Customer Reviews

The Jewel of Turmish (Forgotten Realms: The Cities)

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

 

 

This fast-paced novel, the third in the alleged "Cities" series has little in common with the other books in the series except that they all take place in the "Forgotten Realms" (a shared fantasy world) and that all show journeyman-level prose, plotting and editing. I'm not really sure why this novel was included in the "Cities" series when it would have just as well made a solo novel (from a content standpoint). Perhaps the submittals crossing the desk of the series editor were a little thin and... what the heck, even though only about 30 pages actually take place in a city, we'll put it in the series (ah, the marketing standpoint!). You learn very little about the city of Alaghon other than it has a port, some taverns, and a lot of graveyards. This book should be part of the "wilderness" series.
That minor quibble aside, what you have here to look forward to reading is an action-packed (definitely rated R for violence and bloodshed) roadtrip by Haarn, a half-elf druid and Druz, a mercenary swordswoman to stop an ancient evil from annihilating one of the cities of the Forgotten Realms.
The characters are well-drawn and just enough complexity is added to make you care about them but Odom shows his strong point as a writer by capulting you through the action to arrive at a climax that takes place five pages before you close the book. The supporting cast of minor characters is well described (even though most are killed) and the numerous plot strings are well-woven into the storyline. Along the way he alternates characters and locations, draws out the suspense and most importantly, makes you ask :"what happens next?"
A few minor 'huhh??'s':
In an interesting exchange with a man-killing wolf, the druid Haarn is able to exchange complete sentences (who, what, why, etc.) but is unable to communicate with his bear sidekick and aide-de-combat in other than feelings. Why one animal and not another? I know, the animal sidekick thing is a staple of fantasy literature, but it could have used a little more fleshing out.
The ancient intelligent evil was trapped, not in stasis, but incarcerated for a hundred years in a tomb, yet he emerges with motivations of bloodlust and conquering that are cardboard caricatures. This would have been really interesting if Odom had elaborated on an undead creature with motivations born of a century of conscious imprisonment, but it's only glanced upon. Instead we hear plenty about its brain-piercing tongue.

This book took a looooong time getting to its point. It begins with Druid, Harn, looking for the killers of wolves in his forest. After a while, he ends up chasing a wolf of his own accord, and this takes up over 2/3rds of his story. Personally, the story fleshed out his character, but did little for excitement, as you pretty much knew the outcome long before the pair ever faced one another. By the time he goes head to head with the villain you really have to wonder about his ultimate motivation, and exactly why things are happening.

The Villian never really gives a reason for his quest, aside from the undead standard "I hate all living beings" spiel. Klossk pretty much is played as pure evil, with no redeeming qualities at all (you never even feel like his attacks are somehow justified in his own mind). As an aside, his werespider compatriot is the only really intersting character and I would have loved to have seen her fleshed out more. Also, the Klossk is some rare type of undead, but no explanation of how his being such a creature differentiates him from other more well known undead types. 2 paragraphs and all the confusion over his Morgh status would have been resolved.

At the end of it all it all comes down to the question of whether the book is worth reading. If you like really well fleshed out characters, with no real background then you'll love this book. Looking for a fun interesting read? Pass.

The other complaint about this book isn't that it is part of the City Series, and 90% of the book is set in the wilds, but rather that it had no sense of where it was located. This story could have taken place in any world setting. This one really dropped the ball.

2 stars for characterization only. This could have been a terrific read!

Ignore the introduction on the backcover of the book, it is misleading. Exacting readers could also ignore the title.

Unlike Temple Hill and City of Ravens, the Jewel of Turmish did little to explore the city of Alaghôn, nor justify the city its name nor the book its title. The story was divided between two threads, the druid Haarn and sellsword Druz in the wilderness, and the ancient evil Borran Klosk escaping from his captivity to spread terror in the Vilhon Reach. While both threads were properly developed in their own right, their intertwining was almost accidental and had no element of a plot at all.

The author planned well the series of events which gave the readers an intimate insight into the character of the druid hero. He did not do so well with the villain Borran, readers were left guessing to Borran's actual motivations.

There were numerous references to events in the From the Sea trilogy by the same author, I guess Mel Odom just couldn't resist. Though there was *some* connection, the repetition just gets on the nerves after a while.

As mentioned by a previous reviewer, the author appeared to find too little pages to do justice to the climax after a skillful build-up which took 262 pages (the book had 311). The element of intrigue deftly introduced by Allis, the liason officer assigned to Borran Klosk by shadowy masterminds working behind the scenes, simply evaporated. It could have been put to better use, the additional pages would have been justified by a stronger storyline.

While I have no real complaints about the hero and the villain having only *one* showdown, it was brilliantly done and flowed very well with the story (who needs recurring encounters anyway), I was rather disappointed that it did not bear any significant impact on the hero; emotionally, intellectually or otherwise.

