5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A decent anthology, March 25, 2005
This review is from: Realms of the Dragons: The Year of Rogue Dragons (Forgotten Realms Anthology) (Mass Market Paperback)
Providing a selection of stories from a range of eras in the Forgotten Realms history and present, this anthology's stories all involve dragons in some fashion.
While his is usually the best among Forgotten Realms anthologies, Salvatore's "Wickless in the Nether" is not really anything to rave about. This is another Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle story, this time having them being manipulated by dragons. The story really does not go anywhere, though it might tie into the next novel involving them. This one just did not do it for me, though it was the reason I bought the book.
"Soulbound" gives us a story of a Shadow Dragon and its dealings with some clerics of Shadow. The ending was disappointing, though there might be a sequel at some point, or so I hope.
"First Flight" by Edward Bolme is a great read. This one has a wizard of Netheril investigating some mysterious happenings, and being caught up in some deific meddling.
Cunningham's "Gorlist's Dragon" was so-so, telling the tale of a drow in Ched Nasad. This is something of a coming-of-age tale, and was worth the read.
Greenwood's "Keeper of Secrets" was also a so-so read. This is a story set in Waterdeep, with some familiar characters. Mirt the Moneylender contacts a mysterious figure of rumor in his attempt to solve the murder of one of those in debt to him.
"The Topaz Dragon" by Lebow was a nice story. This one has a dragon trying to use those who would steal her egg to her own ends.
"Serpestrillvyth" by Richard Baker was a really nice story. While many others have nice touchy-feely resolutions, this one certainly does not. It deals with a band of adventurers in their mission to save a town from the depredations of an evil dragon.
"Waylaid" is a good read, brought to us by Thomas Reid. It has a half-elf snared by a white dragon and coerced into doing its bidding.
"Standard Delving Procedure" by Smedman started out very promising, though the ending was somewhat abrupt and only partially satisfying. I liked it overall though, with an older dwarf trying to mentor a younger impetuous one.
"An Icy Heart" provides a nice story about Dragon Turtles and their attempts to deal with the Rage, the malady that is making dragons go crazy.
"Penitential Rites" by Strohm is a murder mystery that was really not that tough to solve. I did not get much from this tale of a half-dragon trying to repent for his past misdeeds.
Dave Gross's "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" is a truly great story. This one has a theater troupe writing and performing a play as a special commission. The characterization and plot development, as well as the details of the day-to-day theater life. This and Byers' story are the two best in the book.
"Beer with a Fat Dragon" is another so-so story. This one has characters from the Forgotten Realms' Far East dealing with a dragon legend from that region.
Richard Lee Byers' "The Prisoner of Hulburg" is another great story. Evil Zhents, archeological delvings, thieves, psionics, clerics, demons, and fighting, all good stuff. Definitely a page turner.
While most of the stories are so-so, the writing itself is generally good. The two stories by Byers and Gross alone make this collection worth picking up.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Overall, a very good anthology. Some real good stories, October 24, 2004
This review is from: Realms of the Dragons: The Year of Rogue Dragons (Forgotten Realms Anthology) (Mass Market Paperback)
First of all, the problem with anthologies is typically this: there are always a couple superb stories and a couple of real lousy stories, with the rest just being moderately par, if that. However, "Realms of the Dragons" is much better than some of the more recent collection of short stories that I have read. There are many more exceptionally good stories, and the moderate ones were slightly above average. Of course there are a few that are just plain bad, too, but that is as expected.
One great thing is that there are so many familiar characters from other Forgotten Realms stories. It is very interesting to touch in on some of these characters to see what they are up to after the last story they were in, or to see how this short story will affect the next book they might appear in.
A few of the better stories were authored by Kemp, Bolme, Salvatore, and Byers. Cunningham's story was pretty decent, but not exceptional for the same reason that some of the others were: this anthology is about dragons, and in some of the stories there is very little interaction with dragons. Sometimes they only make a brief appearance, which is very dissappointing. And in some of the stories, they are just people in disguise. I wish the author's would have collaborated and talked about what they were going to do with the dragons in their respective stories, so there would not be quite so much overlap.
