Customer Reviews

The Queen of Stone: Thorn of Breland

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

 

 

The Queen of Stone by Keith Baker is the first book in a new Eberron series titled Thorn of Breland. It appears that this book in not so much part of a trilogy as it is an ongoing series. The second book is titled Son of Khyber and will be out in the Fall of 2009. This series is to be a series of stand-alone novels, but have continuing characters. Personally, I am happy some one is taking this approach and now-a-days it seems everything has to be a trilogy if it's a fantasy story. Hopefully this approach catches on with author authors. Time will tell of course. Here are my thoughts on this novel.

If you like political plots based on nations and warring factions, then you definitely need to pick this book up. The plot of this book centers on the `people' of Droaam wanting to be recognized as their own nation. To this extend they invite representatives of the other nations to come and meet with them in the heart of the Droaam to express themselves and their case. There are numerous sub plots that surround the other nation's representatives. Some of them are present for more than just hearing Droaam's case to be recognized. To say more about those sub plots would invariably include spoilers so I will refrain from doing so. The main story is solid and provides great detail about the Droaam, such as stories about them, who is all involved, and some of the motivations they have for seeking to be a recognized nation. Of course, there is also a group within Droaam that does not want to be a recognized nation; they have their own reasons why. While at points the story seems rather linear and status quo, by the end of the novel the reader realizes that some of the things they thought were in fact not true and the actual reasoning's for some of the characters are interesting and well thought out.

The characters in this book are all new characters and as such there is some character development that needs to take place right away. The main character, Thorn, was actually very hard for me to connect with. In fact, I simply did not really care for her character one way or the other. Which was odd, most main characters I either love or hate, but there is some connection there. With Thorn, I was rather apathetic. Part of this was because for every situation she seemed to have some item (magic or mundane) or some skill that would get her out of it. Maybe she was too powerful? The characters that I particularly enjoyed were the secondary characters. Such as; Drego, Ghyrryn, Tori, Harryn, Sheshka, and Sora Katra; for whatever reason these characters really drew me in and made me want to know more about them. Grated, that is the mark of a really good side character. It just felt odd as I was reading to want to know more about them and caring less about the main character. For the most part the characters all spoke with unique voices and it was evident they all had their own motivations. Dialogue was solid and flowed well and didn't see forced at all. To me, some of the more memorable characters are the ones that did not receive as much face time.

A couple criticisms about this novel:

1 - As I mentioned above when talking about Thorn. I understand in the role she was in she would have some items at her disposal, but it just seemed too neat and tidy that for every situation she found herself in she had something to use. Even when I fastidiously plan ahead for things, there are times when I am missing something.

2 - While the ending answered quite a few questions presented during the novel (and left some open as well), it felt really rushed to me. Almost as though I was watching a movie at 1.5 frame rate. I read the last 50 pages twice, simply because I felt I missed something. Even after reading it twice, I still feel as though I did not `get' everything that happened.

Some things I liked about this novel:

1 - The area of Droaam. I really like the idea of a nation of monsters working towards a common goal. What could be more frightening for those living on that border than to know that the `monsters' have banded together and are presenting a united front. Hopefully, there are more books written in this area.

2 - The variety of characters. It seems some fantasy authors can get into a rut and use the old stand-by races, human, elves, dwarfs, orcs, goblins, etc. In this book we are presented with so many more. Some of which are rarely written about. I really enjoyed the diversity.

3 - Showing monsters for being more than monsters. To piggyback off the above item. Usually `monsters' are just things to slay and to give the heroes something to do. Not so with this book. Those monsters talk, think and act on their own. It's refreshing to read about them in this type of role.

