Customer Reviews

Neversfall: The Citadels

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4 star:		(6)
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2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Neversfall by Ed Gentry is the first novel in a series of stand-alone novels titled The Citadels. The second novel in this series is titled Obsidian Ridge: The Citadels by Jess Lebow and is scheduled for release in April of 2008. Lately, Wizards of the Coast has been releasing these stand-alone novels in series form seemingly to give new authors a chance and to expand on some areas that are rarely written about in the Forgotten Realms. If you have read any of the previous stand-alone series i.e. The Fighters, The Clerics, The Dungeons etc. You know what to expect here. A nice compact story, where previous reading is not necessary. That is one thing I really appreciate about these books, as a reader you don't have to have tomes of past knowledge under your belt to understand the story.

The plot of this book, at least at the start, is there is a citadel in the untamed wilderness where everyone has went missing. No one knows why or how. Pretty simple storyline. However, Mr. Gentry adds several sub plots to the mix to liven things up. For starters the replacement regiment sent to investigate the disappearance is made up of two different military groups. One being the hard lined Maquar and the other being a mercenary band from Durpari. Later in the book there is a bit of a political sub plot, as well as something that is present in many books, but the way Mr. Gentry presents it makes it much more poignant and that is morality. While I enjoyed the book, I really enjoyed the last two to three chapters when the morality issue came to a head. There are a few other things mixed in for good measure, but I will let you find them for yourselves, you know those dreaded spoiler things.

The characters in this novel are equally as entertaining as the plot. The main character is Adeenya, the mercenary leader. I was a little surprised that this book featured a strong female lead character. However, after finishing the novel, I think that choice was perfect. I like how Mr. Gentry explained how she came into the life of a mercenary as well. Another character that features prominently in this novel is Taennen who is the Maquar second in command. He is a solid character, well written and just enough depth and back story to be interesting without overburdening the reader with needless details. There are several other characters that are equally as interesting, but in an effort to keep this review succinct, I'll refrain from listing all of them. I will say this though, for only three hundred and twelve pages, there is a great deal of character development with the majority of the characters. Mr. Gentry obviously put a lot of thought into how the characters were going to act, their motivations, and he succeeded in giving each one of them a voice.
The only criticism I have for this novel is I wish we could have learned more about the Durpari mercenaries that were present. It seemed aside from Adeenya and her second the rest were just fodder. I understand word count issues and such, I just thought a little more there may have helped.

I really enjoyed this novel from start to finish. I am not a role player, so I am sure some of the details that Mr. Gentry included were lost on me. For instance I do not know anything about the Durpari or Maquar but Mr. Gentry provided enough information that I was able to glean a general idea of what they were. The prose that Mr. Gentry writes is like a familiar song on the radio that you can listen to time and time again. It's easy, smooth, and just has a natural feel to it. At no time did I get the sense hat he was forcing something on the reader. I enjoyed the little details that he tosses in as well, it makes the setting, characters, and plot come alive without plodding though useless details.

This is the first book in the citadel series, and I must say that if this is the quality of all the books in the series it will be a fantastic series. This may be Mr. Gentry's first Forgotten Realms novel, but he writes like a seasoned veteran and other authors need to be on alert, there is a new voice in the Realms and he is playing for keeps. I am eager to get my hands on his next novel. Looking back on all the novels I have read in 2007, I am thinking this novel may be in my top ten for the year. I will certainly be recommending this novel to many, many readers. Well done Mr. Gentry, this is what a Forgotten Realms book should be!

