| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 02 Sep 2006 : 17:59:03
Well met
This is a Book Club thread for Darkvision (Book 3 of The Wizards series), by Bruce R. Cordell. Please discuss chapters 7 - 14 herein. |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 06 Apr 2007 : 05:07:57
I don't know if its entirely fair to say in general that the authors don't do a great job of it. I think sometimes things work for fans, sometimes they don't. I think that Cordell has addded some really interesting things to the Realms in this story, and if I have any real complaits, its not so much what he has added, but that he hasn't used as much of the background information as he could have.
Cordell is fairly new to the Realms, yes, even after working on a few sourcebooks. I'm hoping that the longer he works in the Realms, the more he will get used to starting a story from a Realms perspective and working in cool D&D elements, because it seems that right now, he starts with a cool D&D idea for a story and tries to add in FR elements.
Despite these critisisms, I think he does a good job of creating interesting characters and advancing a story, so I hope that Realms perspective will grow and the modernisms will decrease a bit as he writes in the setting. |
| RodOdom |
Posted - 05 Apr 2007 : 17:25:41
Sometimes it seems authors don't really think through their additions to the Realms. I appreciate that they are trying to show us something original, but they don't do that great a job of it. |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 05 Apr 2007 : 16:25:58
Yes, "The Body Shop" sucks me right out of the story, because it's the name of a popular bath and beauty product store. :-/ Modernisms don't usually bother me much, but in this novel they are rather excessive. I just wouldn't expect someone in Faerun to say "Everything's coming up roses", an expression taken from the name of a well-known Broadway song.
That being said, the story IS very interesting, and I'm enjoying it even though I think the angle is a bit overly sci-fi for an FR novel. I like it that I'm finally reading a novel that has scenes in Durpar.
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| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 29 Sep 2006 : 22:15:24
Yup, the Deep Imaskari were his babies. The other thing I noticed, after a few comments that came up about the Star Elf, was that apparently the outline for the Twilight Tomb adventure (which deals with Star Elves) was from an idea that Cordell had. I have a feeling we may see Kiril again. |
| Chosen of Moradin |
Posted - 29 Sep 2006 : 21:56:02
quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
I'm not sure I can warm up to the term "plangent." I'm not sure why, but it just doen't "feel" right. It may have to do with the fact that it was introduced so close to the "Six Million Dollar Man" joke that it didn't sink in well with me. Reading that comment was like hitting a big pot hole in what was otherwise some great pacing and good story telling, so I'm hoping that when I start back up again that the flow is there again. I hope there aren't too many more modern intrusions into this, as I really like it so far.
I like the level of suspense with the geomancer and his star elf bodyguard. Its doing a good job of building tention and hinting as something that is going on. I also like Ususi and the vengence taker and their interaction with one another.
I'm having a harder time with the scenes that occur in Vaelen. I wish Cordell had taken as much time describing Durpar and their culture and Vaelen and the feel of the city as he did the description of Three Dragon Ante in the last section. I also have a hard time with the "corporate" feel of the family meeting, and the term "Body Shop" as the place that sells the crystal implants, as well as the term "upgrade" being used. It all brings me out of my suspension of disbelief, and it interupts the flow of the novel for me, as I keep getting images of modern board rooms and corporate meetings.
I really liked the dream and the ongoing mystery of Ususi and her sister, and I thought it was very cool that the dwarven geomancer has an elemental prince as a contact. I like elementals, and I'm always glad when their appearance has a little more to it than just using them as summoned beasts with no lines. Also, he dropped some pretty intersting hints at what might be going on.
I have the same feelings that you, my friend. The modernisms cause a little disconfort in me, and sometimes I think that Shadowrun was droped in Faerûn  - but it´s a superb book, anyway. I find the prince monolith very interesting, and I´m expecting to learn more about Kiri and Angus in the next chapters.
The deep imaskari are very interesting, too. I´m liking of the description of Iahn. IIRC, was Cordell that create the deep imaskar concept in the Underdark book, right? |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 23 Sep 2006 : 03:56:23
Actually, every time I read Body Shop I think of Mojo and Spiral . . . but I digress (no Alaundo, its not really an off topic non-Realms reference because . . . um . . . Spiral is a sorceress and travels to alternate realities, so I'm sure she has been to the Realms . . . ) |
| Braveheart |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 11:50:01
quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
... but when you get a whole chapter that jumps from "business plans" to "projects" to "upgrades" to "Body Shop" its a lot to take at once.
Yep, you're probably right. I just read over them, without noticing the use of modern language. But everytime I read "Body Shop" I have to think about that store you find in every mall (in Europe)
(www.thebodyshop.com)  |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 10:43:00
I know what you are saying, and all I can say is that it either bothers you or it doesn't. One thing I will point out is that it doesn't match with the way the other novels in the setting are written, so it kind of violates internal consistancy in the setting as well as using modern terminology. And if it creeps in once in a while, its fine, but when you get a whole chapter that jumps from "business plans" to "projects" to "upgrades" to "Body Shop" its a lot to take at once.
As I said, I like the overall plot, but to me, between the way other books in the setting are writen and my own personal thoughts on how these cultures should be presented, it is just a bit jarring. |
| Braveheart |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 09:46:25
What's wrong with "modernisms"? In a fictional world like the Realms, such things could have come up long ago. That such phrases correlate with our modern world is a problem I don't quite understand. Different world, different linguistic development. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 04:19:15
Yeah, if it weren't an intersting story, those "modernisms" probably wouldn't bug me as much. As it is, I just want to keep the story moving forward and not be drawn out of it. Without those issues its a pretty interesting story and is paced fairly well. |
| Kuje |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 04:09:20
There are a lot of modern slang and or references in this novel. I'm 100 pages to the end and it really threw me when I saw, "Don't be a moron!"
So, I have to agree with Knight about this, it's making me hard to finish this but it is a good tale even with these issues. The plangent thing bothers me also. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 19 Sep 2006 : 01:37:33
I'm not sure I can warm up to the term "plangent." I'm not sure why, but it just doen't "feel" right. It may have to do with the fact that it was introduced so close to the "Six Million Dollar Man" joke that it didn't sink in well with me. Reading that comment was like hitting a big pot hole in what was otherwise some great pacing and good story telling, so I'm hoping that when I start back up again that the flow is there again. I hope there aren't too many more modern intrusions into this, as I really like it so far.
I like the level of suspense with the geomancer and his star elf bodyguard. Its doing a good job of building tention and hinting as something that is going on. I also like Ususi and the vengence taker and their interaction with one another.
I'm having a harder time with the scenes that occur in Vaelen. I wish Cordell had taken as much time describing Durpar and their culture and Vaelen and the feel of the city as he did the description of Three Dragon Ante in the last section. I also have a hard time with the "corporate" feel of the family meeting, and the term "Body Shop" as the place that sells the crystal implants, as well as the term "upgrade" being used. It all brings me out of my suspension of disbelief, and it interupts the flow of the novel for me, as I keep getting images of modern board rooms and corporate meetings.
I really liked the dream and the ongoing mystery of Ususi and her sister, and I thought it was very cool that the dwarven geomancer has an elemental prince as a contact. I like elementals, and I'm always glad when their appearance has a little more to it than just using them as summoned beasts with no lines. Also, he dropped some pretty intersting hints at what might be going on. |
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