However, most of the stories are good, interesting, and definately worth reading. The worst story in the collection was "Standard Delving Procedure," by Lisa Smedman. It was pretty awful and was very dissappointed in the content of the story. Other than that big flop, the collection is very satisfactory.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4.0 out of 5 stars
Realms of the Dragons anthology, November 22, 2010
This review is from: Realms of the Dragons: The Year of Rogue Dragons (Forgotten Realms Anthology) (Mass Market Paperback)
Realms of the Dragons edited by Philip Athans- This anthology was released in October 2004 and was published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This anthology is based in the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons and Dragons. This anthology ties into Richard Lee Byers' The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy. There are fourteen short stories written by Paul S. Kemp, Edward Bolme, Elaine Cunningham, Ed Greenwood, Jess Lebow, R. A. Salvatore, Richard Baker, Thomas M. Reid, Lisa Smedman, Voronica Whitney-Robinson, Keith Francis Strohm, Dave Gross, Don Bassingthwaite, and Richard Lee Byers. Realms of the Dragons deals with stories about dragons.
"Soulbound" by Paul S. Kemp
Kesson Rel is the first Chosen of Mask, who drank from the chalice that Mask forbade anyone from drinking. Labeled a heretic by the followers of Mask, he seeks revenge on his fellow priests. However, an oath prevents him from just killing the priests. But he has another idea, use a Shadow Dragon to do it. After a vision that Avnon the Seer has, he knows what he must do.
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts:
"Soulbound" is an okay story. For those who haven't read The Erevis Cale Trilogy or the Twilight War Trilogy you will be left in the dark. However, Kesson Rel is a very interesting character who makes you want to find out more about him. It's still an entertaining story, but it could leave a lot of new readers in the dark.
"First Flight" by Edward Bolme
Serreg is an archwizard of the floating city Delia sent to discover why the earth and creatures below the city are dying. After coming to the conclusion that its something magic related, Serreg goes out to put a stop to the spell and its casters. However, Serreg underestimates the beings and cries out for help, which is answered by a god. The god gives Serreg a dagger that gives its wielder an amazing power, but at a cost. But is it enough to save the archwizard from the creatures?
Overall: 3/5
Thoughts:
"First Flight" was a good story, but it really felt out-of-place in this anthology. I would have expected that a story in an anthology about dragons be primarily about dragons. Instead we have a story that is based more on magic and the arcane than on dragons. However, the story itself was very entertaining and did hold my interest. It still is a good read, but still feels very out-of-place.
"Gorlist's Dragon" by Elaine Cunningham
Young Gorlist doesn't want to be a wizard like his father. Instead, he wants to be a warrior, just like his mother. He wants to follow in her footsteps, become a renowned gladiator like her and be as respected and feared. But that doesn't work in the drow society, and it doesn't help that Gorlist loves his mother blindly. So when she sells him to the gladiator pit, he wins every battle, to prove he's worth it. That is, until trickery and deceit pit Gorlist against a dragon in a battle he must win.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
"Gorlist's Dragon" was a really fun and exciting story. The only problem was that I wished that Gorlist's relationship with his mother was a little more fleshed out and not tossed out like it was. That was a big disappointed. However, this story is a good way to get introduced into drow culture and the way they think. Also, the story itself felt more like two stories fit into one. All in all, this was a very good character driven story.
"The Keeper of Secrets" by Ed Greenwood
Mirt the Moneylender is trying to collect a debt from Yelver, but discovers him murdered. Mirt then goes off to find the secrets the man kept, seeking the aid of a person calling herself the Keeper of Secrets. However he is unable to find anything out and as they leave, a fight occurs and the Keeper asks him for help in exchange for Yelver's secrets. What was Yelver hiding and who exactly is this Keeper?
Overall: 2/5
Thoughts:
"The Keeper of Secrets" had an interesting beginning, but soon became confusing and bothersome. The murder mystery beginning of the story was interesting, but there wasn't a resolution to it, as far as I could tell. After that was scrapped and forgotten everything became a mess. It was just plain confusing, due to it feeling like it lost it's way. It actually felt like there wasn't a point to any of this. I didn't learn anything new, nor did I really care after the turn of events. Also, the dialogue had an unnatural pacing to it and it came across as forced. I would skip this story unless you can understand what is happening.