Neversfall is a very well crafted novel for a first effort from Mr Gentry. Interesting characters with nice depth and development, very beievable. It was fun to see them struggle with the changes in themselves that were dictated by their dire circumstances. Which would you chose? To uphold the Law at all cost or challenge laws that are unjust? The easy road of duty or the hard path of doing what is right, no matter the cost? These are but two of the choices faced by our main characters.
I also enjoyed the contrast in the two groups working together to reclaim the citadel of Neversfall. The Marquar, the professional, honor bound, strict and unyielding soldiers who consider others unworthy to serve in their ranks. But, they somehow do not mind others dying for them in battle. Then heir are the Durpari, called mercenaries by the Marquar, who have their own code of honor and duty that the rigid Marquar can not comprehend or acknowledge. Can they overcome their differences to defeat a common enemy? Or is it too late?

If you like action this novel has a lot of it, which I like! Unfortunately, the Editor didn't do a good job and Mr. Gentry seemed to me leave a few loose ends open. They do not keep count of their soldiers in this story, in the beginning the two companys started with 40 each and the third company arrived with 36. If you keep track throughout the story the numbers don't add up. The story is suppose to be a mystery about Neversfall and the missing company. You really don't find out too much about Neversfall and never really find out what happened to the missing company. In the beginning, a new race of beings is introduced and is controlling an mixed being army that the relief force fights. This new race of beings, with frightful powers, is never explored by any characters in the book. They are just used to solve the new problems that arise, when in anyones mind they would be the biggest threat to everyone. The person behind everything is so obvious and what befalls certain characters is so scripted that the only thing that saved this novel was the action. The author has forgets about the wounds he gives characters, he has them shot in the leg with an arrow than sprinting accros the courtyard. If you want something to read with a lot of action, pick it up but it could have been so much more!

When I pick up a Forgotten Realms novel, I expect a good, solid read and a mild dose of entertainment...sorta like an afternoon munching popcorn while watching a Hollywood action flick. Not a lot to think about...just a bit of fluff and a chuckle or two.

Neversfall, written by Ed Gentry, is an odd duck. It is the first book in the Citadel series of stand alone novels. It also leaves a very high benchmark for the rest of the series to live up to.

So, why is Neversfall an odd duck? Simply put...it is a Hollywood action film with a heavy dose of Oscar-caliber drama. It is a light and fluffy fantasy novel abounding with political subtext. The characters don't do anything stupid, like walk into dark basements without flashlights. The main character struggles with duty, honor and faith. He face betrayal, not blithely, but with great pain. He isn't in it for the glory, but because of what is right. And that is where the novel's greatest strength lies. To every single one of the characters in Neversfall, what they are doing is absolutely the right thing to do for them...and that's what makes it so much more than a simple yet delightful afternoon read.

The main character is a Maquar named Taennan, a soldier who, as a child, turned his father in for breaking the law. Law and order are everything to him. Duty above all else. He is the prototypical soldier. And yet, he comes to his position via an act of betrayal. He seems unsure of himself and always willing to accept that he is responsible for failures, yet not willing to accept accolades for success.

Everyone else is a mirror for Taennan. Adeenya, the commanding officer of a mercenary group of Durpari who have entered an alliance with the Maquar, is the pragmatic warrior, the epitome of duty and the bedrock, the foundation whose own faith and self-assurance keep Taennan grounded and focused. Jhoqo is his commanding officer, a man whom Taennan hero-worships and the man who took him in and made him the soldier he is after he had his father arrested for using his magic illegally.

The story itself follows the Maquar-Durpari forces as they attempt to find out what happened to a previous combined force that has disappeared while trying to secure Neversfall, a citadel and compound that the Maquar believe will be the central point in future trading with northern lands.

Ed Gentry creates a stunningly creepy atmosphere upon the character's arrival at Neversfall. Food and clothing lay undisturbed, as if the previous occupants just walked away from everything, which goes against Maquar ideology. The author lays groundwork for several mysteries that all play out simultaneously and are all interconnected as soon as the soldiers arrive.

Barbarians appear from out of nowhere to attack and kill the soldiers. In the tower, a device that allows wizards to launch attacks from a great distance is discovered, the wizard who discovered it murdered. Conspiracies abound, plots unfold and through it all, faith is tested, trust is violated and, because of it, soldiers die.

