Customer Reviews

Resurrection (Forgotten Realms: R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen, Book 6)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I purchased all the hard covers for this book from Dissolution to Resurrection. The first five books were excellent. The final book is a complete disappointment. You have this plot from the first book to the last that Lolth was supposed to change into something fantastic that will change the Forgotten Realms for ever. Nothing special happened to Lolth. She changed her address and appearance, that is it. Plus there were characters that did not deserve to die and their deaths were very simple.

Well, I must say I did enjoy this series of books, but the way the whole thing ended was a bit disappointing. It seemed to offer more questions than it acutally answered. I was mad that my favorite character had to die and was even madder than another character died in a way in which he should not have been killed. He was meant to die a "different" way. There were a few storylines for earlier books in the series that never got resolved. I look forward to the possibility of this story continuing in another saga, but we'll have to wait and see I guess. All in all, I found the ending to a great saga to be a little thin...

The core problem that I had with the ending is that it felt largely anti-climactic...to put it mildly. The best way I can explain it is this, for those that have ever played an RPG before, imagine someone randomly proxying someones character at apparently random intervals. There was some continuity in the characters but the core problem was that there were sudden shifts in characters taht seemed to exist for no apparent reasons.

*slight spoilers*
1) The convert to Elialistree seemed fairly strong and secure in her faith, now suddenly she's having HUGE doubts and questioning her faith.
2) Jeggred jumps from dumb sadist, to cunning soldier, to suddenly able to quip back at the wizard and is also suddenly able to easily transfer loyalty...
3) On the series in General there are periods of good writing but is then followed by what seems like forced slapdash pieces. The transformation of Lolth is one of them.

I'm not asking for a happy ending, I'm not asking for an ending where good triumphs. What I ask for is that the books go along at at least a stable pace and it doesn't seem like they suddenly pull pieces of plot out of their patoot.

The first five books were a bit hit and miss. Books 1, 3, and 4 were good, book 2 was plodding, book 5 was inanely plodding (and included the pointless death of Ryld).

Book 6 utterly trashes the entire series. After reading this book, its clear that: The relevent sections of all 6 books could have been condensed down to 1 book.

I have never before seen so many good story ideas squandered or cast off by a series. Lets look at what the finale told us was important to read:

1) The entirety of the War in Menzoberranzan: Pointless (no outcome, no change, nothing but filler material)
2) Rivalry between Gromph and Quenthel: Pointless (serves no purpose in the story line other than filler for book 1)
3) Pharaun Mizzrym: Pointless (serves no purpose in the end)
4) Ryld Argith: Wasted (Could point to Halisstra and say he served a purpose there, but not much of one, apparently)
5) Eilistraeen storyline: Pointless (unbelievable plot of shifting godly loyalties on Halisstra's part, turns her into a completely naive fool, which is not a reasonable transformation from a drow priestess of Lolth)
6) Lolth's transformation and resurrection: Seemlingly Pointless (Was there any conceivable effect on the world? Considering that Ched Nasad was never an important part of Forgotten Realms, no)
7) Nimor and the Jaezred Chaulssin: Pointless (No purpose served in the end)
8) Jeggred: Who? I thought this was a difference character in all 6 books that just sorta shared a name.

Poorly Done in Book 6:
1) Gromph's section (in its entirety): This is the worst example of fantasy writing I have ever read. It was an entire book spent dealing with circumventing some wards, interspersed with a few boring fight descriptions. It was even worse than the half a book wizard's duel from book 5, and I didn't think anyone could outdo Phillip Athan in overwriting a really thin plot point.
2) Story Arc: Kemp writes about 50 pages of actual novel material in 320 pages. The entirety of the book was wasted on obnoxious description and elaboration.
3) Inthracis: Huh? Why did we even bother with this plot point. It served absolutely no purpose than to take up another 50 pages of paper space. Inthracis and his horde did nothing but present another very minor and pointless speed bump in the story. Oh, and despite Pharaun's well established power, I found the end of that little duel to be terribly unbelievable.

Really, if you haven't read this one yet, but have read the rest of the series, go to the bookstore, read the last 20 pages of the book, and then bonk yourself over the head with it a few times. The effect will be the same as if you read it.

Okay first off I was very disapointed in what was a great fantasy series by various authors. I didn't care for Halistra who started out to be really cool became almost totally benign and simply uncomprehensive. I also didn't like the authors contradictions to what everyone knows about the drow.

For example all drow can levitate (it's a natural ability of the drow) yet you have Kemp saying that it's hard for the drow to levitate. I don't honestly think that Kemp really did his research into the drow society. Honestly I felt the ending was one of the most pointless and meeningless endings ever made. Infact the vast majority of the characters acted totally out of character.

