Customer Reviews

Web of the Spider (War of the Wizards, Book III)

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I'll be the first to admit, I love the character of Tiana Highrider. Sure she's very similar to likes of Red Sonja but yet still original in her own way. It's rare that I find a fantasy series where I don't become bored of the main character after a few books. The War of the Wizards trilogy had me wishing it wasn't over so quickly. I could easily have read about more of Tiana's adventures, but alas this was the end. The premise of this book involves Tiana escaping a Thesian prison (she's always escaping some prison or another!) after be caught for piracy. During her escape she comes across a mysterious black box containing a jewel encompassing human skull. This, of course starts her always perilous adventures. The book sees the reoccurrence of other supporting characters such as Caranga, Pyre, Ekron and a new character simply named the "Gray Knight." Together they're all involved in some way or another with the ominous skull. My thoughts on this great trilogy;


Pros

+ Supporting characters continue to be more fleshed out in this story. The wizard characters in particular receive extra treatment in this final novel as it is the conclusion to the "War of the Wizards." It was great to learn more about Pyre and Sulun Tha but Ekron "Toadsoul" quickly became my favorite villain in the story. The "Gray Knight" was also a nice addition to the story.

+ Continuation of an already great storyline.

+ Decent amount of action, more than in "Eyes of Sarsis" but less than in "Demon in the Mirror."

+ Longer than the previous titles, which was a very good thing.

+ Finally a map of the realm!

+ Includes an in depth glossary and gazetteer detailing every character and locale in the series. The authors also included what book/books they appeared in and if it was a person whether or not they lived or died. Commentary in this section was often quite humorous.

+ Author's continue to do a good job of explaining the known pantheon of deities and their role in humanity.

Cons

- The idea of Non-Beings is still confusing.

- Map is still incomplete lacking details of several places Tiana travelled to in the book.

- Ending was similar to how Eyes of Sarsis ended (i.e. chessboard scenario). I felt it was sort of a recycled idea but perhaps that's how more powerful magic works in the realm.


Web of the Spider is a great book and a solid conclusion to the "War of the Wizards" trilogy. Just like in "Sarsis" the story flowed nicely and was more pieced together than "Demon." I of course found myself wanting to read more of Tiana and her adventures so I was sad to see the story end. Hopefully the series will one day be revived. Much like the book's teaser suggests, Tiana deserves a place of honor beside the likes of Conan, Grey Mouser etc.. I couldn't agree more.

While escaping from a private Thesian execution for piracy, Tiana of Reme discovers a mysterious jewel-filled skull. After finding it, it seems every nation in the known world seek to destroy her. Well, all nations except her home country of Ilan which covertly aids her. Tiana finds out that the skull is tied in with the mysterious "Owner of the World" and a plot to destroy her and ultimately Pyre of Ice.

The final chapter of the "War of the Wizards" is great. The only dull part in the trilogy occurs in this novel. It contains a long, boring "gray knight" scene that fools no one familar with the series.