Kemp says the omnibus will contain:

Twilight Falling, Dawn of Night, and Midnight’s Mas) together with two short stories — “All the Sinners Saints,” which originally appeared in Dragon 297, and “Soulbound,” which originally appeared in Realms of Dragons.

Recently we noted the cover of on Kemp’s next (new) novel Realms venture, Godborn, the first in a new series that will be followed by Godbound and Godslayer.

Way back in January, we brought you the word on the next three Kemp titles, so Godborn should be followed by Godbound and Godslayer.

Make sure you pull the BSC file on Kemp to get the lowdown on what he’s done before (including writing a sweet Star Wars novel now). if you have love for recent BSC guest RA Salvatore’s work in Realms, you need to be checking out Kemp.

Book I: Godborn, Book II: Godbound, and Book III: Godslayer

More details I say!

_{A publisher, publicist, author, or artist and have news or announcements you think should be noted at BookSpot Central? Email us at admin@fantasybookspot.com and let us decide!}

As many fanboi will complain, Salvatore’s last few Drizzt books lost a step here or there. The story needed to move on though and sometimes that takes a few books. Here we have the culmination of those efforts in “The Orc King” with a new and exciting chapter in the life of our favorite dark elf, Drizzt.

Salvatore gives a glance at the future in the prologue and epilogue of the books. On one hand, maybe these peeks into the future give us too much information by allowing us to see who lives and who may die. On the other hand, I have been told that allowing us to see the ending allows us to focus on the story more. I personally disagree with the second statement and would have liked to see both the prologue and epilogue removed from the book to allow me more of an element of surprise. Regardless of this, Drizzt and his friends/enemies are back and the story they have to show us is magnificent and action packed. Salvatore is doing what he does best: action, sword fighting, and battle description. He brings you so close you can smell the blood and sweat and taste the dust. Salvatore can plop you in the middle of a raging battle you are brought in with a magnifying glass without ever losing the whole picture.

The setting this time focuses on the Spine of the World (Forgotten Realms). Bruenor is looking to hold on to his kingdom while King Obould Many-Arrows is trying to build a kingdom where the orc tribes can unite. Along the way, Bruenor is searching for Gauntlgrym, which is pretty much the dwarven version of Atlantis. The Forgotten Realms is as richly detailed in Salvatore’s hand as we have come to know; with the world changing events that take place and look to be coming, it is a great read.

The characters in the Orc King are some that we have loved for over 20 years, and Drizzt, Bruenor, Cattie-brie, Wulfgar, Regis and the rest of the gang show up in this corner of The Forgotten Realms for a wonderful romp in the Realm. Salvatore brings us a bunch of new secondary characters to flesh out the cast and move the story forward. For me there were two characters though that were not on the top of my list, one which will sure bring boos from a few of you. Minor Spoiler if you have not read previous books- Wulfgar should have stayed dead. He is on my list of I do not really like his current story, hopefully it goes somewhere when he finds his destination. Also, there is a lich wizard named Jack who is pulling the strings of a secret rogue clan of orcs, like the Wizard of Oz. He seems like an afterthought to push the story, nothing more at this point. I was a huge fan of the Orc/Ogre clan as they worked into the story well, giving our anti hero (or hero?) Obould some needed conflict outside of Mithral Hall.

Salvatore’s writing style stays true to previous books, with his weaving of battle scenes and fast paced action, like Elminster casting a spell. This is not a complex book, but it does not need to be as it is very action driven with a group of characters we are all very familiar with. Drizzt’s inner musings are always well written and give us even more depth to one of the most well known characters in the Wizards of the Coast franchise.

The Spellplague pokes its head up in the prologue and epilogue which are set 100 years in the future. This is a world changing event and we are given an appetizer, but we are all waiting for the full meal where we get this whole story, either in the form of a book or when the 4th Edition Rules come out. It is nice when an author gets to introduce some world changing events like the Orc Kingdom and then the Spellplague. We also get to see the beginning of the way that Salvatore addresses Cattie-brie’s injury and her new role in the group (which seems like it will only grow, and may solve an early death problem we are all worried about) and I loved it! The intriguing find in Gauntlgrym will lead to another twist in the story in the future I am sure. Salvatore steps up his game and his fans will be happy for it.

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Shadowstorm is the second release in Paul S. Kemp’s Twilight War Trilogy. It delivers the reader right back into the chaos that was brought to us by the first book, Shadowbred. In doing so, Kemp was able to sustain the A Song of Ice and Fire type presentation of multiple point-of-views, and, like George R. R. Martin, did it exceedingly well.

The opening pages of most books is where an author either grabs the reader’s attention, thwarting any desire to leave his/her world or does not set the hook, leaving the reader to idly swim to some other interesting feature. Kemp was able to do more than capture my attention; he strapped me to the front book jacket and warded me against outside evil wasting its time by attempting to lure me away.

Shadowstorm opens with a powerful scene in which protagonists Erevis Cale, Riven, and Magadon have an encounter with Mephistopheles, Lord of Hell and Magadon’s father. Desperate as they had little chance against the archfiend, Cale temps fate by making a deal with Mephistopheles. Cale submits that his word is all he has to give to guarantee payment, but Mephistopheles has other ideas as he takes Magadon as insurance. Well, part of him.

Sembia, suffering from the ailments of civil war, braces itself as Overmistress Mirabeta decides to march on the cities of Saerb and Selgaunt. Tamlin Uskevren, the Hulorn of Selgaunt, continues to lean heavily on the alliance he has made with Prince Rivalen and Shade Enclave. Having learned that the Hulorn has a powerful ally, the Overmistress made an alliance of her own:

“Mirabeta stifled a gasp at the mention of Venomindhar and Venominhandar. The destruction the two greens had wreaked in Sembia generations earlier was legend. She controlled her shock and reminded herself that she wielded power in Sembia. She spoke to the dragon like she would any underling.

“You will journey to Saerloon. There, you will answer to Lady Merelith and her commanders as they lay siege to Selgaunt. She will report back to me.”

The dragon hefted the decanter of wine and drained it all in one long gulp. He wiped his mouth and said, “Saerloon is a long journey from here even in my natural form, woman.”

“Overmistress,” Mirabeta corrected him. “And I will arrange for your transport.”

Saerb, with no such alliance, is meant to be “made an example of”. However, the Overmistress makes a mistake; she orders that her general visit the Corinthal estate and kidnap Abelar Corinthal’s young son. This leads to one of the most riveting and important scenes in the entire book as its outcome will have a profound affect on Abelar, and in turn, the third and final book of the Twilight War trilogy, Shadowrealm. This entire strand of the story clenched my heart like a vice grip tightening on an apple, and all I wanted was for Kemp to go “lefty-loosey” and relieve the pressure of the heart-wrenching agony by concluding this storyline. When it did end, I was flooded with relief and a sense of satisfaction. However, it was not the most impressive facet of Abelar’s point-of-view.

Through incredible scenes of unconditional love by Abelar for his son, Endren, and how Endren himself reacted to the plight around him, Kemp was able to get me caring for the well-being of a child that spoke maybe fifteen words throughout the entire book. I already knew of Kemp’s writing prowess, but this took my respect for his ability to another level.

One thing that is common throughout Forgotten Realms books are battle sequences, and Shadowstorm is no different. However, the scenes are not strictly hand-to-hand combat; there is an abundance of magical involvement. I do not think this was a negative as it actually strengthened the fighting scenes by allowing Kemp to incorporate additional battle tactics. On the other hand, with many of the significant participants having the ability to heal, I wonder if Kemp will stretch the capability too far by refraining to eliminate a character from the storyline. But if anything, Kemp has proven in the past that his instincts and his ability to control a plot are to be trusted. He will do a phenomenal job at leaving his readers wanting more without over-using that plot device.

Paul S. Kemp has the imbued genius to produce a well-written story. His characters, plots, and settings are persistently depicted in a vivid manner and his writing style will not frustrate most readers; he truly knows how to set an ideal reading pace. Shadowstorm built upon that reputation. Kemp was even able to keep his most recent Erevis Cale narrative out of the “just here to move the story along” – also known as a “transition” book – category. He did so by applying intense story lines, more abundant and all around better action, and an ending that left everything up in the air. Least to say, I am extremely excited for the 2008 release of Shadowrealm.

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We visit the realms again, but this time we venture to another unlikely locale when we follow some returning characters to the Plane of Fire. Kaanyr Vhok, fresh off the defeat suffered at the hands of the Menzoberranzan drow, is looking for a new conquest, and it seems a complex plan has been hatched. Kaanyr’s plan not only involves the human city of Sundabar, but he is venturing into the Plane of Fire for a scheme that can only have a devastating impact on the Forgotten Realms. We also get to see Aliisza – a fan favorite from “The War of the Spider Queen”. She had some interesting interactions with Phauran Mizzrym and the rest of the drow.

