Eberron novels?

[Mad Mac]

Although I haven't quite finished either Talisman or Marked for Death, I think Talisman is the worst of the bunch, with Marked for Death having some interesting (and fun) stuff that just didn't come together like it should have. City of Towers, of course, is quite good.

 

[Pseudonym]

I really enjoyed City of Towers, especially since I read it after our group had been playing in Sharn for a few months. The familarity of the city helped a bit, as well as it being an engaging story. I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

Marked for Death was an alright read, but it did leave me wondering a bit. I suppose that it is the difference between an author who created the world and an author who has a really good idea about the other guy's vision. Still, it was good, though as has been said you could practically see the dice being rolled.

Marked for Death bothered me a bit with some things that seemed out of place or character.

Spoiler

One example was the undying elf in a tower in the Mournland. These Undying are beings who are Good with a capital G, and yet she destroys anyone who tries to leave her tower. That seemed off to me. Another thing I had to wonder about is that the knights of the Silver Flame came to the town searching for the returned Mark of Death, and didn't immediatly go to the only elf in town. Ther were a few more bits, but I just went with it.

While there were bits I found off, some were really neat that hadn't been explored before,

Spoiler

such as the warforged city, Construct

On the whole it wasn't bad.

Crimson Talisman I thought was the worse of the lot. Mad Mac's summary from the Worlds of D&D forums is spot on. I'll hide it in a spoiler tag just in case:

Spoiler

Viddi: Oh, no, we're in danger, should I use the talisman?

Nyam: Nah, it doesn't do anything. And some convenient nonsense will save us in a few seconds anyway, just like the last 57 times we were in "danger". Oh, and your fathers nickname in highschool was slick-nick, Kaius is a Vampire, Bob Jones caused the mourning, and pie equals 3.14...Wait, how would I know that? After all, I'm am just a simple peddler...or am I?

Viddi: Uh, no, no you aren't. We all figured that out like 2 paragraphs into your introduction. So are you gonna tell us the source of your demi-god knowledge by the end of the book, or what?

Nyam: Tell you what? I am just a peddler...or am I?

Viddi: Just shut up then. It's time to start randomnly "laying about with our swords" in a cheap pretense to create "tension".

Nyam: What's with the Dirk, anyway?

Viddi: What?

Nyam: We've been disarmed like 23.6 times, and reduced to grabbing weapons off dead guys, and yet in every battle, you're using that blasted dirk again.

Viddi: Uh...talisman?

Nyam: And how are you a half-elf Orien house member?

Viddi: Talisman?

Nyam: Nope, does nothing.

Viddi: "Sorcery?"

Nyam: That's my boy. Keep saying Sorcery every 5 minutes, and that should explain everything.

C-Dog: "I'm a lukewarm Cleric, because every Silver Flame devotee I ever met was an evil prick. I hate the Emerald Claw. Don't use the talisman. I will now flip a coin and randomnly agree/disagree with Nyam who I don't trust. Boo."

Nyam: What was that all about?

C-Dog: I'm obligated to repeat these lines 3 times a chapter, in case you forget that I'm brooding, mysterious, and maybe...I'm actually the bad guy!

Nyam: Duh. Just get over to the dark side already.

C-Dog: Tell us who you really are.

Nyam: You first.

C-Dog: Don't wanna.

Viddi: Come on guys, don't fight. I need to vaccilate back and forth and refuse to trust one of you for another...oh, just the rest of the book.

Vampire: Booooo!

Viddi: The heck'd you come from?

Vampire: What? I'm the bad guy. I show up and spout vague threats every 30 pages or so.

Viddi: Dude...we crashed a friggen airship into the middle of a friggen desert, and suddenly you just happen to live here?

Vampire: Uh...I used the talisman?

Nyam: Tried that already.

Vampire: Portal?

Nyam: Forgotten Realms. And we're not allowed to do specifics.

Vampire: Sorcery?

C-Dog: Works for me. Oh, btw guys, he happens to be a Paladin or something that I knew, who became an evil Vampire for some reason. Which is why I hate the Emerald Claw. Did I mention I hate the Emerald Claw?

Vampire: Repeatedly. And what kind of lame backstory is that? It's like two sentances. Do I get any respect at all?

C-Dog: *Flips through novel* No

Vampire: Well...crap. I guess I'll vaugely menace you now..."You guys are...doo doo heads and I'm going to give you all noogies. Noogies!"

Viddi: "Oh no, I'll use the talisman!"

C-Dog: Don't use the talisman!

Viddi: Uh...why not?

Nyam: Because the author never got around to figuring out what it does. Just act like you're sort of tempted but don't use it.

Viddi: Oh...ok. But how will we escape the Vampire?

Nyam: Some silly Deus ex Machina will save us, again. 3 minutes, tops.

