All the Paths of Shadow - Frank Tuttle

All the Paths of Shadow by Frank Tuttle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

All the Paths of Shadow is kind of a whimsical fantasy that stands well on its own even though it's part of a series. I've seen it referred to as Steampunk, and there are some very slight Steampunk elements - dirigibles in the sky, and a more scientific approach to magical gadgets. But, it was just a slight Steampunkish flavor.

I think what I enjoyed most about this was actually the non-human characters. Meralda is a court mage, and has the most unique familiar I've ever heard of - a plant! He was one of my favorite characters, and the difficulties of him being a plant familiar kept me entertained. Then there are all sorts of magical gadgets in her laboratory, some of them taking on character status as well. There are a couple of human side characters that I also found entertaining, although I wouldn't say any of them were very deep. I felt a very low-key amusement at this strange conglomeration of characters and magic and the daily life of a court mage, and I enjoyed how they all bumbled together to win the day in the end.

The world-building and magic-building are a bit sparse, and there's not a lot of action. At the beginning, there is a lot of activity, but it's not the kind that really furthers the plot. It just made me feel how busy Meralda is. The king is very demanding and unreasonable in his expectations. So there's lots of Meralda running around trying to get ready for the upcoming Accord between nations. The king is planning to give a speech at the big tower, and wants her to move the shadow for it. I felt really sorry for how much the king was making her do meaningless magic for entertainment when there was real work to be done.

So the plot moved really slowly at first, but once the representatives began to arrive for the Accord, it finally caught my interest. Sinister plots were revealed, and the magic of moving the tower's shadow also became more complicated and dangerous. The thing is, the tower is believed to be haunted, and what Meralda discovers when she tries to attach her magic to it endangers the entire city and the future of all the nations at the Accords. Now we're talking!

I ended up really enjoying it, although I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. The slow start and meandering pace would bore some people to tears. But, this might work for you if you're in the mood for something lighter and whimsical and you're not so picky about intricate world-building. I thought it was imaginative and fun, and plan to pick up the sequel.