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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Useless characters, interesting setting, December 21, 2007
This review is from: Stardeep: The Dungeons (Mass Market Paperback)
The best part of the novel is Telarian, the supposed villain. In a misguided attempt to help, the diviner causes a great deal more trouble than he realizes. This is a good example of how the ends don't always justify the means. Cordell really plumbs the depth of what that means, and how a misguided attempt at doing good can do so much harm to so many. To tell you more would ruin the novel, but in this one, our heroes and villains, while identifiable, all have bits of good and bits of darkness in them. It's a yin and yang fantasy. In its style, content, characterization and all other elements, the entire novel shows that there is a little bit of good in everything (actions, words, deeds) as well as a little bit of bad.
Forgotten Realms fans will enjoy Stardeep. Those who love novels with elves will drool over this one. I recommend this as a good shared-world novel. It has fun action, unique characters, and a setting little explored, even by other Forgotten Realms authors. And if you enjoy it, Cordell has announced that this is not the end of Stardeep's characters. His next novel will continue their stories. I for one am looking forward to it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even better than it seems, August 25, 2009
This review is from: Stardeep: The Dungeons (Mass Market Paperback)
This is my favorite Cordell book so far. What appeals to me about Stardeep is that nothing in this book is clear cut, no action or decision or character is black or white ---- everything in this place is equivocal. Except, interestingly, a sword: the results of blind moral certainty, here, are disastrous. In Stardeep, you have to embrace the dual nature of right and wrong, loyalty and betrayal, and conflicting obligations. This book is conceptually very good; it offers you something to think about even after you've finished reading it. Maybe this is why at least one reviewer didn't like Stardeep. Not everybody wants a book that makes you think; sometimes we just need a book to take us on an interesting trip. But I think Stardeep works in that way, too. The plot moves right along, and I found Raidon Kane and Kiril Duskmourn both extremely interesting. Even the minor characters are compelling: I really liked Gage, and Brathtar, and (I'm not kidding) I actually had "something in my eye" when Adrik died. Of course, Stardeep has all of the stuff that you read Forgotten Realms books for, magic and demons and undead and a remarkably compassionate giant fungus (*why* must all the good monsters die!). If you want to know where Raidon came from after reading Plague of Spells, or if you want to know what happened to Kiril Duskmourn after reading Darkvision, or if you just like books about elves, Stardeep is completely satisfying. And if you want to spend some time after reading it thinking about the ambiguous nature of right and wrong, you can do that, too.
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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Forgotten Realms Novel, November 15, 2007
This review is from: Stardeep: The Dungeons (Mass Market Paperback)
I was very surprised when I read the review by Andrew Gray "Beezer MN". I did not agree with most of his review. Yes, there is a bit of a sci-fi feel with some portions (specifically related to the intelligent construct introduced in the novel), I did not think that was at all detracting from the story or the "realms" feel of the novel. The realms are wide and there are many powerful and fantastic creations, and I found it to be a nice touch to see a different take on magic constructs.
The story and character development were pretty straight forward, as most one-off realms novels are. I did enjoy the authors incorporation of lore from other stories/novels/books. If you are not a dedicated reader of forgotten Realms novels, you can still read this book and not miss any part of the story. If you are a Forgotten Realms fan, and I assume you are if you are buying this novel, then you will probably enjoy these references.
The previous reviewer felt there were too many characters in the novel and found this difficult to follow. It was pretty obvious from the beginning who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. All of the characters introduced in the book had a part to play and theu were certainly easy to keep track of.
I have read most FR novels and I very much enjoyed this book. I have never written a review of any book, but I just felt that the one star given by the other reviewer was way off base. I would rate this a solid 3 or 3.5 stars. however, to balance out the 1 star rating, I have given it a 5.
As far as FR novels go, this was a good one and I hope to read more about several of the characters (Kiril, Raidon, and maybe even Gage)
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