The Sum of All Shadows

by Eric Van Lustbader

Overview

The Sum of All Shadows is the dramatic finale of New York Times bestselling author Eric Van Lustbader's pulse-pounding Testament series.

The final battle is here.

For millennia, Lucifer—the Sum of All Shadows—has been rebuilding his influence. At long last, he is ready to enact his ultimate revenge against Heaven. To do that, he must first annihilate the world and its inhabitants.

Standing in his way is one extraordinary family: the Shaws.

To save the world, Bravo and Emma Shaw have recovered the lost Testament, battled across continents, and fought adversaries both powerful and terrifying. But nothing that has come before can prepare them for the Final Battle. As predicted centuries ago, the End Times has arrived. Lucifer, heading an infernal army, means to destroy the Shaws once and for all. Now, racing to find the lost treasure of King Solomon’s alchemical gold, Bravo and Emma must put their trust in strangers in strange lands.

But even if they are successful, their lives may still be forfeit…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780765388650
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Series:	The Testament Series , #4
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	408,706
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 7.40(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

ERIC VAN LUSTBADER is the author of many New York Times bestselling thrillers, including The Testament, First Daughter, Last Snow, and Blood Trust. Lustbader was chosen by Robert Ludlum's estate to continue the Jason Bourne series, and his Bourne novels include The Bourne Legacy (also a 2012 film) and The Bourne Betrayal. He and his wife live on the South Fork of Long Island.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Eric Van Lustbader:

"Sensational...ancient intrigue and modern action prove that the future of the thriller lies in the past."—Lee Child

"One of the great thriller authors."—Joseph Finder

"A master who knows how to manipulate the reader in fiendishly exciting ways."—Steve Berry

"Rarely have I read a book that grabs you so fast in the opening scene, then keeps up the pace until the very last page."—Jeffery Deaver on First Daughter

"A terrific story, swift-moving and thought-provoking, but told with a depth and tenderness that will last long after you have closed the final page."—Anne Perry, New York Times bestselling author on Last Snow

From the Publisher

06/03/2019

In bestseller Lustbader’s dense, complex fourth Testament novel (after 2018’s Four Dominions), artifacts expert Emma Shaw and her scholar brother, Bravo, must stop Lucifer (aka the Sum of All Shadows) from destroying the very fabric of heaven. With the help of new allies Ayla, who’s equipped with psychic powers, and Molly, who possesses powers of a vaguer sort, the Shaw siblings dive deep into the Hollow Lands to seek the secrets that will defeat Lucifer’s infernal army. Early on, Emma separates from the others and heads for the caverns beneath Lebanon to seek King Solomon’s mines, knowing that the treasure there might provide the group’s only means to conquer the Sum of All Shadows. Meanwhile, Bravo, Molly, and Ayla continue their quest after the unsettling experience of watching a painting of the Last Supper bleed human blood. Readers not already invested in this overwrought saga will struggle to keep track of the large cast. Those who like their apocalyptic thrillers unencumbered with character development will best appreciate this one. Agent: Henry Morrison, Henry Morrison Inc. (July)

Publishers Weekly

2019-04-14
Heaven and hell duke it out once again in this fourth religious fantasy thriller in the author's Testament series (Four Dominions, 2018, etc.).

Lucifer, the Principal Resident of hell and the Sum of All Shadows, is fed up with God. So after eons—or at least after three previous Testament installments—he decides to organize the Fallen to "begin their final assault on Heaven." Of all possible places in the universe, this plot involves climbing out a hole in the Syrian island of Arwad. Their biggest obstacle is not the creator himself but "the accursed Shaw family…the only humans with the knowledge and power to defeat his purpose." They are the siblings Emma and Bravo Shaw, who are Gnostic Observatines. The Principal Resident wants to drive a wedge between brother and sister, who may not be wholly human. Their great-great grandmother Chynna Sikar had mated with the Fallen Seraph of "Unparalleled Glamour," Leviathan. He is "something out of a lunatic's nightmare: a six-winged beast with red and gold eyes, a bestial snout, and ears like a bat's wings." Adding to the charm, he likes chowing down on human bones and surrounds himself with an armada of buzzing flies. So what's not to like? And there's Oq Ajdar, a chimera that changes from a dragon to a sea serpent to an eagle in a few blinks of the eye. Even good guys take strange form, as Emma is rescued from certain death by a big frog wearing a waistcoat, formal jacket, trousers with a satin stripe, and "jaunty silk ascot." At least he wasn't holding a martini glass. The premise is a highly imaginative take on the eternal conflict between good and evil, and just because this novel has a satisfying conclusion doesn't mean that Lucifer, like Schwarzenegger, won't be back.

Readers able to suspend great gobs of disbelief will enjoy this yarn, but they might do well to read the books in order.

Kirkus Reviews