Shadow’s Law, by Utkarsh Sharma

by Urkarsh Sharma

In a moment of insanity, the city fall into chaos. The abomination escapes. Shawn must race against time as the abomination systematically purges the city of evidence. Shawn is beset by enemies on all sides as police, FBI, monstrosities and the karma police duke it out in the city. Each group in the desert city feels that Shawn is the most likely culprit.

Shawn must make alliances and cheat his way to victory against all parties to survive. As his life’s work falls apart, he must decide how much he is willing to gamble to go through with his goal.

A Note for the Author of this book, should you be about to read this review:

Take everything here with the understanding that I am not a professional editor, just a reader of books giving their opinion. Keep writing. Don’t let anything I say stop you from that. Read what I have to say, think on it, take from its criticisms what you can and try to improve your writing for the next book. You wrote a book, that’s so much more than most people manage, so you’re already off to a good start. Keep doing it. If you’re the type who doesn’t handle criticism well (like myself), perhaps have a close friend or family read this and relay the major points to you from someone who knows how to make the barbs not sting. Best of luck and keep writing!

Want to Read the Book First?

Shadow’s Law, by Utkarsh Sharma was an intriguing concept that felt like it didn’t quite hit the mark when it came to execution of the writing. The opening scene was good, written in a way that it captured the readers attention. And the first introduction with the Sasha and Ben, the Fortune Hunters, was also a nice interaction, as the reader got to see what happens when two completely independent plans collide head on at the worst possibly moment. It was everything after that that felt like it didn’t quite work as well as it could.

The book very much felt like it was intended to be a sort of getting-the-team-together type of book, where Shawn was meeting Ben and Sasha and they were supposed to be learning to cooperate and trust one another while hunting the big baddy. However, there wasn’t enough time actually spent with the three characters all together for this to occur convincingly. And, likewise, if the book was meant to be more of a hunting-the-baddy-but-he-gets-away-to-be-continued type of action styled book, then there weren’t enough high-action, danger-inducing moments later on in the book to pull this off either. Which left the book wallowing in what felt like an awkward middle ground between the two. Lastly in relation to the plot, the book kind of just ended abruptly. There was no cliff hanger teaser of what was to come, no resolution of current conflicts with other left to be solved in a future book. Shawn and Shasha went off to try and find Ben, Sasha walks into a building with Shawn about to follow her, and The End. It was abrupt and took me by surprise. I was expecting them to go and find Ben, rally their resources and come up with a plan for what they were going to try and do next to hunt the big baddy (which could have lead nicely into a book 2 later on), but instead, the story just stopped. I found it disorienting and rather unsatisfying for the end of a book.

The main characters as individuals were decently depicted. We were given plenty of background history on them, sometimes a bit too much, but I’ll get to that in a moment. They were believable in their actions, showed internal conflict about what they were doing, and were able to work through their thoughts to come to decisions, even if it wasn’t necessary a decision they were happy with. The side characters were a bit of a different matter. There were a lot of cases of side characters acting in very awkward, unnatural ways just for the sake providing information to the reader. Sometimes that information was completely unnecessary to the plot, which made the awkwardness all the more notable. And that leads into my final comments on some of the oddities of the writing style, but first, I want to give you a brief example of the most egregious case I saw of this type of situation occurring, as it’ll make my explanation of what I mean by unnecessary details easier to understand.

The example: Shawn was hiding out eaves-dropping on two henchmen that were walking down a street to their hideout. Just before they enter the hideout, they stop and have a long and detailed conversation about just how many comrades they have, and where they’re posted that evening. Then they suddenly come to their senses, scold each other for talking about such details out where anyone might hear them, and go into the hideout. This was awkward and unnecessary for a lot of reasons.