The first concern is the choice of Kaanyr Vhok and Aliisza as part of this story rather than bringing new players to the table. Though, Thomas Reid does introduce an interesting supporting cast: Myshik Moreume the blue-scaled hobgoblin with half-draconic heritage, Zasian the priest, and Tauran the angel of Tyr. Reid perfectly played Myshik in regards to how much stage time he is given and his actions in the book. Zasian is as well a great character; right when you think you know what he is about, Reid flips the script and he is really not at all what we thought. Tauran seemed to be the only weak supporting character, but then again, how much personality can an angel of Tyr really have?

The characters not only visit Sundabar, but we also get to see them visit the Plane of Fire. While on the Plane of Fire, the anti-heroes – in an attempt to keep cool – get to venture into the famous City of Brass after a battle with some efreeti slavers. From the crystal trees to the overall theme and look of the plane, Reid does a wonderful job at describing the locales and puts the reader right alongside the characters in their journey. Reid could have added to the story by giving a little more background as to the inhabitants that Kaanyr Vhok’s band met on the Plane of Fire, but there are only a certain amount of pages in the book, so this is understandable.

Reid refers to Vhok as “the cambion” far too often in his attempt to break up the monotony of using his name. This was very distracting to the flow of the story and effectively changed the enjoyment of the story by sheer annoyance. Reid seems to do this with other characters as well, but not to the extent that it is done with Kaanyr Vhok.

This book can be a little frustrating for the reader as they can feel a little left out until the end where things that seem out of place are explained. It is also going to be a stretch for some readers to connect with Kaanyr and Aliisza due to having rooted against them in the past.
Even though Reid’s first book in the story did not allow him to be the author we know he can be, he has the skill to be top notch. He really shines when he gets to create new characters. With that said, the supporting cast of this story could use a spin off of its own.

Overall, Reid brings us a good story and setting while introducing some well thought out and alluring minor characters. Kaanyr Vhok and Aliisza seemed forced into the story, as if they were only present for their name recognition. We could have had some new characters take their place, but WoTC does rely heavily on recognizable characters, which is understandable in a shared world setting. Let us hope we can understand why Vhok seems bent on Sundabar so quickly after his defeat at the hands of the dark elves and how Aliisza’s piece of the puzzle fits. We can only assume it has some part of the greater plan at hand. Well, we can only hope that is true.

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The Forgotten Realms is the most well known shared world in Fantasy and we get to talk about one of the most secretive areas of the Realms by venturing into Thay for this story. I am really happy to be able to step back in to somewhere I find familiar and intriguing at the same time, as the Forgotten Realms has been a reading home of mine for some time now. The Realms have an abundance of history, and while Thay is referenced time and time again, it is nice to fully visit this area and take a look at the inner working of betrayal and politics that are so common place. Why do they all wear red robes again though, can someone answer this question for me?

Byers gives us a few storylines at the beginning of the book, but the overall theme we have is Szass Tam and his overall plans to take over Thay and then all of the Forgotten Realms. By the end of the book, we see some of the story lines intersect and we know that all of the players introduced are part of a larger game. Bareris the bard, and his love interest, Tammith, give us our required save the damsel part of the story with a nice, interesting twist. Tammith’s story is far from over, and even though her part played in book one was small, I believe she is part of the greater story. We have Aoth, who is a battle mage griffon rider. That seems a little out of place in the backstabbing politics being played, but she does give the reader an insight into the army fighting the undead from the Thay standpoint. We then have all the Zulkirs and Burning Braziers – with Milsantos and Nymia (Tharchions) commanding the army – trying to fight the undead menace. There is some nice interaction from some of the background characters, including Samas Kul; who is Master of the Guild of Foreign Trade, Iphegor Nath; High Flamelord of the Church of Kossuth; and others. Back to Szass Tam, this lich is a force to be reckoned with as master of magic. Though, we hear from others who are too awestruck to even make moves against the Zulkir of Necromancy. “I’m a Red Wizard of Illusion, and I have no idea how one would go about managing that.” Okay, so if people who have a lifetime of study in an area of magic are in awe of the power of Szass Tam when performing magic that isn’t in his sphere of magic, we have a villain that is no push over. Don’t worry about all these characters, at the end of the story there is a list of people under the title Personages of Thay. This really helps you keep track of everyone and the part they play in Thay, and I am very glad it was included.

Ah…one of the greatest things about a shared world, cross referencing – also one of the worst. The dilemma is that you have tons of back history and other plots and going ons in the world at large. This makes you feel you are in a breathing world that you know a lot about and isn’t just about one set of people pigeon holed in a world building exercise where you meet less then .01 percent of the population. The bad part as an author must be to integrate this in a way that if the user didn’t read one of those previous series you know what is going on. Byers does this in his referring the Rage of Dragons, “The Great Rage of Dragons two years ago was but one manifestation of a sort of universal ferment likely to continue for a while.” I have read the Rage of Dragons and the reference is known to me, but even if not you still get the general meaning. It is also cross promotional as maybe you will now want to read more about what is going on in the world. A fine balance is necessary and Byers does that well.

Another strong point in the beginning to this series is the betrayal and political machinations that are going on as everyone tries to scramble for more power, as well as trying to stay alive. Thay always seemed to be teetering on some sort of political see saw where it could all implode upon itself or take over the rest of the realm at the same time, and this story line is no different. I like Thay as there is such an uneasy balance of power, not unlike the Drow, except that because of the human lifespan things seem to happen more often in Thay.

I am a huge fan of stories where magic is abundant, magic weapons, the supernatural around every corner, and large scale battles where wizards, priest, and warriors all play a big part of the strategy of the battle. From battle mages flying griffons to demons a lich commanding an undead army, you have it all: necromancers, gnolls, orcs and bards also included in the package. The Forgotten Realms is a true Monty Haul campaign and I enjoy every minute of it.

The Forgotten Realms have seemed to grow up recently by introducing more and more mature stories for the seasoned speculative fiction reader. This publisher does not only cater to the YA crowd or novice fantasy reader anymore. Byers writing is well formed and I enjoyed the flow of the story with only a few lines that seemed forced from the characters. A very strong start to “The Haunted Lands” and I am very eager to read more and how this touches the world at large. Richard Lee Byers should be well known to anyone who frequents “The Realms” and his writing is placing him in the top echelon of writers that Wizards of the Coast enjoys. You can feel safe in placing him in the same category as Salvatore and Kemp when we talk about fast paced, magic infused, sword and sorcery fantasy.

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Wizards of the Coast and Forgotten Realms: Names that echo fancies of Dungeons and Dragons. The mere whisper of D&D can illicit comments from all shades of life, which proves that it has transcended other games by embedding its existence in society. To fantasy readers, on the other hand, those names recall a different thought. For me the “thought” that materialized was R.A. Salvatore; he was able to captivate me through the trials of Drizzt Do’Urden. Surprisingly, this is no longer the case. Now when I hear Forgotten Realms, I think Paul S. Kemp.

Shadowbred, Paul S. Kemp’s first follow up to the The Erevis Cale Trilogy, starts off with Erevis Cale’s dreams being visited by a friend in duress. Unaware of what is truly happening and where his friend even is, Cale can only wonder about his friend’s safety. He later answers a message from the son of an old acquaintance by making his way to Selgaunt – his previous home. He is able to get there faster than most; he has the ability to progress leagues in a single step by traveling through shadows. Upon arriving, he learns from an unexpected source that his friend is in dire need. While there is nothing Cale can do at the present to aid his friend, he further learns that his friend’s fate is somehow tied to Sembia, the nation that Selgaunt resides in. He then meets up with the individual in Selgaunt that requested his presence and is offered the position of advisor to the Hulorn, which he quickly accepts. In a neighboring city that lies in Sembia, a power struggle ensues after the Overmaster mysteriously dies. In a wicked – but not unplanned – turn of events, the nation is thrown into civil war. Cale, now being an advisor and still in search of his ailing friend, is like the soft center of a Tootsie-Pop, stuck right in the middle.

When diving into Shadowbred, the first thing that hit me was how well Paul S. Kemp wrote. He did not attempt to write over his reader’s heads, and gave credit to their intelligence by not lacking in complex grammar principles. Adding further to Shadowbred’s interest, Kemp writes portions of this book from first and third-person perspectives, the primary format being third-person. However, the first-person is not thrown in sporadically, but is used after a character is forced to retreat to the recesses of his mind, which really keys us in on what is occurring “inside his head”. Kemp is also adept at presenting attributes of his characters over time, rather than introducing us through a rapid-fire session of information like a door-to-door vacuum salesman.

