Customer Reviews

The Halls of Stormweather (Sembia Gateway to the Realms) (bk. 1)

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

 

 

This book is not your typical fantasy novel. It is the first book of the excellent Sembia series consisting of seven stories, each about different characters in a noble household. I don't normally like short stories, but in this case it worked surprisingly well. There is a consistency among the stories, giving the novel a more structured feel, and most of the stories with a couple of exceptions are four to five star tales.

1. THE PATRIARCH - "The Burning Chalice" by Ed Greenwood
By far the worst story in the book. It thows way too many names at you way too quickly, and all of the characters in the book seem flat and poorly drawn. Feels like impromptu trash. **

2. THE MATRIARCH - "Song of Chaos" by Richard Lee Byers
Fairly interesting but very strange. This story does an excellent job of telling a character's past in the present, and displays an interesting relationship between Uskevren matriarch Shamur and her daughter Thazienne. ****

3. THE HEIR - "Night School" by Clayton Emery
A decent but not great story. The main character is an annoying fop who succeeded in making my head hurt with his annoying lines such as "jolly good!" and such. The plot itself was rather weak, but despite these flaws I found it mildy entertaining. ***

4. THE DAUGHTER - "The Price" by Voronica Whitney-Robinson
One of my favorite stories about one of my favorite characters, this one gets a 4 star only because of its rather slow beginning. I liked the author's writing style and find Tazi very interesting. ****

5. THE SECOND SON - "Thirty Days" by Dave Gross
An outstanding tale about the second son of the Uskevren family who gets a not-so-mysterious disease from some creature on a hunting trip gone haywire. The disease is "not-so-mysterious" thanks to the picture preceeding it showing the main character as a werewolf, but that wasn't the author's fault. Other than the picture, a great read. *****

6. THE BUTLER - "Resurrection" by Paul S. Kemp
The absolute best story and character in the book, Resurrection is the tale about the amazingly interesting and multi-dimensional butler, Erevis Cale. Wonderful action, characterization, and an excellent plot are all packed neatly into this short little story. This tale alone is worth the price of the book. Truly outstanding! *****

7. THE MAID - "Skin Deep" by Lisa Smedman
This and Greenwood's story are certainly the worst in the novel, though this one is not nearly as awful. A rather uninteresting character and dull plot war with the above average imagination of this writer to produce a 3 star tale that was brimming with potential but not quite up to the level of the other 5 stories. ***

Overall, this is a great novel, and if you are looking for a good fantasy/Forgotten Realms series, this is a great place to start.

1. The Patriarch: The Burning Chalice, by Ed Greenwood. Much more cohesion and much less cliché than in your average Greenwood story. Deals more with the history of the Uskreven, than with Thamalon's character. Nothing special, but does the job. ***
2. The Matriarch: Song of Chaos by Richard Lee Byers. A good story by Byers. Highly magical, with a detailed insight in Shamur's background, and her relation with her daughter, Thazienne. A short story written in a way it should be. ****
3. The Heir: Night School by Clayton Emery. A good description of an interesting character, Thamalon Uskreven the Second, or "Deuce". This story is all about that. Otherwise, some nice humor and a weak plot. ****
4. The Daughter: The Price by Voronica Whitney Robinson. Uninteresting and sort of forced. The story, to be honest, does describe the main character in detail, but that doesn't make her (the main character) any less annoying.**
5. The Second Son: Thirty Days by Dave Gross. A very good story by Gross. Rich, detailed writing, well conceived plot and interesting characters. ****
6. The Butler: Resurrection by Paul S. Kemp. The jewel story of the book. I won't berate much about this one. Just read it and meet Mr. Erevis Cale. *****
7. The Maid: Skin Deep by Lisa Smedman. A story that really had potential. A good plot and fairly interesting characters, marred with a great bit of naivety. ***

I must add that all of the stories deal with backgrounds and histories of their respective main characters, which is a good thing in my opinion. Don't expect grand plots and twists, but seven stories about seven more or less interesting characters. Check it out.

This review is for the book 'The Halls of Stormweather', which is Book I of the seven book 'Sembia: Gateway to the Realms' series. This review is intended as a critique of the writing and flow of the book, not to reveal plot or "spoolers".

