Perfect Shadow

By: Brent Weeks

Narrated by: James Langton

Length: 2 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

Discover the origins of Durzo Blint in this original novella set in the world of Brent Weeks' New York Times best-selling Night Angel trilogy.

"I got a bit of prophecy," the old assassin said. "Not enough to be useful, you know. Just glimpses. My wife dead, things like that to keep me up late at night. I had this vision that I was going to be killed by 40 men, all at once. But now that you're here, I see they're all you. Durzo Blint."

Durzo Blint? Gaelan had never even heard the name.

Gaelan Starfire is a farmer, happy to be a husband and a father; a careful, quiet, simple man. He's also an immortal, peerless in the arts of war. Over the centuries, he's worn many faces to hide his gift, but he is a man ill-fitted for obscurity, and, all too often, he's become a hero, his very names passing into legend: Acaelus Thorne, Yric the Black, Hrothan Steelbender, Tal Drakkan, Rebus Nimble.

But when Gaelan must take a job hunting down the world's finest assassins for the beautiful courtesan - and crimelord - Gwinvere Kirena, what he finds may destroy everything he's ever believed in.

Listen to the Night Angel Trilogy.

©2011 Brent Weeks (P)2011 Hachette

Good, but not great.

Any additional comments?

This is a must-have for anyone who is enthusiastic about the Night Angel series. That being said, the narrator really distracts from a great plot. I really wish he had done his homework and listened to the previous books, names were mispronounced, weird accents were assigned ect. Just grit your teeth and try your best to enjoy the content and prey Weeks writes more Night Angel goodies with a new narrator on the payrole.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Good writer bad bad bad narrater

After listening to the series, I thought this would be a nice follow up. This would allow me to know how Durzo got started. I started listening to this book and the narrater's voice had such poor reflections that it was putting me to sleep. What a shame to have such a good writer waste a good book on someone that can't bring the characters to life. Not sure why he went away from Paul Boehmer but it is just a shame. Well it didn't cost much and I'll go buy the paperback book when it comes out. I will not attempt to listen to this again. That is how bad this narrater is.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Meh, ok I guess...

Terrible narration! Sub par story compared with Weeks's other work. Worth the three dollars though and with listening to if your a fan!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Like the look into the legendary Warriors life

great backstory makes me wish it was a little more wasn't a fan of The narrator's Voice at the beginning but it grew on me

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

nice to get some background on the hero

What made the experience of listening to Perfect Shadow the most enjoyable?

getting more of the history of this series.

What did you like best about this story?

short stories can tell a great story with out the clutter of too much detail and still satisfy

What three words best describe James Langton’s voice?

annoying english accent

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

from hero to assassin.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Thanks for more insight into Durzo

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, but only after listening to the Night Angel Trilogy. It feels like a prologue and gives you insight into my favorite character of the trilogy.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Not my favorite narrator but not bad either

A must if you read the trilogy but this has spoilers so do not start here.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

It was Meh.

Overall it was OK. Performance was great. But the overall story - it was Meh. I am fine with violence, sex scenes, murder, monologues that go on for ever. What I am not ok with is how every character seems the same. I felt like the author put himself inside this book too often so that the main character seemed like he had multiple personalities which didn't seem part of the story. And I am fine with asshole characters buy when the main characters is an asshole throughout the series, I just can't dig it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Durzos story was great

So intersting to hear the dialogue between Durzo and the Kakari. Weeks does a great job delving into Durzos losses and how he wound up a wetboy. Loved this book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Awesome Backstory

Loved hearing things from the perspective of Durzo. I love Brent Weeks and his writing

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A nice add on

This is a nice little Novella. Brent Weeks is a good writer who properly balances pace and description. It gives a nice extra insight into Durza, someone who demands more attention after the Night Angel Trilogy.



The narrator has a lovely voice, contributing to the audiobook - however he is starkly different from the narrator from the Night Angel Trilogy, giving it quite a different 'air' to it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

An entertaining, if very brief, ammendium

If you enjoyed the original Night Angel Trilogy it's worth a listen, otherwise i'd would likely give it a miss. At least until you've given the original trilogy a read/listen.



It sheds some light on Durzo from shortly before he took the name Durzo Blint to what I'd guess to be about 10-15 years prior to the start of the Night Angel trilogy. It has a little of "Batman: Year One" about it at times as he embarks on his first paid kill. There is a small bit on him before becoming Durzo Blint, and disappointingly even less on his origins around the time of Emperor Jorsin and Ezra. Much regarding the ancient history of Midcyru that people, or at least myself, wanted to know more about is irritatingly absent.



The recurring characters, having a sizeable trilogy's worth of fleshing out, are solid. A few of the supporting characters from the trilogy are given some deserved page time, a child Hu Gibbet and younger Scarred Wrable chief among them. However, I felt the newer, bit-part characters were a little shaky. The narration, while nothing special, does a good enough job with various different characters .

1 of 1 people found this review helpful