Paul S. Kemp’s first book of The Twilight War Trilogy, Shadowbred, is filled with elements that many good novels have: detestable bad guys, personable good guys, and an intriguing plot. What Kemp does with those ingredients is what makes him a head chef at a popular New York dining establishment, rather than a Grill Technician at Wendy’s. Needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting the next courses

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The conclusion of The Hunter’s Blade Trilogy picks up where The Lone Drow (the second installment) left off: the dwarves are attempting to thwart an orc advance and Drizzt is out in the wilderness causing havoc amongst the enemy’s ranks.

The Battlehammer dwarves have been “closed in” to their home – Mithril Hall. Fortunately for them though, they have underground tunnels leading to neighboring lands that the orcs have yet to locate. Clan Battlehamer was able to send scouts to Citadel Felbarr, and after informing them of the situation, the Felbarran dwarves agreed to send their army to Mithril Hall’s aid. However, there were two entities that would make this joining difficult: a river and orcs.

Drizzt – behind enemy lines – continues his assault on the orcs of the region while attempting to rescue Sunset – a Pegasus friend. He came close to rescuing her, but Obould, king of the orc army, foiled his plans with a trap. That turned out to be their first showdown, but by far not the last.

Becoming more trouble than she was worth, King Obould gave the frost giant leader, Gerti, the Pegasus. Consequently, Drizzt’s path lead away from the battle against Mithril Hall and turned towards the frost giants’ home that lay deep in the Spine of the World. Oddly enough, that journey led to an “understanding” between Gerti and Drizzt that would lead to the freeing of Sunset and another skirmish with Obould.

While out on a scouting session, Drizzt comes across the Bouldershoulder brothers, Ivan and Pikel, who notify Drizzt that his friends are still alive. Rather than practicing haste by going to his friends, Drizzt decides that he cannot pass up an opportunity to end this threat by defeating Obould. He carefully places himself in the proper position for the encounter, but unlike previous instances, this is on his terms.

Personal Thoughts:

Well, I sit here contemplating what to write in regards to the supposed conclusion of a series that I had been eagerly awaiting to complete for nearly three years. The anticipation while foraging through Drizzt’s previous tales continued to grow as I got closer and closer. I still remember walking past B. Daltons at Arrowhead Mall in Glendale, Arizona and catching a glimpse of a new release, The Thousand Orcs. I was so excited to get home and start reading it. Though, fifty pages in, I discovered that there were many books prior to this. So, like I have recommended to others already, I decided to start from the beginning and purchased Homeland.

That is where my journey began. Unfortunately, looking back on it all, I do not feel a sense of completion but rather an aching feeling of loss. I truly felt that the first piece of the Hunter’s Blade Trilogy was going to revive the series back to a state of fascination that it revealed with The Dark Elf Trilogy. But as I completed The Lone Drow, I was not so sure and my mind started contemplating how the The Two Swords could conclude the story that had taken the twists that it had. Since finishing it, I see that the tale did not end at all.

There were several scenes that readers had to be expecting. The biggest of which was Drizzt finding out that his friends had not fallen at Shallows. This was a concept that had been played continuously throughout this book, and I had goosebumps anticipating that meeting. Another was the inevitable battle between Obould and Drizzt. I felt that this book and its predecessor were primarily geared towards these two events, but when they happened, they were of no great consequence. That sense of jubilation I was expecting when Drizzt found out that his best friends were alive and awaiting his return, died. The expectation of a momentous battle between Gruumsh enhanced King Obould Many-Arrows and Drizzt Do’Urden was lost in a skirmish that lasted but a few moments. I expected at least one of these moments to bring fulfillment, but I ended up sulking to the anticlimactic tune.

When I see “trilogy” attached to a series, I feel that it is a safe bet to expect three books to complete a particular storyline. A perfect example is The Lord of the Rings. The evil was revealed to us, they determined how to vanquish the evil, and then they took care of business. Well, Mr. Salvatore decided to recreate that mold and finish this trilogy right in the middle. It irked me a little at first, but now that I have had time to reflect, I am glad that he did not finish it. I would have been more perturbed if he just threw in an ending to finish it; there is a lot left to be completed to bring finality to this tale.

Disregarding the aforementioned letdowns, I did still enjoy reading the book. I have really come to admire the morality of the dwarfs. Plus, I do enjoy reading about the other main characters – Bruener, Cattie-Brie, Regis, and Wulfgar. In the mean time, I will be awaiting the next book in hope that it will aspire to be like Sprite and quench my thirst.

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The story starts off by accompanying a small group of dwarves, led by Tred McKnuckles, who are attempting to beat another group of dwarves to a city where they are planning on selling their wares. Unfortunately for them, though, a band of orcs and frost giants have other ideas. The band ends up ambushing the dwarves and kill all but two, Tred and Nikwilling, who escape. They would learn later how great their folly was in letting them flee.

King Obould Many-Arrows, an orc, and Gerti Orelsdottr, a frost giant, are introduced to readers as villains who are rulers over their respective races. These two form an alliance to bring their forces together to not only wreak havoc, but in an attempt to control the north lands. While these two races have never gotten along, King Obould and Gerti are smart enough to see that an alliance would be beneficial to both, but the original thought was neither their own.

Drizzt and the gang – Bruener, Cattie-Brie, Regis, and Wulfgar – are hit with the news that Bruener’s relative King Gandalug – who was saved from the clutches of evil Matron Baenre by Drizzt and friends in an earlier book – has passed away. Now that Bruener is once again the king of Mithril Hall, it is time for him to leave Ten-Towns so he can lead his people. On the way to Mithril Hall, Bruener decides to stop by Mirabar – a dwarf and human city that competes with Mithril Hall through items made of ore – and pay a visit to the dwarves there. His visit becomes a catalyst for the darkest days in Mirabar’s history.

Tred and Nikwillig stumble across Bruener on his way to Mithril Hall and tell him how their wagon was ambushed. They could not sit idly bye knowing that retchid creatures were roaming the mountainside in pursuit of victims. Bruener sends most of his party that accompanied him from Ten-Towns continuing on to Mithrill Hall and took some of his best warriors which, of course, included his four closest friends to go in search of the ravenous beasts.

They were able to find and dispose of some in good time, but they found many more small bands as they made there way from town to town to give warning of the possible threats lurking at their doorsteps. They come upon Shallows – one of the larger settlements south of Mithril Hall – and decide to stay with them for a few days. What they did not know was that orc scouts had been monitoring their movements.

With the knowledge that King Bruener, a despised figure to the odious races of the region, had trapped himself within the walls of Shallows, King Obould and Gerti launched an assault on the town. King Obould’s orc army amounted to over a thousand, and despite being greatly outnumbered, the Town of Shallows, aided by its recent visitors, was able to stymie the offensive for a few days. Most of the fighting to that point had been protecting the walls and entrances, a style of fighting that is not suited for a dark elf. Drizzt had therefore gone over the walls in an attempt to cause damage behind enemy lines.

In Drizzt’s attempt to thwart the frost giants persistent barrage of boulders on Shallows, he ends up being chased into a cavern too small for the giants to follow. Not liking that, they blocked the entrance with large rocks. It takes Drizzt nearly two days to find his way out of the cave and back in sight of the town. The first image he sees is that of a man wearing a one horned helm fall to his certain death out of the tower that distinguishes Shallows.

When it appeared that the orc force was about to overwhelm the remaining defenders of Shallows, a wooden replica of Gruumsh – the god of the orcs – came waltzing into the battlefield. It appeared to be on the side of the attackers, but deception always plays a vital role in the art of war.

Personal Thoughts:

In a shade under two decades, Drizzt Do’Urden has become one of the most popular fantasy characters of all time. Be that through heavy promotion or the public’s lack of knowledge of what truly is out there, it is hard to say. Either way, Salvatore persists on feeding the cult following that has embedded itself into Drizzt’s piwafwi, and I for one am glad that he continues to do so.

For starters, The Thousand Orcs is a book best read after one has conquered the previous fourteen installments. There is a lot that is based on prior events and relationships that is necessary to know when delving into this book. While I would not consider it to be impossible to pick up this book and follow along, I do not think that the reader would enjoy the story as much or appreciate where the characters are in their lives.

As anyone who has read Salvatore would expect, there were a lot of fighting scenes. In past instances I felt that he just threw in fights from time-to-time because he had not had one in a while. However, I did not feel that any of the fights were misplaced or unwarranted. Well, there was one fight that did not completely flow with the story line, but it was vital in demonstrating to the reader what certain characters (Pikel Bouldershoulder, for example) could do if called on at a later time, and I therefore did not mind it.

Each book prior to this was definitively connected to the previous titles, but every book had a sense of closure on a particular enemy. This book was different.

