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<blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5687636" data-attributes="member: 27780"><p><strong><u>Dragon Magazine Issue 247: May 1998</u></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>part 4/8</p><p></p><p></p><p>Wyrms of the north gets a new, more legible header style. And once again Ed provides another exceptional dragon, making it seem like they're more common than the ones who keep to all the rules. A dragon afflicted by a magical binding that forces her to defend Candlekeep against any thieves or invaders, even beyond death, and stuck with that job even though her body's long since rotted away? Yeah, that's going to be an almighty pain in the butt for adventurers to deal with, especially as she respawns, and no-one knows how to stop this. And no surprise that she's also intimately familiar with the place she's trapped, and of dubious sanity from the centuries of loneliness. A horror story almost worthy of Ravenloft, really, only without the ironic justice. In terms of writing quality, this is pretty much business as usual, with Ed's more irritating quirks very much in evidence. Give us something lower level characters can engage with please. Otherwise the Realms may become increasingly unfriendly to new players. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Fiction: Reunification by Jeff Grubb. Another bit of Forgotten Realms fiction this month, using previously established characters. And in this case obviously following on from and referencing previous adventures, although not to the point of impenetrability. And as with Troy Denning's work a couple of issues ago, it showcases the interesting relationships the gods there have with their followers. Since atheism is not a very sensible choice if you're at all concerned about the hereafter, you may have to pick a god who seems like the least worst choice. Meanwhile the gods have their own issues with noninterference and plausible deniability. What they say they want may not actually be what they want. So again, as with Troy's work, this shows there's more moral complexity to the Realms than there may seem, despite them having objective morality. And it is gradually becoming less generic as time goes on, as ideas are introduced that build off the previous ones rather than having real world sources. There are some benefits to relying on staff writers who have built up a relationship with each other over years and developed their own distinctive office culture. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Bookwyrms: Between the rivers by Harry Turtledove does his usual historical setting with a spin thing, in a Bronze age society with gods who are active, and often vindictive. Of course, the protagonist holds to slightly more modern values, and the conflict between reason and obedience is a primary driver of the plot. This also serves as a metaphor for being a mindless drone or a free-thinker in modern society. And I don't think it'll surprise you which side the author is on. Where ARE the books encouraging you to be mindless drones? </p><p></p><p>Ship of magic by Robin Hobb is very much a fantasy slice of life, with heroes that are flawed, and villains that have explainable motivations, and their plotlines intertwining in an interesting manner. The main complaint is that it's clearly written to the word count, and then cut off to make a new volume when it gets there regardless of the state the plot is in. Given how thick these books are, that's obviously driven by marketing wanting to make sure she covers tons of shelf space at your local bookstore. After all, thats a big part of getting those megasales these days. </p><p></p><p>Touched by the gods by Lawrence Watt-Evans is another story where there's lots of active gods, or at least used to be. While a recommendation, this is another one where the weaknesses of the book are given plenty of attention, to the point where it feels like a proper review again. Are they listening to the reader's complaints? Well, it wouldn't be the first time.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="(un)reason, post: 5687636, member: 27780"] [B][U]Dragon Magazine Issue 247: May 1998[/U][/B] part 4/8 Wyrms of the north gets a new, more legible header style. And once again Ed provides another exceptional dragon, making it seem like they're more common than the ones who keep to all the rules. A dragon afflicted by a magical binding that forces her to defend Candlekeep against any thieves or invaders, even beyond death, and stuck with that job even though her body's long since rotted away? Yeah, that's going to be an almighty pain in the butt for adventurers to deal with, especially as she respawns, and no-one knows how to stop this. And no surprise that she's also intimately familiar with the place she's trapped, and of dubious sanity from the centuries of loneliness. A horror story almost worthy of Ravenloft, really, only without the ironic justice. In terms of writing quality, this is pretty much business as usual, with Ed's more irritating quirks very much in evidence. Give us something lower level characters can engage with please. Otherwise the Realms may become increasingly unfriendly to new players. Fiction: Reunification by Jeff Grubb. Another bit of Forgotten Realms fiction this month, using previously established characters. And in this case obviously following on from and referencing previous adventures, although not to the point of impenetrability. And as with Troy Denning's work a couple of issues ago, it showcases the interesting relationships the gods there have with their followers. Since atheism is not a very sensible choice if you're at all concerned about the hereafter, you may have to pick a god who seems like the least worst choice. Meanwhile the gods have their own issues with noninterference and plausible deniability. What they say they want may not actually be what they want. So again, as with Troy's work, this shows there's more moral complexity to the Realms than there may seem, despite them having objective morality. And it is gradually becoming less generic as time goes on, as ideas are introduced that build off the previous ones rather than having real world sources. There are some benefits to relying on staff writers who have built up a relationship with each other over years and developed their own distinctive office culture. Bookwyrms: Between the rivers by Harry Turtledove does his usual historical setting with a spin thing, in a Bronze age society with gods who are active, and often vindictive. Of course, the protagonist holds to slightly more modern values, and the conflict between reason and obedience is a primary driver of the plot. This also serves as a metaphor for being a mindless drone or a free-thinker in modern society. And I don't think it'll surprise you which side the author is on. Where ARE the books encouraging you to be mindless drones? Ship of magic by Robin Hobb is very much a fantasy slice of life, with heroes that are flawed, and villains that have explainable motivations, and their plotlines intertwining in an interesting manner. The main complaint is that it's clearly written to the word count, and then cut off to make a new volume when it gets there regardless of the state the plot is in. Given how thick these books are, that's obviously driven by marketing wanting to make sure she covers tons of shelf space at your local bookstore. After all, thats a big part of getting those megasales these days. Touched by the gods by Lawrence Watt-Evans is another story where there's lots of active gods, or at least used to be. While a recommendation, this is another one where the weaknesses of the book are given plenty of attention, to the point where it feels like a proper review again. Are they listening to the reader's complaints? Well, it wouldn't be the first time. [/QUOTE]
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