Vampire: And then, atomic wediges all around! And...*ding* "Oh! Cookies are done! Later guys! Just go ahead and lay about with your swords against some zombies. Don't forget to mention crumbling chests at least once. That stuff is writing gold!

Viddi: Yay! we beat the vampire!

Nyam: He'll be back in 10 minutes.

Viddi: Crap.

Nyam: But more importantly, am I really a simple peddler?

C-dogg: Can you really trust me?

Viddi: No one cares, guys...sigh.

At least I can take some solace in the fact that unlike the previous two novels, Crimson Talisman was a one-shot. Hopefully the other books in that series will be better.

 

[Hellcow]

The Lords of Dust, the Emerald Claw, and the Daelkyr are all lumped together in one big mess of monolithic eeeeeevil.

Really? Like working together evil? *sigh* I suppose I really need to read it myself to know what other folks are saying, but the Daelkyr and Lords of Dust don't have any common ground, and neither have anything to do with the EC (if anything, the Lords of Dust are most likely to use the minions of the other two as pawns). Really, one of the big things keeping Eberron in one piece is that the bad guys DON'T work together.

The main character is a half elf with the mark of passage?

This, I think, was an honest mistake - I've had to clarify for other people that half-elves are half-elves and can only have the half-elf marks. But it is unfortunate.

Oh and speaking of blood, he apparently has dragon blood running through his veins too, as do other elves, despite the fact that the mixing of the races was an abomination so horrific that the dragons and elves teamed up to eliminate the house of Vol.

Uh... yeah. Sigh. I'll have to look into that. Is this an implication made about all elves, or just a few?

 

[Hellcow]

I'm just a little irritated that they're not releasing any more books until December (or at least that's what it says in the backs of the novels). I read very fast, and I don't want to wait that long to find out what happens to the characters in City of Towers... Got any clout with the publishing schedule?

No, and one reason they aren't releasing things any faster is because I took too long to write The Shattered Land, so I'm to blame as much as anyone else. I'm going to do my best keep on top of things with Book Three. If I (ha!) end up with spare time on my hands, maybe I'll see if I can get permission to put up some short stories on www.BossytheCow.com.

Hi, Keith!! I like City of Towers and I'm itching to play in an Eberron campaign!

Hi, Sniffles! Good luck! (I just starting playing in MY first Eberron campaign, since I'm usually the DM!)

 

[Pseudonym]

Uh... yeah. Sigh. I'll have to look into that. Is this an implication made about all elves, or just a few?

An entire family, if I recall correctly.

 

[Hellcow]

An entire family, if I recall correctly.

Adventure time! Gather the Cairdal Blades and the Draleus Tairn and wipe them all out, lest their tainted blood destroy us all!

 

[fafhrd]

Really? Like working together evil? *sigh* I suppose I really need to read it myself to know what other folks are saying, but the Daelkyr and Lords of Dust don't have any common ground, and neither have anything to do with the EC (if anything, the Lords of Dust are most likely to use the minions of the other two as pawns). Really, one of the big things keeping Eberron in one piece is that the bad guys DON'T work together.

I don't think the Lords of Dust or the Daekyr were specifically named, but all the evidence points to them being exactly that. Fiends trapped in ancient cities and amorphous horrors hanging out with and aiding vampires of the Emerald Claw. I'm glad to hear your thoughts concerning the relations of the various groups. My current Eberron campaign involves a certain Ak'Chazar whose millenial schemes involve the manipulation of the other two.

Uh... yeah. Sigh. I'll have to look into that. Is this an implication made about all elves, or just a few?

As Pseudonym mentions, I think it suggests that a whole family of elves carries dragon blood. The Cairdal Blades idea would have been a neat spin, except that that wasn't how it played out. In fact, the Deathguard actively aided members of the line and ran around like their house boys for a good portion of the story.

BTW Keith, since I've never actually thrown my voice into the chorus, I wanted say that your work is terrific, both the sourcebooks and the novel.

 

[Hellcow]

BTW Keith, since I've never actually thrown my voice into the chorus, I wanted say that your work is terrific, both the sourcebooks and the novel.

Thanks! Hearing that people are enjoying the world and the books certainly makes the "squatted over a fresh page and squeezed out the first novel in Eberron" reviews a little easier to bear.

 

[Len]

I just starting playing in MY first Eberron campaign, since I'm usually the DM!

Hint: Watch out for those warforged guys. They're not very strong, but they sure are sneaky! We found that out in the very first session of our Eberron campaign.

 

[romp]

Thanks! Hearing that people are enjoying the world and the books certainly makes the "squatted over a fresh page and squeezed out the first novel in Eberron" reviews a little easier to bear.

I learned the hard way that you cannot please everyone but yeah the negative stuff still stings sometimes...