So the writing style… This is probably where I took the most issue with this story, as there were a lot of seemingly small things that all combined together to make the whole story not as good as it could have been. I’ll start with the unnecessary details things first. From the example I just gave, the only real information the reader (and Shawn) got from that was how many enemies to look out for, and where they might be located. In certain situations, this might be useful information, but in Shawn’s case, it wasn’t really. All it did was tell him there were still enemies about and that he needed to be alert for (even though he wasn’t near where the other enemies were said to be and as far as I could tell, didn’t particularly have plans to head that direction either). Considering he had generally been in hostile territory the whole day and night at this point, I think it was  a moot point that he should have been on alert for enemies, and continuing to be so. The same effect probably could have been achieved with a off-handed comment from the henchmen as the went inside about their comrades not being off patrol until later in the evening  ( and so that’s why they couldn’t go drinking, or play games, or something like that).

This type of excessive, unnecessary detail was a prevalent problem throughout the entire book, with plans or intentions often being way over logic’d or over explained. When writing a book, it’s vitally important that an author learn to trust their readers to be able to make connections and reason about the logic behind actions themselves. This can be helped along by providing backstory for the characters, so readers can understand there motives and work through why they would do something, but not every decision a character makes has to be explicitly explained. Give the backstory and motives for a character, and let the reader connect the logical dots themselves. Holding their hand through the process can feel very annoying and tedious to a reader. I know it did to me.

Next, the backstory. While I was really happy to be given a lot of nice information about the backstories of the characters, their histories, their motives, what led them to where they are now, there were several instances where this information was provided in duplicate, where once would have been more than sufficient. Most obvious example was that’s Shawn entire history was told by him to Ben and Sasha, and then was also conveyed when he had a dream about it that night. One of these options would have been sufficient. I probably would have leaned towards keeping the retelling by Shawn to Ben and Sasha as it fit in rather naturally with meeting them and trying to rationalize his actions to them to get them to trust him. The dream just felt a bit out of place relevant to the rest of the story. Side note: when using dreams in books, things don’t have to make logical sense. Example: a person can be allowed to understand a language they normally wouldn’t without any reason why. The foreign language doesn’t need to be subtitled in the dream for them to understand it, which is how this book chose to depict it. Dreams are illogical, let them be so in the story. It makes them feel more dream-like.

A final note on writing style and details, make sure any facts based in reality are accurate. I’m a scientist, so this in particular stands out to me like a sore thumb. The example here was that Shawn took amphetamines and charcoal at the same time (the charcoal was supposedly to counteract the side effects of the amphetamines). Charcoal absorbs pretty much everything. It won’t just selectively negate the negative side effects of a medicine, it negates the entire effect, which is why it’s used to treat overdoses when pumping a person’s stomach, or to nullify accidental poisonings when someone ingests a toxin. So taking amphetamines and charcoal at the same time was pretty much pointless. What made it worse was that the reason he took the amphetamines was another one of those not quite necessary details that I felt could have been achieved a better way.

Overall, the book had a good premise and an interesting idea. I think it would have benefitted greatly from several more rounds with beta readers providing feedback, and a strong editor’s hand to help guide what information and details were and weren’t necessary to the plot. I wish the author the best with their future work. Keep at it!

Want to Read the Book Yourself?

The Novel Market

Related Posts

The Hidden King, by E.G. Radcliff

Winter’s Wolf, by Tara Lain

The Death Mark, by Buster Shadwick Jr.

Taghri’s Prize, by Peter Grant

241 Comments

  1. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

  2. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

  3. I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.

  4. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

  5. There are definitely a lot of details like that to take into consideration. That is a nice level to convey up. I provide the ideas above as common inspiration however clearly there are questions just like the one you convey up the place a very powerful thing will likely be working in sincere good faith. I don?t know if best practices have emerged round issues like that, but I’m positive that your job is clearly recognized as a good game. Both boys and girls feel the impression of only a second’s pleasure, for the remainder of their lives.

  6. You really make it appear really easy with your presentation however I in finding this matter to be actually something which I think I might never understand. It kind of feels too complicated and extremely extensive for me. I am having a look ahead to your subsequent publish, I¦ll attempt to get the grasp of it!

