| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 30 Apr 2006 : 17:31:01
Well met
This is a Book Club thread for The Ruin (Book 3 of The Year of Rogue Dragons Trilogy), by Richard Lee Byers. Please discuss chapters 12 - 13 and the Epilogue herein.
Richard Lee Byers will be here to answer any questions and respond to comments  |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Dennis |
Posted - 29 Sep 2011 : 04:20:37
quote:
Originally posted by Thrasymachus
*Goes to acquire the rest of Richard’s works*
I highly recommend his Haunted Lands trilogy. It is as multi-layered as The Year of Rogue Dragons. |
| Thrasymachus |
Posted - 29 Sep 2011 : 04:06:55
I am always a little wary when I pickup one of these “ And ooooooh, it’s going to be a Trilogy!” ventures. A lot of times trilogies tend to resemble backpacking trips where inevitably the reader is going to suffer a bit of poison ivy, some miles of nowhere, and the like in order to get to some really great summits.
Oh but, not here. I thought this was just fantastic! By far this trilogy is my favorite fantasy story… period. What I enjoyed about this was the multiple layers that it possessed. On one level, regardless of my favorable bias of the Realms, that this is just a great yarn on it’s own. Then there’s the level that was the author’s personal fleshing out of the Realms, which fed into my favorable bias of the Realms. The kind of nook and cranny stuff that is my bedrock of what I enjoy about the Realms. Then there’s the “get ya in the old DM bones” level, where the great banter & story about the pages is the kind of great banter & story I have enjoyed hearing between players around the game table. And that hits upon my last ray of sunshine that I putting here…
Of all the Realms novels I would say that this struck me as the story that most felt like it was featuring Players Characters rather than NPC’s. And that includes how it was left with Iyraclea. During my reread I actually sat up, and thought, “Wow, this guy (Richard) doesn’t fudge the die rolls at all.” And then I seriously wondered if maybe, just maybe, Richard does occasionally use the ol’ 20 sided while he’s writing. And how cool would that be?
So I am a fan. And thank you very much for the journey!
Side note. Pavel is my favorite (especially in regards to his relationship with Will), so if there is ever an opportunity for a little prequel material, I have my boots ready.
P.S. I read the other postings, and may have gone the furthest on the admiration scale. So for the record: I am not a relation of Mr. Byers, nor do I owe him money.
*Goes to acquire the rest of Richard’s works*
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| Dennis |
Posted - 06 Oct 2010 : 12:42:48
I still find it difficult to make myself believe that none of the band of heroes died despite the fact that they're fighting DRAGONS, mad dragons. Well, at the very least, I enjoyed reading this book.
And Brimstone, finally, you get to know the dragon of your namesake!  I recommend you also read The Captive Flame: Book One of the Brotherhood of the Griffon as Brimstone made a comeback there, albeit he had little 'stage time' compared to this trilogy.
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| Brimstone |
Posted - 29 Jul 2010 : 13:04:09
Yes I am still "alive" and well.
About half way through 'The Ruin'.
Really good stuff.
Teagan and Jivex are my faves, yet I am enjoying the banter between Pavel and Will. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 29 Jul 2010 : 08:54:15
Sorry, Richard, but I honestly cannot bring myself to like the main protagonist. He's just too difficult to believe, let alone like. But thankfully, it didn't totally hinder my enjoyment with the book. Good plot, well developed villains, and excellently described settings. |
| Danubus36 |
Posted - 29 Dec 2006 : 18:51:54
Thanks Richard. If you ever did do a Tiamat inspired book(s) it would be great to see more about the Church and its dealings in Faerun not just in Unther. After the Rage the Church of Tiamat recovered over half the dragon eggs that fell from the sky and are currently trying to put the screws to the CoTD. I'd love to see more of what happened after the Rage with this.
Little is known about the Church outside of Unther and I know a lot of us tiamatins would enjoy knowing more about the Church and its daily operations and such. (yup I have Dragons of Faerun) |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 15 Dec 2006 : 19:30:09
Glad you liked it, Danubus.
