Read Between the Lines

Blogspot and Decisions

2010-12-04T15:47:00.000-05:00

It's time for a decision.

I've been thinking lately about Blogspot. It hasn't been very good thoughts. Now, when I first decided to get a Blogspot, it was after I became annoyed with some of the things that Wordpress was doing. That was about six months ago. Since then, my Wordpress site has been just great and I feel that it's become much more important that this on here.

So I've been thinking about quitting using this site.

Lately, Blogspot hasn't been my main focus for the past few months. In fact, I barely check this site on a day to day basis. It seems like nothing goes on here, and I'm just not that interested. Also, I've been having numerous formating issues when posting new posts. They don't come out as crisp and clean like the should. Right now, I'm not very impressed with my Blogspot.

So in short, I am thinking about stopping posting the latest reviews here and just focus solely on my Wordpress site. This site will still be up, but nothing new will be posted until I feel like I should continue here.

So good-bye Blogspot for now and you can catch all the new reviews and rants over on my Wordpress!

Here's the link: http://travizzt.wordpress.com/ enjoy!

Forge of the Mindslayers by Tim Waggoner

2010-12-03T17:46:00.002-05:00

An ancient relic with the ability to create assassin's falls into the wrong hands and it's up to Diran Bastiaan to stop it.

Forge of the Mindslayers by Tim Waggoner

Forge of the Mindslayers is the second book in the Blade of the Flame trilogy. The first book is Thieves of Blood and the third book is Sea of Death. The Blade of the Flame trilogy is set in the Eberron setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Tim Waggoner has written one other Eberron novel titled Lady Ruin. He has written a vast amount of other novels. His work includes; a Hyperswarm novel titled Defender, the Godfire series (The Orchard of Dreams and Heart's Wound), the Nekropolis series (Nekropolis, Dead Streets, and Dark War), Last of the Lycans series (Monarch of the Moon), Dying for It, The Harmony of Society, a Dark Ages: Vampire book called Gangrel, Necropolis, an Exalted novel titled A Shadow Over Heaven, Like Death, Darkness Wakes, Pandora Drive, Cross Country, two novels in the Dragonlance: New Adventures series (Temple of the Dragonslayer and Return of the Sorceress), a novel based on Nightmare on Elm Street called Protegé, and a Stargate SG-1 novel titled Valhalla. He has written a vast amount of short stories for various anthologies and magazines, and has two story-collections title All Too Surreal and Broken Shadows. Forge of the Mindslayers was released in March 2007 and was published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

The former assassin turned priest Diran Bastiaan and his half-orc companion Ghaji are on the hunt to take down a lich. The duo are accompanied by a halfling pirate, Hinto, and an old artificer named Tresslar, who have been with the duo since the fateful events that happened in Grimwall. After seemingly dispatching the lich, the group returns to the city of Perhata, and meet up with Yvka, an elf who works for the mysterious organization called the Shadow Network. She brings news to Diran about a man named Cathmore, a man from his past. However, trouble finds Diran and Ghaji and before they know it, they are captured and on their way to certain death. Luckily, someone else from Diran's past comes to his aid, but it's someone he'd rather have never seen again.

Criticisms:
1) Flashbacks. The biggest problem with Forge of the Mindslayers is the usage of flashbacks. The flashbacks happened all at one time, instead of over the entire novel. This caused the flashbacks to feel like they were forced into the novel, instead of a natural inclusion. Because of this, these flashbacks take the reader out of the main plot and places them in something extra. Something almost unnecessary. The flashbacks did have a connection to the overall story, but they still felt unneeded. There is another side effect of the flashbacks. Diran and Ghaji were interesting in the first book of the trilogy, but as the mysteries of their past become unraveled, they become less interesting and more generic. They still are interesting character, but they did loss some of their appeal due to the revealing their pasts. The main issue with the flashbacks is that they happen in a clump, and causes you to be taken out of the story.
2) Characters. The characters in Forge of the Mindslayers were decent, but there was one problem. We are introduced to a number of new characters. While that number isn't a lot, it still causes problems. The antagonists never felt like they mattered. They just felt like stock villains. They weren't very memorable nor did they give off a feeling of menace. The reason for this is because there are two groups of them. The first, the main antagonists, never felt like they made an impact. This group was just generic characters. They didn't really have anything interesting about them other than the fact that Diran and Ghaji knew two of them. The second group, more like a duo, also didn't have any impact but were interesting. However, this group never did anything in the story and only appeared for maybe thirty pages out of the whole novel. They were a let-down. However, the main group that suffered the most is the protagonists. The main characters, Diran and Ghaji, issues aren't due to the added characters, but instead due to what I mentioned before. However, they were still decent and likable. Who suffered is the minor characters. Yvka, Tresslar, and Hinto were one-dimensional and that's it. They were tossed aside for newer additions and because of that their character development greatly suffered. All in all, the characters weren't as good, mostly because of the amount of new characters that were added. More characters meant less development for the older characters.

Praises:
1) Side Stories. Forge of the Mindslayers did have a pretty interesting story, but the side plots that were introduced was far more interesting. The main storyline was fairly straightforward like the previous story was, but now there are some interesting side plots that are introduced. At first, the side plots did feel kind of unnecessary, but in the long run they really piqued my interest. The novel could have taken some interesting and different turns, so I was left guessing on what the group was going to do. This just opened up so many interesting places to go. Aside from that, the ending was really great. It was exciting and very unique in how things happened. I didn't expect it to be like that, but I was still very impressed. All and all, the main story was straightforward, but it leaves a lot open to what could come next.
2) Makala. Makala was the best character in the novel, by far. What made her interesting is her internal struggle with what she's become and who she was. You could almost feel and understand her struggle. It added a lot of depth to the character and made you feel for her. She was very well written and she was the most three-dimensional character out of the group. Even with the amount of time that she was given, which wasn't a lot, she still was the more developed and interesting character. Even in the scenes that she was in with others, she stole a lot of those scenes. Makala was the best character in the novel, and the most sympathetic.

Side Notes:
1) Kalashtar. I don't really understand who these beings are. They seem human, yet not. I don't really get the difference between Kalashtar's and humans with psionic abilities.
2) Demothi Island. Is it just me, or did this issue seemed to be resolved too easily after all that build up?
3) Cover Art. Forge of the Mindslayers cover art is decent. It's not bad, but when compared to the first novel's it's not as good. It relays heavily on action, which the art work does reflect very well. Other than that it seems very generic, but still good. Diran looks okay, but not great. Cathmore, the guy grabbing Diran, looks really good. He looks intense and dangerous. The background looks decent. The colors are dark, but the background doesn't seem to work right. All in all, it's just decent.

Overall: 3/5Final Thoughts:
Forge of the Mindslayers is a decent novel, but feels slightly disappointing. The flashbacks that occur throughout the story felt misplaced and forced in. They did serve a purpose, but they went on for far too long. There were too many characters added in as well. This caused a severe lack of character development in the older characters. The new characters were interesting, but I would rather have spent more time focused on the older ones who needed some more development. On the other hand, the best character in the novel was Makala. Her problems felt more developed and interesting compared to every one else. She came across as three-dimensional and you really felt her struggle. The story was decent and it did open up some interesting side plots, but it felt far too linear. I would have liked to seen the story go with one of the side plots instead of the straightforward story. Overall, Forge of the Mindslayers was a decent read, but left me wishing for more out of this sequel.

Thieves of Blood by Tim Waggoner

2010-11-29T12:40:00.001-05:00

After the love of his life is kidnapped, Diran makes a choice to rescue her. He doesn't know what he's getting himself into.

Thieves of Blood by Tim Waggoner

Thieves of Blood is the first book in the Blade of the Flametrilogy. The second book is Forge of the Mindslayers and the third book is Sea of Death. The Blade of the Flame trilogy is set in the Eberron setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Tim Waggoner has written one other Eberron novel titled Lady Ruin. He has written a vast amount of other novels. His work includes; a Hyperswarm novel titled Defender, the Godfire series (The Orchard of Dreams and Heart's Wound), the Nekropolis series (Nekropolis, Dead Streets, and Dark War), Last of the Lycans series (Monarch of the Moon), Dying for It, The Harmony of Society, a Dark Ages: Vampire book called Gangrel, Necropolis, an Exalted novel titled A Shadow Over Heaven, Like Death, Darkness Wakes, Pandora Drive, Cross Country, two novels in the Dragonlance: New Adventures series (Temple of the Dragonslayer and Return of the Sorceress), a novel based on Nightmare on Elm Street called Protegé, and a Stargate SG-1 novel titled Valhalla. He has written a vast amount of short stories for various anthologies and magazines, and has two story-collections titled All Too Surreal and Broken Shadows. Thieves of Blood was released in May 2006 and was published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Diran Bastiaan left the life of an assassin behind him and turned to be a priest of the Silver Flame. However, his past catches up to him in the form of his former lover, Makala. After saving Diran and his half-orc companion Ghaji from a changeling, Diran and Makala reflect on old times. However, before they reminiscence for too long, ships appear in the darkening sky line. The Black Fleet has come and they are taking hostages. Unfortunately, Makala is captured. With the help of Ghaji and a friendly elf acrobat named Yvka, Diran goes on a search to find his missing love. What he discovers alarms him. Apparently, the famous adventurer Erdis Cai isn't dead and is leading the Black Fleet. Diran may not be prepared enough for the trials to come.

Criticisms:
1) Ghaji/ Yvka. The characters were really great characters, but the budding romance that is developing between them was a problem. It sprang up from almost no where. There was some significant moments between the two, but they didn't seem get the point across. Also, the sudden interest in one another came off awkwardly. There didn't seem to be any real attraction between the two, which was the problem. If you compare Ghaji and Yvka's relationship to Diran and Makala's, you see a huge difference in the amount of time that was used build it up. While Diran and Makala's relationship is important to the overall plot, it would have been nice to see the same time being taken to develop the budding relationship. Otherwise, this just come off as rushed and awkward as possible.
2) Descriptions. A small issue with Thieves of Blood is with the character descriptions. When we first meet Diran and Ghaji, the descriptions of the characters were cut up. For example, we first meet the duo walking down a street with very basic descriptions. Then right after basic description we get some exposition and establishing shots of the city and area. Then two pages later we get a large section describing Diran in more detail. While normally, this wouldn't have been an issue, here it just comes across as awkward. It seems to happen with every character introduced. There are short bursts of description, followed by a page or so of something else, and back into a more detailed description. It's a little jarring and does take you out of the story.

Praises:
1) Protagonists. The main characters were diverse and interesting. They each added something unique and exciting to the story. Also, there never seemed to be a weak character in the cast, which is surprising. The closest character that could have been considered weak, Yvka, still was very worth while and interesting. The interest with Yvka could be due to her mysterious background, which helped to overpowered her lack of presence. The same could be said about the halfling pirate Hinto, but his condition made up for any set backs. You never knew what Hinto would do in different situations and he really surprised me most of the time. Tresslar, while having the shortest presence in the novel, really seemed like one of the more interesting minor characters. His past really gave the character something special. He came across like you would want to know more about him. The main characters is where this story shines. Diran, Ghaji, and Makala were great characters. Makala was just great. She had some wonderful screens while being held captive that really made you care for her and want things to turn out for the best. Her relationship with Diran never came across as fake or made up, and at times was really touching. With Diran and Ghaji
2) Story. The story was very straightforward, but in a good way. It wasn't bogged down with side quests and stories, which cause it to be a quick and enjoyable read. It kept to the point. This helped out with the feeling of urgency that you should feel with these kinds of stories. It felt like Makala's life, along with the lives of the others who are also captives, were on the line and important. There were some side trips, but they were integral to the plot. Finding out more information about the Black Fleet is a logical step one would take while searching for it. Finding a former member of the crew is yet another logical step. There was one side trip that felt weird, being struck in a mire, but it wasn't dragged out and was resolved rather quickly. When everything is said and done, this is how you want to do a straightforward story.
3) Antagonists. The villains were fantastic. They didn't seem to be cliché while being cliché. A better way to put that is, the villains did have cliché moments, but they were written in a way that they still came across as unique. Onkar, the Black Fleet's first mate, was the more cliché and the weaker of the main villains. He was your usual henchmen type, be evil and do what your told. However, he still was menacing. The main villain, Erdis Cai also was cliché, but still a very good character. He made his clichés work for him, making him all the more memorable and terrifying. Nothing seemed to phase him and he gave off this air of confidence that only villains seem to have. While with most villains it would be kind of silly, Erdis Cai made it terrifying. When he popped up throughout the story, it gave me chills. He took menacing to another level. However, the best villain in Thieves of Blood, and the most frightening, is Jarlain. From her first appearance, she was formidable. You could almost sense that she had hidden power and that you would never have a chance against her. As the story went on, you really start to feel bad about her situation and learn more interesting things about who she is. That's what makes a great villain, and Jarlain pulled it off wonderfully. Overall, the villains were cliché, but they still made a great impact.

Side Notes:
1) Editing. There are some very silly editing mistakes that popped up from time to time while reading. The most memorable mistake is having two misspelled words within a page of each other. It kind of detracted from the story, but not for long.
2) Vampire Pirates. What's not to like about vampire pirates? It's as cool as it sounds.
3) Cover Art. The best way to describe the cover art for Thieves of Blood is epic. It's just epic in every way. It's very action heavy, with Diran seemingly rushing at Erdis Cai to save Makala. The colors do a good job in reflecting the dark mood that's in the novel. There are some awesome poses and it helps in adding to overall feeling of the cover. Also, its notable that something akin to this does happen in the story, which I find very satisfying. All in all, the cover art is just epic.

Overall: 4/5Final Thoughts:
Thieves of Blood is a good way to start off a trilogy. There wasn't much that really holds it back, aside from a few things that can be ignored. The relationship that suddenly seemed to develop between Ghaji and Yvka came from no where. There wasn't enough time devoted to their budding romance. All we got were some looks here or a word there. It just felt sudden. Also, character descriptions came off as jarring. Having a brief description followed by dialogue or exposition, then a huge paragraph dedicated to detail, did take me out of the story for a brief time. However, everything else seemed to work great. The protagonists and antagonists were just great. They both added something to the story. With the protagonists, there were some great backgrounds that really made me want to read more about them. With the antagonists, they were cliché but they used their clichés to a wonderful effect. Also, the story was wonderful. This is how you should write a straightforward fantasy novel. The straightforward nature gave the plot a feeling of importance and made it feel like something was on the line. Overall, would I recommendThieves of Blood? Yes, this is a great story with some fantastic characters. Plus it has vampire pirates, what's not to like about that?

Realms of the Dragons edited by Philip Athans

2010-11-22T16:54:00.004-05:00

**Dragons. Those mystical creatures that inspire fear and awe at their presence. Does Realms of the Dragons add to that? Or does it make dragons seem like weak little creatures?**

Realms of the Dragons edited by Philip Athans- This anthology was released in October 2004 and was published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This anthology is based in the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons and Dragons. This anthology ties into Richard Lee Byers' The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy. There are fourteen short stories written by Paul S. Kemp, Edward Bolme, Elaine Cunningham, Ed Greenwood, Jess Lebow, R. A. Salvatore, Richard Baker, Thomas M. Reid, Lisa Smedman, Voronica Whitney-Robinson, Keith Francis Strohm, Dave Gross, Don Bassingthwaite, and Richard Lee Byers. Realms of the Dragons deals with stories about dragons.

“Soulbound” by Paul S. Kemp
Kesson Rel is the first Chosen of Mask, who drank from the chalice that Mask forbade anyone from drinking. Labeled a heretic by the followers of Mask, he seeks revenge on his fellow priests. However, an oath prevents him from just killing the priests. But he has another idea, use a Shadow Dragon to do it. After a vision that Avnon the Seer has, he knows what he must do.
Criticisms:
1) Confusing. As a stand-alone story, this was very confusing, unless you've read Paul S. Kemp's The Erevis Cale Trilogy. However, even if you have read that trilogy, this story is still a little confusing. You really don't know who these people are, and that causes you not to really care about them. It felt more like a 'history' lesson without any background or explanations of what was happening. It's just hard to really follow and grasp without the proper knowledge.
Praises:
1) Kesson Rel. He is an interesting character. You don't really understand his motives, other than revenge. However, that feeling of revenge is something almost palpable. It's that strong. Plus, for the fans of The Erevis Cale Trilogy and the Twilight War Trilogy, this is a very nice look at Kesson Rel. However, even if you haven't read those two trilogies, Kesson Rel is just someone who makes you want to know more about him and this story just whets your appetite.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts:
“Soulbound” is an okay story. For those who haven't read The Erevis Cale Trilogy or the Twilight War Trilogy you will be left in the dark. However, Kesson Rel is a very interesting character who makes you want to find out more about him. It's still an entertaining story, but it could leave a lot of new readers in the dark.

“First Flight” by Edward Bolme
Serreg is an archwizard of the floating city Delia sent to discover why the earth and creatures below the city are dying. After coming to the conclusion that its something magic related, Serreg goes out to put a stop to the spell and its casters. However, Serreg underestimates the beings and cries out for help, which is answered by a god. The god gives Serreg a dagger that gives its wielder an amazing power, but at a cost. But is it enough to save the archwizard from the creatures?
Criticisms:
1) Dragons. For a story included in an anthology about dragons, it felt like they weren't the main focus. Even though one does appear at the end, it never felt like it was the main focus. The story felt like to belonged to another anthology book instead of this one.
Praises:
1) Story. The story itself was really good. Seeing Serreg try to understand what is happening to Delia and his investigations into it were very interesting. Then seeing Serreg become almost useless is very unexpected, after finding out that he is a powerful mage. It's just a fun, engaging story.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts:
“First Flight” was a good story, but it really felt out-of-place in this anthology. I would have expected that a story in an anthology about dragons be primarily about dragons. Instead we have a story that is based more on magic and the arcane than on dragons. However, the story itself was very entertaining and did hold my interest. It still is a good read, but still feels very out-of-place.

“Gorlist's Dragon” by Elaine Cunningham
Young Gorlist doesn't want to be a wizard like his father. Instead, he wants to be a warrior, just like his mother. He wants to follow in her footsteps, become a renowned gladiator like her and be as respected and feared. But that doesn't work in the drow society, and it doesn't help that Gorlist loves his mother blindly. So when she sells him to the gladiator pit, he wins every battle, to prove he's worth it. That is, until trickery and deceit pit Gorlist against a dragon in a battle he must win.
Criticisms:
1) Mother. Gorlist's mother relationship was really good, however, it never left like it finished properly. Instead, we have just a sentence to learn what happened to her. It was as though she was meant to be forgotten. It was just disappointing to see this plot and new-found resentment towards her being tossed aside.
Praises:
1) Story. The story itself was really engaging and interesting. Gorlist's relationship with his mother was very interesting in the first half of the short story, and I would have liked to see it to its conclusion. The second half, when Gorlist goes up against the dragon, is full of intrigue and deception that it felt a totally different story. It felt like there were two short stories combined into one, which made this story all the more enjoyable.
2) Drow. This gives us another look into drow culture, and it is interesting. It still reinforces the basic idea that drow are a heartless culture built on deceit and backstabbing. It's a good introduction to drow culture without giving too much away.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
“Gorlist's Dragon” was a really fun and exciting story. The only problem was that I wished that Gorlist's relationship with his mother was a little more fleshed out and not tossed out like it was. That was a big disappointed. However, this story is a good way to get introduced into drow culture and the way they think. Also, the story itself felt more like two stories fit into one. All in all, this was a very good character driven story.

“The Keeper of Secrets” by Ed Greenwood
Mirt the Moneylender is trying to collect a debt from Yelver, but discovers him murdered. Mirt then goes off to find the secrets the man kept, seeking the aid of a person calling herself the Keeper of Secrets. However he is unable to find anything out and as they leave, a fight occurs and the Keeper asks him for help in exchange for Yelver's secrets. What was Yelver hiding and who exactly is this Keeper?
Criticisms:
1) Story. This story was very confusing. It started out interesting with Yelver winding up killed, but it soon became a mess. The whole murder mystery was dropped in favor of a more, less appealing story about the Keeper and who she is. Nothing was resolved, and nothing felt like it happened.
2) Dialogue. The dialogue and conversations between the characters came across as forced and unnatural. The dialogue had no natural flow to the speech. Also, most of the dialogue felt like there was something major being left out and unsaid. This caused me to not really know what was going on. Also, all the “ye”, “aye”, “thy”,and “tis” really got bothersome and very, very annoying. I understand that it's a staple in fantasy, but here, it's just too much.
Praises:
1) Potential. The murder plot was very interesting, and I wished it would have been more important and not scrapped like it was. Even though the murder plot was interesting, it still came across and confusing and utterly pointless.
Overall: 2/5
Thoughts:
“The Keeper of Secrets” had an interesting beginning, but soon became confusing and bothersome. The murder mystery beginning of the story was interesting, but there wasn't a resolution to it, as far as I could tell. After that was scrapped and forgotten everything became a mess. It was just plain confusing, due to it feeling like it lost its way. It actually felt like there wasn't a point to any of this. I didn't learn anything new, nor did I really care after the turn of events. Also, the dialogue had an unnatural pacing to it and it came across as forced. I would skip this story unless you can understand what is happening.

“The Topaz Dragon” by Jess Lebow
Captain Clay and his crew of the Expatriate are out to find an egg that's worth a small fortune. The only problem is that the egg is that of a topaz dragon. However, as they reach the island the dragon comes to them and asks for aid in recovering her stolen egg. It appears as though someone else took it before they could have. Captain Clay agrees to recover it, but finds himself up against something he didn't expect.
Criticisms:
1) Dragon fight. Because this happens at the end of the story I can't give away much. However, seeing the topaz dragon just decimate the other creature come across as weird. The other creature was played up to be a very powerful and unstoppable force, yet the topaz dragon didn't have a problem with it. Also, the final fight was severely rushed and a quick.
Praises:
1) Story. The story was fairly basic but it still worked out to be very exciting. The action scenes were fun and it added to the stories enjoyment factor. It was also surprisingly thrilling. The chase through the lava tubes was nail biting and hoping that everyone survives as very suspenseful.
2) Captain Clay. I really liked this character. He doesn't really do much but I wouldn't mind seeing him in other things. He just piqued my interest.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
“The Topaz Dragon” was a pretty good story. The ending fight didn't really feel right. It was too quick and it seemed way to easy for the topaz dragon. The story, while basic, was still exciting and fun. The action scenes were really thrilling and kept the story moving. Also, Captain Clay came off as a very interesting character. I don't know why but something about him just makes me want to read more about him. Overall, the story was very exciting and definitely worth the read.

“Wickless in the Nether” by R. A. Salvatore
Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle are hired out to recover a flute that their benefactor's rival is in possession of. However, things don't go according to plan and identities aren't what they appear to be.
Criticisms:
None.
Praises:
1) Friendship. This story does a fantastic job at developing Entreri's and Jarlaxle's friendship. After reading the story, I could actually see these two as friends. It does a great job at solidifying the friendship between the two.
2) Story. The story was fun. There was just enough action to make it exciting. Also, the twists towards the end, you wouldn't have seen coming if it wasn't in an anthology about dragons. All in all, it was an exciting read.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts:
“Wickless in the Nether” is a good story. It builds on the friendship between Jarlaxle and Entreri and you should probably read this before going into Salvatore's Promise of the Witch King, which is part of The Sellswords trilogy. Otherwise, the story was fun as well as a good read.

“Serpestrillvyth” by Richard Baker
A group of adventurers arrive in a small town asking for aid. The townsfolk tell the adventuring company that a dragon is plaguing the village and has already slayed one group of adventurers already. After hearing this, the group hires the guide that led the first group to the dragon and set off. Things don't go according to plan.
Criticisms:
1) Prose. The way the story is told came off as clipped and read jerky. When reading this story, I felt like everything came across as sudden, with no real build up. It went from one thing to the next, to the next without any breath. The best way to describe this is that the story read like a rough draft, missing the finishing touch of flare to it.
Praises:
1) Unique. How many short stories end with a happy ending? This one does not, at all. It was very surprising to see how everything turns out. It was very unexpected and a welcomed twist.
2) Dragons. This is how I picture a dragon to act. When reading The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy by Richard Lee Byers, I never felt like they were all that menacing and seemed way too easy to kill. However, Richard Baker really changes that and creates a dragon that is absolutely terrifying. They really aren't something to scoff at and this story proves why.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
“Serpestrillvyth” was an entertaining story with bad prose. When reading the story, it came off as sudden and jerky, instead of smooth and tight. However, this story was very unique. It was dark, with no happy ending. It felt refreshing to get a story that ends like this one does. Also, the dragon was terrifying and felt like a dragon should feel like. Serpestrillvyth was a powerhouse and not an easy kill, something that authors seem to forget about dragons. Overall, this was a good story and probably one of the darker ones of this anthology.

“Waylaid” by Thomas M. Reid
A young woman, Lynaelle, is on her way to the city of Silverymoon in the dead of winter. However, she gets waylaid by a white dragon and taken to its lair. The dragon than demands that Lynaelle serve him by killing the thief who stole his treasure. But is the thief really a thief? It is an orc after all.
Criticisms:
1) The End. The ending is severely groan worthy in how silly and cheesy it came across. It's not a terrible ending, but it just came across as extremely cliché. However, after reading this story, I did have a stupid grin on my face.
Praises:
1) Fear. The fear that Lynaelle felt was almost tangible, and you couldn't help but be scared for the girl. Everything she did, you know she didn't want to do it. However, if she didn't do it she would be eaten. This also helps reinforce that dragons are scary creatures that shouldn't be taken lightly.
2) Lynaelle. She was a great character. She made you worried about her, and it really surprised me to feel that way. She played her role perfectly and that's all you could ask for.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
“Waylaid” was another good story, but with an extremely cheesy ending. The ending itself wasn't terrible, but it was just too convenient and silly to be taken seriously. However, the rest of the story was wonderful. Lynaelle was a great character who played her part perfectly. I actually cared about her well-being and hoped everything turned out fine. Also, you could feel the fear she felt. It was a very frightening experience for her and it was written so that the reader would feel the same. Overall, this story was well worth the read, even with the silly and cliché ending.

“Standard Delving Procedure” by Lisa Smedman
Two dwarves, an old delver named Durin and a new recruit named Frivaldi, are searching for a magical weapon called The Bane of Caeruleus. This weapon was forged to be able kill a blue dragon, and the knowledge of how to forge more of these weapons is what the duo are after. However, Frivaldi isn't following standard delving procedure and is getting the pair into trouble, but are they able to get out of it?
Criticisms:
None.
Praises:
1) Clever. I really enjoyed all the acronyms that Durin spouts off whenever Frivaldi does something stupid. It was clever. Also, the story came across as clever. It wasn't a standard story about dungeon delving and it had a lot of clever humor in it.
2) Dwarves. The two dwarves were great. Durin is more of a 'by the books' kind of character, and doesn't take many chances. On the other side we have Frivaldi, who is rash and impatient. It's your typical foils, but they work very well together. It was fun seeing Frivaldi really get under Durin's skin. They just made the story that much better.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts:
“Standard Delving Procedure” is a great story. It's clever and amusing and kept me entertained throughout. I really liked the use of acronyms for the 'rules of delving', they were just clever. The dwarves really worked well together. They were the usual foils to each other, but it worked to perfection. They brought a lot of amusement and humor to the story. All in all, this story was a great read and had some wonderful characters.

“An Icy Heart” by Voronica Whitney-Robinson
Chorael, a dragon turtle is about to lay her eggs. While creating her nest, she reflects on the rage that has afflicted dragonkind and what it's doing to her species. After laying her eggs, she returns to the icy waters of the lake only to discover a man drowning. She makes a last second decision and saves him, but somethings not quite right about the situation and she is too late to stop it.
Criticisms:
1) Slow. The story developed slowly. It took awhile for things to happen. This also made it hard for me to really care about some of the things that were happening early on.
Praises:
1) Story. While slow, it still was a good read. You see a different perspective of how the rage is affecting the species of dragons. It's also a very tragic tale and really did make me feel sad about the circumstances that happen.
2) Dragon Turtles. I liked that we see a different kind of dragon. These creatures do seem more subdued and relaxed than a 'normal' dragon. They piqued my interest in these creatures and I wouldn't mind seeing more of them.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
“An Icy Heart” was a good story, albeit a slow one. The story felt very sluggish at times and I found myself not caring about what happens early on. However, that soon changed because the story was actually interesting and heartbreaking. What also interested me were the dragon turtles themselves, and I would like to know about these creatures. If you can get past the slow development, this story may just surprise you.

“Penitential Rites” by Keith Francis Strohm
Drakken Thaal, a half-dragon, finds himself losing to the urges of the rage. He is afraid that he killed a friend, a sub-prior in a temple of Ilmater, due to it. However, the rest of the members of the temple don't think he did and he is tasked to uncover the murder. What he finds both relieves and boils the rage inside him.
Criticisms:
1) Slow. The story has a very slow pace to it. It didn't have that 'edge of your seat' feel that most murder mysteries seem to have. There wasn't anything that really helped pick up the pace, until the end. Also, the way it was written came across as slow and meandering.
Praises:
1) Murder Mystery. I did like the murder mystery aspect, even if the pacing was slow. It still had that sense of excitement whenever Drakken found a new clue or lead. It was also interesting to see how the investigation affected Drakken's mental state as it went on.
2) Drakken. Drakken was an interesting character. You see how he is trying to deal with these new feeling of rage and hate. It was very interesting to see how he starts to lose control over meaningless or silly things, and how he is able to snap himself out of it. Seeing Drakken try to fight against something he couldn't control was interesting to read about.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
“Penitential Rites” was a very interesting story, however paced very slowly. The slow pacing didn't fit with the murder mystery plot. It wasn't as exciting and fast paced as other murder mysteries. However, the murder mystery itself was interesting. It was exciting to see the effect the mystery had on Drakken. Also, Drakken was a great character for that reason as well. It was interesting to see him try to fight off the mounting rage he was feeling. Overall, this story was good and definitely worth a read for another view of the dragon rage.

“How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth” by Dave Gross
Talbot Uskevren does not do commissions. As the majority shareholder for the Wide Realms playhouse, that should have some say. However, when an alluring woman comes to them with an offer to create a play, Talbot can't help but accept. She wants a play that can “break a miser's heart”, but what Talbot crafts is something beyond that. That is, until the special guest the woman mentioned arrives to attend.
Criticisms:
None.
Praises:
1) Story. This is probably the best story out of the anthology. The story is interesting, engaging, funny, and smart. Everything seems to work for this story and everything comes together nicely. I did not want to put it down until I finished.
2) Talbot. I've always liked Talbot Uskevren. I've always like the Uskevren family. However, Talbot has stood out from the rest of the family. He's just a likable character and a very interesting one at that. Here, we see another side of Talbot and it's always good to see more. The story really does a great job at adding more development to the character, along with adding a new dimension to him.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts:
“How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth” is a fantastic story. It was interesting and engaging. It added just enough humor to keep it fresh and exciting. Also, it's next to see a new dimension to Talbot. Overall, read this story.

“Beer with a Fat Dragon” by Don Bassingthwaite
A caravan arrives at an oasis, much to the joy of the group. Tycho Arisaenn, a bard, eyes up the women and heads off for the oasis' tavern, which is little more than a filthy large tent. After winning the locals over with song, he makes a mistake in dishonoring the people's beliefs by using magic. However, that's not all he dishonors.
Criticisms:
1) Awkward sentences. There were a lot of awkward sentences I've found in this story that didn't really seem like they belonged. For example, late in the story one character yells at another for being jealous, yet I didn't gather that the other character said or did anything to warrant it. There were a few times when these awkward sentences popped up and made me stop and scratch my head.
Praises:
1) Tycho. Tycho was a very interesting character. He had a lot of charm and charisma to him that you couldn't help but like him. There was just something about this character that made the story very enjoyable.
2) Humor. This was a fairly funny story, and it was surprising. I didn't expect to smile as much as I did while reading this. This really added something different to the story.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
“Beer with a Fat Dragon” was an amusing and fun story to read. However, there were a few times in the story that I found my self confused for a moment. There were more than a few awkward sentences or outbursts that never really seemed to fit in the moment. Otherwise, everything else was great. Tycho was a very interesting character and I would like to read more about him. He's charisma just had me hooked from the start. I was also surprised by how humorous the story was. I found myself with a smile on my face more than once while reading. All in all, this story is definitely worth a read and hopefully you can understand some of the awkward scenes better than I could.

“The Prisoner of Hulberg” by Richard Lee Byers
Will and Pavel travel to Hulburg in hopes of discovering another clue to the rage. However, what they find isn't what they expected. Deciding to intervene, they find themselves in a dire situation that only luck could get them out.
Criticisms:
1) Character Development. After reading The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy, this short story doesn't really advance Will and Pavel as character too much. It just seemed to solidify their friendship and that's all.
Praises:
1) Action Heavy. The short story is very action heavy. This did help by keeping the story exciting. The action itself was very fast paced, easy to follow, and well written. The action really did help hold my interest in what could have been a very mediocre story.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts:
“The Prisoner of Hulberg” didn't seem to really do much, other than have a pretty good fight scene. Will and Pavel didn't really have that much more development, other than solidifying their friendship. The action was really entertaining and did help hold my interest. It's worth a read if you want a more action heavy story.

OVERALL AVERAGED ANTHOLOGY: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Realms of the Dragons is a very enjoyable anthology with not very many terrible or bad stories. Each story does do a competent job at capturing your interest in dragon culture of the Forgotten Realms. While there were a few stories that could've had better representation of dragons, they were still very enjoyable. All in all, this was a very pleasing and enjoyable anthology. Should you go pick this up? Yes, this is more than worth a purchase with a vast amount of great story and it can introduce you to some wonderful new authors.
Stories That You Should Definitely Read:
1) “Wickless in the Nether” by R. A. Salvatore
2) “Standard Delving Procedure” by Lisa Smedman
3) “How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth” by Dave Gross

The Year of Rogue Dragons by Richard Lee Byers

2010-11-18T23:14:00.002-05:00

**An omnibus containing The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy, does it make it easier to read? Or would you rather not bother?**

The Year of Rogue Dragons Omnibus by Richard Lee Byers- This omnibus contains The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy along with two short stories. The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy consists of The Rage, The Rite, and The Ruin. The two short stories are “The Prisoner of Hulberg”, which is found in the Realms of Dragons anthology, and “Rivals”, which is found in Dragon Magazine #343. The stories take place in the Forgotten Realms universe, which is a setting in Dungeons and Dragons. Richard Lee Byers has written a number of Forgotten Realms based books; a novel and a short story in the Sembia: Gateway to the Realms series (the short story is found in the first book of the series, The Halls of Stormweather, and wrote the third book, The Shattered Mask), wrote the first novel in R. A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen series called Dissolution, a novel in The Rogues series called The Black Bouquet, a book in The Priests series called Queen of the Depths, The Haunted Lands trilogy (Unclean, Undead, and Unholy) and he is working on finishing The Brotherhood of the Griffon trilogy (The Captive Flame, Whisper of Venom, and The Spectral Blaze). He has written other novels for various series as well as writing a number of short stories in various anthologies. The Year of Rogue Dragons Omnibus was released in October 2010 and was published by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

The Rage
An uncontrollable urge, or rage, has struck dragonkind on Faerun, causing them to go on murderous rampages. Even the goodly metallic dragons are struck with the affliction. With little to no hope of stopping the condition, many dragons choose to be put in a deep sleep, hopefully stopping the urge. However, not all dragons choose to do this and are trying to fight off the urge. However bad this may be, a group of hunters find this to be good news, or at least good news in the eyes of the leader. Dorn, a half-golem human who hates all of dragonkind, leads a group of hunters that specialize in killing dragons. He couldn't be happier. However, his companions see it in a different, more terrifying light. With dragons losing the ability to reason, they would be an unstoppable force, laying waste to the world and could cause the extinction of the populace. However, after the hunters help an injured bard, she asks them if they could help escort her to Lyrabar, a city in the country of Impiltur. The group, actually more like Dorn, reluctantly agree and they set sail. However, the bard, Kara, has secrets of her own. Meanwhile, in Lyrabar, a spy learns more than he should and runs for to the aid of his swordsmanship teacher, an avariel (or flying elf) named Taegan Nightwind. However, he's too late and gives Taegan what he stole, a folio of important notes. What is Kara's secret and will Dorn and the hunters still help her after they find out? What's the importance of the folio and does it contain information on how to stop the rage?
Criticisms:
1) Dorn. Dorn really brings down the novel. He is just bad. He's poorly developed, unlikable, and comes across as more of a chore to read about than he should be. Basically, he is a good idea gone horribly wrong. The idea of a half-golem human is really interesting and he also has an interesting back story. However, when it comes down to it, he is little more than a whiny character with no deeper motivation. While he may have gained a new outlook on things towards the end, but it never feels like it. His changes come across as more forced and unrealistic. What's worse is that he brings down the hunters and Kara. With Dorn being the leader of the group, almost everyone in it suffers. It's obvious that the group would be in better hands with anyone but him leading. He comes across as selfish and ignorant early on, definitely not the type of person you want leading. It just gets worse with Kara who develops an interest in the half-golem. Why? I have no idea because it seems to spring out of thin air. It would have been different if we see a relationship or attraction start, but we don't. This comes across as so far fetched and unbelievable that at times I just skipped the 'touching' scenes between them because they didn't belong. Dorn is what really ruins this book. He's not good, he has no personality, he's just a good idea gone bad, and he almost ruins the more interesting characters.
3) Story. The story just appears. There is no build up or anything, instead we are launched into a situation with little to no knowledge or idea about what is occurring. This really harms the overall immersion, because you are busy trying to understand what is going on rather than enjoying what's happening. This felt more like a second or third book in a series rather than a first. There never seemed to be a time when the story slowed down enough to allow the reader time to understand what's going on. It doesn't help that things move so quickly that more questions arise every other chapter. Overall, the story was sudden and left too much unsaid and much to be desired.
Praises:
1) Taegan. Taegan Nightwind almost single-handily saves The Rage. He took the story and made it his own, easily stealing scenes from people like Dorn, which isn't hard to do. But Taegan did it with gusto that it was very impressive. What makes Taegan so great? Well, he has a likable personality and is surprisingly entertaining while talking. He makes the act of talking exciting. He comes across as a real rake, with a suave personality and a charm about him. That alone is great, however Taegan takes it a step further. He is of a rare breed of elves, that aren't seen much and that adds more of a mysterious quality to him. In fact, I don't believe there is any other stories that prominently feature a flying elf. After reading this, I wanted to find out as much as I could about avariels. Everything about him is unique and really drew me in. However, he doesn't appear until close to halfway through, but he still left an amazing impression.
2) Banter. There is some very amusing banter found in The Rage. It mostly occurs between two of the hunters, the priest named Pavel and the thief named Will, and it is really humorous and lighthearted. Hearing Will call Pavel a sham of a priest or making fun of his healing abilities did put a smile on my face. Also, hearing Pavel's retorts are as amusing. This really helps ground the pair and makes them come across as real friends. It really cements the friendship and reminds me of how real-life friends talk to one another. This does add a dash of realism to the story. The banter also helps the story be more bearable and interesting. The banter does a great job at making the story fun.
Overall: 2/5
Thoughts:
The Rage is a poor beginning for a trilogy. The story just suddenly happened, with little to no build-up of the characters or events. It took time to understand what was happening, rather than just enjoying the story. Also, nothing seemed all that dire, even through the story tried to convey how dangerous the situation is. I never felt like it mattered and that the characters were in any real danger. However, the worst part of The Rage is Dorn. He almost ruins anything the novel could have accomplished. He was unlikable, under developed, and severely misused. But, thanks to Taegan the story is bearable. He is The Rage's biggest saving grace, but he just had too much to overcome. Another good thing is the witty and fun banter that is tossed back and forth between Pavel and Will. This does make some scenes fun, but overall, it barely helps with getting through the story.

“The Prisoner of Hulberg”
Will and Pavel travel to Hulburg (or is it Hulberg?) in hopes of discovering another clue to the rage. However, what they find isn't what they expected and decide to try to intervene.
Criticisms:
1) Advancing. This doesn't seem to advance Will and Pavel as characters. Not much is really displayed that wasn't already shown in The Rage.
2) Beginning. This story takes place between The Rage and The Rite, yet when I started the story I didn't know that Pavel and Will left the main group of hunters. There wasn't a time when either said that they were going to leave the group to help quicken the search for answers faster.
Praises:
1) Significance. The short story does have some significance with the overall plot. What they discover does come up again in the next book, so it's not a total waste.
2) Action Heavy. The short story is really heavy in the action, and it does do a good job at keeping your interest. There is a pretty exciting fight scene towards the end of the story.
Overall: 3/5Thoughts:
“The Prisoner of Hulberg” didn't seem to really do much, other than have a pretty good fight scene. Will and Pavel didn't really have that much more development and it was slightly confusing to see the duo away from the main group with no explanation to be found in The Rage. It is slightly significant however, when what they find is brought back up later on in the trilogy. It's worth a read if you want some more action, but ultimately you can skip it without missing much.

The Rite
The lich Sammaster is not very pleased that someone is discovering and stopping him in his goal, having dragonkind turn to him to help quell the rage that is turning them insane. But he realized a grave mistake, he forgot to destroy everything he has learned, so no one can stop him. However, a group of hunters have started searching for answers and begin traveling to the sites the lich used to uncover the same clues he should have destroyed. The half-human, half-golem Dorn and the arctic dwarf Raryn travel with the song dragon bard Kara and a bronze dragon named Chatulio to one such site. Before arriving to one of the sites, the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, they discover that it's under attack by a group of evil chromatic dragons tasked to destroy everything in the monastery by Sammaster himself. The group decide to help the monks protect the monastery, while looking for the valuable information that is stored there. However, as the rage gnaws on Kara's and Chatulio's minds, will they be able to hold that back along with the attackers long enough to find the answers? On a similar quest to one of Sammaster's locations, the halfling Will and the priest of Lathander, Pavel seem to be lost trying to find the lost temple. Thankfully, after helping a tribe of ogres kill a dragon, the tribe decide to take the duo to the ruins of the hidden temple. But how long will it be until the ogres turn on the two? Elsewhere, war is brewing in the country of Damara. Their king, Gareth Dragonsbane, falls due to a traitor and is seemingly dead. With no king to lead, the country has no hope in stopping the hordes from neighboring Vaasa, unless someone knows how to help the fallen king. The problem is, will the people of Damara trust in the help? In the city of Thentia, Taegan Nightwind arrives to help aid the hunters and their mage allies, but discovers that they left to search for some of the sites Sammaster visited. However, after meeting with the mages he discovers that there may be a traitor in their midst. Taegan and his faerie dragon friend, Jivex, decide to found the traitor before they could do serious harm. But are they too late?
Criticisms:
1) Deus ex Machina. The Rite is riddled with a lot of things, big and small, that seem to happen for the sole purpose of moving the plot along. While some of the smaller instances of deus ex machina can be forgiven, however the amount of it is just too much to simply ignore. It seemed like every major part of the story had something that suddenly appears and move it along, only to have to disappear a few chapters later. In the Will and Pavel part of the story, a the sudden appearances of dragons helps them out in a bind. In the Dorn and Kara part we see something similar but with the unlikely discovery of a hidden passage. Even in Taegan's part, he learns a lot of information about a type of dragon off screen on the off-chance he will see one. But that said, these small things barely compare to the massive convenience of Brimstone, who seems to know everything and has all the answers. When he appears to help Will and Pavel, I didn't give his appearance that much of a thought. But after that initial appearance of the vampire dragon, he quickly became the 'god of knowledge' telling and doing everything that others couldn't. It was just so sudden and unexpected that I hardly believed that he knew the exact spell and the exact way to right things. It just got tedious and annoying to see everything being solved with either off-screen information or by sudden appearance of something, only to have it almost disappear later.
2) Dorn. Dorn is actually bearable in this book, but he still has a long way to go. He doesn't bring down any of the other characters, but he still comes across as a whiny character. For the first half of the novel, all Dorn seems to do is complain and whine about how he looks and that he knows that no one would love a 'freak' like him. It quickly becomes annoying after seeing him put himself down continuously. Even towards the end, when the complaining, thankfully, becomes less frequent, it just gets to ridiculous levels of complaining. Dorn's problems just don't stop there. In The Rage, Dorn's and Kara's relationship just kind of happened out of the blue, with no build up or reason for attraction. With this novel, it's the same story. The relationship is developing a little better, but it still comes across as sudden. there is still almost no build-up in the romance and it's so off-putting that it's unbearably stupid. It's just a half-brained attempt at a love interest and it doesn't seem be 'real' or sincere. Overall, Dorn has improved, but he is still a long way to go before becoming a decent and likable character.
Praises:
1) Main Characters. The other characters, aside from Dorn and the amazingly easy to forget Raryn, do get some good development and do start to shine a little more. It also helps that most of the characters are in smaller groups, allowing some actual growth and development from these characters. It's just easier for them to share the spotlight now. The situations also allow the characters to grow a little more easily. The best example of this is with Kara. With the rage gnawing at her mind, you can see her become more frustrated and downtrodden when she is dealing with simple situations. It's easy to see her frustrations and because of this, she does grow into one of the more interesting characters of the trilogy. With Taegan, well, he's still Taegan. I did lose a bit of that mystery and uniqueness from the previous novel, but his sections were just plain awesome. He was more of a detective in this novel and it was fun to see him try to piece together the mystery. It really does add a new dimension to his character. However, in terms of 'natural' development, Will and Pavel really do take the cake. From the previous novel, you really only had the friendly banter to go off of these two, there really wasn't much else. Now they really do grow into very interesting and complex characters. After seeing some of the things they say and do, I did get a better understanding of the two. But the one character who is the most memorable from the novel is Chatulio. He is an amazing character. Each scene he's in, he seemed to steal it. Also, Chatulio has to have the most memorable scene of the novel, but I can't tell what it is. It's just a shame that their wasn't more time to get to know the dragon. All in all, the main characters have a bigger impact in the story and do become more interesting.
2) Multiple Stories. The Rite has four main story-lines going on within the novel. The first is Dorn, Raryn, Chatulio, and Kara are off to a temple in search of some knowledge concerning the rage. This story was a little more basic, but it was undeniably attack pack. Then you have Will and Pavel looking into another lead, and it was pretty much the same. It was action packed, but it seemed to have something more added in. We also have Taegan traveling to Thentia to meet up with the hunters and offer his assistance, and that was a different type of story. It comes off as more of a mystery and adds something very different to the novel. Finally, we have war ravaging the country of Damara. Now, I will say that the final story-line is by far the weakest of the bunch. It seemed like it was thrown into just to help pad out the plot, but it still was exciting to read. With so much happening, one would think that it would be hard to follow. But this wasn't the case. Everything was pretty easy to follow. I had no trouble recalling some of the events that happened a chapter ago. It was especially helpful when each story-line is distinctly different. However, it doesn't really come together quite as smoothly at the end. In fact, the epilogue felt more like a rushed recap of everything. But, having multiple story-lines felt like I was getting more out of the story.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts:
The Rite is a definite improvement over the previous novel, but still has a number of issues. The worst thing that I found was the amount of deus ex machina going on. With the small things, it wasn't that much of a problem. However, after 'the god machine' himself, Brimstone, makes an appearance, it become unbearable and annoying. It just gave me a headache seeing all these 'random' things start happening to either help out the characters or move the story along. Also, I am still not liking Dorn. He comes across as too whiny about his lot in life and it started get on my nerves. Also, the relationship between Dorn and Kara have is as awkwardly unnecessary as possible. However, the rest of the characters really do shine. They all seem to have a bigger and more important role this time around and it really helps in their development. The multiple story-lines also help in this regard. With the group of characters split up, they each got a moment, or two, to really shine and become more than what they were. It also helps that while reading it felt like I was reading shorter stories combined into one major story.

The Ruin
As the rage of dragons continues on, the hunters may have found the breakthrough that they need. The group, consisting of a priest of Lathander named Pavel, a halfling thief named Will, the arctic dwarf ranger named Raryn, the avariel (flying elf) bladesinger named Taegan, a faerie dragon named Jivex, a song dragon bard named Kara, and the leader, a half-golem named Dorn, set out toward the frozen north. Their travels lead them to a place called The Great Glacier, where the arctic dwarf Raryn's home was before leaving and because of he's knowledge of the region, he is able to navigate the wasteland with ease. After a chance encounter with his old clan of dwarves, the group relax. But treachery is afoot, and before they know it, the hunters are taken to the self-proclaimed Ice Queen of the Great Glacier. Seeing the value the hunters could process and wishing to out-think the lich Sammaster, she tries to coerce Pavel into telling her all they know about the lich's plans. However, he proves to strong to break. During this, their vampiric smoke drake ally, Brimstone, sets off to find where his companions have disappeared to. After finding a group of white dragons led by a dracolich named Zethrindor, Brimstone learns that his allies may have been taken to the Ice Queen. The white dragons are tasked to serve the Ice Queen by Sammaster, were sent out to overtake the country of Sossal, something they don't like and agree with Brimstone that the Ice Queen can be a threat to their wishes to become dracolichs. During this, the Ice Queen agrees to help the hunters search for a ruin that could hold the key to the rage. As the group find the site they believed to be linked to the rage, the white dragons strike. Has the group found the cure for the rage or is it too late to stop the destruction?
Criticisms:
1) Minor Characters. The biggest flaw that The Ruin has is the minor characters. They just weren't interesting enough for me to care about them. They came across as poorly placed and almost useless at times. For example, the white dragons are off trying to conquer Sossal and we meet some of the defenders of the place. They aren't memorable and while they do play a part in the story, they come across as through they should be something more. It was almost like they were meant to have a bigger role. Yet, things just happened to that are supposed to make you like them, but they happen so suddenly and vanish so quickly, that you just don't care. It felt like some of the minor characters were supposed to be more, but were just rushed and forgotten. Also, even the bigger minor characters (the Ice Queen, for example) seem to be wasted. She does come across as a generally interesting character, yet what happens is that you really never get to delve any further than her surface. It could be that the story was deviating too far from the main plot, or something but it seemed like there should have just been more to these characters.
2) Impact. I still don't see any real impact this story made to the world. The whole rage of dragons never really came across as something dire and deadly. In fact, the dragons themselves seem amazingly weak and not threatening. When a world-changing event happens, you kind of expect it to be world-changing. Instead, it felt like nothing changed, other than a few deaths. It felt like it didn't matter to the world at large. The events really didn't have the impact that was meant for it.
3) Dodging. This is something that really bothered me throughout the trilogy, the amount of dodging the characters did. I couldn't count how many times Will runs under a dragon, poked it a few times with his sword, and rolled out-of-the-way when the dragon belly slams, or stomps down. It seems like this happened, every single time that Will attacked. With the others, they nimbly avoid bites, a tail whipping around, parry claws (which is amazing, seeing as dragons are huge and can crush a person easily), and stopping attacks. In fact, it only seemed like Kara was the only character to actually show terrible wounds. This really stopped my suspension of disbelief and cause me to question these characters abilities. They come across as god-like beings, with their dodging and blocking. It just doesn't work when your fighting a huge dragon to come away almost unharmed and still alive.
Praises:
1) Action. The Ruin was a very exciting read, mostly due to it being full of action scenes and battles. The action itself is really well written and very easy to follow, aside from a few instances. Every chapter contained an exciting and fast paced battle, making the story a very quick read. However, the best part of The Ruin is at the end, when we get a gigantic battle that is filled with tension. This battle really put me on the edge of my seat, wondering what is going to happen and who will survive. Overall, the action is really well written and very exciting.
2) Dorn. Dorn does come across as a better character than in the previous two books. However, he still isn't perfect. At least this time, his self-loathing and attitude is understandable, but it still did get on my nerves easily. Aside from one painfully stupid scene involving Kara and him at the end of the novel, he really works to his strengths here. His bitter attitude of his condition and how he considers himself a freak finally do come across as deep and sad. It could have been because of the event he goes through, but even so, it was well executed. Finally, we get a reason as to why Dorn is so full of self hate and he actually becomes a decent and likable character.
Overall: 2/5
Thoughts:
The Ruin isn't the way you want to end a trilogy. The plot does pick up from the previous book and a lot of loose ends were tied up in the end, but it doesn't seem quite right. It was action packed with fighting and battles that made it a very quick read. The battles were well written and did keep me to edge of my seat, but it still felt like something was missing. At least Dorn's character was actually decent this time! But still that sense of something missing was there. What's the something? Well, the impact of the world-changing event wasn't there. Not once did I feel like the world was in danger or even changed because of that. It didn't even feel like it was all that important in the long run. It also didn't help that minor characters only seemed to be there to move the story along when they were obviously meant for a bigger role. Finally, if this series was supposed to be as big and world-changing as it was supposed to be, why was it that there were so few major character deaths? It just didn't have the impact that The Ruin was shooting for.

“Rivals”
Dorn Graybrook arrives in a small village called Pilver's Creek for a job at hunting a beast that is terrorizing the village. However, he notices a group of people picking on a peculiar dwarf. After intervening, Dorn learns that the dwarf's name is Raryn Snowstealer and he's here because of the job as well. Dorn doesn't like this and starts to hate Raryn for being here. However, the mayor decides to take them both out to do the job. After finding the beast, they learn not everything is how it appears.
Criticisms:
1) Dorn. Dorn is absolutely unlikable here, yet again. I can't like this character. He constantly complains about his deformity and how no one should like him. It's just unbearable!
Praises:
1) Raryn. Finally, Raryn has a personality and isn't forgotten! He's a great character in here. He's charismatic, likable, and interesting in this short story. He finally has a personality and gets some well deserved development.
2) Story. I really did like the story and how it focused more on building the friendship between Dorn and Raryn. It wasn't all that action packed, although there was some action, it didn't dominate the story as a whole. It was really just interesting.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
“Rivals” was a good short story, but it wasn't placed in this omnibus at the right spot. Having a story that is about Dorn and Raryn meeting at the end of the omnibus was really a bad move. It should have been at the beginning. However, this story was really good. Dorn is still very unbearable with his constant complaining and self-loathing. However, actually giving Raryn half the spotlight was just plain fantastic! He actually is an interesting character, who unfortunately was forgotten in the trilogy. I wish now that he was more prevalent in it. The story itself was really good, and didn't rely solely on action scenes to move it along. Instead, it focused more on Dorn and Raryn's friendship, which was good and refreshing. All in all, this short story was very entertaining, but it's unfortunate that it had to appear at the end when it belongs at the start.

OVERALL AVERAGED OMNIBUS GRADE: 3/5
Final Thoughts on the Omnibus:
The Year of Rogue Dragons wasn't a very good trilogy, but it still was very enjoyable for the most part. The characters were decent. The best being Kara and Taegan, and the worse being Dorn. Dorn was this trilogies main problem. I just couldn't like him. He's constant self-loathing attitude became annoying quickly. What's worse is that he is the main character, and you have to deal with him the whole time. The story was pretty straightforward, but never really felt like it delved to deeply into the situation. When you have something as big and dangerous as the story seemed to be, it never felt like it was as big and devastating as it should have been. From reading the trilogy, it felt like it was more of a smaller scale problem than anything else. Also, it did get kind of annoying when each book pretty much went from battle to battle and fight to fight with a bit of downtime and character development. Also, something that really bothered me was all the dragons without any real descriptions and there just seemed to be way too many. The Year of Rogue Dragons really wanted to be more than it actually was. I really can't recommend, but I will say that the cover art of the omnibus is really cool and I actually am happy I picked it up.

The Ruin by Richard Lee Byers

2010-11-17T17:05:00.002-05:00

**As dragons continue to rage, will the hunters be able to stop it in time? Does The Ruin have the answer to your rage? Or will it just make you continue going insane?**

The Ruin by Richard Lee Byers- This is the final book in The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy. The first book is titled The Rage and the second book is titled The Rite. The Ruin is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Richard Lee Byers has written a number of books, mostly focused on the horror genre; Deathward, Fright Line, The Vampire's Apprentice, Dark Fortune, Dead Time, The Tale of Terrible Toys, andThe Children of Gaia and Uktena: Werewolf, 5. His also contributed a number of stories to other series including; three Nightmare Club novels (Joyride, Warlock Games, and Party Til You Drop), four World of Darkness novels (Caravan of Shadows, Netherworld: Vampire, On a Darkling Plane, and Wraith: The Ebon Mask), a X-Men based novel titledSoul Killer, and a Warhammer based novel titled The Enemy Within. His also written a trilogy for the Scarred Lands called Dead God trilogy (Forsaken, Forsworn, andForbidden). He has written a number of Forgotten Realms novels as well; a novel and a short story in the Sembia: Gateway to the Realms series (the short story is found in the first book of the series, The Halls of Stormweather, and wrote the third book, The Shattered Mask), wrote the first novel in R. A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen series called Dissolution, a novel in The Rogues series called The Black Bouquet, a book in The Priests series called Queen of the Depths, The Haunted Lands trilogy (Unclean, Undead, and Unholy) and he is working on finishing The Brotherhood of the Griffon trilogy (The Captive Flame, Whisper of Venom, and The Spectral Blaze). He has also contributed a vast amount of short stories to various anthologies. The Ruin was released in May 2006 and published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

As the rage of dragons continues on, the hunters may have found the breakthrough that they need. The group, consisting of a priest of Lathander named Pavel, a halfling thief named Will, the arctic dwarf ranger named Raryn, the avariel (flying elf) bladesinger named Taegan, a faerie dragon named Jivex, a song dragon bard named Kara, and the leader, a half-golem named Dorn, set out toward the frozen north. Their travels lead them to a place called The Great Glacier, where the arctic dwarf Raryn's home was before leaving and because of he's knowledge of the region, he is able to navigate the wasteland with ease. After a chance encounter with his old clan of dwarves, the group relax. But treachery is afoot, and before they know it, the hunters are taken to the self-proclaimed Ice Queen of the Great Glacier. Seeing the value the hunters could process and wishing to out-think the lich Sammaster, she tries to coerce Pavel into telling her all they know about the lich's plans. However, he proves to strong to break. During this, their vampiric smoke drake ally, Brimstone, sets off to find where his companions have disappeared to. After finding a group of white dragons led by a dracolich named Zethrindor, Brimstone learns that his allies may have been taken to the Ice Queen. The white dragons are tasked to serve the Ice Queen by Sammaster, were sent out to overtake the country of Sossal, something they don't like and agree with Brimstone that the Ice Queen can be a threat to their wishes to become dracolichs. During this, the Ice Queen agrees to help the hunters search for a ruin that could hold the key to the rage. As the group find the site they believed to be linked to the rage, the white dragons strike. Has the group found the cure for the rage or is it too late to stop the destruction?

Criticisms:
1) Minor Characters. The biggest flaw that The Ruin has is the minor characters. They just weren't interesting enough for me to care about them. They came across as poorly placed and almost useless at times. For example, the white dragons are off trying to conquer Sossal and we meet some of the defenders of the place. They aren't memorable and while they do play a part in the story, they come across as through they should be something more. It was almost like they were meant to have a bigger role. Yet, things just happened to that are supposed to make you like them, but they happen so suddenly and vanish so quickly, that you just don't care. It felt like some of the minor characters were supposed to be more, but were just rushed and forgotten. Also, even the bigger minor characters (the Ice Queen, for example) seem to be wasted. She does come across as a generally interesting character, yet what happens is that you really never get to delve any further than her surface. It could be that the story was deviating too far from the main plot, or something but it seemed like there should have just been more to these characters.
2) Impact. I still don't see any real impact this story made to the world. The whole rage of dragons never really came across as something dire and deadly. In fact, the dragons themselves seem amazingly weak and not threatening. When a world-changing event happens, you kind of expect it to be world-changing. Instead, it felt like nothing changed, other than a few deaths. It felt like it didn't matter to the world at large. The events really didn't have the impact that was meant for it.
3) Dodging. This is something that really bothered me throughout the trilogy, the amount of dodging the characters did. I couldn't count how many times Will runs under a dragon, poked it a few times with his sword, and rolled out-of-the-way when the dragon belly slams, or stomps down. It seems like this happened, every single time that Will attacked. With the others, they nimbly avoid bites, a tail whipping around, parry claws (which is amazing, seeing as dragons are huge and can crush a person easily), and stopping attacks. In fact, it only seemed like Kara was the only character to actually show terrible wounds. This really stopped my suspension of disbelief and cause me to question these characters abilities. They come across as god-like beings, with their dodging and blocking. It just doesn't work when your fighting a huge dragon to come away almost unharmed and still alive.

Praises:
1) Action. The Ruin was a very exciting read, mostly due to it being full of action scenes and battles. The action itself is really well written and very easy to follow, aside from a few instances. Every chapter contained an exciting and fast paced battle, making the story a very quick read. However, the best part of The Ruin is at the end, when we get a gigantic battle that is filled with tension. This battle really put me on the edge of my seat, wondering what is going to happen and who will survive. Overall, the action is really well written and very exciting.
2) Dorn. Dorn does come across as a better character than in the previous two books. However, he still isn't perfect. At least this time, his self-loathing and attitude is understandable, but it still did get on my nerves easily. Aside from one painfully stupid scene involving Kara and him at the end of the novel, he really works to his strengths here. His bitter attitude of his condition and how he considers himself a freak finally do come across as deep and sad. It could have been because of the event he goes through, but even so, it was well executed. Finally, we get a reason as to why Dorn is so full of self hate and he actually becomes a decent and likable character.

Side Notes:
1) Inconsistencies. This really bothered me, albeit it was just one little scene in the whole novel. However, Taegan and Jivex never met or seen Chatulio from The Rite. Yet, Jivex was able to capture a perfect image of him during a fight. How?
2) Dragons. Once again, there are way too many dragons! Is there an endless supply of these things hiding in someone's closet or basement? Where do they keep coming from and why aren't the detailed and described better?
3) Cover Art. The cover art for The Ruin is actually really good. The green dragon staring at the people in the tower as they cower in fear is eye catching and interesting. The background is forgettable and doesn't really add much to the cover. However, that green dragon is just menacingly gorgeous and creepy looking.

Overall: 2/5
Final Thoughts:
The Ruin isn't the way you want to end a trilogy. The plot does pick up from the previous book and a lot of loose ends were tied up in the end, but it doesn't seem quite right. It was action packed with fighting and battles that made it a very quick read. The battles were well written and did keep me to edge of my seat, but it still felt like something was missing. At least Dorn's character was actually decent this time! But still that sense of something missing was there. What's the something? Well, the impact of the world-changing event wasn't there. Not once did I feel like the world was in danger or even changed because of that. It didn't even feel like it was all that important in the long run. It also didn't help that minor characters only seemed to be there to move the story along when they were obviously meant for a bigger role. Finally, if this series was supposed to be as big and world-changing as it was supposed to be, why was it that there were so few major character deaths? It just didn't have the impact that The Ruin was shooting for. Overall, would I recommend The Ruin? No, unless you've started this series and want to see how it ends.

The Rite by Richard Lee Byers

2010-11-15T01:21:00.001-05:00

With dragons going on a rampage, and a hope of a cure in sight, does The Rite do everything right? Or does it give into the madness?

The Rite by Richard Lee Byers- This is the second book in The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy. The first book is titled The Rage and the third book is titled The Ruin. The Rite is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Richard Lee Byers has written a number of books, mostly focused on the horror genre; Deathward, Fright Line, The Vampire's Apprentice, Dark Fortune, Dead Time, The Tale of Terrible Toys, and The Children of Gaia and Uktena: Werewolf, 5. His also contributed a number of stories to other series including; three Nightmare Club novels (Joyride, Warlock Games, and Party Til You Drop), three World of Darkness (Caravan of Shadows, Netherworld: Vampire, On a Darkling Plane, and Wraith: The Ebon Mask), a X-Men based novel titled Soul Killer, and a Warhammer based novel titled The Enemy Within. His also written a trilogy for the Scarred Lands called Dead God trilogy (Forsaken, Forsworn, and Forbidden). He has written a number of Forgotten Realms novels as well; a novel and a short story in the Sembia: Gateway to the Realms series (the short story is found in the first book of the series, The Halls of Stormweather, and wrote the third book, The Shattered Mask), wrote the first novel in R. A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen series called Dissolution, a novel in The Rogues series called The Black Bouquet, a book in The Priests series called Queen of the Depths, The Haunted Lands trilogy (Unclean, Undead, and Unholy) and he is working on finishing The Brotherhood of the Griffon trilogy (The Captive Flame, Whisper of Venom, and The Spectral Blaze). He's also contributed a vast amount of short stories to various anthologies. The Rite was released in January 2005 and published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

The lich Sammaster is not very pleased that someone is discovering and stopping him in his goal, having dragonkind turn to him to help quell the rage that is turning them insane. But he realized a grave mistake, he forgot to destroy everything he has learned, so no one can stop him. However, a group of hunters have started searching for answers and begin traveling to the sites the lich used to uncover the same clues he should have destroyed. The half-human, half-golem Dorn and the arctic dwarf Raryn travel with the song dragon bard Kara and a bronze dragon named Chatulio to one such site. Before arriving to one of the sites, the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, they discover that it's under attack by a group of evil chromatic dragons tasked to destroy everything in the monastery by Sammaster himself. The group decide to help the monks protect the monastery, while looking for the valuable information that is stored there. However, as the rage gnaws on Kara's and Chatulio's minds, will they be able to hold that back along with the attackers long enough to find the answers? On a similar quest to one of Sammaster's locations, the halfling Will and the priest of Lathander, Pavel seem to be lost trying to find the lost temple. Thankfully, after helping a tribe of ogres kill a dragon, the tribe decide to take the duo to the ruins of the hidden temple. But how long will it be until the ogres turn on the two? Elsewhere, war is brewing in the country of Damara. Their king, Gareth Dragonsbane, falls due to a traitor and is seemingly dead. With no king to lead, the country has no hope in stopping the hordes from neighboring Vaasa, unless someone knows how to help the fallen king. The problem is, will the people of Damara trust in the help? In the city of Thentia, Taegan Nightwind arrives to help aid the hunters and their mage allies, but discovers that they left to search for some of the sites Sammaster visited. However, after meeting with the mages he discovers that there may be a traitor in their midst. Taegan and his faerie dragon friend, Jivex, decide to found the traitor before they could do serious harm. But are they too late?

Criticisms:
1) Deus ex Machina. The Rite is riddled with a lot of things, big and small, that seem to happen for the sole purpose of moving the plot along. While some of the smaller instances of deus ex machina can be forgiven, however the amount of it is just too much to simply ignore. It seemed like every major part of the story had something that suddenly appears and move it along, only to have to disappear a few chapters later. In the Will and Pavel part of the story, a the sudden appearances of dragons helps them out in a bind. In the Dorn and Kara part we see something similar but with the unlikely discovery of a hidden passage. Even in Taegan's part, he learns a lot of information about a type of dragon offscreen on the off-chance he will see one. But that said, these small things barely compare to the massive convenience of Brimstone, who seems to know everything and has all the answers. When he appears to help Will and Pavel, I didn't give his appearance that much of a thought. But after that initial appearance of the vampire dragon, he quickly became the 'god of knowledge' telling and doing everything that others couldn't. It was just so sudden and unexpected that I hardly believed that he knew the exact spell and the exact way to right things. It just got tedious and annoying to see everything being solved with either off-screen information or by sudden appearance of something, only to have it almost disappear later.
2) Dorn. Dorn is actually bearable in this book, but he still has a long way to go. He doesn't bring down any of the other characters, but he still comes across as a whiny character. For the first half of the novel, all Dorn seems to do is complain and whine about how he looks and that he knows that no one would love a 'freak' like him. It quickly becomes annoying after seeing him put himself down continuously. Even towards the end, when the complaining, thankfully, becomes less frequent, it just gets to ridiculous levels of complaining. Dorn's problems just don't stop there. In The Rage, Dorn's and Kara's relationship just kind of happened out of the blue, with no build up or reason for attraction. With this novel, it's the same story. The relationship is developing a little better, but it still comes across as sudden. there is still almost no build-up in the romance and it's so off-putting that it's unbearably stupid. It's just a half-brained attempt at a love interest and it doesn't seem be 'real' or sincere. Overall, Dorn has improved, but he is still a long way to go before becoming a decent and likable character.

Praises:
1) Main Characters. The other characters, aside from Dorn and the amazingly easy to forget Raryn, do get some good development and do start to shine a little more. It also helps that most of the characters are in smaller groups, allowing some actual growth and development from these characters. It's just easier for them to share the spotlight now. The situations also allow the characters to grow a little more easily. The best example of this is with Kara. With the rage gnawing at her mind, you can see her become more frustrated and downtrodden when she is dealing with simple situations. It's easy to see her frustrations and because of this, she does grow into one of the more interesting characters of the trilogy. With Taegan, well, he's still Taegan. I did lose a bit of that mystery and uniqueness from the previous novel, but his sections were just plain awesome. He was more of a detective in this novel and it was fun to see him try to piece together the mystery. It really does add a new dimension to his character. However, in terms of 'natural' development, Will and Pavel really do take the cake. From the previous novel, you really only had the friendly banter to go off of these two, there really wasn't much else. Now they really do grow into very interesting and complex characters. After seeing some of the things they say and do, I did get a better understanding of the two. But the one character who is the most memorable from the novel is Chatulio. He is an amazing character. Each scene he's in, he seemed to steal it. Also, Chatulio has to have the most memorable scene of the novel, but I can't tell what it is. It's just a shame that their wasn't more time to get to know the dragon. All in all, the main characters have a bigger impact in the story and do become more interesting.
2) Multiple Stories. The Rite has four main story-lines going on within the novel. The first is Dorn, Raryn, Chatulio, and Kara are off to a temple in search of some knowledge concerning the rage. This story was a little more basic, but it was undeniably attack pack. Then you have Will and Pavel looking into another lead, and it was pretty much the same. It was action packed, but it seemed to have something more added in. We also have Taegan traveling to Thentia to meet up with the hunters and offer his assistance, and that was a different type of story. It comes off as more of a mystery and adds something very different to the novel. Finally, we have war ravaging the country of Damara. Now, I will say that the final story-line is by far the weakest of the bunch. It seemed like it was thrown into just to help pad out the plot, but it still was exciting to read. With so much happening, one would think that it would be hard to follow. But this wasn't the case. Everything was pretty easy to follow. I had no trouble recalling some of the events that happened a chapter ago. It was especially helpful when each story-line is distinctly different. However, it doesn't really come together quite as smoothly at the end. In fact, the epilogue felt more like a rushed recap of everything. But, having multiple story-lines felt like I was getting more out of the story.

Side Notes:
1) Dragons. There are so many types of dragons that it's getting a little ridiculous. I'm starting to get a little sick of seeing a new kind being introduced almost every other chapter. It's got to stop or down the line we'll get something like a 'wood dragon' that's made of wood and breathes out splinters.
2) Editing. Did anyone really edit this book? Seriously, I've found so many misspelled words, misplaced words (saying so instead of do or to), and a major lack of indenting new paragraphs. It does get bothersome, but it was easy to read over some of these mistakes.
3) Cover Art. The Rite's cover art is okay. The warriors in the foreground don't really look that good and seem a little odd to me. The dragon kind of looks silly and not as threatening as it should be. The scene on the cover doesn't happen in the novel, to the best of my recollection. Also, is it just me or is the colors needlessly dark? However, it does do a good job and drawing you eye with the lightning bolts. Overall, it isn't that impressive, but it does its job with drawing your eye.

Overall: 3/5
Final Thoughts:
The Rite is a definite improvement over the previous novel, but still has a number of issues. The worst thing that I found was the amount of deus ex machina going on. With the small things, it wasn't that much of a problem. However, after 'the god machine' himself, Brimstone, makes an appearance, it become unbearable and annoying. It just gave me a headache seeing all these 'random' things start happening to either help out the characters or move the story along. Also, I am still not liking Dorn. He comes across as too whiny about his lot in life and it started get on my nerves. Also, the relationship between Dorn and Kara have is as awkwardly unnecessary as possible. However, the rest of the characters really do shine. They all seem to have a bigger and more important role this time around and it really helps in their development. The multiple story-lines also help in this regard. With the group of characters split up, they each got a moment, or two, to really shine and become more than what they were. It also helps that while reading it felt like I was reading shorter stories combined into one major story. However, with that said, I am still reluctant to recommend this. While The Rite is an improvement, I think it still has a long way to go.

The Rage by Richard Lee Byers

2010-11-11T18:08:00.006-05:00

When dragons go on a rampage, the world is doomed. Is The Rage a good beginning to a trilogy or would you rather have it go mad along with the dragons?

The Rage by Richard Lee Byers- This is the first book in The Year of Rogue Dragonstrilogy. The second book is titled The Rite and the third book is titled The Ruin. The Rageis set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Richard Lee Byers has written a number of books, mostly focused on the horror genre; Deathward,Fright Line, The Vampire's Apprentice, Dark Fortune, Dead Time, The Tale of Terrible Toys, and The Children of Gaia and Uktena: Werewolf, 5. His also contributed a number of stories to other series including; Nightmare Club (Joyride, Warlock Games, and Party Til You Drop), World of Darkness (Caravan of Shadows, Netherworld: Vampire, On a Darkling Plane, and Wraith: The Ebon Mask), a X-Men based novel titled Soul Killer, and a Warhammer based novel titled The Enemy Within. His also written a trilogy for the Scarred Lands called Dead God trilogy (Forsaken, Forsworn, and Forbidden). He has written a number of Forgotten Realms novels as well; a novel and a short story in theSembia: Gateway to the Realms series (the short story is found in the first book of the series, The Halls of Stormweather, and wrote the third book, The Shattered Mask), wrote the first novel in R. A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen series called Dissolution, a novel in The Rogues series called The Black Bouquet, a book in The Priests series called Queen of the Depths, The Haunted Lands trilogy (Unclean, Undead, and Unholy) and he is working on finishingThe Brotherhood of the Griffon trilogy (The Captive Flame, Whisper of Venom, and The Spectral Blaze). He's also contributed a vast amount of short stories to various anthologies. The Rage was released in April 2004 and published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

An uncontrollable urge, or rage, has struck dragonkind on Faerun, causing them to go on murderous rampages. Even the goodly metallic dragons are struck with the affliction. With little to no hope of stopping the condition, many dragons choose to be put in a deep sleep, hopefully stopping the urge. However, not all dragons choose to do this and are trying to fight off the urge. However bad this may be, a group of hunters find this to be good news, or at least good news in the eyes of the leader. Dorn, a half-golem human who hates all of dragonkind, leads a group of hunters that specialize in killing dragons. He couldn't be happier. However, his companions see it in a different, more terrifying light. With dragons losing the ability to reason, they would be an unstoppable force, laying waste to the world and could cause the extinction of the populace. However, after the hunters help an injured bard, she asks them if they could help escort her to Lyrabar, a city in the country of Impiltur. The group, actually more like Dorn, reluctantly agree and they set sail. However, the bard, Kara, has secrets of her own. Meanwhile, in Lyrabar, a spy learns more than he should and runs for to the aid of his swordsmanship teacher, an avariel (or flying elf) named Taegan Nightwind. However, he's too late and gives Taegan what he stole, a folio of important notes. What is Kara's secret and will Dorn and the hunters still help her after they find out? What's the importance of the folio and does it contain information on how to stop the rage?

Criticisms:
1) Dorn. Dorn really brings down the novel. He is just bad. He's poorly developed, unlikable, and comes across as more of a chore to read about than he should be. Basically, he is a good idea gone horribly wrong. The idea of a half-golem human is really interesting and he also has an interesting back story. However, when it comes down to it, he is little more than a whiny character with no deeper motivation. While he may have gained a new outlook on things towards the end, but it never feels like it. His changes come across as more forced and unrealistic. What's worse is that he brings down the hunters and Kara. With Dorn being the leader of the group, almost everyone in it suffers. It's obvious that the group would be in better hands with anyone but him leading. He comes across as selfish and ignorant early on, definitely not the type of person you want leading. It just gets worse with Kara who develops an interest in the half-golem. Why? I have no idea because it seems to spring out of thin air. It would have been different if we see a relationship or attraction start, but we don't. This comes across as so farfetched and unbelievable that at times I just skipped the 'touching' scenes between them because they didn't belong. Dorn is what really ruins this book. He's not good, he has no personality, he's just a good idea gone bad, and he almost ruins the more interesting characters.
2) Dire. The situations that occur never came across as dire or life threatening, nor do they even seem that important. When we are thrust into the story, and I never felt like the events really were impacting the world as a whole. They came across as small and insignificant, bordering on pointless at times. In fact, the characters in the book didn't really seem to cringe at the prospects of dragons raging. It never felt like it phased the people. There wasn't the impact that was attended. Also, injuries to the main characters never seem to be all that life threatening. Having Pavel instantly heal them a few seconds later or having a potion conveniently on hand. This gets more frustrating as the story goes on, especially during a scene at the end. By that time we know they are going to be perfectly fine. It just felt like no one was in any real harm.
3) Story. The story just appears. There is no build up or anything, instead we are launched into a situation with little to no knowledge or idea about what is occurring. This really harms the overall immersion, because you are busy trying to understand what is going on rather than enjoying what's happening. This felt more like a second or third book in a series rather than a first. There never seemed to be a time when the story slowed down enough to allow the reader time to understand what's going on. It doesn't help that things move so quickly that more questions arise every other chapter. Overall, the story was sudden and left too much unsaid and much to be desired.

Praises:
1) Taegan. Taegan Nightwind almost single-handedly saves The Rage. He took the story and made it his own, easily stealing scenes from people like Dorn, which isn't hard to do. But Taegan did it with gusto that it was very impressive. What makes Taegan so great? Well, he has a likable personality and is surprisingly entertaining while talking. He makes the act of talking exciting. He comes across as a real rake, with a suave personality and a charm about him. That alone is great, however Taegan takes it a step further. He is of a rare breed of elves, that aren't seen much and that adds more of a mysterious quality to him. In fact, I don't believe there is any other stories that prominently feature a flying elf. After reading this, I wanted to find out as much as I could about avariels. Everything about him is unique and really drew me in. However, he doesn't appear until close to halfway through, but he still left an amazing impression.
2) Banter. There is some very amusing banter found in The Rage. It mostly occurs between two of the hunters, the priest named Pavel and the thief named Will, and it is really humorous and lighthearted. Hearing Will call Pavel a sham of a priest or making fun of his healing abilities did put a smile on my face. Also, hearing Pavel's retorts are as amusing. This really helps ground the pair and makes them come across as real friends. It really cements the friendship and reminds me of how real-life friends talk to one another. This does add a dash of realism to the story. The banter also helps the story be more bearable and interesting. The banter does a great job at making the story fun.

Side Notes:
1) Dragons. I always thought that Dungeon and Dragons dragons were forces to be reckoned with, almost impossible to kill. Yet, in The Rage they seem weak and easy. It could be blamed on the rage, but I highly doubt that. Also, there are a lot of different kinds of dragons introduced that I wish there was more said about them.
2) Avariels. Like I already mentioned, after reading this I became really interested in learning more about avariels. They are interesting and it's a shame that there isn't a lot of books and stories written about the elusive elves.
3) Cover Art. The cover art for The Rage is good. The dragon on the cover looks really good, the background does look good albeit a little stock, and the scene at the bottom does look great. The only issue I have is that the scene depicted never happens in the novel. Sure it may be happening somewhere else, but when I look at a cover, I kind of expect it to represent some scene in the novel. That's the only disappointment in an otherwise wonderful cover.

