The backlog pile of these reviews is slowly but surely decreasing. Lies of Light by Phillip Athans is a Forgotten Realms novel and the second book in The Watercourse Trilogy, which details one visionary's attempt to build a canal that would link the Sea of Fallen Stars (the landlocked Inner Sea of Faerun) to the Lake of Steam (which then connects into the various outer seas & oceans). The canal would forever alter trade routes, and so for every group/nation that wants to see it built, there's another that doesn't... and many of those who don't are prepared to do anything to stop it being finished.
As with the previous book in the trilogy (Whisper of Waves), each chapter (of which there are many, 68 in all in a book 308 pages in length) is short and is also given a precise date. This is handy in keeping track of the story because the book covers several years worth of events (though nowhere near as many as the first book did).
The book follows Ivar Devorast as he works on his canal, aided by his dwarf stonemason friends Hrothgar & Vrengarl, and then later by the alchemist Surero whose experiments in smokepower, produce amazing results. Unfortunately for Devorast, back in the nearby city-state of Innarlith change is in the air. The Red Wizard Marek Rymut doesn't want the canal built, as he makes a tidy sum of money using magic to shift goods and people from one sea to the other. To that extent he engineers a coup, replacing the Ransar (ruler of the city) who supported & funded the canal project, with one who views it as a huge waste of money and resources.
Undeterred by the sudden lack of funding coming from Innarlith (and not really surprised by it either), Devorast has already secured alternate sources of funding from foreign governments & agencies who are eager to have a shipping route to the outer seas. With the money come men too, and with the explosive power of Surero's smokepowder to boot, if anything the canal is now being built faster than before.
While a power struggle over the canal goes on, Willem's star rises in society whilst he slides into despair, having already been promoted beyond his ability, his sham of a marriage to the beautiful (and haunted) Phyrea (who actually desires Devorast), loses him the woman he truly loves. And all the while the genasi senator Pristoleph rises to power, unnoticed and unchecked.
The book is filled with genuinely interesting characters, even the ones you will despise (and if you're anything like me, then both Willem Korvan and Marek Rymut will be high on that list!) are fascinating to read about. There are many plot threads interweaving, spread over years of time and I am very interested to see how Mr. Athans is going to resolve all of this in the third and final book Scream Of Stone which is out in June 2007.
I'm going to award this book 4/5. It is a good read, but not quite as good as the first part I felt, in large because it is the middle part of the story and so there is no real beginning or ending to the tale, just a lot of plots continuing. There is very little resolution to anything in this book, and the parts where it seem like something is being resolved, really only serve to spur another plot element onwards. One thing is certain though, I really hope that Devorast gets to finish his canal, but I get the feeling that this trilogy isn't going to have a happy ending.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Shadowbred: A Book Review
Jumping the queue a bit is a book that I just finished reading in the early hours of this morning. Shadowbred by Paul S. Kemp is a Forgotten Realms novel, and it is the first book of The Twilight War trilogy. The book is a direct sequel to Mr. Kemp's earlier novels Shadow's Witness and the Erevis Cale trilogy (Twilight Falling, Dawn Of Night and Midnight's Mask), and is set about a year after the end of the trilogy in the Year of Lightning Storms (1374DR). As you can see I've read and reviewed all of the authors previous books featuring his main character, so I apologise in advance if any bias rears its head in this review.
The book opens with a chapter showing just what Erevis Cale has been doing since defeating the Sojourner, in the year since those events. In essence he has retired to the country, living a simple life in a cottage with the woman Varra who he rescued from Skullport. Still as the opening chapter shows, old habits die hard, and Cale made a promise to his late friend Jak Fleet to try and be a hero, so at night when his lady sleeps, he has been shadow-walking around the area, battling monsters and villains. Try as he might, Cale cannot deny what he is.
Elsewhere the Shadovar (residents of the sinister city of Shade) are scheming, having spent the couple years since their return to Faerun futiley trying to ressurect their long dead empire. Resigning themselves to defeat on that front, they put into motion plans to gain themselves a new empire... beginning with Sembia, a decadent nation of allied city states, ruled by merchants. and in a land where money and profit rule, corruption is never far behind.
