Customer Reviews

Swordmage: Blade of the Moonsea, Book I (Blades of Moonsea)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Swordmage by Richard Baker is the first book in the Blades of Moonsea trilogy. Forgotten Realms fans will be most interested in this book due to the fact that it is the first book in the post-Spellplague era. The second book is titled Corsair, but as of yet there is no release date announced for it. The prelude takes place in 1477 DR and the rest of the novel takes place in 1479 DR. There has been much talk about just what the Spellplague means to the Realms and the repercussions of it. After finishing this novel, I have to say that the jury is still out. There was not much real `change' blatantly apparent in this book.

The plot of this book is a somewhat recycled, clichéd, plot. That of a small town trying to turn back what appears to be an insurmountable horde of monsters. To further cliché that plot line there is an evil mastermind using the horde as a marionette to further his own goals. There are also several subplots woven into this story. The largest, most important subplot for the book, is the political tensions in the town of Hulburg. There are several factions vying for control of the city and the textiles within the city. There is also a mystery surrounding the death of a beloved captain of the Shieldsworn. Another subplot is the discovery that someone, or a group of people, are violating long standing laws and breaking into barrows scattered around the realm. The reason these laws are in place and just what lays in some of the barrows is well explained in a few small subtle passages. Along the way a few other subplots are tossed into the mix to add to the overall story. Even though the basic premise of this novel has been told before, as well as some of the subplots, for he most part it works for this book. The overall plot, and for that matter the subplots, don't come across as overstated or too much. However, I was disappointed that being as though this was billed as the first Forgotten Realms novel set in the post-Spellplague era that it did not include more fact about the Spellplague and just what it did to the Realms.

The characters in this novel are the highlight of the novel for the most part. I do have a couple minor complaints about them, but for the most part they are interesting and well written. The only real complaint I have about any of the characters is there is a `bad guy' who is written in such a way that the reader isn't supposed to know that the character is `bad'. However, to me anyway, the character was written too strongly that when the character is revealed as being evil it is not really a surprise. There are several interesting characters in this novel such as; Hamil, Mirya, Kara, Geran and many more. The heroes in this book are all well written and seem to have their own individual motivations, actions and dialogue. Nothing frustrates me more than when every character seems to talk the same in a book even though they are vastly different. That's not the case with this book and I appreciate that. Being that this is the first book in the trilogy there are small pockets of character development but that is not the focus of this novel. Hopefully more of that will come in the future novels in this series.

I do have a couple minor criticisms with this novel.

1 - As I said in the opening. Being that this is the first book in the post-Spellplague era I was hoping for more information on it and was disappointed that the information we are given are really small nuggets that don't give much information at all. This novel seemed like a perfect opportunity to describe at least a few things (in greater detail) that were a result of the Spellplague.

2 - The `bad guy'. I was just disappointed that there was really no mystery as to who it was and what was really going on. If it was meant as a red herring or something to push the reader in another direction it failed on me. I would have liked a little more mystery for the first half of the novel.

3 - The overall plot, and some of the subplots, just seemed to be over done and redundant in the fantasy genre. While I understand the sentiment that there really can not be any new story lines any more, at least don't make them so standard for lack of a better term. I would think that being the first book in the post-Spellplague era that there could have been numerous stories to tell.

Some things I particularly liked about this novel.

1 - It was not lost on me that the first Forgotten Realms book was set in the Moonsea Isles and the first book in the `new' Forgotten Realms is also set there. It's nice to see that come full circle.

2 - As with the other books that Mr. Baker has written the pacing and flow are very good. The story never seems to bog down in needless details and the scenes are crisp and to the point. It's a comfortable prose that doesn't try to be anything it's not.

3 - I also liked that it was a (mostly) rather contained story. It seems that some Realms novels of late have encompassed large areas and while that's fine and good, I also like the smaller scope stories and that's just what we have here.

Overall, I was satisfied with this book. Granted, I may have had too high of expectations of what to expect with the Spellplague and all that. Looking at this strictly as a fantasy book, and the first of a trilogy, I think it serves its purpose. It establishes characters and tells a solid story. It may have to live up to some high hopes from Forgotten Realms fans, who like me may be disappointed at first with what is `missing' in the book. Putting all that aside ad judging it strictly on what it is, I think it's a solid start not only to the trilogy but to the new direction of the Realms. All Forgotten Realms fans will surely want to check it out, and fantasy fans looking to get into the Realms would do well to take a look at this one as well. I am excited to see what the new direction for the Realms will be.

Richard Baker's "Swordmage" is the first book of the Blades of the Moonsea trilogy, which takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons' Forgotten Realms world. This is the first novel utilizing the new fourth edition rules introduced during the course of this year.

