#164 Realms of the Dragons Ed. Philip Athans (Rogue Dragons 2)
Read 30/5/22 to 3/6/22
It's a little gem, not a work of genius- these collections never are (so far) because there's always a dip in quality somewhere in them, generally. But this one hits more than it misses, and continues the theme with aplomb- dragons, as it turns out quite a lot of authors have a story to tell, and... well, dragons, what's not to like.
Soulbound by Paul S. Kemp, I read this one previously in the Erevis Cale collection, a nice and creepy story, but not as good as some of the others in here.
First Flight by Edward Bolme, this one I almost disliked, my fear of the flating cities and the magic-nificent mad wizards that steer these rocks... well, it knows no bounds. But, the finale... who wouldn't want to be a dragon, all else in life has just been practice. Nice ending.
Gorlist's Dragon by Elaine Cunningham, all drow, it seems, have a tough upbringing, the school of hard knocks it seems has a branch in Ched Nasad. The only issue I have with this one is the central character demonstrates spectacularly why they shouldn't make it out of the arena. It's always a little daft to make a hero and then undermine them by tripping them up with the obvious- drow trust no-one, and yet...
The Keeper of Secrets by Ed Greenwood, Mirt & Durnan have a minor adventure, it's all well and good, and very mostly likeable but, at times, I just get a fed up with these high level epic characters and their ability to, well... to do what they like.
The Topaz Dragon by Jess Lebow, pirates and dragons, and a volcano, and... there's a bit much here at times, and still not enough to see it's a very easy/simple tale. Alright.
Wickless in the Nether by RA Salvatore, I've read this one before, I was urged to in order to understand the Hunter's Blade Trilogy, it's okay- good-ish, I guess. Artemis and Jarlaxle should, by now, have got themselves a tune they come on to- such is the expectation, they are rapidly turning into a comedy double-act.
Serpestrillvyth by Richard Baker, loved it- adventuring party, heroes all of 'em, to save the village, to slay the dragon. Very good.
Waylaid by Thomas M Reid, it gets a bit circular silly in the end, all a little bit neat, but- it's another good little story, a nice idea/twist, and well told.
Standard Delving Procedure by Lisa Smedman, loved it, and Frivaldi- he's great to, and samey-same for Durin. The old sweat dungeon delving dwarf (Durin) has much to teach the bright new young wild thing delver (Frivaldi). Great stuff, my next dwarf will of course be armed with his/her copy of Standard Delving Procedure.
An Icy Heart by Voronica Whitney-Robinson, just beautiful, and terrible, of course. You should probably read this one. Not genius but very nicely done.
Penitential Rites by Keith Francis Strohm, and another, it seems the editor has been saving the very best until last. This one and the two that come before are worth the price of the book alone. Drakken Thraal finds peace at last.
How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth by Dave Gross, it's okay, more from Selgaunt (Sembia) and the Uskevren. But, well... Hamlet, and, well lots of other plays/novels/films etc. I've read/seen this story before, and it's pretty obvious from very early on in the piece. It's a bit toothless, truth be told, and coming this far into the book- well, it doesn't take a lot of thought to guess the end.
Beer With A Fat Dragon by Don Bassingthwaite, Li and Tycho (from The Yellow Silk) are on their journey along the Golden Way, and there's tuigan (I like these guys and gals) and wwe get to meet Ong. But again, this far into the collection and the outcome is obvious. It's unfortunate for the authors this far into the collection but spotting the dragon is becoming much much easier.
The Prisoner Of Hulburg by Richard Lee Byers, and the last one for a little more action from the Year of Rogue Dragons series, and obviously it's a slice of something that was destined for one of the other novels but made it to here. It's very nice- Will and Pavel have an adventure, and screw the Zhent.
Again, a very high standard collection, see the caveats above, for me, these three- Standard Delving Procedure by Lisa Smedman, An Icy Heart by Voronica Whitney-Robinson & Penitential Rites by Keith Francis Strohm steal the show.
Nice work- read.
Stay safe and well.
Cheers goonalan.