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quajack
Seeker
86 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Aug 2006 : 02:09:32
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I finished reading the 7 Sembia novels last month and I'm left with conflicting opinions as to what I think about the overall series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 6 books, but then came Lord of Stormweather. How could such a great run of novels conclude with such a ridiculous finale? I mean, I'm as big a fan of fantasy fiction as there is, but this book was simply laughable. So much so, that I believe its inadequacies tainted the entire series.
In my opinion, there are two main areas in which a novel can fail. First, is the writing style, and, second, is the overall storyline. Dave Gross did as admirable a job of telling this "gem" as any author could have possible done. If a book about mammoth flying jellyfish and soul-stealing paintings had to be told, I don't know that anyone could have done it better than Mr. Gross. (By the way, Black Wolf was spectacular). It was the storyline itself that just seemed too farfetched.
Tamlin travels to an alternate reality that he used to dream about as a child and returns to Faerun with the abilities of an advanced mage. Just like that. No training or studying necessary. How convenient...
I apologize for all of the negativity in this post. I really enjoyed the first 6 books of this series. I even enjoyed reading Lord of Stormweather, I just hated the premise. What does everyone else think?
I started reading Dissolution today. I'll post my opinions of the WotSQ when I'm done with them all.
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Paec_djinn
Learned Scribe
173 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2006 : 04:38:37
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I didn't like Lord of Stormweather much either. As you've mentioned, the story seemed a bit overly unrealistic. Certainly, I felt some sort of droop in quality beyond the Black Wolf (I didn't read Sands of Souls as I wasn't particularly interested in the Tazi story in Halls of Stormweather).
I didn't really like Heirs of Prophecy either, but for separate reasons from Lord of Stormweather. |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2006 : 05:29:35
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I liked Lord of Stormweather, partly because I like the idea of being immersed in one's own dream. |
"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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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2006 : 06:10:09
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| I seem to remember that I thought Lord of Stormweather was OK, not much better or worse than the rest of the Sembia books. I liked them but nothing more. Strangely enough when you mention the dream part and the sole-stealing picture, I seem to remember it being these elements that interested me in the book. |
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quajack
Seeker
86 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2006 : 06:31:10
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What really chaps my draws is that Tamlin follows his parents (and butler) who get sucked into a painting, and pops out with complete and seemingly unfallible magical skills. I haven't read much beyond this series yet, but the fact that if Tamlin appears in any subsequent novels he will be considered a mage (of no small water) irks the heck out of me.
Again, I thought Dave Gross did as good a job as possible with the story, but massive whale-like jellyfish creatures just don't cut the mustard for this reader.
I don't have a problem with the dreamworld per se, just the fact that Tamlin returned from said dreamworld with magical powers that he didn't posses beforehand. |
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Paec_djinn
Learned Scribe
173 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2006 : 08:13:03
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quote:
but massive whale-like jellyfish creatures just don't cut the mustard for this reader.
I didn't have a grudge against this. It was a dreamworld as you mentioned, and well, it's rather plausible, IMO.
quote:
I don't have a problem with the dreamworld per se, just the fact that Tamlin returned from said dreamworld with magical powers that he didn't posses beforehand.
Agree with this completely. Especially since Tamlin was turning out to be one of the biggest pansies in FR fiction prior to that. |
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Sembia Series (spoilers, sort of)
