Showing posts with label dark elves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dark elves. Show all posts

EverQuest: The Blood Red Harp Review

EverQuest: The Blood Red Harp
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EverQuest: The Blood Red Harp ReviewElaine Cunningham delivers a most excellent tale set in the world that is EverQuest. There is a stereotype amuck that says Game books are plain awful. Be that as it may, I found this particular edition to be a wonderful piece of fantasy with just enough references to EverQuest that felt seamless and not forced.
The reviewer below me has done a fabulous job at reviewing this novel in detail but I did just want to make vocal my appreciation for The Blood Red Harp. Especially for the antagonist, Chanzoon! Love him. He was the perfect blend of power and weakness not seen in many main antagonists. Oh and did I mention he is creepy...I mean c--r--e--e -p--y! I would love to see more written on him.
Anyway this novel sure is a blend of surprise and most of the chapters ending in page turning cliffhangers. If you enjoy fantasy of the Forgotten Realms/Dragonlance vein and desire a slightly darker hue this could be a good addition to your novel collection...I mean throw in EverQuest, a necromancer, vampire, and a bard and you got the making of something really unique and promising...in fact you have The Blood Red Harp.
EverQuest: The Blood Red Harp OverviewHe has the harp - now he needs a bard who can play it well enough to uncover its secrets. But Faydwer's bards consider harps to be quaint folk instruments, unworthy of their attention. Elizerain grew up with a harp in her hands. A merry, fun-loving wood elf, she collects ballads like other adventures collect treasure. If these story-songs are entertaining, she doesn't care if they're accurate. That was before a necromancer's curse gave her a choice: learn the true stories behind her ballads, or die screaming. One such ballad features her new red harp. Intent on her search, surrounded by deadly enemies and treacherous alliances, Elizerain doesn't realize that the real danger may be the harp itself.

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Elfslayer (Gotrek and Felix) Review

Elfslayer (Gotrek and Felix)
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Elfslayer (Gotrek and Felix) Review"Elfslayer" opens in Felix Jaeger's father's Altdorf mansion. After twenty years, Felix and Gotrek have returned to their starting point chronicled in William King's short story, "Geheimnisnacht."
Jaeger's father has a mission for his errant son. The old man is being blackmailed by a Marienburg pirate named Hans Euler and he wants his son to retrieve the incriminating papers. Felix balks at the assignment but he finally agrees to help his father. Meanwhile, Gotrek is down in the dumps, literally, drinking himself into a torpor. As we know from the previous novel "Manslayer," Gotrek missed the evil invasion of Archaon and his chance to face a daemon.
Long quickly alerts us that this novel will be a return to old haunts and a reunion with missing friends, allies, and enemies. It is also a novel replete with Longian themes--drowning, shipwrecks, imprisonment, feckless women, jealousy, bravery, and deception.
Before Felix and Gotrek leave Altdorf, they are attacked by unknown assailants. We soon learn that an old enemy has decided to seek revenge. With the assault, Gotrek begins to awaken from his stupor and the action begins. The two travel to Marienburg pursued by assassins to meet Euler. Feliz discovers another enemy in Euler and the plot, as they say, thickens. Before Felix can resolve the problem with Euler, old allies arrive. The wizard Max Schreiber, accompanied by a sorceress and an Elf, offer Gotrek the opportunity to face his glorious end. Felix is torn between serving his father or honoring his oath to Gotrek to be present at his death. He, of course, chooses to stand with Gotrek and they set set off on a quest to save the Empire with Schreiber.
The relic they seek is also being sought by Dark Elves. The action then turns to the sea. From this point, Long engages in what I can only call a melange of Jules Verne steampunk and Sabatini swordplay. He brilliantly describes an underwater city, the Black Ark of the Dark Elves, and the horrors of Dark Elf magic and ritual.
Long has concocted a nightmarish stew of villains and seamlessly presented them to us in a Sabatini-like thriller. He is one of the best writers at the Black Library and I challenge you to find a clunky sentence in the 412 pages of the novel. He ties up all of the plot threads nicely by the end but, of course, he leaves enough plot hanging that we anticipate and yearn for the next chapter of the novel.
Without giving too much away, Long convincingly presents dwarves, skaven, and dark elves. Additionally, never before have we seen a black ark described in such sinister detail.
As you might guess I highly recommend the novel. Not only is it an exciting book but I would postulate that it takes the Gotrek franchise in a new direction. Although Long is a student of William King he is refining King's themes and characters. This observation brings me to the explanation of my title for this review.
The figure in the carpet, as Henry James would say, in this novel is the seesaw. When Felix is up, Gotrek is down and when Gotrek is up, Felix is down, literally. The only time Gotrek is animated is when the likelihood of death and mayhem is near; Felix appreciates the tranquil moments, which in a Gotrek & Felix novel, are very brief indeed. However, Gotrek is the dark submerged animator of the series. It is his strength and resolve that drives the action. Long is aware of this and he consciously builds on it and structures the plot around the "humors" of the two characters in a clear and convincing way.
Finally, if you like this novel, I would suggest Gav Thorpe's "Malekith," Graham McNeill's "Defenders of Ulthuan," William King's "Trollslayer" and "Skavenslayer," and Long's Blackheart Trilogy.
I might also add, that the novels of Sabatini--"Captain Blood" in particular--might also interest you.Elfslayer (Gotrek and Felix) OverviewDwarf Trollslayer Gotrek and his human companion Felix Jaeger, Warhammer's most famous pair of heroes, head off to a new adventure facing the terrifying dark elves in the latest novel of this best-selling fantasy series.

