The Shadow and Night - Tour Day 3
by Chris Walley

Web site - http://www.chriswalley.net/
Author blog - http://chriswalley.blogspot.com/

This is the final blog tour day for The Shadow and Night. I'll confess that I'm still reading the final chapters, so I'm not quite finished. That's not to say that it's not been an enjoyable journey through the story, but rather that I find myself stopping to mull over some aspect of the characters or Farholme. A book that pulls you in so well that you want to stop and savor the moment says something about how well it affects readers.

On the last day I wanted to mention something that struck me as different with The Shadow and Night from some other books that I've read. Merral and Vero came across as pacifists at heart; their whole society is structured that way. With the end of war and strife knowledge of fighting has been all but forgotten. Even when threatened by the two mutated humanoid species in hand to hand combat, Merral and Vero fell misgivings over what they must do to survive.

When forced to at last protect Farholme against the invaders, FDU members still question whether a defensive posture would be interpreted as too aggresive. Sentinal Vero points out that all must stand against the Evil, or all will fall to Evil. Merral encounters changing attitudes among Farholdens as a small stray from Assembly laws grows into a wider societal gap. Evil needn't conquer Farholme all at once when a series of gradual victories work just as well. Merral has been warned to stand firm in the Lord during this period of testing in preparation of the coming battle. Yet around him he sees people he cares for changing - his parents argue and complain, and Isabella wants more than just a simple engagement commitment out of him.

Evil knows our weaknesses, and Merral faces the enemy both without and within. The future of Farholme is at stake, but then so is Merral's future life.

The Shadow and Night pulls the reader deep into the story, and will make you stop and think long after you've finished the book.


Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Rebecca Grabill
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Heather R. Hunt
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Pamela Morrisson
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise