| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 28 Feb 2006 : 20:01:54
Well met
This is a Book Club thread for Vanity's Brood (Book 3 of House of Serpents), by Lisa Smedman. Please discuss Chapters 11 - 13 herein: |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Red Walker |
Posted - 02 Jul 2008 : 00:56:03
quote:
Originally posted by Ozzalum
I knew next to nothing about psionics when I read these books and it was pretty clear I was not alone. Even the ageless demons don't know how that crazy stuff works.
That could explain it! |
| Ozzalum |
Posted - 01 Jul 2008 : 02:54:17
I knew next to nothing about psionics when I read these books and it was pretty clear I was not alone. Even the ageless demons don't know how that crazy stuff works. |
| The Red Walker |
Posted - 30 Jun 2008 : 21:47:24
Enjoyed this book and the trilogy overall.
Only issue I had was trivial, but Arvin Studied with Tanju for what 6 months? Then next thing ya know, he is fate linking Demons and abominations, not to mention superior psions left and right. Other than that, the use of psionics was clever and original. I just wish he had used his roguish skilld a bit more in latter books rather than a fate link every chapter |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 12 Aug 2007 : 04:10:09
quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
The fact that the couatl told Arvin that he deserved the honor of destroying the Circled Serpent almost made my jaw hit the floor. "You lied to me and my organization, put all of Faerun in danger, and ignored my advice . . . surely you have earned this honor."
Ha!
quote:
Not only that, but even in the end, Arvin can't just go to Gonthril and ask for help, he has to lie to make the danger seem more imminent, and again, there isn't really a point at which he is found out. I'm not saying I wanted to see Arvin fail, or to see him die or the like, but at least seeing the K'aaxlaat or the Secession upset and distrustful of him might have felt a little more genuine.
Well, I have to admit I didn't care much for the Secession, myself. They struck me as being "users" just like Arvin, and that priest of Hoar (from the first book) was a jerk. One thing I didn't like about this series was how Arvin thinks to himself, at one point, "Am I lacking in human passion because I didn't throw myself into the worship of Hoar just like the priest (forgot his name) wanted me to?" Ummmm, no, no, NO! I'd say Arvin was just being smart for not letting some priest take advantage of his situation as a way to push his religion on him. As a non-religious person I didn't like where the book was going with that.
quote:
I really liked the planning and confrontation with Zelia, but even though I thought the pacing was really strong through the whole book, the last few chapters lost the excellent pace that the book had for most of the story for me. While Zelia was the more compelling villain, it felt strange to go from saving Faerun and defeating the plans of a god, to finishing off an information broker and spy.
I liked the Zelia stuff because it represented a personal problem, and I like personal stories. As far as Arvin getting away with his antics...well, like I said I still think Zelia's still out there, and Arvin is still her target. ;) The "happily ever after" ending is too hard for me to believe. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 11 Aug 2007 : 04:51:28
Finally finished the book. Some thoughts:
I really liked getting a chance to see yuan-ti politics and manipulations. While I loved Serpent Kingdoms, part of me really wanted to see some of what was said "in action," and these novels delivered on that.
Zelia was a good villain, and while she came across and competent and deadly, she didn't quite see perfect. Just good enough that you knew she wouldn't go down easily and always had something else in the works. I also liked that she was working for the followers of Set, although this implies a bit broader knowledge of Set's masquerade than I would have originally assumed.
Really liked getting to see the Chultan region again in the novels, and I liked Pakal and the fact that we got a fairly important wild dwarf supporting character. I also liked the K'aaxlaat, as I love little regional organizations. It was also interesting to see a broader base of Ubtao worship than Mezro as well.
I did like the fact that Arvin had to plan out his attack vector on Zelia as well, instead of just charging in and attacking her. It reinforced the level of danger she presented in the rest of the series.
That having been said, Arvin's luck and forgiven double dealing continues in the section as well. I really do like Arvin, and I don't question most of what he does, but as I said in the earlier threads, its how things work out for him that nags a bit at me.
For example, the couatl tells Arvin that he can use the Circled Serpent to enter Smaragh, but implores him to resist the urge to see to Karell first and make sure Sibyl doesn't free Sseth. Of course he doesn't, goes straight to Karell, but it just so happens that Sibyl decides to forget about her god for a few minutes, even after starting to rouse him, so she can stalk Arvin, so that when she is finally defeated, the fact that Arvin ignored the safety of Fearun doesn't even have to be a factor.
The fact that the couatl told Arvin that he deserved the honor of destroying the Circled Serpent almost made my jaw hit the floor. "You lied to me and my organization, put all of Faerun in danger, and ignored my advice . . . surely you have earned this honor."
Not only that, but even in the end, Arvin can't just go to Gonthril and ask for help, he has to lie to make the danger seem more imminent, and again, there isn't really a point at which he is found out. I'm not saying I wanted to see Arvin fail, or to see him die or the like, but at least seeing the K'aaxlaat or the Secession upset and distrustful of him might have felt a little more genuine.