  7. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

  8. My partner and I stumbled over here from a different web address and thought I may as well check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to looking over your web page for a second time.

  9. I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.

  10. Reclaiming your lost funds shouldn’t be troublesome.That’s why our service is straightforward and open.Just provide us with some basic information, and we’ll manage the rest.Don’t allow technical problems keep you from your savings.Our goal is to ensure the return of every cent.

  11. 日本ALS協会.日本作業療法士協会. “美容家の佐伯チズさん死去 76歳、3月にALS公表”.朝日新聞デジタル. 2018年3月10日閲覧。 20 November 2019.2019年11月20日閲覧。 「アメリカ野球雑学概論」『週刊ベースボール』2009年4月20日号、ベースボール・ ベースボール・クラシックの日本代表に選出された。

  12. Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is excellent blog. An excellent read. I will certainly be back.

  13. Wonderful website. A lot of helpful information here. I am sending it to a few buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you in your sweat!

  14. I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.

  15. 車両保険の免責金額とは、簡単に言うと「自己負担額」のことです。火災保険の免責金額とは、簡単に言うと「自己負担額」のことです! ただし車両保険には免責のほか、免責金額というものが定められています。火災保険に入る際には、免責金額をご自身で設定してもらいます。保険金をお支払いする場合に、お客さまに自己負担していただく金額のことです。実際にはお支払いする保険金から免責金額を差し引いて、保険金をお支払いします。 しかし免責金額とは何か、よく分からない人も多いでしょう。今日は火災保険の免責金額について、顧客数8,000人を超える保険代理店がお伝えします!

  16. Hello! I’ve been following your blog for a while now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Porter Tx! Just wanted to tell you keep up the excellent job!

  17. Esta página tem definitivamente toda a informação que eu queria sobre este assunto e não sabia a quem perguntar. Este é o meu primeiro comentário aqui, então eu só queria dar um rápido

  18. I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.

  19. What’s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It absolutely helpful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & help other users like its aided me. Good job.

  20. I think this is among the most important information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But wanna remark on some general things, The web site style is wonderful, the articles is really nice : D. Good job, cheers

  21. I am not sure where you are getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent info I was looking for this info for my mission.

  22. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

  23. Good write-up, I’m regular visitor of one’s site, maintain up the nice operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a long time.

  24. Sweet blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thank you

  25. Whats up very nice web site!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your website and take the feeds also?KI am happy to seek out so many helpful information right here within the post, we want work out extra strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .

  26. ) سأعيد زيارتها مرة أخرى لأنني قمت بوضع علامة كتاب عليها. المال والحرية هي أفضل طريقة للتغيير، أتمنى أن تكون غنيًا و

  27. メタバースは単なる仮想空間ではなく、ビジネスの新しいインフラとしての注目を集めています。 CBCラジオ)より5時間半遅れているため、単独ではCBCラジオが日本初の民間放送として扱われる。、重賞4連勝で秋初戦を飾った。、無事に合格を果たし、池添が「やっと競走馬に戻れました。 」と喜びを表現すると、池江も「競馬はブラッドスポーツ。 と顔をほころばせ、池江の父である池江泰郎元調教師も「こんなに楽に勝てるとは思わなかった。 1月第3月曜日 キング牧師記念日 Martin Luther King, Jr.ナタリー. ナターシャ. 2014年1月23日. 2014年1月23日閲覧。

  28. Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say superb blog!

  29. Greetings, I do think your site could possibly be having browser compatibility issues. When I take a look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in Internet Explorer, it’s got some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Other than that, excellent blog.

  30. Another issue of which on-line talking may existing is the self-confidence of your individual. As it will be less difficult to help communicate on the internet, someone who’s going to be really self conscious as well as shy could possibly have a hard time keeping up with who seem to he / she genuinely is usually. The individual as an alternative is similar to living the two oceans.

