Customer Reviews

Downshadow: Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Wow, I did not expect to like this book. Having been bored and looking for a new series to start, I chose the Post Spellplague Waterdeep series. So far, I am loving it..but this book...was the best. Nice mystery, romance and swordsplay...I am begging for a sequel. Fayne is an enjoyable character and should be made a permanent part of Waterdeep Lore..and that goes for Rath as well. The ending to the book leaves you hanging...will Kalen find Myrin? Who is Myrin really?
*********spoiler************
Does Myrin hold some part of Mystra within herself? Why cant she remember her past? Was are the blue runes? So many questions...with zero answers!
There had better be a sequel!

Downshadow by Erik Scott de Bie is the third book is a series stand alone novels titled Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep. The first two books are; Blackstaff Tower: Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep by Steven Schend and Mistshore: Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep by Jaleigh Johnson. Future books to be released in this series are; City of the Dead: Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep by Rosemary Jones (June, 09), The God Catcher by Erin Evans (Feb, 2010), and Circle of Skulls by James Davis (June, 2010). This novel marks the third novel Mr. de Bie has written for the Forgotten Realms universe, the previous two novels; Ghostwalker (The Fighters) and Depths of Madness: The Dungeons, are also stand alone novels. While I have been a fan of these stand alone novels, I think it is time that the editors at Wizards of the Coast allow Mr. de Bie to really show his writing talent and give him a trilogy. I think given a trilogy Mr. de Bie will truly show his talent as a writer. Here are my thoughts on this novel.

The plot of this book follows a mysterious Shadowbane as he patrols the depths of Downshadow to deal with the nefarious denizens that inhabit the place. There are a few adventures of Shadowbane doing these altruistic deeds, but there is much more depth to the story as well. There are more instances of people having spellscars and some explanations on just what that can do to someone. Lastly, there are multiple instances of betrayals, backstabbing, deceit, and many battles between individuals and factions. Mr. de Bie, in the past, has shown a knack for writing fast paced character driven novels with good fight scenes. For the most part, this sentiment holds true with Downshadow. The plot of this book has an almost breakneck feel at times, which is both a plus and a hindrance. There were a couple of instances where the story flew by so fast I was left grasping for what just happened. Even after rereading a scene, it almost had a manic feel to it. Those scenes may have been better serves by pulling off the throttle a little. However, with that said, there are some scenes that benefit from that fast paced nature - most notably the chase scene that happens between Shadowbane and Talanna. I loved that scene. In general, I thought the book had a decent plotline - but I never felt really invested in it as much as I have in Mr. de Bie's previous work (most notably Ghostwalker). With that said, I can easily understand how some readers will really enjoy this plot, to me it was just okay.

The characters in this book are not nearly as numerous as I had thought based on the scope of the plot. While there are numerous characters, this story revolves around seven characters; Kalen, Araezra, Talanna, Fayne, Myrin, Rath and Shadowbane. For me, the characters were hit and miss. Rath and Fayne I loved. I enjoyed their mannerisms, dialogue, ruthlessness, etc. They were perfection. Talanna, Kalen, and Shadowbane had positives and negatives for me. I really enjoyed when Kalen's back-story seeped into the story. Talanna proved to be a strong character, but at times it seemed like she was pushed to the side during the character development phase for the more central characters. I preferred Shadowbane more at the start of the story than I did once the mystery was revealed. The mystery around Shadowbane was like watching the Titanic movie, most fantasy fans will have little trouble figuring things out. That leaves me with Myrin and Araezra. Two characters I simply could not connect with. For some reason they just did not interest me at all. I was rather apathetic about those two, I understand their respective plights, but they just didn't grab me like I was hoping. All in all the characters in this book are solid and span a broad spectrum offering up something most fans should enjoy.

A couple criticisms about this novel:

1 - At times some of the dialogue seemed too long, or forced. It just didn't seem to flow as smoothly as it could have. It Mr. de Bie's first two novels, the dialogue was spot on and fit perfectly with the story. However, in this book at times it just didn't seem to click for me.

2 - Myrin and Shadowbane's spellscar `powers' are a little unnerving to me. Not in the sense that they have the powers, but as I was reading this book it felt more and more like I was reading a fantasy book with X-men mutant characters. This really applies to Myrin and her abilities and made things feel a little too convenient.

