Star of Cursrah (Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires, Book 3)) [Mass Market Paperback]

Clayton Emery (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lost Empires | Publication Date: January 1, 1999

Lurking in the ruins is a horrific tale of greed, power, and revenge.  The Protector crawls forth, the shade of a dead city whose rulers refuse to die, and young companions in two distant epochs learn of a dreadful destiny they cannot escape . . . and a deadly threat to all they hold dear.

The Lost Empires series uncovers the secrets of the ancient civilizations of the Forgotten Realms world.  Why did Cursrah fall?  Who was the Star of Cursrah?  And how can a long-dead city threaten the modern realm of Calimshan?

Uncover the secrets for yourself - if you dare.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

This book was written to order to explore the new role-playing book on Calimshan, the Forgotten Realms' equivalent of the Arabian Peninsula - with plenty of Arabian Nights intrigue and dash.

I suggested a book that tied together the ancient history of the realm with a view of the modern parts.  It wasn't long before I had the formula, which the editor loved.  We follow the adventures of three friends in the ancient world: a princess with nothing to do, a young military cadet, and a boy attached to the servant class.  In the modern world we follow their cognates: a girl rebelling against conformity and her slavetrading family, a thief who takes his life in his hands every day, and a boy who's not excited about entering the rug-making trade.

The three moderns skip out into the desert, and find what the shifting sands have uncovered - the ruins of a long-forgotten city.  And then we follow the three ancient friends and see how the city collapsed and was lost.  And how the personal lives of all six intersect.

Alternating chapters meant every chapter ended with a cliff-hanger.  A delicious tease that keeps the reader turning pages as fast as can be.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786913223
• ISBN-13: 978-0786913220
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,503,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clayton Emery is an umpteen-generations Yankee, Navy brat, and aging hippie who grew up playing Robin Hood in the forests of New England. He's been a blacksmith, dishwasher, schoolteacher in Australia, carpenter, zookeeper, farmhand, land surveyor, volunteer firefighter, and award-winning technical writer. He currently lives in Washington, DC, where he works for the Department of Homeland Security. Check out his books on Amazon, and watch for The Republic, an upcoming TV show he created.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good story but not for fans of hack and slash, June 29, 2001

By 

R. Ellis (Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star of Cursrah (Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires, Book 3)) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a very good read if you are not looking for a hack and slash adventure. The characters are all well defined, the book reads easily, and is well structured. The characters are not superhuman, which is a nice change of pace and adds a pleasant flavor to the story. The ending becomes apparent in mid-story but this does not detract from the quality of the tale. I would say that anyone that enjoyed the Cleric Quintet, by R.A. Salvatore, would also enjoy this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars "Any man who touches me gets his rod sliced off!" (p.18), September 17, 2009

By 

L Gontzes (Athens, Greece) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Star of Cursrah (Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires, Book 3)) (Mass Market Paperback)

Star of Cursrah is set in the desert realm of Calimshan in western Faerun, where it describes the parallel stories of two groups of adventuring friends that take place approximately 7,500 years apart, with one group in the present (Year of the Gauntlet, i.e. 1369 DR) and the other in the past (-6048 DR). Little do the friends, in either time period, know that their fate is intertwined...
Star of Cursrah is the third in a series of four novels (known as the Lost Empires series and which includes The Lost Library of Cormanthyr, Faces of Deception, and the Nether Scroll) that deal with the secrets of four of Toril's long lost ancient civilizations.
The plot is simply enticing! Clayton Emery does a wonderful job of presenting essential knowledge relevant to Faerun, including customs, religion, and the history of the peoples of Toril e.g. the depiction of the extinct rhinaur and manscorpion was great as was the in-depth look into the local cuisine (pp.105-106), not to mention Cursrah's social structure (p.138) and the breathtaking description of the city, which read like a history book (Chapter 4). Moreover, Clayton Emery describes Calim's Scepter and its effects (pp.179-182) superbly as was the description of the vizars (the necromantic priests) (pp.71-73) and the marid Bitrabi (p.212). There was also the interesting mention of "Khises, the half man, half hippo hero," (p.229) and the now dead gods, Anachtyr (p.291) and Ibrandul, Father of all Lizards (pp.229 and 257).
In addition, the author does an excellent job on pages 259-261 of describing the act of looting and pillaging, while on pages 286-296 he provides a detailed description of the mummification process.
Furthermore, the author is on the ball with the following quotes which point directly at what international relations students and scholars call Realism and which is very Machiavellian in nature:
1) "This is life in the wilds, where you live by wits and claw." (p.171)
2) "...war is an extreme arm of politics." (p.173)
3) "He cared for his troops and his city. He didn't hate his enemies, even spoke well of Zubat and Samir Nagid. Under different circumstances, Pallaton would work hard to keep peace as make war." (p.176)
4) "Many of our men are green. My army needs an orgy of murder and looting to harden their hearts. Oxonsis must destroy Cursrah utterly. Only by dealing out cruelty can they learn to be as hard, as ruthless as the coming months will require each of them to be." (p.259)
Finally, the author provides for great dramatic effect with the following phrase stealing the show: "A sizzling bolt scorched the air and struck the hilltop square on the chief vizar and his pilfered scepter. Watchers grunted in sympathy as the priest and his acolytes exploded into charred gobbets of flesh that rained far out over the rocks and splashed into the churning river." (p.183)
In conclusion, Star of Cursrah is a jewel of a book as far as Fantasy and Forgotten Realms novels are concerned and subsequently, it constitutes an asset to the genre.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thought-provoking novel, March 17, 1999

By 

Joe Pingree ([e-mail]) (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star of Cursrah (Forgotten Realms: Lost Empires, Book 3)) (Mass Market Paperback)

Star of Cursrah is without a doubt Clayton Emery's best work to date. A truly original idea from an up-and-coming author. The adventures of Amenstar and her companions are not easily forgotten. A very haunting tale. 5 stars!!!