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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Decent first book - leaves much potential for the rest of the series, November 13, 2005
This review is from: Whisper of Waves (Forgotten Realms: Watercourse Trilogy Book 1) (v. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
"Whisper of Waves" was an interesting book. It created a story that was just intriguing enough and just fast-enough paced to yield a positive review. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to fans of the fantasy genre, but I would definitely recommend this book for "Forgotten Realms" fans.
I respect the author because he basically has created three main storylines that at times loosely weave in and out of each other. The reader can tell by the end of the book that there will be an exciting series of events that finally bring all these plotlines together in a huge climax. I believe that the upcoming books will provide a higher excitement level and more action than this book was able to provide.
Here is what I did not necessarily enjoy about the book. The book spans many, many years. The reader must really pay attention to the dates, months, and years provided at the beginning of every chapter in order to determine where the plot is advancing chronologically compared to the previous chapters. There are also many smaller characters that are foreshadowed to have important roles later on. At the beginning of the book I had a hard time keeping track of who everyone was, but that was quickly cleared up. The other thing I disliked was the action/fight scenes. They seemed forced and unnecessary in some aspects. I understand why they are important toward the plotline, but they still seemed forced. It seemed to me, in my opinion, that the author was just trying to write in some action and fighting since it is a "Forgotten Realms" novel and the author is trying to establish himself as an all-around, "power-author" of the Realm. However, that being said it should be noted that Athans does weave a compelling political tale that will only get more interesting and more complex as the series progresses.
To sum up, this is a good story for "Forgotten Realms" fans. I can see some serious world events that might shape the rest of the Realms stories to come. This book is one of the better FR novels I have read in some time for one reason. Athans is like a drug-dealer. He gave me this novel and said, "Here, try this out," and then gave me enough to get excited about, enough to "wet my whistle," and enough to leave me wanting more. Unlike a drug dealer, Athans isn't going to charge me an arm and a leg to get my next fix, just $6.99.
This book leaves room for a lot of potential for the rest of the trilogy. The final thing I will say is that this book is what FR trilogies should be. This book is not like "The Sapphire Crescent" which is a self contained novel and didn't need two more books afterwards (see my review of it for further information). "Whisper of Waves" is a small, integral piece of a much larger work.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not great, but not bad either, December 16, 2005
This review is from: Whisper of Waves (Forgotten Realms: Watercourse Trilogy Book 1) (v. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Whisper in Waves by Philip Athans is the first book in the Watercourse Trilogy set in the Forgotten Realms.
If you are a fan of the Forgotten Realms, this book is very different than the normal Realms fare. The set up of the book is different than most books I have read, there are 72 chapters in this book with each chapter being 3-5 pages long. While this is a decent idea because each chapter has a central character, it disrupts the flow of the book. With so many chapters and changes of perspective the book feels disjointed and herky-jerky making for a little bit of a difficult read at times. One other thing that needs to be noted is the reader is forced to pay attention to the dates of this book because this novel covers such an extensive period of time, it covers 38 years which also ads to the disjointed feeling.
Now, if you can get past the herky-jerky parts of the novel there is actually a good story within. I am a fan of Athan's work for the most part and the `meat' of this book is no exception. However, if you are looking for a well contained novel where you don't have to think too much this may not be the book for you. At times there are several plot lines moving at the same time, at most times there are no less than 4 plots occurring simultaneously. I don't mean sub-plots either, I mean full fledged plots. I believe this multiple plot line idea may be another reason why the story feels disjointed at times. However, each plot is rather interesting and seems to be well thought out. As can be expected since this is the first book of the trilogy, the author spends a good deal of time setting things up for the next two books. One can easily see where there will be a collision of a plot line with another in the future two books. For an introductorily novel into the trilogy this book does a decent job at setting the stage for future events.
The character development as can be expected with a 38 year span is quite extensive for most characters. The problem with the character development, is the same with the plot, it jumps around so much if you are not putting all your thought into the character you may miss something or forget what was read before. With that said, Athan's has certainly created some memorable characters and characters that will have some memorable moments in the next two books. There was one character in this book that I know will be important later in the next two books, but do to the choppiness of the book I simply grew to not care about. Maybe this will be rectified in the next book though. Athan's also does a decent job at throwing some hints out and leaving them sit there. This is a good touch for an opening book in a trilogy, and one that I appreciated.
Overall, there are some flaws (or what I perceive to be flaws) with how this book was put together, the short chapters, the jumping of perspectives etc. Yet, the content of the book is solid, and the characters are solid. I think with any form of art, some will be touched by it and others won't be. While I wasn't `put off' by this book, it didn't grab me like other Realms novels have in the past. I would not recommend this book to people who are not familiar with the Realms, and would only recommend this to those who know the Realms and understand this book before they dive into it. I will not say don't read it, but if you do read it be prepared for what I said above.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, but with a significant catch..., February 10, 2009
This review is from: Whisper of Waves (Forgotten Realms: Watercourse Trilogy Book 1) (v. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
First let me say, when I first picked up this book, I thought it was one of the finest Forgotten Realms branded books to come out it years. I had been reading fantasy for 10 years, and this was one of the best that had that unfortunate company brand upon it. The plot was excellent, the characters interesting...
Until I read "The Fountainhead", by Ayn Rand.
This series is virtually the EXACT SAME thing! Honestly, the similarities are astounding...Ivar Devorast IS Howard Roark in a tunic. There is a scene that is grotesque in its slavish devotion to Rand's original: where Phyrea meets Devorast = where Dominique meets Roark.
So, while Athans is excellent, the sheer disgust I now feel at his blatant crime is overwhelming. If "The Fountainhead" set in the Forgotten Realms sounds appealing, by all means go ahead, he does a splendid job of adapting and simplifying the tale to the setting...but know that he adapted, he did not create.
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