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Shadows of the UK is part of the World of Darkness line, but it's strongly focused on Werewolf: the Forsaken - just as Shadows of Mexico is heavy with Vampire stuff.
This is important. Yes, there's material for the other games, and much of the book is written so that it lends itself very well to groups playing humans, but the main focus is on Werewolf. Thus, Werewolf fans will get more out of this book than fans of the other games, probably excluding those who play WoD straight out of the corebook.
This emphasis on Werewolf starts making itself noticeable in the intro fiction, a tale of a pack of werewolves interacting with a sinister spirit and having their revenge on a rival pack.
The book then moves on to a short introduction, in which we're presented with some snippets of what to expect as well as a list of suggested material for reading and watching.
After that, there's the first chapter, The Lie of the Land - this is where the book truly shines. This is where we're given the lowdown on each of the supernatural races, starting with vampires, and then moving on to werewolves. After that, there's a large section on the Other - the spirit world of the UK. This section also, appropriately, includes stuff on creatures, places and things that aren't part of the cosmology of any of the supernatural races. Lastly, mages are covered.
There are lots of very neat details such as the atrocious Blood Farm, where mortals are systematically drained of blood and slaughtered to slake the thirst of local vampires. The book gives reasons as for why the Forsaken have such a hard time in the UK even if they, collectively, outnumber the Pure. The reader is told of the wrecked state of the Shadow, which is more of a boneyard than anything else. Other creatures such as ghosts (who exist in vast number in Britain, on account of its history), the Hosts, Little People and creatures inhabiting underground caverns are covered as well. No stats are given; the chapter serves primarily to inspire storytellers and to give many examples of how creatures from British mythology and folklore might be presented in the World of Darkness.
This is, basically, the chapter that sold me on the book. It's full of neat stuff, most of which can be used for all WoD games. Even and especially groups who play humans will find much to use in this dark menagerie of UK-related horror treasure trove.
Moving on to the second chapter, Keys to the Kingdom - this is where we're given the specifics of the werewolf race's presence in the UK. Each of the Forsaken tribes as well as the Ghost Wolves receive a writeup of two pages, in which the things that make the tribes and tribe-less different from their known incarnations are explained.
The Blood Talons have adapted many of the cultural aspects of UK's warriors and soldiers into their tribal identities - modern soldiers are as appropriate to the Blood Talons as Celtic warriors. The Bone Shadows are struggling to make sense of the confusing mess that is Britain's Shadow and of the ever-present threat of ghosts. Hunters in Darkness are trying to gain a foothold in the rural places of the UK, which are dominated by the Pure. Iron Masters seek to adapt to the ever-changing culture of the UK, while trying not to stagnate in the cities. Storm Lords resent the sorry state of the local Forsaken while struggling to find a way to do something about it. And Ghost Wolves? (As an aside, there's an unusually large number of Ghost Wolves and Bale Hounds in the UK) They're content with surviving just another night, which is not something they can take for granted.
After that, lodges are covered. Just to mention a few of them, there's the Lodge of Howling Death, stemming back to their ancient heritage of the Celtic Cwn Annwn - the hounds from the land of the dead. The Lodge of Scavengers hone their skills of survival in the urban hells and the Pure-ridden rural areas equally. The Lodge of Praetors mercilessly hunt down criminals among the Uratha. The Lodge of the Lion emerged among werewolves belonging to the growing Sikh population of London.
Next, there's totems ("patrons"), fetishes and rites for the Forsaken. I especially liked the totems, some of which are based on British mythology (Bane-Sidhe, the Wild Hunt). The fetishes and rites presented in the chapter are each inspired and appropriate to the setting ("Woad Tattoo", "Blood Ogham") Upon careful consideration, I had some minor issues with the power levels of a few things.
This chapter upholds the high quality of the Werewolf material published so far.
Chapter three, The Isles by Moonlight is about storytelling games set in the United Kingdom. The chapter starts out with an essay on feeling British and on the British concept of what horror stories looks like. After that, the chapter deals with playing British characters - werewolves, primarily - in light of cultural customs and habits. Games set in cities and rural areas are dealt with thoroughly, and there's also mention of historical games taking place during different eras of the country's history.
Somewhere in between this chapter, we have a section on the Pure. While I like the Pure's presentation (hey, there's hooligan Fire-Touched!), I felt that it would have been more appropriate to place it in chapter two.
While dry in places, chapter three is useful, especially for those who, like me, aren't too familiar with British culture and British depictions of horror. I got the feeling that this chapter was written by people living in the UK, who, undoubtedly, understood very well what they were writing about and how the UK differs, in these terms, from other places.
The last chapter, Local Powers presents a host of NPCs for all of the game lines. - seven vampires, four of them statted out. Around 25 Uratha packs (some of them are Pure), albeit only each of their alphas has stats. A few spirits, Ridden and hosts. Three mages. Some neat critters who aren't connected to any of the core supernatural races.
Most of the NPCs are quite good, even if I liked some better than others. There's niceties such as the Pure pack who might actually be doing good, the Forsaken pack who's just a hair's breath away from selling out to the enemy, or the Meninna elders pack making their last stand in one of the few places of the UK that haven't been touched by humanity. On the other hand, without going into detail, a few packs and NPCs didn't grab me much. All in all, it's a good chapter. Most of the NPCs are readily useable and easy to plug in into any game. Naturally, this chapter will be the most useful for Werewolf storytellers.
What can I say about the book that isn't overtly positive?
I *don't* like the cover. I'm at odds with some of the layout and design decisions. I understand that the strong focus of the book on the Werewolf side of things might draw away people who, unlike me, would have preferred a more balanced view. (Hey, I *love* Werewolf!) I have a few minor problems with the fetishes and rites in chapter 3. Some of the NPCs didn't inspire me.
And that's it.
Shadows of the UK clearly succeeds at presenting the United Kingdom in a very dark light, as a version of the UK that simply shouldn't be. This is a supplement for a capital H Horror game, and it shows all throughout the evocative prose of the first chapter - which I clearly liked best - and the rest of the book.
Groups playing werewolves or humans will gain the most out of this book. While it still holds some very nice Vampire and Mage-ific stuff, this book will be significantly less interesting for storytellers and players of these games.
This is my favourite location book written for the World of Darkness so far.
The minor quibbles I have with the systems in the book don't justify a Substance rating of 4, which is why I'm giving it a 5. The people who worked on this book should be proud of their work, especially when compared to the treatment the United Kingdom received in the old World of Darkness.
As for Style, I liked much of the artwork, with the exception of the cover. I'm giving the book a 4 here.
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