A Dance of Cloaks

David Dalglish

Oct 2013 · Sold by Orbit

About this ebook

From USA Today bestselling author David Dalglish
The Underworld rules the city of Veldaren. Thieves, smugglers, assassins. . . they fear only one man.

In book #1 of the Shadowdance series, Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. All the thieves' guilds of the city are under his unflinching control. If he has his way, death will soon spill out from the shadows and into the streets.

Aaron is Thren's son, trained to be heir to his father's criminal empire. He's cold, ruthless -- everything an assassin should be. But when Aaron risks his life to protect a priest's daughter from his own guild, he glimpses a world beyond piston, daggers, and the iron rule of his father.

Assassin or protector; every choice has its consequences.

Fantasy author David Dalglish spins a tale of retribution and darkness, and an underworld reaching for ultimate power.

Ratings and reviews

A decent read, but in many ways not on par with greats like Sanderson, Feist, or Goodkin. The story is a good one, the overarching plot is sufficiently nonlinear that you don't find yourself constantly knowing what will happen next. But the writing is weak, certain aspects are well fleshed out, while others have no depth. I'm not sure if it's the author's style/preference or if the editor put a cap on total pages, but the end result is the same... The book feels juvenile, incomplete, as if pieces were cut out or worse, were never included in the first place. BUT, for all those criticisms, I kept reading, and reading and reading. In fact I finished this book in half a day, and the rest of the series within the week. It's rough around some edges for sure, but the story, the plot, the characters do bear up and offer enjoyment. The series does improve as it progresses (technically speaking). It's an easy read, parts of it are well done. I feel bad saying it but it's bargain bin level.

The plot and mechanics of the book itself are well laid out and deep, but it feels like the author is right out of high school trying to write how they teach you. He repeats phrases and makes it feel less flowing with how he writes

Interesting read, but it felt lacking in some areas. I had a hard time in seeing how balanced the world was in terms of fantasy aspects vs the gritty darkness of the underworld.

About the author

David Dalglish currently lives in rural Missouri with his wife Samantha, and daughters Morgan, Katherine, and Alyssa. He graduated from Missouri Southern State University in 2006 with a degree in Mathematics and currently spends his free time dying for the umpteenth time in Dark Souls.