Unless my memory is playing a joke (It has been a while since I started the first story with Drizzt), The Thousand Orcs is the only book that actually ends in the middle of a battle. Well, it was a battle, but I got the sense that it was the calm before the storm, the anticipation before the big game, the nervousness that plagues the stomach before…you get the picture. There were subtle hints and nicely placed thoughts of characters that can lead the reader to what they believe is going to happen, events that only seem logical. One of the things that I subconsciously tend to do is guess what is going to happen before it happens rather than let the author take me along his/her story, so with this book ending like it did, the brain juices are flowing quite ferociously.

I gave this book an eight for multiple reasons. Firstly, I know that people swear by Homeland and the other Dark Elf Trilogy books (Exile and Sojourn), but they simply do not match up to The Thousand Orcs. And please, do not take my observation to indicate that I did not like learning of Drizzt’s first centuries in Menzoberranzen, I enjoyed those books! I just think that the initial story of how Drizzt became Drizzt is weighing too heavily in the minds of fans.

Secondly, this book plays for more in the aspects of war rather than small confrontations. Salvatore had been placing Drizzt and company in small skirmishes when compared to The Thousand Orcs. An enormous portion of the northern orcs have come together, couple that with frost giants joining the mix and you have a conflict on a massive scale. The only thing that I can think of that even comes close to matching is when the drow attempted to overthrow Bruener’s dwarves in Mithrill Hall, but that is like comparing a Lunchable to a porterhouse steak, there is a big difference. Furthermore, Salvatore does a wonderful job of revealing the thought process and actions of both sides.

My initial reaction was to give this book a higher grade; the level of this book compared to its predecessors is substantial to me, but there are just too many books out there for this to be near the top of the pile. In closing, this is the best book I have ever read with the name Salvatore on the cover.

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You heard me right. What do you have to do? Just sign in and leave an email address, no talent required, the winner will win by dra.

I have stated on numerous occasions on how much I have enjoyed this series thus far, a departure from what I have become accustomed to within Forgotten Realms. Although I have not read the third and final book,- Midnight’s Mask - in the sequence yet, through 2 books, this is the best Forgotten Realms series I have ever read, and while a stellar addition to that line, is a series that those not usually accustomed to reading Realms novels could find themselves vastly appreciating.

What are you getting?

The First Place winner will receive all 3 books of the Erevis Cale trilogy, Twilight Falling, Dawn of Night and the recently released Midnight’s Mask all autographed by Paul S. Kemp. A runner up will receive an autographed copy of Resurrection, the final book in the War of the Spider Queen sequence.

If the winners want it personalized, Mr. Kemp has offered to oblige.

Who can win?

Just sign in, and either drop your email by posting or if you don’t like broadcasting your email, sign in and PM me, and you will all be noted. I don’t care where you live, if you are one of the winners we will get the books to you.

When is the contest over?

I’m going to say you have until the 12th of this month, to get in on this.

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I am writing this review, just a couple of minutes after finishing the last page of ‘Midnight’s Mask’, book three of Erevis Cale Trilogy. I feel speechless, just astounded, shocked, sad, and pleased. My mind is racing with thousands of unanswered questions. I don’t know where to start talking. This book is just one of a kind.

The story picks off in a very fast pace, giving the reader no chance to even breathe. Starting where it was left off in ‘Dawn of Night’, Riven just betrayed Cale, and allied himself with the Slaadi. It quickly clears out to be all but set up. Using Mag’s special abilities they triggered Riven to betray Cale but not kill him. Let him be allied with the enemy to be able to infiltrate their base. Unfortunately for them, they underestimated the Sojourner’s power and strength in magic, he easily fended them off. Rive yet again betrays Cale and the rest. Cale was forced to escape shadow jumped with Jak and Magadon to safety. This time it was no set up, they didn’t plan this to happen. The Sojourner accepted Riven’s wish to ally with him and sent him along with Azriim and Dolgan to Selgaunt, where they will board a ship with a special compass that will lead them directly above Sakkor, some lost sunken city. In that city they are hoping to plant another Weave tap on Sakkor’s mantle. After some devious planning, they head on and took a ship to hunt that sunken city. Azriim purposely left a trail for Cale to follow which worked wonderfully. Azriim, Dolgan, and Riven were able to escape easily to another ship that was stationed to wait for them but not before leaving Cale with a lot of trouble to worry about. We discover that Riven purposely set the betrayal and secretly made a connection with Mags letting them know his own location and where he is heading.. Cale with some difficulty dealt with the situation around him and was lucky that he landed in a vessel that was filled with Slaves, in which all of them seamen, along with their own Captain. Cale helped those slaves escape, but in return to be able to steer the shop to hopefully be able to follow Azriim. Falling deeper into Mask’s hands Erevis uses his own Shadow jump ability to jump into the Plane of Shadows along with the whole ship. Due to that tasking accomplishment, Cale slowly began to look even more different slowly loosing his own thoughts if it wasn’t for his friends a long his side. They go back to the Material world where Jak summons a few elementals to help move the ship faster towards Traitor’s Isle. We learn in the prologue that in the deep see there is this creature of colossal scale, named Ssessimyth. Not much is known about it except it is feeding of this thing that is called the “Source”. The creature’s constant feeding of the Source’s power left it in a dreamy state filled with content. Ssessimyth sensed the trouble Azriim might be bringing with him and the fact that he is slowly loosing control of the source. The creature slowly becomes agitated and sends a storm at the two ships. The storm failed to let the ships sail a different path, so sending his own minions was his next action. While the two boats were raided with scrags (sea trolls), Azriim with the Riven and Dolgan went into the water and swam to the bottom. Cale and Jak followed those two deep under, tried to intercept them but failed yet again. Azriim successfully set up the Weave tap in which angered Ssessimyth. The colossal creature now lost his connection to the source went into frenzy. We realize then that it was a Kraken. Azriim and his company simply used their teleportation rods to escape. Mags drank a lot of the source energy (as well as something about it) and was able in the last second to transport the whole ship into safety. While Cale used his shadow ability to shadow jump himself and jack to Selgaunt. Yet this is still not the last of their worries, the Sojourner just tapped the last weave tap and is ready to summon his Crown of Flames.

I will purposely stop here, there is much more I have left not mentioned. If you wish to know more then you have to march and get the book yourself and trust me it is money will spent. I do suggest to all who are going to read this book to be sure to put a plastic wrap around you head for it will surely blow your brains out! I’ve never been able to read a book that had me loving all of both the good guys and the villains. As quoted from Paul S. Kemp’s Biography “he practices corporate law in Detroit. Yes, that does make him a tool of “the Man.” Keeping a heel on the throat of common folk is what he does. Helps him write Believable villains” True words if I ever heard them. The villains he creates are not just smart, they are also so real. I just love Azriim’s personality and his weird sense of etiquette. One of the rare novels I’ve seen that didn’t have any of the moments that you wish to skip a small part cause it interrupts a certain scene. Those who “Survive” this book will be seen in another trilogy, starting July of next year.

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This is the book that started it all. ‘The Crystal Shard’ was what pushed me from being a mere book reader to a book fanatic. Some would say a book addict.

It may or may not be known that I “discovered” Bob’s work from the back of a comic. Proof that advertising really does work. And over the years, I’m quite sure I’ve single-handedly paid for that ad with the amount of money I’ve shelled out for Bob’s books.

But enough about me. Let’s talk Drizzt. When we last left Drizzt, he had arrived on the surface, met with racism, and fled to the great white north of the Ten Towns area. He met few people that would even stop long enough to talk before attacking him. Not exactly the nicest place to live.

Aside from the weather and the racist population, Drizzt managed to form strong bonds with a few residents that would last a lifetime. Among those, Bruenor, Catti-brie, Wulfgar, and Regis are the closest.

And it’s this cast of characters that sets the pace for future adventures. While the story is actually very simple, there are some great moments of action and intrigue. The barbarians attack on the Ten Towns. The crafting of Aegis-Fang. The defeat of the ice dragon. The defeat of the armies of Akar Kessell. All very memorable moments in reading. Moments that I remember now as much as I did after reading T’he Crystal Shard’ for the first time nearly 20 years ago.

But what was oddly depressing to me was the fact that reading this book for the fourth time had lost some of its original magic. Almost like playing with your G. I. Joes for the first time since you were a kid. That youthful imagination has been severely reduced by real-life. And to top that off, this really long book that you read those many years ago isn’t that long anymore. You read faster. You remember the story. You aren’t surprised. Some of the magic is gone, but not all of it.

So part of my rating is based on this most recent reading. The other part is based on my memories of my first reading. Being surprised that Regis was still alive. Being surprised that Bruenor wasn’t dead. The tension between Wulfgar and Bruenor. All of those still linger in my memories.

All in all, Bob did a great job pounding this story out. While it isn’t his greatest work, it’s the one that caught my eye. So to me, it’s the most important book he’s ever written. Without ‘The Crystal Shard’, I would be like any other man my age that doesn’t enjoy reading. Living a life that isn’t nearly as full as it could be. For those that have never read this book, pick it up. It’s pretty good. Not the best, but pretty good. It moves fast. The characters are well defined and well developed. And while Drizzt may not have been the original main character, he does a great job filling those shoes. Great for summer reading at the beach, on the plane, or in the tree house. Great for kids young and old. And hopefully a book that will become a literary classic like ‘The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer.’

