Shadowmancer is a fantasy novel by G. P. Taylor which was initially published in 2002. Taylor has made no secret that he was inspired to write his book as a response to his concerns over what he viewed as a dangerous trend toward anti-Christian propaganda in the genre of fantasy novels. Taylor produced a story that seeks to introduce Christian themes into the larger framework of the fantasy novel foundation.
The narrative is centered around the attempts of the title character, a sorcerer named Obadiah Demurral, to locate a mysterious entity known as the Keruvim which will allegedly make him all-powerful. He faces opposition to his grand plan for supreme power by three young people, Thomas, Kate, and Raphah, and a cynical smuggler named Jacob. None of the four are true believers in God at first, but all eventually become true believers throughout the story. In using the Keruvim, the Shadowmancer succeeds in releasing demons known as the Glashan who had remained in captivity as punishment for leading a rebellion against God. The Glashan unite with Demurral in the search for a second Keruvim which will allow them to finally complete their rebellion and overthrow the rule of God. The problem is that this second Keruvim turns out to be Raphah. To keep Raphah from being killed and the forces of evil from taking over control of the entire universe, the heroes join forces with a member of an angelic race known as the Seruvim named Raphael who protects his true identity by calling himself Abram. The climactic showdown between the forces of good and evil results in Raphah being killed, but his death makes the Keruvim useless. Abram then resurrects Raphah, revealing his true identity.
Reading this novel is an experience that diverges very little from reading any other fantasy novel. This is a genre steeped in literary expectations from its audience. The story may be intended as a Christian allegory, but that merely means that dragons are replaced by demons, and wizards are replaced by angels. Even the simplest descriptions of character could be plucked straight out of any other example of the genre: "In the gloom, he could make out the figure of Demurral standing by the altar table. He was dressed in a long white robe, around his waist a thick, black, knotted cord. His hair was tied back into a ponytail that made his features look sharper than ever." This is a passage that would feel every bit at home in Tolkien as in the works of Robert Jordan.
In addition to the individual examples of writing, the overall structure of the novel barely veers away from the standard fantasy template. For instance, the necessity for the only significant female character in the story, Kate, to be a tomboy. There seems to be an unwritten rule in the fantasy novel genre that female protagonists cannot be dress-wearing girly girls but must alter gender conventions specifically to mirror patriarchal expectations of toughness and capability. Furthermore, the three young protagonists on the side of good are two boys and a girl who bring to mind many other kid trios in popular fantasy series.
Shadowmancer hit the literary world like an explosive alternative to what the author viewed as the non-Christian zeitgeist within the fantasy genre. Other novels of the kind it was intended to oppose have long since eclipsed it in popularity, although it remains a staple of the Christian fantasy sub-genre.
