7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shaking up the Drow Pantheon, September 4, 2007
This review is from: Storm of the Dead (Forgotten Realms: The Lady Penitent, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)
While I have mixed feelings about the amount of changes Lisa Smedman is making to Forgotten Realms lore, I do have to give her credit for taking the reader on a memorable journey with interesting characters, twists, and delving deep into the origins of many basic tenets of Drow society and racial abilities.
R.A. Salvatore helped bring Menzoberranzan to life, and rather than retread ground that has already been laid, Lisa Smedman has taken to fleshing out the lesser known, but no less important, Drow Pantheon and societies above and below the surface.
Primarily focusing on the followers of Ellistrae, this book takes place about two years after the first book in the series. Lolth and Ellistrae begin the book playing their board game, and Kiaransalee (drow goddess of undeath, vengeance, necromancy, etc.) is bored and decides to join in against both of them. With the pieces set, the game begins, and we are taken to the settings from the first book, where the followers of Ellistrae are attempting to reconcile their beliefs with the new converts to their church, leftover followers of Vhaeraun who join with them as their god's power, portfolio, and very existence is joined with Ellistrae's church.
This book focuses on the inevitable internal power struggles of the nightshadows and protectors. Ellistrae's creed of "always be kind" is diluted with the new messages of assassination, trickery, and other tenets which are designed as means to the end of Lolth's ultimate defeat.
Hallistra Melarn (The Lady Penitent) continues with her unclear motives, as you cannot really tell whom she ultimately serves through her actions which bring jeopardy to anyone who dares to trust her. Her brother Q'arlynd Melarn is once again drawn into the fold of Ellistrae and learns much of his house's history and some surprising things that spell out his destiny to come. Both of them play a pivotal role in the story, and the ultimate side on which House Melarn will fall is still hanging in the balance as neither is truly trustworthy enough to serve the side that they are technically "on" due to selfish beliefs and desires.
If anyone had to make the changes that occur, Lisa Smedman seems up to the task, and I enjoyed this book immensely. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoying This Series, September 13, 2007
This review is from: Storm of the Dead (Forgotten Realms: The Lady Penitent, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)
After the apparent death of my favorite drow god in the last volume I wasn't sure I wanted to continue with this series. I really ended up enjoying volume 2 though. It's about time the males got some respect - even the females that follow the Dark Maiden have always seemed like terrible chauvinists. The body is count is high enough that you just can't be sure who will survive, adding to the excitement.
Many questions were answered, but enough are still unanswered that I'm anxious to see what happens in the third volume.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Seconds of a book, October 16, 2007
This review is from: Storm of the Dead (Forgotten Realms: The Lady Penitent, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)
This book did not have the same fast place flow of the first book. This does not make it in any way worse.In this book, the characters are pitted against some lesser god of death, but this was not where the real emphasis lied. The book was really about the power plays between the Nightwalker/Mask people and Elistree's people. The other main thing it did was set up the next book by introducing that (falsee?) the energy negating stuff in the underdark was growing in power and something had to soon be done about it. I gave it a 4 because the end was so erupt. I believe that was because the defeating of the lesser god was not that crucial to the book growth, but c'mon, she was defeated in like 2 paragraphs.
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