Customer Reviews

Pool of Radiance (TSR Fantasy)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"Pool of Radiance" by James M. Ward and Jane Cooper Hong is the first fantasy adventure book I've ever read. We've all seen the fantasy movies like "The Neverending Story" and "The Dark Crystal," but I've never actually read books like this. I was very surprised at the way Ward's and Hong's words painted vivid pictures in my mind. This is what I liked most about the book. It wasn't drawn out and boring like many other descriptive books, but full of action. Their words were fast paced so the action "scenes" were fluid in my mind. Most of the action takes place in battles in which a band of three warriors, Shal, Ren, and Tarl, fight their way to Tyranthraxus. The book takes place in another world; a world that you and me does not exist. But Ward and Hong bring this other world to life through the median of thier own use of the descriptive style of writing. Whether it's a forest, a town, a tavern brawl, or a castle dungeon, the journey comes alive and one will experience it with all five senses.

First i'd like to say this is a really good book that was just a bit hard to swallow at times. It was an enjoyable and easy read, with good character development. The story was good and the characters were likable!

My only complaint (no spoilers, don't worry) is that the character Shal's magic goes from apprentice level to SUPER WIZARD POWERS ridiculously fast. That seemed hard to believe being that at the beginning of the book she was just a novice apprentice. By the middle of the book she was taking on a... well, just read the book and you'll see what I mean.

Still it was an overall fun and enjoyable read, and I would recommend it. I just think it could have been a bit more believable in spots.

I REALLY loved this book, it was the first forgotten realms book I ever read. I was playing the computer game on my commodore 64 and I wanted to read the book that went along with it. I was 10 years old I think, and I had never read a book that I thought was so good. Unfortunately, it is just that, a book for people, particularly younger people, who want a light fast read. The plot is relatively simple so that if you accidentally skip a chapter, you don't miss much. It is a great read if you run a Forgotten Realms AD&D campaign in the moonsea.

Bottom line... It's not a work of literary genius, but the plot is entertaining.

This truly was one of the greats. Being a hard core D&D fan, I've read a lot of Forgotten Realms books, but this one really stands out in my mind. The setting was great, and the characters were wonderful. Ren O' the Blade was a very intresting character, a man of great heroism and strong passions. I liked his episode with his thoughts of Tempest. Shal was great. I liked how she wasn't portrayed as the common image for female mages. Tarl was cool. He was a true champion of his church. I mean, so much crap happened to him early on, but he stayed strong. The villan aspect of the book was wonderful, having one villan clearly defined, and one sliding around in the shadows, manipulating others to meet his own ends. The book had a great balance of action, drama, and character development. All and all, it's a must-read for and D&D fan.

Paper-thin characters. Zero character development. Every fantasy stereotype is used.. Simplistic, completely implausible plot. Zero story twists. No insight into any character's persona. Plenty of deus ex machina situations. Dialogue so contrived and inane it makes my toes curl. This might be a good book for kids, but it certainly doesn't make for interesting reading for anyone over the age of twelve.

This book certainly embodied the true essence of fantasy. Of a heros... on a quest... and good prevailing over evil... of a comming of age for many characters. To realize that the potential was always there .. but you only had to open the door and take the step out.

The three main characters are .. a mage apretice.. a fighter/cleric.. and a thief/ranger..

mainly sitting at a 'normal good' aligning.. erradicating evil..

as well this book leaves an open ending - ready for future books to fill..

A great book to start in the realms - pretty easy to understand and enjoyable all the way through.

I liked this book. I only gave it four stars, though, as the first three chapters are hard to get through. After the first three chapters, the book picks up a nice pace and the characters begin to flesh out more.

Wonderful!!I loved this book!! Shal,Tarl,Ren, charactors I'll love to read about over and over again!! This story is GREAT!I can't count how many times I've read this book, I love it more each time I read it!The next book, READ IT!!! Gamaliel,Miltiades,They Rule!!BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ!!!!!James Ward, thanks for writing this!! I'm a fan of James Ward for alltime!!!!!!Read the next ones for Gamaliel,Miltiades,great storyline!!LONG LIVE GAMALIEL!!!!

This is my first Forgotten Realms book that i have read. I really liked it because I play AD&D, and understood everything. This is a great beginning novel for anyone who would like to get into the world of Forgotten Realms!

Though I am not a big fan of Forgotten Realms, The Pools trilogy has long captivated me since I was 8. The entire trilogy is just smashing, but Pools of Radiance is far and away the best of the best! I recommend for ages 12 to 17. and if you like this,I recommend trying the DragonLance series.