| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Simon Says |
Posted - 06 Feb 2004 : 00:19:52
Note: I am no longer going to grade my critiques. Rather, I’ll tell people what I liked and what I did not like. I’ll express my thoughts on the story’s believability, character motivations, and overall storytelling. Most of my critiques are for people who’ve already read the book; I leave it to them to assign a grade if they feel it necessary.
Spoilers abound!
This is my critique of Thomas M. Reid’s “The Sapphire Crescent”, first in the "Scions of Arrabar" trilogy, a story about a noble family in the city of Arrabar, and of their trials, tribulations, and triumphs.
I’m going to begin with the bad. Not because I generally like starting that way---it is far more effective to “sandwich” a negative comment between two positive ones---but because this is how the book begins.
I’ll get this out of the way without tap dancing. “The Sapphire Crescent” had, in my view, one of the vaguest prologues I’ve ever had the opportunity of reading. After purchasing the novel at the local bookstore---Mr. Reid’s “Insurrection” having spurred me to seek his work quickly---I settled in for a before-bedtime read. After struggling through said prologue, I very nearly threw the book in the trash. Understand I am a thrifty person; waste is not my way. But this was simply *bad*.
I’ll tell you how, you querulous lot! Be still! But I must first outline the gist of what the author was trying to do. The story’s leadoff concept was brilliant, and I can see how Mr. Reid sold it:
A noblewoman is faced with a grave decision when she discovers her young nephew has somehow accidentally killed a powerful lord while playing with his crossbow. The young lad, Vambran, is wracked with guilt and fear; not only has he just killed a man, he has undoubtedly brought the ruination of his family’s noble house. The noblewoman, Xaphira, makes a conscious and monumental choice: she takes the crossbow, disguises herself, and “flees the scene”, thereby becoming the dead noble’s murderer. Xaphira is wounded by a crossbow bolt in her escape, but manages to board a ship bound far from Arrabar. Xaphira, we are made to understand, will not be seen again for some time, if ever again. Through Xaphira’s sacrifice, Vambran’s survival---and her house’s survival---is ensured.
That’s great stuff. But now comes the proof of the pudding. Can the author pull this story off?
If it were judged by the prologue, the swift answer would be a resounding “no”. And I’ll admit, most of my dislike is simple preference---the author and myself likely disagree on how to introduce characters. One way may or may not be technically wrong. In fact, technically, Mr. Reid is as competent as they come. Most F.R. authors are grammatically sound ... but the ability to properly use "countenance" does not a storyteller make.
Here’s the crux of it: we are made to look upon Xaphira as an extremely sympathetic figure. She’s making the ultimate sacrifice, giving up her life so that her family may survive.
Unfortunately we never really meet Xaphira. We don’t know her. She was here---and then she is gone.
The first part of the prologue begins with Xaphira knee-deep in trouble, blood pouring down her leg, crossbow bolt quivering in her thigh, hoping against all hope she can make her escape. There's no description here, we don’t see her---don’t really know who she is or what she does at this point---and for now that’s fine. It’s dark out, after all, and everything is moving fast. This part of the prologue ends with the requisite, “...thinking back to the beginning of the evening...”
And so we know, obviously, our explanation is coming. O’ author! We implore! Show us this woman and tell us how such carnage began!
The explanation comes ... but the “showing” does not. We were given the bang-bang Hollywood beginning; pacing dictates we slow the bus down a bit now, roll back the hours, throw out some ambiance, a picture of the calm before the storm. We do not get that. Mr. Reid immediately hits us with “Aunt Xaphira, I think I killed someone.” Again, not wholly bad, and it serves to keep a frenetic pace. Still, we expect to read about Xaphira somewhat, right? About the family? Where she is? Show us these people! Who are these people!?
It never comes. I was dumbfounded. A few small obligatory sentences were paid, seeming lip service, to the surroundings and to characters: a mention of the fact that Xaphira is standing on a porch, and that there is a party going on inside the house.
But who is she?
We don’t know her age until page 7, mentioned by way of mathematics (Vambran is twelve, and she’s fourteen years his elder). We don’t know what she’s wearing until bits and pieces come to us haphazardly. She wears boots-—-page 4; her hair is in ringlets and she wears a breastplate-—-page 9; her “uniform” (what?) has a sash-—-page 11. And that’s it! There is no other physical description to be found. Xaphira is long gone before I can even hazard a guess at her height, weight, body, eye color, hair color ... nothing.