This book is an anthology of seven stories written by seven different authors, edited by Philip Athans. This is intended as an introduction to the city of Selgaunt in the land of Sembia, using the Uskevren family as our guides. Each story focuses on a single member of the Uskevren household, and each is about 50 pages in length.

Story 1: The Burning Chalice by Ed Greenwood (3 stars) - This story focuses on the patriarch of the family, Thamalon Uskevren, written by the creator of the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting. This story uses flashbacks to provide the reader with how Thamalon became head of the family, and to provide knowledge of the politics of Sembia. Due to there being a lot of information packed into its 50 pages, the plot breaks can sometimes seem sudden and it may take the reader a little bit to regain which time period the new scene takes place. Overall the story is well written and well organized.

Story 2: Song of Chaos by Richard Lee Byers (3 stars) - This story focuses on the matriarch of the family, Shamur Uskevren. This story uses flashbacks as well to provide the readers with the background of Shamur, but in a very different way than the first story. Due to the mechanism used to initiate the flashbacks, the breaks are fluid and don't leave the reader guessing. There are some places where the reader will wish for more information, but within the framework of the 50 pages, the flow of the story and information provided is well done. Richard Lee Byers also writes The Shattered Mask, Book III of the series.

Story 3: Night School by Clayton Emery (2 stars) - This story focuses on the heir of the family, Thamalon Uskevren II. The story, although liner, doesn't flow well. It may be because Thamalon Uskevren II is a very interesting character. The reader is left with a better feeling and image of the support characters than the focus character, including the dogs. It took a long time to get through this story, but since it is short it is worth just getting through for the background information.

Story 4: The Price by Voronica Whitney-Robinson (3.5 stars) - This story focuses on the daughter of the family, Thazienne Uskevren. This story delves into the darker side of Sembia. The story is well written, and like all well written stories, the ending, although abrupt, is not out of place. Voronica Whitney-Robinson also writes Sands of the Soul, Book VI of the series.

Story 5: Thirty Days by Dave Gross (3.5 stars) - This story focuses on the second son of the family, Talbot Uskevren. This story has the disadvantage of having the character portrait at the beginning reveal the outcome of the story. Hence, readers are not able to follow Talbot in his journey of discovery. Even with this disadvantage, the story is told very well and fits nicely into the already established setting of Sembia and the Uskevren family. Dave Gross also writes Black Wolf & Lord of Stormweather, Book IV & Book VII of the series.

Story 6: Resurrection by Paul S. Kemp (4.5 stars) - This story focuses on the head butler to the household, Erevis Cale. This story is a `consequences to your actions' story. The character of Erevis Cale, and his friends and enemies, come alive on the page. For readers of other Forgotten Realms books at first it seems easy to draw a comparison to one of the Forgotten Realms' most loved characters, Drizzt Do'Urden. However, you will quickly learn that Erevis Cale can definitely stand on his own. If a reader is looking for a single reason to read this book, here it is. Paul S. Kemp also writes Shadow's Witness, Book II of the series.

Story 7: Skin Deep by Lisa Smedman (4 stars) - This story focuses on one of the maids to the household, Larajin. This story slowly and creatively gives the reader a glimpse in the lineage of this `fish out of water' character. The story is well written and organized, and leaves the reader looking forward to learning more about Larajin. Lisa Smedman also writes Heirs of Prophecy, Book V of the series.

Overall, this book is well written and provides the reader with enough information about Sembia and the Uskevren household to look forward to the rest of the Sembia: Gateway to the Realms series. If available, I would have rated this book 3.5 stars. The nice thing about this anthology is that, like for myself, it may introduce readers to other authors they may not have otherwise read. I would recommend this book to not only readers of the Forgotten Realms and other shared fantasy settings, but also to general Fantasy readers looking for a new view on fantasy story telling.