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Drizzt completes his journey to the surface and discovers the hardships and the friendships that will follow him through the rest of his life. Sometimes even the right decision means somebody gets hurt.

After arriving on the surface, Drizzt runs across an assortment of characters, good and evil. Most notable are Mooshie, McGristle, and Tephanis. Mooshie turns out to be a blind ranger that has become a hermit in his dying days. Mooshie trains Drizzt in the ways of a ranger and introduces him to a religion that he might be able to follow. McGristle hunts Drizzt down over the span of a few years to repay him for taking the humans ear and dog. Tephanis is a quickling that causes a lot of trouble for Drizzt. But he’s also a bit of comic relief.

There’s also a visit to a dragon’s lair (where Drizzt fools the dragon into letting him go), a short stint with the Weeping Friars (who allow themselves to suffer so that others won’t have to), and the trip to the Ten Towns.

Icewind Dale is a cold and hard place. And it’s where Drizzt chose to find refuge. And it’s also where he finds friendship and love. Bruenor and Catti-brie be-friend the drow and welcome him (with somewhat open arms). The other members of Drizzt’s usual troupe haven’t been introduced yet, but they’ll be along soon enough.

All in all, not a bad ending for a dark elf. From birth to the surface, he’s done well for himself. He’s forsaken his evil ancestors, embraced righteousness, and defends the weak and innocent. He’s made friends underground and on the surface. He’s survived racism and violence. And he’s grown stronger from it all.

Q. How did you discover R. A. Salvatore’s work?

A. When I was younger, my aunt and uncle would spoil me when I went to visit them. They would almost always buy me a book or a comic or just give me money. And on the back of one of those comics, I saw this really cool picture from some book called The Crystal Shard. I had never been a big reader, but I was completely taken in by this artwork and just had to find the book. After many fruitless searches of local bookstores, I finally found a copy. The rest of the story, as they say, is history.

Q. Like Drizzt in Sojourn, have you experienced guilt, right or wrong, for anything you’ve done?

A. Yes, and I think everyone has at some point in time. I know to this day I still regret things I’ve done in the past that were wrong. But it’s what I chose to do, so now I live with the consequences. There’s nothing I can do now that will change how things are, so I try not to let it bother me.

Q. When reading the Dark Elf Trilogy, did it shed some light on Drizzt and his actions in the Icewind Dale Trilogy?

A. Absolutely. The Dark Elf Trilogy was the prequel series for the Icewind Dale Trilogy. And the best comparison I can make is to Star Wars. Bob went back and wrote the history of Drizzt just like Lucas went back and wrote the history of Vader. And there’s just something a little cooler about a dark elf flailing about his scimitars. After all, Vader didn’t have a panther as a pet, did he?

Q. Compared to all of Bob’s work in the Forgotten Realms, which individual book or series is your favorite?

A. Definitely the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Specifically Streams Of Silver. I loved the ending and was shaking when I read it the first time. I know many people love the Dark Elf Trilogy, but for me, you can’t beat the original.

Q. You’re seem to be a big fan of Bob’s work. Are there other genres that you enjoy reading?

A. Star Wars. And the Hardy Boys. I started collecting and reading Bob’s books early on. Then I (along with my Dad) inherited a set of first edition Hardy Boy novels from the 1940s. That snowballed into the Casefiles and Super Mysteries. Once I got into college, I outgrew the Hardy Boys and graduated to reading Star Wars. I’ve since amassed a rather large collection of books that threatens to overtake my house. And my wife’s collection is just as bad.

Q. Why do you write these reviews?

A. Mostly for me. As I’ve gotten older and the list of books I’ve read gets longer, I’ve come to realize that my memory and reading retention is getting worse. So I write reviews now so I can remember what I read. And if someone happens to read my review, that’s good. If they read my review and have a thought provoking discussion about it, that’s great. Even if they don’t talk about it with me. I love to read and I love books. And I want to share that love with as many people as I can.

Q. Why did you interview yourself?

A. To give this review a little flavor of the “author annotated” version of Sojourn I just reviewed.

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Resurrection, the finale of the wonderful series “The War of the Spider Queen”. Well what can I say? The book blew me away. I seriously loved Mr. Kemp’s way of presenting the characters. He always seems to know how to give them life as he did with his Erevis Cale Trilogy. I waited so long for this book to arrive after I ordered it (three weeks, damn slow mail) and I have to say it was exciting reading it. Though I was disappointed greatly by the death of one of my favorite characters, again who wouldn’t? Never the less, that wouldn’t stop me from considering the book one of my favorites.

The story revolved around Quenthel, Jeggred, Danifae, and Pharaun heading up to meet the Spider Queen. All of them are hearing a whisper in the air of a Yor’thae, which means the chosen one. Both high priestesses are fighting mentally and somewhat physically to prove to the other that they are the Yor’thae. All the while, Helisstra was on her own mission of hunting down the Yor’thae and killing the spider queen. She enters a portal that takes her and two priestesses of the dark lady to the plane of the spider queen. The basic idea for them is to head for the gates of soulreaver and pass through to meet Lolth. Gromph on the other hand has destroyed his arch nemesis Dyrr, the archlich. He knows fully that he hasn’t killed the lich completely without destroying lich’s the soul gem. knowing where it was located he put it onto himself with a very minor help of two other beanre wizards, to hunt for it by attacking House Dyrr.. If you want to know what happens next? Read the book yourself cause I ain’t telling ya!

I personally have to say it’s the best book of all sixth. I am not rating this because story wise, cause I have to say I am greatly disappointed by one of the character death, but the sense of life I get from it. I loved the witty remarks that Pharaun cracks up anytime he gets the chance to. I loved the way Danifae uses her talent and skills to manipulate her way through. It’s not only the life I get from the characters but the way the plot was played out was genius. Paul was given an order to make ****** the Yor’thae and that’s it. He plotted out all the rest of the book and from what I read he did a very creative job doing so. Talk is cheap now, so grab some cash, walk out to the nearest bookstore, purchase the book, and check it out yourself.

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Jay – What can you tell us about Promise of the Witch King. Specifically regarding any differences, and whether it’s more, less, or indifferent in regards to writing about characters featured in a full length novel that are decidedly more on the “gray” scale as far as alignment?

R.A. Salvatore – This new book continues the story in The Servant of the Shard and in the short stories which followed. It is different, not only in terms of “gray” characters and their reactions to companions/enemies/friends alike, but in terms of scope. This book is something that’s been curiously lacking in a D&D world; it’s a dungeon crawl. A delicious and destructive romp whose primary climax occurs within the context of a singular structure.

I don’t know if I could get away with this with Drizzt and the gang, but Entreri and Jarlaxle are just so much fun together that a single encounter in a single room can elicit the most amazing exchanges with sword and word.

Jay Tomio – In various interviews and just by reading the series we know that Demonwars, and the world of Corona is your baby. Corona fans are eagerly awaiting Mr. James Lowder’s Brotherhood of the Lost in that setting, and are wondering what else you have planned for Corona, and when will you be returning to that setting, and do you have any idea on any specifics of that project?

R.A. Salvatore – As of now, I have nothing planned for Corona, other than Jim’s book. The Highwayman did very well, though, and if the trend of its sales continues through the paperback, it will push my hand to continue. Please don’t take that the wrong way. I’m not talking financial here. The thing is, if I do a Drizzt book, I reach 3-5 times the people I’ll reach with anything else. That makes Drizzt quite compelling.

At this point, I can only shrug and say “Who Knows?”. I love Demonwars, but I’m determined to cut back. for now at least, on my writing. If it can only be one a year, at this time, the one will be a Drizzt book.

Jay Tomio – So that squashes any rumors Mr. Salvatore. We have not seen the last of Drizzt have we?

R.A. Salvatore – See above. Of course not. I left at least three stories wide open at the end of The Two Swords. Both the journey to retrieve Elfain’s body and Wulfgar’s determination, determination to get his child back will be told in short stories (they are a part of my contract, after all), and Bruenor’s Gauntlegrym fantasies will be explored in the next novel-length installment, I think.

That said I do not agree with some who say that The Two Swords didn’t resolve things, it did.

SPOILERS!!!!!!! (can you hide this?)

Obould won. It’s a Damned if-you-do, Damned if-you-don’t situation. If Drizzt had just killed him, it would have been a tighter resolution, and then the criticism would have filled my e-mail regarding predictability, or it’s “why do the good guys always win?”

They didn’t. Not this time. Not this time. The region about Mithral Hall has changed; the orcs have claimed a kingdom.

