Customer Reviews

Corsair: Blades of the Moonsea, Book II (Blades of Moonsea)

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Corsair by Richard Baker is the second novel in the Blades of the Moonsea. The first book is titled Swordmage: Blade of the Moonsea, Book I (Blades of Moonsea) and the third book, scheduled for release sometime in 2010, is titled Avenger. As with the first book this book takes place in the post-Spellplague era. The prologue takes place in the year 1466 with the rest of the novel taking place in the year 1479. As with the first book I was expecting, more hoping actually, to get a little more information on just what the Spellplague is but that never really surfaced. However, upon finishing the book, I think that the lack of Spellplague information was okay. I do find it slightly amusing that there was so much talk about the Spellplague and the new fourth edition rules, and so far I have not really seen that much difference in the novels. Here are my thoughts on this novel.

The plot of this book has an almost completely different feel than the first novel. In the first novel the plot seemed rather clichéd and static. However, in this book the plot seemed much more fluid and natural. There were not those forced moments where it was blatantly obvious what was going to happen. Granted, some of the plot points are easily discernable, but not to the point where it is no longer interesting. The main plot revolves around a group of pirates terrorizing merchant ships from Hulberg. Geran Hulmaster is charged with assembling a group to seek out and eliminate the pirates. Of course, things are never as easy as they seem. Along the way there are several subplots that come into play such as; a person from Geran's past that wants nothing more than to see Geran suffer, a mysterious pirate cove, political subterfuge, and of course the requisite love interest. I enjoyed almost every aspect of this plot. It felt much more rich and substantial than the first book, and that's not to say that the first book was bad. This one just seemed to build on the good things of the first book and leave the less than good things behind.

The characters in this book, being that it is book two of the series, are largely the same cast as the first book. Familiar characters such as; Geran, Hamil, Sarth, Sergen, Karoth, and several more. The characters were one of my favorite parts of the first novel, and that certainly holds true in this novel as well. Even the secondary characters added great depth to the story such as Narsk and Sorsil. I hated Narsk (in a good way), but I loved Sorsil. Most of the time secondary characters are present for one purpose and when they achieve that they fade away. In this book neither Narsk of Sorsil felt like secondary characters. They felt just as developed and interesting as the other characters, and as a reader I really appreciate that. I had a visceral reaction to both of them and I think that is one of the biggest compliments I can give an author. Almost all of the characters seem real, the dialogue flows well and the characters motives are genuine. Character development doesn't take a backseat either. There is significant development for most of the main characters, although I would have liked to have seen some development for Hamil. Where Mr. Baker leaves Geran is flat out mean, but in a good cliff hanger sort of way. I won't say anymore about that. No matter though, I really enjoyed the characters in this novel and they only enhanced what I think it a very slid plot.

A couple criticisms about this novel:

1 - The only thing in this novel that seemed forced and not right was Geran's intense interest in Mirya. I know it added a significant plot point, but I wish it would have been done differently. It didn't `feel' right and felt contrived to me.

2 - The prologue did not sit right for me at first. There is about a 13 year difference between the prologue and chapter one and that time difference made for a bit of confusion. The connect between the two seemed to be lacking. Only when I got deeper into the story did it make some sense, but even then it still felt like it was missing something.

Some things I liked about this novel:

1 - The characters. Really, all of the characters were well done. The dialogue, flaws, motives, everything just worked well in regards to the characters. I think one of the things that really makes the characters stand out is the fact that each of the characters is so different from the others. There is a uniqueness to them that makes them stand out.

2 - The plot. I was somewhat critical of the plot in the first book, but this one far surpassed my expectations. It certainly wasn't the plot I was expecting. It is a deeper plot than the first book. For lack of a better way of saying it there seemed to be a purpose behind this book and never felt like it was just going through the motions.

3 - The pacing and flow of the novel are going to be an under rated thing with this book, but it adds immense value to the overall enjoyment of the novel. It ticks along at a brisk pace that never feels bogged down, but also never feels rushed. It's the perfect balance and makes for easy reading.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it was simply a case of me going into it with more real expectations of what to expect, based off the first novel. Coming away from this novel, I believe no novel will really detail what happened in the Spellplague, rather readers will have to slowly piece together the ruins, spell scars, etc to begin to get even a glimpse of what happened, and I am okay with that. With that thought, Mr. Baker did a very good job at offering up a couple of hints but not too much. I still feel as though fans of the Forgotten Realms should not give up on the Realms as I have mostly enjoyed the fourth edition novels. I know I will be recommending this series to Realms fans. I am really looking forward to seeing how this series concludes with the third book.