"The Topaz Dragon" by Jess Lebow
Captain Clay and his crew of the Expatriate are out to find an egg that's worth a small fortune. The only problem is that the egg is that of a topaz dragon. However, as they reach the island the dragon comes to them and asks for aid in recovering her stolen egg. It appears as though someone else took it before they could have. Captain Clay agrees to recover it, but finds himself up against something he didn't expect.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
"The Topaz Dragon" was a pretty good story. The ending fight didn't really feel right. It was too quick and it seemed way to easy for the topaz dragon. The story, while basic, was still exciting and fun. The action scenes were really thrilling and kept the story moving. Also, Captain Clay came off as a very interesting character. I don't know why but something about him just makes me want to read more about him. Overall, the story was very exciting and definitely worth the read.
"Wickless in the Nether" by R. A. Salvatore
Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle are hired out to recover a flute that their benefactor's rival is in possession of. However, things don't go according to plan and identities aren't what they appear to be.
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts:
"Wickless in the Nether" is a good story. It builds on the friendship between Jarlaxle and Entreri and you should probably read this before going into Salvatore's Promise of the Witch King, which is part of The Sellswords trilogy. Otherwise, the story was fun as well as a good read.
"Serpestrillvyth" by Richard Baker
A group of adventurers arrive in a small town asking for aid. The townsfolk tell the adventuring company that a dragon is plaguing the village and has already slayed one group of adventurers already. After hearing this, the group hires the guide that led the first group to the dragon and set off. Things don't go according to plan.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
"Serpestrillvyth" was an entertaining story with bad prose. When reading the story, it came off as sudden and jerky, instead of smooth and tight. However, this story was very unique. It was dark, with no happy ending. It felt refreshing to get a story that ends like this one does. Also, the dragon was terrifying and felt like a dragon should feel like. Serpestrillvyth was a powerhouse and not an easy kill, something that authors seem to forget about dragons. Overall, this was a good story and probably one of the darker ones of this anthology.
"Waylaid" by Thomas M. Reid
A young woman, Lynaelle, is on her way to the city of Silverymoon in the dead of winter. However, she gets waylaid by a white dragon and taken to its lair. The dragon than demands that Lynaelle serve him by killing the thief who stole his treasure. But is the thief really a thief? It is an orc after all.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
"Waylaid" was another good story, but with an extremely cheesy ending. The ending itself wasn't terrible, but it was just too convenient and silly to be taken seriously. However, the rest of the story was wonderful. Lynaelle was a great character who played her part perfectly. I actually cared about her well-being and hoped everything turned out fine. Also, you could feel the fear she felt. It was a very frightening experience for her and it was written so that the reader would feel the same. Overall, this story was well worth the read, even with the silly and cliché ending.
"Standard Delving Procedure" by Lisa Smedman
Two dwarves, an old delver named Durin and a new recruit named Frivaldi, are searching for a magical weapon called The Bane of Caeruleus. This weapon was forged to be able kill a blue dragon, and the knowledge of how to forge more of these weapons is what the duo are after. However, Frivaldi isn't following standard delving procedure and is getting the pair into trouble, but are they able to get out of it?
Overall: 5/5
Thoughts:
"Standard Delving Procedure" is a great story. It's clever and amusing and kept me entertained throughout. I really liked the use of acronyms for the 'rules of delving', they were just clever. The dwarves really worked well together. They were the usual foils to each other, but it worked to perfection. They brought a lot of amusement and humor to the story. All in all, this story was a great read and had some wonderful characters.
"An Icy Heart" by Voronica Whitney-Robinson
Chorael, a dragon turtle is about to lay her eggs. While creating her nest, she reflects on the rage that has afflicted dragonkind and what it's doing to her species. After laying her eggs, she returns to the icy waters of the lake only to discover a man drowning. She makes a last second decision and saves him, but somethings not quite right about the situation and she is too late to stop it.
Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
"An Icy Heart" was a good story, albeit a slow one. The story felt very sluggish at times and I found myself not caring about what happens early on. However, that soon changed because the story was actually interesting and heartbreaking. What also interested me were the dragon turtles themselves, and I would like to know about these creatures. If you can get past the slow development, this story may just surprise...
Read more ›
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
