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swifty
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
517 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Feb 2010 : 10:24:42
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im starting this after house of serpents.just wanted to hear peoples two pennys worth.not read much about it on hear.i know theres a red wizard thing goin on.is tam in it.
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go back to sleep america.everything is under control.heres american gladiators.watch this.shuttup. BILL HICKS. |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 07 Feb 2010 : 17:59:37
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| I really enjoyed the series, mostly because of its non-traditional hero (an architect). |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 07 Feb 2010 : 20:31:01
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| I recommend this trilogy. It is very enjoyable and different from most others |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2010 : 15:19:59
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| I liked it, even though it features what is easily my most hated FR character! Phyrea?? I cant remeber the spelling...and that's a good thing, I have been trying to forget her since I read it! |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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swifty
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
517 Posts |
Posted - 10 Feb 2010 : 11:23:58
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| so is tam in it then.or what about aznar thrul. |
go back to sleep america.everything is under control.heres american gladiators.watch this.shuttup. BILL HICKS. |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 10 Feb 2010 : 14:25:51
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quote:
Originally posted by swifty
so is tam in it then.or what about aznar thrul.
There is a red wizard with a prominent role...but I cant recall his name. |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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swifty
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
517 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2010 : 15:31:21
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| finally got round to reading book 1 after bore inducing vanitys brood.has ever a series started off so promisingly and gone downhill so much?anyway i absolutely loved whisper of waves and cant wait for lies of light. |
go back to sleep america.everything is under control.heres american gladiators.watch this.shuttup. BILL HICKS. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2010 : 09:55:39
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quote:
Originally posted by swifty
so is tam in it then.or what about aznar thrul.
tam is not in this trilogy...the red wizard playing the anti-hero is marek rymut. this is for me one of the most boring series i've ever read...i couldn't even figure out why on earth i let myself suffer. i didn't read the 3rd book, though. couldn't afford to inflict myself with more pain. if there's something worth mentioning about the series, it's marek. he' s a bit interesting, a true red wizard (in power and attitude). |
Every beginning has an end. |
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BlackAce
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
358 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2010 : 10:03:28
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Bit late to the thread but yes, I found the watercourse trilogy very difficult to read or remain interested in. The characters, even the hero, are very unsympathetic and the plot is too disjointed. I believe I started or was part of a similar thread and asked the same question and was immediatley advised to avoid them by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin, I wish I'd taken her advice.
Phil Athans is a great editor, but both these and his Baldur's Gate books stink. |
Edited by - BlackAce on 22 Apr 2010 10:04:21 |
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swifty
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
517 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2010 : 16:59:16
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| wow.i must be in the minority.but yes the baldurs gate novels were awful. |
go back to sleep america.everything is under control.heres american gladiators.watch this.shuttup. BILL HICKS. |
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jornan
Learned Scribe
Canada
256 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2010 : 23:06:05
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I enjoyed this series imeasurably more than his Baldur's Gate novels. But I still had a hard time getting through it. The most difficult part for me was the fact that all of the struggle of the characters and what they were trying to accomplish was so pointless considering that area of the realms was pretty much wiped out with the 4 ed. changes.
meh.
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2010 : 02:59:33
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quote:
Originally posted by BlackAce
Bit late to the thread but yes, I found the watercourse trilogy very difficult to read or remain interested in. The characters, even the hero, are very unsympathetic and the plot is too disjointed. I believe I started or was part of a similar thread and asked the same question and was immediatley advised to avoid them by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin, I wish I'd taken her advice.
Phil Athans is a great editor, but both these and his Baldur's Gate books stink.
True, it was such a pain reading through the first 2 books that I passed the 3rd. Anyway, about Baldur's Gate, after I read book 1, I told myself, "No more Phil Athans in the future for me." I think the only good book he has ever written is annihilation. Well, he's a good editor,though, and mayhap he should just stick to that job.
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Every beginning has an end. |
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swifty
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
517 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2010 : 08:03:19
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| yes but wernt the bg books based on a video game.they were always going to be terrible. |
go back to sleep america.everything is under control.heres american gladiators.watch this.shuttup. BILL HICKS. |
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BlackAce
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
358 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2010 : 08:56:29
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They were, but not THAT terrible! Both Lynn Abbey's(IIRC)*Pools of Radiance and Drew Karpyyshyn's Throne of Bhaal novels were very good. Phil Athans' Baldur's Gate and Shadows of Amn? Not so much.
Take the main character in Baldur's Gate for example; Abdel Arledrian. His behaviour and personality can be summed up as Conan crossed with Richard Sharpe, though he lacks their depth and neither of those are particularly deep character's. "Me smash!" "Me shag!" is about the sumtotal of his instincts and volcabulary and that isn't much of an exageration!
*I don't remember correctly, Carrie Brebis wrote PoR:RoMD  |
Edited by - BlackAce on 24 Apr 2010 08:58:07 |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2010 : 09:58:50
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quote:
Originally posted by BlackAce
"Me smash!" "Me shag!" is about the sumtotal of his instincts and volcabulary and that isn't much of an exageration!
Is any more needed by a fighter? |
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ajfurst
Acolyte
Australia
21 Posts |
Posted - 26 Apr 2010 : 11:10:11
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| It's one of my favourite series. My least favourite series are 'flog a character class' and 'Realm $haking event' ones, so single stories/series that stand on their own two feet and don't have super-villians are the most interesting to me. The fact the hero isn't a super swordsman, thief, cleric or mage of some stripe is a neat twist on the usual fare I liked. |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 26 Apr 2010 : 17:51:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
quote:
Originally posted by BlackAce
"Me smash!" "Me shag!" is about the sumtotal of his instincts and volcabulary and that isn't much of an exageration!