Overall: 2/5
Final Thoughts:
The Rage is a poor beginning for a trilogy. The story just suddenly happened, with little to no build-up of the characters or events. It took time to understand what was happening, rather than just enjoying the story. Also, nothing seemed all that dire, even through the story tried to convey how dangerous the situation is. I never felt like it mattered and that the characters were in any real danger. However, the worst part of The Rage is Dorn. He almost ruins anything the novel could have accomplished. He was unlikable, under developed, and severely misused. But, thanks to Taegan the story is bearable. He is The Rage's biggest saving grace, but he just had too much to overcome. Another good thing is the witty and fun banter that is tossed back and forth between Pavel and Will. This does make some scenes fun, but overall, it barely helps with getting through the story. All in all, I could just recommend The Rage solely for Taegan, but that's a long shot. Read at your own risk.

Whisper of Venom by Richard Lee Byers

2010-11-06T16:53:00.001-04:00

The land of Chessenta finally gets their ruler back, but at what cost? Is Whisper of Venom worth the purchase or would you rather send it to war hoping it's mauled by a dragon?

Whisper of Venom by Richard Lee Byers- This is the second book in the Brotherhood of the Griffon trilogy. The first book is titled The Captive Flame and the third book is titledThe Spectral Blaze (due out in June 2011). Whisper of Venom is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Richard Lee Byers has written a number of books, mostly focused on the horror genre; Deathward, Fright Line, The Vampire's Apprentice, Dark Fortune, Dead Time, The Tale of Terrible Toys, and The Tale of Gaia and Uktena: Werewolf, 5. He has a collection book titled Dark Kingdoms. He's also contributed a number of stories to other series including; Nightmare Club (Joyride,Warlock Games, and Party Til You Drop), World of Darkness (Caravan of Shadows,Netherworld: Vampire, On a Darkling Plane, and Wraith: The Ebon Mask), a X-Men novel titled Soul Killer, and a Warhammer novel titled The Enemy Within. His also written a trilogy for the Scarred Lands called Dead God trilogy (Forsaken, Forsworn, andForbidden). He has written a number of Forgotten Realms novels as well; a novel and a short story in the Sembia: Gateway to the Realms series (the short story is found in the first book of the series, The Halls of Stormweather, and the third book, The Shattered Mask), wrote a novel in R. A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen series calledDissolution, a novel in The Rogues series called The Black Bouquet, The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy (The Rage, The Rite, and The Ruin), a book in The Priest series called Queen of the Depths, and The Haunted Lands trilogy (Unclean,Undead, and Unholy). He's also contributed a vast amount of short stories to various anthologies. Whisper of Venomwas released in November 2010 and published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Aoth Fezim runs the Brotherhood of the Griffon mercenary who are currently in Chessenta helping the country repel an invasion, along with the task of finding the country's long lost ruler. After sending two of his best lieutenants, a mage named Jhesrhi and an archer named Gaedynn, to recover the ruler, they succeed. After bringing back the red dragon Tchazzar, the people of Chessenta rejoice. During this, another member of the Brotherhood, the dwarf Khouryn, is in the neighboring Tymanther helping the dragonborn of the country stop an invading force of ash giants. However, that's not all the dragonborn are concerned with. A cult of dragonborn who are worshipping Bahamut (a dragon god) has sprung up. But something isn't quite right about the cult, and Medrash (a dragonborn paladin of Torm) has his clan-brother Balasar try to spy on the cult. Khouryn's and Medrash's hunch may be more dire than they thought. Between the attacking ash giants and the cult, can Tymanther survive? After Tchazzar arrives back in Chessenta, something isn't quite right with him. The red dragon declares himself a god and begins to do odd and unusual things. After sending the Brotherhood to help break a siege in Luthcheq, the red dragon was supposed to come and assist, however he never shows. Instead, the Brotherhood has to take matters into their own hands. What has happened to the once fearless Tchazzar?

Criticisms:
1) Reintroduction. The biggest issue with Whisper of Venom was the lack of reintroducing who was who and what was happening. Even though the previous book, The Captive Flame, was released seven months ago, it was hard to recall some of the people and what was going on. The book needed just a bit more background on some of the things, to help refresh one's memory. This is especially important because a lot did happen in the previous book and keeping track of the names and happens was difficult to do at times. An unfortunate side effect of not knowing what's going is that the story comes across as a little slow in the beginning, and only in the beginning. However, it does pick its pace back up quickly. But even so, it shouldn't have been this hard to recall the characters and events that lead up to this book. The lack of mentioning some of the elements in the previous book did hurt the pick up and understand what was happening factor.

Praises:
1) Characters. Even with the rough start, the characters really do shine through. Everyone was interesting, well-developed, and seemed to mature in some way as the story progressed. There were some characters that weren't as good as the others, examples being Khouryn and Balasar. These two didn't really change or grow as much, but it didn't feel like that mattered. However, everyone else was just fantastic. From the main cast of characters to the bit-players and new characters, they all felt like they belonged and had something important to give the story. Aoth really grew during the story. You could tell that he really cares for his friends and seems to be in love with a priestess of Amaunator, Cera. With Tchazzar, you can see his madness and you can quickly understand that something about him isn't quite right. We also see the dragonborn paladin of Torm, Medrash, coming to terms that following a good dragon god may not as bad as he thinks and that Torm and Bahamut may not be so different. Aoth's companions, Jhesrhi and Gaedynn, felt like the most development. With Jhesrhi we see that she's going into a transitional phase, with coming to grips with what she feels and how things are changing for her. She was probably my favorite character in this book. A close second is Gaedynn, who is going though almost the exact some things, but is taking a different approach it them. It's almost as though he doesn't want things to change. Subconsciously he says things that he doesn't mean, reinforcing the fact that he doesn't want to acknowledge these changes. All in all, the main group of characters were the major highlight of Whisper of Venom.
2) Story. The story is written very well. The story easily blends together multiple plot lines without causing confusion. The multiple plot lines never really felt like they didn't belong in the same story. Instead, early in the reading you get a sense that they are somehow connected. Also, the switching back and forth between the two major plots were fit in almost seamlessly. The transitions were surprisingly smooth. The story itself, was plain exciting. After the rough start I had, I could barely put this book down. It was interesting to see how everything worked together; the internal religious battle the dragonborn were going through, the war with Threskel, and the intrigue of Tchazzar returning to Chessenta. Everything just seemed to work perfectly. When something was happening, it always felt like it belonged. All in all,Whisper of Venom was an exciting story and very hard to put down.
3) Pacing. The fast pacing was one of the main reasons why the story was exciting. Sure, the beginning was a little rough, but it still read surprisingly well. Also, the story never really relied on fights to make it quick, in fact the fights seemed to be drawn out to help develop the relationships between the characters. The characters really made the story read quickly, mostly because you actually liked most of them and wanted to read more about them. That made the story breeze by. In fact, when I stopped reading at some points, I was amazed to see how many pages I took down. The pacing is very close to perfect.

Side Notes:
1) Map. I really do believe that this trilogy needs a map insert in each novel. It's really hard to figure out where some of these places and locations are without a map to refer back too, and having to look on the computer is kind of distracting.
2) Tie-Ins. You may need to have read both The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy and The Haunted Lands trilogy to understand some of the things that are mentioned. There are some things that are referenced that occur in both those novels, and it would be a good idea to check them out to better understand some of the things.
3) Gates of Madness by James Wyatt. Whisper of Venom also contains the third part of an event that is going to spread across the worlds of the Dungeons and Dragons novels. The first part is found in the paperback version of R. A. Salvatore's The Ghost King, the second part is found in Bill Slavicsek's The Mark of Nerath, and the third part is found in Jeff Mariotte's City Under the Sand. The final part is going to be found Lady Ruin by Tim Waggoner which is due out in December 2010. This part is titled “Pandemonium” and once again, it's interesting. However, I'm starting to get annoyed as to why these parts have to be in other stories and not just a novella. Because trying to recall the previous installment is getting a little annoying.
4) Cover Art. The cover art for Whisper of Venom is really good and eye-catching. It's a pretty cool fight scene, with Aoth and Jet charging in at a green dragon with Gaedynn and Jhesrhi coming in as well. However, Aoth looks like a stone man. But that doesn't affect the overall appearance of the cover art. It's still a pretty dramatic scene.

Overall: 5/5
Final Thoughts:
Whisper of Venom was a fun and exciting read. The biggest issue with the book was the lack of reintroducing elements and plot threads from the previous book. It did take sometime to recall who was who and what happened. However, after you remember some of these people, the books really does become wonderful. The characters were the highlight of the novel. They were just great. Nobody felt like they didn't belong or that they shouldn't have been there. The story itself was great in how it incorporated multiple storylines almost seamlessly. Finally, Whisper of Venom was very hard to put down for too long, with the fast pacing. You just wanted to keep reading without ever stopping. All in all, this a book that I highly recommend. However, I would suggest you having The Captive Flame fresh in your mind before starting.

Baroness of Blood by Elaine Bergstrom

2010-10-31T20:24:00.001-04:00

Is Baroness of Blood a great book to read for Halloween? Or is it something you wouldn't want to poison a rat with?

Baroness of Blood by Elaine Bergstrom- This is the tenth book released in the Ravenloft line of novels that is based of the Ravenloft setting of the pen and paper role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. This is also a stand-alone novel and can be read without any prior knowledge of the setting or events. Elaine Bergstrom has written one other Ravenloft novel which is titled Tapestry of Dark Souls. She wrote the Austra Family series (Shattered Glass, Blood Alone, Blood Rites, Daughter of the Night, and Nocturne), two books that continue the Dracula story titled Mina and Blood to Blood, and wrote a novel titled The Door Through Washington Square. She wrote two novels under the name Marie Kiraly titled Leanna: Possession of a Woman and Madeline: After the Fall of User. She also contributed a few short stories to various anthologies. Baroness of Blood was originally released in March 1995 and published by TSR, Inc. However, this book is hard to find and you'll likely need to pick it up used.

Baroness Ilsabet Obour thirsts for revenge. Her country, Kislova, has been dealing with a rebellion and her father, Janosk, is seen as a tyrant and oppressor. After dealing with the rebellion, Janosk decides to try to invade neighboring Sundell, but Baron Peto Casse hears about the invasion and surprises the Kislova forces. Following the force back to Kislova's Nimbus Castle, Peto meets Janosk and executes him after seeing that Janosk has a mortal wound to his side. However, young Ilsabet sees this act and swears revenge on Peto and those who swore allegiance to him. She needs a way to take vengeance, without linking her to it. It just so happens that Ilsabet was learning how to use poisons. She experiments with more subtle ways of administering it, to have it not be traced back to her. As time passes she becomes more obsessed with revenge, but how far will she go?

Criticisms:
1) Storytelling. Baroness of Blood did have an annoying tendency to switch writing styles towards the middle and end of the novel. For a good portion of the novel, the story is told with a third person perspective and switches character viewpoints during breaks in a chapter. So it's pretty much reads like a 'normal' third person novel would. However, during the middle we have a sudden shift to reading Ilsabet diary at random times in various chapters. In other words, we have a chapter starting with a third person perspective for a scene or two, then suddenly it becomes something from Ilsabet's diary, and then it goes back to a third person viewpoint. It's was off-putting and sudden. I would have understood if the entry was just inside of a scene (that does happen once) without stopping the scene, like an excerpt. However, this diary switching gets more prominent towards the end of the novel. In fact, it felt as through the novel should have been written from the perspective of just Ilsabet. The switch of storytelling did become annoying and at times took away from the enjoyment.

Praises:
1) Descent. Throughout the story we see Ilsabet's slow descent into evil, and it was great. When we first meet the young baroness, she seemed to be little more than a frail girl. But as the story progresses, we see her cruel and disturbing streak she has. Seeing this girl do increasingly horrific things is disturbing and frightening at times. Her blind quest for revenge really does blind her from what's right and what's wrong. The descent into evil is also intensified due to the supporting characters. The characters around her are all likeable and sympathetic, making her descent all the more noticeable. It seemed like no one compared to her, no one really matched her actions. However, her actions never really seemed to be tragic. Ilsabet's story only felt tragic at the beginning, but I could never really identify with her. It was shocking about how much you came to loathe her as a character.
2) Ending. The ending of Baroness of Blood was simply fantastic. We see everything that the story was building up to coming to a head, and the pay off was just great. Seeing Ilsabet's mental state slowly crumble and all her actions in the last few chapters seemed desperate. Plus seeing what the outcome of everything was really satisfying. However, I really can't spoil to much of what happens, but needless to say it was great.
3) Atmosphere. The atmosphere didn't really feel like a horror story until near the middle of the story. Instead, until that point, the atmosphere was of a war-torn land with hope of the future. This does help the atmosphere of the last half of the novel, making it a stark and obvious contrast. The second half of the novel the atmosphere seems more like a 'regular' Ravenloft novel. The feeling of doom and fear is almost palpable. In fact, there were times when it seemed like the atmosphere around Ilsabet seemed to want her to stop what she's doing. It really did feel like the atmosphere was another character in the novel.

Side Notes:
1) Title. Baroness of Blood should not have been the title of the novel. When I see a title like that I almost suspect it being more gory. However, there is little actual blood shed, or at least not enough to warrant such a title. Sure, there's a high body count, but it's not 'bloody'. Instead, a more appropriate title could have been Baroness of Poison or something along those lines.
2) First Third. The first third of the novel doesn't really feel like a Ravenloft novel. Instead it feels like something that belongs in Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance, albeit darker.
3) Cover Art. The cover art work for Baroness of Blood is generic. It seems that all the Ravenloft novels have a character staring out at you with a plain background, and this novel is no different. Ilsabet looks okay. Her eyes are kind of creepy, but other than that she's just okay. Nothing really stands out for her. It doesn't help that the colors are so bland and plain. Nothing really stands out and would be very easily overlooked.

Overall: 5/5
Final Thoughts:
Baroness of Blood is a really look into someone's fall into evil and what revenge can do to a person. There isn't much wrong with the novel. I did find that the change in writing styles between the 'regular' style to a diary style was a little awkward and annoying at times. However, everything else was wonderful. Seeing Ilsabet's fall was exciting and different. When the story first started, she never really felt all that menacing or evil, but you see how twisted she becomes, and it was great. The ending was superb, it was fitting and left me very satisfied. Finally, the atmosphere was just great. At times the atmosphere felt like another character in the story. All in all, Baroness of Blood is certainly worth the read and I highly recommend tracking down a copy, if only to see how revenge can corrupt a person.

Tapestry of Dark Souls by Elaine Bergstrom

2010-10-26T18:05:00.003-04:00

Tapestry of Dark Souls is the darkest, most disturbing novel in the Ravenloft novel line. However is it good enough to give yourself to evil or should you let the moths take care of it?

Tapestry of Dark Souls by Elaine Bergstrom This is the fifth book released in the Ravenloft line of novels that is based of the Ravenloft setting of the pen and paper role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. It was also released in 2007 under the Ravenloft: The Covenant line of novels. This is also a stand-alone novel and can be read without any prior knowledge of the setting or events. Elaine Bergstrom has written one other Ravenloft novel which is titled Baroness of Blood. She wrote the Austra Family series (Shattered Glass, Blood Alone, Blood Rites, Daughter of the Night, and Nocturne), two books that continue the Dracula story titled Mina and Blood to Blood, and wrote a novel titled The Door Through Washington Square. She wrote two novels under the name Marie Kiraly titled Leanna: Possession of a Woman and Madeline: After the Fall of User. She also contributed a few short stories to various anthologies. Tapestry of Dark Souls was originally released in March 1993 and published by TSR, Inc. it was re-released in June 2007 and published then by Wizards of the Coast LLC. However, this book is hard to find and you'll likely need to pick it up used.

An order of monks are tasked to keep safe an object of unspeakable evil. The object, a tapestry, lures those of evil intentions to its threads, absorbing them. The order of monks, The Guardians, are the only line of defense against the tapestry's power. However, when a couple mysteriously arrive in the land known as Markovia they are drawn to the tapestry. After successfully stealing the tapestry, the couple make their way to the neighboring country of Tepest. Upon arriving the wife, Leith, finds out that her husband, Vhar, stole the tapestry. She becomes possessed by it, almost killing her husband and escapes to try to return the tapestry, but not before it consumes Vhar. As she makes her way back, she encounters a wolf which bites her. Even with the bite, she manages to make it back, but the tapestry has other plans for her. With the help of the Guardians, she recovers. She returns to Tepest and discovers she is pregnant. After a horrific experience, she runs to the safety of the Guardians and after having her child, she vanishes. The child, Jonathan, may be the Guardians only chance of controlling and stopping the tapestry. However, he may be the one to release its evil into the world.

Criticisms:
1) Slow. The biggest issue with Tapestry of Dark Souls is how slowly everything progresses. It wasn't until the last fifty or so pages that the book became hard to set down for too long. For the most part, the novel took it's time to build up the atmosphere and the setting. However, because of this, even during the most action heavy, faster paced scenes seemed to go on for far longer than they should have. Even with a story that was really interesting, and at times engaging, it felt as though nothing was happening. There were even times that when something important was about to happen, it felt like it was drawn out for pages. There were times when I felt as though the novel would never end. With the pacing being this slow, it was hard to get the motivation to read.
2) Father's Parts. This is a minor complaint but it did annoy me after the first use. The book is split into three sections, which tells the tale of the person the section was named after. For the first section it focuses on Leith and the second section focuses on Jonathan. It's in the second section that before each chapter, a little italicize paragraph is written from the view of Jonathan's father. At first, these were clever and built up the father's character. However, they soon became rambling affairs of the same thing being re-said over and over. It became annoying and quickly took away from the overall feel the chapter and story were trying to convey. There were times when it would spoil some future events. These sections of text become annoying and boring quickly.

Praises:
1) Characters. The characters were all very interesting, to say the least. Each character had their own motivations and they never really seemed to be generic creations (with a few exceptions). Each character seemed to be a new person with their own agendas and plans. Also, each character played an important part of the overall story. For example, Leith showed us how powerful and seductive the tapestry can be. She also seemed to go through the most change. She started off as a 'good wife', doing as her husband asked but we quickly see her change, due mostly to the tapestry. Then after that ordeal, she goes to live with a bard by the name of Maeve and we start to see another side of Leith. While Leith goes through the most change, the others are no less unique. With the main character, Jonathan we see his loyalties switch from those who raised him to his father, his struggle with power and the consequences of that power, and how he treats those he loves. With the rest of the cast of characters, they all felt like they belonged there and played an important role in the story.
2) Story. The story was very interesting. I didn't know what to expect before reading Tapestry of Dark Souls nor could I guess at the things to come. The first part of the story that focused on Leith never really felt straightforward, and kept me guessing on what is going to happen from chapter to chapter and scene to scene. With the second part, focusing on Jonathan, it felt like an almost different story. We see how he grows and develops into a power spell-caster with an uncertain future. With the third part, the stories merge and everything comes to a head. The three parts all seem to progress naturally, with nothing seeming to be forced in to help move the plot along.
3) Atmosphere. Tapestry of Dark Souls had an atmosphere that was very unlike previous Ravenloft novels. This is the darkest, most depressing book in the Ravenloft line to this point. While it still had the Gothic horror feel, there was a darker, more sinister ring to the story. The things that occur in this book, along with what some of the characters do, are really disturbing and frightening. All these things create a setting so vile, so wrong that it felt right. After reading the first four books in the Ravenloft series, nothing really seemed to be all that terrifying. There were times in those books that were, but with Tapestry of Dark Souls everything seems terrifying. You start to worry about villagers that go out into the woods, knowing that they probably will never return. Everything helps build the setting as something terrifying, and that no one is truly untouched by evil.

Side Notes:
1) Mature Subjects. This book does contain some very disturbing and mature subjects. TO be more specific, there is rape and infanticide.
2) Were-creatures. I didn't know that if your father was a werewolf and your mother was another kind of were-creature that you would have the ability to transform into either form.
3) Cover Art. The original cover art is pretty bland. You have one of the Guardians holding up the tapestry and that's about it. The Guardian and the tapestry do look nice, but in a generic way. The background is what bothers me the most. It's just a window, and I feel like there should have been something in the skyline. However, I do like the subtle faces that you see in the tapestry, those are a nice touch. As for the re-release cover (below) it's bad. It's bland. There's too much white in the background and the figure in the center (is it Jonathan?) looks plain stupid. The tapestry's still there but it looks so bland and boring. Overall, the original cover art is better by a long shot, but it's still generic.

Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Tapestry of Dark Souls is good, yet disturbing. The way the plot progresses is way too slow and at times I did become bored with an otherwise interesting story. If the pacing would have been a little faster, it would have been a very enjoyable read. The characters were all very interesting. They all fit their roles and they were all unique from one another. The story was very enjoyable as well. It kept me guessing at what is going to happen and everything tied together nicely. However, the Father's view in Jonathan's scenes quickly became boring and annoying. Even with the few spoilers that were given from those scenes, the story still held my attention. Also, this story didn't feel like the previous Ravenloft stories. Instead this seemed more evil, more like a horror novel. All in all, would I recommend you picking this story up? It depends. If you can get past some of the more mature themes, and like horror than yes, otherwise it's best to avoid Tapestry of Dark Souls.

City Under the Sand by Jeff Mariotte

2010-10-21T19:35:00.002-04:00

The first new book in a decade that's based on the Dark Sun setting. Is it good enough that you would cast it in metal? Or is it bad enough that you would rather lose it in the desert?

City Under the Sand by Jeff Mariotte- This is the first book in the relaunched novel line of Dark Sun, a setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Currently, this is a stand-alone novel. This is Jeff Mariotte's first novel that is set in a Dungeons and Dragons shared universe, but he's written a number of other novels. His original works include; Witch Season (Summer, Fall,Winter, and Spring), Las Vegas (High Stakes Game and Sleight of Hand), The Slab,Boogeyman, Missing White Girl, River Runs Red, and Cold Black Hearts . He has contributed a number of books to shared universes; Gen 13 (Netherwar with Christopher Golden and Time and Chance with Scott Ciencin), the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angelseries co-written with Nancy Holder called Unseen (The Burning, Door to Alternity, and The Long Way Home), Angel series (Close to the Ground, Hollywood Noir, Haunted, Stranger to the Sun, Endangered Species with Nancy Holden, Sanctuary, Solitary Man, and Love and Death), co-wrote two Charmed novels with Constance M. Burge (Mirror Image and Survival of the Fittest), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Brass in the Pocket and Blood Quantum), aCSI: Miami novel titled Right to Die, a novel in Star Trek: The Lost Era series called Deny Thy Father, a novel in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda series titled The Attitude of Silence, an Age of Conan series called Marauders (Ghost of the Wall, Winds of the Wild Sea, and Dawn of the Ice Bear), co-wrote a 30 Days of Nightseries with Steve Niles (Rumors of the Undead, Immortal Remains, and Eternal Damnation) and wrote by himself Light of Day, he wrote a Supernatural novel called Witch's Canyon, a DC Universe novel called Trial of Time, a Spider-Mannovel called Requiem, and he wrote a Criminal Minds novel called Criminal Minds: Serial Killers, Sociopaths & Other Deviants. Jeff Mariotte has worked on a number of graphic novels as well as comic book series. He's also contributed a number of short stories in various anthologies. City Under the Sand was released in October 2010 and published by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

On the sand strewn land that is Athas, metal is a precious thing. After a group of lost mercenaries stumble into a long forgotten city, they discover a huge store of metal and decide to show their find to the Shadow King of Nibenay. However, things don't go as planned, yet the message still reaches the ruler of Nibenay's ears. The Shadow King decides that it would be wise to set out and find this trove, and he knows of a person with a remarkable skill to help find it. Aric, a half-elf, just wants to be a smith and a general nobody. Being a half-elf is hard in Nibenay. The full-blooded elves don't trust you and the humans don't as well. So Aric prefers to not be known. However, do to his gift with metal, the Shadow King sends him out on the trip to recover the metal. However, what Aric finds could more evil than anything Athas has seen for centuries. It doesn't help matters when he and his friends unknowingly release it into the world.

Criticisms:
1) Rushed. The biggest issue that plagued the whole book is how rushed everything felt. There was hardly a time when the story slowed down enough to understand what was happening. It didn't help that the story was just fight after fight. The times that the story slowed down felt unnatural and took way too long to get through. Because the story was basically fight after fight, a lot of things suffered. The characters were poorly developed and easily forgettable and the story felt choppy and unnatural. The characters took the biggest hit due to the rushed pacing. No one was developed or went through a progression other than Aric. So pretty much, everyone else felt unnecessary and unneeded. No one had a distinct enough personality that stood out enough. The characters themselves would have been interesting, if it wasn't for the hurry and finish pace the story went. In fact, there was even times when I felt as though Jeff Mariotte just wanted to stop writing the story. It seemed like he may have realized that he had way too much going on to wrap up neatly in one book. So instead of pacing the story in a more controlled fashion, we have too much happening all at once. This really hurt everything and it killed some of the enjoyment I would have had.
2) Characters. Another major problem with City Under the Sand was the characters. In the main group of characters, I was constantly forgetting who was who, other than Aric. This can be explained with poor character development due to having so many characters in the story. However, towards the middle and end, the main characters did become more prominent and noticeable. There were even times where there was some good development going on and relationships forming within the main group, but this was tossed aside to hurry and finish the story. The other character issue was that there were way too many of them. Most of them never really played an important role, other than being named in a conversation or showing up for a minute to help move the story along. I don't know who these characters were nor did I know why they were need in the overall plot. The characters themselves weren't all that interesting, they weren't engaging, and there was just too many of them.
3) Lack of Exposition. One would think that due to City Under the Sand being the first book under the Dark Sun name, there would be some more descriptions of things and explanations. It's been more than a decade since the last Dark Sun novel was released, and for a new reader, some of the terms, creatures, ideas, beliefs, etc. were hard to follow and understand. It seemed like one would need a good amount of exposure to Dark Sun in order to really know things about the world. This could be a fault of mine, seeing as I have no background in Dark Sun other than a very basic understanding of the world. However, due to this being the first book in a relaunched series meant to gain the interest of new readers, I expected a little more exposition.

