8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A solid additon to the citadels series, April 8, 2008
This review is from: Obsidian Ridge (Forgotten Realms: The Citadels, Bk. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)
Obsidian Ridge by Jess Lebow is the second novel in a series of stand alone novels called the Citadels. The other novels in the Citadels series are;
Neversfall: The Citadels by Ed Gentry, and the soon to be released
The Shield of Weeping Ghosts: The Citadels by James Davis (May, 2008) and
Sentinelspire (The Citadels) by Mark Sehestedt (July, 2008). These novels are much like the other series of stand alone novels that have been previously released, such as the Rogues, the Clerics, the Wizards, and the Fighters. Incidentally, Mr. Lebow also had a novel in the Fighters series;
Master of Chains (The Fighters).
The plot of this book is multi-layered and nothing like I thought it would be. The main plot line is rather simplistic, a floating citadel appears one day over a city and the wizard in control of the citadel makes a demand on the king and gives him four days to follow through on those demands. However, there is a myriad of sub plots crammed into the pages of this book as well. Sub plots such as the identity of two mysterious figures, the Claw and the Matron. The Matron's identity was done really well; Mr. Lebow teases the reader with a hint to the true identity and then snatches it away. There is a political sub plot as well between a group who is selling illegal drugs and wanting to gain control of the throne, and the king's own who are seeking to stop the sale of the drugs. There are a couple more sub plots, and plot twists but I will hold off talking about those because I don't want to spoil anything. Suffice it to say, that the plot and layout of this book is very good. It follows a logical time frame and pacing is well done. There is very little `down' time in this novel at all.
The characters in this book are what you may expect to find in a plot such as this. There is the evil crazed wizard Xeries, there is the noble king Korox, the king's body guard Quinn, the king's beautiful daughter Mariko, and the mysterious underground lord the Matron. The characters, and to a lesser extent, some of their actions are at times clichés. However, they are packaged in such a way that it doesn't cause the reader to think `been there done that'. I found the characters to be engaging and interesting. All the characters were interesting, some obviously more so than others, but the one thing that seemed to really be lacking was character development. By and large the way the characters are at the start of the novel are how they end the novel. With how solid the plot is, I was expecting a little more in this area. Other than that, the characters were fun to read about.
I do have a couple of minor criticisms about this novel.
1 - As I mentioned above, for the quality of the plot the lack of character development was kind of surprising and a little disappointing. In only three hundred pages I am not expecting complete character transformations, but I would have liked to have seen some growth in a few of the characters.
2 - Some of the dialogue, at times, seemed rather forced. The best way I can describe it is that there are certain parts of the story where a character talks and the words don't mesh with how the character has acted/talked previously in the novel. It's a minor thing, but one that I noticed and it was a little confusing.
Some of the things I enjoyed with this novel.
1 _ I would be remiss if I did not talk about Mr. Lebow's prose and pacing. They are top notch. The story flows very smoothly, but at a pace that dares the reader to put the book down. I felt the same way when I read Master of Chains as well. When you find a book that has pacing this well it's a joy and a disappoint at the same time. A joy because you get captured by the story and fly through the pages. A disappointment because you suddenly realize that at the pace it's going it will soon be over. That's how this book was for me.
2 - The solid plot. Not only the main plot line, but how each of the sub plots were woven into the larger story. It made the novel both engaging, but more real as well.