Is any more needed by a fighter?
Yes. "Me crush!" needs to be there as well.  |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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swifty
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
517 Posts |
Posted - 07 May 2010 : 20:03:20
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quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
I liked it, even though it features what is easily my most hated FR character! Phyrea?? I cant remeber the spelling...and that's a good thing, I have been trying to forget her since I read it!
i see what you mean.i was half expecting her to develop an eating disorder by the end. |
go back to sleep america.everything is under control.heres american gladiators.watch this.shuttup. BILL HICKS. |
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Ecaporaso
Acolyte
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2011 : 23:16:44
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| I only read the first book of this series. This may just be me, but it struck me as a brazen Forgotten Realms version of the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (sp?). I thought it was well-written and had some very interesting qualities, but it didn't grab me as much as other FR books. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2011 : 23:44:14
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| As Phil said, Ayn Rand is one of his inspirations. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36886 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2011 : 03:27:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Ecaporaso
I only read the first book of this series. This may just be me, but it struck me as a brazen Forgotten Realms version of the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (sp?). I thought it was well-written and had some very interesting qualities, but it didn't grab me as much as other FR books.
I've not read the books myself, nor anything by Ayn Rand... But I've heard more than one person make a similar comment. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2011 : 03:54:45
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| Phil mentioned in the Acknowledgements section that the sources of the novel Whisper of Waves include Ayn Rand's Fountainhead and The Virtue of Selfishness. And in the Acknowledgements in Lies of Light, he said, "Inspiration continues to be drawn from The Fountainhead and other writings of Ayn Rand." So if you notice a lot of similarities, 'tis no wonder. |
Every beginning has an end. |
Edited by - Dennis on 23 Jan 2011 03:56:35 |
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Ecaporaso
Acolyte
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2011 : 04:31:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Phil mentioned in the Acknowledgements section that the sources of the novel Whisper of Waves include Ayn Rand's Fountainhead and The Virtue of Selfishness. And in the Acknowledgements in Lies of Light, he said, "Inspiration continues to be drawn from The Fountainhead and other writings of Ayn Rand." So if you notice a lot of similarities, 'tis no wonder.
Now that you mention it, I do recall those acknowledgements.
I've always felt that Ayn Rands literature didn't emphasize storytelling so much as it functioned as a mechanism for her to convey her philosophical beliefs. Maybe this is why it struck me as an awkward platform for a fantasy novel.
Hmm. Now I'm curious about the rest of the trilogy. Hopefully they're still in stock at my local bookstore... |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2011 : 06:46:57
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You said the first book didn't grab you. Don't expect the second will. They're equally disappointing. Bear in mind, though, that this comment comes from someone who only likes one thing (Marek Rymut) in the series, and who wants to strangle Ivar, drown Phyrea in the Lake of Steam, and burn the rest of the characters.  |
Every beginning has an end. |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2011 : 18:37:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
You said the first book didn't grab you. Don't expect the second will. They're equally disappointing. Bear in mind, though, that this comment comes from someone who only likes one thing (Marek Rymut) in the series, and who wants to strangle Ivar, drown Phyrea in the Lake of Steam, and burn the rest of the characters.
Wouldn't say they are equally disappointing, that's unfair.
They are increasingly disappointing |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2011 : 18:39:55
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Aye. The "Watercourse" trilogy is among my stacks of 'To-Read' books. Not quite sure when I'll get to them.
Do yourself a favor Sage...
Toss them on your Vortex, take a stick and push them down to the bottom, never to be seen again. This trilogy was the one thing that maddened Rino more than any other.....One word....Phyrea.....what a mind numbing character. |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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swifty
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
517 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2011 : 23:39:17
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| phyrea as annoying as she was is probably the closest thing to a 3 dimensional female character there has been in a realms novel. |
go back to sleep america.everything is under control.heres american gladiators.watch this.shuttup. BILL HICKS. |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2011 : 00:34:13
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quote:
Originally posted by swifty
phyrea as annoying as she was is probably the closest thing to a 3 dimensional female character there has been in a realms novel.
Other than annoying....she had a second dimension? |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2011 : 00:41:25
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quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
You said the first book didn't grab you. Don't expect the second will. They're equally disappointing. Bear in mind, though, that this comment comes from someone who only likes one thing (Marek Rymut) in the series, and who wants to strangle Ivar, drown Phyrea in the Lake of Steam, and burn the rest of the characters.
Wouldn't say they are equally disappointing, that's unfair.
They are increasingly disappointing
You have the right of it!
Did you read all 3? I read the 1st and 2nd, but I couldn't further torture myself with the last. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2011 : 00:45:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
You said the first book didn't grab you. Don't expect the second will. They're equally disappointing. Bear in mind, though, that this comment comes from someone who only likes one thing (Marek Rymut) in the series, and who wants to strangle Ivar, drown Phyrea in the Lake of Steam, and burn the rest of the characters.
Wouldn't say they are equally disappointing, that's unfair.
They are increasingly disappointing
You have the right of it!
Did you read all 3? I read the 1st and 2nd, but I couldn't further torture myself with the last.
I did read all three I was in the process of buying ole realms stuff I missed so I would have every novel....I bought all three at the same time.....so even though it I would have liked to skip it, I had already shelled out the $
And I had hopes the the red wizard in the novels would triumph and kill em all....but that didn't happen.
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A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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the watercourse trilogy
