| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Dennis |
Posted - 08 Oct 2011 : 17:40:42
Unclean is the first book in The Haunted Lands Trilogy by Richard Lee Byers. It has four interwoven stories: a war mage who is out to simply make a living but ends up embroiled in his masters' dangerous games; a bard who returns from years of adventuring to finally wed his beloved, only to find her (literally) in the hands of necromancers; a lich who cunningly manipulates foes and friends alike and plunges his realm into war to gain sole sovereignty; and a “princess” who does all in her power, intellect, and resources to thwart his former master, the lich Szass Tam.
The prologue alone deeply captivates me. It is very unexpected, but done with finesse and plausibility. The story is relentlessly absorbing. It's teeming with political intrigues that baffle, amuse, and keep the reader guessing; with sensible swordplay and magical battles that dazzle the eyes and (at times) move the heart; and with philosophical lessons that are subtly delivered.
The sheer power of Byers's writing grips the reader like a vise that it's nearly impossible to put the book down even for a second.
This is the very first time that the Zulkirs, the most powerful wizards in Thay, are given ample 'screen time.' Their personalities are such a joy to behold. I like the bitter and humurous Lallara, the Zulkir of Abjuration. Below is a scene that puts a smile on my face:
quote:
"People won't like that," Lallara said. "We Thayans put the dead to use in a way that less sophisticated peoples don't, but that doesn't mean the average person likes the things or wants to see his sweet old granny shuffling around as a zombie." She gave the lich a mocking smile. "No offense." (p.104)
Despite the gravity of the theme, the reader can still find time to grin. Aoth and Brightwing's banter occasionally lightens the mood. I've noted some:
quote:
"If I do catch an arrow in the guts," said Brightwing, discerning the essence of his thoughts, "you'll know when we both plummet to our deaths."
"Put your mind at ease," Aoth replied. "I have a spell of slow falling ready for the casting. Whatever awfulness happens to you, your beloved master will fare all right."
Brightwing laughed. (p. 287)
As the griffon sprang into the air, she asked, "Are you worried about the priestess for any special reason?"
Aoth sighed. "I suppose not."
"Then that makes it all the more pathetic." (p. 290)
One can say this is a “dark” novel. The setting, the mood, and the atmosphere reflect a certain kind of bleakness. Though it's more or less balanced by the heroes' and their allies' seemingly chivalrous deeds. Milsantos, the Tharchion (governor) of Pyarados, has something to say about that:
quote:
"Then we draw it out," Milsantos said, "using ourselves as bait. You and I descend from these battlements, forsaking the wards the mages cast to protect us. We mount our horses, and with a relatively small band of followers, break through the ranks of the enemy. Then we charge toward the central keep as though in a final desperate, defiant attempt to challenge the power that holds it." He smiled crookedly. "You know, chivalry. The kind of idiocy that loses battles and gets warriors killed." (p. 296)
There are deaths in this book that somewhat seem difficult to believe. I understand the context and the necessity. One of the major players would not be able to further his goals unless those deaths happen. Yet the author leaves a lot of yawning holes that may slightly rankle the reader.
Also, I think Tammith and Bareris are given too much exposure. I can see that Byers tries to zoom into the common folk to emphasize that such people suffer the worst in wars. Moreover, the fate of the lovers is in synchrony with the book's general theme. However, I believe half of the pages allotted to them should have been given to the zulkirs and their minions instead.
Other than those two points, everything else is quite remarkable. The reader shall see how a brilliant mind (Szass Tam's) truly works, and how it rationalizes in the most selfish of ways.
The ending promises more wars and carnage to come... and hints at greater things to befall the heroes and villains alike. So be sure you have the sequel, Undead, before you read this. Otherwise, you'll grow very restless with wanting to find out what happens next.
Rating: 8/10. Highly Recommended! |
| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Dennis |
Posted - 11 Oct 2011 : 04:52:49
Aoth is probably the coolest spellscarred around. Raidon Kane is interesting, but he has no griffon. And he's no wizard. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 09 Oct 2011 : 17:43:14
I loved the writing in the series, especially what he did with Aoth. In later writings, they're definitely making him a "warmage" class, but the traditional history of the griffon riders were that they were red wizards mounted on griffons. As a result, I built the below prestige class at one point. Ironically, I was able to find it on google by searching candlekeep. Obviously, the griffon riders changed a bit, since there are nearly as many or more fighter types on the griffons as mages in the story, but I just chalk that up to inaccuracies in lore (after all Halruaa's supposed to have an archmage in every cabbage patch).