Will it hold? I’m not telling.

Jay Tomio – Another question I see asked numerous times amongst your fans is regarding a character from your Crimson Shadow trilogy. So this is for the fans, will we ever see Oliver DeBurrows again?

R.A. Salvatore – Again, who knows? I haven’t planned that far ahead. I almost re-signed with Warner for another book two years ago, but I went for CDS and The Highwayman instead. I love Oliver and think he’s one of my best characters. I also expect that we might soon see a compendium edition of Crimson Shadow from Warner, since the Ace the Spearwielders Tale compendium has done quite well.

Jay Tomio – Mr. Salvatore your always noted, (I have been guilty of it to) for being one of the best describers of duels and fight scenes in the genre; the term revolutionary has even be used. This is such a common, no doubt you are mindful of it, is there something you attribute to this? Were you yourself a fan of such depictions before writing, and if so what inspired or who inspired this, or was it just something you were always good at involuntarily?

R.A. Salvatore – I was a boxer (informally) and a bouncer, and I’m a very visual person. I could watch the swordfight between Inego Montoya and Dread Pirate Robert 500 times and not get bored. Same thing with the training scenes in ‘The Last Samurai’. It always frustrated me when I’d read this great lead-up to a battle then nothing. Then Garet Jax leaning against a wall, mortally wounded (I’ll never forgive you for that Terry!). I love the visual, the movement, the interplay of swords. I want to be in that moment, to savor it and dissect it.

In a way I’m almost sorry that I was portrayed as “revolutionary” or whatever regarding this, because it makes it so much harder to get any attention to other things I’m trying to accomplish in the books. When I write a book like Mortalis which is not battle-heavy, many of my readers find “expectations” problems. I’ll just shrug and do what I do.

Jay Tomio – Recently you have seem to have been crossing into other creative outlets, like video games, a new comic, editing, etc. How are you enjoying these new roles, and can we expect more of this from you?

R.A. Salvatore – I’ve found opportunities to stretch and that’s a good thing. Variety keeps you young, after all. I loved working with Atari on Demon Stone (even if they didn’t tell me that we were up for an award on the storyline!) and would do it again, like a shot. Editing, I’ve had enough of honestly. I don’t know how long-time editors do it. I’ve had the good fortune to work with good writers and good people, but even so, I expect that the EverQuest book line will be my last editing assignment.

Comics were fun, and I’m excited about getting DemonWars running again, as soon as we can sort out the legal details, and even more excited about the new Drizzt comic coming from ‘Devil’s Due’. I don’t know yet if I’ll be personally involved in that but it’s thrilling anyway.

Jay Tomio – You have said some rather strong words in past interviews regarding the business, particularly to prospective writers. Is your opinion the same, and would you have it any other way?

R.A. Salvatore – Wow, there’s an open-ended question. I’m m not sure what you’re getting at, honestly. Yes, the business is brutal. It’s almost impossible to break in, it’s one rejection after another. And when you do break in, you might get a grace period where people are kind, but it will be short. And then, no matter what you do, no matter how many bestseller lists you make or books you sell, no matter whether your books are selling strong 20 years after their release, no matter how many letters you get from kids telling you they had never read a book until they happened upon one of yours, or letter from a soldier halfway around the world thanking you for getting him through a tough time, or from anyone saying that they found your books in a time of emotional turmoil and you helped them through it, or the letter from the family reading your books to a daughter/wife who was in a car accident and is in a coma because she loved them so much.

No matter any of that, to be a published writer is to know with certainty that no matter what you accomplish, no matter how you touch some people, there will always be plenty of people out there more than happy to tell all the world how much you suck.

It’s a tough business.

Jay Tomio – That is it for this installment of ‘On the Spot’ and I want to thank Mr. Salvatore for participating with ‘On the Spot’ on behalf of myself and everyone at BSC, and wish him good luck with Promise of the Witch King. Although this is the third installment of ‘On The Spot’, Mr. Salvatore was the first to agree to participate with us of the authors I contacted and for that I’m very grateful. I hope you decide to join us again when time permits.

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Silverfall is a novel set in the Faerun setting of the Forgotten Realms line written by the creator of the setting Ed Greenwood. Not including the prologue, Silverfall is segmented into seven sections each dedicated to a member of one of the most famous families in Forgotten Realms. Both to fans and in terms of their notoriety in Faerun , the Seven Sisters, Dove Falconhand, Storm Silverhand (the Bard of Shadowdale), Qilue Veladorn (who is also a Drow) Laeral Silverhand Arunsun (the Lady of Waterdeep), Alustriel (the Lady of Silverymoon) Sylune (the Witch of Shadowale, who is also a ghost), and Alassra Silverhand (the Witch Queen of Aglarond), also known as The Simbul , all Chosen of Mystra, need no introduction to fan of Realms.

I picked up Silverfall recently as it was my desire to read a novel pertaining to the Chosen, and this one seemingly appeared to be a good choice. First, even though it is separated into seven sections, and although each of these sections focuses on one of the individual Seven Sisters, in truth it really is just one story, and not seven separate novellas, The storylines directly pick up after each previous segment in Silverfall, as one by one the sisters investigate a wide range of suspicious activity, by various usually unrelated groups, all tied into a far reaching plot. Which really is where my problem with Silverfall stems from…Plot. After reading Silverfall, no less than twice in 3 days, I simply haven’t been able to discern anything from my reading that remotely resembles a reasonable or satisfying plot. I have a tremendous respect for Mr. Greenwood, as one of the great creators in the shared-world genre and his often over looked contributions (I speak in particular of readers that tend to favor some of the works I do) to the industry of fantasy, however I must admit laboring on finding anything I liked about Silverfall. A brief run down by each “novella” may illustrate better my thoughts on the novel. The first segment, and the beginning of this story centers around Dove, who is approached by the Mirt and told of unusual activity in Scornubel, more specifically a Drow infestation, Drow posing and taking the guise of the residence of the city. A simple enough story, Dove, investigates, in doing so going through a rather long battle scene, one of many I suppose are in homage of the Chosen in he novel, as Dove basically out classes all the attackers, of which only one of them is a name given to for the reader to identify with. At this point, I was still under the impression each “novella” was a separate story so I was not displeased yet, until the end Dove’s arc where after absolutely routing the Drow, she notices a magic dead knife imbedded in one of the slain Drow, and suddenly at this point, the situation is to much for her to handle and she enlists the aid of her sister Qilue, who being a Drow herself, I suppose naturally was a good choice, thus begins the second ‘novella”, in which Qilue does exactly the same thing Dove did, disguise herself and investigate, which led like in the last segment lead to an exhibition of the power of the Chosen, in which she laid waste to some more Drow, and her investigations led her to Water Deep where conveniently another of the sisters makes their abode. Qilue found in her investigation that the happenings that was first found in Scornubuel led her to the some affluent members of Water Deep. After Qilue explains her findings to her sister Laeral they of course both decide to continue the investigation, where yet another display of Chosen power is exhibited again ambushed by Drow. After again routing their attackers, Laeral continues the investigation alone, as suddenly Qilue must leave her reasoning simply being, and I quote:

“Sister I must simply get back to my own work.”

Thanks a lot Sis! Now that Laeral is own her own, she continues the trend of disguising herself to investigate further, which at the end of which leads her to be ambushed in her own spell chambers by a spell trap and is thus eliminated from the investigation waiting for her husband Khelben to shape her a body, thus she calls on her sister Alustriel of Silverymoon. Alustriel is investigating the murder of a merchant in Silveymoon, when she is contacted by Lareal, who fills her in on her investigation thus far, and it just so happens one of the men last seen with victim of the murder in Silverymoon shares the name with one of the men Lareal was looking for. Allustriel confronts the man, Auvran Labaster, only to find herself in a battle with a group of Red Wizards, where, yes you guessed it another exhibition of the power of the Chosen is shown…noticing a trend yet? The stories are just recycled over and over, and the only one that really woke me up from my doze was the sixth story involving the Simbul, the only “novella”, that although offering the same as the other installments, actually was entertaining in regards to the depiction of the mage duels. I can’t even begin to explain what the conclusion of Silverfall implies, as I truly am at a personal loss myself.

Positives? Well there are a lot of popular characters sprinkled throughout Silverfall, excluding the Seven Sisters, Forgotten Realms fans will see appearances of the likes of Elminister, Halaster, Khelben, Elaith Craulnober and many more. However these characters are rushed in and out, seemingly almost just to be included in the novel. The nature of their appearances didn’t strike me during my reading as welcomed appearances of characters I know, but rather seemed unnecessary and forced. At only one time in my reading did I encounter anything that resembled a relationship between the sisters in their conversation that would seem normal of sisters who do not often see one another as told in the text, which occurred between Laeral and Qilue when they were discussing a play and Qilue found out Laeral was actually a reviewer she reads, under the alias of One-Eyed Jack. If Lareal were reviewing Silverfall she would be appalled.

