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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Staking his claim to the Realms, December 9, 2005
This review is from: Ghostwalker: The Fighters (Mass Market Paperback)
Ghostwalker is Erik Scott de Bie's first foray into the Forgotten Realms with a full length novel, and the second book in the stand alone series titled The Fighters. His first official writing was a short story published earlier in 2005 in the anthology Realms of the Dragon II.
My first inclination was to try to compare Mr. de Bie with some of the current fantasy authors on the shelves today; however, I will not do so as I think that is unfair to him. One novel does not a writer make, and I think he should be allowed to make his own path in the genre. This is just what he did with this novel.
To start, this book is darker than most Forgotten Realms books. In fact I may even say it has pushed the envelope of Wizards of the Coast's policy to keep books under the PG-13 rating. This novel is right at the cusp of that rating in my opinion.
From the opening scene to the last scene of the book de Bie dares you to try and put the book down. The frantic pace of this novel is such that every page must be read, and read now. There is very little down time. Unlike some novels out there today where authors add fluff to make the book longer, de Bie makes sure that everyone of his words means something and has an end goal in mind.
The plot is well thought out and well constructed. The main driving force behind this novel is a gritty tale of vengeance and what someone will go through to get tat revenge. There are also a few subplot sprinkled throughout the story, but if I was to talk about them here they would turn into spoilers - so I will pass. I will say the subplots add to the novels overall appeal and adds to the intrigue of this book. Mr. de Bie also does a very good job at giving the reader just enough information to let them think they know what is going on, then snatching it away and replacing it with something different than first thought shocking the reader. I have read too many fantasy novels that have a very linear plot, this book certainly does not follow that path. I liken this plot between a good murder/mystery and a playoff hockey game. Action packed pace that makes you think along the way.
Being a new author I was unsure just how much consideration Mr. de Bie would have for character development in this novel. I was not disappointed in the least. The character development in this novel is fantastic. From the start to the finish of this novel, de Bie never lets character development take a back seat. Several characters have such large developments that merely saying it never took a back seat does not seem to do it justice, yet if I explained there would be spoilers- so I am forced to leave it at that.
Those of you that read a lot of my reviews know I try to end each review with either recommending the book or not. I am very pleased to have had a chance to read this book so I recommend it without hesitation. If you are new to the Forgotten Realms setting you can read this and not feel lost in the least. If you are a long-time reader of the Realms Mr. de Bie throws out some very good lines to keep you grounded and creates a chuckle every now and then. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who want to read a fast paced tale of intrigue and revenge.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clint Eastwood meets Lord of the Rings, December 23, 2005
This review is from: Ghostwalker: The Fighters (Mass Market Paperback)
Ghostwalker is a great first novel for any writer. Erik Scott de Bie slips adroitly into the Forgotten Realms world while managing to bring his own particular brand of writing to the title.
If one were to imagine Clint Eastwood in his "Man-with-no-name" role as a main character in a Twilight Zone directed by Peter Jackson and add fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping you'd get the feel for this novel. Ghostwalker is a brooding, tale of revenge that could easily take place in the old west, but happens to take place in the fantasy world of Forgotten Realms. The main character, Ghostwalker, is a damaged, amoral you man bent on revenge. As a boy he is brutally beaten and almost murdered by a group of local men ala "Hang 'em High". He survives to exact revenge on this same group as a grown man.
The action is vividly written, the dialogue tight and characters solid and believable. Hopefully this novel will be given a chance by those that have not been followers of the Forgotten Realms books. This little book adds a grittyness to fantasy that very few save George Martin have been able to do.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Move over Salvatore!, December 4, 2005
This review is from: Ghostwalker: The Fighters (Mass Market Paperback)
Watch out Salvatore there is a new kid on the block and his name is DeBie!
Ghostwalker is, simply put, a breath of fresh air. It is a novel that breaks the boundaries of D&D novels, and feels comfortable in doing so. This is not a book about a group of adventurers getting together to defeat a foe, or find a magical artifact, this is a good old fashioned down and dirty tale of revenge.
Erik Scott DeBie tells a tale of intrigue. He enjoys throwing in little clues here and there, but keeps enough back to really surprise you later on in the book. There were more twists and turns towards the end of this book than in a sack full of snakes!
The tale is very gritty, and dark just the way I like it.
Set in frontier logging town, a not so well known area of the forgotten realms, and DeBie uses all the information available about this place and crams it into his story.
Saying that, I do not think you would have to be a fan, at all, of the Forgotten Realms to enjoy this story
His characters are extremely well crafted. Some of them you really start to care about, and others make you want to run a sword through them yourself.
I mentioned Salvatore at the start of this review, and I did that because DeBie has done what Salvatore has been doing for years, in terms of combat writing, but at the same time putting on his own stamp and making each fight interesting and unique. Whereas I would start to get bored reading a fight in a Drizzt based novel, here I was enoying every moment. Now lets see if he can do that after as many books as Salvatore. If he can, he will be a forced to be reckoned with in the fantasy genre.
I am looking forward to Erik's next novel - The Depths of Madness, which is due out in 2007. In the meantime we can enjoy a short story from him in the Forgotten Realms anthology - Realms of Elves, which comes out Feb 2006.
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