The story takes place approximately one hundred years after the Realms event called The Spellplague, which is the method used to introduce the changes to the rule set. It is set in the Northern Moonsea in a growing and thriving town called Hulburg. Geran, the main character, is a human swordmage who studied magic and swordplay from the elves in Myth Drannor and is the nephew of the town's leader, the Harmach. After ten years away from home, Geran receives a letter stating that his childhood friend had died. He returns to pay his respects and makes sure that his friend's estate and family are taken care of and not ruined by the loss.

Traveling with Geran is a halfling named Hamil, a good friend from his earlier adventuring days and his business partner. Upon returning to Hulburg Geran notices the many changes in the city, not all of them positive. A run-in with a nefarious slave trading gang in his city sets Geran off to find out what has happened while he was away. Little by little Geran learns that the situation in Hulburg has gone down hill while leaving the Harmach powerless to do anything about it.

Meanwhile, brewing in the plains far north of Hulburg a mysterious warlock makes a deal with an orc chieftain to raise an army. This army soon begins marching south to take control of the lands around them with Hulburg in its path. Geran also discovers the reason behind his friend's death and investigates the opening and robbing of sacred barrows located near the town.

Political intrigue, an advancing army, and leadership strife within the town establish a story rife with possibility, and seeing how this is the first of three books, we can only watch and see how Mr. Baker can weave the elements together to complete the trilogy.

Overall, this was a good book. I enjoyed reading it and was interested in following the story. The setting was very well done and the Mr. Baker weaves some interesting subplots around the whole story arc. The characers kept my interest and the pacing was very nicely controlled. I liked the escape scene from Griffonwatch, it contained plenty of action and suspense.

Regarding the characters though, I believe this story could have used more intimacy with the spotlighted characters. They were good but the narrative felt a little more distanced than I think it should have been. I would have enjoyed the story to be just a slightly bit more cerebral and emotionally involved. Again, the characters were done well but I think as a reader it would've made for more involvement.

**Info for Realms fans below**

As an avid Realms fan, my big disappointment regarding this particular book, which I must add was my expectation going in, was the introduction of the "new and improved" Forgotten Realms world. After all the readings and hintings and discussions going on regarding the big changes in the world - and I'm not up-to-the-minute involved with those discussions - I went in expecting something much different, much more than the adventure Richard Baker takes us on. Information regarding the death of Mystra, the goddess of magic, and the disruption of her weave, the impact of Shar's efforts leading up to the Spellplague, the rearrangement of the gods and their portfolios, and the sundering of Abeir with Toril (or however it's described), all of these events leading up to this new era seemed to be nothing but a minor cosmetic change in this book.

What struck me most in my expectation was the mere side comments regarding Changelands and a quick observation of a particular gods return/change - Lathander back to Amaunator, not to mention the spell-scarred, which seemed only a new variety of feat , like tattoo feats, rather than something more central to the events. This is still a Realms novel and everything acted, behaved, and read the same as before this Realms changing event. I was expecting a darker, more strife ridden Realms. A world where danger seemed more suffused with the common, less sword and sorcery and more tragic/gothic/sinister tales which would provide a much stronger contrast for heroics or anti-heroes.

Paul S. Kemp's telling of the events leading up to the Spellplague in the Twilight War trilogy leave one expecting the new Realms tone and mood to have this flavor of the dark and foul, similar in concept to Eberron's overall theme of a war ravaged world, where the effects and consequences of this theme are somewhat inherent to the stories taking place.

Anyway, once I let go of my expectations the book was good, well told, and enjoyable, but I am somewhat leary of seeing what comes out of this new edition regarding these novels and short stories, especially if this is the ground floor the other books will be based on. For fans of the Realms, I would offer a warning to suspend whatever ideas you have going in and enjoy another tale told in the world you know and love. To everyone else, I do recommend reading this story, it is good quick read and has enough going on to keep you interested and entertained.

To me this book moved along at a faster pace than most first books in a trilogy. There are some character introductions, plot settings, and establishing the landscape and I will say there are a few places where the pace does bog down a bit, but I don't feel it slowed it down too badly. The characters are the shining beacons here. Mr. Baker really seemed to put a lot of thought and care into his characters and made them a joy to read. The imagery is also nicely done. I had a wonderful time walking the streets of Hulburg and beyond. I say it this way because I really could envision myself walking the streets and soaking in the sights. The details were explicit enough and I was able enjoy the background better in this book than I have in other books for a while now.

Happy reading

-Dimndbangr

After reading Richard Baker's contribution to the War of the Spider queen - easily the best book in that series - I picked up this novel with high hopes. Well, it certainly did not disappoint; I read it in one weekend, rapt with the story.

Swordmage follows a member of Hulburg's ruling family on his return to his native town after a ten-year absense, and he finds himself in a city that isn't as he remembered: foreign merchant companies run much of the town with the help of those who strayed from their loyalty, there are strange goings-on that tie together the death of a friend and the raiding of tombs outside of town. Furthermore, the orc tribes to the north gather strength under a new alliance and an ancient evil stirs and has some relation to the tomb raiding.