A Note to Readers new to Forgotten Realms: Like many shared settings, especially those stemming from gaming or other media types, the Forgotten Realms books are written with the assumption that the reader has some familiarity with the Forgotten Realms gaming setting. This frees up the author to focus on his or her story, instead of having to explain the world in which the story takes place; the calendar, geography, common races/species, magical properties, etc. This is very important when the book length is normally confined to 300 - 350 pages. As a reader reads more books in the Forgotten Realms setting, they will become more familiar with the world of Faerun and its inhabitants, making the experience more pleasant. The `Sembia: Gateway to the Realms' series is an excellent place for a reader to begin their journey into the Forgotten Realms, since the stories take place in a fairly localized area and contains mostly creatures common to fantasy literature in general.

This is the first book of the Sembia: Gateway to the Realms series. There are 8 short stories written by Ed Greenwood, Richard Lee Byers, Clayton Emery, Dave Gross, Paul S. Kemp, Lisa Smedman, and Voronica Whitney-Robinson. Each story involves a particular member of the Uskevren family and servants. I'll give a few "plus' and minus'" for each story and a basic and simple rundown of the plot.

The Patriarch- The Burning Chalice by Ed Greenwood: The story revolves around Thamalon Uskevren and how he came to be the patriarch of House Uskevren along with how he stays the patriarch.
Positives:
*I was hard pressed to find something interesting and good about the story. The only major thing I was impressed with was setting up the rivalries between the families.
Negatives:
* The sudden rush of various names. It wouldn't be as bad if it was a long story but with having 15 people (I'm exaggerating a little) being introduced around the same time is just to many names. Not only that, but most of them you only see once and has a brief scene or a word or two said.
* The action was all blurred together. This is the hardest thing to explain. Basically, what happens is that a person starts to do something and the action is suddenly cut away from that action to another person without even completing the first action. It was just disjointed and confusing.
* The details and lack of details. It is a detailed story, however, most of the important details are left out. Instead you the descriptions don't really pertain to the overall story.
1.5/5

The Matriarch- Song of Chaos by Richard Lee Byers: The story revolves around Shamur Uskevren and her daughter Thazienne as they go to an opera. The opera takes a bad turn. The story shows a lot on Shamur's past.
Positives:
*The flow of the story was well done. It was a pretty quick read, but enjoyable.
*I liked the use of flashbacks. I can't really go much into detail without showing a lot of the plot, but I will say that even though they may have popped up in important scenes, it made sense in the end.
*Somewhat psychological aspects. I personally enjoy psychological stories. Granted it's not a thriller, but has some psychological ideas behind the story.
Negatives:
*The story seemed to tell a lot about Thazienne. It's not really a big negative, but the story was supposed to be focused on Shamur. Instead about 90% of the story is on Shamur and 10% on Thazienne.
4/5

The Heir- Night School by Clayton Emery: The story involves Thamalon Uskevren II (Tamlin) and the events that happen to him and his 'bodyguards' when trying to make a business meeting.
Positives:
*The dialogue. Most of it was funny and enjoyable to read. Tamlin's laziness and general stupidity in some matters were hilarious.
*The main characters. I enjoyed Tamlin, Escevar, and Vox. Tamlin was a funny little flop. Escevar seemed more real and grounded of the three. Vox was interesting even though he didn't say anything.
Negatives:
*Slow to build up. The first few scenes were a little annoying in that they seemed to drag on.
*Cliché. The whole story had a clichéd feel. It just felt like it's been done before.
*Convenient solution. Once you read the part, you'll understand.
3/5

The Daughter- The Price by Voronica Whitney-Robinson: The story involves Thazienne Uskevren and her 'adventures' after a masquerade.
Positives:
*Good flow. The story was another quick read. Very enjoyable and fun.
*Interesting character. Thazienne is the main focus here and she is really brought to life.
*Surprises at the end. Truthfully I was surprised. Not at who the 'bad' guy was but the other bought help.
Negatives:
*The only thing I felt was bad with the story is that the other supporting characters weren't developed enough. The one in particular was Steorf.
4.5/5


The Second Son- Thirty Days by Dave Gross: Involves the second Uskevren son, Talbot. Supernatural occurrences follow.
Positives:
*Once again, Flow. Quick fun read.
*Developed Characters. I thought that Talbot was very well developed and same with his pal Chaney.
*Interesting circumstances. What happens is obvious but after that it was a little different, in a good way.
Negatives:
*Once more, I was hard pressed to find any real bad negatives. The only one I've come across was the story was a little cliché.
4.5/5


