, although it is a bit hard to imagine Werner Stocker in the role of the pre-converted Darius. Particularly when he has to stand in for his character in a typical Gothic psuedo-erotic meeting with the lead female (and modern-day nemesis of Duncan). I'm still not sure if that's good or bad. Methos is curiously absent (a meeting between him and Methos is something I'd like to see!), but Duncan and Dawson are well enough drawn. I had a hard time visualizing James Horan as the past-flashback Grayson too. And the early-to-mid parts of the book, before Darius and his men march on Rome, seems to drag on interminably in an attempt to establish the main female character as they sit around in camp and...well, not do much. This part of the book does seem to be excellently researched, but is just a tad too long. The modern-day sequence is competently done, although it almost seems like an afterthought. Victor Paulus is killed off, continuing a trend of killing off surviving characters from the TV series in the novels (see Annie Devlin in Scotland the Brave). This seems a bit crude, almost killing for the sake killing, and is a bit repetitive here. Basically a book for Werner Stocker fans and those who enjoyed his on-screen role as Darius. Will probably appeal to most Highlander TV series fans, no doubt about it.
Rating:
Summary: Imagination is the best effect
Review: I love all of the highlander books, but this one focuses on Darius, who held a valued position in the serise. I feel these books have something over the show because the show could only use the effects of the day. The books are more extravegant and don't need to be reduced for the cost of the set and effects. A wonderful book for any Darius fan (but of course), and Highlander fan, and anyone in general.
Rating:
Summary: Imagination is the best effect
Review: I love all of the highlander books, but this one focuses on Darius, who held a valued position in the serise. I feel these books have something over the show because the show could only use the effects of the day. The books are more extravegant and don't need to be reduced for the cost of the set and effects. A wonderful book for any Darius fan (but of course), and Highlander fan, and anyone in general.
Rating: 
Summary: skip it
Review: I would have liked this book better if had been *about* Darius instead of Neason's original character. As it is, I can't recommend it as a fair example of this tie-in series; the writing is flat and rehashes too much that has been covered previously, with nothing new to add. I struggled to finish this book, and it's now in my give-away bin... Sorry.
| 
