Downshadow by Erik Scott de Bie

Downshadow by Erik Scott de Bie- This is the third book released in the Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep series of stand-alone novels. The series contains five other entries, which are all written by different authors. Since each novel is a stand-alone, you can read this series out-of-order. The series is set in the Forgotten Realms setting of the pen and paper role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons. The other novels in the series include;Blackstaff Tower by Steven E. Schend, Mistshore by Jaleigh Johnson, City of the Dead by Rosemary Jones, The God Catcher by Erin M. Evans, and Circle of Skulls by James P. Davis. Erik Scott de Bie has written two other full-length novels, both set in the Forgotten Realms. His first novel is Ghostwalker (part of The Fighters series) and his second novel isDepths of Madness (part of The Dungeons series). He has also written a number of short stories and game design books. Downshadow was released in 2009 and published by Wizards of the Coast.

The Shadowbane is a vigilante set on keeping justice in the labyrinth of Downshadow, which is just below Waterdeep. With an assassin and Waterdeep's Watch always on his trail, Shadowbane has to constantly watch his back, else his true identity may get discovered. But that may be harder than it appears, as temptation and honor war inside him. However, after a fateful encounter with a girl who doesn't know what she is, Shadowbane is thrust into a vile scheme. But after the girl starts to wield unspeakable power, Shadowbane's friends and family become the target of the assassin and a mysterious half-elf who is more than she appears.

Criticisms:
1) References. This is really the only huge problem I had while reading. There are so many vague references to things and people throughout the story that it became distracting and would take you out of the story. While it does make the story and world seem to be alive, it felt unnecessary at times. But in the long run, this issue doesn't really impact the story as a whole. It only distracts early on.

Praises:
1) Characters. Wow, were these characters memorable. Each main character had a distinct and wholly unique personality that will make you feel different about each one. Our man hero, Shadowbane, may be the more generic of the characters, but somehow that works to his advantage. While being the 'strong, silent hero' may be a well-known character archetype, Shadowbane really takes it and makes that archetype his own. The main antagonist, Rath, was just phenomenal. There's only been a handful of villains that I despised, and Rath is now among them. There is no gray area with him, you will hate him, and you'll love hating him. Every time Rath shows up, he takes the scene away from anyone else. He's presence can not be ignored. Fayne, who is neither good nor bad, is another unique character. She has this personality that you know you shouldn't love, yet you do. She unknowingly breaks the fourth wall with this and makes the reader feel this way, and it is a little scary, but in a good way.Which, come to think of it, would fit what she really is. We also have Myrin, a shy, innocent girl and while not the strongest or most defining personality, she still leaves an impression. The other minor characters, Cellica, Araezra, and Talanna also have this memorable quality to them, but I can't really get into them without ruining some of the story.
2) Humor. This story had a lot of very funny moments in it. Fayne always came up with these amusing quips to everything that was said. Cellica, had her funny moments when Shadowbane and Myrin were around. Then you have Talanna who always seemed to bring some what of a smile to my face, for some reason. I'm honestly surprised by how humorous this story actually was.
3) Motivations. I was really impressed by how each character had a wholly unique motivation. While some may have seemed stock, for example Shadowbane's drive for justice, everyone else had a unique and somewhat surprising motivator for what they do. The best example of this is Fayne, who seems to only want to cause pranks and tricks, but deep down, it's more than that. I was honestly surprised by how badly Fayne would go to reach her goals. Each character seemed to have a drive that, while simple at first, seemed to only get more and more complicated and deluded as the story went on.

Side Notes:
1) Superhero. I won't deny that Downshadow had a superhero-like feel to the story. You have Shadowbane, who is almost like Batman, and the spellscar's powers which seemed like something you'd find in X-Men. But does it really hurt the story? No. It's just an interesting idea of 'superheroes' in a fantasy setting.
2) Cover Art. It's not bad, it's just generic. The stone statue shooting lightning out of its hands is in the story, for maybe three paragraphs. The main problem is that it's just not exciting and just kind of bland. It doesn't really 'fit' with the story.