The book is very well written and the characters have depth to them. A particular plus for me is that not once does it degenerate into what so many fantasy novels do, with superhuman characters that end up more powerful than an army of men or archmages that are veritable gods. The characters are simple, plain, have their flaws, they are vulnerable and magic plays only a small role. This makes the book plausible which in turn makes it more interesting than many of those other books.

Highly recommended.

Straight to the point, a great book. Interesting all the way through. The series gets better in the second book, i am really excited to read the third.

I enjoyed Swordmage a Hell of a lot. It's a terrific read that makes great use of both the logic and the history of the Forgotten Realms to tell a story that I think all D&D fans will get a kick out of. In fact, between my day-to-day gaming--where on of my players is playing a swordmage--and Richard Baker's writing, I think swordmage is now my favorite class. Bottom line, I'm at the point where I want to BE a swordmage when I grow up. And I'm 36! Ha!

Anywho, Swordmage works because Richard Baker is not only a good writer, he's also a WOTC game designer. Thus, the book works strongly within the mechanics of the game. We see a recognizable Rogue, a Ranger, a Swordmage, a Sorcerer, a Vasaan Warlock Knight, and a Half-Orc Warlord. And the half-orc barbarian is easily the best character of the bunch! Baker uses the logic of the PHB2 racial description to good effect in designing the character. The half-orc is smarter and far more patient than any of the pure-blood orcs around him, and that gives him an obvious and demonstrable advantage. It's kind of fascinating, really. Easily my favorite part of the book.

Meanwhile, the swordmage class is a lot more interesting now that I understand it a little better. I had had this conception in my mind that a swordmage was basically a fighter who used the occasional spell to augment his physical attacks. With that in mind, I thought that having a swordmage's attacks based around his Intelligence score was a dumb, power-gamey solution to the non-existent problem of balancing the importance of abilities throughout the various classes. But in Swordmage you can see clearly that my understanding of the class was fundamentally flawed. In fact, a swordmage is a lot more like a close-combat wizard who uses a blade as his implement rather than a traditional fighter who chops things, albeit with a bit of magical help. Granted, this is pretty much how the class is described in the FRPG, but I didn't really get it until I'd started reading the novel. In the book, the protagonist is constantly using a bunch of different aegis spells and burst attacks--exactly like my in-game players do! And that is by far and away the coolest part of the story. Yes, Geran chops occasionally, but most of his attacks are more like a Close Burst 1 or variations on the Aegis of Shielding. It's all very cool, and it makes total sense in the grand scheme of things. The only thing that the book has that the game is missing is a set of minor cantrips for swordmages. My man uses a common Light spell all the time. We might have to houserule something like that in our tabletop game.

Bottom line, Swordmage is a great book for fans of the Realms who actually play Dungeons and Dragons. If that's not you, then I don't know what to tell you. But if you do play, then this is a book in which you can see the logic and mechanics of the universe in which your characters exist. I liked that. On top of that, I found the characters likeable and interesting. The book itself was a rollicking good time. Personally, I don't ask for anything more in my Fr novels.

This is a very well written and Mr. Baker gets you to care about the characters very earliy on. The basic story is about an adventurer that comes back to his hometown after being away for 10 years to find out what happened to an old friend who has been murdered. The story keeps you engaged the whole way thru. The second half of the books really moves and I couldnt hardly put it down. I snuck in chapters even at work it was so good! I can't wait for the second book! Great Job Rich!

Swordmage, book one in The Blades of the Moonsea series, is the first novel set in the *new* Forgotten Realms. The Spellplague, already come and gone, is only briefly touched on in this book, but the effects can still be felt.

Geran Hulmaster, along with his friend and business partner Hamil, is on his way home to the sleepy town he grew up in. The reason for his return is not a happy one. He is mourning a loss, in the town he's headed to, and in the one he has left behind.

Things go from bad to worse when the travelers arrive in Hulmaster. The sleepy town is awash with foreign merchants bent on taking the law, and the town's economy into their own hands. Then there's the orc threat., and they have help form abroad as well.

What I liked best about Swordmage were the characters. The bad guys aren't just mean, they're clever and the good guys aren't sickly sweet, goody-two-shoes. The plot could be a tiny bit formulaic at times, but never to the point of feeling that turning the next page would be futile.

In all, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending this book to someone who was looking for a fantasy read laced with a hint of mystery and suspense. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series.

Great story line and better than I expected. I would have liked to know more of the characters life with the Elves. Maybe after the series is done, the author could make a prequel.

This book was a fun adventure story. The main character returns home to find his home town overrun with thugs. They finally threated an old girlfirend and he gets voilent with them upsetting the specail arrangments made for foreigners. It turns out that that one of the rulers has made some deals with orcs and undead to get the other leading families out of town or dead so that he could ruel. I did like the adventure part in that it was very D&D only the hero and at best a small party solving the mysteries.