In ending the only people I could possibly recommend Silverfall to are the most loyal of fans of ‘Forgotten Realms’ or of Mr. Greenwoods. I greatly enjoyed my last reading in ‘Forgotten Realms’ by Paul S. Kemp (Ervis Cale trilogy), but Silverfall simply didn’t deliver for me on any level, especially considering it’s penned by Mr. Greenwood. Silverfall seems nothing more than a platform to display examples of the Seven Sisters, glorifying them in battle, giving little thought for those of us that require a plot in our reading. simply left a lot to be desired for me personally, in regards to plot, pacing, the blandness in characterization and dialogue, and a deliberate, almost seemingly incessant desire to write about the Chosen either in scant apparel or none at all (which is not a problem for me in principle, but occurred so much without purpose it’s impossible not to mention in review). Silverfall is just simply awful. I look forward to Mr. Greenwood’s next work, a project in collaboration with Elaine Cunningham, however until than Silverfall was simply not an enjoyable read for me at all, and at times unreadable my final rating for Silverfall is a 2 – and I fear I still could be blamed for overating it.

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Insurrection, the underdark shall be changed for ever. The city of shimmering webs is never gonna be the same again. Thomas M. Reid, the author of book two of the war of the spider queen series, brings us and the most unusual characters a long to the city of Ched Nasad. Insurrection has been wonderfully written with quite an interesting new group of characters. The main plot behind the whole series is now much clearer as both the readers and the characters in the book realized the present dangers and threat of being godless. The Spider Queen has been forever silenced….or is she?

Basically the main plot goes as the following. Quenthel, Jeggred, Ryld, and Pharaun are on a mission to Ched Nasad to retrieve house Beanre’s hidden items there. A set of new characters have joined in from the beginning. Faeryl, an ambassador from Ched Nasad, and Valas, a scout from the famous mercenary group Bregan D’eathre, join the group. On the way they find trouble from some underdark creatures that were put away with little trouble. Pharaun had a chance to meet Aliiza, a very interesting Alufiend, for a short notice before they parted. So, the group found their way into Ched Nasad where they split up. Pharaun goes a lone to explore the city, Ryld and Valas are just enjoying their time, Faeryl, Quenthel, and Jeggred went to retrieve the items. Little do they know Quenthel was set up and was captured. Pharaun, on the other hand, discovers that also other creatures that follow Lolth have lost their magical abilities. Meanwhile conspiracy is going on Ched Nasad on House Melarn. Helisstra and her battle-captive Danifae ally themselves with Pharaun and Ryld. While in the same Time Ched Nasad is now under attack by rebels, slaves, Duergars and many more. What is the fate of Quenthel and her group? let a lone what is the fate of the city of Shimmering webs?

Personally, I liked the book. It wasn’t something really special that I would put it as my top selected books, but I would say it was a nice read. Has very interesting storyline, and I had to know what goes on with the characters that I loved from Dissolution. Thomas M. Reid gave a noticeable effort in writing the book, I hand it to him the book was wonderful. I would seriously recommend this book to anybody who loves drow. Pharaun never seemed to disappoint me with his witty attitude. He always knows how to crack me up. Though a new character has entered the brawl to my favorite list and he is Valas. What can I say? I love rogues, and he is one hell of a rogue. I believe though he more of a Shadow-dancer to me. I guess that sums things up for me, be on the look for “Condemnation” by Richard Baker.

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Dawn of Night, the second passage of the Erevis Cale trilogy. In which the story reaches its climax. Things will never remain the same, but in reality…do they ever? Paul S. Kemp, is the author of Shadow’s Witness (Sembia series, Book 2), and Twilight Falling the first book of the Erevis Cale Trilogy (reviewed by Algorath) brings fascinating new characters into the Forgotten Realm. Never ceasing in surprising us with every turn of the story (literally….trust me). Kemp’s books are always endless with interesting characters to read about and learn more about. His stories promise great entertainment for people who enjoy reading a well developed fantasy novel in the Forgotten Realms.

The story picks off where it left, in Twilight falling. Cale is pretty much still alive, though he seems in the beginning unsure of himself and of his humanity. While the rest of the group seem to be worried not being able to leave the realm of shadows. Surprisingly, Riven helps Cale in accepting reality, fate, and what he has become.. A shade. As soon Cale accepts that fact, he starts learning about his new god given abilities. As you should know Cale is now the First Champion of Mask, Riven is the second. Though the tension between Riven and Cale is always there, and seeming increased with a touch of jealousy, since Riven is the second and Cale is the first. Cale uses his new found ability and goes back to his home, seemingly uncomfortable being in the realm of light, not darkness and shadows. He realizes that he looses his abilities whenever he is exposed to the light, and regains them when he is in the dark.

The ever persistent, revenge hungry Cale was determined to seek out Azriim. His persistence doesn’t go into any avail, but he surpasses the wards eventually and locates Azriim. Then the change begins and the journey for the resolution starts. I have to admit surely the book was amazing to read. The characters were extremely interesting, which is my main pet peeve when reading a book. I have to interesting characters to enjoy the book, while Kemp provided that and more. He definitely knows how to capture the reader in the clutches in his own books. Unfortunately, he is very good in keeping the reader waiting for the next book to arrive, especially when he surprises the reading right near the end of the book.

I definitely should add his book to one of my top five series.

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Dissolution is the beginning of a new era to the dark elves. The minions of Lolth find themselves without a god, without leadership, and without the magic of the high priestesses. Richard Lee Byers, the author of the first of the six book series, brings us to a new view of the dark elves. Using his marvelous style in showing a character’s personality he begins the journey that would change history. R. A. Salvatore the supervisor of the series chose six authors to write “The War of the Spider Queen” series, and gave Richard the chance to begin it. His hard put effort in writing Dissolution does it justice in making it a perfect prologue.

The main plot behind this novel is let the reader understand the fact that the events that are happening all around the under dark cities might well change things forever. More that one story is woven to one, captivating the reader at every turning point. One of the most beloved characters by R.A. Salvatore, Gromph Bearne the archmage of Menzoberranzan, has taken liberty to seek the distruction of Quenthel, his most hated sister. Meanwhile Quenthel is oblivious to his attack, and inflicting fear upon the hearts of her students, and worrying about the disappearance of her magical powers. Pharaun, an ex-Master of Sorcere, enjoys a secret rivalry with Gromph. He is put in a mission to find a few renegades that run away from the city. In which he gets hunted by his own family, and when he thinks he is rid of that problem, he finds that the “renegades” are a band of rebels lead by a mysterious lich. Pharaun discovers from this band that they are attempting to attack the Drow city and change the way things are governed. Ryld Argith, one of the previous minor Master of Melee-Magthere the school of fighting, on the other hand is dragged by his friend Pharaun into a dangerous adventure into a lot of

Personally, during the time I picked up the book I was more of a R.A. Salvatore fan boy. I only liked to read his book, plus the fact that the only reason I picked it up because it said R.A. Salvatore on the cover. I have to hand it to Richard he truly captured me in that book, and made me open my mind to other authors. It’s a nice read, especially for drow fanatic, which seem to be everywhere at the current being. The way Richard displayed the character’s personality really blew me away. The way Pharaun was described and the way he spoke, with the words he chooses, makes the person feel like he is a witty, smart, and dangerous person. Although he may seem friendly in the story, he still has his drow wickedness deep in his heart. It lacked the captivation in the beginning of the book, but as you read on you are drawn deeper into the book and the story starts to unfold and develop. Soon, you would find yourself finished with the book and thirsty to read its sequel “Insurrection” by Thomas M. Reid.

This was my first big leap into fantasy and I had high expectations. I wasn’t quiet sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. I had a bit of trouble getting into the book at first, but by the end I couldn’t put it down, and can’t wait until I get the second part in the mail this week.

This is your typical fantasy book here, it’s got everything you expect and plenty more. There is your usual hero, who is trying to impress his father, get the girl, prove he is worthy etc. etc. Aside from that there are some very interesting characters that help our young hero in his quest. Our young prince battles along-side a young druid struggling to find out her true past, a well-trained foreign rogue, a typical Halfling hunter and the worlds most renowned bard.

The story sticks to the typical fantasy story-line for most of the book, but can go from bringing you the most expected to being entirely spontaneous and unexpected. That’s what we love about fantasy though, giving the author his freedom to let the impossible happen. Douglas Niles has an awesome way of describing all the battle scenes in his story and it really makes them feel very real. It is a tad gruesome but you get used to it.