Overall: 5/5
Final Thoughts:
Downshadow is a fun and exciting read. Everything about this book is great. The only problem that I found was the referencing, which it just more like a pet peeve of mine. But aside from that, it's wonderful. The characters are vivid and unique, the humor is actually funny, and the motivations the characters have really surprise you at times. Sure, it may feel like a superhero story set in the Forgotten Realms and that it's a blend between Batman and X-Men, but it never seemed to matter to me. I just had a blast reading through it. Would I recommend Downshadow? Yes! Definitely pick it up no matter what. It's a wonderful read.

Unbroken Chain by Jaleigh Johnson

Unbroken Chain by Jaleigh Johnson- This is a stand-alone novel set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. This is Jaleigh Johnson's third full-length novel, her other two are also set in the Forgotten Realms. Her first novel is The Howling Delve (part of The Dungeons series) and her second novel is Mistshore (part of the Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep series). Both of those novels are also stand-alone. She has also written a number of short stories. Unbroken Chain was released in July 2010 and published by Wizards of the Coast.

Ashok, a shadar-kai, is being chased down by shadow hounds in the Shadowfell. Knowing he has no chance of surviving, Ashok turns to face his death. But due to a vision by a priest of Tempus that shows Ashok being surrounded by fire along with his location, a rescue party is sent out. The party is surprised to see that Ashok is still alive and brings him back to Ikemmu, a shadar-kai enclave. Upon waking up, Ashok thinks he is a prisoner and tries to escape. However, after being able to walk around the enclave freely, he still tries an ill-fated attempt at escaping, only to be stopped by two shadar-kai brothers, Cree and Skagi, and a nightmare (a kind of fiery horse). However, upon spending time with the brothers, a sellsword named Vedoran, and a young doe-eyed warrior named Canoch, Ashok slowly starts to enjoy his time in the enclave. But what of this vision Natan had of Ashok and fire? Will Ashok tear the enclave apart or will he be the one to stop it?

Criticisms:
1) Conflict. There never seemed to be a real conflict happening within the story, but it's there. The conflict is mostly internal with Ashok's feelings and what he happening to his view of the world. While that would be an interesting premise, it never felt important. It seemed like it was almost secondary and forgotten at times. But it does pay off at the end, but the build-up never seemed to be there. Also, later in the story, the group is sent on a rescue mission. While this would have made an interesting full-length plot point, it was sorely underused and tacked on. In fact, it only takes up about four chapters. The conflict that would normally drive the story wasn't really prominent and was very underused.
2) Rushed. What could explain the lack of conflict is the rushed pace of the story. When I first picked up this book, I was lost for the first few chapters because there were so many questions I was asking my self and there was so much going on. It did start to slow down and develop some of the characters, but at the halfway point, where we get the rescue mission, things got by at a blurring speed. It was all actions and no huge developments. It doesn't help that most of the dialogue is choppy with an unnatural flow. This really does back my point of that the whole rescue mission was tacked on.

Praises:
1) Characters. At first, every character seemed interchangeable and bland. But as the story progressed, the characters became more defined and unique. Ashok was a very different main character, very different. For most of the novel, Ashok comes across as a very unlikable character, but slowly grows into someone interesting and dimensional. As he grows, you actually see it and you see how his relationship between the others grows and develops. With Vedoran you can see his mental state slowly degrade, which makes the story a little tragic. The other characters start out very generic, but they do get some personalities to tell the apart. The novel is very character driven, more so than plot.
2) Shadar-kai. It's wonderful to see this new race get some background and insight into their culture and ways. Ever since I heard about this race, they seemed to be interesting. A race that lives off of thrills and excitement, else they will fade into nothingness. They are really brought to life and, while very foreign at first, their ways became more and more interesting and engaging.
3) End. The ending was really interesting and different. It does have the staple of a usual ending with a final confrontation, but the whole build-up to and the ending itself was unique. I won't go into detail, but having Ashok face his past transgressions in that way felt right.

Side Notes:
1) Shadowfell. The Shadowfell did feel kind of wrong. It didn't feel like it was dark and shadowy, but more vibrant and bright with shadows, if that makes any sense.
2) Two Books? Honestly, I think this should have been a duology. The first book could have been Ashok's experiences with the new culture. The second book could have been the whole rescue attempt and the ending. That would have solved a lot of the major problems.
3) Cover Art. For some reason, I hate it. It's way to dark and sloppy. It doesn't catch the eye at all. However, the first cover (the red one) is better. You can see what is going on, it's an awesome pose and just so much better!










Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Unbroken Chain is an interesting look into a new race in the Forgotten Realms. This book does have some problems, but it hardly detracts from the fun. The rushed feeling only happens at certain parts, but it does go away. The major issue is the seemingly lack of any real definitive conflict. While the internal struggle that Ashok goes through is interesting, it almost seemed to be secondary. The story is really character driven and that's where this story shines. The characters are wonderful, only takes a bit of time for some of the minor characters to develop. It's also wonderful to see a new race in the Forgotten Realms to be the main focus. As for a recommendation, if you like the Realms, pick it up. If you like good characterization, pick it up.

The Erevis Cale Omnibus by Paul S. Kemp

The Erevis Cale Omnibus by Paul S. Kemp- This omnibus contains The Erevis Cale Trilogy along with two short stories. The Erevis Cale Trilogy consists of Twilight Falling, Dawn of Night, and Midnight's Mask. The two short stories are “And All the Sinners, Saints”, which was previously seen in Dragon Magazine #297, and “Soulbound”, which is found in the Realms of the Dragons anthology. The stories take place in the Forgotten Realm universe, which is a setting in Dungeons and Dragons. The story of Erevis Cale starts off with a short story called “Resurrection” in the anthology titled Halls of Stormweather. It continues in Shadow's Witness, which takes place just before The Erevis Cale Trilogy. The story finishes with the Twilight War Trilogy;Shadowbred, Shadowstorm, and Shadowrealm. He wrote the final book in the War of the Spider Queen series called Resurrection and has written a few short stories set in the Forgotten Realms. This latest Forgotten Realms novel, titled Godborn, is due out some time in 2012. Paul S. Kemp has recently been writing novels set in the Star Wars universe. His first novel in the Star Wars universe is Crosscurrent and is currently writing a tie-in with the upcoming video game Star Wars: The Old Republic titled Deceived. The Erevis Cale Omnibus was released in June 2010 and published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Review Note: This is the first time I'm reviewing an omnibus, and most likely my only. I have previously reviewed The Erevis Cale Trilogy before this, but I will be taking a whole new look at the books and giving fresh thoughts on them. You can find the other reviews at the following links;Twilight Falling, Dawn of Night, and Midnight's Mask.


“And All the Sinners, Saints”

Erevis Cale just found his god in Mask. While unsure if being a priest of the Shadowlord, Cale decides to try to commune with his god, only to receive a vague vision of what Mask wants Cale to do. At the same time, Drasek Riven is having a similar experience. Now the question is, what does Mask want Cale and Riven to do, and how does he want it done?

Criticisms:
1) Short. This is not a bad thing, but I just wanted more!

Praises:
1) Tie In. I really like how this ties in with what happened with Shadow's Witness and some mentions in Twilight Falling. I always like this little nods.
2) Back Story. Do you need to read Shadow's Witness to know what is going on? No, and it's wonderful. You really got a good idea of what kind of person Cale is, along with who Riven is.

Overall: 5/5
Quick Thoughts:
It's a fun and interesting look at who the main characters. It's almost like a 'character study' and an excellent introduction to The Erevis Cale Trilogy.


Twilight Falling

Erevis Cale is leaving Stormweather Tower, where he's been employed as a butler for the Uskevren family for years and considers them his family. After the family's patriarch died, Cale knows it's time to move on. After saying good-bye to his adoptive family, Cale receives a letter from Drasek Riven to meet him at an inn to discuss something. After arriving at the inn, a fireball destroys the inn and Cale and Riven barely manage to survive the blast. After locating were the fireball came from, the duo confront a shadow adept wizard named Vraggen and his partner, a half-drow by the name of Azriim. After the little skirmish Cale realizes that they are after something the Uskevren has and they were trying to remove Cale from interfering. Arriving back at Stormweather, Cale finds and confronts the thieves who are after an unremarkable sphere, but is unable to stop them. Cale is only able to shear the sphere into two halves, but he is able to recover one of the halves. With the half safely with him, he goes to find his old friend Jak Fleet and get to the bottom of why this sphere is so important. After Riven joins the duo and then trio goes to a sage to get some answers to the sphere. Why does this shadow adept want such a seemingly useless paperweight and can the trio stop Vraggen?

Criticisms:
1) Cale/Tazi. I don't know what it is but for some reason I just never bought into the whole Cale and Tazi (the daughter of the Uskevren's) relationship. In the previous book, Shadow's Witness, it is somewhat believable. In this book, it doesn't seem to work on its own. Not once did I feel a connection between these two and having to be told that Cale loves Tazi just makes it worse. Cale's actions towards Tazi never really made much sense. But I'm chalking this problem up to the next problem with this book.
2) Back Ground. The reason the whole Cale and Tazi love interest doesn't work is that it seems you almost need to read Shadow's Witness to understand it along with a lot of other little references that are made. While for the most part, you don't really need to read the first Cale book, it would help a lot. There are so many references to previous events in the first fifty pages that if you go into this blind, you may miss out on some characterization and some interesting references. I would say you should read Shadow's Witness first, but it's not one hundred percent required, just seventy-five.

Praises:
1) Characters. Aside from me being an absolute Cale and Riven fan-boy, all the other characters are interesting and very unique. Of course you have the good-hearted killer in Cale and you have the sneer to end all sneers that Riven has, but let's instead look at the other characters. We have Jak, who is Cale's conscious. While he may come off as annoying, you really can see the friendship between the two. In reality, he's more like a real person when you compare him to Cale or Riven. With the villains we have the arrogant Vraggen and his blind pursuit to retake the Zhentarim from the followers of Bane and reinstate the control of the Mad God Cyric. He's more of your standard bad guy. However, with his partner Azriim, we have a totally different kind of villain. If you could pick two words to describe Azriim they would be vain and manipulative. He's the guy you never see coming until the end. Rounding out the villains we have Dolgan, Serrin, and Elura. Dolgan's the usual muscled dimwit and Serrin's the stoic killer. Elura doesn't have too many scenes but she's more like a seductress killer type of character. While these three are more stock bad guys, they each fit the mold well. Overall, the characters are just plain amazing.
2) Hints. There are so many subtle hints of things to come that you wouldn't understand them until the happen. After these things happen, you can't help but go back and check out the things you've missed picking up on. It only gets better with multiple reads, because you start noticing things that will come up in the next books as well as things that happen in the next trilogy. It's just wonderful seeing a series tie itself together so nicely.
3) Plot. While the plot was fairly straightforward, it always seemed to keep me on the edge of my seat. Even when you knew something was going to happen, you were still surprised it happened. Everything just seemed to fit in, a la the hints strewn throughout the story. Not to mention that it flowed beautifully. It's straightforward as it needed to be with a few nice turns here and there.

Overall: 4/5
Quick Thoughts:
Twilight Falling is a great beginning to a trilogy. It sets up the characters wonderfully and each of them are unique and memorable in some way. The Cale and Tazi's relationship never felt real however. It just didn't work. The plot is great with some turns, only a little too straightforward. Reading the previous book, Shadow's Witness, would be a good idea to get some of the references that are mentioned here and there. Then you have all the little hints you have that basically tells what's going to happen later on in the story. Overall Twilight Falling is great and it really allows you to know a little more about our main heroes, Cale and Riven.



Dawn of Night

Erevis Cale, Drasek Riven, Jak Fleet, and Magadon all find themselves in the Plane of Shadow. Jak is horrified to see Cale is now more than human, he's become a shade, a being of shadow. As Cale and the group traverse the Plane of Shadow's, tensions start to run high between Cale and Riven, and only escalate from there. After days of travel, Cale is forced to give into his new nature in order to save the group for the horrors of the plane. As they are trying to find a way out of the Plane of Shadow, the mastermind and father behind the Slaadi (or is it Slaad's?) plans to use the Weave Tap for powering a powerful spell. Having sent his Slaadi; Azriim, Dolgan, and Serrin, to the cesspool that is Skullport in order to plant a seed to sap the magical energies of the city. After Cale and the group succeed in escaping, can the group locate and stop the Slaadi from tapping Skullport's magical mantle or do the Slaadi succeed?