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The Lone Drow: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, Book II Review

The Lone Drow: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, Book II
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The Lone Drow: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, Book II ReviewTo summarize my review before I get into it: R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt-books have evolved into Saturday morning cartoons rather than staying as the Tolkein-esque stories they first started out to be.
I have been a Salvatore-Drizzt-book reader ever since 1990 when I read The Crystal Shard. I have read every Drizzt-book since then, but with this last book I have decided to give up the series until some drastic changes are made. Instead of an exhaustive review of this book, I'll just point to 6 ways as to how this entire series is on its death-bed. Salvatore can cure these maladies by listening to the following:
1.) DRIZZT AND HIS FRIENDS HAVE BECOME SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON CHARACTERS - In cartoons the main characters never die, they are invincible, they are unflawed. In The Drizzt books, no main character can ever die. They fight hundreds and hundreds of "bad guys," only to score perfect victories each time. If it seems that one of the main character has died, or will, it's only a red herring that sets you up for that character to inevitably "save the day."
2.) DRIZZT'S ENEMIES HAVE TURNED INTO THE "VILLAIN OF THE WEEK VARIETIES" - In cartoons, the heros are usually pitted by a different villian each week. The villians are rarely fleshed-out, and they're just around for the purpose of getting killed by Drizzt and Co. If a villian is fleshed-out, Salvatore becomes attached and cannot kill him, only send him away (Artemis Entreri, Jarlaxle, etc).
3.) SUPPORTING CHARACTERS ARE LIKE THE "YOMAN" CHARACTER FROM STAR TREK - Remember in Star Trek how Captain Kirk would beam down to a planet with some unnamed officer, and inevitably, the unnamed officer would die while Kirk would be unharmed? Okay, now substitute "Captain Kirk" with "Drizzt" and you have Salvatore's new books. A seasoned reader knows that when a character is introduced, he's not likely to be a permanent fixture.
4.) YOU CAN'T GO 2 PAGES WITHOUT BEING REMINDED THAT DRIZZT & CO. ARE THE TOUGHEST, BADDEST CHARACTERS IN THE WORLD - It's not that you see this through their actions, but Salvatore spells it out for you before every fight. Hypothetical example: "The orcs were heavily armed and outnumbered the weakened drow twenty five to one. But this was Drizzt Do-Urden, and he was no ordinary drow!" Please ...
5.) SALVATORE'S EDITORS NEED TO BACK OFF OF HIM AND LET HIM WRITE - if you've noticed in the past several books, Salvatore paces the story nicely, then has to suddenly end the story because the editors limit the number of pages he can have. When you get 4/5s the way through it, you think "wow, I'm almost finished, and there's so much left! Hell, (enter character's name) isn't even within a 10-day ride from the others?!" ANSWER: Robillard the mage shows up and magically teleports the character wherever they need to go.
6.) THE FIGHT SCENES ARE A BIT TOO DETAILED - Everyone knows Drizzt is a bad mutha-sucka, but when Salvatore gets carried away and writes, "Drizzt then shifted his balance to the right and pivoted low with a perfect center of gravity, slicing his left scimitar right, then feinting back, swinging his left scimitar in a downward arc, pulling back, then upward pivoting to his right, bringing his swords at a downward V-angle, parrying each blow, then rolling to his left, followed by an inverted cone flip to the front, slicing diagnally with his left right-ended scimitar...." I just find myself skimming paragraphs.
MY SUGGESTION FOR SALVATORE & DRIZZT:
-------------------------------------
Set the next series some 100 years into the future. Drizzt, as an elf, will continue to live for several more centuries. Cattie-Brie, Wulfgar, Regis and Bruenor will not. Go ahead and jump forward and write the novel that you wanted to with THE LONE DROW. It's time for Drizzt to move on.
I think Salvatore knows that. He toys with the ideas of Drizzt and Cattie-brie's grim future, but I don't think he has the nerve to actually kill anyone off. So just jump to the future and make it happen.
And get rid of those annoying dwarf brothers! They are the Jar Jar Binks of the Drizzt world. I would welcome any feedback from Salvatore fans. I still am one, but I feel like I'm watching a good thing go down the tubes.
Be critical, people. Don't just throw praise at a book because teh main character is cool and has potential. I can tell by the writing style of the majority of these reviewers that they are somewhere between 10-16 years old. That's how old I was when I read The Crystal Shard. I want to feel the same way about these new books as I did when I was that age reading the early adventures. I've matured, so now must the Drizzt storyline.The Lone Drow: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, Book II OverviewThe latest New York Times best-seller from R.A. Salvatore is now in paperback!The Lone Drow is yet another top release from premiere Forgotten Realms author R.A. Salvatore. This mass market reprint focuses primarily on his signature character, Drizzt Do'Urden, who has been the subject of most of Salvatore's best-selling Forgotten Realms titles. This title includes a sample chapter from the author's next hardcover, The Two Swords.