Neversfall is a treatise on honor, loyalty and duty. It is also a warning against having blind faith...an investigation on the perils of greed and political corruption. Most of all, it is a pure example of fantasy for the 21st century. Neversfall succeeds in doing what science fiction is best known for...exploring the human condition in an alternate setting.

This time, instead of starships and storm troopers, we have druids and goblins. However, the message is still the same. We are, all of us, human, for good and ill. Neversfall reminds us of this basic fact...and yet does so in a safe and diverse fantasy setting called the Forgotten Realms.

Neversfall is the Forgotten Realms' first book of a stand alone series called The Citadels and is great novel that really delves into revealing how multiple perspectives can all still be valid. Ed Gentry shows three different, law-faring societies interacting and how each can see itself as valid, meaning that no single `truth' is correct. In the book Neversfall, a small contingent of soldiers called Maquar hail from a country whose organization is the pinnacle of the Southern region's excellence. Joining up with an allied country's small force of soldiers, the Duprari pale in comparison to the regimented military of the Maquar. Still, the Duprari are cohesive in their structure and are rightfully respected by their counterparts.

Adeenya, leader of the Duprari, studied long and hard to become a Maquar but found that she was unable to join their ranks. Undaunted, she joined the Duprari and succeeded, though she still longs for knowing life as a Maquar. Jhoqo is the Maquar General who is in charge of the shared mission to seek out and recover the lost keep of Neversfall. Jhoqo seems, at times, to have his own agenda and is rather impersonal to everyone, with exception of his adopted son Taennen, who is his second in command. Taennen is a very lawful individual who, at a young age, turned his own father in to authorities for a crime the man unwittingly committed. Adopted by Jhoqo and educated by the Maquar, Taennen is a highly responsible yet somewhat cowed second.

During the mission, the two forces are traveling to Neversfall and are attacked by a fearless mob of humanoids and beasts. The mob is under the control of a strict, organized society of creatures called Formians - giant, intelligent, and psionically-endowed ant beings. After defeating the Formians and taking prisoners, including the ant creatures themselves, the force continues for the lost keep.

Finding the keep abandoned, the force takes control and are suddenly attacked by wildmen who perform hit and run tactics on the soldiers. As the book continues things seem to become confusing to the characters, which in turn raise questions that are mired in deceit and intrigue.

Ed Gentry provides the readers with strong characters whose motivations are clear, but embroiled in the story are layers of interesting points of view that all seem to contradict one another and yet prove equally correct. Finding what truth to accept shakes the foundations of the characters, forcing them to develop before our eyes. As the book reveals more and more of itself, readers will find themselves just as engaged in finding the truth as the characters.

The plot is pretty straight forward, travel to Neversfall and take control of the keep. But, somewhere, the political and personal intrigue sets the stage for a nightmare stand off of murder and deceit. The pitfalls of organized, lawful societies are shown in marked contrast with each perspective proving right. Ed amazingly compels the reader to make their own assumptions only to have them dashed as revisions must be accepted.

In all, the book was well devised, but a little slow at times, yet was engrossing enough for the reader to push through. The characters are very strong, though they didn't resonate with me personally, and certainly believable. I enjoyed reading this and wholeheartedly recommend others to indulge in this excellent story.

I very much enjoyed this book. Unlike many Realms novels, its light on magic. Its also a small-scale adventure, another novelty in the Realmsian world. The book itself focuses on two groups of soldiers who must defend an unknown enemy in a remote citadel.

I found the novel read much like a David Gemmell story, a real plus in my eyes. The conflicts of cultures, the focus of swords not sorcery, and the unknown enemy all reminded me of some of Gemmell's best. I recommend this novel.