For example, where's Phaurons witt? He isn't supposed to merely look away. He had drive and charisma and yet Kemp mistakenly believing that just because Phauron is a male that he will act like a slave? I also remember that Quenthel and Phauron aren't really supposed to get along but boy does that change.

Also how is it that Halistra starts doubting herself with no apparent reason. Maybe someone else should have wrote this series I guess.

This was a truly disappointing finish to the series. The big showdown that had been brewing for the last 4 books between the followers of Elestree and Llolth results in a battle that lasts about 60 seconds and takes three pages. It seems as though Kemp just didn't like the whole previous set-up and wanted to get on with hsi own characters--the crazy necromancer and his army that Kemp introduces.
I also must say that most of the interesting personality conflicts that had made the other books more interesting (such as between Beanre and Fearun, disappear.) All of the characters have become two (maybe even one) dimensional.

I don't see why everyone dislikes this novel so much. Yes big changes were hinted at throughout this whole series and did not really come thought at the end, but does it always take a huge change in the realms to please people now? The drow are such a cash cow for novels now they could not possibly kill of Lloth and possibly alter the structure of Drow society and the image of the drow. *****spoiler***** i knew from the start of it that Lloth was going to remain basically the same at the end of the story. One of my favorite parts of the novel focused on Gromph attempting to slip into the drow house, if you read it you know what I am talking about but i don't want to spoil everything.

I thought Paul Kemp did a great job writing this novel. You have to remember that he had to follow the storyline and did not have free rein to do whatever he wanted. Even if this novel disappointed you I suggest checking out Kemp's Cale trilogy and his work in the Sembia series.

*****spoiler******
I only things that mildly upset me was the death of Pharuan and that Jeggred lived.

The worst aspect of the series for fans of R.A. Salvatore and fans of the Forgotten Realms is that after this entire series is resolved, all subsequent Forgoten Realms novels will not reflect the upheaval within the Underdark portrayed ad nauseum within these pages. Will Realms now have a paralell universe? Will the utterly chaotic Drow find a common purpose to rebuild and reconcile? I'm sorry, of all the 'Realms Underdark series written to date this is by far the most commercial and dissapointing waste of recycled paper in recent memory. The several bright character persona moments through out the series are overshadowed by the rush to closure in book 6. Did every story line require a forced ending?

Poor poor choices were made here, but at least its over. I am certainly waiting for reader reviews before delving into another title from this genre again. The folks here have it just about right.

NP

I'm not surprised there's a lot of negative reaction to the ending of this series. It's depressing as hell. I wager most of us didn't really think anything would change for the Forgotten Realms when the dust finally settled, but we were all holding our breath in hopes of seeing the bitch get whacked.

I'm not overly a fan of depressing endings, but they can't all be giant sunshine puppy rainbow fests. The writing was solid in my opinion, and some of the points other reviewers dislike (such as characters dying with little fanfare) are some of the stronger points in my eyes. People don't always die in the form of epic poetry in the arms of their lovers leaving behind profound least words. Sometimes when you play with fire enough you eventually get incinerated and left for dust without a second thought. Life's kinda that way, and the Drow have always been a subtle, realistic lesson about the hollow ends that await for those who live by the sword.

Notably, some of the ways in which characters dealt with their own chaotic moral struggles were very resounding. Taking a step away from the usual "I WEAR BLACK AND AM BAD" mentality typical of the genre, the writer delved into the realm of real human emotion, pain, and struggle with what is true or right. The final betrayal of one of the key character was disturbingly similar to the thought processes found in the real world where belief that one must protect themselves by striking first becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We see the real motivational feelings under the surface of some of the bad guys. Not only the raw aggression and egotism worn as armor, but also squishy desperation and fear on the inside.

Overall, I enjoyed the book even if the ending was bittersweet and left me wanting to punch some one in a black hat. The examination of evil was refreshingly handled, which won it some points in my book.

I must say that I had enjoyed the first five of the six, but the finish left me disappointed. I understand that it must be difficult for an author to pick up where another has left off, and make the story his own, but this one seems to just tie up some loose ends and leaves me thinking "so what." Lloth disappears, her followers' lives are in upheaval, the drow are threatened by other evil actors, and Lloth returns, "reborn." So what? Okay, some characters were developed and killed off, but "so what." We, the readers are taken to some interesting places in the Forgotten Realms world, but I think the author, Paul Kemp, stayed in the box and kept it a neat and tidy wrap up of an otherwise great tale. Not sure if this is a failure of the author, or if he was given stringent guidelines to keep it plain and simple.

In a word, "disappointment."