Customer Reviews

Forgotten Realms: Darkwalker On Moonshae

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

 

 

This is a re-issue of the first Forgotten Realms trilogy written. It's a bit surprising they didn't keep this series in print longer. Honestly, this is one of the best FR books I've read.

The book opens with a fair where we meet the main characters; Robyn, Tristan, Daryth, and the moorhound, Canthus. As we get to know these characters (they are very deep - not exactly your infallible hero types) Kazgoroth makes his move to try to take over the Moonshae Isles.

Along the way, our heroes are pulled into the struggle. The action increases and a few more characters are introduced, which are each also interesting in their own way. I love how Niles makes his characters come to life - even the minor ones.

This is an action-packed read with deep characters - good and evil. This is a book that sets the standard for others in the FR realm - even among other fantasy novels period.

This is an awesome book - highly recommended.

For anyone who will not read a book because it has a Forgotten Realms/Dragonlance logo above the title, this is the book that can break that prejudice. This is a good fantasy novel period. This is Niles at his best. The very first Forgotten Realms novel is full of great characters and even greater action. Though it is billed as a trilogy, this story is a stand alone tale. After it sold well, Niles write 2 more stories and TSR packaged it as a trilogy. If you enjoy this story and trilogy, it is followed by a sequel--the Druidhome trilogy.

This is the BEST, "Forgotten Realms" series that I have read. The story transports you to a world of magic and adventure, entwines you in to the struggles of the heroes, and leaves you feeling fulfilled at the climax. What more can you ask for in a fantasy book?

OVERALL SCORE: (A+)
READABILITY: (A), PLOT: (B), CHARATERS: (A), DIALOGUE: (B+), SETTING: (A+), ACTION/COMBAT: (B+), MONSTERS/ANTAGONISTS: (B+), ROMANCE: (B+), SEX: (n/a), AGE LEVEL: (PG)

I have read this series many times and it is still as good today as it was the first time I read it, almost 15 years ago.
I think the plot is one of the more interesting in the fantasy genre. Tristan and Robyn along with many other interesting characters are trying to defend their Isle/Goddess from the attacks of an evil god and his minions. I enjoyed the fantastic creatures, especially the little Psuedodragon as the comic relief.
I hope they re-issue this series so more people can enjoy this wonderful story filled with werewolves, unicorns, sea creatures, magic and intense battles.
Find it or borrow it! A must read.

This is the first enjoyable fantasy book I read. I read it for a book report and loved it, and thanks to Mr. Niles I became I huge fantasy for all the years afterwards. I still remember the amazing characters: Tristan, Robyn, Daryth, and of course the evil Kazgoroth, the shape-changing demon-like creature that invades the Moonshae Isles. The characters are wonderful, the enemy horrific, and it has everything a good story needs: love, violence, evil, action, strange and horrible enemies and an ultimately evil enemy: Kazgoroth. I've read this several times, and it's always the same great story. I recommend that anyone who wants to read fantasy, but has read some bad ones in the past should check out this book and then see where it takes you. Excellent book.

[Review written Nov 2004]

I read this series when it first came out in 1987, and several things impressed me about it at the time:

1) The author is a serious fan of roleplaying games, and has first hand experience in game design ... and it shows through clearly in his writings, both then and now.

2) This was one of the first books set in a 'pre-fab' role playing world (in this case, "The Forgotten Realms" of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons RPG), in which there were already extensive supplements available showing the lay of the land, the peoples, the creatures, the spells, etc. According, without having to re-develop all that from scratch, the author was able to leap directly into his story.

3) At the time, this was one of the few RPG-themed books out that dealt with Druidical themes - which was always a favorite subject of mine whenever I roleplayed.

In any case, it's a solid fantasy series, and I'm glad to see it come back into print. Despite being the first of many many forgotten realms novels that came out later, it's still among the best of the "RPG" sub-genre of Fantasy.

I liked this book, but the further I read into the series, the more it felt like trudging through a swamp. Not comparable to Tolkien, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The scenes were vivid, the creatures were frightening, the magicians were moderetely powerful, but the characters... I just started to not care about them. I would heartily recommend The Crystal Shard by R. A. Salvatore instead.

I truly enjoyed this book. It was a bit different than traditional TSR books, but I think thats part of it's charm! Strong and lovable characters, lots of action and a bit of romance! A great combination! One of my favorites.

This book was simply one of the best douglas Niles has ever written. It combines Suspense with the traditional Fantasy enviroment.At the end of the book you are compelled to go out and get the next book immediately!

How this book came to be:
[...]

The first Forgotten Realms novel unveils the Eastern island chain outskirts of the Realms, the Moonshae Isles.

Kazgaroth is a decent enough villain. A lizard like monster that is driven to destroy the lesser deity of the Moonshae and turn this land into a chaotic evil theme park. The stats on this guy must be pretty insane. Shape change at will. Giant bull, hot chick, dryad oh my! Lycanthropy with a kiss or he can corrupt your soul, turning you into a "ghoulish type" creature or just a mind enslaved and devoted follower. He also can feed on your life force and take over your identity/body.
Firbolgs are boring. Bearded dwarven women are also boring. Newt is annoying but what can I say? I like the token inquisitive(annoying)faerie dragon in my Forgotten Realms books.
Leviathan was some great daikaiju, though he didn't last long. The idea of the pack as a last hope weapon of the Earthmother and Canthus usurping the werewolf to turn the tide of battle was fun. Unicorns are lame no matter how majestic they are written to be. Sorry Kamerynn, you did get your a@@ handed to you in this book. What with the toxic burns, blindness and all that.
Final Thoughts
Moonshae Trilogy Book One Drinking Game! Take a shot every time you see the word spoor/s in this book.