Using lies, hidden agents and murder, the Shadovar easily manipulate Sembia into civil war, a war where they, unseen, will control both forces, allowing them to weaken Sembia to the point where a takeover by their own forces is easy, and perhaps even desired on the part of a war-weary populace. A very clever bit of writing, and not at all dissimilar to the essential plotline of the Sith's manipulations in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Drawn into this growing chaos by his old ties to the Uskevren family of Selgaunt, and by the desires of his god Mask, who he has shunned for the past year, Cale immediatly begins to realise that something is terribly wrong in Sembia. To say more than that would be to spoil what is one of the best written books I've read this year... and I've read a LOT of good books this year!
There are some truly awesome sequences to read about in this book, such as a night fight between a hundred armed and dangerous men on horseback and Cale, the first amongst the Chosen of Mask, a priest and assassin. Or the meeting in a dirty alleyway between Cale and his God who is "slumming it". Other characters make a welcome return too, both Magadon Kest who has a very personal struggle to overcome, and though we are kept waiting for him, Mask's number two man, Drasek Riven, Cale's proverbial partner in crime is here too, changed in some ways, but still a bona fide bastard when he needs to be!
The Shadovar are truly nasty villains, evil, scheming, a bit oily at times, but the power these men command is never in doubt in the way they carry themselves, the way they speak. They are epic villains and they behave as such, without ever coming across as being pompous. Unsurprisingly I award this book my highest marks, 5/5 and I'm now eagerly waiting for the second book in the trilogy... bit of a bummer then that it's not out until August 2007!!
The book opens with a chapter showing just what Erevis Cale has been doing since defeating the Sojourner, in the year since those events. In essence he has retired to the country, living a simple life in a cottage with the woman Varra who he rescued from Skullport. Still as the opening chapter shows, old habits die hard, and Cale made a promise to his late friend Jak Fleet to try and be a hero, so at night when his lady sleeps, he has been shadow-walking around the area, battling monsters and villains. Try as he might, Cale cannot deny what he is.
Elsewhere the Shadovar (residents of the sinister city of Shade) are scheming, having spent the couple years since their return to Faerun futiley trying to ressurect their long dead empire. Resigning themselves to defeat on that front, they put into motion plans to gain themselves a new empire... beginning with Sembia, a decadent nation of allied city states, ruled by merchants. and in a land where money and profit rule, corruption is never far behind.
Using lies, hidden agents and murder, the Shadovar easily manipulate Sembia into civil war, a war where they, unseen, will control both forces, allowing them to weaken Sembia to the point where a takeover by their own forces is easy, and perhaps even desired on the part of a war-weary populace. A very clever bit of writing, and not at all dissimilar to the essential plotline of the Sith's manipulations in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Drawn into this growing chaos by his old ties to the Uskevren family of Selgaunt, and by the desires of his god Mask, who he has shunned for the past year, Cale immediatly begins to realise that something is terribly wrong in Sembia. To say more than that would be to spoil what is one of the best written books I've read this year... and I've read a LOT of good books this year!
There are some truly awesome sequences to read about in this book, such as a night fight between a hundred armed and dangerous men on horseback and Cale, the first amongst the Chosen of Mask, a priest and assassin. Or the meeting in a dirty alleyway between Cale and his God who is "slumming it". Other characters make a welcome return too, both Magadon Kest who has a very personal struggle to overcome, and though we are kept waiting for him, Mask's number two man, Drasek Riven, Cale's proverbial partner in crime is here too, changed in some ways, but still a bona fide bastard when he needs to be!
The Shadovar are truly nasty villains, evil, scheming, a bit oily at times, but the power these men command is never in doubt in the way they carry themselves, the way they speak. They are epic villains and they behave as such, without ever coming across as being pompous. Unsurprisingly I award this book my highest marks, 5/5 and I'm now eagerly waiting for the second book in the trilogy... bit of a bummer then that it's not out until August 2007!!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
The Sea Devil's Eye: A Book Review
Right, I am now on holiday for the next week, so no more work making cream cakes for a few days, which means I can (hopefully) crack into the frankly hideous backlog I have of things to type up. Like the reviews of the last five novels I've read, all of which are piled up (neatly) at one side of my desk awaiting my attention. So without further waffle from me, let's make a start.