The first half of the book has great development of the lead character and went at a nice pace. However, things start to fall apart as Mel seemed to realise that he only has very few pages to continue the story. So everything went hyperspeed, from the sudden emergence of Haarn's father, to the final meeting between Haarn and Borran (which was finished in less than 50 pages). I get a very dissatisfied feeling after reading this book. My personal opinion is that this should have been a thicker book, with the final portions of the story fleshed out. I've read the other 2 Cities book, the both are better than this one.

The book is set in the city of Alaghon a.k.a. the Jewel of Turmish a.k.a. the Throne of Turmish (p. 9), on the southwestern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars a.k.a. the Inner Sea in the region known as the Vilhon Reach, where it deals with the main character Haarn Brightoak, a half-elf druid, whose devotion to Silvanus and the preservation of the balance is unquestionable.
As he sets out to find the poachers responsible for the killing of a she-wolf he meets Druz Talimsir, a Cormyrean mercenary from Suzail, who will make him look at life from a different perspective. Things will become more complicated when an undead follower of the evil god Malar is freed from his eternal prison and embarks on an unholy crusade to overwhelm Alaghon and the entire Vilhon Reach region...
The Jewel of Turmish is the third in the Cities series which consists of The City of Ravens (set in the city of Ravens Bluff), Temple Hill (set in the city of Elversult), and The City of Splendors (set in the city of Waterdeep), though as other viewers have accurately pointed out there is much more wilderness than city in this novel.
The plot as a whole is very good. Mel Odom's descriptions are accurate and vivid and subsequently, help the reader produce mental images with great ease.
Mel Odom sheds light, albeit a small dose, on the Forgotten Realms when he briefly describes the blue dragon Anaglathos, and Malar's appearance during the Time of Troubles. (p. 9)
Moreover, the dream sequence described in chapter 9 was intriguing. Was the voice, however, that Tohl heard really Eldath's or was it one of her adversaries'?
In addition, the author's words ring true when he states: "Nature doesn't bargain. It is neither merciful nor merciless and only requires that the strong survive. Whether you are strong enough to survive is up to you." (p. 66)
Mel Odom also provides some adult themes which were interesting such as: "You'll be back hiring yourself out to them old sailors." (p. 32)
Furthermore, the following description is as good as any I have seen when describing an Entangle spell: "She watched in amazement as the trees around the slavers came to life, twisting and writhing like arthritic snakes." (p. 64) "Tree branches reached down and caught the man up, curling around him and ripping at his clothing and skin with rough bark." (p. 65)
Finally, Mel Odom does a good job of conveying the sheer power of Evil vis-à-vis Borran Klosk: "His tongue opened the woman's midsection like an overripe tomato and spilled her entrails before her" (p. 164) and "Barnaby saw the old sailor's brain's break through the back of his skull, propelled by the monstrous tongue." (pp. 237-238)
On the down side, why didn't Malar send any of his priests and/or elite warriors/hunters to aid Klosk? Why did the wizards that control Allis never make their appearance in the book or intervene in the final battle? We only know that they worship Malar, they created the coral artifact, and they control Allis. That's it.
Moreover, how did the bear destroy two super enhanced skeletons and damage two more so easily, when previously one of them had been enough to create so much trouble for the adventuring party? Why did the bear survive its run-in with Borran Klosk? Its "return" was unexpected, unexplained, and unlikely.
Also, Klosk being played for a fool with the deactivated jewel was rather weak.
Furthermore, how could this major threat to the city and the entire region not be enough to bring in any of the region's big names; the city's leaders were completely absent, as were Alaghon's temples and clerics apart from the Emerald Enclave.
Finally, I wish someone had told me beforehand to read The Threat from the Sea trilogy so as to be familiar with Iakhovas, the Serosian War and the destruction of the Whamite Isles, and Myth Nantar among others.
Overall, I was very excited that the setting for this book was that of the Vilhon Reach. I wish more novels would be set in that part of Faerun, as well as Chessenta, Threskel, Unther, and Mulhorand, as opposed to the usual, Waterdeep or Western Heartlands locations.
If you love Turmish, Sespech, and Chondath, try and get your hands on a copy of the Vilhon Reach Accessory (it is Second Edition AD&D, out of print and it will take a bit of searching, but it's well worth it). For an updated version of events in the Vilhon Reach, see the Third Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, which even though is quite expensive, is still very useful to all FR fans.
In conclusion, despite its flaws, The Jewel of Turmish is a book highly recommended to all Fantasy and especially Forgotten Realms fans. Those with a soft spot for the Vilhon Reach should also try Lisa Smedman's House of Serpents trilogy. 4 Stars

Let me start by saying this is a great book. Just like all of Mel Odom's books his characters seem so real and true to life that you start to feel for them. Once you start into this book I guarantee you wont be able to put it down. Soo do yourself a favor and buy this book! You wont regret it!