Thayan Griffon Legionnaire
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Skills: ride 5 ranks, concentration 10 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks, spellcraft 8 ranks, spot 3 ranks
Feats: mounted combat, improved familiar, craft magic arms & armor
Spells: Able to cast 3rd lvl arcane spells
Special: You must qualify to take regional feats for the country of Thay. You must swear allegiance to the Tharchion of Pyarados in order to enter the class, but will not lose the benefits of the class if this allegiance is later broken.
BAB Fort Ref Will Spells Per day Special Abilities
1st lvl +1 +2 +0 +2 +1 level arcane armored mage, mounted caster, griffon mount
2nd lvl +2 +3 +0 +3 somatic weaponry feat, mount natural attack (+1 enh), mount advancement
3rd lvl +3 +3 +1 +3 +1 level arcane mount nat. att(surestriking) , see through griffon eyes
4th lvl +4 +4 +1 +4 improved mounted combat, mount natural attack (defending & +2 enhancement)
5th lvl +5 +4 +1 +4 +1 level arcane mount nat att(defensive surge)
6th lvl +6 +5 +2 +5 familiar mount, mount nat att(spell storing & +3 enhancement)
Weapon & Armor Proficiency: Due to spending so much time aloft in the cold air wafting off the Sunrise Mountains, the Thayan Griffon Legionnaire gains proficiency with padded armor and light shields. Thayan Griffon Legionnaire's are proficient with the lance.
armored mage: The Thayan Griffon Legionnaire is able to avoid arcane spell failure when using light armor and/or light shields with which he is proficient. This does not extend to medium or heavier armors, though this can be improved through use of the battle caster feat from complete Arcane.
mounted caster: Thayan Griffon Legionnaire's have spent so much time casting while mounted that they may take 10 on concentration checks made as a result of casting while on a moving mount.
Griffon Mount: The character gains a standard griffon mount exactly as presented in the monster manual. When riding this mount, you gain a ride bonus equal to the class level in Thayan Griffon Legionnaire. Should this mount die, he may receive another after requesting one from the Tharchion of Pyarados (currently Nymia Focar) and performing a service which the Tharchion feels warrants the rewarding of a replacement griffon. NOTE: a replacement griffon does not possess the mount advancement or mount natural attack advancement provided by this class until after the Thayan Griffon Legionnaire performs a ritual costing 5000 gp to transfer the magical energies from his previous mount's body to his new mount. If he does not possess the body of the previous mount, this ritual costs 10000 gp to create a link to his previous mounts spirit.
somatic weaponry feat: The Thayan Griffon Legionnaire gains the somatic weaponry feat (see complete mage for details).
mount advancement: At each class level of Thayan Griffon Legionnaire from 2nd to 6th, the Thayan Griffon Legionnaire's griffon gains 6 additional hit points as a result of advanced training and alchemical brews provided by his master to bolster its fortitude.
mount natural attack: At each class level of Thayan Griffon Legionnaire from 2nd to 6th, his mount's natural attacks are magically enhanced. At 2nd level, his mount's natural attacks are treated as though they have a +1 enhancement bonus to attack, damage, and ability to overcome DR. This bonus increases to +2 at 4th lvl and +3 at 6th lvl. In addition, at 3rd level, his mounts natural attacks are treated as though they have the sure striking weapon ability (see PGtF for details). At 4th lvl, his mounts natural attacks are treated as though they have the defending weapon ability applied to them. At 5th lvl, his mount is treated as having the defensive surge weapon ability from the DMG II. At 6th lvl, the griffon's bite attack is treated as having the spell storing weapon ability from the DMG.
see through griffon eyes: When in physical contact with his griffon, as a standard action, the Thayan Griffon Legionnaire can see through his griffon mount's eyes, allowing himself to see with both darkvision and low-light vision, as well as using his mount's spot check rather than his own.
improved mounted combat: The Thayan Griffon Legionnaire may attempt to block 2 attacks per round with his mounted combat feat.
familiar mount: The Thayan Griffon Legionnaire releases his previous familiar and instead forms a bond with his griffon mount. The griffon maintains its current hit point total (unless it would be greater due to being a familiar), but in all other respects is treated as a familiar according to the improved familiar feat. The Thayan Griffon Legionnaire class levels stack with the levels of the previous class which provided the ability to possess a familiar to determine familiar abilities.
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