6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fun enjoyable read, August 3, 2006
This review is from: In the Claws of the Tiger: War-Torn, Book 3 (Mass Market Paperback)
In the Claws of the Tiger by James Wyatt is the third book in a series of stand alone novels set in the Eberron universe titled The War-Torn. These War-Torn novels basically describe how the Last War has affected countless people and the obstacles they must over come, or have over come, to survive.
Before going any farther with this review, I would urge you, if you are interested in this story to first read the short story `Call of the Silver Flame' in the Tales of the Last War anthology. In Call of the Silver Flame Mr. Wyatt sets the stage for some events that are discussed within this novel and it leads to a better understanding of everything. It was a much more enjoyable experience having read the short story first.
The plot of this book is rather linear, while at the same time being complex at times. The main character Janik and his group must go to a set of ruins and figure out what is going on there. Of course, Janik was there three years previously and his world fell apart because of the events that occurred. The majority of this book is about the journey to these ruins. Only the last quarter of the book is the characters actually in the ruins. I would have liked to read more about the ruins, what they looked like and just more action surrounding them. There are a few twists along the way, but the bulk of the action happens, as can be expected, at the end of the book when everything is brought together. At times during the journey to get to the ruins I felt myself becoming a little bored. I understand this is a six month journey, but it took up a lot of print. There were a few occasions that I found myself wondering why something was included. Don't get me wrong though, the plot of this book moves along at a steady pace and should keep most readers interested.
The characters in this book are very well written. They all have different backgrounds, faults, motivations etc. Mr. Wyatt does a good job at balancing everyone's personalities and keeping them `true' to who the character is. Although, my biggest complaint about this book is at times some of the dialog was groan inducing. It felt contrived and almost seemed like the author had no better way to express himself so he flat out told the reader what the reader needed to know. When there are mysterious things for the reader to solve I do not like being fed the solution. Let me think about it for a chapter or two, don't just tell me. Even the character Krael was fun to read and he was a villain. Mr. Wyatt has a knack for writing good characters; if he can match up the dialog consistently he will write some fantastic books.
While the plot may be rather linear it does not detract from the enjoyability of this book. In fact it lends itself to a rather easy read that allows the reader to become immersed in the book without having to think too much. Fans of the Eberron universe will certainly enjoy this latest addition. Readers considering reading something set in the Eberron world should first read the anthology I mentioned earlier and then they can certainly enjoy this. There is something for everyone in this book; magic, sword fights, deception, romance etc. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Mr. Wyatt.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Indiana Janik and the Temple of Doom, November 9, 2006
This review is from: In the Claws of the Tiger: War-Torn, Book 3 (Mass Market Paperback)
When the Eberron fantasy world was first released, the Wizards of the Coast people pitched it as pulp-meets-traditional-fantasy. Not many people have a good way of defining (or understanding) what 'pulp' is, but it's one of those things that is most likely best defined as "You know it when you see it." The fanciful/fanatastical adventures that graced the pages of pulp magazines from the 1920's into the 1940's certainly seem like they would lend themselves well to a fantasy adventure setting. However, few authors have been able to capture what many Eberron fans would consider to be the true feeling of the setting. Keith Baker, the initial creator of the world, certainly has given readers the best example of the different aspects and flavors of Eberron with his 'Dreaming Dark' trilogy. Here we have another author who gives it a go with "In the Claws of the Tiger".
As other reviewers have already mentioned, although this is book 3 in the War Torn series, there is no need to have read books 1 and 2. However, as 1 reviewer points out, reading the short story 'Call of the Silver Flame' in the "Tales of the Last War" anthology would be helpful, but not really necessary. Basically, this is a good globe-trotting adventure with plenty of good character interaction, a story that is well-paced, and some good dialogue. I will not recap the story as a previous reviewer has already done. Rather, I appeal to those timid potential readers who may have noticed the existence of such books as those in the new Eberron series, but have chosen for some unknown reason not to read one (or perhaps read a bad one). This book has come the closest to capturing that feel of fantasy and pulp combined, almost as good as Keith Baker. For those people who like films such as "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "King Kong", "Bram Stoker's Dracula", or "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", why not take a good look at this wonderful piece of writing? To have a better understanding of what I'm talking about, I offer these analogies:
* Janik Martell, historian and archeologist who has been to the mysterious continent of Xen'drik once before and is not anxious (oh really?) to return.
* Many mysterious pervade every square foot of Xen'drik. Ancient and current tribal races, strange animal creatures, and artifacts from centuries old dwellings that would make the Aztecs and Egyptians proud.
* The trustworthy, old faithful companions who accompany Janik on his mission back to Xen'drik.
* Indiana Jones had his Rene Belloq, and Janik has his Krael Kravarat, who is now, of all things, a vampire as well!
* Ancient artifacts which may lead to even greater artifacts, or destruction of civilization if fallen into the wrong hands.
And so forth, and so on. You get the idea. Seriously, take a look at this book and I am betting you won't be sorry. My only reason for giving it 4 instead of 5 stars is the last chapter is far too lengthy, with characters basically talking to each other and going over things that we the reader have just read! The truly great authors know when to call it good and put it to bed. So breeze your way through that last chapter and get to the epilogue. You'll be glad you did, like finding the toy at the bottom of the cereal box.
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1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It is good, but not great, August 7, 2006
This review is from: In the Claws of the Tiger: War-Torn, Book 3 (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a stand alone book and not part of any series, so you can jump right in and read. I do have to say I like the characters, good guys and bad guys both and all of their interactions is good. But the books suffers from just being boring in many places. This is Xen'drik, the savage and untamed land of the Eberron setting and they just walk through most of it with no encounters. Another problem is that you will probably figure out a very important plot point early in the book, but the characters in the book don't get it till about 200 pages in.
Also, this book suffers from the same problem many D&D books suffer from. Where's the treasure? Where's the magic items? This is D&D! Could we find a single +1 sword please?
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