3 - The descriptions in the book. I have used this example before, but it certainly applies here as well. Mr. Lebow gives the reader just enough information to show the reader his vision, but also not enough to where it stymies the reader's imagination. He allows the reader to fill in the little gaps on a larger canvas. I can't say enough how much I appreciate that.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. It is an excellent addition to the Citadels series and to the Forgotten Realms lore as a whole. Fans of the Forgotten Realms will no doubt want to pick this novel up at their earliest convenience. People looking to get their feet wet in the fantasy genre may also want to consider checking this novel out; it is a good measuring stick for forgotten Realms novels and a decent fantasy novel. I can easily see myself recommending this novel to many people and I am eagerly looking forward to another novel with Mr. Lebow's name of the cover.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good addition, May 16, 2008
This review is from: Obsidian Ridge (Forgotten Realms: The Citadels, Bk. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)
In a writing style throwback to the adventure stories of Robert Howard and others of his generation of sword and sorcery writers - light on dialogue, big on action - Jess Lebow has brought some of the adventure back to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting in his latest novel, Obsidian Ridge. Foregoing character introspections (except to a limited extent) Lebow allows the action to drive his narrative. It is much like the early Ed Greenwood, when he first began writing media tie in novels for his Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
Obsidian Ridge tells the story of three primary heroes. The Claw is the king's assassin, whose bladed gauntlets remind me of nothing less than Wolverine. And the Claw uses them to equal effect. Mariko is the king's daughter, but she is also a budding spellcaster and damsel in distress. Korox, King of Erlkazar - a newly formed nation that broke off from Tethyr - is forced to make a decision about whether or not to give up his daughter to the arch magus Xeries, master of a floating mountain in the sky called the Obsidian Ridge. Twisted in body and mind, Xeries threatens to destroy all of Erlkazar if he does not receive Mariko for his payment. But there are other forces at work. The criminal underworld of Lhorbauth - capital of Erlkazar - has captured Mariko and holds her for ransom from a desperate king. The king and the Claw must find Mariko, all the while wondering whether or not to turn over Mariko to the evil Xeries.
As you can see from the synopsis in the previous paragraph, there is a lot of potential for action in the story, and Lebow leverages it to the hilt. The story is light on dialogue, and instead moves from action sequence to battle scene, from battle scene to fight scene, with a dose of mystery thrown into the mix rather than conversation to move the narrative forward. The identity of the Claw, and the king of the underworld both remain a significant mystery for a large part of the story, although the astute reader will guess their identities quickly.
Although it is action that drives the plot, there is some time given over to introspection. Korox especially wrestles with what it means to be king. But Lebow's skill is not in getting us to emotionally connect with the characters, rather it is in giving us heroes that we cannot help but cheer for. Reading Obsidian Ridge was like watching a football game in which you know nothing of the players except their names. As you watch, the announcers give you little tidbits of information about the players, and you appreciate them, but that isn't why you tuned in. You tuned in because you needed something to cheer for, to watch one team beat another. In Obsidian Ridge you want to watch the team of Korox, Mariko, and the Claw beat Xeries and the criminal underworld. What you learn of their characters in the meantime is interesting, but is not why you choose to read the book.
The novel has flaws. It is a simple plot, and Lebow uses deus ex machina a few times. The Claw and Mariko get out of a few scrapes a bit too fortuitously and this can seem a little contrived. When the plot tries to zig or zag, it is usually pretty obvious where the author is going, and when a surprise does occur, it is because the reader had little foreshadowing and so had no reason to expect it.
If you enjoy dialogue as part of the story, Lebow uses only what he must. The story is mostly told through a description of events as they unfold. Characterization is simplified and the motivations of the characters are not in any way complex - except for Korox. He alone really struggles with himself.
I don't think that this novel makes a good entry point for new Realms readers. It explains little of the Realms mythos, and in fact only has a very few mentions of the standard races and denizens of the realms. Even those are usually part human, part something else. A little prior knowledge of the Realms would stand the reader in good stead for understanding the Realms story Lebow has written. The book could have been placed in another setting other than the Realms and still have been essentially the same story. I do recommend it for all Realms readers to add to their collection. It is not a stand out novel, but neither is it mediocre, and so it fits snuggle into that area of fiction that is best classified as an enjoyable read.
In Obsidian Ridge Jess Lebow took a difficult topic - it is part of the Forgotten Realms The Citadels series, where the writers try to write a story about fortresses and castles - and made an interesting story of it. It has inescapable dungeons, a love story, truly evil villains, battle and fight scenes, and a hero who uses gauntlets as weapons. What more could you ask for from a sword and sorcery novel?
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