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Jindael
Senior Scribe
USA
357 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Apr 2005 : 03:18:38
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I am seriously impressed.
I go through waves of reading lots of Forgotten Realms books at a time, then pause for a few months. I buy the books, but wait for the entire trilogy to come out in paperback before I start reading.
At my gaming group, the new guy had accidentally purchased a second copy of Venom's Taste, thinking it was the second book. Due to his error, he gave his extra copy to the gaming group for perusal. I got first dibs. He also assured me that all three books were out. (Sadly, the last book isn't.)
I devoured the book and ran out to get the second one. (And this is when I found out that the 3rd book isn't in print, much to my displeasure.)
I am seriously impressed. I really enjoy the setting of Hlondeth. The primary characters are all astoundingly interesting and fascinate me. Zelia is probably on of my favorite characters to read about in years.
Lisa Smedman has a wonderful writing style. She's a fantastic addition to the FR cast of authors and will be marked on my list as a must buy, just from reading Venom's Taste and half of Venom's kiss (so far.) Great characters, great handling of the world and the lore, fantastic descriptions (I never had to stop and think about what was being described, the text handled it very well) and the emoting is very good too.
I even like the cover art.
Waiting a year for the last book is going to be torture.
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"You don't have a Soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."
-- C.S. Lewis |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2005 : 04:19:45
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| It is a really good series that has gotten better as it goes along. I really have enjoyed every novel that Lisa Smedman has written. I really feel she is underrated as an author. And yes, the cover art on the second novel was fantastic. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2005 : 18:29:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Jindael
I even like the cover art.
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
And yes, the cover art on the second novel was fantastic.
*Ahem*
Incidentally, Raymond Swanland (who, I've been assured, is the cover artist on Viper's Kiss), is not through doing covers for Wizards. And also, incidentally, he's doing the cover-art for Ghostwalker in December. I'm quite impressed with his work, so imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out that little nugget of information.
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2005 : 18:53:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
Incidentally, Raymond Swanland (who, I've been assured, is the cover artist on Viper's Kiss), is not through doing covers for Wizards. And also, incidentally, he's doing the cover-art for Ghostwalker in December. I'm quite impressed with his work, so imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out that little nugget of information.
Cheers
That is great news to hear. I can't wait til WOTC updates their catalog so we can see even a small preview image of the cover.
Incidentally, since you mentioned your admiration. Do you know a website for this artist? I tried to find such a site when Viper's Kiss came out but had no luck.
Thanks in advance if you can help out there.
SB |
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fulcrum
Acolyte
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2005 : 18:56:51
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Lisa Smedman, you are wonderful.
Last night I finished WoTSQ, and I thought to myself, "Why couldn't this highly-aniticipated series bound in these fancy covers have been as good as the Viper's Kiss books?" At the end of WoTSQ, I simply didn't care about most of the caracters and by page 200, the ones I did care about I lost interest in.
But this Yuan-Ti series...Never ever before had I given a thought about them. "Yeah snake-people, big deal, oh slither slither hiss hiss, look at me I am scary as can be..."
Lisa has done a wonderful job of bringing to live Arvin, the Joe Ordinary of Hlondeth who just-so-happens to have some psionic power. The Yuan-Ti which were once only a page in the Monster Manual and a level in IceWind Dale, have been given the color of life, sensual, dangerous, and alien all at the same time. And Zaia, I swear I dated her once...
I can't recommend this book enough... |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2005 : 23:34:08
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quote:
Incidentally, since you mentioned your admiration. Do you know a website for this artist? I tried to find such a site when Viper's Kiss came out but had no luck.
Funny you should ask, because I ran into the same problem. I don't think he has a site of his own -- the best you can do is run google searches to find some of his artwork. One of the entries on my blog (www.livejournal.com/users/eriksdb, early April sometime) has a link to one and reprints one, but otherwise RS's stuff is notoriously hard to find.
Good luck!
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2005 : 23:47:22
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| I've always enjoyed Lisa's books. She got me hooked on her writing when she wrote for Fasa's Shadowrun novels. :) I kinda miss the Shadowrun novels. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 21 Apr 2005 : 03:22:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
One of the entries on my blog (www.livejournal.com/users/eriksdb, early April sometime) has a link to one and reprints one, but otherwise RS's stuff is notoriously hard to find.
Good luck!
Cheers
Thanks for the link to the images from and via your blog. Looking at those images, his style is indeed very vivid. I hope he gets his own page in the near future. |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 21 Apr 2005 : 03:27:42
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quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
One of the entries on my blog (www.livejournal.com/users/eriksdb, early April sometime) has a link to one and reprints one, but otherwise RS's stuff is notoriously hard to find.
Good luck!
Cheers
Thanks for the link to the images from and via your blog. Looking at those images, his style is indeed very vivid. I hope he gets his own page in the near future.
He certainly does seem to warrant it.
I don't think the cover art to Ghostwalker's done yet, otherwise I'd point out a product page where you could check it out (or post it, if I were to be allowed). Rest assured -- I look forward to RS's next work as much as anyone. 
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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VEDSICA
Senior Scribe
USA
466 Posts |
Posted - 21 Apr 2005 : 15:36:23
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| I am in agreement that this series has gotten better as it goes along.I thought that the second book was better than the first.Not that the first was bad.It was good,just the second was better IMO.Which throws the theory of the middle book as the one that always lags out the window. |
LIFE,BIRTH,BLOOD,DOOM---THE HOLE IN THE GROUND IS COMING ROUND SOON----BLS |
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Sarephim
Acolyte
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jan 2006 : 17:49:56
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| IMO it is a very good series so far. Although I must say the ending of Viper's Kiss had me sorely depressed. |
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Venom's Taste/Viper's Kiss *spoiler free!*