Even with not caring for Thorn, I quite enjoyed this novel. It flowed well, the pacing was solid (except for that rushed feeling at the end), and more importantly the story made sense. This novel is not just a story for a story's sake. It's to build the world and add more lore and background to the setting. On that note, it succeeded tremendously. Granted, there were some things I would have liked to have seen differently, but what is here is a solid book and a novel that certainly fits in well with the other Eberrn novels to date. Fans of the Eberron setting will no doubt want to pick this book up. Fans of the fantasy genre, or looking at getting into the genre, may want to consider other Eberron novels before tackling this one. Either way, it's a solid read and one I recommend to Eberron faithful

The medusa on the cover made me pick it up, but the writing sucked me in. The first three chapters are extremely well-done, and kept me guessing for quite some time. If you love strong female characters, this is a book for you.

The main character is a super spy named Nyrielle Tam. Code name: Thorn. Picture OO7, except she's a female half-elf who uses magic. Instead of all the technical gadgets that James Bond has, Thorn has magical items to help her on her secret impossible mission. The coolest item that she does have is her dagger, Steel. He's intelligent, meaning that he can speak to her telepathically, but only when she touches him. Steel and Thorn have a very, well, thorny relationship. Steel knows a ton of things, can detect magical spells, and acts like a kind of radar and annoying mentor all at the same time. All Thorn has to do is pass him over any language and he can read it for her. What a weapon for a spy to have.

Her mission involves . . . Forget it. The mission is classified.

One of the big strengths of this novel is that Keith Baker created the world, which several other authors are now writing in. He knows the material and uses it to add just enough complexity to make it interesting. By the way, Eberron is the world that won the Wizards of the Coast Contest a few years ago. It is a fascinating place and I've enjoyed learning about it immensely.

If you're interested in a new take on fantasy, check out Queen of Stone. The writing is very strong and don't forget to pay attention to the little hints along the way. They are a big payoff at the end, which I did not see coming.


Paul Genesse
Author of The Dragon Hunters
Book Two of the Iron Dragon Series
[....]

Just finished the book up last night around 2am, and it was one of the most fun reads I've had in a while. The depictions of the monster kingdom of Droaam and its inhabitants is utterly compelling. The plot is great, and I feel like I could easily read a dozen more books about this fascinating place, and its horrifying yet strangely sympathetic inhabitants. I feel like I should go out and march for civil rights for Medusa's in Eberron!

The Queen of Stone is a wonderful romp through sometimes neglected scenery in Eberron. The author, Keith Baker, is the originator of the Eberron setting. Readers will find magic, international intrigue, and ancient secrets galore.

So what does that have to do with how good this book is? Unfortunately for some readers, lots. The Queen of Stone is an undeniably fast-paced, exciting, and fun adventure, but it is also strongly flavored by both Dungeons and Dragons and Eberron conventions. Some readers not familiar with that background might find the incredible detail soaked into every fiber of this book intimidating.

Personally I loved the lavish details, being both a fan of D&D and Eberron, but also of Keith's imaginative and evocative use of his creations. I suspect that many readers, familiar or not, with the background material will love this book.

As a book, The Queen of Stone shows remarkable growth in its author. It is extremely tightly paced, coherent, and gripping. I read the entire thing in one sitting (and yes, it is somewhat short) and immediately began on the sequel (Son of Khyber: Thorn of Breland, Book 2). Keith's earlier books are well worth reading if you're a fan of the genre, but The Queen of Stone is an excellent book for non-fans as well.

Give Keith a chance, I doubt you'll regret it.

This is a flawed, but good fantasy action book that takes place in Droaam, a nation of monsters.

Story:
A rogue, Thorn of Breland, acts as a bodyguard for an ambassador on his trip to the fledgling nation of Droaam. Her real mission; she must infiltrate the stronghold and free an ancient hero that's been petrified by a medusas' gaze for 200 years. But sneaking past the hordes of lycanthropes, gorgons, and ogres in a foreign nation ruled by monsters is far from trivial. If her mission is exposed, it could shatter the fragile treaty and plunge the realm into war!