I really liked the planning and confrontation with Zelia, but even though I thought the pacing was really strong through the whole book, the last few chapters lost the excellent pace that the book had for most of the story for me. While Zelia was the more compelling villain, it felt strange to go from saving Faerun and defeating the plans of a god, to finishing off an information broker and spy. And the fact that the Secession hadn't made an appearance or even been mentioned for a while in this series made if feel like an afterthought to bring them back into the end of the story.
Overall, I really did like the book. Very interesting new characters, great use of a lot of unseen (in novels) Realmslore, and a fun well paces story. But the problems I had with the main character and his favorable relation with fate did start to nag at me a bit, and the pacing faltered at the very end. In the end, I've no regrets about reading these, and overall very well written in my opinion. |
| shuman |
Posted - 05 Mar 2007 : 03:13:27
Just curious in game terms if Arvin would be a Telepath or Seer? Comments? Thanks. |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 24 Jan 2007 : 22:21:27
quote:
Originally posted by darkcrow
I just finished the book and I'm very pleased. I love how it all ends with Arvin having Zelia kill herself.
Did he?
I just finished the trilogy, and while there is something to be said for taking the story at it's word (usually), how do we know for sure the real Zelia isn't still alive, and the Zelias that Arvin killed were not both copies of her? Truth is, there are plenty of times in this series where all is not as it seems, and Zelia was such a clever villain that I would not reject the possiblity that the true Zelia is still alive and will lie low for a while to trick Arvin into thinking she's gone, then strike when it's least expected. If Manshoon can clone himself like mad, why couldn't Zelia? She certainly showed an interest in doing such. And truth be told...I liked her as a character, even though I would agree that she deserved to die.
Overall, this was a great series. Vanity's Brood was as fast-paced as the other two books, and it piqued my interest in psionics. The psionic battles (and simple uses) were some of the most interesting and original combat and spell use scenes I've read in any book. And of course, I liked and cared about the characters--it definitely takes talent to make me "pull" for characters and see them as real people who have a lot at stake. |
| Lameth |
Posted - 27 Apr 2006 : 06:37:29
Arvin falls from the sky in Smaragd and learly died on the impact. A little time later Sibyl casted two lightning bolts into Arvin...and still he was alive.
This part of the story was boring to me, Arvin looked like a übercharacter at this time.....
The fights with Sibyl and Zelia were good. To kill powerful NPCs you must have very good waterproof plans :-)
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| Beezy |
Posted - 15 Mar 2006 : 04:26:44
I also liked all the plot twist throughout the novel. It was hard to guess how it was going to turn out even in the short term. |
| darkcrow |
Posted - 15 Mar 2006 : 04:21:28
I just finished the book and I'm very pleased. I love how it all ends with Arvin having Zelia kill herself. And when she sees both Arvins she thought he split himself. Finally we find out what Zelia was up to all along. She was in league with Set. A very nice twist. Arvin's plan was very cleaver. I can't wait till Lisa's next Trilogy. And to your question about the Ossra: mere humans can't withstand the poison and die from the affects. Arvin didn't die. I did effect him strongly though. It was Arvin's first time with Ossra and like any drug, a person's first time of use has it's strongest affect. |
| Beezy |
Posted - 11 Mar 2006 : 21:59:15
Maybe his father was a half blood himself, making Arvin less tolerant of Ossra? Just a thought, I don't know if it ever said his fatehr was full blood or part blood. |
| Ramar |
Posted - 11 Mar 2006 : 20:17:31
Sibyl is a unique half-fiend/abomination yuanti 5L Ftr/6L Sorc. She is fully statted out in Serpent KIngdoms.
I absolutely loved the triology. I thought that the picture of yuanti life that Lisa created was so vibrant and full. Looking forward to reading more of her work in the future.
*********Spoiler************************************
Question: if Arvin really has the snake blood feat [since his father was a yuanti], why did he suffer the ill effects of the ossra in book 2 when he barged his way into see Dmetrio? Doesn't the feat make him a scaled one; which would mean that he would benefit from the ossra and not be poisoned? |
| Beezy |
Posted - 10 Mar 2006 : 06:09:40
I really enjoyed the trilogy. Arvin was a well developed character and had some toys and powers that are not very common. Arvin was the first character I have read about using psionics on such a large scale and I enjoyed reading more about it. I don't have any sourcebooks or play D&D so this was the most exposure I have had to psions. Also I always enjoy stories with magic items and weapons. I thought Arvin's glove was interesting and extremely useful and he could make some very useful rope as well. I also enjoyed other characters throughout the series such as Karrell and Darris. One of my favorite parts of the novel involved Darris and the wine cart.
The villians in the trilogy also stood out very well. Zelia and Sibyl both were extremely powerful and clever. I had been looking forward to the confrontations with both of them to see if or how Arvin would come out of it. Arvin's use of the fate link was brilliant in dealing with his foes. When facing two powerful foes at once why not turn them on each other and use a fate link? Was Sibyl a half yuan-ti and half demon? The maralith said she was half demon and I am assuming she is half yaun-ti as well since she worshipped Sseth.
I liked how some of the characters in the novel you could never tell what side they would ultimately end up on because each group or individual had their own goals and objectives. Even Arvin was unsure of what he would do until he was forced to choose.
Thats a few of my thoughts, I just finished the novel a little bit ago. I will probally have more later after I have had some sleep
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