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A Lamentation of Swans Review

A Lamentation of Swans
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A Lamentation of Swans ReviewGwyneth desired freedom, to escape the misery of her horrible life. She took a risk only to wind up traveling with dark elf Caelin, the dragon, Drake, and the unicorn, Faine. The unlikely mystical males are made to dance to the tune of an evil sorcerer, Artimus. They form a pact after agreeing to protect and deliver the orphan girl to their sinister foe.
Will Gwyneth later regret her desperate gamble? And will the choices made from this venture come at too high a price for all?
Fairy tales and dark fantasy done the right way make a formidable combo. Add Goldie McBride's straightforward and wonderfully picturesque writing style to the mix, along with a fascinating montage of characters going up against despicable villains, and all I can say is that Lamentation of Swans will put Fed Ex out of business when it comes to delivery.
There's tragedy, passion, adventure, and an array of things I'd rather not divulge. Dark themes transpire, matched by beauty and quirky twists to thicken up the plot soup. As for the characters, forget everything you know about unicorns, dark elves, dragons, and rescuing maidens. This is not a sticky sweet romantic tale where good and evil collide. I'm thankful for the author's originality and the fact that she was willing to stretch the limits. I wasn't always sure if I liked Caelin, Faine, and Drake; sometimes I grew impatient at the way Gwyneth accepted whatever came her way. Yet, Ms. McBride has her pen on the pulse point of the story and she made me feel every step of their journey until I grew to care.
Lamentation of Swans is remarkably inventive, soaring and subsiding towards a perfect landing with characters that break the boring mold. If that's not enough, then the cover featuring Caelin and the sizzling sex is sure to make you break out in a sweat.Patrice F.
Reviewed for Joyfully ReviewedA Lamentation of Swans OverviewA dark Elf, a dragon, and a unicorn--their alliance was an uneasy one, for their kind had ever kept to themselves, but the dark one, the wizard Artimus, commanded them and the 'knife' he held to their throats couldn't be ignored or easily overcome. They'd been set the task of collecting the orphan girl, Gwyneth, and taking her to him as a sacrifice. Somehow, she was the key to freeing them, to freeing their realm from the evil of the wizard Artimus forever. The question was, beyond enjoying the lure of her flesh, how could they use her? Rating: Carnal/Erotica-multiple sexual partners.Genre: Fantasy Romance.

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