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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="evildmguy" data-source="post: 2373930" data-attributes="member: 6092">I suppose I was being rude when I posted this.  I didn't like it and wanted to post that but also wanted to follow the "if you can't say something good rule . . . " and figured someone else would do it.  So, sorry about that.  However, Vraille's comments have helped me figure it out.  The book IS well written.  It is also badly plotted.  I had a tough time with the characters.  I think part of the problem is the (FR) DND novels that I have read recently (and I am not currently playing any d20) have been EXCELLENT!  It really felt as if the Rogues series, the Erevis Cale Books, the Scions of Arrabar books and some others, were well written and characterized.  The books were very good.  So, I had high hopes for this book and it was those high hopes that weren't met.  The book was well written, as I understand such things.  It set up a "promise" to the readers.  It followed through on that promise.  While their could have been some better editing, the book reads well.  HoweverI didn't think the characters acted in anywhere near "smart" as they should have been.  I didn't get a sense of continuity from the plot.  At times, it felt as if a random event chart helped to figure what was to come next.  I thought that the ending left too much unanswered with the characters.  I suppose it wasn't relevant to the "promise" but it would have been nice to get a much better sense of what the main characters were going to do after this.  It would have been nice to get a better sense of how these fit in with the back story and how well it worked for that character as well.  I guess I also expect some sense of morality or lesson in my books, either for the reader or for one of the main characters.  However, this book is lacking that.  There is no sense of what is learned by the main characters.  There is only one character that might have had a "crisis point" and was changed.  However, the character wasn't emphasized and so any lesson there has been lost.  The rest of the characters had some bad things happen to them but I didn't get a sense that it was "big" for any of them.  And maybe that's its problem.  It stops focusing on the characters after it introduces them and instead looks at the action, such that there is not much happening on a personal level.  That's probably why I didn't care what happened to the characters.  I guess I would give it a C-.  I finished the book, and some things I liked.  I liked seeing Loviatans used in a non evil light.  It was a great way to bring some shades of grey to the black and white that is DND.  (As most of these new novels have been doing.)  Overall, though, I had a bad taste in my mouth after reading it almost to the point of deciding to avoid the author until I see a good review of him.  I guess I need to find that line between critiquing and criticizing to be able to speak my mind.  Have a good one!  Take care!  edg</blockquote>

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