The outstretched shadow

In The Outstretched Shadow Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory give us a beautifully and skillfully developed world with a magic system that is Sanderson-esque long before Sanderson was publishing amazing magic systems. Slotted into this interesting world is a beautiful coming of age story that ought to be a classic for the genre. I picked up The Outstretched Shadow years ago on a dusty library shelf, and for the past fifteen years it has served as one of my go-to fantasy reads.

The strengths of this novel, the first in a trilogy, are hard to reduce to a single paragraph. First and foremost, Lackey and Mallory have done a tremendous job of worldbuilding. Not only have they crafted an interesting hard magic system (before people were talking of hard vs soft magic systems!) they have also given us several wonderful and engaging cultures. The centaurs and humans living together are perhaps pastoral to an almost tropey degree, but the Elves of the nine cities are truly fascinating. From their refusal to ask direct questions to their elevation of tea brewing to a true art form, Lackey and Mallory take all the best parts of the spirit of Tolkien-like elves and mix them in very interesting ways. I can’t say enough about the worldbuilding here, but the characters deserve mention as well. The two main characters, Kellen and Idalia, are both well developed with backstories that fit them and motivations that shape their actions. Side characters are also well-fleshed out. You care about all of these characters and their world. As the status quo is challenged you fear what may come next. At its heart, this is really a coming of age story about Kellen Tavadon, and it is an excellent example of that sub-genre. Kellen makes for a believable teenage boy taking his first steps into a much wider world and finding his place in it.

There are few weaknesses that ought to be acknowledged. The main one is that the pacing is a little uneven in the first quarter of the book. In fact, there are moments that seem to drag quite a bit, particularly in the first seven chapters or so. After that point the plot picks up steam and the pacing problems disappear. The underlying villains, while interesting, are somewhat one dimensional at times. For me, this did not detract at all from the book, especially because the villains are mostly offscreen in this first entry.

If you enjoy coming of age stories, fascinating magic systems, and deep worldbuilding, this is a book you shouldn’t miss. It is an excellent first novel in an also excellent trilogy. It’s a lesser known work, and it deserves to be on every serious fantasy fan’s shelf. If you haven’t read it before, make it your next read. 4.8/5 stars.