Now I understand, this may just be a tool for a writer who likes his characters to be anonymous. I know people---readers---who want as little physical description as possible so they can “imagine the characters” in their heads (sometimes even placing themselves in the place of the protagonist). But if this is the case, it is poorly done. There’s simply nothing to even begin with. Nothing!
Worse, we know nothing about her family. It’s briefly mentioned that they have had “troubles”, and she “feared they would not survive another setback”, but nothing more revealing than that. Also, suddenly, Xaphira is a “mercenary captain”. This is not explained by way of back-story. It’s just tossed out thusly:
“How?” the mercenary officer said, clenching her jaw and fighting to keep her voice low...
I had to re-read. Mercenary officer? Where??
Oh! Xaphira IS the mercenary officer!
This is something I have noticed about nearly all Forgotten Realms authors (so listen up, curse ye!). It’s as if they tire of calling characters by their actual names and resort to positions and character classes (“The fighter strode forth”). And this is fine when used on occasion, helping to remind the reader exactly what kind of character they’re dealing with. However, if you are going to call a character by some form of title, you’d be best served by mentioning they have the title in the first place. Or at the very least near the beginning! You just can’t substitute “mercenary officer” for “Xaphira” when we have NO idea she is a mercenary officer to begin with. We still have NO idea what she looks like, and NO idea how old she is! Remember, we’re talking about “Aunt Xaphira”. For all we know she could be akin to “Aunt May”.
If it seems like I’m just hammering away at this, you may be right, but please, please understand---all of these complaints, ALL of them, could have been fixed with one simple descriptive paragraph, and one simple back-story paragraph. I’m not talking about a Tolkienesque ramble through the garden, or an in-depth view of the age of the wood that was used to make the porch. And I’m not talking about a dull-gray “She had auburn hair and blue eyes that blah blah blah” description. Work it into her actions or something! Just a sentence or three. Even the back-story paragraph wouldn’t have been that hard, for example:
By the good graces of Waukeen, the Mattrels were long known for their influence on Arrabar’s mercenary trade, though Xaphira knew this hold was tenuous.
Or something. Add whatever else, but stuff like this is nowhere to be found. Is there anyone else out there that sees this kind of information as necessary? Am I just living on a different planet?
Other prologue quips: Vambran speaking with a semicolon---poets and windbags do that, not frightened kids. Also, the introduction of Dregaul: too-obviously cast in the role of antagonist. Yes, his role as a bad-guy is diverted at the end, so he’s not the madman he seems, but by and large he is *still* an antagonist. Dregaul is peevish from the word go, and already on young Vambran’s case. The fact that Dregaul snarled out a “Pray your victim still lives” to Vambran---even before knowing the “hurt” victim was anywhere close to dying---was simply lazy editing, or a shoddy attempt at placing Dregaul in a bad light as fast as humanly possible. Come on, Dregaul hears “There’s been an accident, someone’s hurt” and immediately thinks a twelve-year old boy might be guilty of manslaughter? What the hell in Vambran’s past led Dregaul to believe he was capable of such carnage? Badly played.
I could go on and on about the prologue but I won’t, because it took away from what amounted to a good story. It really did. Thankfully I pressed on, hoping that I would learn more about the mysteriously there-and-gone Xaphira. I wanted to care about her and the sacrifice she’d made, but I really couldn’t.
On to the good (on the reply):
|
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| koz |
Posted - 06 Feb 2007 : 06:27:12
I really enjoyed this novel. The mystery and intrigue was top notch. I agree that having less combat than normal made the novel more interesting. It left more room for defining the characters and left much to the reader's imagination. The combat itself was really well written and added little details to a very well written story. It ranks up there in my top 10 realms novels ever. Thank you Mr. Reid for a great read. |
| quajack |
Posted - 18 Dec 2006 : 17:14:24
Thanks for the answer, Thomas, and thanks for being so accessible. Know that I'll be purchasing the Gossamer Plain the week it's released. |
| Thomas M. Reid |
Posted - 15 Dec 2006 : 18:20:14
quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
That having been said, it was a very interesting and engrossing mystery, at least for my money, so I think you did an excellent job.
Thanks for the kind words, JR. I hope you like the next two just as much. 