Some things I liked about this novel:

1 - I have long been a fan of Mr. de Bie's darkside of writing. Simply put, he drags his characters through the gutter, slaps them around, kicks them down the stairs, then steps on their fingers as they try to pull themselves out. Those same things apply to this book as well. If you are looking for light reading material with a generous dose of humor... find a different book.

2 - The villains. Rath may be one of my favorite villains I have ever read about. Although, he is much like Tasselhoff Burfoot from the Dragonlance Chronicles, in that almost every scene Rath is in he steals it. Even if he is a minor character in the seen I was captivated by him. His ruthlessness, crassness, bitterness, and how he uses people to meet his needs was near perfection.

3 - In Ghostwalker Mr. de Bie showed that he could write a fight scene almost as well as R.A. Salvatore, however in this book he proves he is no longer near the level of Salvatore, but equal to (if not better) than Salvatore. The fight scenes in this book are descriptive, action packed, but more importantly they are realistic.

While reading the above, some may think I did not like this book. Quite the contrary actually, there were many things I enjoyed about the novel. Maybe Mr. de Bie is simply a victim of his own success by first writing Ghostwalker, everything else will forever be compared to that. Fans of the Forgotten Realms and Erik de Bie's work will no doubt find elements in this story to enjoy. It is everything one has come to expect to find. I know there is a segment of Forgotten Realms fans who have shunned the Realms after the switch to 4th Edition rules. However, I would emplore them to give these Waterdeep books a read and then make a determination. I have enjoyed all the 4th Edition novels and think it makes for some interesting storyline possibilities. After reading this book I have no doubt that Mr. de Bie will be writing great stories for years to come, and I for one am excited to see what he pens next.

Downshadow by Erik Scott DeBie is the third book in a series of stand alone novels in the Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep series. The story centers around Shadowbane , a paladin that is desperately trying to adhere to his faith while ridding Downshadow of its more nefarious denizens. He struggles to choose between justice or vengeance when he encounters a nearly unstoppable adversary.

The story was fast paced and drew me in from the beginning. DeBie gives the reader just enough information to set the hook and draw the reader deeper and deeper into the story. The characters grow throughout the story and are very well fleshed out by the end. The fight scenes were vivid and well thought out. I could actually hear Hans Zimmer in the background as the heroes and villains battled throughout the book. DeBie made me really care for the characters, good and bad alike. They are all tortured and flawed in some way and their histories are interwoven throughout the book and I kept turning page after page for a glimpse into what made these characters tick.

I highly recommend this book to new and longtime readers of the Forgotten Realms. If you are looking for a fast paced, action packed book with fantastic characters that leave you wanting more, then Downshadow is the book for you.

Firstly, a warning. This book is /not/ sweetness and light; the title is also an area beneath the city of Waterdeep, but it is also a pretty accurate reflection on the mood.

My daughter and I have both read it--she's 14, I'm 43. We both enjoyed it enough to want to read a sequel(with the understanding from my daughter, however, that Kalen not die).

The presence of Waterdeep, both above-ground and below, running in the background of the story itself, was a very nice touch. The book is clearly a Dungeons & Dragons setting, and reflects that consistently, which I liked. The descriptions of places in past adventures, people in past stories, and new places have added a great deal to scenarios we use for gaming, but the book itself is a good read whether you're a fan of the D&D game or not.

(Spoiler below!)



My primary criticism isn't the X-men flavor, though it has that, but that many of the characters that were interestingly described are then killed later. Perhaps this is good--after all, how many returning villains/friends can you have?--but dang it. I LIKED some of them. The ending is also rather a cliff-hanger. Something you'd expect to see at the end of a television season, to encourage viewers to watch the season opener--except there is no sequel!

My daughter literally threw the book angrily at me after she finished(she read it straight through, in several hours on summer vacation), and demanded to know 'what happens afterward!'.

Still, in all, it's a nice good read with some neat 4e Forgotten Realms flavor, and a slice of super-hero mixed in. In fact, something happened with that that I have ALWAYS wondered how superheroes dodge--secret identities are deuced difficult to successfully keep--so kudos for having THIS hero, have his slip a few times.

I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant when I first picked up this one. I really enjoyed Mr DeBie's previous stories, but this one is set in the new 4th Edition, and some of the changes made to this edition didn't sit right with me.

