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I'm reading the Forgotten Realms Novels- #202 The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson (Dungeons 2)
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 8038621" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p><strong>#081 Daughter of the Drow by Elaine Cunningham (Starlight & Shadows 1) </strong></p><p><strong>Read 8/7/20 to 15/7/20</strong></p><p></p><p>[ATTACH]123830[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Well... I liked it a lot, although- I went back and forth with this one, starting with are all Drow (& Drow societies) just cool, or else the coolest thing to write about- nice detail, nice characters, nice scheming, but... Liriel is a brat, and with everything she could want or desire (except for, y'know- the stuff like freedom, choices, love, care- the little things). And Fydor, the Rashemen Berserker, well... I'm tired of that, and... but, he's not just John Rambo (although he tries) and he's a heart of gold, and smarts, and honour- that's not a badge.</p><p></p><p>So, I kept reading, and I kept with it- and the story too is great, although- again, Liriel at times is a little grating- her fall on her feet ability, and her unplumbed depths of magic reserve, her seeming mastery of anything she cares to pick up and polish... it's a little much at times. A little like the player that multi-classes half-a-dozen times and then later on declares themselves to be the master of everything, only for Liriel it seems to be the case. I wanted her to fall, and fail- to get a big kick in the rear and have to figure out that just being herself all of the time wouldn't cut it.</p><p></p><p>But, she didn't much, and yet still she grew- it became obvious that Liriel wasn't oblivious to her surroundings, and the new world at her fingertips, and all that she had been told about the surface and its inhabitants... well, that's a lie, so she's making her own way to a new/better understanding of how things work, but slowly (relatively, to this reader). Not too much you understand, it still feels like (when I'm reading Liriel) that she's as much in it for the shits and giggles, as she is some karmic rebalancing of her tawdry Drow spirit- her quest for power is far from over, I presume. I've only just started the next one (Tangled Webs) but I'm of the opinion that Liriel would still dance with the devil to get what she needs to.</p><p></p><p>There are also lots of other nice faces in here, particularly (as usual) the Drow- Triel & Shakti (and the rest of the bat-naughty word crazy Matron gang, isn't Triel's sister called something like- "soup spoon"*, I must be misremembering that), Gromph, Nisstyre (for some reason I like the idea of ginger Drow). </p><p></p><p>The writing's good, although you can't help but do the comparison to Drizzt's agent (Bob Salvatore), so there's less focus on an individual here, it's not as deep- but as of yet Liriel, while hardly a puddle, is not that deep here either- scheming, conniving, seeking of the way to the next things she needs- check, got that. But she's getting her feet wet and by the end... well, she's making more sense of things. The big difference, which for me marks it down, is this one seems a little anime/cartoon style. The action sequences seem less (fewer) and also less well choreographed, it all seems to happen quickly, and... for the win. Some of the other authors here (Greenwood, at times- included) can turn a great fight/conflict into a glorious (chuckling while you're reading) montage of deadly kick-ass, sometime with heaps enough threat to think that someone may actually suffer. Not here, or much less so- not bad you understand, but not really (it seems to me- imho) what the author is after. Okay, but I'd like more- fingers-crossed for the next one, which I am going to dive into (I can feel it in my water).</p><p></p><p>This then is good, a little more/better action, and possibly a little more doubt and introspection (apres failure, possibly) and Liriel could be the shazam-Drizzt, and that might make this series great (imho).</p><p></p><p>The deep dragon is stupid, but y'know- just within parameters.</p><p></p><p>The start of this one with the chase for the amulet- chicken legs versus Red Wizards versus Drow plus (somehow) Fydor = raspberry noise, and flashing sign saying "Silly Encounter", but it was right at the start, so I soon forgot all about it. Also, it made me chuckle.</p><p></p><p>Oh and Fydor needs to have more of a word with Liriel (rights and wrongs, you're a spoiled princess) or else he's got to fall out with her- big time, and that way he/she/we can find out what they mean to each other.