As other reviewers have mentioned, Neversfall has a main plot and numerous subplots. While it is without doubt a fantasy novel, these subplots give it elements reminisent of both thriller and mystery novels. There is political intrigue and internal moral struggle, as well as a healthly dose of swordplay. The mystery element was particularly enjoyable to me. I found myself developing theories as I read, only to later reject them as more information was revealed. All the various elements and plot threads interact with each other and come together quite well, making Neversfall even better than the sum of its parts.

Previous knowledge of the Forgotten Realms setting is not necessary for the enjoyment of this novel. I do not know the Realms well and knew absolutely nothing about the Shining South region prior to reading Neversfall. There was only one instance where my lack of knowledge of the local geography became an issue. Even then, it only affected my ability to "solve" one of the mysteries, not my overall enjoyment of the novel. Neversfall would be a good opportunity for a reader to introduce (or re-introduce) themselves to the Forgotten Realms setting.

Neversfall, by Ed Gentry, is a poorly written but interesting tale of deception marred by the aforementioned...writing.

The tale begins with the establishment of a mission - two military units from different "nations," the Maquar and the Durpari, must join forces to determine the fate of the citadel of Neversfall. As the story progresses, shadowy opponents surface, threatening the success of the mission and the survival of the very force sent to relieve the garrison (who happen to be nowhere to be found). The story itself, while predictable, maintains an enjoyable air of tension and mystery throughout the majority of the book. Who are the enemies that threaten the relief force, and what are their motives? What are the goals and motives of the Formians (giant ants encountered early on and who play a not-insignificant role in the book)? These questions and others are sometimes answered, sometimes not, but their mere presence keeps the story moving at a rapid clip, which leads into the numerous problems with the book...

Writing - To begin with, the writing is bad. That's the only way to describe it: bad. The author rejects the "tried and true," method of "showing, not telling," and instead tries to tell you about everything that happens throughout the book. Numerous times you will be told by the narrator about what a character is thinking, or about what has happened, rather than seeing the event unfold before your eyes. It is clear from the writing that the author is not well versed in the crafting of mental images through prose. Rather, he is used to simply describing things from an almost academic standpoint. Instead of reading dialogue, oftentimes the narrator will tell you that the dialogue occurred, such as, "[a character] told [other characters] goodbye and directed them to [perform a task]." This is not a joke. This is how many portions of the book are written. These are so common, in fact, that I simply can't describe how lazy this is for a writer. As one other reviewer mentioned, it appears that Ed Gentry did not have a capable editor overseeing the book.

Characters - Other reviewers (who, from their writing, appear to be much more capable writers than the author) have complimented the characters in Neversfall. It is hard to understand why. Taennan, the Maquar second-in-command, is so childish in his character that you wonder how he could elicit respect from a group of hardened military veterans. In fact, as a military officer myself, I wondered how someone in a position of authority within such an elite unit could be so terribly naïve and incompetent simultaneously. The descriptions of his actions, thoughts and emotions all resemble those of a child, not an adult. Which leads into the general problem of the characters - they are not believable, nor are their interactions. They feel decidedly two-dimensional, at best. At worst many characters end up as near-carbon copies of one another, in personality and temperament, or contradict the very descriptions of their personalities. Again, this is partly due to the poor writing, which does not carry enough weight of description to differentiate the different characters. However, it is also due to the fact that the characters are simply not developed in a way that lends credence to their actions and thoughts. Mr. Gentry describes one character, Khatib (a wizard who works with the Maquar), as essentially "giggling," with delight when he enters the tower in Neversfall. His reaction contradicts the earlier description of the Maquar as stoic, invincible warriors (Taennan, likewise, is crushed by the initial description of the Maquar which so thoroughly contradicts how he actually behaves). This is simply one example, but many others abound.

In spite of the writing and characters, Mr. Gentry paced the story well enough to keep me reading to the end, so it's not all bad news. However, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to anyone. The reasons I mentioned above will hopefully be enough to dissuade you from a purchase. If not, feel free to continue reading below, where I will delve into Mr. Gentry's take on military form and function.