The Sea Devil's Eye by Mel Odom is a Forgotten Realms novel and the final part of the Threat From The Sea Trilogy, which details a war waged on the coastal realm sof Faerun by an alliance of evil undersea creatures (primarily the sahuagin), led by the villainous & mysterious Iakhovas. The book begins a couple months after the events of the previous book (Under Fallen Stars), and also after the short story One Who Swims With Sekolah (also by Mel Odom) which is included in the anthology Realms of the Deep.
We join the narrative as Pacys the elderly human bard is watching the sea elves fight (and lose) a desperate battle with the sahuagin at the site of the Sharksbane Wall, which has just been shattered (as detailed in the short story I mentioned). There he and Khlinat bear witness to the fury of the long imprisoned sahuagin, now freed from behind the wall to terrorise the Inner Sea for the first time in centuries.
Jherek meanwhile is still trying to recover an item he lost from the pirate Vurgrom, accompanied by the paladin Glawinn, the pirate Azla and the lady mage Sabyna. He is growing as a man, maturing, each of his companions (but primarily Glawinn) helping him to become what he needs to be, as all of them can feel the pull of destiny attached to him. This scares Sabyna, she is already confused over her feelings for him, and can't understand why he seems to keep her at arms length, even while obviously having strong feelings for her.
Elsewhere, the malenti priestess Laaqueel serves Iakhovas, but she is troubled having heard another voice calling to her, and not that of her God. This other voice speaks calmly, gently and shows her the truths that her master would keep from her, that Iakhovas is not what he appears to be.
To say any more than that would be to spoil the plot of what is a really gripping tale. I found myself always eager to find out what happened next. If I have a complaint, it would be the same one I've seen voiced on many other revies of this book, and that is that the finale is rushed. I feel another 40-50 pages would have made for a better book. As it is after 3 books of plots, slow and steady character growth, romance, and much derring-do, the main villain is disposed of in a really short fight. Also the big reveal of what he actually is, was a bit of a let down (especially since the front cover completely gives it away!).
All in all, I'm going to give this book 4/5. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and some of the characters I would very much like to read further stories about (particularly Glawinn, who is one of the best written paladins I've come across in any novel).
The Sea Devil's Eye by Mel Odom is a Forgotten Realms novel and the final part of the Threat From The Sea Trilogy, which details a war waged on the coastal realm sof Faerun by an alliance of evil undersea creatures (primarily the sahuagin), led by the villainous & mysterious Iakhovas. The book begins a couple months after the events of the previous book (Under Fallen Stars), and also after the short story One Who Swims With Sekolah (also by Mel Odom) which is included in the anthology Realms of the Deep.
We join the narrative as Pacys the elderly human bard is watching the sea elves fight (and lose) a desperate battle with the sahuagin at the site of the Sharksbane Wall, which has just been shattered (as detailed in the short story I mentioned). There he and Khlinat bear witness to the fury of the long imprisoned sahuagin, now freed from behind the wall to terrorise the Inner Sea for the first time in centuries.
Jherek meanwhile is still trying to recover an item he lost from the pirate Vurgrom, accompanied by the paladin Glawinn, the pirate Azla and the lady mage Sabyna. He is growing as a man, maturing, each of his companions (but primarily Glawinn) helping him to become what he needs to be, as all of them can feel the pull of destiny attached to him. This scares Sabyna, she is already confused over her feelings for him, and can't understand why he seems to keep her at arms length, even while obviously having strong feelings for her.
Elsewhere, the malenti priestess Laaqueel serves Iakhovas, but she is troubled having heard another voice calling to her, and not that of her God. This other voice speaks calmly, gently and shows her the truths that her master would keep from her, that Iakhovas is not what he appears to be.
To say any more than that would be to spoil the plot of what is a really gripping tale. I found myself always eager to find out what happened next. If I have a complaint, it would be the same one I've seen voiced on many other revies of this book, and that is that the finale is rushed. I feel another 40-50 pages would have made for a better book. As it is after 3 books of plots, slow and steady character growth, romance, and much derring-do, the main villain is disposed of in a really short fight. Also the big reveal of what he actually is, was a bit of a let down (especially since the front cover completely gives it away!).
