Pillar of Flame: Elements, Volume One [Paperback]

Ree Soesbee (Author)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: Mirrorstone (January 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786942487
• ISBN-13: 978-0786942480
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,364,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Far from spellbinding, May 15, 2008

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ken in the city - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Pillar of Flame: Elements, Volume One (Paperback)

This book is the first in a trilogy about two sisters who attempt to solve the mystery of... surprise, surprise... the pillar of flame. I think Soisbee is working on or will complete a prequel to this. From early on, the reader realizes a significant backdrop to the story of the two sisters exists (which i won't go into to avoid a spoiler). I was disappointed from this book for a couple of reasons.

The first (and I admit this is my fault) is that I did not realize these sets of novels are written for a younger audience (i.e., pre-teen). So maybe my expectations were a little too high if I compare the work to some of the other Dragonlance/Forgotten Realms classics. Potentially because of a younger target audience, I found the storyline very predictable and the characters were largely one dimensional. While the characters are all clearly based in D&D, the group of adventurers simply did not have enough interesting interplay. The story goes through the motions, but I'm left turning the pages in a push to finish the book rather than being pulled along by the tale. For me, the greatest characters are those that are unique in and of themselves, but really shine with others. Classic example is Tasslehoff and Flint from the Weiss & Hickman stories. I read A LOT of D&D fantasy books and I would definitely recommend a pass on this one. I mean seriously, the lead fighter of the party is a farmer named Eric??


Second,