Disclaimer: This portion of the review delves into military history, military organization, and the personalities of those within military units. It is also as long as the sections I wrote on "writing," and "characters," so I left it to the end so that if people just wanted the basics of the review, they could skip this entirely and read the conclusion I came to without slogging through more text (which is, do not buy this book). I do feel that this section accurately captures further, serious issues with Neversfall, however, so I do encourage you to finish reading it if you are interested in those aspects of the book.

Military - I could not finish this review without taking serious issue with Mr. Gentry's notions of how soldiers interact, the size of "armies" and the conduct of battles. This is particularly serious because the book focuses on two military units and their actions when confronted with an unknown enemy. There is a decidedly glaring lack of research undertaken by the author, as evidenced by the strange descriptions of the Maquar (as opposed to their actions in the book), as well as the complete lack of basic tactics undertaken by the forces. The assumption that the Maquar is an elite force (one of the best in the region based on Mr. Gentry's initial description) is completely undermined and made more and more ludicrous as the book progresses. The battles which take place all degenerate quickly into large-scale melees. Thousands of years of military history stand in complete opposition to these descriptions. Military forces in ancient times (which most closely resemble the fantasy worlds we read of), when engaging one another, typically have sustained a sizeable formation for as long as possible, only devolving under extreme duress (which typically translates into a rout of one force or the other) at which point the battle is typically decided. If you read of how historical combat was waged, it was a mostly mundane affair where each side essentially faces off with one another, coming into contact with one another during short periods before breaking apart to reassess their opponent, before coming together once again. It was when the will of one side or the other was finally broken that the battle was decided, and often that point of decision took a full day to reach. Or, as in the massacre at Cannae (battle between the Romans and Carthaginians), that outcome resulted from the slow and systematic slaughter of the opposing force after envelopment was achieved. Regardless, the book betrays a complete lack of understanding of not only this simple fact (instead it attempts to expand the typical fantasy battle between individuals into a much larger scale), but also of both manning requirements for a fortress and the types of personalities that hold rank within military organizations (the latter being addressed somewhat in the "characters" section of this review). In terms of manning, the fortress of Neversfall would require a substantially larger force than the eighty soldiers sent to occupy it. Even though the descriptions of Neversfall betray it as being, in reality, a very small fort at best (also contrary to the descriptions within the book itself), it still would require a couple hundred soldiers to properly man (24 hour sentries, basic hygiene and sustainment, etc.). The original garrison is described as being similar in size and composition to the relieving force, so we already have an issue with the composition of the occupying force. I can take issue with a great deal more. You may believe me to be harsh, but suspension of disbelief in a case like this is...shall we say...difficult due to the severity of the breaches of the laws of reality. Rather, these breaches represent, in my opinion, laziness on the part of the author with the research he undertook in preparation for writing the story. It appears he did little to no research, and simply made up the "facts" as he went along to fit with his story, rather than allowing realities of military organization and logistical sustainment to inform his story and round it out to a much better finished product. As I read the book, I could not help but consider how much potential the story held, and how disappointing it was that Mr. Gentry failed to deliver on its potential. With a little research, Mr. Gentry could have delivered a satisfying addition to the Forgotten Realms series that had interesting characters and a plot with fewer holes (like Erin M. Evans or Rosemary Jones have delivered). Instead, we got this book.

This is a different take on the usual fantasy storyline in two ways. First, it takes place in a single small location; second, it's as much a mystery or suspense novel as it is fantasy. This by no means makes it a bad book, as it's a pretty well-written whodunnit. Only when the motives are revealed at the end did I kind of frown as they aren't that plausible. However, the storyline leading up to it is an interesting and quick read.

This is a good book. I enjoyed it. I hope WOC contiues to put out these type of single book novels. I love reading the Forgotten Realms novels because like so many others I know the world, the people the magic system. There is no re-learning the magic system, the monsters, etc. Its home :)