Praises:
1) Beginning. The beginning of the novel was surprisingly good. It really helped show what the world of Dark Sun was all about without giving away too much. It was interesting seeing a new world and I was very excited to start tearing through the novel. The characters at the start were interesting enough for me to care about their predicament. The build up of things happening after the mercenaries find this lost city was really suspenseful and, at times, terrifying. In fact, I couldn't remember when I was this excited to jump into a book. However, things quickly changed after we leave the mercenaries and we meet the bland characters that are in the rest of the book.
2) Dark Sun. Dark Sun is a very unique and different kind of setting. When I first picked up this book, all I knew of Dark Sun was that magic wasn't liked and caused the world to turn into a desert. After reading it, I know now a bit more about the world and am more than willing to read more. City Under the Sand really did pique my interest in finding out more about the Dark Sun world.

Side Notes:
1) Editing. It really seems like City Under the Sand never reached an editors pen. There were horrible editing mistakes everywhere, mistakes that a second grader would have caught. There was even a time that a saw a mistake on every other page. Quite frankly, it was more than pathetic.
2) Gates of Madness by James Wyatt. City Under the Sand also contains the third part of an event that is going to spread the worlds of the Dungeons and Dragons novels. The first part is found in the paperback version of R. A. Salvatore's The Ghost King and the second part is found in Bill Slavicsek's The Mark of Nerath. The next part is going to be in Richard Lee Byer's Whisper of Venom, due out in November 2010. This part is titled “Sigil” and it's interesting, but I'm not quite sure what's it's building up to.
3) Cover Art. The cover art that was released with City Under the Sand is boring. It doesn't draw you in nor does look good. The two characters on the cover are, for lack of a better word, disgusting. They don't look good at all. In fact, they look horrible. Their faces look unnatural and sloppy. If they weren't on the cover, I think that the scenery would have been leaps and bounds better. In fact, the first cover art (below) is better and cleaner. It even looks more interesting. But the cover art that was used was just disgusting and very off-putting.

Overall: 2/5
Final Thoughts:
City Under the Sand had a number of problems. The story was rushed to the point that it became frustrating. There was not enough detail in anything due to the frantic pacing. The characters were so poorly developed that they could not have been there and I wouldn't have noticed at all. Aric was the only decent character, but he seemed more like a side character than a lead. Another problem is the lack of exposition, something that a first novel in a relaunch of a setting that's been gone for over a decade needed. There were a few good things but they were hard to come by. The beginning was superb, introducing the reader to the world of Dark Sun and making it exciting and thrilling. Too bad that this would only last for about thirty pages. However, the world of Dark Sun is still a very interesting setting and I wouldn't mind reading more about it. However, I don't feel comfortable recommending this to someone without a good amount of knowledge of Dark Sun lore. That said, it did get me interested in reading other Dark Sun based stories.

Gauntlgrym by R. A. Salvatore

2010-10-15T12:28:00.001-04:00

A brand new Drizzt Do'Urden novel. Does it keep the long running series fresh and new? Is it chalked full of action and adventure? Or does it stagnate? Spoiler Alert: It's great!

Gauntlgrym by R. A. Salvatore- This is the first book in the Neverwinter trilogy as well as the twentieth novel in The Legend of Drizzt series. The next two books in the trilogy are yet to be named at the time of this review. The Legend of Drizzt series contains a number of trilogies and series and it all takes place in the Forgotten Realm universe of Dungeons and Dragons. The Dark Elf Trilogy (Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn), The Icewind Dale Trilogy (The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem),Legacy of the Drow (The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, and Passage to Dawn), Paths of Darkness (The Silent Blade, Spine of the World, Sea of Swords), The Hunter's Blades Trilogy (The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow, and The Two Swords), and Transitions (The Orc King, The Pirate King, and The Ghost King) are all apart of The Legend of Drizzt series. Some other characters in the saga are found inThe Sellswords trilogy (Servant of the Shard, Promise of the Witch King, and Road of the Patriarch) and The Cleric Quintet (Canticle, In Sylvan Shadows, Night Masks, The Fallen Fortress, and The Chaos Curse). R. A. Salvatore has also written a few other books set in shared universes. He has written two Star Wars based books, Vector Primeand Star Wars Episode Two: Attack of the Clones, and he has also written a book based on Tarzan called Tarzan: The Epic Adventures. R. A. Salvatore has also written a few books in his on created worlds,Ynis Aielle (Echoes of the Fourth Magic, The Witches Daughter, and Bastian of Darkness), Spearwielders Tales (The Woods Outback, The Dragon's Dagger, and Dragonslayer's Return), The Crimson Shadow (The Sword of Bedwyr,Luthien's Gamble, and The Dragon King), Demon Wars (The Demon Awakens, The Demon Spirit, The Demon Apostle, and Mortalis), Demon Wars: Second Saga (Ascendance, Transcendence, and Immortalis) and the Saga of the First King (The Highwayman, The Ancient, The Dame, and The Bear). He also co-wrote The Stone of Tymora (The Stowaway, The Shadowmask, and The Sentinels) with his son Geno Salvatore. Along with all that, he has written a few short stories. Gauntlgrym was released in October 2010 and is published by Wizards of the Coast.

Years have passed since Drizzt Do'Urden's life changed. His love, Catti-brie, is dead, along with his friend Regis. The dwarven kingdom of Mithral Hall's peace treaty with the orcish Kingdom of Many Arrows has held over the years and a peace is found in the land. His other friend, the king of Mithral Hall, Bruenor Battlehammer, is nearing the end of his life. However, Bruenor still has the fire in him to find the lost dwarven kingdom named Gauntlgrym, so he brings Drizzt, the battlerager Pwent, an orc named Jessa, and a gnome alchemist named Nanfoodle along with him. Years upon years pass by with no luck finding the place. Even after Jessa and Nanfoodle pass away, Drizzt and Bruenor continue the search. However, another group stumbles upon the forgotten city. A Thayan named Dahlia is searching for what powered the Hosttower, a treelike tower that housed wizards in Luskan before the cities fall. Her search for answers leads her to Jarlaxle and his dwarven friend Athrogate. Little do they know that it was Gauntlgrym that produced the Hosttower. Unknown to the group, unleash a primordial and with it, devastation. After years pass after the devastation, Drizzt and Bruenor are still on the search for the ancient dwarven stronghold. However, they may need the help of Jarlaxle and Athrogate to find it.

Criticisms:
1) Time Jumps. This is my major issue with Gauntlgrym, as well as any other book I read. I loathe time jumps. I am not a fan when a story jumps forty some odd years. I would have liked to see some of the adventures that Drizzt, Bruenor, Jessa, and Nanfoodle under took, I do hope that somewhere down the line there will be a short story involving one such adventure. I would have liked to see more of Drizzt and Bruenor failing at finding Gauntlgrym or their brief search for finding Catti-brie and Regis. I would have liked to see this, or even a chapter about some of these things. Now, I wouldn't have an issue if it was two or three years pass. I wouldn't even have that big of an issue with just one time jump. However, Gauntlgrym has two jumps. Two jumps that forcefully progress the story. While the first jump was about fifty years, the second is a more reasonable ten or so. However, this still bothered me. We never really see Dahlia's consequences for her actions she took in Gauntlgrym. We never see how Athrogate is effected, nor Jarlaxle. We do have little snippets, but there is so much more to be said. These jumps just make the story seem as through it was rushed. We have a lot of things happening, but nothing to really show for it aside from a line or two.

Praises:
1) Drizzt. Let me be honest here for a second. It's my opinion that after twenty-sum books, Drizzt Do'Urden has grown a little stale. Don't get me wrong, he still is great, but he never really seemed to undergo a major change that seems to last for an extended amount of time. Sure there were times were he let his savage side take over (The Hunter's Blades Trilogy) and the life changing event that he underwent in The Ghost King. But for the past twenty-two years, he has hardly changed. That being said, Drizzt does undergo a shift in personality, albeit subtle. In fact, I barely noticed any major change until Jarlaxle pointed it out. Before, Drizzt only killed when it was necessary. Now he seems to enjoy it. It's almost like the 'Hunter' in The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, but with more control. It's almost like he's becoming more 'Drow'. It is nice to see that everything that Drizzt went through in his life thus far is finally affecting him. He may seem like the Drizzt we all know and love, but now there seems to be something more, and darker, growing in everyone's favorite drow.
2) Jarlaxle. Jarlaxle really surprised me. I knew that Jarlaxle does have a somewhat noble streak to him, but I am utterly at a loss for words about what he does. Sure, he's still the pragmatic drow that we've known from before, but now there seems to be more to him than what meets the eye. He seems to be more disparate and uncontrolled. The best example is his one on one interactions with Drizzt. To put it simply, Jarlaxle yells at Drizzt for being what he's become. I never would have thought that Jarlaxle would do such a thing. But that's just not all he does. There were other things in the story that I would have never have thought Jarlaxle would do. It was just a nice surprise to see more character depth to Jarlaxle.
3) Forward. I do like where the series seems to be heading. Now it seems like there will be little reminiscing of the past, and the legend of Drizzt is going in a new, exciting direction. I'm just excited to see what happens next.

Side Notes:
1) Valas Hune. It was nice to see one of the my favorite characters from The War of the Spider Queen series make a brief cameo.
2) Barrabus the Grey. I hope this isn't who I think it is. If it is, all I can say is that I'm disappointed.
3) Cover Art. The first thing I noticed about the cover art is that it's bright. It really catches your eye and draws it in. After so many recent Dungeons and Dragons based books having darker coloring, it's nice to see something bright. The action scene between Drizzt and Dahlia is pretty epic looking, although it doesn't happen in the novel. That kind of bothers me. It would have been wonderful to see Drizzt and Dahlia fighting one another. The only major issue I have is that Dahlia looks horrible. She doesn't look the least bit attractive. In fact, her face just doesn't look quite right, almost as though everything is just squished together. However, the cover art is definitely a nice, bright change and I do like it.

Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Gauntlgrym is good. I wouldn't really expect any less from a Drizzt novel. However, there is one problem that I still can't get over. I hate the time jumps. I absolutely hate it when things are skipped over that could have made an interesting couple of chapters. In fact, I would have rather have had this book as the second in the trilogy. The first book could have been some of the events leading up to Athrogate pulling the lever. Dahlia seemed to need a little more development, and we could have had some time getting to know Jessa and Nanfoodle. That said, the rest of the story was great. It's nice to finally see everything impacting Drizzt and a new, unexpected look at Jarlaxle. I'm really liking where this story is taking Drizzt. So should you pick it up? Yes. Definitely. Even if you're not a fan of Drizzt, it's well worth a read. However, you should have a little prior knowledge before jumping in.

Antiphon by Ken Scholes

2010-10-06T00:38:00.002-04:00

Blood magick returns to the Named Lands, along with its dark rituals. Does the Light stay lit in Antiphon, or does it sputter out and leave us in darkness?

Antiphon by Ken Scholes- This is the third book in The Psalms of Isaak series. The first book is Lamentation, the second book is Canticle, the fourth book, Requiem, and the fifth book, Hymn, are yet to be released with no set release date at the time of this review. Ken Scholes has written only one other novel called Last Flight of the Goddess. He has written a number of short stories and even has a book of his collected short fiction called Long Walks, Last Flights and Other Journeys. Antiphon is published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC under Tor and was first released in hardcover in September 2010.

The Named Lands are in chaos. The Machtvolk are bringing back powerful blood magick, which is crippling the nations of the Named Lands. However, as the nations recover from the sudden reappearance of House Y'Zir, a lull in action occurs. During this time, the Ninefold Forest is welcoming the marriage of their king, Rudolfo, to Jin Li Tam and their birth of their son Jakob. However, the word of House Y'Zir is being preached in the Ninefold Forest, stating that young Jakob is the Child of Promise and Jin Li Tam is the Great Mother, ushering in a new time. They will do anything to keep them safe. Anything. Outside the Named Lands, in the Wastes, young Nebios is searching for the Hidden Library and trying to understand the meaning behind the song. Little does he know that he is being chased by blood magicked women, bent on stopping him from finding his destiny.

Criticisms:
1) Nebios. Neb was the only character that didn't really seem to grow naturally. Instead, he has things happen to him that help him along in his development as a character. Sure, the other characters had the same thing happen to them, but with Neb those times seemed to be contrived and poorly planned. He doesn't really seem to learn anything from his experiences and he's unhealthy obsession with the song does become a little bothersome at times. Also what happens to him at the end really bothered me. Honestly, it was really cool, but while I was thinking that, I couldn't help but also think, “That's it? Really?” It almost comes out of no where, and it just felt forced and unnatural. It's not that he isn't an interesting character, he is. It's just that what happens to him in the story just seems thrown together. With Neb being this story's focus, I'd thought that his growth as a character could have been developed better.

Praises:
1) Main Characters. The main characters, for the most part, were wonderful. Each character had a unique story with them and really did seem to grow throughout it. Even the side characters and bit players were unique and played their roles well. Rudolfo's story has him coping with having his wife and new-born son leaving for safety and learning that his Ninefold Forest isn't as safe as he once thought. His downward spiral into depression was both sad and interesting. On the flip side of that, Jin Li Tam didn't really seem to grow very much. However, seeing as she was the last book's main focus, it was nice to see her grow into motherhood and understanding what it means to be a queen. Petronus is dealing with his new-found life and the consequences of it. You see him starting to question what he did believe in, along with trying to understand what is happening to him. Speaking of questioning their beliefs, the new main character, Charles, was fantastic. As the creator of the mechoservitors and Isaak, he starts to see them as his children and himself as a father. There were scenes that were very touching and heartfelt between Isaak and him. After leaving the Marshfolk and her rulership, Winters is questioning why her people are suddenly turning to the ways of the Machtvolk and their dark rituals. We see her trying to understand why while trying to live a new life in the Ninefold Forests. Finally we come to Vlad Li Tam. After his experience in the previous book, he becomes obsessed with searching for the song he heard underwater. We can see his mind slowly going, but we can also see the old Vlad along with that. All in all, each character's trails and tribulations really do stand out while reading.
2) Themes. The themes in the story were really interesting and we have quite a few of them. The biggest theme I see is belief vs understanding. This is found almost every where in the story. The best example is the House Y'Zir beliefs vs the Androfrancine Orders views. It was interesting to see how each side goes about their own personal beliefs. House Y'Zir's dark belief system is disturbing, while the Androfrancine views stress understanding over mysticism. Then the second biggest theme is once again, family. We see how Rudolfo deals with Jin Li Tam and Jakob leaving, Charles coming to understand fatherhood and what it means, Neb's relationship with his father, and Winters dealing with her older sister Ria playing a big part of the story. There are other themes present as well; mysticism vs machinery, good vs evil, and finding one's path. It's also interesting to see how it seems that magic, religion, technology, and mysticism works together. The themes were just plain interesting.
3) Pacing. The pacing for Antiphon is much improved over the previous books slow pacing. There still were slower times, but I was very hard pressed to put this book down for too long. Things happened faster and it wasn't bogged down in useless information. It also helps that I just came from reading Canticle, so I didn't need a lot of background to understand what was going on.

Side Notes:
1) Tears. Why is it that everyone, at the drop of a hat, tears up and cries? Honestly, it seemed that everyone's eyes started to water every other page. That did get annoying.
2) House Y'Zir. Is it just me, or does anyone else absolutely hate House Y'Zir? I know it's the point we should not trust them, but I surprised myself by hating them as much as I do.
3) Cover Art. The cover art is disgusting looking. The browns are very unappealing and make the cover look gross. Although, Neb does have an awesome pose and the art does reflect something that actually happens.

Overall: 5/5
Final Thoughts:
Antiphon is a great book that improves on everything the previous books had against them. While Neb didn't really seem to develop every well in my eyes, he was still a great character in a book full of great characters. Each character had a unique story and seemed to really develop as the book went on. Even the side characters and bit players were wonderful. It seemed like everyone had a purpose in Antiphon. Also the themes were wonderful and more distinctive. The biggest problem with the previous books was the slow pacing they have. However, Antiphon never felt slow, and when it did, it picked the pace back up quickly. There were times when I didn't want to put the book down for too long. However, I would suggest that you have the events and story of Lamentation and Canticle fresh in your mind before diving into Antiphon. As for a recommendation, yes! This is definitely a book you will enjoy and is worth every penny!

Canticle by Ken Scholes

2010-09-30T00:06:00.002-04:00

As the second book in The Psalms of Isaak does it raise above my thoughts on the first? Or is it one in the same?

Canticle by Ken Scholes- This is the second book in The Psalms of Isaak series. The first book is Lamentation, the third book is Antiphon and was recently released September 2010, the fourth book, Requiem, and the fifth book, Hymn, are yet to be released with no set release date at the time of this review. Ken Scholes has written only one other novel called Last Flight of the Goddess. He has written a number of short story and even has a book of his collected short fiction called Long Walks, Last Flights and Other Journeys.Canticle is published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC under Tor and was first released in hardcover in October 2009 and then in August 2010 it was released in paperback.

After the destruction of the Windwir and the loss of the Androfrancine Order, the Named Lands are still coming to terms with the catastrophe. However, the orders wealth and knowledge was passed to Lord Rudolfo and the Ninefold Forest Houses. Rudolfo is getting his Gypsy Scouts ready for the birth of his son with his soon to be wife Jin Li Tam. With a lot of nobles attending the party, one would think that nothing bad could happen to the guests. While the party is going on, the gate to the barren land of the Old World called Churning Wastes, gets a unique visitor with a message. A cryptic message meant for the ears of the Hidden Pope Petronus.

Criticisms:
1) Slow. This is the biggest problem that Canticle had, the pacing of the story was incredibly slow. There are things that do happen that do speed up the story in some parts, but overall the story unfolds at a snail's pace. It hampers the story slightly, because it seems to take forever for things to unfold. There were times where things seem to be repeated over and over. It could have been because there wasn't a lot of action scenes, and the story relies more on political intrigue and conversation. This wasn't a bad thing at all. In fact, all the intrigue was exciting. One would think that an exciting story wouldn't have been a quick read, however this isn't the case. While the slow pacing is understandable, it just took way too long to read through an exciting story.
2) Repeating Background. Another problem that can be associated with the slow pacing is that everything seemed to be repeated. Having to be reminded that Jin Li Tam is the forty-second daughter of Vlad Li Tam every time Jin had a scene did become a little old fast. It didn't help that Jin is a main character and has a scene come up once every ten or so pages. This kind of thing does happen at least a few times with each main character, always highlighting something repetitively. It wouldn't have been so bad if it occurred to a more minor character. If that was the case, it would have been welcome and not as intrusive. However, once again, this problem doesn't really impact the whole enjoyment level of the story.

Praises:
1) Characters. The characters were all very unique and distinctive. Each main character, and minor, had a different personality, a different character arch, and a different path to take. There were times when reading the character viewpoints that almost made it feel like I was reading a totally separate story. It was almost like a book full of short stories that all connected to one another in some way, shape, or form. Aside from that, the characters never felt repetitive, it never seemed like they were the same characters. Like I mentioned, they had separate personalities and were different from one another in that regard. Also, the characters all played a role, to varying degrees. All in all, the characters were unique and different from one another.
2) Story. The story itself was very interesting. I should mention that Canticle is not an action orientated story. There is some action scene, but they were barely mentioned or happened. Instead, we have a story that's more based in political intrigue than anything else. I, personally, am not a political interested person. In fact, I could care less about such things. That being said, I was amazed by how focused I was on the story and all the little facets how things are ran in the Named Lands. I was very surprised that I found myself caught up in the political alliances that each separate state had. While the political intrigue played a large role in the story, another premise kept popping up. Canticle is very family heavy. What I mean is that the story brings the idea of how having a family can change a person. This whole arch is mostly found in Rudolfo's and Jin Li Tam's relationship and the birth of their son. You see how these characters drastically change from how they were in the first book. If there was a theme to be found in Canticle it's how having a family affects a person. All in all, the story was just plain wonderful, full of intrigue with a heavy theme of how a family affects people.
3) World. The world that is created in The Psalms of Isaak is really intriguing and seems to stand on its own. I've never read a series that relays so much on the reading understanding the world that is created then in here. It may be a turn off for some readers, I know I was more than a little annoyed by the lack of exposition in the first book, Lamentation. However, if you have read the first book, you start to see that the world itself has a long, interesting history. In fact, I think that somewhere down the line another author could, potentially, try their hand in the world. I'm not saying that it should happen, it's just with a world so rich as the Named Lands is, I could see it becoming a shared world almost. The world is just rich in history and the unknown that it could open up so much more.

Side Notes:
1) Italicized Sentences. This is something that did bug me, but not enough to harm the story over all. On almost every single page there is a word, or sentence, that is italicized. Now, it wouldn't have been as annoying if it was someone's thoughts or the sign language that this world has. But instead it's used to emphasize a point. A point that would have been better left not italicized. It didn't really add much, and could have been toned down.
2) Dark. I never really expected the story to be as dark as it was. There were times when I was at a loss for words by how brutal and disturbing things got. The best part was, it never seemed violent, it just felt violent.
3) Cover Art. Canticle has two covers, one for the hardcover and one for the paperback, by different artists and has a different style and look. I didn't pick up the hardcover (which is below), but from what I can the see from shots online, it's just generic. That's it, just generic. My copy Canticle is the paperback so I'll talk about that one first. It's interesting. The color scheme is nice because Jin Li Tam really stands out. It the red really draws your eye. Plus, she looks good.

Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Canticle improved on what I found wrong with Lamentation. However, the slow pacing of the story still was an issue. It wasn't as noticeable as before, but it still impacted how enjoyable the story was. The other issue was repetitively mentioning certain things over and over. This was part of the cause of the slow pacing. However, even with those problems, Canticle still shines in its characters and story. The characters all felt unique and different from each other. They all went through their own experiences and had their own stories to tell. The story was just fantastic. It didn't rely on action sequences to carry the story along. Instead the whole story relies more on political intrigue, and it works surprisingly well. I will say that recommending Canticle is kind of hard to do. I will say that you need to read Lamentation before jumping into this, else you'll be lost with all the history and back ground.

Curse of the Full Moon edited by James Lowder

2010-09-21T17:04:00.000-04:00

Could a werewolf anthology send a person howling at the moon? Or would they rather tear this book apart with their teeth? Curse of the Full Moon may just get you in the mood for Halloween.

Curse of the Full Moon edited by James Lowder- This anthology was released in June 2010 and is published by Ulysses Press. There are nineteen short stories written by Jonathan Carroll, William Messner-Loebs, Ursula K. Guin, Gene Wolfe, Charles de Lint, Tanith Lee, S. Carleton, George R. R. Martin, Joe R. Lansdale, Barb Hendee, Michael Moorcock, James Lowder, Peter S. Beagle, Darrell Schweitzer, Matt Venne, Harlan Ellison, Nancy A. Collins, Ramsey Campbell, and Neil Gaiman. The anthology deals with werewolf stories.

“Introduction: Becoming Wolf” by James Lowder- This was very, very interesting. Instead of boasting about the upcoming stories, I was pleasantly surprised to see some history about how the werewolf legend came to be. Also, there is some surprising insight behind werewolves and how they represent situations in real life. It sure got me hyped!

“My Zoondel” by Jonathan Carroll- A man's friend named Sarah decides to purchase a rare breed of dog that can supposedly tell the presence of a werewolf. When Sarah leaves for a trip, he offers to take care of the dog. After having weeks of enjoyable time with the dog, weird things start to occur.
Criticisms:
1) Short. The story was a little too short. It almost seemed like there should be more, but it just ends.
Praises:
1) Pacing. The pacing of the story is fast, you could probably read it in a few minutes if you're a slow reader. It never felt too fast, however. In fact, it felt just right as it didn't really dwell on mundane things, instead it focused more on the important things.
2) Cute. I have to say, the story was pretty cute. It wasn't horrifying and scary. Instead you have a cute, sweet story about a cute, sweet dog. It really did throw me for a loop.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: The story is short, in an almost bad way. It almost seems like there should have been more. However, due to its shortness, it does read extremely fast and because of that, it was very enjoyable. On top of that “My Zoondel” was surprising by how cute it is, something I didn't expect from an anthology based on werewolves. Needless to say, I am pleasantly surprised.

“Wolf Train West” by William Messner-Loebs- Two siblings try to hitch a ride on a train heading out West in the early 1900's. After barely making it on the train, thanks to the help of a tramp, the two settle in for the trip. However, after the tramp tells the children about a story, two railroad bulls drop in and something doesn't seem quite right about the two.
Criticisms:
1) Memorable. After just reading the story, I am having a hard time really recalling much about it. The story itself is just not very memorable.
Praises:
1) Characters. The characters, however, were pretty good. The two siblings, Grangerford and his sister Patsy, seemed to actually be like children and behaved like they were brother and sister. The tramp, however, stole the show with his mystery. I do want to know more about this person.
2) Action Scene. The action scene at the end was really well written. It was exciting and flowed very well.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: “Wolf Train West” isn't a bad story at all. It's just not very memorable. I just read the story a few minutes ago and for the life of me I couldn't really recall a lot, other than the two children, the fantastic tramp, and the action scene.

“The Wife's Story” by Ursula K. Le Guin- A wife tells a story about her husband and what he is.
Criticisms:
1) Style. The writing style did feel a little odd and read awkwardly at times. I had to re-read a few sentences to make sure of what I read.
Praises:
1) Short. This was a very short story, coming in at only five and a half pages. Usually I would say this is a bad thing, but the story did feel complete at the end and there wasn't really anything else to elaborate on.
2) Twist. Honestly, I was not expecting a twist, at all. It came as a shock and it was very original. Of course I am not going to give it away, but needless to say it wasn't something I would have ever expected.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: “The Wife's Story” was a very short story with a pretty unique ending that I never would have expected. The only problem I came across was that some of the sentences didn't add up and had to be re-read.

“The Hero as Werwolf” by Gene Wolfe- Paul leads a lonely life of seclusion, only going out to find a meal. During one of these trips, Paul comes across an old man and his daughter who we also waiting for the same meal. Paul is smitten by the girl and wants her as his wife.
Criticisms:
1) Confusing. This story is insanely confusing. Every sentence I read I honestly had no idea what was being said. The story itself would be easy to follow if it wasn't so convoluted and everything was hung up on weird details. Also, I had no idea what the premise of the story was. All I gathered was that Paul was some sort of creature and that's about it. Anything interesting was quickly lost in this confusing mess.
2) Writing Style. The way the story was writing is a major factor in why it was so confusing. I honestly didn't follow anything that was happening because it was written so poorly. It just was a pain to read through when everything seemed to be overly described and had a round-about way to say things.
Praises:
There is no major saving grace of the story.
Overall: 1/5
Thoughts: “The Hero as Werwolf” is a confusing mess. The writing style does give you details, but the amount of details leaves everything a vague, confusing mess. I still do not know what the point of the story was.

