Lord Tophet: A Shadowbridge Novel

by Gregory Frost

"A sparkling gem of mythic invention and wonder . . . Frost draws richly detailed human characters and embellishes his multilayered stories with intriguing creatures-benevolent sea dragons, trickster... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345497597
• ISBN13: 9780345497598
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 222 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant

LORD TOPHET -the second part of Gregory Frost's duology, continues the story of the shadow puppeteers introduced in SHADOWBRIDGE. Frost weaves magic, storytelling, myth and legends into a patchwork that is as detailed as it is original. A marvelous read that satisfies but still leaves you wanting more.

The Middle Justifies the End

My favorite part of any fantasy novel is the middle. In the center of the book, the story could go any direction; the tale is made of nothing but possibility. Beginnings are freighted with scene-setting, and ends close doors that can never open again, but middles could unfold into anything. They are the most promising part of the book. That's the case with Gregory Frost's "Lord Tophet," sequel to "Shadowbridge." We dispensed with beginning in the prior book, and most of this one is full of stirring middle. What fearsome blight brought the city of Colemaigne to ruin? How did our heroine's father bring it about, and how can she and her group make it right with nothing more than an unerring talent for storytelling? These are the sorts of questions that make for heroic exploits. The second book takes up just moments after the first, when old secrets begin to come out, and blood guilt must be paid. There are hints in this volume that something bigger even than the story is going on. If the myths and revelations of the gods implied that this world is built on the ruins of an older world in the last book, we get more of a hint what that looks like this time out. But this is only hinted; it's not really part of the story, which moves on without ruminating on anything that doesn't advance the heart of the story. The characters seem to leave ruin and destruction behind, no matter what they try. Violence and abuse shift from one person's shoulders to another. Scarcely a life they enter that they don't leave shattered. But their life and art bring joy and life to their world all the same, and in the final confrontation, Leodora has the chance to make amends for her father's transgressions. The characters are neither good nor bad; they are like forces of nature. This book is not without problems. Though the first book gave us a long and detailed exposition, we are still being introduced to significant characters very late even in the second volume. The final confrontation is very brief. Apart from a couple of brief mentions, Lord Tophet, the title character of the book, doesn't enter the story until more than halfway through. And in attempting to avoid the brutal finality that can make endings disappointing, our author gives us a denouement that feels very abrupt, leaving more questions than answers. But that long exposition also fills us with a pleasing sense of wonder at the world, which is the reward many readers seek in fantasy. Lord Tophet is a complex and compelling villain whose climactic conflict gives us a chance to peel through his many layers and Leodora's too. And that abrupt ending leaves so many possibilities open that the characters remain alive in our minds. "Lord Tophet" is not high-minded literature that deserves academic study. But it is a stirring fantasy adventure that invites us on a journey in our mind. And that, in the end, is what fantasy readers look for in a book. That, and a middle that justifies the be

Lord Tophet - Shadowbridge Concludes

If you're a fan of Lord of the Rings, only you wish you didn't have to read about all that war, the Shadowbridge series will leave you satisfied. Lord Tophet, the second book about Leodora, who adventures across fantastical spans disguised as the male puppeteer Jax, keeps the interest level high. Frost creates these incredibly hypnotizing settings, as visually imaginative as the cover of his book, and then puts this tough, smart, vulnerable woman into that world and sets some unexpected surprises loose on her. Sometimes I got so lost in the story I had to remind myself it was a fantasy. Great, fun read.

A magical and satisfying conclusion

I reviewed Shadowbridge when it came out, and gave it 4 stars because it didn't stand alone. Now with Lord Tophet, the sequel that completes it, I would definitely give the two books taken as one 5 stars. (The two do read like two halves of a single book; neither stands alone.) The first book built a gritty, fantastical world of the spiraling spans of Shadowbridge, and introduced us to the three main characters, Leodora, Diverus, and Soter. Their dark and mysterious pasts underlie their journey through the spans, collecting and performing stories. Lord Tophet: A Shadowbridge Novel gathers up the threads and brings them to a satisfying conclusion. This is faster-paced than Shadowbridge, like moving inward along a spiral. Leodora comes into her heritage, Diverus discovers his secret identity and powers, and Soter tells the story that's waited all these years. The magical world of Shadowbridge is overflowing with stories, and I hope Frost will have more to tell.

strong character driven entry

Renowned puppeteer Leodora knows women regardless of talent are shunned for performing so she masquerades as a male using the name Jax. However, the adept performer is taken by the gods from Colemaigne to an afterlife realm Edgeworld though she is not sure why. By the time they take her back, the soul eater Lord Tophet has caused havoc on her town. Her return causes a renaissance as Colemaigne returns to its pre-Tophet cursed enlightenment. Outraged that the affliction he caused was superseded by a puppeteer of all things, Tophet vows to destroy Leodora and then bring back his brand of Chaos. He sends his killers to destroy the legendary puppeteer Jax who brought joy back to the city when "he" returned. The sequel to SHADOWBRIDGE is a strong tale due to the solid cast whether they are mortal or immortal. Leodora as herself and as Jax is a terrific lead character while the title antagonist is as wicked as they come. The story line is fast-paced from the onset and never slows down as LORD TOPHET sends his minion after Jax unaware the city savior is a girl. Fantasy readers will appreciate this strong character driven entry as evil comes after innocence. Harriet Klausner