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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: 8368908" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p><strong>#134 Lord of Stormweather by Dave Gross (Sembia 7) </strong></p><p><strong>Read 8/8/21 to 9/8/21</strong></p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]141976[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Here's the thing, I read this one in two days- what does that tell you?</p><p></p><p>Well, we're back to Sembia, and Selgaunt, and all of the Uskevren family are in here- it's suitably odd in places with the through the Vault (looking glass) stuff in Stormweather Tower and the alt-kingdom, but... it sets a pace.</p><p></p><p>There are things that I'm still not sure about, because the plot is a tangled web at the end. Also the fallout at the end basically requires the author to more or less list all of the characters we have encountered in the mix and then catalogue each individual's afterwards. Specifically, if they're dead or alive (mostly alive) and what effect the events here have had upon the various players.</p><p></p><p>So, Thamalon is dead, Shamur is alive and accepting of her new step-daughter, Larajin. Tamlin is the new big chief of the Uskevren, and he's stepped up to the plate- and struck a home run. Talbot is still the big, bad (angry) wolf. Taz is still broken inside, and thus she sneaks off in the night. Cale has served the family gloriously once again, but finishes the novel pining for Taz, his lost (unspoken) of love.</p><p></p><p>I figure there are a few Erevis Cale books coming along the track, will Lurch be heading out to look for Taz, that's my best guess, but- well, I'll keep reading and find out.</p><p></p><p>The alt-kingdom of Stormweather Towers, and the mad sorcerer- sorry, Sorcerer Tam Lin; well, some of this I just didn't dig, or else get, but the action was all very real- and suitably D&D like, and that's what I'm looking for in these books.</p><p></p><p>Here's the thing- there are some incredibly good ideas in here, stolen from elsewhere (perhaps) but well played out/used by the author. Several of these strange developments are so good that I have already decided to steal them for my game, and again- that's what I'm here for primarily.</p><p></p><p>Radu, the Malveen assassin, with his coterie of ghosts- all of the folk that he has killed since the bone dagger got planted in his head. One of the ghosts being Chaney, Talbot's former best bud. I'll be honest, I just love the idea of a PC (or a villain) attempting to get on with his dastardly endeavour while being surrounded and constantly pestered by the spectral chorusconscience that his slaughter has caused to come into effect.</p><p></p><p>Chaney gets some of the best lines in the book, trying to figure a way to keep Radu on the straight and narrow, or else turn the family/clan fixated one fiend serial killer on a course that will help, and not hinder (permanently), the folk that Chaney holds dear.</p><p></p><p>The Vault itself, buried beneath the 'real' Stormweather Towers, an extra-dimensional safety net- designed to catch any of the true-blood Uskevren if and when some magical power (trap = the painting) attempts to whisk them away. I like the idea- I don't fully understand it but the authors use of this artefact, and its description- all of the doors and windows of the tower/vault leading to various heaven's or hell's. I like that.</p><p></p><p>Although, I guess it works for anybody, or else why would Cale and Shamur end up in the alt-kingdom, or did that happen because Thamalon went before them- somehow?</p><p></p><p>There are plenty of odd things that happen in the unreal Stormweather Towers, some of which I am still trying to catch up with in my mind- but how? Is the question I most often pose myself, and there are probably a fare few loose threads in this bit, but... I read it two days, that's still the significant fact for me here.</p><p></p><p>That means sports fans, I wanted/needed to know- to know how things were going to work out for the incredible Uskevrens, and more importantly (perhaps) for nearly 75% of the novel- I just wanted to know how this artefact/plot-device/alt-reality wrinkle was going to play out.</p><p></p><p>The offered explanation for the Vault's happenings is, of course, daft- Tamlin thought/dreamed this as a child, so-and-so did that, and voila- bad dead grandfather Aldimar- the vault's gatekeeper, gets into the game.</p><p></p><p>Then there's the stuff with the Hulorn (Mad Andy & his chump-wizard Drakkar), a lot of which just seems to be a side project if the central plot is not convincing enough, but... it's just a rip roaring more-of-the-same, with all of the Uskevren super-family getting into action (more or less). Likewise, the parade of villains is all good, as usual, with Radu (as previously) the stand-out.</p><p></p><p>I'm not unhappy it's a bit of a mess in places, as we plunge jump from reality to reality, it just reminds me of Saturday morning TV when I was a kid. Every episode/chapter just a race to the next bit, a fragment of new understanding extracted- a furious and dangerous fight, or a startling new revelation, and then a cliff-hanger to make you turn the page.</p><p></p><p>The language is good, Sembia/Selgaunt et al seem to be all correct and in place, the characters are multifarious and for the most part interesting. I think, for me, Chaney is my standout in this one. I have a thing for sarky ghosts anyway, making the quip-some conscience a sure-fire hit with this reader. Oddly, Radu is probably my second favourite character in here- and particularly because it became very obvious very quickly that the author wanted the Malveen assassin to survive this novel. I admire that.</p><p></p><p>As already stated above, I could go on about the strangeness- how did this work? What's with the new Tamlin? How did Vox get alive again? But, I'm a forgiving soul (it seems).</p><p></p><p>Read, and I really enjoyed it.</p><p></p><p>Stay safe and well.</p><p></p><p>Cheers goonalan.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 8368908, member: 16069"] [B]#134 Lord of Stormweather by Dave Gross (Sembia 7) Read 8/8/21 to 9/8/21[/B] [ATTACH type="full" width="168px"]141976[/ATTACH] Here's the thing, I read this one in two days- what does that tell you? Well, we're back to Sembia, and Selgaunt, and all of the Uskevren family are in here- it's suitably odd in places with the through the Vault (looking glass) stuff in Stormweather Tower and the alt-kingdom, but... it sets a pace. There are things that I'm still not sure about, because the plot is a tangled web at the end. Also the fallout at the end basically requires the author to more or less list all of the characters we have encountered in the mix and then catalogue each individual's afterwards. Specifically, if they're dead or alive (mostly alive) and what effect the events here have had upon the various players. So, Thamalon is dead, Shamur is alive and accepting of her new step-daughter, Larajin. Tamlin is the new big chief of the Uskevren, and he's stepped up to the plate- and struck a home run. Talbot is still the big, bad (angry) wolf. Taz is still broken inside, and thus she sneaks off in the night. Cale has served the family gloriously once again, but finishes the novel pining for Taz, his lost (unspoken) of love. I figure there are a few Erevis Cale books coming along the track, will Lurch be heading out to look for Taz, that's my best guess, but- well, I'll keep reading and find out. The alt-kingdom of Stormweather Towers, and the mad sorcerer- sorry, Sorcerer Tam Lin; well, some of this I just didn't dig, or else get, but the action was all very real- and suitably D&D like, and that's what I'm looking for in these books. Here's the thing- there are some incredibly good ideas in here, stolen from elsewhere (perhaps) but well played out/used by the author. Several of these strange developments are so good that I have already decided to steal them for my game, and again- that's what I'm here for primarily. Radu, the Malveen assassin, with his coterie of ghosts- all of the folk that he has killed since the bone dagger got planted in his head. One of the ghosts being Chaney, Talbot's former best bud. I'll be honest, I just love the idea of a PC (or a villain) attempting to get on with his dastardly endeavour while being surrounded and constantly pestered by the spectral chorusconscience that his slaughter has caused to come into effect. Chaney gets some of the best lines in the book, trying to figure a way to keep Radu on the straight and narrow, or else turn the family/clan fixated one fiend serial killer on a course that will help, and not hinder (permanently), the folk that Chaney holds dear. The Vault itself, buried beneath the 'real' Stormweather Towers, an extra-dimensional safety net- designed to catch any of the true-blood Uskevren if and when some magical power (trap = the painting) attempts to whisk them away. I like the idea- I don't fully understand it but the authors use of this artefact, and its description- all of the doors and windows of the tower/vault leading to various heaven's or hell's. I like that. Although, I guess it works for anybody, or else why would Cale and Shamur end up in the alt-kingdom, or did that happen because Thamalon went before them- somehow? There are plenty of odd things that happen in the unreal Stormweather Towers, some of which I am still trying to catch up with in my mind- but how? Is the question I most often pose myself, and there are probably a fare few loose threads in this bit, but... I read it two days, that's still the significant fact for me here. That means sports fans, I wanted/needed to know- to know how things were going to work out for the incredible Uskevrens, and more importantly (perhaps) for nearly 75% of the novel- I just wanted to know how this artefact/plot-device/alt-reality wrinkle was going to play out. The offered explanation for the Vault's happenings is, of course, daft- Tamlin thought/dreamed this as a child, so-and-so did that, and voila- bad dead grandfather Aldimar- the vault's gatekeeper, gets into the game. Then there's the stuff with the Hulorn (Mad Andy & his chump-wizard Drakkar), a lot of which just seems to be a side project if the central plot is not convincing enough, but... it's just a rip roaring more-of-the-same, with all of the Uskevren super-family getting into action (more or less). Likewise, the parade of villains is all good, as usual, with Radu (as previously) the stand-out. I'm not unhappy it's a bit of a mess in places, as we plunge jump from reality to reality, it just reminds me of Saturday morning TV when I was a kid. Every episode/chapter just a race to the next bit, a fragment of new understanding extracted- a furious and dangerous fight, or a startling new revelation, and then a cliff-hanger to make you turn the page. The language is good, Sembia/Selgaunt et al seem to be all correct and in place, the characters are multifarious and for the most part interesting. I think, for me, Chaney is my standout in this one. I have a thing for sarky ghosts anyway, making the quip-some conscience a sure-fire hit with this reader. Oddly, Radu is probably my second favourite character in here- and particularly because it became very obvious very quickly that the author wanted the Malveen assassin to survive this novel. I admire that. As already stated above, I could go on about the strangeness- how did this work? What's with the new Tamlin? How did Vox get alive again? But, I'm a forgiving soul (it seems). Read, and I really enjoyed it. Stay safe and well. Cheers goonalan. [/QUOTE]
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