Customer Reviews

The Halls of Stormweather (Forgotten Realms: Sembia series, Book 1)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If your a fan of Ed Greenwood or the Realms, this is a must read for you. It's a great way to write a book. "Seven parts" means seven different authors writing seven chapters of the same story. The story is about the Uskevren's, a noble family in sembia. The authors take different members of the household, write about each, and tie them all together from one to the next. In a way, it was a refreshing change from reading the same author through a whole book. This was a great way to start a four book series on Sembia. The back-stabbing and subterfuge of the Sembian nobles is almost Drow-like. You can hate one character, only to find out that the next chapter is about him, and end up seeing there is alot more to him than you thought. WOTC should do this with more series. It gives you more than one point of view, but better than a regular anthology could.

This book was placed in the realm of Sembia, and the story took place in the city of Selgaunt - one of the biggest trading cities in Sembia. The book consisted of seven really good stories. Officialy it was an anthology, but I would't call it that because of the lenght of the stories and the way it was built up. The entire book told the tales of the rich merchant family - the Uskevren - and their lives and early days history.

The book had seven stories, and each of the stories told the tale of one of the family members. There were the story of Thamalon the Patriarch, which I liked very much. Normally i don't like anthologies, but this book felt as if it was a whole novel. All the different characters worked very well together.

It was a very dark book, after my opinion. There were lots of intrigue, and murders, and other terrible things, done for the purpose of outdoing each one's rival. As said before, the city of Selgaunt was a city of trade, so there was lots of plotting against each other. So the stories had all, a really good plot. Lots of other Forgotten Realms books is just hack-an-slash battle books, but this one had really kept me reading for a very long time, even if it was 4 past 12 in the night.

Normally i only read Dragonlance books, but i have always wanted to learn about the Forgotten Realms world. So it was because of that, I bought the book. It was a book designed to introduce new fans to the Forgotten Realms, so I immediately picked it up. But still, I don't think that the book serves that really well. There was still so many confusing things, that I didn't knew a heck about, but the well built plot lines kept me reading it, so it is absolutely not a bad book - even if it didn't serve as a great introduction book.

My favorite chacter in the book, must have been Thazienne. Maybe it is just because i am a boy, that i really liked her. After my opinion, Thazienne looked very much like Kitiara Uth-Matar from the Dragonlance saga. So if you have read some of the Dragonlance Legends books you will have a very good view of Thazienne.
The other characters in the book were also very good, especially Erevis Cale and the Maid. So i really hope that I, in future Sembia novels will learn a little bit more about The Realms than in this one. It was as if you only learned about the characters in this book, but it was absolutely not bad - remember that.
So i absolute recommend this book to all fantasy lovers and Forgotten Realms fans, for this is very good entertainment.

An excellent anthology that just seemed to be get better with each new chapter. I was immediately drawn to the idea of the exploration of the rarely seen Sembia. Each author was able to explore in reasonable depth the exotic new characters of this on going storyline. I eagerly look forward to the next book, and think that the butler with a past Cale, will go on to become one of the Realm's favorite characters. Though Cale is a stand out in the book. I do hope that the other interesting members of the Uskevran household will be explored in future works. Overall a great read for the long time fan, and an excellent jumping off point for the new to the Realms reader.

This is an excellent novel, with only a few faults. The main gripe I have with the book is that it is truly a series of short stories, but is treated like a novel. What I mean to say is that there is no table of content that allows you to easily jump one from story of interest without having to scan through the entire book. The tales need not be read in order at all, and yet you are expected to do so.

Each story centers on one member of the Uskevren house, starting with the Patriarch all the way down to the maid. Each of these people seem to have some special quality about them, and their secrets are kept close to their breasts. Sometimes, it seems that there is a reason that each person is so special or has so deep and dark a secret. Clearly, there is more to this family than is initially let on, and only further tales will reveal what is so special about them.

In case you did not know, the shorts in this book are but preludes to the other novels in the series, they are basically the set up tales that get you interested, but really give you no completion. Many things are left unsettled by the end of this book.

The only downfall I can really see, and it has nothing to do with this novel in and of itself, is that the final book that was to be penned by Greenwood has been canceled. I would love to see another anthology of tales to close out the series.

Of them all, the Best tales deal with the matriarch, the butler, the maid, the daughter, and the second son. The Patriarch's tale is informitive, but dry and the heir's story has plenty of drama, but no depth. Two out of seven aint bad! Besides, they are still decent tales.

Warning: If you buy this book you will have to pick up the rest of the series!

I truly enjoyed the total book, but found I particularly liked Erevis Cale as a character. I'd love to see some of these characters explored more in depth, but especially Cale.. and intriguing and well thought out plot surrounds him! Bravo Mr. Kemp! I can't wait to see what you do in November!

