Mark Anthony’s “Crypt Of The Shadowking”: A Fantasy Essay, Research Paper

Mark Anthony’s “Crypt of the Shadowking”: A Fantasy

Crypt of the Shadowking by Mark Anthony is a fantasy tale of the never

ending struggle of good against evil. The Zhentarim, the hell-bent organization

which is more concerned with making a profit than the greater good of all has

taken over the city of a thousand spires. The Harpers, a loosely construed

group of people who are always meddling in others affairs to keep the proverbial

balance between good and evil in check, are ready to get the once bustling trade

city back on the track it once was with the help of a former member. Through

out the book there is never a dull moment, making it easy to read in just one or

two sittings. Anyone who loves a good fantasy should read this book.

After seven long years of traveling, the rough looking, worn out Caledan

Caldorien is returning to his home town Ireaebor and finds it has been taken

over by a tyrant known as Cutter. In Caledan’s absence, Cutter has passed many

ridiculous laws and anyone violating any of these is forced into slavery under

the Tor which the city is set upon, where Cutter is mining to find the crypt of

the Shadowking, where the nightstone, an ancient artifact of great and evil

power, believed to be. Caledan finds this out through a connection within the

slums and goes to find his old traveling companions who once made up the Company

of the Dreaming Dragon. After reuniting, the company goes to find the tomb of

Merrimeck to find the secret of the shadow song, the known power against the

Shadowking and the nightstone. As the company travels to toward the Fields of

the Dead, they encounter a shadevar, a horrifying and powerful foe thought to

have been banished from the world of Toril long ago. After a wild battle, and

the death of the shadevar, the company thief, Ferrit, searches the corpse and

finds a ring which enabled the shadervar to communicate with the frighteningly

powerful creature who summoned it, and through magic the mage, Morhion, finds

that the master of the shadevar was not the lord Cutter as they had once thought

but Cutter’s own lord steward, Snake. After returning, Ferrit does a little

spying and finds that Snake has made a pact with the Shadowking and to conspire

against Cutter and eventually rule over all of Toril. The Company of the

Dreaming Dragon devise a plan to free all of the slaves and through a little

flag waving get all of the slaves and cityfolk alike to revolt against Cutter

and the Zhentarim. As the slaves are freed, however, Cutter finds the Crypt

while personally leading a group of soldiers against the revolt, unleashes the

Shadowking while greedily trying to take the nightstone for her own, and is

grotesquely killed by the being. But of course the Company intervenes and uses

the shadowsong to drive the Shadowking back into the crypt and they save the

world.

The book revolves around the main character Caledan Caldorien. The fact

that Caledan cannot be around his friends from the past without rousing memories

of his wife who was killed seven years before causes a conflict within him, man

versus self, because he has to have the help of his old traveling companions to

survive. With Cutter leading the Zhentarim forces into Iriaebor and Snake

conspiring with the Shadowking, the company has to stop the dictator and the

being of evil before the Shadowking arises and all hope is lost, a good versus

evil conflict. Being told in third person omniscient point of view, the reader

is opened to all characters thoughts: ??Caledan swore under his breath, that was

all he needed, another female to make his life miserable.?, ??Snake was going to

have to take action, and he would need lord Cutter’s help, but first he would

half to decide how much to tell her.?

When Cutter finds the nightstone the climax hits and sends the reader

into such a frenzy that one may skip over half a page to find out what happens

next. ? This time the pain showed clearly on Cutter’s beautiful face. The blood

drained from her cheeks, her eyes widening as she stared at the nightstone. ?

No!’ she cried out in horror.? ?Bow to me! a vast and ancient voice thundered

within Caledan’s mind. Terror clawed brutally at his heart. Bow to me. I am

Darkness! ? ??To me! To me!’ Tyveris bellowed in his enormous voice. Despite

the din, all around him the city folk looked up to see him striding through the

battle, his sword flashing under the magical illumination of the banner. Hope

ignited in their eyes.? The Shadowking is released but Caldorien drives it back

with the sweet notes of the Shadowsong. The priest Tyveris leads the revolt up

on the ground and drives the Zhentarim out of the city. As the book slows down,

the cityfolk begin to rebuild their once wondrous city, and despite the heavy

work load, the cityfolk are just happy to have their freedom. The theme of the

story can best be stated in this one quote, ?Willowy saplings now grew in

gardens where ancient oaks and ash trees had once stood, before they were hacked

down and burned by the Zhentarim. But scars such as these only served to remind

cityfolk how much their homes meant to them and how valuable their freedom

really was.?

The book is fantastic and there is never a boring moment. Mark Anthony

tells an epic tale of lost love, new-found love, friendship, hate, and terror in

Crypt of the Shadowking. The book is easily read because the fast paced writing

flows so smoothly it sets the reader onto a thrill ride. The variety and life

which the author gives the many characters keeps them, the story, and the many

sub-plots in your mind long after you put the book down.