The Butler- Resurrection by Paul S. Kemp: Details the shadowy life of the butler, Erevis Cale.
Positive:
*Basically the whole story was pretty good. I just am going to be repeating the positives that I've already listed over again ...
Negatives:
*There is one thing I didn't like. It doesn't pertain to this story but everyone else's. It seemed like Cale and Thamalon I was a totally different characters when shown in the previous stories. Maybe it was because Cale had to act the part, which I understand. Then Thamalon seemed more like a uncaring person in the other stories, where here, he seems likable. Not a big deal but just an observation.
5/5


The Maid- Skin Deep by Lisa Smedman. Details the story of how the maid, Larajin, finds out her past and how it effects her present.
Positives:
*I liked the character of Larajin. Pretty much the same general reasons why I liked the other characters a liked. Felt real.
*For the last time, Flow.
*The only story to take two characters for them previous story and made it right. Talbot and Larajin's friendship stayed the same as it was in Dave Gross' story Thirty Days. Also, events that happened in Voronica Whitney-Robinson's The Price showed up here.
Negatives:
*Clichéd story. Been there done that feel.
*Not really suspenseful. It seemed like it was trying, but it didn't work.
3.5/5

Overall, the stories were very good. The characters were well done and enjoy reading about most of them.

To all Forgotten Realms fans, this is a great series. To all those who want to read Forgotten Realms books, this series should be one of the first that you read, starting with R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt trilogy's, then moving on to this series. The 7 book series outlines each member of the Uskreven family, in a region of the Forgotten Realms that is rarely written about. Follow this series up with the Erevis Cale trilogy to see the much hinted about yet ever elusive butler for the Uskreven's, as that trilogy is the finale.

I hadn't read a Forgotten Realms novel in a while, and this novel was recommended to me because it would provide a re-introduction to the Realms. It did just that. It's a great book for someone looking to re-engage with the Realms or for a first-time reader. It is the first in a series of seven books, with the stories setting up novels to appear later in the series. I assess the stories here based mostly on whether I would be interested in reading the to-be-issued novel.

The Patriarch - "The Burning Chalice" (Ed Greenwood): * This story is really quite dull. It lacks any real dramatic tension, since the reveal at the end is fairly predictable by the time you get there. Plus, Greenwood (who's never really impressed me as an author, despite being the father of the Realms) not only introduces a lot of characters in a short space, but the characters he names don't really appear later in the book when they should (when their houses are being mentioned). It left me distracted when I was trying to sort out the various family trees.

The Matriarch - "Song of Chaos" (Richard Lee Byers): *** This story was pretty solid. Shamur's back story is interesting and Byers uses flashbacks really effectively. The hint about the future at the end of the story made me look forward to her later novel.

The Heir - "Night School" (Clayton Emery): ** This story was OK. It's the only humurous story in the book and Tamlin is an endearing enough character. But, I found that the story often got bogged down in details, particularly the spatial relationships of where everyone was, and the ending was really quite unrealisticall pat.

The Daughter - "The Price" (Voronica Whitney-Robinson): *** This story was also pretty solid. Tazi is a dominant figure in the book, thanks to her appearance in several of the other stories, so it was nice to see her profiled. Her relationships with the other characters in the story were really interesting, and I was left wanting more.

The Second Son - "Thirty Days" (Dave Gross): **** This story and the Erevis Cale story were the real stand-outs for me. Tal is an interesting character and Gross does a great job of making you care what happens to him. Of all the books to come, I was most excited about reading Tal's.

The Butler - "Resurrection" (Paul S. Kemp): **** This story launches Erevis Cale, and I'd recommend anyone who likes this story to download (for free!) his origin story from Paul Kemp's website. Cale is an awesome character, and, after reading this story, I immediately ordered the trilogy focused on him.

The Maid - "Skin Deep" (Lisa Smedman): *** Meh, it was OK. It had decent flow and dramatic tension. Although it's a pretty cliched premise, it has the potential to lead to a great novel.

All in all, it's a pretty solid anthology and I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the books in the series.

This one is a collection of short stories, each centered around a member of the Uskevren Family. The short about Erevis Cale is the start of two trilogies about this fellow.