Criticisms:
1) The Sojourner. I don't know what it was but his earlier chapters felt like they went on forever. I don't know if it was because the character of the Sojourner was so dull or that the chapters themselves were dry, but I just could barely get through them. I'm leaning more towards a combination of the two. While they were interesting, I just had this feeling of 'so what' while reading them.
2) Love Interest. Yet again, we have a problem with an unbelievable and almost silly love interest. While I do know this one between Cale and a tavern waitress named Varra does get better and the whole first meeting was good, I just didn't did like how it was handled. It seemed like Cale is suddenly obsessed with her, and it comes off a little creepy more than sincere. It's just bothersome.

Praises:
1) Characters. Once again, aside from the Sojourner, the characters are wonderful and really dimensional. I'm not going to get into much detail because honestly, I'll just be repeating what I've said above, and I really don't want to. I will say that the relationships between the main heroes do get explored a little more and you get a good look at how they really feel about each other.
2) Setting Descriptions. The places the story goes are just wonderfully described. First off we have the Plane of Shadow's. You really got a great mental picture of how alien and dark this world is. It's just plain creepy. Then later Skullport just radiates vile and disgusting. You could almost smell the place. It just was plain vile. Also, some of the other places the group go to are wonderfully described as well.
3) Twist. The twist at the end you'll never see coming until it's too late. While there is a wonderful build up to it, it still comes as an utter shock. I've read this book about three times now and it still shocks me.

Overall: 4/5
Thoughts:
While not as good as Twilight Falling, Dawn of Night still a wonderful and fast paced read. You'll never want to put the book down for too long and all the little details and hints of what's to come are still there. The descriptions are vivid and you can really picture yourself in these places. The characters are just as good as the previous book, if not better because now you see how their relationship evolves. The only problem I had is with The Sojourner. His parts were dry and horribly boring. While he is a good character himself, something just dragged his scenes down. Also, continuing the problem that Twilight Falling had is the poor love interest. It just never 'felt' right and came off more stalker-y and creepy. But that twist, my god was it good. This is the twist that would put the master of twists to shame. Just wow. Overall Dawn of Night is a good follow-up to Twilight Falling, but doesn't surpass the first book.


“Soulbound”

Kesson Rel is the first Chosen of Mask, who drank from the Chalice that Mask forbade anyone from drinking. Once Kesson drank, he came a shade and transported the temple of Mask from Elgrin Fau to the Plane of Shadow to take revenge on his fellow priests. But due to an oath that prevents followers of Mask from killing one another, unless willing, Kesson has to rely on a Shadow Dragon to do his bidding. After binding the Shadow Dragon Furlinastis, Kesson has the dragon take one priest a day until Avnon Des the Seer is left. Avnon and the priests are unable to stop this from happening, but after a vision Avnon receives of two other Chose of Mask, he knows what he has to do.

Criticisms:
1) Confusing. At first you may ask yourself what this story have to do with The Erevis Cale Trilogy and why isn't one of the main characters the lead in it? Well it ties indirectly into Cale's destiny and the events of the Twilight War Trilogy. Also, you do have references to things that happens in Dawn of Night. But that's not why I'm saying it's confusing, what's confusing is that I really have no idea what was happening. I first read this story in the Realms of the Dragonsanthology and there I was utterly lost. In fact, I remember hating this story. I don't recall why other than I have no idea what was happening. The problem with this story is that you really don't know who these people are and why you should care about them. It felt more like a 'history' lesson without any background or explanations of what was happening. However, I will say that having this story come after Dawn of Night does make things easier to follow and understand.

Praises:
1) References. Like I was saying above, it helped that this story followed Dawn of Night. There are a lot of references to that story and it's nice to see some things explained that were left unexplained there. It also gives some nice hints of things to come in the Twilight War Trilogy.
2) Kesson Rel. He is an interesting character. We know that he at some point betrays Mask for the goddess Shar, but we don't know why. This story doesn't explain that but it gives us a little information to who this character is. What I'm trying to say is that you want to know more about him and this story barely whets your appetite for more.

Overall: 3/5
Thoughts:
“Soulbound” is an okay story. There isn't a lot of problems with it being in this omnibus, but by itself, you may be left in the dark. While there is no main characters from The Erevis Cale Trilogy in this story, Kesson Rel fills the shoes nicely. But I wanted to know why he betrayed Mask more than why Elgrin Fau is on the Plane of Shadows. It's an interesting look at another Chosen of Mask and it does tie into upcoming events nicely, but you can skip it if you want to.