Thomas |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 15 Dec 2006 : 00:36:45
That having been said, it was a very interesting and engrossing mystery, at least for my money, so I think you did an excellent job. Just finished the first book a few weeks ago, and it really held my interest. Looking forward to getting a bit more reading time after the hollidays to finish up the trilogy. |
| Thomas M. Reid |
Posted - 15 Dec 2006 : 00:10:15
quote:
Originally posted by quajack
Why did Xaphira leave Arrabar after Vambran shot Roldolpho in the prologue? She donned a mask, no one knew it was her or that her family was involved.
This question gets posed to me from time to time, so I've come to realize that my reasoning was a bit too subtle in the prose, and that I made one mistake. So here goes (SPOILERS BELOW!):
Essentially, when Xaphira initially flees the scene to draw attention away from Vambran, she doesn't know she won't be able to come back -- if she can disappear into the night, she can slip back to the Matrell estate unseen. But once she is shot, and it turns out to be one of Vambran's own crossbow bolts, she deduces that someone else actually shot the victim and is trying to frame Vambran for it. Knowing that, she also deduces that the shooter knows who she is, too. At that point, she knows remaining in Arrabar puts the family in danger, so she has to disappear and figure out who the actual killer is without revealing herself -- thus, she vanishes. Of course, the reader doesn't learn all that until the end, but I knew it going in. I probably should have made that part of it clearer.
My error was in presenting her departure from the palace grounds as a sure, permanent thing. They should have been worried about her getting out alive, but hoping that she would see them later that night or the next morning. She didn't make the decision to vanish for several years until she had already gotten away from them all. The problem was, I was writing with the foreknowledge that she would vanish, and I slipped up and made the parting of ways more definite than it should have been. There would still have been plenty of angst -- "be careful, Xaphira. Get back to the house. Come back to us alive." -- but it came out more "final" because I got caught up in what I knew vs. what the reader knew. That is the danger of writing a mystery -- sometimes you forget what the reader knows and doesn't know.
Thomas |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 11 Dec 2006 : 23:55:34
Well, you could always post the question to him here:
http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1894&whichpage=9 |
| quajack |
Posted - 11 Dec 2006 : 17:14:43
Where's Thomas M. Reid when you need him? I really want my question answered. I do not want it dropping to page 17 in the archives where no one will ever see it again. Why did Xaphira flee? |
| quajack |
Posted - 07 Dec 2006 : 03:17:56
I just finished this one and it gets my personal seal of approval. It's light on the unnecessary fight scenes (a huge plus). Here's my question: Why did Xaphira leave Arrabar after Vambran shot Roldolpho in the prologue? She donned a mask, no one knew it was her or that her family was involved. It seemed like a pretty rediculous (and highly unnecessary) sacrifice to make.
She "took the fall" because she apparently didn't believe that her family could "survive another setback." It later becomes obvious that she is never suspected of the crime, so why can't she return.
|
| Winterfox |
Posted - 31 Jan 2005 : 05:03:22
Just finished the book.
To begin with, in contrast to Simon Says, I liked the prologue. I dislike slow, dragging beginnings -- not for lack of patience so much as my dislike of typical fantasy that usually starts off in a quiet village or details the protagonist's childhood in loving and tedious details. So a start that immediately presents conflict is a bonus. That I don't get to know straightaway what the characters look like is yet another plus. I'm not a fan of info-dumps where authors shove a textbook-ish entry into my face, detailing a character from her hairdo down to the glitterdust on her slippers. Sprinkling this in bits and pieces around the narrative, IMO, takes more skill and makes for better reading.
Vambran is a well-written character enough, although sometimes his insistence about "Justice must be seeeerved!" does get a bit tiresome (even if his motivation is definitely solid). But otherwise, I don't mind him. Don't like him much, but hey, he doesn't make me want to throw the book across the room. The interaction between him and Emriana is cute. Emriana, though, I find rather two-dimensional and slightly irritating. She encapsulates the "rich girl wants to play thief, not wear dress, has a spunky attitude" cliche, which is more than a tad tired as character archetypes go. I'm thankful, though, that there's no obligatory "grrrl powerz!" scene, and that Emriana at least can live with wearing skirts (and not tumble into the path of "obnoxious teenage rebel without cause").
