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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: 8214191" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p><strong>#116 Road of the Patriach by RA Salvatore (Sellswords 3)</strong></p><p><strong>Read 25/2/21 to 2/3/21</strong></p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]133619[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Well... that was... I don't think I get it.</p><p></p><p>This is the first Salvatore novel that I've had my doubts about. It just seems like a bunch of muddled stories that sorta sit together but really don't.</p><p></p><p>The way I see it there are a bunch of themes/schemes going on here.</p><p></p><p>I get the first fifty or so pages are an intro to the world of King Gareth and his hearty band of aging ex-adventurers, saviours of the Bloodstone Lands, thwarters of Zhengyi the Witch-King etc. But with lots of voices, and opinions, it just seems a little slow paced to begin with. They're the good guys- got it, Jarlaxle and Artemis are playing at being the good guys... got it. Or however it is you want to categorise the pair's activities.</p><p></p><p>Then Jarlaxle, with Arty in tow, claims the respawned Castle Perilous, and... that turns out to be a false move- the idea of getting King G and his boys to keep the assassins (Knellict/Timoshenko) at bay, well- that don't play well. Particularly when Arty E goes and upsets the applecart by not doing what he's told.</p><p></p><p>But, again- I see how we've got here.</p><p></p><p>Then more chatter until the armies of the good King G take the stage, at which point it becomes obvious (Jarlaxle tells us so) that the hand he has (they have) been dealt, well... bluffing isn't going to work.</p><p></p><p>By this point Kimmuriel is the voice of reason, King Arty the first is in a blue-funk and really not onboard with things.</p><p></p><p>Then, well.. we spiral.</p><p></p><p>Calihye reveals her true colours and... it's time to get the heck out of dodge for the sellswords.</p><p></p><p>Which brings us, after a bit more chatter, to another story completely- Arty E's need for closure, so to Memnon and ultimately a little quality time with Yinochek, the 'proper' speaker of Selune. Which is great, but a bit after the curtain has already come down.</p><p></p><p>My point/s are these-</p><p></p><p>It doesn't hang together very well, there's a bit of this- some fine talk from Jarlaxle, a few words of wisdom from Kimmuriel, with Arty sulking (trying not to explode) in the background. Oh, but Athrogate is groovy, as always- although even he gets a bit of backstory and a repeat of the maudlin times so favoured of anti-heroes.</p><p></p><p>King Gareth comes out of it as a good guy still, his fellow adventurers likewise are mostly doing the right thing for the right reason, and I'm glad that Olwen didn't go all the way with his desire for revenge.</p><p></p><p>The half-orcs et al just seem like backdrop.</p><p></p><p>The dragon sisters likewise, they don't really do anything.</p><p></p><p>It just all comes to a crescendo and then... well, the sellswords scuttle off tails between their legs. I get that Jarlaxle tries to spin it into a lesson well learned but, it's a bit naff.</p><p></p><p>It's neither one thing nor the other.</p><p></p><p>I liked Arty's home visit at the end, but it just seemed like two (or three) stories less seamlessly woven together more just collided.</p><p></p><p>Again, the writing's good- the characters true to themselves, except perhaps that Jarlaxle is shown in this series (certainly books 1 and 3) to be much more fallible, and Arty even more surly and hateful than ever.</p><p></p><p>That's okay- I don't mind some of that, all of that, but it just doesn't for me make a whole. It's like the third book with nowhere much to go. So, we do this- set it up, and... it falls apart- but we're two thirds through the novel when it falls apart and suddenly... here's something else.</p><p></p><p>And I get the flute is doing this to Arty, but why- to what end? Jarlaxle is trying to shape Arty, to make him aware of who/what he is but that's just a bunch of navel-gazing that ultimately (for now) crashes the story.</p><p></p><p>In truth I devoured the first two thirds of this one in two days, then I just put it down- unconvinced with the sudden(-ish) introduction of the Artemis home-time story. I spent two days harrumphing and scowling on the inside before I picked it up again.</p><p></p><p>So- read, but a low point IMHO, at least for the great Salvatore- story wasn't up to it.</p><p></p><p>Stay safe and well.</p><p></p><p>Cheers goonalan</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 8214191, member: 16069"] [B]#116 Road of the Patriach by RA Salvatore (Sellswords 3) Read 25/2/21 to 2/3/21[/B] [ATTACH type="full" width="168px" alt="IMG_2757.JPG"]133619[/ATTACH] Well... that was... I don't think I get it. This is the first Salvatore novel that I've had my doubts about. It just seems like a bunch of muddled stories that sorta sit together but really don't. The way I see it there are a bunch of themes/schemes going on here. I get the first fifty or so pages are an intro to the world of King Gareth and his hearty band of aging ex-adventurers, saviours of the Bloodstone Lands, thwarters of Zhengyi the Witch-King etc. But with lots of voices, and opinions, it just seems a little slow paced to begin with. They're the good guys- got it, Jarlaxle and Artemis are playing at being the good guys... got it. Or however it is you want to categorise the pair's activities. Then Jarlaxle, with Arty in tow, claims the respawned Castle Perilous, and... that turns out to be a false move- the idea of getting King G and his boys to keep the assassins (Knellict/Timoshenko) at bay, well- that don't play well. Particularly when Arty E goes and upsets the applecart by not doing what he's told. But, again- I see how we've got here. Then more chatter until the armies of the good King G take the stage, at which point it becomes obvious (Jarlaxle tells us so) that the hand he has (they have) been dealt, well... bluffing isn't going to work. By this point Kimmuriel is the voice of reason, King Arty the first is in a blue-funk and really not onboard with things. Then, well.. we spiral. Calihye reveals her true colours and... it's time to get the heck out of dodge for the sellswords. Which brings us, after a bit more chatter, to another story completely- Arty E's need for closure, so to Memnon and ultimately a little quality time with Yinochek, the 'proper' speaker of Selune. Which is great, but a bit after the curtain has already come down. My point/s are these- It doesn't hang together very well, there's a bit of this- some fine talk from Jarlaxle, a few words of wisdom from Kimmuriel, with Arty sulking (trying not to explode) in the background. Oh, but Athrogate is groovy, as always- although even he gets a bit of backstory and a repeat of the maudlin times so favoured of anti-heroes. King Gareth comes out of it as a good guy still, his fellow adventurers likewise are mostly doing the right thing for the right reason, and I'm glad that Olwen didn't go all the way with his desire for revenge. The half-orcs et al just seem like backdrop. The dragon sisters likewise, they don't really do anything. It just all comes to a crescendo and then... well, the sellswords scuttle off tails between their legs. I get that Jarlaxle tries to spin it into a lesson well learned but, it's a bit naff. It's neither one thing nor the other. I liked Arty's home visit at the end, but it just seemed like two (or three) stories less seamlessly woven together more just collided. Again, the writing's good- the characters true to themselves, except perhaps that Jarlaxle is shown in this series (certainly books 1 and 3) to be much more fallible, and Arty even more surly and hateful than ever. That's okay- I don't mind some of that, all of that, but it just doesn't for me make a whole. It's like the third book with nowhere much to go. So, we do this- set it up, and... it falls apart- but we're two thirds through the novel when it falls apart and suddenly... here's something else. And I get the flute is doing this to Arty, but why- to what end? Jarlaxle is trying to shape Arty, to make him aware of who/what he is but that's just a bunch of navel-gazing that ultimately (for now) crashes the story. In truth I devoured the first two thirds of this one in two days, then I just put it down- unconvinced with the sudden(-ish) introduction of the Artemis home-time story. I spent two days harrumphing and scowling on the inside before I picked it up again. So- read, but a low point IMHO, at least for the great Salvatore- story wasn't up to it. Stay safe and well. Cheers goonalan [/QUOTE]
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