After reading Swordmage & loving the hometown heroes aspect of the story i was seriously let down by Corsair. I should say that i'm not a huge fan of the D&D 4E system its built upon & this will probably shine through, as i wonder if the writer is a fan of it. I say this because one of the greatest problems i had with the novel is it at times looks like it is going in a particular direction only to have an editor turn to him & say "I'm sorry, that is no longer in the rules, so you can't do that anymore, your going to have to find another way to resolve this issue," at which point Mr Baker has to try and come up with another equally good work around (this is seen most often when characters try to spellcast).

But beyond that i found that the characters that were so vibrant in the previous book had stagnated in this book. Characters had there entire motivation turned on there heads in some cases & in some places just ignores the last novel entirely. The pirate plot was exceptionally hockey, using the kind of logic gamers have used for years to glorify pirates & ninjas. The family tree of villany also seemed to have been incredibly cliched & convoluted. This is not the Richard Baker writing i expected... Is this even the same author who gave us "The City of Ravens?"

-M

Corsair continues the adventures of Geran, Hamil, and Sarth. There is a new problem facing the town of Hulburg in the form of pirates. Like the first book Swordmage, the pacing is good; maybe a little better and the descriptions are still wonderful. We even get to travel to far off lands that were new and exciting. Mr. Baker continues to have great characters. The battle scenes are also engaging and wonderful to read.

I really don't have any criticisms with the book. It didn't wow me for a 5 star rating, but it was up there. I would have gone with a 4.5, but since that is not an option, I will go with a 4. I positively enjoyed the characters and storyline. I feel fans of the realms will really enjoy this one and if you like books about pirates, you will also enjoy it very much.

Happy reading

-Dimndbangr

Corsair by Richard Baker- This is the second book in the Blades of the Moonsea trilogy. The first being Swordmage and the last book is called Avenger, which is due out in March of 2010. This trilogy is set in the Forgotten Realm universe. Richard Baker has written numerous novels for the Forgotten Realms and others. Some of his notable works in the Realms include; The Last Mythal trilogy (Forsaken House, Farthest Reach, and Final Gate), The Shadow Stone (part of The Adventures series), Easy Betrayals (a book in the Double Diamond Triangle Saga), The City of Ravens (part of The Cities series), and the third book in the War of the Spider Queen series called Condemnation.

The story picks back up a few months after the events in Swordmage. We find Geran Hulmaster returning to Hulburg after a visiting his mother. During the journey back, Geran comes across two ships that are beached on the coast. While one ship, a merchant ship, is being searched through by the pirates that took it, Geran notices that they have captured a young woman from the merchant ship and takes the risk to save her. He does and finds out that she was traveling to Hulburg to take control of one of the merchant companies, which her family owns. After returning to Hulburg, the harmach decides to put a stop to the pirates attacking ships that are bond for Hulburg. Geran is to captain the ship to search out the pirates along side with his spellscarred cousin, Kara, the ghostwise halfling, Hamil, and the teifling mage, Sarth. After sailing around the Moonsea, Geran, Hamil, and Sarth find a pirate ship and become part of its crew. During their journey as being pirates, Geran finds out that the High Captain of the corsairs, or pirates, is his disgraced uncle, Kamoth, who tried to take the throne of Hulburg from Geran's other uncle. Slowly the trio finds out the plans the corsairs have with Hulburg and try to stop it. However, back in Hulburg, militia groups are terrorizing the town. But things aren't as they seem with the terrorizing gangs. Can Geran stop the corsairs in there plans and will Hulburg survive another tempt at usurping power?

Negatives:
1) Pacing. While this story is better paced than Swordmage, it still feels a little slow at times and to fast at others. There were many chapters that just dragged on for one reason or another. It's really hard to pin down exactly why they felt like the dragged on, they just did. As for the fast paced chapters, they just didn't really flow too well. It felt rushed through, thus making it harder to follow. The scenes in which this is apparent are when the trio are corsairs in order to find out their plans. There were some chapters in which things just progressed to quickly and it felt like there was a lot of things left unsaid and undone. I do have to say that the pacing is still better than Swordmage, but there still was a lot of problems.
2) Sudden Appearances. Where did Sarth and Kara come from? There absolute sudden appearance aboard the Seadrake, the ship that Geran takes to find the pirates, was a little more than startling. Honestly, I just thought that Hamil is the only one joining Geran on the mission. Then to have a really brief sentence saying that Sarth and Kara are aboard wasn't right and it really felt stupid. This might be a small issue, but it still really bothered me nonetheless.
3) Hulburg Plot. I honestly didn't really care for the whole subplot involving Hulburg. While it was well written, it just felt really simple. Also, it was just a plain rehash of the events that occurred in Swordmage, with a few changes. I didn't care about it because the Hulmaster's are just plain dumb and clueless. Sure it helps the plot, but everything just screamed, "Look at what just happened in Swordmage, and you're just going to sit and have pretty much the same thing happen again?" It just annoyed me. However, it was better thought out than what happened in Swordmage.

