Den of Shadows
by Christopher Byford
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Pub Date 12 May 2017 | Archive Date 3 Jun 2019
Description
“Den of Shadows was absolutely amazing. It is full of mystery, intrigue and felt a little bit magical.” Rebecca Evans
The Gambler’s Den weaves its away across the desert… But will it stop at your station?While fighting off poverty in the blistering desert heat a travelling casino offers one night of solace. One chance to change your fortunes. But once on board there is more to the show than meets the eye: enter Franco, the elaborate ringleader, Wyld the stowaway thief and Misu the fire breathing showgirl.
In a kingdom ruled by the law Franco ensures his den remains in line. But when he’s faced with saving the fate of the train, and those on board, he may be forced to break his own rules. Life on the den isn’t just a job but a way of life and once you’re in you’ll never be able to leave.
Readers are loving The Gambler’s Den series!‘What I damn fine tale this is!’
‘Just couldn’t put it down’
‘Escapism and a little bit of wonder’
‘Gripping’
‘Hugely enjoyable’
‘All three books will hold you, with every turn of the page’
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9780008257484 |
| PRICE | £1.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 384 |
Featured Reviews
Rebecca W, Reviewer
Den of Shadows was absolutely amazing. It is full of mystery, intrigue and felt a little bit magical. This author knows how to grab your attention with beautiful world-building, without drifting into the realms of purple prose, and definitely had some interesting ideas.
Imagine that your town receives an invite to a mysterious event. A mysterious event which turns out to be a train, the Gamblers Den, run by a fantastical conductor and a crew of talented performers. Imagine this train will let everyone on, rich or poor, bringing a sense of unity to your town. But also giving you the chances to win some serious riches on some of the games on board. This train is a casino, carnival and party all rolled into one. And it is glorious.
This story and it's characters are largely quite theatrical, and I really loved it. It felt almost like a tale you might be told around a campfire, where the narrative is quite deliberately worded to really set the scene and tell a magical tale. However, there is nothing delicate about these characters - Franco, the leader of the performance is eccentric, intelligent and a little bit crafty but also quite influenced by his crew, despite leading firmly. I liked that he was so complex, and not so squeaky clean, whilst still being a showman. He reminded me of a certain popular character from a Leigh Bardugo book. The coquettish fire-breathing Misu is equally as intricate, and I wish her character had more chance to shine actually because she was lots of fun to read about. Equally, Wyld, the resident thief, deserved more time in the book than she was given and really grabbed my attention. The introduction of such a host of likeable, interesting characters shows really great promise for (I hope) any future books.
I love the concept and particularly that the story is constantly moving with the train to new destinations. I wanted to know why the train was struggling financially, and how Franco was going to get them out of a sticky situation that arose. The writing really is beautiful, I only wish I could have had a slightly more packed out story so I could enjoy the characters that little bit more. I absolutely recommend this brilliant book; I really hope there will be more to come!
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