  31. I liked as much as you will receive carried out right here. The comic strip is tasteful, your authored material stylish. nevertheless, you command get got an shakiness over that you wish be handing over the following. unwell surely come more until now again as precisely the same just about a lot incessantly inside of case you defend this hike.

  32. I absolutely love your website.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you make this amazing site yourself? Please reply back as I’m wanting to create my very own site and would love to find out where you got this from or exactly what the theme is named. Thank you!

  33. Thanks for your publication. I also believe that laptop computers have become more and more popular nowadays, and now will often be the only type of computer employed in a household. It is because at the same time that they’re becoming more and more very affordable, their working power keeps growing to the point where there’re as robust as personal computers from just a few years back.

  34. The tender directory is yet another critical element of Businessiraq.com, highlighting procurement opportunities for businesses looking to bid on government and private sector projects. This feature not only streamlines the tender process but also enhances transparency and accessibility for potential bidders. By listing current tender opportunities, the platform ensures that businesses can quickly identify and pursue projects that align with their capabilities, thus fostering a competitive environment that drives innovation and efficiency.

  35. I absolutely love your site.. Great colors & theme.Did you develop this website yourself? Please reply backas I’m hoping to create my own personal blog and would like to find out where you got thisfrom or what the theme is called. Appreciate it!

  36. Good day! I simply want to give an enormous thumbs up for the good info you’ve gotten right here on this post. I might be coming again to your weblog for more soon.

  37. I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this site. Thank you, I will try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your web site?

  38. Oh my goodness! an incredible article dude. Thanks However I am experiencing concern with ur rss . Don?t know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anyone getting identical rss problem? Anyone who knows kindly respond. Thnkx

  39. This blog is incredibly informative and well-written! I love how the content is structured in a way that makes it easy to grasp. The examples provided add great clarity, making even complex topics simple to understand. It’s always refreshing to find content that is both engaging and educational. I truly appreciate the effort put into this. Looking forward to more insightful posts in the future. Keep up the amazing work, and I’ll be sure to share this with my friends and colleagues.

  40. I just like the valuable info you supply to your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I’m slightly sure I?ll learn lots of new stuff right here! Good luck for the following!

  41. I¦ve been exploring for a little for any high quality articles or weblog posts in this kind of space . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this web site. Studying this information So i¦m glad to convey that I’ve an incredibly just right uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most unquestionably will make certain to don¦t forget this web site and give it a glance on a constant basis.

  42. Hello there, I found your site via Google while searching for a comparable topic, your web site got here up, it appears great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

  43. Unsure of how to proceed with recovery of your QIWI wallet funds?Our professional advisors are on standby to help to guideyou through the procedure and answer any questions you might have.Working with our team, you’re selecting a reliable partner in getting your money back.

  44. Excellent read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch since I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch! “Do you want my one-word secret of happiness–it’s growth–mental, financial, you name it.” by Harold S. Geneen.

  45. I would also like to add that if you do not surely have an insurance policy or perhaps you do not participate in any group insurance, you will well gain from seeking the aid of a health insurance broker. Self-employed or individuals with medical conditions normally seek the help of the health insurance broker. Thanks for your short article.

  46. you are in point of fact a good webmaster. The web site loading velocity is incredible. It kind of feels that you’re doing any unique trick. Also, The contents are masterpiece. you have performed a wonderful job in this subject!

  47. I was wondering if you ever considered changing the layout of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or two images. Maybe you could space it out better?

  48. Oh my goodness! I’m in awe of the author’s writing skills and talent to convey intricate concepts in a clear and clear manner. This article is a real treasure that earns all the applause it can get. Thank you so much, author, for providing your knowledge and providing us with such a valuable treasure. I’m truly appreciative!