Positives:
1) Characters. While some have the same blandness as in Swordmage, the ones in this novel are better. Geran is a deeper character than he was. Before, he had little to no personality. Now, you can really see the motivations he has and how that affects him in more emotional and personal ways. He is just better. Hamil did feel more of an important character than before. He had more of a presence and it was hard for me not to like him. Finally, Sarth was still interesting. Some of his mysteriousness vanished, but he still was an interesting character to read about. The best scenes with him have to do with his time being a corsair with the others, it just made him into a better defined character than he was.
2) Plots. The plots really were better because their weren't ten or so going on at once. The main plot of Geran tracking down the pirates was much easier to follow and simpler. Then the events that happen within the main plot line do feel like they would be problems instead of some random thing that doesn't feel like it would affect the plot. The secondary plots are better because they are smaller and didn't take you out of the main story. It just was better all around.
3) The Ending. The last five or so chapters were plain amazing. In one chapter, the crew is utterly amazed and astonished at what they are seeing and I felt the same way when reading it. The descriptions of this 'alien' place was just awe-inspiring and beautiful, but totally foreign and unknown. Then all the events that take place after this, were exciting and satisfying. It just was a great ending.

Side Notes:
1) Kara. I was actually kind of glad of how little we see of her. She wasn't a good character in Swordmage because she really had nothing interesting to her character. The less I saw of her, the happy I was. I'm not saying that she won't be a great character, I really do think she would be, but it feels like she is just being misused.
2) Chapter 23. Two words. Wonderful and beautiful. Just the sense of wonderment the crew had, I had. Then the descriptions were just wonderful.
3) Cover Art. I like the art work here a lot. It's not as busy as the art work for Swordmage and there's Sarth in the back ground so that gives it some props.

Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Corsair really improves on everything that Swordmage had problems with. The plot lines are simpler and more to the point, no more lollygagging. The characters are improved, most of them were better developed and much more interesting. The only big problem was how the pacing was off for most of the story. It was mostly slow, but there were times in which things felt rushed. Even with that problem, I did have a harder time putting the book down for too long. All in all, Corsair is a big improvement over Swordmage.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It is the sequel to Sword Mage, so you need to read the first book in the trilogy. I will get straight to the point, there is some of the book's plot that makes the main character seemed forced in his emotions towards someone, but i will not say in case you have not read the book. But other than that, i have no criticism. This book reminds me why i love fantasy. It allows the author complete control and ability to weave a story around what makes us human. Of love, life, hatred, mistakes, just all the things that come along with living while allowing us to see briefly a world of incredibly beauty just with our imagination. So if anything i have said struck true to you, i would recommend you read this book.

Unlike most trilogies, Corsair easily stands alone, with several tantalizing hints of what's to come. Geran Hulmaster is faced with a many sided problem, finding his abducted ex-love, some question about that, and her daughter, who have been taken by Lord Kamoth and his son, who Geran drove out of power. Secretly behind the scene several dark elements strive to drive out the Hulmasters of Hulburg and take over control of the city. Thus begins a fast paced chase to strange and hidden places with lots of slam bang action. Geran is torn between the desire to save Mirya and Selsha, and protecting Hulburg. Character development is somewhat static in this book, and you are a bit confused as to Geran and Miryas relationship, but the story moves rapidly and is easily a one sitting read as you ride the waves of magic and good old fashioned sword clanging.
I look forward to "Avenger" and expect a satisfying end to a very good story. Richard Baker is always a fun read.

I loved Richard Baker's earlier books, particularly the Last Mythal series. This series does not compare, but even the first book was readable. I cannot bring myself to finish this one though. The characters are so incredibly flat, and everything that happens is very predictable and mindless. It's as if these character have no underlying emotions or motivations, and only act in very transparent ways. None of the characters have any major flaws, there is little internal turmoil, everyone seems to be able to predict everything else.

Add to all of that Baker breaking many of the conventions of the forgotten realms world and this read is just frustrating. How many times can the character teleport? Especially since he never needs to study his tomes. I'm not a huge stickler on this stuff, but I like some consistency to the stories, obstacles that a character has to work around, not ones that just disappear when inconvenient for a scene.

I really hope Baker goes back to his previous styles, he is one of the few authors who wrote very compelling large scale stories in this universe, without making them 90% depressing misfortune and then 10% realization and victory. His mixing of good and bad in plots before helped create a feel of realism, rather than just a literary construct, but this went too far in the other direction with characters that never make mistakes or doubt themselves.