Customer Reviews

Into the Void (Spelljammer Book, Cloakmaster Cycle, No. 2)

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

 

 

In this exciting, action packed book, Teldin Moore, the adventurer/farmer from the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons world of Krynn (Dragonlance), is plunged into space and must head to the world of Forgotten Relms. On his way he faces many parils and meets up with an Illithid, a race of octupus-men with wonderous psychic powers. I though this book was wonderful and a sure read for any fan of Spelljammer or fantisy for that matter, or anyone who likes to stay up all night becouse they can't put a book down.

Into the Void, is the second book in the Cloakmaster Cycle series, which consists of six (6) books in total. Picking up from where Beyond the Moons left off, the book sheds light on Teldin Moore and his quest to find out more about the magical cloak he carries and somehow be free of it.
This time, the gnomes are much more serious and in control than in the previous book where they were simply pathetic and overly chaotic. This of course could have been done on purpose in order to support the possibility/notion that space faring gnomes are quite different from "dirtkicking" ones.
Moreover, there is much more information provided regarding the Spelljamming world. A lot of this material could have and should have been presented in the first book through Gomja, since it is not that complex/difficult/advanced material, even for one as "simple" as the giff. Anyway, better late than ever as they say...
The plot as a whole is excellent! The book is so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another plane of existence and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. Moreover, Nigel Findley does a great job of presenting the distinct culture and civilization of the space faring peoples. He has done a great deal of research in order to provide such an accurate and lucid description of these people.
Illithids, neogi, space battles, intrigue, betrayal, and swordfights are all about.
In addition, there are some new and interesting races/creatures like the Arcane (very Star Trekish) and the space sharks that spice up things.
Furthermore, there are strong elements throughout the book of both Star Trek and Babylon 5, therefore Sci Fi fans should really get a kick out of this one.
On the negative side, there are some questions from the first book that are left unanswered: a) Why/how Teldin can understand foreign languages (it is obviously the cloak, but has Teldin picked up on it)? b) Why did he seem as being a draconian to the draconians while at the SAME TIME as himself to humans (there must be some kind of magic from the School of Illusion at work that has not been explained).
No answers there; hopefully that will be dealt with in one of the other books further down the line.
Furthermore, Estriss is presented much more like Zoidberg from Futurama as opposed to the dreaded mind flayers that we're all used to. He's just too "nice." As a result, further explanation should be given as to WHY Estriss is not like the other mind flayers!
Finally, towards the end of the book, a "charmed" Teldin has little trouble convincing Aelfred with no evidence whatsoever, and who up until then had been a model for loyalty, and who has known Teldin for only a couple of months, to mutiny against Estriss, whom he's known and worked for, for years. This one is a bit far fetched...
I recommend the Spelljammer Campaign Setting or any other Spelljammer accessory to supplement the material, and/or provide visual aids to the reader in relation to helms, ships, creatures/races etc.
In conclusion, Nigel Findley does a FANTASTIC job of establishing a cliffhanger for the next, third book in the series. Into the Void is strongly recommended to all Spelljammer and Forgotten Realms fans, as well as all Fantasy enthusiasts.

Now that Teldin Moore has escaped aboard a Spelljammer ship, his worries are behind him, I mean, how can a man be tracked across the vast distances of space? But, someone is very determined to find him and his magic cloak, and they will kill anyone who gets in the way. Teldin can only think of one group of people who might be able to tell him about the cloak, the ancient Arcane. But, will he be able to stay alive long enough to actually ask his questions?

This is the second book in the Cloakmaster Cycle (book one being Beyond The Moons), the books that laid the groundwork for AD&D's most fascinating campaign - Spelljammer. This second book gives the reader a real introduction to the universe of the Spelljammer, discussing crystal spheres, the phlogiston, space travel, the races of Spelljammer, and much more.

Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable book. It's got a lot of great action, suspense, horror, interesting character and creatures, and so forth. You can't imagine how anyone can combine space travel with swords and sorcery? Well, just read this book and find out. I highly recommend it!

Compared to any of the other books situated in the Dungeons and Dragons universes, I have enjoyed the Spelljammer stories quite thoroughly. I recommend this book highly to anyone that likes Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Darksun, Greyhawk, or Planescape.