This novel is a GREAT kickoff for the new Sembia series. The characterization is in-depth and believable, and the stories are loaded with action. Normally, I'd be a little concerned with a book that has seven different authors, but these guys (and ladies) pull it off great! Each story leads nicely into the next and you get to see each character through the other characters' eyes. I'm not sure I even have a favorite character yet. They're all good! An excellent read.

Fans of Thieves' World rejoice for TSR/WOTC has created an homage to that great collection of books. Unlike much of the junk put out by TSR over the years (Rose Estes rings a bell among others), the Sembia series is a cut above the rest. The interplay between various characters works well in this introductory novel and one can only hope that there will be more of the same during the series as a whole, while continuing to flesh out their individual stories and nefarious backgrounds. The Burning Chalice set the stage for the dark, almost macabre, dog-eat-dog atmosphere that is Sembia. As most reviewers have already indicated, Erevis Cale stands out as the character of note and extreme interest so far. Mysterious background, considerable skills of both strength and stealth, and strange associates (Jak Fleet was an excellent addition), make Cale worth the price of this admission. While Mr. Kemp may be labelled a "talented newcomer", WOTC has wisely slated his book to lead off the series. One can only hope the remainder of Sembia will be as good as its introduction.

Now I must say that I am quite impressed with this book. Acctually this book is one of the greatest realms books that I have read in a while and the best part is is that it is only the begining. There are going to be full length novels about each of these short stories....and not one of them was even remotely boring. I liked each of the stories so much that I don't even know which caracter is my favorite (maybe Cale). The thing I like most about the cahracters is that they are real, such as Thalamon the second is a wuss in battle but I an't help but still likeing his character. Anyways all I have to say is read this book and you will not be dissapointed...except for the fact that you will hardly be able to wait until the next book.

I've been a Realms fan for about ten years. Some books are hits, some are misses, and some have been awful. The Halls of Stormweather is great. Granted, a couple things were predictable, and there was one glaring discrepancy in character relationships (reread the Patriarch and Matriarch stories and see if you can find it). The authors did an excellent job provoking interest in the main figures of each story--I'd even get the books about the characters I didn't like just because I want to know what happens to them. Shamur, Tazi, Cale, and the maid whose name I can't recall are my favorite characters. They've got the most depth. Overall it's a fun read and great if you've only got a few minutes at a time to spend on a book.

Wow. Generally I am not impressed by Realms Novels. While some are a good read, none really impress me. (Actually in truth most novels don't impress me. Most are just good reads). But this really has impressed me. The writing was superb, especially in Ed Greenwood's story. I have to say he really impressed me on this. It was probably the best story he ever wrote. How he phrased each paragraph was just...wow.

Richard Lee Byer (Probably am spelling some part of his name wrong) was great with writing the Matriarch. Oh sure the early part of the story was a bit confusing, but once I got far enough into it everything fell into place. I cannot wait for the full length novel.

The Work on the Heir *by Clayton Emery if memory serves* was also well done. I didn't really like the character, but I found the story good and the writing rather well. I think this is the first time I enjoyed reading about a character I didn't like.

The Eldest Daughter...Wow. Well done. This is another full length novel I'm waiting for. Sadly this one's not on the schedule yet. (I really dislike having only two a year. I want all of 'em released now! Or as soon as they are finished)

The Second Son's story. Also well done. especially the use of the priesthoods in it. While I (And probably anyone who reads the story) knew what he was well before the end, I still was interested because I wanted to find out who the new characters were. Another novel I can't wait for (November 2001).

Why is it the new fiction authors always write so good? Steven Schend with Keros (who I still want a full length novel on) and now Paul Kemp with Erevis Cale. The character was really interesting and well done. This character has a full and rich past, far more interesting then even the Mother's. And the introduction of Jak, a Halfling Priest (Probably Specialty Priest) Of Brandobarius was also well done. I cannot wait to read more on this character, and more of Mr. Kemp's work in general (November 2001 for Erevis' novel).

The Maid. Whose name I can never remember. The story seemed rushed. It was 10-20 pages shorter then the rest of the others. I don't know if it was editting concerns or if the author made it so. Several interesting things were shown in this story though, ESPECIALLY the main character. While most people would point to Erevis as their favorite character, for me it's a tie between Tazi and the maid.

But the best thing in this novel is how the seven main characters intereact. For example the maid is true to character in two other stories written by other authors. Each character is true to form in others stories. I am hoping the Sembia Series stays alive for a long time. Any of you who weren't sure to pick this up, do so! Even if you have no money find a way to get money (Check couch cushions). This is a superb piece of fiction in general. and a Godlike piece of gaming fiction.