“Trading Hearts at the Half Kaffe Café” by Charles de Lint- A cartoonist named Mona has a date with a man named Lyle. After Lyle tells Mona that he is a kind of werewolf, the date goes south. As Mona returns home, she realizes that she is being followed. Is Lyle stalker her or is it someone else?
Criticisms:
There was nothing major that hampered the story.
Praises:
1) Characters. The characters were really interesting. Each character had a different voice and different personality. It almost felt like I was reading two separate stories instead of one.
2) Thrilling. The whole stalker scene was really thrilling and engaging. I was at the edge of my seat waiting to see what Mona and Lyle do.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts: “Trading Heart at the Half Kaffe Café” was a really great story. The characters were wonderful and likeable. It had humor and suspense, and it kept me easily focused on the story. With the two voices of Mona and Lyle narrating their respective parts, it almost came across as two stories that were merged. It just was all-around enjoyable.

“The Werewolf” by Tanith Lee- Constant and his partner, Vivienne, are walking in a small heath and talking about all the gruesome remains of bodies that are turned up in the heath. Constant is dead set on the murders being the work of a werewolf and the two walk up to a lone house overlooking the heath. Constant, determined that the werewolf is the homes occupant, goes up to the house and asks the man if it would be okay if he takes some pictures of the home, while trying out some tricks to tell if someone is a werewolf. After discovering that the man is indeed a werewolf, Constant has a choice of killing the werewolf or letting it go.
Criticisms:
1) Dialogue. A lot of the dialogue exchanges between Constant and Vivienne seem very unnatural and forced. It reads too properly and the talking points are random in the wording. What I mean is, it doesn't seem like it would be something a normal person would say to one another.
2) Determination. Why does Constant immediately assume that the homeowner is a werewolf? Now this is before he employs some tricks to determine that the man is a werewolf. I mean, it just seemed sudden and really silly that he would have immediately jumped on the idea of the man being this creature. It just didn't seem logical.
Praises:
1) Lore. I do like how the lore about werewolves was handled, edited, and created. I never heard about a person who could be a werewolf being distracted by fire, gems, and other glittery things. This was a very interesting idea. Also, the whole silver bullet myth was edited in a way that adds religion and belief to it that made it work. The take on the lore and myth of werewolves was really interesting.
2) Descriptions. The description of the home as well as the werewolf itself was really detailed and vivid. I could picture what the house looked like in my mind with little to no trouble at all. Also, some of the symbolism that the house showed was equally interesting.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts: “The Werewolf”is a pretty average story. The dialogue has times where it doesn't seem natural and causes some awkward and weird conversational topics to arise. Also, it bothered me that Constant jumped to the conclusion that the man was a werewolf. It was rushed and very off-putting. However, I did enjoy some of the added lore and the descriptions were phenomenal.

“The Lame Priest” by S. Carleton- After returning to his cabin from a trip to a village, a man encounters a limping priest heading towards the village. After a few words were spoken between them, the man continues home. As he arrives home, he sees his friend Andrew, an Indian, there and Andrew tells him that the tribe is moving away for a while. After telling Andrew that he won't accompany him, the man falls asleep only to awake to Andrew gone with a few odds and ends left. As winter settles in, the lame priest shows up at the man's cabin and the priest tells him to bar the door no matter what until the Indians return. Why would this priest tell him to bar his door and what do the things Andrew left mean?
Criticisms:
There was nothing major that hampered the story.
Praises:
1) Atmosphere. The story has a wonderfully creepy, suspenseful atmosphere that made my skin crawl at times. The fact that you don't know what the exact problem is adds to the suspense, rather than taking it away. In some cases, this couldn't work, but here you kind of have an idea what is going to happen, but at the same time you don't. The suspense keeps building as the story progresses and ends with a rather frightening and exciting scene.
2) Dialogue. The dialogue, while hard to read at times, added to the suspense. The story was written at the turn of the twentieth century, so the odd sentence structure is understandable. With that said, the way things are talked about adds a sense of the unknown, and is quite fitting with the story itself.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts: “The Lame Priest” is a very suspenseful and creepy story. This is due to the wonderful atmosphere and the sense of the unknown that the story presents. It's creepy, it's scary, and it's suspenseful. What more would you want from a werewolf story?

“In the Lost Lands” by George R. R. Martin- A knight of Lady Melange comes to Gray Alys to buy his lady the ability to turn into a wolf. Gray Alys tells the knight to come back a month later and he will get his wish. During that month, Alys sends a message out for someone to help her locate a werewolf. A hunter named Boyce shows up and the two leave to hunt one down in the Lost Lands. What Alys finds is more than she expects.
Criticisms:
There was nothing major that hampered the story.
Praises:
1) Characters. Alys and Boyce were very intriguing characters. Alys at first didn't really seem to have a personality. She says very little, but because of that she seemed more knowing and uncaring about how things turn out. You get the feeling that she is more than what she appears as well. However, Boyce seemed to be the more developed of the two. He had this likeable personality that seemed to be hiding a deeper secret. I did gather what his secret was (it wasn't exactly hidden), but it adds something more to his personality.
2) Ending. I really liked how this story ended, and as always I will not spoil anything. It was satisfying and interesting, that's all I really can say about it.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts: “In the Lost Lands” was a really good story with some simple, yet interesting characters. The build up to the conclusion was exciting and was even better when it unfolded. The ending was very satisfying.

“The Gentleman's Hotel” by Joe R. Lansdale- Reverend Jebediah is cursed to hunt down evil by God. Because of this curse the Reverend finds himself in a literal ghost town called Falling Rock and a building called Gentleman's Hotel. He notices a stagecoach next to the establishment and finds a working girl named Mary in there. After Mary tells him what happened to her, the Reverend understands what he must do. The problem is he has six werewolves and a king werewolf to deal with.
Criticisms:
There was nothing major that hampers the story.
Praises:
1) Characters. The Reverend and Mary are just wonderful characters. The Reverend is just plain awesome. In fact, while I was reading this I wanted to go watch a Western or go play a video game that takes place in the West. But that's not what makes Jeb awesome. No, it's his outlook on his situation. He doesn't like what he has to do, but at the same time he seems to enjoy it. He's just a total bad-ass. Mary on the other hand is almost the opposite of Jeb. She's frightened (and rightfully so!), but can really take care of herself. Also she seems to accept what she is and she goes with the flow. They were just wonderful characters and I really do want to read more about the Reverend.
2) Setting. I loved the setting, just loved it. I don't read many Western's but after this, I may have to give them a shot. The story had a perfect feel of the Old West, not to mention the horror that is in this story. It was interesting to see how something like werewolves fit into the Western genre.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts: “The Gentleman's Hotel” is my favorite story so far. It has an amazingly awesome main character in Reverend Jebediah Mercer and I just enjoyed the Western setting of the story. The atmosphere was terrifying. The mix of the werewolf genre with the Western genre was just flawless. Honestly, I would have bought this anthology just for this story.

“Full Moon Hearth” by Barb Hendee- A brother and sister living in the middle of the woods to keep people in the town safe of when Raymond, the brother, changes. After living years in fear of her brother during his monthly changes, will she ever feel safe?
Criticisms:
1) Search. Because this point could spoil the plot, I will be as vague as possible. The biggest thing that bothered me with this story is why no one would go searching for the missing people? Do they not care? It would have made an interesting development if something came about do to this.
Praises:
1) Characters. Lisa, the sister, and Raymond were really interesting and deep characters. You can believe that they are siblings and that they both care about one another. You can see that Lisa is scared, yet cares a lot about her brother and those emotions come through clearly. With Raymond you see his inner struggle with what he is and who he wants to be.
2) Terror. You could feel the terror that some of the people in the story feels, especially Lisa. In fact, it's conveyed so well that I became a little scared during a certain scene.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: “Full Moon Heath” is a good story with some great, deep characters. However, something didn't sit well with me at the end. Why did no one question them? But that is almost easily forgotten due to the characters. The characters and their relationship felt real. It was almost like you may see these people in everyday life.

“Wolf” by Michael Moorcock- A man is searching for someone and is helped by a woman. Only, the man is more than he appears.
Criticisms:
1) Style. I did not care for how this was written. It had a rushed, frantic pace that made things extremely vague and confusing. For most of the story, I couldn't follow what was going on beyond the actions the characters did.
2) Main Character. I also didn't care for the main character. It didn't seem like he had any real motive to do anything other than spout random words and phrases.
Praises:
1) Insanity. Even with the rushed, frantic pacing, the story did have a good sense of insanity that a werewolf would have. It was fitting, only it was poorly executed.
Overall: 2/5
Thoughts: “Wolf” was confusing and rushed. The main character wasn't interesting and added to the confusion. However, everything added to the sense of insanity that the story did have. This sense was good, but it was still lacking.

“Beneath the Skin” by James Lowder- Simon Synge is a hunter of the unnatural and evil. After saving a family by stopping a werewolf and prepping the werewolf pelt to be destroyed, the son is captured by other werewolves. Synge goes to save the boy, by using the pelt, but is he able to not give into the temptation?
Criticisms:
1) End. While it was an interesting ending, it came out of nowhere. The jump from the werewolf battle to Simon talking with someone was sudden and a let down. I would have rather read more about the fight, but even so, the ending wasn't terrible. It was more awkward and sudden.
Praises:
1) Simon Synge. He was a very interesting character, so interesting that I want to read more stories about him. The past experiences that he talked about really peaked my interest in see these things happen. There is enough mystery and depth to this character that would make anyone want more.
2) Story. The story was really exciting and had the essence of horror in it. Even through the ending did come across as awkward, it still was interesting. It really built up Synge's character. While the rest of the story does the same, it was undeniably exciting. Even the mundane things like prepping the pelt was thrilling to read about. It was just plain exciting. Through it all, it had an atmosphere that felt like something right out of a Gothic horror novel.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: “Beneath the Skin” was an exciting story with a main character that I want more of. The ending may have come across as a little awkward in the transition, but it built up the Simon Synge and made him all the more memorable.

“Lila the Werewolf” by Peter S. Beagle- Farrell's just now found out that the girl he is living with is a werewolf. Does he go on living like nothing happened or does he do something about it?
Criticisms:
1) Style. The story was written in a way that it comes off as fake. It's almost procedural from paragraph to paragraph. It was as though you are being told the story rather than experiencing it happen.
2) Characters. The characters were generic and unlikable. Farrell was just lame and never really seemed to care about anything. With Lila, the girlfriend, she seemed to be little more than a plot point.
Praises:
1) Story. While the characters were bland, the story was really interesting. The idea of knowing, or just finding out, that the person you've been living with is a werewolf is very interesting. Does this fact affect your relationship, your life, and how you view the world are interesting concepts that were explored.
2) Pacing. The story did go by very quickly, it never hung it self up on little details. It did keep my interested even with the generic characters.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts: “Lila the Werewolf” had a great premise, but the characters ultimately let the story down. Aside from that, the way the story was writing came off as through it was someone taking notes on what was happening. However, this does cause the story to go by quickly, without getting slowed by useless information or dialogue.

“The Werewolf of Camelot” by Darrell Schweitzer- A retelling of the King Arthur story involving a werewolf. After seeking out a priest to confess his sins, a werewolf tells of how he served King Arthur and how he was the cause of Camelot's downfall.
Criticisms:
There was nothing major that hampers the story.
Praises:
1) King Arthur. I've always liked to read re-imaginings of the King Arthur legend, and this story fits it perfectly. While not much has been added, aside from a werewolf, enough was different that it really worked within the legend.
2) Werewolf. The werewolf in the story was a wonderful character. You could really see the world through his eyes and what he was feeling, all the conflicts and uncertainties. He was a surprisingly deep character that you couldn't help but have empathy towards him.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts: “The Werewolf of Camelot” was a great story. I, being a fan of King Arthur re-imaginings, am very impressed by how easily the story fits and works within the legend. Also, the werewolf was a character that you can feel what he feels.

“The Brown Bomber and the Nazi Werewolves of the S. S.” by Matt Venne- The Brown Bomber, Joe Louis, is captured while over in Germany during World War II by Heinrich Himmler because of the loss that Max Schmeling had at Louis' hands. Only, Himmler has a trick up his sleeve to make the Brown Bomber never box again.
Criticisms:
1) Predictable. The only issue the story was that it was extremely predictable. Halfway through the story you knew what was going to happen and when it was going to happen. It's a bit of a letdown, but not much.
Praises:
1) Pulp. This story had a very pulp feel to it, why wouldn't it? It works wonderfully though. It was silly, yet never got to the point of being stupid. It just worked.
2) Exciting. Even though the story was predictable, it was an exciting read. The action scene were written wonderfully. It seemed as through I was watching an exciting boxing match.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: “The Brown Bomber and the Nazi Werewolves of the S. S.” is an extremely exciting story that was a tad bit predictable.

“Footsteps” by Harland Ellison- Claire is in Paris to try the dinning out. Only what she dines on isn't what normal folk dine on.
Criticisms:
1) Short. The story wasn't short in the number of pages, but it felt short. It seemed like there needed to be something more included.
Praises:
1) Claire. She was an interesting character. Through most of the story she acts like she's on top of everything, controlling everything. However, at the end, she because something that she isn't, and that change was very interesting.
2) Ending. The ending was kind of shocking. This is due to Claire going from controlling and dominating to fearful and unsure. While the ending was slightly predictable, it still was fairly powerful.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: “Footsteps” was an interesting story. It may have felt short, but it still felt right. Claire was an interesting character and what becomes of her at the ending is interesting. I just wish it would have been a little longer.

“Population: 666” by Nancy A. Collins- The town of Limbo in New Mexico is a quiet place of a few people living on their own and off the land. The sheriff, Roy Skinner, helps keep the people safe. However, a foul odor is in the air and the first true threat the town is to face is at hand.
Criticisms:
1) Climax. The climax was an absolute letdown. The final confrontation happened so fast that it was a huge disappointment.
Praises:
1) Characters. The characters in the story are plain wonderful. Roy Skinner was great with his caring nature of everyone in town. Pallida Mors was just plain interesting. She had an interesting past and she's a character I would enjoy seeing more of.
2) Story. The story was wonderful, aside from the sudden climax. Seeing a town of a diverse group of people helping on another and how they react to what is happening was interesting. It almost felt as through this was a small town.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: “Population: 666” was an extremely good story, aside from the sudden and disappointing climax. The characters were great, the build up to the climax was great, and the setting was great.

“The Change” by Ramsey Campbell- A writer is finding it harder and harder to write. What could be could be causing this case of writers block?
Criticisms:
1) Confusing. There were parts of the story that, when read, came across awkwardly. It wasn't terribly confusing, mostly because you see how the writer's mind works. But there were some sentences that had to be re-read a few times to gather the meaning.
Praises:
1) Dark. This is probably the darkest story of the anthology. As the story goes on, you see the writer's mind slowly degrade. You see him change into an entirely different person. Quite honestly, it was a little frightening at times.
2) Ending. The ending is probably the best part of the story due to the writer finally snapping. It makes you wonder what exactly happened to him, but at the same time you secretly don't want to believe what he did.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: “The Change” is an extremely dark story. There were some confusing and awkwardly put together sentences, that do hamper the tone a bit but not by much. The ending was great and had an ending you know what happened but don't want to believe it.

“Bay Wolf” by Neil Gaiman- Larry Talbot is a detective hired to find and kill whatever is killing kids off a beach.
Criticisms:
There was nothing major that hampers the story.
Praises:
1) Simple. The story is rather simple and straightforward, and because of this it's much more enjoyable.
2) Story. The story itself was fun and exciting. It was the kind of story you didn't have to think to hard about in order to enjoy it.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts: “Bay Wolf” is a simple, fun, and exciting story. You didn't need to think to hard about what was going on in order to enjoy it.

OVERALL AVERAGE ANTHOLOGY: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Curse of the Full Moon was a fantastic anthology. It had a lot of great and interesting stories. Some really surprised me with a few that I would have not have thought about being included in a werewolf anthology. A lot of the other stories were wonderful, adding bits and pieces to the werewolf mythos. It's a prefect pick up if you want to get into the horror mood, or if it's close to October and Halloween. Definitely worth picking this anthology up!

Stories Worth Reading:
1) “Trading Hearts at the Half Kaffe Café” by Charles de Lint
2) “The Lame Priest” by S. Carleton
3) “In the Lost Lands” by George R. R. Martin
4) “The Gentleman's Hotel” by Joe R. Lansdale
5) “The Werewolf of Camelot” by Darrell Schweitzer
6) “Bay Wolf” by Neil Gaiman
Story Best Avoided:
1) “The Hero as Werwolf” by Gene Wolfe

Key of Stars by Bruce R. Cordell

2010-09-15T18:22:00.001-04:00

As the third and final book in the Abolethic Sovereignty trilogy, does Key of Stars surpass the previous books? Or is it something you'd rather see thrown into the Outer Void?

Key of Stars by Bruce R. Cordell- This is the third and final book in the Abolethic Sovereignty trilogy. The first book is Plague of Spells and the second book is City of Torment. The trilogy is set in the Forgotten Realms setting of the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. Bruce R. Cordell has written a number of books set in this setting. These include; Lady of Poison (The Priests series), Stardeep (The Dungeons series), andDarkvision (The Wizards series). He's also written a novel under the pen name T. H. Lain called Oath of Nerull. He has also contributed to a number of anthologies and written a few short stories, along with writing a few roleplaying adventures and source books. Key of Stars was released September 2010 and published by Wizards of the Coast, LLC.

The story picks up a few days after the events in City of Torment. The city called Xxiphu is now floating above the Sea of Fallen Stars after the heroes barely escaped. Now they are recovering from the ordeal at Anusha's home. Anusha wants the group to try to stop the aboleth's from whatever it is they attend to do to the world. However, the group wants to relax and reflect on what has happened. Japheth, a warlock, is down in the catacombs of the estate tinkering with a golem to be the body of Anusha's friend's, Yeva, soul. Raidon Kane, a monk and the barer of The Cerulean Sign and the sword Angul, is slowly falling into a depression over the loss of his daughter. He turns to the bottle for comfort. We then see Captain Thoster having repairs done to his ship. The mage, Seren, is trying to gather money to repay her debts to Thay. After they all take care of business, they return to Anusha's home, only to find Japheth's old master, Neifion in the catacombs attacking the warlock. The group comes to his aid, but it's Raidon who finally drives the Lord of Bats away. After finally having everyone there, Anusha calls for a meeting to see what their next steps are. The group decides to go after Xxiphu and Malyanna, who is trying to bring about the Abolethic Sovereignty, however, Seren decides to take care of her business instead and departs. After the plans are made, the group sets off to save the world, but are they already too late?

Criticisms:
1) Pacing. The biggest problem with the book is the meandering pacing. The story progresses at such a slow pace that at times I fell asleep while reading. For two-thirds of the story it seems like nothing is really going on. There were some times when the story did pick up, but it quickly became slow and plodding. Some of the blame can be thrown at the disappointing characters, but I'll talk about that in due time. The pacing was so slow that at times I became increasingly frustrated during reading. It just seemed like almost nothing was going on and it was too slow to keep my attention focused on it for long stretches.
2) Characters. The characters have to be the biggest disappointment of the book. They didn't have any real development, aside from Japheth's and Anusha's relationship. The biggest offender is Raidon Kane. For about eighty percent of the book, he came off as little more than an annoying and whiny character. I understand how the loss of his daughter would have affected him, and I was impressed during those times. However, instead of feeling bad about his daughter, he dwells on his long lost mother. All I have to say is why? He barely ever talked about her in the previous two books. He mentioned her once in a while, but he never brought up his feelings about his mother leaving him. That whole character point just came across as poorly planned and sudden. Malyanna is the only character that I couldn't stand. Why? Because she was little more than a horribly cliché James Bond villain, hell-bent on destroying the world. In City of Torment she had an interesting personality, but in Key of Stars she has nothing. She's little more than a generic villain. I didn't feel anything towards her. She didn't evoke anything out of me. Captain Thoster is a decent character that needed more time to explain things with. His hidden past/ background needed to be explored a little more for someone to understand what is going on with him. Instead, everything is left unexplained and unsaid. Yeva is just, well, there. She doesn't do much of anything so I can't really say much about her other than why was she even included? Taal, Malyanna's assistant, was really hard to pin down. He had some good moments, but overall he was little more than what Yeva was. He had a bigger part, but ultimately I just didn't care about him enough. Neifion, the Lord of Bats, is wasted. His total scene time is about twenty pages at best and he just shows up and leaves. He didn't add anything and didn't have that menacing presence he had in the previous books. Overall the characters were underwhelming, underdeveloped, and were extremely disappointing.
3) Confusing. Even with the slow pacing, I had trouble trying to understand what was happening. I still have no idea what the Abolethic Sovereignty is, what the Far Manifold is, or the whole point of the story was. This is where the frustration comes in. Nothing was explained, or if it was I don't remember the explanation because it was either forgettable or poorly explained. I had no idea why the events were so important other than it could destroy the world. Which in itself, isn't a good way to explain things. I can't even accurately explain what was so confusing, because I was that confused.

Praises:
1) Japheth and Anusha. The relationship between Japheth and Anusha was the only real good thing with the characters. Japheth had a very different personality then he did in the previous books, but you understood why and what caused it. You could almost feel the way Japheth loves Anusha, and that love improves as the story progresses. Anusha has the most development as the story goes on. You started to see her grow as a character in City of Torment and it only improves here. Now she acts almost like the leader of the group, taking charge of things. However, the story is almost yanked away from these two in favor of Raidon, which I think was a mistake. For me, Japheth and Anusha carried the story.
2) Climax. The climax of the story was very exciting and was a pretty epic moment, aside from the cheesy moment at the end. I really can't go into too much detail, but this pay-off was worth the wait. The final battle was written extremely well with each person playing a specific role. However, the ending was very predictable, but it still was nail-bitingly good.

Side Notes:
1) Seren. What happened to Seren? She was an amazing secondary character, and I sorely missed her witty humor and presence. I just hope that somewhere down the line we see what happened with her and if she dealt with her problems. I almost think that if Seren stayed with the group, the story would have been better.
2) Stardeep. You may need to read Stardeep to understand some of the things that happen in the story. I have yet to read Stardeep so I may have missed out on some of the background of who the Traitor is. It shouldn't be required to read however.
3) Cover Art. The artwork itself is pretty good. Seeing Raidon jumping through a sea of tentacles is pretty exciting. However, it's too small. Way too small. The banner across the top is an eyesore and always seems to steal the focus. Also, the title on the bottom takes up too much space. Why couldn't we just have a full-page of the artwork?

Overall: 2/5
Final Thoughts:
Key of Stars was disappointing. The previous book, City of Torment, was amazing, and I've been eagerly awaiting for the release of Key of Stars. However, Key of Stars never really improved on what the previous book did. In fact it seemed to have taken two giant steps backward. The story unfolds at a snail's pace and almost seems like nothing is happening. It didn't help that it was hard to understand the importance of everything and having almost nothing really explained. The characters, for the most part, were disappointments. Raidon was little more than a whiny annoyance, Malyanna was a generic Bond villain with little motivation, and the rest were shells of their former selves. However, Japheth and Anusha were great. You really do see the change in them. I have to ask again, what happened with Seren? I really missed her and her witty remarks. Also, the climax was very exciting and nail-biting. When all is said and done, is Key of Stars worth picking up? I'd have to say no, unless you want to finish the trilogy or are a fan of the Forgotten Realms. Otherwise, you may be as disappointed as I am.

Heart of Midnight by J. Robert King

2010-09-09T14:22:00.002-04:00

A world ruled by song and werewolves? Where a boy is full of revenge and a dark secret? Welcome my friends to Harmonia and the tragic tale of Casimir.

Heart of Midnight by J. Robert King- This is the fourth book that was released in the Ravenloft line of novels based off the Ravenloft setting in the pen and paper roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons. This is also a stand-alone novel and can be read without any prior knowledge with Ravenloft or Dungeons and Dragons. J. Robert King has written a number of novels in various shared-world and otherwise. He has written another novel that is set in Ravenloft titled Carnival of Fear. He's written two book in the First Quest setting called Rogues to Riches and Summerhill Hounds. He wrote The Blood Wars Trilogy(Blood Hostages, Abyssal Warriors, and Planar Powers) which was set in the Planescape universe. He wrote a novel in the Dragonlance universe called Vinas Solamnus. He also wrote three novellas for The Double Diamond Triangle Saga (The Abduction, Conspiracy, and co-wrote The Diamond with Ed Greenwood) which is set in the Forgotten Realms universe. However, most of his work is in the Magic: The Gathering tie-in novels. He wroteThe Invasion Cycle (Invasion, Planeshift, and Apocalypse), The Onslaught Cycle(Onslaught, Legions, and Scourge), a stand-alone novel titled The Thran, and wrote the third book in The Artifacts series called Time Streams. He wrote an Arthurian fantasy trilogy called The Mad Merlin Trilogy (Mad Merlin, Lancelot du Lethe, and Le Morted'Avalon) and a Sherlock Holmes based book titled Shadow the Reichenbach Falls. Some of his original works includeSuicidals Anonymous, Humors (an anthology of poems), and Angel of Death and it's sequel Death's Disciples. Edge of Destiny, a Guild Wars novel, is next upcoming book. J. Robert King has also contributed a number of short stories to various anthologies and was the editor on some. Heart of Midnight was released in December 1992 and published by TSR, Inc. However, this book is hard to find and you'll most likely need to pick it up used.

Casimir wants revenge on the father who killed his mother, cursed him, and left him homeless. After years of plotting, he and his friend Thoris, finally decide that it's time. The killer is also the towns meistersinger, or leader, and as the time comes to choose a new ruler for Harmonia, Casimir enters the contest under disguise. The contest to choose the meistersinger tests bardic skills, and after a few rounds pass Casimir is up against his father. The current meistersinger has yet to lose for the past twenty years due to drugging the ale before the contest begins, however Casimir doesn't drink and as the final stage is about to start, the liquid is forced down his throat. Because of this Casimir loses but reveals himself as the meistersinger's son. The meistersinger, horrified to know that his son is still alive, send men to follow Casimir back to where he lives. After the location is discover, the men burn down the poor house, hoping to kill Casimir. However, Casimir isn't there upon his return he saves Thoris from the flames. With a few surviving children, Casimir and Thoris, regroup in the rundown church of Milil and begin a plan to finally take revenge. The plan goes into motion and it's soon revealed that the meistersinger is a werewolf and chases down Casimir. However, Casimir is waiting for him as a wolf and quickly dispatches the meistersinger. After showing proof of the meistersinger's death, Casimir becomes the new meistersinger. As his reign starts, the famous bard, Harkon Lukas starts to teach him things about ruling and about his dark powers. But as time passes, is the bard really helping Casimir or turning him into something more beastly?

