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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5695 Posts |
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hammer of Moradin
Senior Scribe
USA
758 Posts |
 Posted - 18 Apr 2006 : 05:18:26
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Good story, good description, so far. I only worry that we now seem to be getting into the actual story, and out of the set-up, with less than two-thirds of the book left!
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"Hurling himself upon his enemies, he terrified them with slaughter!"
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium
Candlekeep proverb: If a thing is said often enough, fools aplenty will believe it to be true. |
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Dremvek
Seeker
70 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2006 : 16:07:11
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| I agree completely, Hammer. This book has a very slow development. There's a lot of back story I'm interested in learning about, but by this point we seem to have a lot more questions than answers. |
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Beezy
Learned Scribe
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 19 Apr 2006 : 15:41:05
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| I actually liked how every few chapters it flashes back to his past. It was necessary back story and think too much at once would have slowed the novel down. Having a lot of questions to answer is part of what makes books interesting to me =) |
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Dremvek
Seeker
70 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2006 : 06:22:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Beezy
Having a lot of questions to answer is part of what makes books interesting to me =)
Having questions to answer is a good hook, but there needs to be enough action or suspense to keep you going when the questions aren't being answered. The first few chapters were slow to me. It's starting to pick up well now where I'm at, but it took nearly half the book to get the plot moving full speed. |
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Beezy
Learned Scribe
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 21 Apr 2006 : 00:10:29
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| I agree with that. A couple parts did drag alittle for me as well. |
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Keith Strohm
Forgotten Realms Author
6 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2006 : 22:53:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Beezy
I actually liked how every few chapters it flashes back to his past. It was necessary back story and think too much at once would have slowed the novel down. Having a lot of questions to answer is part of what makes books interesting to me =)
Beezy,
Glad that you liked my narrative strategy...it was a gamble, and I'm not sure, overall, how it worked...but I'm gratified that it had the intended effect as you read it.
Keith Strohm |
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Beezy
Learned Scribe
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2006 : 01:08:19
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| Overall I would say your strategy was a success, at least for me. I couldn't set the book down for long and I plowed through the novel in no time. |
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Dremvek
Seeker
70 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2006 : 02:59:57
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| There are some definite curiosities for me as well, and I'm anxious to see how they play out. I'm more of an action man, and like to know what the general plot will be early in the book. Now that I'm hooked into the plot in the later chapters, however, I'm looking forward to the rest of the book. I'll probably finish it tonight. My next chapter looks like another flash back to the past, so I'll provide more feedback (in the appropriate thread) when more questions are possibly answered :) |
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dannyfu
Learned Scribe
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2006 : 16:55:32
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| i am really enjoying the book thus far, i'm on chapter 8 now. as some of you have mentioned, i too find that the back story and detail is great but the number of pages left have me wondering if it will rap up nicely. that was always my problem with neil gaiman books, so much time spent developing characters then the book ends all of a sudden. so far so good though. these are great characters |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2006 : 18:14:02
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quote:
Originally posted by Dremvek
I agree completely, Hammer. This book has a very slow development. There's a lot of back story I'm interested in learning about, but by this point we seem to have a lot more questions than answers.
Well i'm not having a problem with this at all. I don't find it slow-paced or having too much background... it adds more to the book if this is done, IMO.
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Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2006 : 18:18:05
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I thought it was pretty cool when Marissa came into play with the ice troll battle. The flame sword from the stump of her arm was quite impressive 
Those ice trolls seemed quite nasty... which products are they detailed in?
I liked how it chapter 6, Taen went through what we were saying earlier in the previous thread about how all the characters are quite secretive. Roberc is always so quiet and never talks of his past.
Chapter 7 started off very well for me, giving a bit of background information for Marissa and her life in Cormyr. She's my kinda gal 
The Red Tree scene was quite well done too. I certainly get this loneliness type of feeling that I imagine from Rashemen. |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2006 : 18:21:49
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I loved the chapter within Citadel Rashemar. Excellent! 
This reminded me of the old fantasy image of the goblin servants scuttling around the powerful overlord in the fortress I really liked Gizmat... his ways were quite amusing and I was quite shocked that he met his end so soon.
One bit that made me chuckle was when it said that the shaman (don't remember his name) "needed constant lashings of disipline and bullying to ensure loyalty" 
Goblins eh, who'd have 'em!
I was quite suprised about the mention that a deal had been made with Thay and some of Rashemen would be taken by them. That's asking for trouble |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 19 Feb 2007 : 19:43:44
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For the most part I am enjoying this book so far. I definitely like how the protagonists aren't all "shiny heroes", and really, making the beautiful female druid (Marissa) have only one arm is quite the departure from the norm. Normally it's only male characters that are physically disabled like that. I also liked the argument that came from nowhere between Taen and Marissa--real relationships, whether friendly or romantic, have stupid and unnecessary arguments in them that could be avoided. As some people might have noticed by now, I take note of and appreciate when common fantasy cliches are avoided.
I must also say that the author has a real talent for descriptive prose, although I do think it could be used a bit more sparingly (I believe there is a such thing as too much poetic description). My only real reservation so far is the Drizzt-level of angst in the book, mostly from Taen. It doesn't help that the back cover uses eye-rolling phrases such as "they are the broken, the unforgiven"...although to be fair I doubt the author wrote that. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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riot the outsider
Learned Scribe
USA
121 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jun 2008 : 21:54:09
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| Not bad, Not bad, could have been better but all in all it was a very fun read and adventure. |
Those who fear the darkness have never seen what the light can do. http://s13.gladiatus.com/game/c.php?uid=67846
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Bladesinger: Chapters 5 - 9