All in all, I'm going to give this book 4/5. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and some of the characters I would very much like to read further stories about (particularly Glawinn, who is one of the best written paladins I've come across in any novel).
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
A Leash
I bought a leash today on my way back from the cinema. I'd been meaning to get one for a while, and since my walk home took me past the Pets At Home store and they were open, I decided I might as well get it while I was in that part of town.
So I go in and they have a very nice range of pet leads in leather, cord, that horrid synthetic stuff and of course chain. Me being a Gorean, I go for the chain. 40" in length with a black leather handle and a snap fastening. A steal at £4.99.
I take it to the counter and the girl there rings it up and asks what kind of dog I have.
"Ohh I don't have a dog, it's for my kajira" I reply (even though I don't actually have a kajira as yet).
"Kah gee rah?" and a puzzled look is the reply I get as I'm typing in my pin number.
"Got a bit of paper and a pen?" I ask, and sure enough she produces such. I write down the word KAJIRA in capitals for her, slide it back to her and smile as I say "Look it up on Google. Good night" and taking my card and my newly bought leash, walk out of the store.
Sure wish I could be there to see her face if/when she does take my suggestion!
So I go in and they have a very nice range of pet leads in leather, cord, that horrid synthetic stuff and of course chain. Me being a Gorean, I go for the chain. 40" in length with a black leather handle and a snap fastening. A steal at £4.99.
I take it to the counter and the girl there rings it up and asks what kind of dog I have.
"Ohh I don't have a dog, it's for my kajira" I reply (even though I don't actually have a kajira as yet).
"Kah gee rah?" and a puzzled look is the reply I get as I'm typing in my pin number.
"Got a bit of paper and a pen?" I ask, and sure enough she produces such. I write down the word KAJIRA in capitals for her, slide it back to her and smile as I say "Look it up on Google. Good night" and taking my card and my newly bought leash, walk out of the store.
Sure wish I could be there to see her face if/when she does take my suggestion!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Words Women Use
I saw this on a message board and I just had to repost it here. Enjoy:
FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means "something," and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'Nothing' usually end in "Fine"
GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it.
LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"
THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint. Just say "You're welcome."
WHATEVER
It's a woman's way of saying *!#@ YOU!
FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means "something," and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'Nothing' usually end in "Fine"
GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it.
LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"
THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint. Just say "You're welcome."
WHATEVER
It's a woman's way of saying *!#@ YOU!
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Writer's Block
AARRGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!
*puff, pant* Right I haven't exactly been writing a lot of late, mainly because my knack for figuring out how to write things seems to have deserted me. I have plenty of stuff to write about (I'm sat here with a small pile of novels in front of me needing reveiwing for starters), I just can't seem to find the motivation to do so of late. It's not that I'm bored of writing either, I love to write. I'm not bored of my blog either, I'm quite proud of my corner of the world wide web. so I don't know what is causing this general malaise of late, but I felt it important to at least put something here to explain the recent lack of posts.
Normal service will (hopefully) be shortly resumed.
*puff, pant* Right I haven't exactly been writing a lot of late, mainly because my knack for figuring out how to write things seems to have deserted me. I have plenty of stuff to write about (I'm sat here with a small pile of novels in front of me needing reveiwing for starters), I just can't seem to find the motivation to do so of late. It's not that I'm bored of writing either, I love to write. I'm not bored of my blog either, I'm quite proud of my corner of the world wide web. so I don't know what is causing this general malaise of late, but I felt it important to at least put something here to explain the recent lack of posts.
Normal service will (hopefully) be shortly resumed.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Looking Nice Again
So up until this evening if you went back through my blog it started looking a bit messy. Pictures missing (including the header picture), links not working or missing and generally the site looked untidy and half finished. Not so anymore, as I discovered Blogspot's neat "Republish Entire Blog" button. This has set every page in the blog now to the most recent standard, so the entire site looks as good as the front page. Now if only I could fix all the typo's that easily...
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