Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
I'm reading the Forgotten Realms Novels- #202 The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson (Dungeons 2)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 8765106" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p><strong>#175 Final Gate by Richard Baker (Last Mythal 4) </strong></p><p><strong>Read 31/8/22 to 8/9/22</strong></p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]260893[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>And it's another cracker, although... and there's always an although, this novel has to a do lot of stuff in a very short, all those endings that need wrapping up, or else given a final twist to allow the reader space enough to wander off and insert their own conclusion here. Why this one is better (and a little bit worse) than the rest is... well, book three is usually the helter-skelter, no-time to stop and look around, it's usually climax after climax, with each new spectacular only kept apart long enough for either the protagonist (and friends) to reach some new insight, or else the antagonist to ponder his/her/its fiendish over-arching masterplan. Then cackle with delight- natch.</p><p></p><p>So, this one throws in a love affair- elven style (nothing happens, but slowly) and that's a stretch of the imagination, for these sorta books. It's not bad, minimalist- all silent wanting/yearning, nothing untoward- nothing ugly, heaven forfend- they're elves! How could there be. It's a semi-odd thing for an author (here) to lean into something that's almost entirely outside of the main plot, it adds something, but then again... here we go.</p><p></p><p>There's just so much to get in here, and so when Araevin and his buddies head off on their dimensional journey to find the three remnants of the whatsitsname gem that started it all, well... We go back and forth between Araevin and chums while the war rages, and Ilsevele, and Seiveril, and the resurrected Starbrow get to sit center stage far more often than the young mega-mage (he has High Magic don't you know, it's capitalized- always), and so the young lad loses a bit of his luster, he's demoted.</p><p></p><p>Sarya Dlardrageth, who? Doesn't get much of a look-in either, and when she does she's seems to be contentedly (or not) shuffling towards her doom. Archdevil Malkizid is no longer content to just be the power behind the throne but, well- we're left in doubt, Sarya is his lightning rod. So, our big bad villain has gone away, or else been sidelined- even while she still (every now and then) stands center stage. Sarya's tantrums serve only to frighten her allies in the narrative, the reader sees the truth of it, and so the threat is undermined, visibly lessened.</p><p></p><p>But again, there are lots of places to go and see here, and people to admire- there's stuff I'm going to take from this for my own game, and that's my purpose here. I am really into the Mythals now, and Waymeet, and the idea that the Elves (and the Dragons) did all of this before. I like the idea of long-lost ancient elven magic-tech just silently counting the years waiting for some adventuresome fool to wander into its compass.</p><p></p><p>In conclusion, it's good- there's a lot of it coming at you at the end, which is odd because it starts remarkably slowly, so much so that towards the end it does just start to feel like a series of plot end boxes that need ticking. The magic/fighting finales, at times, feel either rushed (mostly in Araevin's story) or else somewhat underwhelming; in truth I think an author- maybe, just once, needs to kill one of his central characters and tip over the entire plot just to make it even more desperate for the survivors at the end. Araevin was never going to lose, and I know that we all know this even before we pick up the book, never mind read the first line, but... It became too obvious, too apparent, the villains weren't up to the job.</p><p></p><p>Seiveril getting his spectral dad and his mates to turn up for the big rumble was a nice touch (deus ex machina, who cares) but the rogue general's death had been on the cards pretty from the get-go, and writ so large in this one to make his finale underwhelming. But that may just be me.</p><p></p><p>For all of the above it's a cracking good fantasy novel, just not as good as the first two in the series.</p><p></p><p>Stay safe and well you lovely people.</p><p></p><p>Cheers goonalan</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 8765106, member: 16069"] [B]#175 Final Gate by Richard Baker (Last Mythal 4) Read 31/8/22 to 8/9/22[/B] [ATTACH type="full" width="171px"]260893[/ATTACH] And it's another cracker, although... and there's always an although, this novel has to a do lot of stuff in a very short, all those endings that need wrapping up, or else given a final twist to allow the reader space enough to wander off and insert their own conclusion here. Why this one is better (and a little bit worse) than the rest is... well, book three is usually the helter-skelter, no-time to stop and look around, it's usually climax after climax, with each new spectacular only kept apart long enough for either the protagonist (and friends) to reach some new insight, or else the antagonist to ponder his/her/its fiendish over-arching masterplan. Then cackle with delight- natch. So, this one throws in a love affair- elven style (nothing happens, but slowly) and that's a stretch of the imagination, for these sorta books. It's not bad, minimalist- all silent wanting/yearning, nothing untoward- nothing ugly, heaven forfend- they're elves! How could there be. It's a semi-odd thing for an author (here) to lean into something that's almost entirely outside of the main plot, it adds something, but then again... here we go. There's just so much to get in here, and so when Araevin and his buddies head off on their dimensional journey to find the three remnants of the whatsitsname gem that started it all, well... We go back and forth between Araevin and chums while the war rages, and Ilsevele, and Seiveril, and the resurrected Starbrow get to sit center stage far more often than the young mega-mage (he has High Magic don't you know, it's capitalized- always), and so the young lad loses a bit of his luster, he's demoted. Sarya Dlardrageth, who? Doesn't get much of a look-in either, and when she does she's seems to be contentedly (or not) shuffling towards her doom. Archdevil Malkizid is no longer content to just be the power behind the throne but, well- we're left in doubt, Sarya is his lightning rod. So, our big bad villain has gone away, or else been sidelined- even while she still (every now and then) stands center stage. Sarya's tantrums serve only to frighten her allies in the narrative, the reader sees the truth of it, and so the threat is undermined, visibly lessened. But again, there are lots of places to go and see here, and people to admire- there's stuff I'm going to take from this for my own game, and that's my purpose here. I am really into the Mythals now, and Waymeet, and the idea that the Elves (and the Dragons) did all of this before. I like the idea of long-lost ancient elven magic-tech just silently counting the years waiting for some adventuresome fool to wander into its compass. In conclusion, it's good- there's a lot of it coming at you at the end, which is odd because it starts remarkably slowly, so much so that towards the end it does just start to feel like a series of plot end boxes that need ticking. The magic/fighting finales, at times, feel either rushed (mostly in Araevin's story) or else somewhat underwhelming; in truth I think an author- maybe, just once, needs to kill one of his central characters and tip over the entire plot just to make it even more desperate for the survivors at the end. Araevin was never going to lose, and I know that we all know this even before we pick up the book, never mind read the first line, but... It became too obvious, too apparent, the villains weren't up to the job. Seiveril getting his spectral dad and his mates to turn up for the big rumble was a nice touch (deus ex machina, who cares) but the rogue general's death had been on the cards pretty from the get-go, and writ so large in this one to make his finale underwhelming. But that may just be me. For all of the above it's a cracking good fantasy novel, just not as good as the first two in the series. Stay safe and well you lovely people. Cheers goonalan [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
I'm reading the Forgotten Realms Novels- #202 The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson (Dungeons 2)
Top