The first thought striking me when I’m reading ShadowWalk by Amos Keppler is how great it will be as a film, if the story is followed closely. Its visuals are truly amazing.
Then tons of other thoughts strike me. I’ve rarely read a novel so rich in detail and content.
This is a book about witches, about the hidden depths of the world, still here, even in this age of indifference and inch-deep culture.
It isn’t just that Keppler write about alternative lives in one specific area. He does it in all areas, presenting us all with riddles of mystery and empowerment. His stories are like a looking glass into a different, but very real realm of existence.
It also takes a good, hard look at Christianity and its violent history and present, and has a great origin myth for God. It's filled with blasphemy. This makes it even more valuable to an atheist like myself.
It also takes a good, hard look at Christianity and its violent history and present, and has a great origin myth for God. It's filled with blasphemy. This makes it even more valuable to an atheist like myself.
Strong-willed women and people loving strong-willed women will definitely love Keppler's books. There are few «typical, civilized, conditioned, overcautious human female characters» in his books. He doesn’t insult the readers that way either.
Any Keppler is an entry into the unknown world of humanity and ShadowWalk is one of his best.
It’s also the first in the series The Janus Clan. At least I read that one first and it worked fine.
So far four books have been published and they are all intense beyond words. While reading them you are venturing into the real world, not the fantasy most present day people immerse themselves in.
The Defenseless is another starting point, the book that is «officially» the first book and it’s certainly the start of the story chronologically. The main characters are merely early teenagers at this point, taking their first nascent steps on their path of vast discovery and endless growth, but life’s cruelty is with them already, as it always is and will be.
If you want to read a pleasant goodnight story for children, stay away from this one. If you seek a story filled with brutal realism and one that doesn’t insult the reader, go for it with all your heart. ShadowWalk, The Defenseless, The Slaves and Birds Flying in the Dark are all novels written for those having a strong need to experience everything life has to offer, both within and outside made up stories.