Writing Style
Keith Baker is able to write decent characters, fast paced action, and interesting environments. However, the main character, Thorn of Breland, is more of a vehicle to move the plot, than a memorable character. You follow her on her mission, but that's exactly what it feels like you are doing... following her... on her mission. It's really difficult to experience the story 'through' her because her past is a complete mystery and she has unfathomable power. The book was a solid 4 Stars, until the last 50 pages, which felt extremely rushed. It's as if the book stops leading you through an adventure and just tells you what happened in the end.

Characters
Thorn of Breland is mysterious. She's a spy with a sentient dagger that gives her information when she needs it... kinda like Onstar. This hurts Thorn because she really doesn't need to take time to figure out what's going on by herself. It's like she's adventuring with an iphone and google maps. It's really hard to feel for a character when they can just 'ask their 3G iDagger whenever they face a challenge. She also seems to have random special powers that magically give her exactly what she needs when she finds herself in a difficult situation. Because of Thorn's abilities, there isn't really any suspense or drama... just action.
The covergirl, Sheshka, a Medusa Warlord, is far more interesting and her emotions and motivations are far more obvious, than Thorn. She's powerful, honorable, and makes difficult decisions.
The secondary characters are all pretty good and drive the story, but there really isn't any emotional impact in the book.

Action
There's loads of sword swinging, fireball throwing, monster slaying action in this book. It's fast paced, descriptive, and very well written!

Maturity
This is a PG-13 Adventure that's full of action without gore and devoid of foul language or sexual situations.

Overall
This is a fast paced adventure in a nation ruled by monsters. It is interesting to read about the monster's perspective of the world and there are good action scenes. However, there really isn't any drama surrounding the main character and the end feels incredibly rushed.

Buy it if you want an action packed adventure in a nation of monsters or if you ever wanted to see a monster's perspective of a kingdom.

Avoid it if you want really strong emotional characters or you think monsters are only for XP and Loot!

Just finished reading the book, and it was one of the better books I've read in a while. The book very purposefully left some things open to questions, so I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. Regardless, every scene in the book means something, and the meanings slowly come into place as the end of the book nears.

While Keith Baker's dreaming dark series was excellent as well for those who like Eberron, I feel that he's made improvements as an author since then - which is a good thing.

While Baker's first trilogy (The Dreaming Dark series) was a mixed bag of story-telling, setting description and good old adventuring, this book (the first of Baker's follow-up series) has a heavy focus on story-telling and adventure.

Baker chose political and power struggle as the main driver of the plot. This was a smart move, in my opinion. First the topic lends itself to plot branching and secondly it's a struggle that is consistent with the Eberron multiverse (and perhaps you could even argue even with present-day world).

The book reads very fast and if you are familiar with the Eberron setting (and D&D in general) you'll enjoy it thoroughly. My only complaints about this book (and most books coming from WotC) is that it lacks good editing. A good editor could have made this book even better. First the grammar errors, then the spelling errors, then a bit of sorting out of events to aid understanding. While I know that some authors are reluctant to have an editor tweak/enhanced their works, this becomes painfully obvious at times.

The other sore spot, IMO, are the final chapters of this book. A bit of a let down, to be honest. However, as stated on the title of this review this still qualifies as a good book (if you can focus on the content while ignoring the "outside" weaknesses).

For a novel written and based on an RPG Game, this book is very well written. Keith Baker has definently grown in writting ability as this series is far better then his previous Dreaming the Dark triology.

About the only problem I really had with this book is that the main character Thorn did indeed seem to almost have a spell or magic item for every situation she encountered. That aside, the story was still enjoyable to read.

Equally good is a chance to see the Daughters of Sora Kell portrayed and to see the "Monsters Inhabitants" of Droaam presented as people and not shallow card board stand ups meant for a party or player to walk through and slay.

To someone who dislikes reading Game-Based Novels, I would say give this book and it's upcoming series a chance.

Keith Baker is one of today's best writers. This is my favorite yet of his books, I can't wait for the next one.