</p><p></p><p>Read- very nice, eventually.</p><p></p><p>*Sos'Umptu, I don't know what I was thinking. We've met her before (and Triel, and many of the others in Menzo) haven't we.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 8038621, member: 16069"] [B]#081 Daughter of the Drow by Elaine Cunningham (Starlight & Shadows 1) Read 8/7/20 to 15/7/20[/B] [ATTACH]123830[/ATTACH] Well... I liked it a lot, although- I went back and forth with this one, starting with are all Drow (& Drow societies) just cool, or else the coolest thing to write about- nice detail, nice characters, nice scheming, but... Liriel is a brat, and with everything she could want or desire (except for, y'know- the stuff like freedom, choices, love, care- the little things). And Fydor, the Rashemen Berserker, well... I'm tired of that, and... but, he's not just John Rambo (although he tries) and he's a heart of gold, and smarts, and honour- that's not a badge. So, I kept reading, and I kept with it- and the story too is great, although- again, Liriel at times is a little grating- her fall on her feet ability, and her unplumbed depths of magic reserve, her seeming mastery of anything she cares to pick up and polish... it's a little much at times. A little like the player that multi-classes half-a-dozen times and then later on declares themselves to be the master of everything, only for Liriel it seems to be the case. I wanted her to fall, and fail- to get a big kick in the rear and have to figure out that just being herself all of the time wouldn't cut it. But, she didn't much, and yet still she grew- it became obvious that Liriel wasn't oblivious to her surroundings, and the new world at her fingertips, and all that she had been told about the surface and its inhabitants... well, that's a lie, so she's making her own way to a new/better understanding of how things work, but slowly (relatively, to this reader). Not too much you understand, it still feels like (when I'm reading Liriel) that she's as much in it for the shits and giggles, as she is some karmic rebalancing of her tawdry Drow spirit- her quest for power is far from over, I presume. I've only just started the next one (Tangled Webs) but I'm of the opinion that Liriel would still dance with the devil to get what she needs to. There are also lots of other nice faces in here, particularly (as usual) the Drow- Triel & Shakti (and the rest of the bat-naughty word crazy Matron gang, isn't Triel's sister called something like- "soup spoon"*, I must be misremembering that), Gromph, Nisstyre (for some reason I like the idea of ginger Drow). The writing's good, although you can't help but do the comparison to Drizzt's agent (Bob Salvatore), so there's less focus on an individual here, it's not as deep- but as of yet Liriel, while hardly a puddle, is not that deep here either- scheming, conniving, seeking of the way to the next things she needs- check, got that. But she's getting her feet wet and by the end... well, she's making more sense of things. The big difference, which for me marks it down, is this one seems a little anime/cartoon style. The action sequences seem less (fewer) and also less well choreographed, it all seems to happen quickly, and... for the win. Some of the other authors here (Greenwood, at times- included) can turn a great fight/conflict into a glorious (chuckling while you're reading) montage of deadly kick-ass, sometime with heaps enough threat to think that someone may actually suffer. Not here, or much less so- not bad you understand, but not really (it seems to me- imho) what the author is after. Okay, but I'd like more- fingers-crossed for the next one, which I am going to dive into (I can feel it in my water). This then is good, a little more/better action, and possibly a little more doubt and introspection (apres failure, possibly) and Liriel could be the shazam-Drizzt, and that might make this series great (imho). The deep dragon is stupid, but y'know- just within parameters. The start of this one with the chase for the amulet- chicken legs versus Red Wizards versus Drow plus (somehow) Fydor = raspberry noise, and flashing sign saying "Silly Encounter", but it was right at the start, so I soon forgot all about it. Also, it made me chuckle. Oh and Fydor needs to have more of a word with Liriel (rights and wrongs, you're a spoiled princess) or else he's got to fall out with her- big time, and that way he/she/we can find out what they mean to each other. Read- very nice, eventually. *Sos'Umptu, I don't know what I was thinking. We've met her before (and Triel, and many of the others in Menzo) haven't we. [/QUOTE]
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