However, I was glad to have been proven wrong when it comes to this novel. The main story centers around Shadowbane, a paladin who struggles to do good in Downshadow, Waterdeep's dark side. At the same time the paladin must struggle with his own morality, being constantly surrounded by evil.
The characters are entertaining, complex, and diverse, which is usually the case with DeBie's writing, and it really felt like they were driving the story along, instead of the opposite. Rath and Myrin stands out as clear favorites, and I hope they will be revisited in future stories.

The only criticism I have with the novel is that sometimes I felt like some of the people acted out of character, I thought they were going do to one thing but they did another. It didn't really have any effect on the story as a whole, I was just a bit surprised.

Fans of DeBie's previous stories will be rewarded, as easter eggs are dropped here and there about their fates. I won't say more than that since I don't want to spoil the book.
The action scenes are very well written, in a style not too different from R.A. Salvatore. The detail is very precise, so it wasn't hard for me at all to envision the actual fights.


If you're unsure whether to take the step into 4th Edition, pick this up. You won't be disappointed.

The main plot of Downshadow by Erik Scott de Bie is about Shadowbane who continually strives to rid Downshadow of its less than desirable denizens and meets a challenging foe along the way. A couple of subplots involve a love interest between a few of the characters, a guard captain and her ambition to keep Waterdeep safe and find out more about Shadowbane. This leads to a Batman type feel of the story as well as the use of "Broadsheets", a form of newspaper that is used in Waterdeep. I liked the addition of these broadsheets and the spots of banter that happens between the vendors; it just added a livelier feel to the city. Other subplots are the mysteries of a spellplagued child and the underhanded dealings of a second antagonist whose duality is ever changing.

I have really enjoyed Mr. de Bie's writing in the past tow stand alone realms novels, Ghostwalker and Depths of Madness and feel that Downshadow keeps up the fantastic writing that I came to enjoy. The pace of Downshadow is fast and held my interest the whole way through. The battle and chase scenes are captivating and wonderfully illustrated. The whole story just flows right along from one scene into the next.

The descriptions of Waterdeep are very well balanced to not drown the reader in details and still give an extremely vivid visualization of Waterdeep and Downshadow. I have never felt so drawn into a city since Paul Kemp's descriptions of Selgaunt. Mr. de Bie also picked a great story to add to the many that have happened in Waterdeep. I felt that life in Waterdeep (city life) accurately matched the pacing of the book.

A couple minor criticisms:

1. For as great as Downshadow is, I think that I would have liked something a little better than a superhero type story. This one just emulated too much of a Batman (Dark Knight version) story too much for me.

2. Continuing with the superhero theme, I don't know if this is just the way that WofC is going with the 4E, but the spellplagued people had an X-men feel to them. I can understand the mistrust other folks will have towards spell scarred individuals, but it just seems to move the prejudices of before to a new type of people instead of a certain race.

3. This may just be me and my trying to understand something that I am not used to reading. The constant use of the work "aught" in the dialogue with most of the characters was confusing at times. Sometimes it seemed that the word meant one thing and when it was used in another conversation, it was used for something else.

Some positives:

1. One thing that I love is books that I can not put down and Downshadow is no exception. Mr. de Bie knows how to use intrigue and gossip as well as battles and magic to draw the reader it, strap them to the chair, and let them have the coaster ride of a lifetime.

2. I have spoken about the downside of the spell scarred people, now for the upside. I like the idea of the spellplagued. It gives the addition of a new type of character with infinite possibilities. As long as the author does not go way out into left field, and Mr. de Bie does not, then there are some really neat creative yet believable characters that can arise from this.

3. The characters were awesome. Once again Mr. de Bie created wonderful characters whose voice and dialogue were their own. The only character that I had trouble connecting with was Myrin. There just seemed to be something lacking with her character. On the other hand, I enjoyed Shadowbane and Cellica. I would like to read a short story with a more detailed version of how their paths crossed. Then there is Rath the antagonist, a foe with an agenda all his own. It was great having a villain that was so nicely drawn and yet not so easily despised.

4. On top of having great characters, the character development was nicely done. Mr. de Bie really knows how to psychologically profile his characters and deduce possible decisions they may make and develop the characters accordingly, even the female characters.

Overall, great book, great story. I was thoroughly entertained and loved every minute of reading Downshadow. Mr. de Bie is a top notch author and I can't wait for more. To WotC, why does this man not have his own trilogy yet?! I recommend this to all lovers of fantasy, especially those who like comic books and superheroes. If you are new to the realms and want to see a 4E story, then this is a perfect place to start.

