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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5696 Posts |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 14:57:51
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At first I was really confused by Insithryllax’s rising insubordination and contempt for Marek. It seemed very out of character for the calculating black wyrm until I noticed the plot had moved into the Year of Rogue Dragons and realized Insithryllax was succumbing to Sammaster’s Rage. It’s small touches like this that help ground the novel into the greater Realms and it’s much appreciated.
I actually had a moment of empathy for Korvan upon reading Chapter 35. He plans this extravagant party, with food prepared by a small army of cooks, and invites over two hundred of Innarlith’s finest to attend… and no one shows up. Stinger. I spent the first two novels slowly building a dislike for this character, and now I’m beginning to feel sorry for the bastard. Well done Mr. Athans.
Halina’s murder was brutal as many of the death scenes in the series are, amplified probably because I’ve grown attached to these characters.
The exchange between in Pristoleph and the high priestess of Chauntea in Chapter 38 was fantastic. I really enjoy the political, behind the scenes power play, aspects of this series. I’ll be the first to admit that endless fight scenes so prevalent in most Realms novels are not my cup of tea. I find political backstabbing and intrigue much more to my liking.
Uh oh. Chapter 44 ended with Devorast and Surero hiding smokpowder charges along the length of the canal. I see what’s going to happen now, and I don’t like it.  |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 03:01:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
I really enjoy the political, behind the scenes power play, aspects of this series. I’ll be the first to admit that endless fight scenes so prevalent in most Realms novels are not my cup of tea. I find political backstabbing and intrigue much more to my liking.
I agree, and that's why I found these books to be readable and interesting, if ultimately unsatisfying.
I already knew the plot for The Fountainhead, so I had expected Howard Roark Ivar Devorast to sabotage his own work.
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"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) |
Edited by - Rinonalyrna Fathomlin on 11 Jul 2007 03:04:14 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2007 : 03:41:17
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I realize that Ivar isn't so much a moral guy as an ethical one, but I was surprised that he wasn't more anti-zombie in this section. While he may not oppose animating the dead in theory, it does seem to go against his whole "man justifying himself through hard work" mindset. I guess I felt too much like Ivar was being "neutral" for the sake of reminding us that he isn't interested in good and evil, per se.
RF makes a good point. I agree that little touches like Insythrillax and the Rage really make this book much more interesting. Phil Athans does a good job of keeping in mind what is going on in the rest of the Realms and reflecting what would be known and cogent in Innarlith. I'm not certain that the books are a "success" per se, but at the same time, they weren't a waste of time at all, because there are little touches of the overall Realms and individual scenes that I really enjoy in the book.
I will say that while the ride is kind of fun, for some reason Marek Rymut just isn't as much fun in this book as he seemed to be in previous books. Maybe its because in the other books he was moving a little more methodically, and was only gathering information and the like, whereas here he is actively trying to get rid of the canal, install a new Ransar, and directly control Innarlith . . . well, maybe not directly, but you get the point.
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2007 : 02:42:31
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
I will say that while the ride is kind of fun, for some reason Marek Rymut just isn't as much fun in this book as he seemed to be in previous books.
I noticed that, too. Watching him plot and plan was interesting, but his plot threads don't come to fruition in any satisfying manner (ie. the dragon just up and flies off--how anticlimatic was 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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Scream of Stone: Chapters 31 - 45