The antagonists, well, fare rather poorly. Grozier strikes me as incompetent, impatient and all around not very intelligent. The scenes dealing with the antagonists' planning make me wince, because it's all so flimsy -- and ultimately, ineffective. My kingdom for a competent villain! Denrick is even worse, and toward the end, he comes off as the ultimate spoiled brat and not at all a worthy antagonist. It does no credit to the protagonist or the "good guys" that all they're capable of is taking down an overgrown schoolyard bully. I'm a fan of "multiple viewpoint characters with no clearly designated villain or hero, where every side has an equal chance to win" more than the typical clear-cut villain-and-hero, but since I know that's not possible in every novel, at least I think the antagonists deserve a little depth. As it is, there's never a risk of any of the "good guys" being so much as badly wounded, never mind death and never mind emotional damage. Sort of lessens the suspense and the value of action sequences for me.
Ironically, the scenes I most like are the ones with the Mattrell family disputes. There's more tension in those than there is in any of the action scenes, IMO.
The plot is okayish, but leaves something to be desired. Despite all the setup hinting at intrigue and complicated politicking, I found the end result unfortunately predictable. Partly it's because of the blurb about a family turning on its own, so that isn't much of a twist. I knew straightaway that Evestor (who is, again, an incredibly flimsy character) is up to something; I guessed that the figure in red has to be Xaphira early on. There's not much of a surprise left, although I suppose it's possibly due to this being only the first book in a trilogy. Maybe the whole plot, over the course of three books, is more multi-layered.
Technically, though, the book's nice. I liked the writing style and the descriptive prose (although some of it does turn info-dumpish), which serves to paint the city of Arrabar in vivid colors. Overall, I wouldn't say it wasn't an enjoyable read. I just wish the characters could invoke my sympathy -- or at least interest -- a bit more. |
| DDH_101 |
Posted - 17 Jan 2005 : 22:27:05
Ah... I see. Well, I liked how it was used, especially when Vambran casted that spell to get him out of tight spots. |
| Thomas M. Reid |
Posted - 17 Jan 2005 : 17:54:55
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Rad
Scions has given me more gasps, shocks and tension than most novels i've read. Fantastic! 
Groovy! It's great to have my own desires for the story validated like that. Authors have to tell the stories that are inside them, and any of us who believes we're going to come up with one that appeals to every single reader is sadly fooling ourselves. I have to write what I like and hope that enough others like it too. If not, well, I'm still being true to myself.
quote:
Originally posted by DDH_101
Well, I enjoyed how Vambran used those little arcane tricks to assist in battle. However, that spell with the floating swarm of coins, is that supposed to be arcane or divine magic?
That's actually my take on spiritual weapon for a Waukeenar. The P&P entry says Waukeen's favored weapon is known as "swarm of coins" but is, in reality, a nanchaku. I just liked the imagery better of a swarm of stinging, bruising coins than a floating set of nanchaku, so I wrote it that way.
Thomas |
| DDH_101 |
Posted - 17 Jan 2005 : 16:10:04
quote:
Originally posted by Thomas M. Reid
quote:
Originally posted by DDH_101
So, I really enjoyed The Sapphire Crescent and I'm going to read The Ruby Guardian now and hope it will be as good or even better than Book I...
Thanks for the praise, DDH_101. I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I actually intentionally set out to write a book that had less fighting with a protagonist who wasn't the be-all, end-all combatant. In fact, my editor told me I had to go back and put some more fight scenes in the book after my first draft or I'd lose much of the FR crowd. And much of the credit for the great descriptions goes to Ed Greenwood, who provided me with a plethora of information he had that had never seen print.
Thomas
Well, I enjoyed how Vambran used those little arcane tricks to assist in battle. However, that spell with the floating swarm of coins, is that supposed to be arcane or divine magic? |
| Lord Rad |
Posted - 17 Jan 2005 : 15:22:25
Well i'm sure you're quite aware now, Thomas, that the style and pace which you're writing this trilogy in has been very well received. This trilogy (so far) is up there in my top five FR series of all time. I prefer this style of intrigue, mystery, plot-twists etc. over combat-heavy novels. The level of combat in each novel is just about right, and each of the fights are quick and to the point, nothing is overdone or stretched out. I get very bored in some novels where each sword swing is described, it's simply not necessary.
Scions has given me more gasps, shocks and tension than most novels i've read. Fantastic! |
| Thomas M. Reid |
Posted - 17 Jan 2005 : 15:15:33
quote:
Originally posted by Melfius
I found that I really needed to re-read The Sapphire Crescent, as I was completely lost! And you know what? I am glad I did!
Wonderful novels, and I can't wait for the finale!
