Customer Reviews

THE RING OF WINTER (Forgotten Realms Novels)

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

 

 

Artus Cimber is the classic do gooder, followed by trusted friends who meet tragic ends. His supposed guardian is turned against him and all seems lost until he finds the ring of winter. Hello! this is the best relic i have read about in awhile. When all this was said and done I applaud Mr Lauder on a job well done. And for the guy who wrote about Kelemvor Lyonsbane... well this is Artus Cimber's story and we don't need a flash back to the God of the Dead all right. Now that Artus has the ring he is a god. metalcam says great book and read it with an open mind not closed.

Jim Lowder is one of the best authors TSR has ever had. This is a good book, Artus is a cool character. The Ring is a great artifact, and while Chult may not be favorite setting I still enjoyed this book. Check it out.

James Lowder was the best author TSR had next to Greenwood, Salvatore, and Novak. Lots of action, likeable characters, and an artifact that grants immortality to any who possess it. Did I mention that the artifact is located in the prehistoric realm of Toril known as the Jungles of Chult?

All in all, a must read for any fantasy fan worth his salt.

Abeir-Toril has got to be the most comprehensive world in fantasy. Sadly, few writers dare to venture beyond Cormyr, Waterdeep, and the Underdark and explore what this fantastic realm. The Jungles of Chult has got to be one of the most obscure places in all the realms. Hardly the setting for an epic fantasy adventure...or is it?

James Lowder has single handedly created one of the best pieces of literature WOC has to offer. The Ring of Winter boasts everything necessary for a successful speculative fiction novel: likeable characters, an engaging plot line, sensous details, and even talking dinosaurs.

This is a novel that should not be missed by FR readers and people who are just fond of pulp adventure stories in general.

Ring of Winter is book number 5 in the Hapers series. The Harpers series is a group of stand alone novels all dealing with the Harpers organization in the Forgotten Realms. You don't necessarily need to read the first book to jump right into the series. The Harpers series is also a good way to get aclamated to the Forgotten Realms, think of it as a test drive for the world if you will.

In Ring of Winter, James Lowder tells the story of a young treasure hunter who's journey takes him half way around the world. The hero faces numerous challenges along the way as he tries to find the myth of the ring. It almost has an Indiana Jones type feel to it, except on a grand fantasy stafe.

I must say, that this book involves two of my favorite all time characters, the talking wombats... what's not to like about talking wombats? :-)

In all honesty, James Lowder proves with this book that he is one of the best Forgotten Realms writters in a long time. The tale he weaves is just a fantastic read. He has a good mix of action, suspense and humor... all combining to make an enjoyable book. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the fantasy genre.

This is the story of Artus Cimber, explorer, adventurer, historian, and former Harper, as he searches high and low for the Ring of Winter.
The book traces Artus Cimber's journey from the kingdom of Cormyr, to Baldur's Gate, and down the Sea of Swords to the Jungles of Chult in search of the mythical/legendary artifact "The Ring of Winter," which is rumored to provide immortality... at a cost; the coming of a second Ice Age. Needless to say this artifact is something that more than a few people would like to call their own, and so the adventure begins.
The book is a great tie-in with James Lowder's previous book Crusade, so if you can, read them in that order.
The Ring of Winter starts off incredibly well and continues so, up until half way through; enter the talking wombats (!!!), in British accents (!!!), before it picks up again a few pages later, for what ends up being a very good fantasy book. Jim, what were you thinking with the wombats??? And keep those Artus Cimber stories coming!
In short, the book is very well written and the characters really do come alive, so if you like tropical jungles, dinosaurs, exotic goblins, and would like a change of scenery to break the routine without leaving the Forgotten Realms world, try and get your hands on a copy of The Jungles of Chult.

I know fantasy books are suppossed to be in the realm of fantasy. However, I think this one took it a little too far. I mean talking wombats? Not to mention the fact that the books hero "Artus Cimber" always seems to get saved just in the nick of time, no matter what predicament he is in. I know that the main character is not suppossed to die, but he he just doens't seem to be that tough, and merit the respect that everyone gives him. Basically this book is like a lot of fantasy books, where the heroes seem to get through impossible odds without barely breaking a sweat. It is somewhat entertaining, and gave me a little more knowledge about the lands of chult, but if you can't buy it used, don't buy it at all.

The story line is good but a few items should be addressed. The Jungles of Chult and the Harper themes did not go hand in hand. Too many "luck" happenings occured. The evil "chaser" follows him across the Faerun, everyone seemed to know about the Harpers(and in the Chult no doubt) and too many abstract characters with no common ground. The biggest flaw was there were at least 5-10 run-on openings with each character.

If you enjoy sword and sorcery fiction, and reading AD&D novels, skip this one. Ring of Winter is a bad children's story complete with cute cudley little creatures that make you think your time would be better spent watching grass grow, which would undoubtedly prove to be more exciting than this book. Think of Indianna Jones but take away sense of humor, wit, and basically any characteristic that makes the character interresting, and you have Artus Cimber. Instead of Dragons, Trolls or Orcs, Artus has Dinosaurs (yawn) to contend with. If not for an annoying tribe of Goblins there might be no semblence of an AD&D adventure at all in this book. This book is Post Avatar Trilogy, in which the Ring of Winter was mentioned several times, hinting that Kelemvor Lyonsbane had at one time taken up the quest to find the artifact. Well, don't look for Kelemvor's story here. Over all this book is boring and quite disappointing. The one positive thing I will say is that I did like James Lowder's style of writing and use of language, hopefully his other works are more interresting. As a story teller, he failed miserably in this one.