The band of adventurers fight against giant eight foot tall warriors, undead horsemen and bands of barbaric North-men for the freedom of their people and the well-being of their druid goddess who’s power is waning to the force of evil present on the Moonshae. With the most unlikely of companions the young prince must try and pull his people together and stand up to the beast who is controlling more then one army at a time. The shapeshifting beast can corrupt nearly anything and use his black magic to defile the land, creatures and magic of the druids.

This is the first book in the Moonshae Trilogy and Douglas Niles gives a huge hint as to what to expect in the upcoming books. I can’t wait to get my hands on part two. It is the first in the very popular line of Forgotten Realms books and for good reason. If you like fantasy, you’ll like this story.Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

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Another day another review. Somedays I think I am the only one on here that feels like doing reviews, but then I step back and realize it is only Dacco that is truly the slacker. So this review is actually going to be a review of a book in a series called “The War of the Spider Queen”. Now the interesting thing about this series is that each of the books is written by a different author and it is all overseen by R.A. Salvatore as the consultant on the series as he is the one that really brought the underdark to life with his Drizzt novels.

This specific book, Annihilation is book 5 in R.A. Salvatore’s War of the Spider, and is this novel is written by Philip Athans. Now we all know that Dalerone is the harsh reviewer, the one that is most likely to just destroy a book because of his particular twisted tastes in literature, but I plead to you this time I give this book a low rating, because well I think it deserves it. I loved books 1 to 4, and I am particularly partial to the drow regardless, but it seems as if some of the main characters of this book have changed way way to much, as you can tell this book is written by a different author with different perceptions. I know that we are supposed to have a little difference interjected by a new author for each book, but this is overboard. Quenthel acts like a different person, she doesn’t even act like a drow as we see her in more of a submissive role especially in relation to the newfound ownership Danifae has for Jeggred which is Quenthel nephew. At least while Danifae does her changing more towards the drow personality type then Quenthel, but how does Danifae turn into this highly powerful character so quickly, its almost left to your imagination.. These are really big mood killers for me with this book. Menzoberranzan drama gets wrapped up pretty quickly though and felt as it was almost not necessary to the book. The battle between Gromph and Dyrr (lich) was actually one of the best parts of the book, and actually seems to make a difference in some major plot points. Another storyline is with Nimor and does he really have a point in this story, well hopefully book six will key us into that fact.

I am also not really into the whole love story between Hallistra and Ryld in this book and feel as though it just drags a bit. In the end the whole love story doesn’t help a plot point, nor does it make me feel any differently for the characters. Now I don’t contend to be an author in any sleep deprived dream I could have, but a few things I want to point out that I feel may have made the book a whole lot more enjoyable and in line with other books about the underdark, kill the love story, change Nimor to a cult worshipper in the underdark, make him a real drow and give us a lot more interhouse conflict in Menzoberranzan. Im sure though book six will make me stick my foot in my mouth on those last remarks though.

This book is definitely a filler book though, where its rating really could go either way depending on how book six comes out. The problem is that book six wont even be written by the same author so it is problematic to give it a real rating. I didn’t have a hard time reading though and sometimes feel like books with ratings 6-8 can really be just good easy reading books when you don’t want to be tied down to a huge story, more like fun reading. Keep that in mind because I think a easy reading book with a high rating is a true gem these days so don’t feel you need to pass up the easy reading 7s.

Another thing that has been brought up by a lot of people with this book is the bad editing of the book. For me as long as it isnt too bad I personally dont think this detracts from a book. I know we can talk about the professionalism of the publishing company, but really read the book guys/gals and overlook the few spelling errors and switched character names.

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I want to start out this review with a little bit of respect to the man R.A. Salvatore. The first Drizzt series (Icewind Dale Trilogy) was great, I read it with fervor. The second Drizzt trilogy, The Dark Elf Trilogy, was more of an introspective journey. As a teenager, young man, this series lets you relate to the feelings of being alone and overwhelmed in the world.

Unfortunately we then moved into the next series Legacy of the Drow, Paths of Darkness, and Hunters Blade Series which I didn’t find to be as comfortable. I mean they had our favorite characters, but something just wasn’t as fresh and new about them, also some things in these series just bother me. I am not a fan of characters dying and coming back to life. I don’t know but if George RR Martin can write a great story where the main characters can be killed off, then everyone can. Salvatore not only does this once, but twice and the second time we see it is in this book. I view the newer Salvatore books like I look at an old toy from the 80s. Yeah there is a bunch of better stuff out now, but the nostalgia factor brings me back to read these, and my respect for the superb writing of the earlier trilogy. Ok now enough of this banter, on to the review.

The Lone Drow is part of a very long series as stated above, and we see Drizzt in “Hunter” mode in this book. Hunter mode is where he falls back into his animalistic nature of just killing with little regard to his own safety or bodily limits. We have a few story lines to follow in this book. The Orc King who was imbued with some magic of the Orc God and Shamans, is trying to conquer Icewind Dale and surrounding areas with the help of the Troll King and Giants. There is a bit of conflict between these groups as one would expect, but King Obould Many-Arrows is extremely smart for an orc, and we all know this conflict should lead to a one on one fight between him and Drizzt at some point in the future. The Giants are pretty mad that this orc is so strong and smart so we have jealous Giant syndrome going around.

Now what does all of this have to do with Drizzt and his band of merry adventurers. Well we have a bunch of random dark elves that have come up from the underdark to get the giants/orcs/trolls together in the first place, for amusement and profit. Now I don’t know about you, but even this seems like a stretch for the dark elves. Especially since it means this little band of dark elves has to work together for so long. Then we have Drizzt starting to realize his feelings for Cattie-brie but they don’t even know the other is alive at this point as the band has become separated. In between all of this, we have another city of blacksmiths mad at Bruenors clan and trying to sabotage their furnaces and metal.

Overall it was a decent book, I gave it a solid 6 but nothing like the earlier series. If you have read the Drizzt books, it only makes sense to read this.

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Well Well Well, here is the first real review on Fantasybookspot. I guess this paragraph has to have all the, great to get started, something we have always wanted to do, etc.. crap out of the way first. Yes we are doing real reviews, not ones where we have to watch what we say or anything like that, so let’s get started shall we.

Picked up this book based on the cover and that I really do like most of the Forgotten Realms books. My biggest gripe usually is that I don’t want to read a book about something that happened in the Forgotten Realms past, like if I already know the outcome from another book in another series, the journey itself doesn’t really do much for me. Hence the reason I picked up this book and series, it’s something new in the Forgotten Realms universe.

Now maybe I read into this series a little too much, but really what it is about is Dragons going crazy and then laying wanton destruction. Not just the evil dragons, but the good dragons (gold, bronze etc..) also can be affected by this madness. Ok so here is my theory, read that again, theory, I often wonder why after thousands and thousands of years we don’t get a more modern society over there in the Forgotten Realms. Ok now here comes the first argument I want to refute, “Why should they, I mean they have magic”. True, but we both know the good ole peasant class or heck even the merchant class sitting over in Waterdeep wouldn’t mind having a pistol at their hip or being able to perform a surgery at the doctor instead of finding a priest. Ok so my thought is that since these dragons rage every once in a while (read every hundred or thousand years) that this is what keeps society magic based and not industrialized. My dilemma is going to be once this series is over and if the dragon rage is cured, but I guess we leave that for another day.

Ok so we have our group of heroes with I guess a central hero of the character Dorn. Dorn is half golem half human, all dragon fighter. His parents killed by dragons he wants to destroy them all. But alas as all story twists go, now he is fighting to save them all from this rage, even if he is doing it reluctantly. No spoilers here, but he is tracking down these answers because it looks like an evil cult is trying to control the dragon madness and twist it for its own evil purposes. Cool thing is we get our fun friends the dracolich, which to all you non geeks is an undead dragon. It seems they are not affected by this madness so why not turn all dragons undead. We also have the obglitory thief in the group (Will) which is of course the humorous one, and banters back and forth with the cleric of the bunch (Pavel). To round out the party we have a dwarf and a bard who is more then she seems. The other part of the story plays out with Taegan who is not only a fencing master, but also an avariel, which is a winged elf. About halfway through the book we get Dorn’s party and Taegan meeting up to combat this problem of the dragon madness.

Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but had I come across a plot like this, I think I would have just dug a hole, let the dragons fight it out and come crawling back out when the madness was over. Oh that’s right as a story twist the madness is so bad this time it might never end, which leads to a council of the good dragons, making some pretty horrible decisions for supposedly being so smart and learned.

Overall a decent start to a series, many clichés of the genre can be seen in the book, but it does a good job of keeping the interparty conflict up, and a truly good reason to save the world that affects not just the party but the rest of the world. Complaint here that not only are the dragons pretty easy to kill for this group of 4 people but it doesn’t really seem like the party has that many weapons at their disposal to do so as easily as they do. I guess it is because this group is dedicated to dragon killing that they make it seem like a walk in the park. The last part of the book plays a little slow but hopefully it will pick up again during the next book.

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