Thank you Melfius. Always happy when someone enjoys RE-reading one of my books. And I enjoy the online discussions very much; it's a form of validation, of course, but I also just enjoy the human contact. Writing is a very personal, solitary business, so I try to take advantage of this form of socializing whenever possible.
Thomas |
| Thomas M. Reid |
Posted - 17 Jan 2005 : 15:10:58
quote:
Originally posted by DDH_101
So, I really enjoyed The Sapphire Crescent and I'm going to read The Ruby Guardian now and hope it will be as good or even better than Book I...
Thanks for the praise, DDH_101. I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I actually intentionally set out to write a book that had less fighting with a protagonist who wasn't the be-all, end-all combatant. In fact, my editor told me I had to go back and put some more fight scenes in the book after my first draft or I'd lose much of the FR crowd. And much of the credit for the great descriptions goes to Ed Greenwood, who provided me with a plethora of information he had that had never seen print.
Thomas |
| DDH_101 |
Posted - 16 Jan 2005 : 03:15:22
Well, I guess it makes sense that there wouldn't be as much action as something like A Thousand Orcs because of the setting. I mean, it's very rare to start a fight in a populous city like Arrabar without the city guards coming to break it up. |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 15 Jan 2005 : 20:38:16
quote:
Originally posted by DDH_101
While I thought that there wasn't enough action to my liking and that Vambran wasn't that great of a fighter, the action was well written and there was always a sense of realism unlike other FR novels, where the protagonists could of all of a sudden do some super-human feat.
And see, if there was less action in the novel, as I sensed when reading, than other FR novels, I like that. Having less actions means when such a device is used, it comes across as more powerful versus a novel that has endless combat occuring every ten pages or so. At least to this FR reader. |
| Melfius |
Posted - 15 Jan 2005 : 20:05:17
Oh! One other thing:
I read The Sapphire Crescent when it cam out, and enjoyed it immensly. I just got The Ruby Guardian at Christmas. I found that I really needed to re-read The Sapphire Crescent, as I was completely lost! And you know what? I am glad I did!
Wonderful novels, and I can't wait for the finale! |
| Melfius |
Posted - 15 Jan 2005 : 20:00:59
THIS is why this site is GREAT!
Where else can you read an excellent novel, then have an intelligent discussion with the author and get such wonderful feedback?
Thanks to you, Mr. Reid, and all other FR authors who take the time out of your busy schedules to speak with us here. |
| DDH_101 |
Posted - 15 Jan 2005 : 19:28:50
Damn... just finished reading The Sapphire Crescent, and I gotta say that I'm glad to listen to the reviews and advice of the other members in buying this book.
I really enjoyed Thomas M. Reid's style of writing, especially the extraodinary amount of details he put into the setting. His description of House Pharaboldi during the Matrell's visit and even the shanty warehouse that Vambran fought the leechwalker in was amazing. He really paints a clear picture of the settings the characters are in and I learned more about Arrabar in this novel than any sourcebook.
While I thought that there wasn't enough action to my liking and that Vambran wasn't that great of a fighter, the action was well written and there was always a sense of realism unlike other FR novels, where the protagonists could of all of a sudden do some super-human feat.
I also liked the story itself, with all the plots within plots and the twists and betrayals that occured in the Matrell family. When I got to the end where all the evil deeds were revealed, a part of me just was kinda like, "Man, one of these traitorous bastards better get their arses whooped in the next few pages..."
So, I really enjoyed The Sapphire Crescent and I'm going to read The Ruby Guardian now and hope it will be as good or even better than Book I... |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 09 Nov 2004 : 18:14:21
quote:
Originally posted by hammer of Moradin
I wanted more dialogue and less description of the scene. Let the characters move the story along more and it would be nigh perfect.
I think the second book does this. You definitely get some new characters being introduced that offer tantilizing possibilities for the family. |
| hammer of Moradin |
Posted - 09 Nov 2004 : 17:53:37
I liked the setting. The city reminded me very much of New Orleans with the carnival atmosphere, and especially the humidity. Yet, it had an Italian feel to it where N.O. is French influence. The two mix nicely IMO. I agree Sirius, it would be nice to have a supplement covering this area of the Realms.
Good book, but I wanted more dialogue and less description of the scene. Let the characters move the story along more and it would be nigh perfect. |
| lexxan |
Posted - 25 Oct 2004 : 09:48:56
quote:
Actually, if you read on page 164, a little more than halfway down, there's a paragraph that begins, "The trio took a walk," and it mentions that Vambran stops and grabs Emriana's dagger and returns it to her. So she's got it safe and sound once again, my friend. No need to worry.