  49. A formidable share, I simply given this onto a colleague who was doing a little bit evaluation on this. And he the truth is bought me breakfast as a result of I discovered it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! However yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I really feel strongly about it and love reading more on this topic. If possible, as you turn out to be expertise, would you thoughts updating your weblog with more details? It’s extremely helpful for me. Massive thumb up for this weblog submit!

  50. Wonderful blog you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics talked about in this article? I’d really like to be a part of group where I can get responses from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks a lot!

  51. You can certainly see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.

  52. Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I’ve truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!

  53. It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this superb blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will share this blog with my Facebook group. Talk soon!

  54. Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I quite enjoyed reading it, you’re a great author.I will make certain to bookmark your blog and will often come back from now on. I want to encourage you to continue your great job, have a nice holiday weekend!

  55. Hi there very cool website!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Superb .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds also?I am happy to search out a lot of helpful information here within the put up, we want develop extra strategies on this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .

  56. Hey would you mind letting me know which web host you’re utilizing? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most. Can you suggest a good internet hosting provider at a reasonable price? Thanks a lot, I appreciate it!

  57. You really make it seem really easy together with your presentation but I in finding this topic to be actually one thing that I believe I might by no means understand. It kind of feels too complicated and extremely extensive for me. I am having a look forward on your subsequent submit, I will attempt to get the cling of it!

  58. I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. appreciate it

  59. Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated.

  60. Another thing I have really noticed is that often for many people, less-than-perfect credit is the reaction of circumstances past their control. For instance they may be actually saddled with illness so they have high bills for collections. It might be due to a occupation loss or the inability to work. Sometimes divorce process can really send the financial circumstances in the undesired direction. Many thanks sharing your notions on this blog.

  61. I have taken notice that in cameras, unique devices help to {focus|concentrate|maintain focus|target|a**** automatically. Those sensors associated with some digital cameras change in in the area of contrast, while others utilize a beam with infra-red (IR) light, specially in low lighting. Higher standards cameras occasionally use a mix of both models and may have Face Priority AF where the digicam can ‘See’ some sort of face while focusing only on that. Thank you for sharing your thinking on this site.

  62. Howdy! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this article to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!

  63. It’s my belief that mesothelioma is definitely the most deadly cancer. It has unusual qualities. The more I actually look at it the greater I am sure it does not act like a real solid tissue cancer. In the event mesothelioma is actually a rogue virus-like infection, then there is the probability of developing a vaccine as well as offering vaccination to asbestos exposed people who are at high risk with developing upcoming asbestos related malignancies. Thanks for revealing your ideas about this important ailment.

  64. I am not sure where you are getting your information, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for great information I was looking for this information for my mission.

  65. I have noticed that of all varieties of insurance, medical health insurance is the most debatable because of the turmoil between the insurance cover company’s duty to remain profitable and the customer’s need to have insurance policy. Insurance companies’ income on well being plans are incredibly low, so some companies struggle to gain profits. Thanks for the tips you discuss through this website.

  66. Thanks for your useful post. As time passes, I have been able to understand that the symptoms of mesothelioma cancer are caused by the build up connected fluid involving the lining of your lung and the chest muscles cavity. The infection may start in the chest vicinity and get distributed to other parts of the body. Other symptoms of pleural mesothelioma cancer include losing weight, severe inhaling trouble, temperature, difficulty ingesting, and inflammation of the neck and face areas. It should be noted that some people with the disease will not experience just about any serious signs at all.

  67. I have been browsing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It?s pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be much more useful than ever before.

  68. hey there and thanks to your information ? I have definitely picked up anything new from right here. I did on the other hand experience a few technical points the usage of this site, as I skilled to reload the website lots of instances previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been brooding about in case your web hosting is OK? Now not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will often affect your placement in google and could harm your high quality ranking if ads and ***********|advertising|advertising|advertising and *********** with Adwords. Well I?m adding this RSS to my e-mail and can look out for a lot more of your respective intriguing content. Make sure you replace this again very soon..

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *