Resurection book question

The Grumpy Celt · May 2, 2005

How does Resurection, the last book in the "War of the Spider Queen" series? I've not read it and have heard conflicting reports on what happens and the quality of the story. Is it any good? Don't be afrade to spoil me. What is the story so far? How does it end?

Shemeska · May 2, 2005

It's well written and it's a good story. The characters from the previous books are handled very well and I really enjoyed it.

However the fiends in the book get reduced to pansies and utter mooks and tools of the FR deities who just waltz in and force them to do whatever they say. And when a drow archmage kills an archfiend with 2 spells, two spells, I have to consider it forced. The battle with the yugoloths near the end of the book seemed terribly rushed and anticlimactic.

Nitpicks: tanar'ri are immune to lightning but the characters in the book repeatedly use lightning against them because they state that it's the only thing that affects them. Yugoloths are not immune to lightning but the book states that they're wholly immune to it by default. Yugoloths don't propagate from petitioners but the book has them doing so. Paul Kemp is a good author, I like his books for FR, but he didn't do his homework on this one.

Spoilers below:

Danifae becomes part of Lolth who is now a greater deity. Hallistra becomes a sort of quasi-chosen of Lolth but in a really twisted way that punishes her for her weakness. Quenthel survives and returns to Menzo, but not before she sacrifices Jeggred to Lolth. Pharaun dies but his AluFiend love interest ends the novel holding a piece of his finger, wondering what she'll do with it/him; the door is open for his being raised from the dead.

Torm · May 2, 2005

The Grumpy Celt said:
How does Resurection, the last book in the "War of the Spider Queen" series? I've not read it and have heard conflicting reports on what happens and the quality of the story. Is it any good? Don't be afrade to spoil me. What is the story so far? How does it end?

You cut and pasted this from when you asked me about Mostly Harmless and made little changes, didn't you?

(You spelled "afrade" the same both places, if not. Strange.

)

Darth K'Trava · May 3, 2005

So did you actually READ the book, Torm? Or just being nitpicky?

I've picked it up, but haven't read it yet. It's next on my list!

Alzrius · May 3, 2005

Shemeska said:
Lolth who is now a greater deity.

Nothing in the book says this.

Shemeska · May 3, 2005

Alzrius said:
Nothing in the book says this.

No, but Paul Kemp stated so in his Livejournal. While it wasn't in the book itself, one of the stated goals of the series as given to the various authors was that apparently.

Torm · May 3, 2005

Darth K'Trava said:
So did you actually READ the book, Torm? Or just being nitpicky?

No, but I clicked on this thread, and experienced such deja vu that I had to say something.

Alzrius · May 3, 2005

Having checked that out, I found Paul Kemp's discussion of Resurrection to be very insightful into the book itself. Here is the spoiler-filled discussion.

Darth K'Trava · May 4, 2005

I think I'll wait on that linky until I read the book. I don't want to have it ruined for me by reading his livejournal.

PaulKemp · May 4, 2005

Shemeska said:
Nitpicks: tanar'ri are immune to lightning but the characters in the book repeatedly use lightning against them because they state that it's the only thing that affects them. Yugoloths are not immune to lightning but the book states that they're wholly immune to it by default. Yugoloths don't propagate from petitioners but the book has them doing so. Paul Kemp is a good author, I like his books for FR, but he didn't do his homework on this one.

I am embarrased by the lightning issue. It is not material to the story in any meaningful way (I don't recall tha anyone actually uses lightning on a demon, though Pharaun prepares to do so), but it is enough to bother readers who know better. In truth, this is not a function of my not having done homework, it's a function of my having done this particular aspect of the homework badly. I'm honestly not sure how I made the mistake re demons and electricity (and yugoloths and electricity for tha matter). I must have been looking at the devil entry, or conflated the two fiends in my notes, or some other lame excuse.

Anyway, for those readers for whom this issue is a bother, my apologies. As I say, it is not a material issue in the book and I don't think it takes anything away from the story. Still, I can imagine it is annoying.

Paul [now exiting the thread]....