And thanks for the comments!
Thomas
Many thanks Thomas!!! Finally I could sleep at night (almost, my 4Ys daughter did't agree....). I already pre-ordered "The ruby guardian", of course.
|
| Thomas M. Reid |
Posted - 22 Oct 2004 : 17:53:10
quote:
Originally posted by lexxan
After the battle in the warehouse I was expecting somebody finding the precious dagger. Was the dagger really there? If it was so precious why nobody looked for it? I can't sleep at night without knowing the destiny of this dagger!
Ah, Emriana's dagger. If/when you read the second book, you'll discover she loses a lot of daggers. It seems to be a bad habit with her. 
Actually, if you read on page 164, a little more than halfway down, there's a paragraph that begins, "The trio took a walk," and it mentions that Vambran stops and grabs Emriana's dagger and returns it to her. So she's got it safe and sound once again, my friend. No need to worry.
And thanks for the comments!
Thomas |
| lexxan |
Posted - 22 Oct 2004 : 09:06:00
Just Finished: it is a good book! Thanks Thomas.
I would just try make my comment by points:
Good points:
1) Mistery! A lot and well distributed along the story.
2) Excellent writing style!(I'm not mother tongue but still I liked it)
3) Original start(s); mistery/intrigue builders.
4) Good plot.
5) Excellent Cover
6) Wuakeen lore is interesting.
Bad points
1) too "soap opera", too little Epic/Adventure. Sometimes it doesn't looks like Fantasy.
2) I immagined to soon that the Mysterious figure was Xaphire.
One (half serious) question:
After the battle in the warehouse I was expecting somebody finding the precious dagger. Was the dagger really there? If it was so precious why nobody looked for it? I can't sleep at night without knowing the destiny of this dagger!
Thanks again Thomas.
|
| Lina |
Posted - 20 Oct 2004 : 11:48:00
I loved the storyline and the characters. Can't wait for the next one in Nov this year. |
| Lord Rad |
Posted - 14 Oct 2004 : 16:31:55
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
Any other scribes reading this fine novel again in anticipation of The Ruby Guardian's upcoming release?
I just started the reread last night and found myself, again, longing for a new regional supplement forcusing on this region.
I haven't read it since the initial time but i'll certainly read it again in a couple of years time when the trilogy has been wrapped up. I'm very excited about The Ruby Guardian and likewise would love a sourcebook for this. I've always hoped (another wishlist item), that WotC would release a product showing plans and paths of certain novels, much in the way that they did in the FR Atlas. Of course, with their view over novels being canon, I doubt it will ever happen  |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 14 Oct 2004 : 16:15:09
Any other scribes reading this fine novel again in anticipation of The Ruby Guardian's upcoming release?
I just started the reread last night and found myself, again, longing for a new regional supplement forcusing on this region. |
| Adrian Moonbow |
Posted - 17 Feb 2004 : 09:52:08
I was impressed with all the intrigue and the plot twists. I was surprised by all the loose ends being tied up at the end of the book. I would have let them hanging for the next installment, but it makes the book work as a stand alone novel (although I wouldn't leave it at that)!
Great work Thomas. |
| Demonwise |
Posted - 16 Feb 2004 : 23:43:41
Well, now I have finished the copy I bought.
Too soon.
I was swept with the story, brought along with the frantic pace - and loving it! I'm glad I didn't get to know more of Xaphire, for I wanted her to stay mysterious. I think the hurried start of the book settled that the story was serius, dangerous and full of intrigue. If an innocent had to sacrifice because of an accident, there must be some fear for the higher powers? This wealth-based scheaming and plotting intrigued me!
And as we got further into the story, I was more than delighted! Ayadar and the other sergeant (sorry slipped my mind) were incredibly good for me, as they and Vambran showed an admirable friendship, that I could really relate with. I enjoyed those scenes the most--
Just after the scenes where we got to see Bartimus wringe under his masters gaze, plotting to kill our betrusted hero. That worked for me too!
The whole story did. It was not as epic as most stories I've been reading lately, and that got me excited too. There were no goblin horde, or orcish warlord, just a Lieutenant who wanted to wash his plate clean of guilt, by following his moral callings.
Loved the book!
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