-Dimndbangr

Downshadow basically gives you Batman as a high fantasy character, but fails to do him justice. Shadowbane is one of only two chief male characters in the book--the other being a villainous dwarven monk-type. All the other characters are women, most of whom fawn over our hero. Like typical harem anime shows, the hero appears to be unable to deal with feminine attention, this cluelessness playing the opposite to Bruce Wayne's smooth operator ways. Obviously, male readers fantasize about being a chick magnet, but it is far too overdone here. Even worse is that Shadowbane is shown to be an expert at 'reading' people, a skill that seems hard to believe in someone so socially inept.

This could be forgiven if the plot were stronger, but the first three quarters of the book wander aimlessly between characters and sword fights where the reader is left wanting to know what the overall conflict is that needs resolution? Seemingly major characters get sidelined halfway through, and new major players come out of left field to replace them. Worse, the book ends like the first novel of a trilogy--the only arc that is completed by the end of the last page is the paladin's question of inner virtue (not that this is insignificant, mind you, but a night of misguided intimacy makes you wonder how he retains his status as a holy warrior).

Reading this, you might be surprised that I persevered to the end. Frankly, I was curious where all this was headed, and some questions are eventually answered. The character of Shadowbane, when his personal situation is at last fully disclosed, is ripe with potential. However, if you're going to go on this ride, realize that you have a lot of nonsense to plow through on the way to a less than satisfying wrap up.

I've read some great FR novels in the last year. The FR authors that I'm familiar with have done a great job. I'm often reluctant to try new authors (new to me, that is), and I was reluctant to start Downshadow.

That reluctance died within the first 30 pages.

This was one of the best FR books I've ever read. It's Greenwood caliber, if I may use that term. So many classic references, and I've been waiting for them for, what, 3 or 4 post-spellplague novels? The Yawning Portal, Curious Past, the masquerade, all the subtle references that only a true Realms fan would catch, I really enjoyed that. Mention of Westgate and Manshoon, Halaster, Danilo Thann... I know I'm missing several others.

Shadowbane. I thought Erevis Cale was cool, but Shadowbane made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. That early scene, where Shadowbane is stalking that sputtering merchant, that was absolutely awesome. It's arguably one of the coolest moments in FR fiction. That's right, I said it! I definitely see Batman there, but I never rolled my eyes over it. I don't know if I've ever witnessed a "Batman" type in Faerun aside from Cale in his earlier books, though the comparison blurs quickly. I bought it and accepted it immediately as totally cool. I'm hooked on Shadowbane.

The plot was also very juicy, with tons of 3D characters that really stood apart from one another. A lesser author would have confused me with Lorien, Ilira, Fayne, Cellica, Myrin, and Araezra. They all stood out very well, and not just because of their appearances. Rath was just as impressive as Shadowbane. Cellica is a memorable character. I really enjoyed Fayne's character, primarily trying to figure out what she is. She's very unique, and I thought her conflicts with all the characters were rock solid.

I might also add that the writing itself was sharp, clever, quite daring, and just fun to read. Great dialogue, great narration, compelling shifts in perspective... I ate it up.

You're on my FR must-read list now, Erik. I'm excited to read more of your books, and I'm even more excited to read more about the characters in Downshadow.

As the title suggest, this novel is about a lone warrior who creeps into the horrors of Downshadow (an underworld of murder and mysery) to deliver justice. Overall the story was really fascinating, taking an interesting look at how a paladin (holy knight) can perform his job without being in resplendent armor and shouting "Thou" and "Worthy Adversary" all the time. I found the book hard to put down and the charactes enjoyable. And the interplay between some of the characters is also pretty funny. If Batman were to meet the Forgotten Realms, this is the sort of adventures he would get caught up in. So if you like stories about heroes dishing out justice served cold, then this book is for you!

I was totally blown away by the writing in this book. To say I am an avid reader, and huge Realms fan would be an understatement. I`ve read every novel. And yet, this story jumped off the page for me like none other I can remember. The characters are truly life-sized and the story winds a well woven web of adventure. He captures the real city of Waterdeep. The racy, sexy love triangles, fight scenes with exceptional realism and common blood wading in noble foppishness themes that smacks of Greenwood. This is an on-the-edge-of-your-seat read, and if your thinking about buying it, please do! You`ll be glad you did, I guarantee it. I look forward to De Bie`s next masterpiece.