Midnight's Mask

After barely escaping Drasek Riven's betrayal and the angry protectors of Skullport (called the skulls), Erevis Cale, Jak Fleet, and Magadon are transported to the Plane of Shadow to escape the chaos. While on the plane, Cale and Magadon realize that Riven's betrayal was planned so the group can get closer to the Sojourner. After Magadon finds where the slaadi and Riven transported to, the group get the drop on the Sojourner and the slaadi. However, when Riven once again betrays the group, they are forced to flee. But yet again, Cale is unsure if Riven is really betraying him. The only thing Cale knows is that the slaadi's next target to tap is a ruin called Sakkors, so Cale transports the group back to Selgaunt to seek the aid of a priestess of Deneir, but come across an old acquaintance. The seer points them in the right direction and tells them that this is only the beginning. However, the slaadi and Riven know exactly where the ruin is, under the water of the Sea of Fallen Stars. As Cale and the group catch up to Riven and the slaadi, they awaken something larger. Are they able to stop the Sojourner from tapping Sakkors, and what exactly is the 'Crown of Flame'?

Criticisms:
1) Love Interest. I'm not going to go into much detail because I'd just be repeating everything I've said before. It just didn't come across quite right. However, you do see something building between Cale and Varra, but not enough to make it any less awkward.

Praises:
1) Characters. Once again, the characters are wonderful and I'm not going to repeat why other than they get deeper. Even the Sojourner gets some depth and there are times when you actually do like him.
2) Emotional. I've read this story three times now and I always seem to tear up at one certain scene, and I will not ruin what this scene is. It's a real emotional scene. I don't know what else to say other than that. It's just beautifully written and it's sad to see this happen to someone who you grew to really care about.
3) Crown of Flame. In my first review of this book, I mentioned how I hated the idea of the Crown of Flame. But now, I honestly love the idea of something so simple and so 'innocent' can cause so much death and destruction. It may be a slight let down, but I'm glad it didn't turn out to be this huge world-changing event. It's an original concept that just works amazingly well.
4) The Ending. Aside from the emotional impact there is, it's just plain breathtaking. The fight sequences are awe-inspiring and exciting. The sword play of Riven alone against the slaadi is just jaw dropping. After reading this, I'm almost convinced that Riven could win out against another well-known Forgotten Realm character named Drizzt Do'Urden. You also have the frantic chase to get to the Weave Tap and it's chaotic, in a good way. You also have the above mentioned emotional scene and the best final battle/ showdown for a while. It's bloody, gory, rage-filled and so wonderful. Finally, you have the spectacular descriptions of what's going on and what's happening. It's an ending you won't soon forget.

Overall: 5/5
Thoughts:
Midnight's Mask is how you should end a trilogy. It's fast paced, exciting, and filled with the right amount of twists to keep you guessing. While the love interest is awkward, at least now we see something building between Cale and Varra in their short scenes. But everything else is near perfect. The characters are wonderful and memorable, the plot is exciting, and it really hits you emotionally. I don't know what else to say about this book other than bravo.


Overall Averaged Omnibus Grade: 4/5
Final Thoughts on the Omnibus:
The Erevis Cale Trilogy is great. That's all I should say. It has likable and deep characters, the overall plot is solid and exciting, and it ends perfectly. The only overarching negative about this trilogy is that the whole 'love interest' thing doesn't seem to work out and comes across as more awkward than meaningful. But that does not in no way detract from the overall story. The core trilogy is great on its own. It continues the story in a logical progression and sets up things that could be answered in the future, but it doesn't come across as 'sequel-bait'. The addition of the two short stories is interesting. The first short story really added some background on the characters of Erevis Cale and Drasek Riven, along with tying into the core trilogy seamlessly. The other short story is a nice story of some past events, but didn't feel necessary and barely tied in. It's good, but ultimately is skip-able. Even without those short stories, the original three is well worth the purchase. So am I recommending you go pick up this omnibus this very second? Yes! Drop whatever it is you're doing and go buy this, not to mention that it's wonderful to have all these books in one book.