Criticisms:
1) Beginning. The first half of the novel is a little rough. Some chapters have a rushed pace to them. For example, the contest scene was very hard to follow. Things happened so fast with little details that I was totally lost and left scratching my head. On top of this, we have the characters showing little to no character development. The situations that the characters find themselves in doesn't seem to faze their attitudes and their actions too much. For the longest time, the characters seemed bland but they did have hints of something more to them, but those hints weren't explored until later in the novel. The beginning just had a rushed feel to it. Everything that happened occurred too fast and you couldn't really delve into the problems and issues that were brought up. This was the major problem with Heart of Midnight, you couldn't get behind the characters right away and everything happened way too fast.
2) Casimir. One of the blandest main characters I've seen in a while. He was wishy-washy, unlikable, and with a personality that switches every chapter. I really do not understand the appeal of Casimir, and would have rather seen a story focus more on Thoris or Casimir's love, Julianna. Those two would have been much more interesting leads instead of Casimir, who seemed to appear as little more than a side character. However, at the start of the story, he appeared to be a very sympathetic and likable character, but this doesn't last long. After the beginning, Casimir quickly turns into a side character. I would have rather seen more of the impact his change causes on his friends, instead of the focus being mostly on Casimir. Then at the end, he just becomes unbearably whiny. There were times that he did seem to be an interesting and intriguing character, but during those scenes, another character stole the spotlight. Casimir just grated on my nerves.

Praises:
1) Harkon Lukas. He is just a great character and villain. While he isn't really there for the first half of the story and he only seemed to be more like a side character during that half, he really turned out to be amazing. He was manipulative in a way I haven't seen in many books. There were even times when I thought I was being misled to think something else. Then he was as vile as you can get but you couldn't help but like him. His actions were undeniably evil and what he says is cruel, but there was something about him that made you forget all the negatives to his personality. I couldn't help but feel charmed by him. However, the twist involving Lukas was really predictable, but when the scene finally came up, I was still surprised. He just had this undeniable charm to him and you weren't meant to like him, you couldn't help but like him.
2) Atmosphere. The atmosphere was the other good thing about this story. It was extremely creepy and had some very good violent scenes. It had that Universal monster movie feel combined with some of the violent, gory movies of the past twenty years. Some of the descriptions of the buildings and settings really reminded me of some of those 1930's movies. During the werewolf transformations, I couldn't help but think of movies like American Werewolf in London with a hint of the 1940's Wolfman. The story also had a very good heartbreaking feel to it. Seeing how Casimir is affecting his friends is really sad. You almost feel bad for these characters and what they are going through. The best example of this is when Thoris learns of Casimir's secret. The whole exchange the two have is moving and sad at the same time. The story had a very good, creepy atmosphere to it.

Side Notes:
1) Songs. I can't read songs with a rhythm when it's written in a book. I didn't mind the songs in the novel, but I would mostly skip them.
2) Two Books. I really do think that this book should have been split into two books instead of one. The beginning, up until Casimir's revenge, should have been the first book. That whole story needed more detail and character development. Then the second half, while better and a saving grace of the story, could have used a little more as well. Seeing Casimir deal with his new-found political powers as well as his lycanthropy could have used more. It almost seemed like there were two novels that were forced together.
3) Cover Art. The artwork itself is just bland. Casimir looks decent and interesting but other than that, the background is bland and the coloring is just plain boring. The mask is really nice looking and is the only thing that catches the eye. Also, Casimir's face does look menacing, but it's hard to really see. As for everything else, it's just plain and unexciting.

Overall: 3/5
Final Thoughts:
Heart of Midnight has things going against it and going for it. The biggest problem is the rough beginning. Most of the time I could barely follow what has happening early on. The characters started out as bland, uninteresting people who I couldn't careless about. Also, Casimir wasn't interesting. He seemed to be a minor character that was promoted to the lead without changing a thing. He did have good moments, but they were few and far between. However, Harkon Lukas pretty much saves the story. Lukas had amazing charm to him that actually made me like someone so vile and despicable. He seemed to manipulate everyone in the story, including me. That in itself was shocking. When a character makes you think one thing even though you know it's not true is very impressive. Speaking of impressive, the atmosphere had this impressively creepy tone to it. It was as through blending the best Universal horror movies with some of the best werewolf movies of the past twenty years. When all is said and done, is Heart of Midnight worth picking up? Yes and no. If you enjoy werewolf fiction and want to be pleasantly surprised to be manipulated by a fictional character, yes. However, because of the rough start, I am very reluctant to recommend to the average reader.

Taint of the Black Brigade by Paul Crilley

2010-09-04T15:14:00.001-04:00

Taint of the Black Brigade by Paul Crilley- This is the second book in The Chronicles of Abraxis Wren series. The first book in the series is Night of the Long Shadows which is also part of the stand-alone novel series The Inquisitives. This series is set in the Eberron setting of the pen and paper role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. Paul Crilley has written two other novels. His first he co-wrote with Tiffany Trent called Oracle of the Morrigan, which is the sixth book in the Hallowmere series. His other novel is to be released September 2010 and is the first book in the Invisible Order series titled Rise of the Darklings. Taint of the Black Brigade was released in August 2010 and was published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

About a year has passed since the events in Night of the Long Shadows and Abraxis Wren is bored. After solving the murder mystery and stopping an assassination attempt, Wren hasn't had any investigative work. However, all that changes when Wren's ex-wife, Lyra, shows up at his doorstep asking for help. Lyra witnessed the murder of a person she was hired to protect, which she is being framed for. She needs Wren's help to clear her name and track down the real killer. With Torin, Wren's friend and assistant, they go off in search of clues as to the identity of the mysterious killer. What they uncover is more than they expected.

Criticisms:
1) Italicized Parts. At the end of some of the chapters, there was an italicized section that felt out-of-place. Even when it becomes clear the purpose of these sections, it still felt like there wasn't a purpose to it. It didn't really coincide with what was happening in the story and left me more confused than interested. Thankfully, these sections were only about half a page and really could be skipped.

Praises:
1) Wren. Abraxis Wren is a great character, plain and simple. In Night of the Long Shadows he had this fun, humorous, and interesting way to look at things, which does continue into this story, only slightly downplayed. Instead, we are introduced into a different side of Wren, a deeper side. The way he feels towards his ex-wife wasn't something I would have expected Wren to do. In fact, I thought he would have been more carefree and warm to Lyra. Instead, he is almost a different person. Sure, Wren still has his humor and goofy nature about him, but now it feels more like a mask or character he hides behind. The 'new' Wren surprised me by being almost cold to Lyra. Wren's attitude may not seem so different if you look at the surface, but when comparing his interactions with Torin to his with Lyra, you can see the difference. However, the 'old' goofy and quipping Wren isn't gone, that's still there. But with this little added depth into his character he does become better. With that added depth, Wren is definitely one of my top fifteen Dungeons and Dragons characters.
2) Excitement. This story really delivers a lot of non-stop excitement. There are hardly any slow periods in the story, everything happens at a breakneck speed, which is perfect for a story like this. It almost makes you want to finish it in one sitting. The best way to describe how exciting the story is would be a cross between the mystery/ clue-finding in Da Vinci Code mixed with some humor from movies like Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead. Then throw in a bit of Michael Bay-esque action scenes (only you can follow what is happening) with a bit of a heist movie. It's almost a perfect blend of genres. It just delivers the excitement.
3) Reappearances. This is a simple praises and more of a personal one. I've always been a fan when things reference the past. It was nice to see some of the characters that appeared in Night of the Long Shadows reappear and that their parts were irrelevant to the story.

Side Notes:
1) Short. The story is amazingly short, at only about 278 pages. This is the shortest Dungeons and Dragons based story I've read thus far.
2) End. The end is a slightly anti-climatic, but it hardly feels like it. It's not bad, but I did noticed that it did just kind of end without a big battle or a final showdown. But all in all, it still was exciting.
3) Cover Art. The cover art is interesting, but it's extremely cliché. However, it's cliché in the right way. But there is one huge issue with this cover. The banner over the top is horrible. The slate gray banner instantly catches your eye and makes you look past the cover. It's horrible because it takes away from the great cliché cover. Instead, you're more focused on the tab rather than the cover.

Overall: 5/5
Final Thoughts:
Taint of the Black Brigade is a great story with virtually no problems. While the italicized parts were confusing and my only issue, when it comes down to it, you can just skip them and it doesn't affect the experience. Speaking of experience, this story is non-stop excitement. It's full of mystery, suspense, and action. I hardly wanted to put it down for too long. As fast and exciting as the story was, it wouldn't have been as good if not for Abraxis Wren. Once again, Wren steals the show and he gains some more depth as a character. You see Wren still be the goofy, comical self fromNight of the Long Shadows, but now Wren grows beyond that. I would you should definitely pick up Taint of the Black Brigade, it's a fun story with a great character and full of non-stop action.

Night of the Long Shadow by Paul Crilley

2010-09-01T18:24:00.001-04:00

Night of the Long Shadows by Paul Crilley- This is the second book in the stand-alone novel series titled The Inquisitives. It's also the first book in The Chronicles of Abraxis Wren. The series is set in the Eberron setting of the pen and paper role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. The other novels in The Inquisitives are Bound by Iron by Edward Bolme, Legacy of Wolves by Marsheila Rockwell, and The Darkwood Mask by Jeff LaSala. The second book in The Chronicles of Abraxis Wren is the sequel to Night of the Long Shadows and is called Taint of the Black Brigade. Paul Crilley has written two other novels. His first he co-wrote with Tiffany Trent called Oracle of the Morrigan, which is the sixth book in the Hallowmere series. His other novel is to be released September 2010 and is the first book in the Invisible Order series titled Rise of the Darklings. Night of the Long Shadows was released in May 2007 and was published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

A professor at Morgrave University was found slain, with a man with dragon tattoos standing over his corpse. The witness, a dwarf named Torin, is thankfully a partner to an inquisitive named Abraxis Wren, who is called in to investigate the death. After Wren looks over the crime scene, he takes Torin and sets off to find the man with the dragon tattoos. As Wren and Torin uncover more about who this character is, the motives and reasoning doesn't sit right with the inquisitive. There must be more to this murder than it seems.

Criticisms:
1) Editing. This is the major problem I saw with the story, however, it doesn't impact the story too much. It was just bothersome. For example, within the first few chapters, we have a paragraph that was repeated. How does something like that happen? It did take me out of the moment and was a little frustrating to have to re-read what I've just read. Then later in the story, one of the last chapters to be exact, two names were mixed up. Now I could understand this mistake if the names were similar enough, but the only similarity was they both started with C. Also, I must note that neither Cutter or Col were in the scene together and on top of that, the chapter was focusing on Cutter. There were other, smaller mistakes, but nothing as bad as a paragraph being repeated or a name mix up. It was just sloppy editing.
2) Dialogue Flow. Now this is a very minor issue with the dialogue. There were times when a conversation was happening that I lost track of who was saying what. Now this only happened once, that I can recall, in the story, hence why it's not a big issue, but it does require mentioning.

Praises:
1) Characters. I really enjoyed the two main characters. Cutter and Wren were just interesting foils to each other. Cutter, the man with the dragon tattoos, was the more 'normal' fantasy character. The big tough guy of the story. However, he brought a little heart to the story with his love he shows towards Rowen. However, Abraxis Wren stole the story. To put it simply, I loved his character. Wren was the kind of character that is seen mostly as the comical sidekick character of the main hero. Here, the comedian is the hero. Almost everything Wren did in the story had a sense of humor to it. Sometimes it was a small little action he does or a clever quip he says, but it works in all the right ways. You hardly ever see a main character like that and it was refreshing to see it. The secondary characters were good as well, always filling their needed roles almost perfectly. However, the did little else. Torin was the best of the group, mostly due to the verbal sparing between Wren and him. All in all, the main characters really made this story a blast to read.
2) Humor. The story was funny, plain and simple. From the funny exchanges between Wren and Torin to some of the situations, the story had a humorous feel to it that you normally wouldn't place with a murder mystery. Instead of hampering the story in silly jokes, it made it easier to read. The interactions between Wren and Torin were funny enough that it seemed like something you'd see between two friends. It also made the more serious scenes, where no jokes were found all the more serious. The humor helped the story flow and not get caught on things that would slow it down.
3) Murder Mystery. The mystery itself was interesting and exciting. Things happened at a rapid pace that it was almost had to put down for too long. It also helped that it wasn't really predictable, for the most part. With as many twists and turns the story had, it would be hard for anyone to predict what was going to happen in the next chapter. There were times when the story almost felt like something you'd find on a good hour-long crime drama on television. It just was a fun mystery that kept me at the edge of my seat.

Side Notes:
1) Characters. There were a lot of characters that only showed up for one or two scenes and were never heard of again. Usually I'd be upset or angered by this, but for the type of story that Night of the Long Shadows was, it didn't bother me. In fact, it was almost like something out of a crime TV show like CSI or Law and Order, with all the characters and suspects.
2) Eberron. I'm still really new to the whole setting and there were somethings I weren't familiar with that I had to look up. Not a huge issue in the scheme of things, but it was something to keep in your mind while reading that you may have to look up things.
3) Cover Art. It's okay, but ultimately nothing special. The green hue everything has isn't really flattering and really doesn't work. Wren and Cutter do look really good, but they don't save it from the green blandness. They just balance it out to make it an okay cover.

Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Night of the Long Shadows is a really fun and exciting murder mystery. The biggest issue I had with the novel was the lack of editing. Having a huge mistake like repeating a paragraph again was lazy on the editors' part. I just hope that other copies of the book have this fixed. It's also worth mentioning that there were times when it was hard to pick out who was saying what, but it wasn't a huge issue. Those issues being said, they hardly impact the humorous experience I had while reading it. From the wonderfully witty dialogue to Abraxis Wren's clever quips and jokes, it was surprising to see how humorous an investigation of a murder can be. While the humor was great, it wouldn't have been as good without Abraxis Wren. Wren just made this story so much more enjoyable than it already was. His humor and attitude towards things aren't what you'd normally see in a main character, I say we need more Wren's in fantasy stories. When all is said and done, would I recommend Night of the Long Shadows? Yes, it's definitely worth a read.

Dance of the Dead by Christie Golden

2010-08-28T22:24:00.004-04:00

Dance of the Dead by Christie Golden- This is the third book that was released in the Ravenloft line of novels based off the Ravenloft setting in the pen and paper roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons. This is also a stand-alone novel and can be read without any prior knowledge with Ravenloft or Dungeons and Dragons. Christie Golden has written a number of books in shared universes and otherwise. She has written two other novels based in the Ravenloft setting, Vampire of the Mists and The Enemy Within. She's also written a number of stories that are set in the various Star Trek universes. Her Star Trek: Voyager works include; The Murdered Sun, Marooned, Seven of Nine, the Dark Matterstrilogy (Cloak and Dagger, Ghost Dance, and Shadow of Heaven), Homecoming duology (Homecoming and The Farther Shore), and the Spirit Walk duology (Old Wounds andEnemy of My Enemy). In Star Trek: The Next Generation she co-wrote the six book in theDouble Helix series titled The First Virtue with Michael Jan Friedman. She wrote one book in the Star Trek: S.C.E. titled Hard Crash. She contributed a book to the Star Trek: Gateways series titled No Man's Land. She has also written a book in the Star Trek: The Original Series series called The Last Round-up. Another shared universe that she's contributed to is Warcraft. She's written Lord of the Clans, Rise of the Hoard, co-wroteBeyond the Dark Portal with Aaron Rosenberg, Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, and The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm. She's also written a trilogy for Starcraft titled Dark Templar (First Born, Shadow Hunters, and Twilight) as well as writing a book for Starcraft II titled Devil's Due. She wrote two books for the Star Wars series called Fate of the Jedi titled Omen and Allies. Some of her original works include the Verold series (Instrument of Fate and King's Man and Thief), A.D. 999 under the pen name of Jadrien Bell, Invasion America series (Invasion America and On the Run), and the Final Dance trilogy (On Fire's Wings, In Stone's Clasp, and Under Sea's Shadow). Christie Golden has also contributed a number of short stories to various anthologies. Dance of the Dead was released in 1992 and published by TSR, Inc. However, this book is hard to find and you'll most likely need to pick it up used.

Larissa Snowmane's world is turned upside down. As the Lady of the Sea in the play The Pirates Pleasure, the dancer has had an uneventful and peaceful life. All that changed when after a performance, she finds the lead singer, Liza, strangled in her room. After the captain of the showboat and Larissa 'uncle', Raoul Dumont, finds out about the death, he sets off and heads into the Mists. During the horrifying trip into the Mists, the showboat comes out unharmed. They find themselves near a port in a place called Souragne, a swamp-like island. After disembarking at Port d'Elhour, the captain offers his entertainment to the town, for a free taste of the show. During a scene from the play, Larissa encounters a friendly man named Willen who can see her when she's invisible. But before she could ask anything more about him, her scene comes up and has to leave to act. After the brief taste of the play that Captain Dumont gives the town, he takes Larissa on a walk, only to cause a schism between their relationship. With the help of the mysterious Willen, Larissa is able to hide from Dumont and his unwanted advances. However, she decides to return to the showboat for the first full performance. After the successful show, a strange human asks Dumont if he can accompany them to their next destination. He accepts after the stranger, Lond, shows his 'usefulness'. Larissa finds Willen again, after Willen joins the showboat to help navigate the swamp. But Willen has something awful and horrifying to tell her about her beloved 'uncle' and that she's special. What is this horrifying secret that the captain has? Who's Lond? Will the showboat escape the swamp? Why is Larissa so special?

Criticisms:
1) Side Characters. The characters themselves were not bad at all. The problem is that there is just too many characters. While some characters had some nice development and interesting enough, but there was just too many that didn't have enough. For example, the pilot Jahedrin and Gelaar needed more time to develop. While Jahedrin didn't have that big of a role, it was awkward to see him get so much scene time at the end. He does seem like a very interesting character, but it almost seemed like his character was just thrown in for some exposition and lines. However, Gelaar is the most disappointing side character. He had a constant presence throughout the story, yet not any development other than him losing his daughter. He's the most disappointing character because at the end of the story he just suddenly becomes a dues ex machina and has a moment of great development but then he is suddenly forgotten. While the side characters were good, they seemed to need 'more'.

Praises:
1) Villains. The villains were just wonderfully evil. The mysterious stranger, Lond, is the more straightforward villain. He's evil and you can definitely tell that he is. While this wouldn't be a good thing, somehow this just works. He does things late in the story that is utterly horrifying and vile, and he's made to be hated. Then you have the sympathetic, yet not sympathetic character of Dumont. For half of this story, Dumont comes off as a rather nice character. Sure, he killed one of the boats pilots to make Larissa fall in love with him, but even past that he was likeable. He had this charisma that it seemed no matter what he did, you couldn't help but like him. It could have been his friendship with his first mate Dragoneyes or how he generally acts towards his cast, but something about him makes me like him. However, he does slowly became a mean and vile character but even when this happens, I couldn't help but like him. He also has a kind of 'redemption moment' at the end that was really good, if tragic. All in all, the villains were wonderful.
2) Protagonists. I also really liked the protagonists. Larissa was good and Willen was interesting. Larissa had a lot to make her a wonderful and interesting character. She had a well-developed and heartbreaking background. She matures throughout the story and has very good character development and progression. Not to mention her naivety in things is kind of (for lack of a better term) cute. That makes her change all the more shocking and well-earned. She doesn't seem like a good heroic character, yet she pulls it off almost flawlessly. Willen is pretty much the same way. His background is a little more mystical, but for some reason it's interesting. I really can't say much about Willen without some major spoilers, so I'll just say that his character is surprising interesting.
3) Natives. I really liked how this story had characters that are native to Ravenloft. While this is a very minor thing, I really liked it. There was no real need for a famous character from another setting to be transported into this realm. It was just nice to see this change after having the first two books of other settings having an introduction in another setting. It was also nice to see that characters that from the Ravenloft setting hold their own.

Side Notes:
1) Horror. I do have a hard time calling this a fantasy horror novel. For seventy percent of the novel, it had the feel of a 'normal' fantasy book. Then at the end it started to get a little horrifying.
2) Swamp. I really liked the whole Louisiana-esque swamp feel this story had. It had a different kind of feel to a fantasy story.
3) Cover Art. I honestly hate it. The dress color on Larissa is horrible and looks like puke. Her face is just demonic and disturbing. It's so disgustingly disturbing. The whole cover is plain awful and hurts the eyes.

Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Dance of the Dead is a great read, with one problem. The side characters needed to be a little more developed. They were just there for most of the story, and what development they were given was quickly forgotten. Another small problem is that the story never really felt like a horror story, but it wasn't a terrible thing. However, the characters are wonderful and the story is solid. Larissa and Willen were just wonderful characters. They have a lot of depth and a very interesting and well-developed backgrounds. The villains were also great. Lond was absolutely vile, and I loved to hate him. Dumont had a likeable quality to him that even when he does terrible things, I couldn't help but not hate him for it. Would I recommend Dance of the Dead? Yes, of course. It was a wonderful read with great characters.

Knight of the Black Rose by James Lowder

2010-08-24T16:41:00.001-04:00

Knight of the Black Rose by James Lowder- This is the second novel that was released in the Ravenloft campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. This is also the first volume inTerrors of Lord Soth duology with the second volume titled Spectre of the Black Rose, which was co-written by Voronica Whitney-Robinson. James Lowder has written a number of books. His Forgotten Realms works include; book three of The Empires series called Crusade, the fifth book in The Harpers series called The Ring of Winter, and book four in The Avatar series called Prince of Lies. He has also written a book for Tales of the Crypt titled Name Your Nightmare. He's also been the editor of a number of anthologies, as well. He has edited two Forgotten Realms anthologies, Realms of Valor and Realms of Infamy. He has also edited a horror anthology series called All Flesh Must Be Eaten which includes; The Book of All Flesh, The Book of More Flesh, and The Book of Final Flesh. Also to note, there has been best of for this series called Best of All Flesh: Zombie Anthology. He's also been the editor of two King Arthur type of anthologies under the series calledPendragon Fiction; The Doom of Camelot and Legends of Pendragon. He's also edited two anthologies in Silver Age Sentinels series called Path of the Just and Path of the Bold. Finally, he has edited a few stand-alone anthologies Astounding Hero Tales, Worlds of Their Own, and Curse of the Full Moon. James Lowder has also contributed a number of short stories to various anthologies as well. Knight of the Black Rose was released in 1991 and published by TSR. However, this book is hard to find and you'll most likely need to pick it up used.

Lord Soth used to be a well-respected and honored Knight of the Rose. However, after committing transgression after transgression, Soth is stripped of his honor and is to be executed. But, after being saved by his loyal men, Soth bottles himself in his home. After a curse is laid upon him by his dying wife and child, Soth becomes a death knight. The centuries pass after that fateful day to when Soth is leading a charge into the city of Palanthas for the dragon highlord, Kitiara. But when Soth finds Kitiara dead he sends his seneschal, Caradoc, to retrieve her soul. After doing that, Caradoc returns only to offer Soth a deal, make him mortal again and he can have her soul. Soth doesn't like this and attacks his seneschal, but during the attack, a mist starts to rise and surround Soth and Caradoc. Only when the mists clear do they realize that they are no longer on Krynn. After Caradoc runs off, Soth goes after him, only to come across a camp of Vistani (gypsies). After being told he was in a land called Barovia, Soth kills the Vistani leader and takes a woman, Magda, hostage to have her lead him to Castle Ravenloft and Count Strahd Von Zarovich. Along the way, the duo come across an odd dwarf about to be hanged and after hearing screams, they return to find the bodies of the executioners. After reaching Castle Ravenloft, Soth and Strahd get into a disagreement and Soth leaves to find a portal that can potentially lead him home. On the run from Strahd and a mysterious shadow following Soth and Magda, are they able to find the portal and can Soth return home? Or is there more to Strahd's scorned offer?

Criticisms:
1) Flashbacks. The only main problem I came across was some of the flashbacks of Soth's past came up at awkward times. A lot of Soth's flashbacks happened suddenly and randomly enough that it became awkward and weird. Aside from the one time in the story that really made since, a lot of the flashbacks just popped up during action sequences or in the middle of a paragraph. It was just a clunky way to tell of Soth's past. However, it wasn't horrible. It just was slightly annoying.

Praises:
1) Soth. He was a very interesting character. While at first I didn't really care for him as a character or a 'person', as the story continued, he really grew on me. The inner conflict he has with what he's become and what he once stood for was very intriguing. The reason why I didn't care for Soth in the beginning is that he didn't show his noble side and he came off as little more than a villain to be hated and not to be sympathized with. So for the first one hundred or so pages he just was another generic villain. However, after the escape from Castle Ravenloft and the journey with Magda, a more heroic and noble side (albeit very corrupted) emerged. Granted it wasn't a huge change, but the more subtle actions he did just won me over. Also, Soth was an absolute scene stealer. I couldn't count how many times I waited from him to pop up again to say something or just move. He was what made this story an utter blast to read.
2) Background. I really liked how Soth's background was presented in the beginning of the story. I've never picked up a Dragonlance novel nor do I know anything about the world, characters, history, or main story points and the way everything was easy to understand is definitely a plus. Also, there is just enough given that it doesn't become overbearing in details. A perfect balance between too little information and too much information was hit.

Side Notes:
1) Strahd. Strahd seemed slightly more cruel and open about what he was in Knight of the Black Rose. In Vampire of the Mists by Christie Golden, it seemed like no one knew that Strahd was a vampire, but in this story it almost seems like everyone knows that something isn't 'right' with him. It just didn't sit well with me.
2) Time Line. Once again going back to Vampire of the Mists. When does Knight of the Black Rose fit in with the whole Strahd time-line? Does it happen before Vampire of the Mists or after? My guess is after seeing as Vampire of the Mistscomes first in the series order, but I could always be wrong.
3) Cover Art. Oh 1990's art cover, how cheesy can you get? However, it's not bad. Soth does look intimidating enough, aside from the comical feather plume and silly purple cape. He is in a pretty cool pose as well. I also like the embossing on the cover. It almost gives it a three-dimensional look to it. However, the background is rather plain with just an archway and some steps. It does help Soth stand out, but other than that it's just forgettable.

Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Knight of the Black Rose is a really good story, but it's not memorable enough to be a top-tier performer. The only big issue was the awkward positions of how some of the flashbacks occurred. But on a whole, it was a good read. Story-wise, it was a little mediocre, but it did do something with that made it interesting. While the plot consisted of “Go here, do this, then go here”, it still felt fresh and kept me interested. The characters were good and unique, with Lord Soth being the more memorable of the group. Lord Soth commanded this story from start to finish and only Strahd had any chance of stealing Lord Soth's scenes. But even when Strahd and Soth appeared together, Lord Soth always seemed to come out on top slightly. Also I really liked how anyone could pick this book up and know what was going on. There was no real 'learning' curve and the characters backgrounds were brief and to the point. Is Knight of the Black Roseworth searching for and picking up? Yes, definitely.

Emerald Magic edited by Andrew M. Greeley

2010-08-19T17:45:00.006-04:00

Emerald Magic edited by Andrew M. Greeley- This anthology was released in February of 2004 and published by Tor. This anthology covers all things fantastical about Irish history and stories. There are fifteen short stories written by Diane Duane, Tanith Lee, Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple, Judith Tarr, Elizabeth Haydon, Charles de Lint, Ray Bradbury, Andrew M. Greeley, Jane Lindskold, Fred Saberhagen, Peter Tremayne, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Jacqueline Cary, and Morgan Llywelyn. The anthology is broken up into two parts, “The Little People” and “Literary Fantastics”. The stories within have something to do with Irish fantasy and horror.

“Introduction” by Andrew M. Greeley- This is pretty much just a basic introduction with hyping up the upcoming stories and gives some basic background on the anthology. However, it contains some background on some of the myths and legends that the Irish people have. It is also a little confusing at times, mostly due to me having little to know background in such things.

“Herself” by Diane Duane- This story is about a leprechaun found murdered and discovering what did the act.
Criticisms:
1) Huh? The story started out interesting enough. A mortal having a friendly conversation with a leprechaun, then finding out he was murdered the next day. That would have been a great idea. However, the story soon turned into a confusing, fast paced mess of references and actions. I was lost and still scratching my head.
2) Political Messages. I'm not fond of anything political, at all. So when things like jobs, O-Zone problems, and others come up I'm almost instantly turned off by it. I don't have a problem with it being a 'hidden message' but blatant messages I find extremely annoying, no matter what they are.
Praises:
1) Interaction. I really likes how the mythical creatures like leprechaun's and banshee's evolved into the present day. Just reading about how a Leprechaun hates Nike just brought a smile to my face. It was really interesting to say the least.
2) Murder Mystery. Although the plot did get a little fuzzy and hard to follow, I still really enjoyed the idea. Finding out what was causing a series of Leprechaun murders was surprisingly fun.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts: While not the best story, it does have its moments. Aside from my personal issue with issues, I did have a good time reading it up until it got confusing and rushed.

“Speir-Bhan” by Tanith Lee- This story is about a woman fulfilling her great grandfather's quest to kill three human-fox like beings.
Criticisms:
1) Awkward. This story just felt awkward to me. It could have been the idea of the main characters great grandfather's scenes and the dream sequences with him in it or it could have been the awkward beginning. But something felt odd and weird.
Praises:
1) Speir-Bhan. I did like this character. The Speir-Bhan is a muse-like being and her appearance to the main character was kind of interesting and fun. I would say that this is another case of how interesting it is to see fantasy beings interacting with present day reality.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts: I really have nothing to say about this story other than a shoulder shrug. It was just okay. It has a few interesting moments but other than those, everything else was just okay. Not to mention that for some reason the story just felt awkward at times. Not really sure why, but something was just odd.

“Troubles” by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple- This story is about a deal gone wrong between two creatures.
Criticisms:
1) What? This story is very hard to follow. Everything that is going on is explained, but the way it's explained left me scratching my head. Also, it would have helped if there was some context to everything that was happening.
2) Short. It's too short. Some stories can pull off short lengths, but this one just suffers from it. There wasn't enough time to build up the characters and the plot. Instead we just are given blurbs about what's going on.
Praises:
1) Descriptions. The descriptions seemed to be what this story focuses on and for the most part they are good.
Overall: 1/5
Thoughts: This story is just a mess of things. The characters weren't developed enough to like them and the plot was just confusing. A little snippet of context of what is going on would have been nice. Leaving a short story clouded in mystery that never will be explained is not a good idea. The main problem has to be how short it is. If it was longer, it may have been more enjoyable.

“The Hermit and the Sidhe” by Judith Tarr- This story is about a religious crusade against the folklore and rituals that the Irish people have.
Criticisms:
1) Jumping. There isn't a better way to explain this issue. The problem is that during a few scenes, things jumped around and were hard to follow. However, it wasn't a huge issue.
Praises:
1) Idea. I really liked the idea behind this story. Having a religious crusade against old-world beliefs was an interesting and engaging idea.
2) Characters. I really enjoyed the two main characters of the Hermit and Father Timothy. With the Hermit you have this man who is on the borderline of becoming a devote Catholic, but has doubts. It was an interesting look into his psyche. With Father Timothy you have a man who sees evil in everything that isn't covered in Catholic doctrine. It was interesting to see how far can someone fall into their beliefs.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this story. Aside from the 'jumping' scenes, everything was great. I liked the war between the two 'faiths', the characters wonderful, and it was easy to understand.

“The Merrow” by Elizabeth Haydon- This story is about a family coping with a blight. After the son finds a cap his father has hidden in the woods, he learns something about his mother. Something he's not sure if he should tell her.
Criticisms:
None
Praises:
1) Interesting. Everything about this story held my interest. The characters were great, the plot was simple, and the pacing was perfect.
2) Simple. This is what makes a good story, simplicity. It was easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to follow.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts: I really liked this story mostly due to it being so easy to understand and follow. The characters were wonderful and the plot had a lot of heart. It just was very enjoyable.

“The Butter Spirit's Tithe” by Charles de Lint- This story is about a traveling musician and his past run in of a butter spirit. After a curse is laid upon the musician, Conn, is friend Miki decides to make a plan to free him of it.
Criticism:
1) The End. I did not care for the ending at all. The explanation of what Miki's plan was to free Conn of this curse just didn't feel right. Then it ended on a sappy note.
Praises:
1) Dark. The story had a fairly dark tone to it, darker than I would have expected. Having Conn's soul being forfeit to this Grey Man and seeing what it does was good in all the right ways.
2) Simple. Another simple story. It was fairly easy to follow and understand, and because of this, it was very enjoyable.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: This was a fairly good story, with not much going against it. Sure I felt that the ending didn't work, but other than that it was enjoyable. The tone took a dark turn that I didn't really expect and I'm glad that it worked so well.

“Banshee” by Ray Bradbury- This story is about a screenwriter taking a screenplay to his friend to go over it. However, they start hearing wails and moans in the wind and the screenwriter goes out to check what it was.
Criticisms:
1) Spastic. Things happen at a rapid, frantic pace. The dialogue goes by way too fast and because of this, it was hard to follow what is going on.
2) Confusing. This ties in with the spastic pacing. Due to the breakneck speed of dialogue, actions, and everything, the story became a confusing and frustrating mess.
Praises:
1) Idea. The idea was very interesting. However for whatever reason, the spastic, breakneck pace of the story didn't allow for enough time to really develop the story. But what I've seen, it would have been very good.
Overall: 2/5
Thoughts: The best way to describe this story is one word, spastic. Everything as this 'boom, boom, boom' feel to it. Things happen one right after another with no time to breath. Because if this, the interesting premise really suffers.

“Peace in Heaven?” by Andrew M. Greeley- This story is about two couples talking of a past war in Heaven and how the two parties should reconcile.
Criticisms:
1) Exposition. This is an odd problem with the story. At times there seems to be too much being told, but in the next paragraph things are so vague and distant that there needs to be some exposition.
2) Perspective. The way this story was told was just weird. It had an almost first-person perspective during half of the scenes, but changed into third-person right after. What exactly is the perspective of this story? A hybrid between the two or something else? But realistically, it does not work.
Praises:
1) Short. At least this story was short.
Overall: 1/5
Thoughts: I honestly could not find anything worth talking about that was stand-out good. Sure the story wasn't all bad, there were moments of mediocrity and semi-interest, but nothing stood-out enough to mention. But otherwise, this story was bad. The perspective issue becomes annoying quickly with the third-person actions having a first-person view is awkward. Then you have the need for less and more exposition However, there is more issues with this story. The characters are annoying and I couldn't get into their mindsets. I just didn't enjoy this story at all.

“The Lady in Grey” by Jane Lindskold- This story is about an Irish revolutionary who is fearless until the death of someone close to her. Then all her fears and past mistakes come flooding back.
Criticisms:
1) Boring. This story is incredibly boring and slow. However, it never seems like it until you put the story down. There is one main reason this story is so boring and that's the:
2) Characters. Maud and Willie are just bland and uninteresting. While they did feel real and three-dimensional, they never really clicked with me. They were just uninteresting and everything they did bored me to tears. Also, this story is built around their relationship, a relationship that I could not (and did not) by for one second.
Praises:
1) Premise. Even though the story was a little boring and the characters bland, the premise of having this woman's past troubling her was interesting. But due to the poorness of the characters, the promising premise suffers.
Overall: 2/5
Thoughts: “The Lady in Grey” was just a promising premise that failed due to the lackluster characters and a slow, plodding plot.

“A Drop of Something Special in the Blood” by Fred Saberhagen- This story is a fictional inspiration behind Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Criticisms:
1) Plot Progression. I don't know how else to say this other than the way the story moved forward seemed odd. When you first start reading, Stoker is visiting a doctor in Paris to find out what is wrong with him and these delusions he is having. However, when Stoker meets this doctor, the story kind of forgets that in place of this girl, the same girl Stoker is seeing in his 'dreams'. It just felt weird seeing how the one plot thread was pretty much dropped, and another taken up for the middle part, only to be replaced with the starting thread.
2) Ending. The ending was very anti-climactic and sudden. It just comes out of no where with no real build up except for Stoker having repeat visits by the girl. But I wouldn't call that build up, more like quick little character development scenes.
Praises:
1) Inspiration. While I am not a huge fan of fictional inspiration stories, this one seemed to work. It had a bit of the same feel of Dracula, except on a smaller scale. Also, you see little snippets of things that are in Dracula that are replicated, which was interesting.
2) Pace. The pacing was just right. Fast enough that the story didn't get bogged down in useless exposition and slow enough that you can appreciate and understand what is happening.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts: This story was just average. Nothing really stood out and what did only barely stood out. It's a fairly good fictional inspiration story behind Dracula but the sudden ending and odd plot shifting really just bring it back down to the mediocre level.

“For the Blood is the Life” by Peter Tremayne- This story is about a doctor being hired on to an entertainment company to make insurance checks on potential stars. After one patient dies and the body turns up missing, things start to get a little frightening for the doctor.
Criticisms:
1) Beginning. I don't know why, but the beginning of the story bothered me. For one thing, it was utterly predictable, yet that's not the reason. It could have been that the pacing was slow, but that wasn't it either. The reason the beginning was so poor is probably a combination of the two along with it just playing the story straight. Something just didn't work.
2) Predictable. While it was easy to see where the story was going to go in the beginning, as the story continued you knew exactly where it was going. As soon as the dead girl goes missing, the doctor's sister getting a check up, and the sister's past medical condition (which was never explicitly mentioned what it was until the end) were all mentioned, it was easy to connect the dots. A little mystery would have been nice.
Praises:
1) Premise. Yet another story with an interesting premise. I did like the whole idea behind why the company had to hire a doctor and some of the other things that happen late in the story. However, it become too predictable and the whole idea and premise suffered.
2) The Ending. While it was predictable, the ending still was a little creepy. It had a nice twist on the whole myth behind the story and there was some interesting imagery described. The last nine or ten pages should just have been the story in a nutshell.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts: Yet another mediocre and average story. It wasn't terrible, just really predictable.

“Long the Clouds Are Over Me Tonight” by Cecilia Dart-Thornton- This story is about Oisin, the last of the Fianna returning to Ireland from the Land of Youth called Tír na Nóg.
Criticisms:
1) Dialogue. For the most part, the dialogue was hard to understand. It was easy to comprehend what was happening, but hard to understand what was being said. This is due to a lot of references and an 'old-time-like' way to say things.
Praises:
1) Descriptions. The descriptions of the landscape were really vivid. You could easily picture some of these places in your mind, without much thought.
2) Myth. I really liked how this story actually felt like it was a myth. While some of the dialogue was hard to understand, it does fit well with the overall feel.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts: The story was pretty good. Aside from the odd dialogue, the story had a nice mythological feel to it.

“The Swan Pilot” by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.- This story is about a spaceship captain on his way to some space-station, only to be waylaid by images called interludes which can kill the pilot.
Criticisms:
1) Techno-Babble. I absolutely hate techno-babble that isn't explained. I hate it mostly due to being utterly and totally lost most of the time. This story is full of it, thus causing me to be as confused as never before.
2) Confusing. This does tie into the techno-babble problem, the story is confusing. Towards the last three pages, I just then started to understand what was happening and I have to say, it was interesting. Too bad that nothing was explained thus hurting the overall appeal of the story.
Praises:
1) Premise. Yet another story was an interesting premise. The only problem is how confusing the whole techno-babble aspect is. If there was slightly less, the story would have been more than excellent.
2) Interludes. After I figured out what was going on towards the end, I really liked the idea of the interludes. The dream-like world that a pilot sees was just plain interesting. Also, how the Irish myths and tales are included into these dream-like worlds was an interesting and fascinating way to include the folklore.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts: This is more of a biased review. I loathe techno-babble, however I can stand having a little. But here there is just so much to take in and understand what is happening that it really ruins the story. However, if you're a fan of science-fiction, this would be a fun story.

“The Isle of Women” by Jacqueline Carey- This story is about an island of women who, after a ship of seventeen men land, possess the men into falling in love with them.
Criticisms:
1) Long. This story was definitely longer than it should have been. There were times when things just dragged on.
2) Ending. The last actions of the story were a little hard to follow. In fact, I had to re-read a certain paragraph to figure out who grabs the thread. It just wasn't very clear at first.
Praises:
1) Mythological Feel. Yet another story with a mythological feel to it. I really enjoy these types of stories and this one was an enjoyable story that you could find in Greek or Roman mythology.
2) Cébha. She was a pretty interesting character. You could see the beginnings of a war within herself between her love for her Queen and her love for Diurán,
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts: Yet another average story. While I did like this a little better, it was way too long. For the most part the characters were fairly shallow, Cébha being just a little more bearable. Other than that, nothing else stood out, and it was just another average and okay story.

“The Cat With No Name” by Morgan Llywelyn- This story is about a lonely little girl who befriends a cat.
Criticisms:
None.
Praises:
1) Emotional. This story was emotionally driven, and it hit in all the right ways. It's sad, it's really sad. The relationship between the girl and the cat is just so good that you see every emotion between them. Also, the girl's family life is sad and depressing, but everything works.
2) Unpredictable. When I started reading this story I thought something was about to happen with the cat, and I was right. But not in the way something was going to happen. Instead the story went in a different, unexpected direction.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts: This was probably the best story in this whole anthology for one reason and one reason alone, it has an emotional impact. This was the only story to really elicit an emotional response from me and I just loved every second of it.

OVERALL AVERAGE ANTHOLOGY: 3/5
Final Thoughts:
Emerald Magic was a pretty good anthology. It had a wonderful mix of stories. With some being just great and others being unbearable, this is the kind of anthology you want. Different kinds of people will like different kinds of stories, and this is where Emerald Magic succeeds. It has something for everyone. However, I do have to say that a lot of the stories were just average at best. While average is still a good read, there is just too many that I found average to be worrisome. I still did find this anthology well worth a read, but I found myself frustrated with how mediocre and okay a lot of these stories were. However, I will recommend picking it up because there is something for everyone.
Stories Worth Reading:
1) “The Merrow” by Elizabeth Haydon
2) “The Cat With No Name” by Morgan Llywelyn
Stories Best Avoided:
1) “Peace in Heaven?” by Andrew M. Greeley
2) “Troubles” by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple

The Mark of Nerath by Bill Slavicsek

2010-08-12T16:44:00.002-04:00

The Mark of Nerath by Bill Slavicsek- This is the first book in a new setting of novels in the Dungeons and Dragons universe, which is conveniently called Dungeons and Dragons. This book is also a stand-alone novel. This is Bill Slavicsek's first full-length novel, but he has worked on a number of role-playing game modules and co-authored Dungeons and Dragons 4^th Edition For Dummies and Dungeon Master 4^th Edition For Dummies. The Mark of Nerath was released in August 2010 and published by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Magroth wants to escape his banishment into the Shadowfell. The once alive ruler of the kingdom of Nerath was slain by one of his personal guards, and was somehow transported into the Shadowfell. After an enticing offer from a priestess of Orcus (the demon lord of the undead), he readily agrees to the terms. After easily accomplishing the first two tasks, Magroth now has to find and kill any remaining descendants. At the same time, a group of adventures are hunting down a green dragon that is terrorizing the countryside. After encountering the dragon, three of the five people in the group are killed leaving a warrior woman named Shara and a rogue halfling named Uldane. After losing both her father and her beloved, Shara now wants to seek out and slay the dragon who did this. At the same time, an apprentice priest of Erathis (the goddess of civilization) named Falon is attacked by a group of undead, only to be saved by an old dwarf named Darrum. After the dwarf discovers who Falon is, and after Falon's mother tells him who he is as well, they set off to keep Falon hidden. At the same time, a corpse awakens in a graveyard being compelled to action by the Raven Queen (the goddess of death). The revenant named Erak sets off to finish an unknown goal. Finally, a young eladrin wizard named Albanon, after a night of hearing of dragonborn named Roghar and tiefling named Tempest's adventures, returns home to find his teacher slain. He quickly leaves to find the killer and the two adventurers tag along to help him. What do all these people have to do with one another? Does Magroth find and kill his descendant? Does Shara and Uldane get revenge on the dragon? Who is Falon and why does he need Darrum's protection? What does the Raven Queen want Erak to accomplish? Does Albanon avenge his masters death with the help of Roghar and Tempest? Can this be anymore confusing?

Criticisms:
1) Characters. The main problem this story is its characters and there are a few reasons why the characters are the story's biggest weakness. The first thing, as you probably can see from my plot summary above, is that there are way too many characters. The story follows about thirteen characters; Magroth, Erak, Kalaban, Falon, Darrum, Roghar, Tempest, Nu Alin, Albanon, Shara, Uldane, Splendid, Tiktag, and Vestapalk. Thirteen characters, and not one of them could be considered the main focus. Sure Magroth and Falon may have headlined the most chapters out of the group, but I still refuse to call them the main focus. Why would I say that? There are thirteen characters! And because there are thirteen characters, no one is developed enough to be considered as the main character(s). Each character has one personality trait. Just one. Magroth is insane. Erak is the stoic character. Kalaban is Magroth's sidekick. Falon is naïve. Darrum is loyal. Roghar is something and honestly I really don't know what he is. Tempest is levelheaded. Nu Alin is pure evil. Albanon is also naïve. Uldane is energetic and carefree. Splendid is annoying. Tiktag is just a follower. Vestapalk is full of himself and a little crazy. However, Shara may be the only deep character, due to losing both her father and beloved. You actually see her try to hide her pain but that is soon forgotten and not further explored after you hit the halfway point in the story. None of these characters are really that deep or even likeable. They are all horrible in some way, shape, or form. It doesn't help that you can easily forget who is who. The characters are just terrible and what causes this story too really fail.
2) Dungeons and Dragons Session. The other main problem with this story is that it reads like someone's notes on last nights Dungeons and Dragons adventure. When you have lines that sound like someone right out of a game session, you have problems. As soon as I heard Uldane say, “Lucky for you I spotted it on the path back there. I do have excellent perception, you know.” I knew that something was extremely wrong. That was on the second page. Then upon further reading, I ran across other such wording and sentences that just screamed that it came directly out of a gaming session. When things like this came up, it just took me right out of the story and it should have never been worded in those ways.
3) Choppy. The dialogue is just awful. It does not flow naturally. It also does not accompany what is happening. For example, when someone is in a fight someone else will say a smart remark that doesn't even pertain to what is happening in the story. It doesn't help that this is how the majority of the dialogue is handled either. It read sloppy and just didn't match up at all.
4) Reiteration. The final major issue with the story is the amount or reiterating everything that happens. This bugged me like nothing else. For one thing, the chapters are only between a few paragraphs to five pages in length so what's the point of saying Nu Alin over and over during a chapter? Also, because the chapters are so short, only a chapter or two may pass between a certain character's parts, and reintroducing them quickly became annoying and bothersome. It made me feel like the author thought that the reader was stupid and had to be reminded of who this person was or what this is. It was insulting half the time.

Praises:
1) Funny. There was two funny moments. That's it. Just two.

Side Notes:
1) Erak. Even though I hated the character for his lack of personality, I really liked the idea behind him. To bad he wasn't utilized very well.
2) The Gates of Madness. This story comes with the second installment of a five-part novella called The Gates of Madness by James Wyatt that has to do with something called The Abyssal Plague. The first part is found in the paperback version of R. A. Salvatore's The Ghost King. It's billed as a worlds-spanning event. Anyways, the short little story is really interesting, except I have no idea what is happening. I didn't pick up the first part so I am a little lost. However, I will say that in these ten or so pages, there was more cohesion and character development than in the entire story of The Mark of Nerath.
3) Cover Art. It's interesting and does catch your eye. There are problems however. It's a little too busy with Magroth and Falon fighting, Erak jumping behind Magroth, Shara and Darrum destroying skeletons. It's just busy.

Overall: 1/5
Final Thoughts:
The Mark of Nerath is terrible, frustrating, annoying, and disappointing. The only thing that is good about the book is the inclusion of The Gates of Madness and the two funny parts. Everything else is just awful. The characters are one-dimensional and have little to no personalities. The plot is a mess and boring. The pacing and flow is chopping and confusing. Nothing works. If the goal of this new setting is to be a written version of someone's Dungeon and Dragons campaign, then this idea itself should be scrapped. There is nothing original or interesting happening. There were some neat ideas, but they weren't explored. I just hope the next book in this setting is leaps and bounds better. As for a recommendation, what do you think? No. Do not pick up this book. Only pick it up to read the short story but do not buy this. It's not worth the purchase.

I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire by P. N. Elrod

2010-08-06T16:00:00.001-04:00

I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire by P. N. Elrod- This is the seventh novel that was released for the Ravenloft campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. This is also the firstI, Strahd novel with the second novel called I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin. P. N. Elrod has written over 24 full-length novels and numerous short stories. Most of her stories focus on vampire mysteries. Her works include; The Vampire Files series (Bloodlist, Lifeblood, Bloodcircle, Art in the Blood, Fire in the Blood, Blood on the Water,Chill in the Blood, Dark Sleep, Lady Crymsyn, Cold Streets, Song in the Dark, and Dark Road Rising), Jonathan Barrett: Gentleman Vampire series (Red Death, Death and the Maiden, Death Masque, and Dance of Death), Quincey Morris: Vampire, The Adventures of Myhr, and co-authoring a trilogy with Nigel Bennett called Lord Richard, Vampire(Keeper of the King, His Father's Son, and Siege Perilous). I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire was originally released in 1993 and published by TSR. However, the Ravenloft novel line was discontinued in the late 1990's, and was brought back under the new title of Ravenloft Covenant in the mid 2000's and I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire was re-released in 2006 and published by Wizards of the Coast. However, it's still hard to find and you'll more than likely need to find it used.

Strahd Von Zarovich's life has been full of missed chances and opportunities that were replaced with military campaigns. After defeating the ruler of the country of Barovia, Strahd becomes the new ruler. But before the ceremony to make him the lands ruler, his second in command, Alek Gwilym, learns of an assassination plot to take Strahd's life under the orders of the assassin organization called Ba'al Verzi. However, they find and kill the traitor. With that taken care of, Strahd begins his rule. He visits the towns and villages of Barovia and begins the repairs to his new castle that he now calls Castle Ravenloft. Hearing the good news, Strahd's younger brother, Sergei, comes to live with Strahd. However, Sergei falls in love with a village girl named Tatyana, who Strahd also falls in love with. As Sergei and Tatyana's wedding day looms closer and closer, Strahd becomes even more desperate. But is Strahd desperate enough to do unspeakable things and live with their consequences?

Criticisms:
1) Beginning. The beginning was a little slow-paced and more than a little boring. It seemed like nothing happened, even though things were. It could have been that the story was being told in a very unique first person perspective. Thankfully, by the third chapter, things start to pick up. It's not a huge issue and it probably was just me getting used to the perspective.

Praises:
1) Strahd. While an obviously evil character in the first Ravenloft novel, Vampire of the Mists by Christie Golden, it's wonderful to see another side of Strahd. He becomes a very sympathetic and likeable character and person. He comes off as almost caring for the people of Barovia, but at the same time comes across as almost cold and indifferent to them as well. It was also surprising to see that Strahd is a very honor-bond character and not some ruthless, heartless killer. I was just pleasantly surprised by how deep of a character he is.
2) Middle. For those of you that have read Vampire of the Mists, what happens here is really no surprise. But if you haven't, you see what happens to Strahd and you almost feel sorry for him. Almost. At the risk of spoiling what happens, Strahd, using dark magic, turns into a vampire and just destroys these men that killed off the wedding party guests. From this point on, the story was very hard to put down.
3) Journal Entry. I really did like how the story was told. It had this different feel and felt a little more insightful than a third person perspective. Another bonus to the journal entry, first person perspective is that you aren't really sure if what happened really happened that way. You may start to think that what Strahd is saying isn't what really is happening. It was just interesting and it really made me think.

Side Notes:
1) Timeline. When I was reading this, I couldn't help but think when the events of Vampire of the Mists falls, if this happened after the last entry or sometime during.
2) Imagery. The way that things are described almost shouted out things to come. With having the reds almost always described as being blood-colored, they just jumped out and got my attention. It was a wonderful way to foreshadow upcoming events.
3) Cover Art. The release I have is the picture that I included at the top. It has that 90's cheesy factor to it. Strahd standing there does look silly, but it is a pretty good pose. The floating, mist-like people behind him is an interesting touch, but I'm not really sure what they represent other than the mists. Then the back ground itself is really plain and kind of boring. Also, I'm not going to comment much on the newer version, except for this little thought: it doesn't seem to fit the story.

Overall: 5/5
Final Thoughts:
I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire is a wonderful book. Strahd is just a wonderful character. Everything is just wonderful in this book. The only problem is that it felt a little slow at first, but I'm willing to say that was due to the perspective and I just needed time to adjust. After you do get used to it, it becomes a fast paced and exciting read. Like I said, Strahd is just wonderful. While I thought he would be a heartless and ruthless person, he surprised me by who deep and almost caring he really is. All I can really say is you should definitely try to find a copy and read it.