I'd enjoy doing something "about" Tiamat, or at least involving Tiamat. But if it happens at all, it probaby won't be until after my current FR trilogy wraps up. And since Book One doesn't even come out until next year, that'll be a while. |
| Danubus36 |
Posted - 15 Dec 2006 : 18:17:15
Loved the series, Richard. Im friends with Coach here on the forums and we run a Tiamat/CoTD thing for a NWN community called ALFA. It was great to see all the action, information, and end of Sammaster.
Look forward to your next novel. Your a wonderful writer. Do something about Tiamat  |
| Marc |
Posted - 06 Dec 2006 : 11:58:42
quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
I loved Jivex (the cute fairy dragon) and I have to say, I really liked Raryn.
I agree, they are really fun characters. Jivex with his confidence, Raryn, I've never seen that kind of dwarf before. Taegan with his contept for avariels . I liked Brimstone, no matter how evil he is.
BTW I've noticed that Brimstone is CR 33, isn't that too high, Kara is CR 13 on the DoF list |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 05 Dec 2006 : 19:26:32
*grins*
quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
RF, what did you think of Pavel's sacrifice? I really liked Pavel, but I thought it was perfect, and it was so in character for him. Call me sick, but I like it once in a while when good wins, but pays dearly for it.
I agree with you on that--it was both a sad and fitting end for Pavel. That scene was pretty much perfect, I think. I also almost cried when Havarlan died. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 05 Dec 2006 : 06:13:22
Glad to hear you liked it, Rin. |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 05 Dec 2006 : 00:10:25
The funny thing is, in some ways I almost felt sorry for Sammaster, if only because he seemed to be so underconfident, even after getting to this point in his plan. Makes you wonder if he ever felt worthy of the power that he had, or if he always felt like he was a pretender that was going to be "found out." That seems to play well into his madness following attaining his Chosen status, and his extreem actions when he felt his affections were spurned.
I was glad to see another Faerie Dragon in Realms novels again. Don't know why, but he was pretty fun, and it hearkened back to the good old days (i.e. the FIRST Realms books). I liked how the characters in the party played off one another (and I really liked RLB's story in Dragon about how Raryn and Dorn hooked up to begin with).
RF, what did you think of Pavel's sacrifice? I really liked Pavel, but I thought it was perfect, and it was so in character for him. Call me sick, but I like it once in a while when good wins, but pays dearly for it. |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 04 Dec 2006 : 23:34:54
Yes, I finally finished this novel! I'd say it was a fantastic conclusion to the series, and I loved how Brimstone managed to stay alive by the end. The novel was very effective in making me feel misty-eyed at the death of certain characters, too...and even at Dorn gaining some confidence in himself when he needed it.
I loved Jivex (the cute fairy dragon) and I have to say, I really liked Raryn. He seemed a like a good and dependable person, and it's refreshing to have characters who don't have some psychological hangup that needs to be solved (even Sammaster seemed like he could have used some time on a psychologist's couch). |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 01 Dec 2006 : 20:54:47
Wow! Having Dorn get blasted by a rust dragon of all things (with the obvious consequences) was a great touch.
I have about 40 more pages to go, and so far I've really enjoyed this book. It's true that it sort of suffers from "third book in the trilogy" syndrome--that is, there isn't much left to do except tie up loose ends--by the action sequences are nicely written and definitely convey a palpable sense of danger. I especially liked the parts of the book involving the ice dwarves, Iyraclea, and Zethrindor. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 03 Aug 2006 : 05:31:35
Glad you enjoyed it, Onion. |
| Oniondreamer |
Posted - 03 Aug 2006 : 05:10:48
Hi to everyone! I'm just new here, and just want to say that the trilogy had been a great read for me and it is worthy of naming the year about it!:D
I enjoyed it so much that i'd backtrack the battle sequences fully visualize the scenario because it's that detailed. the dragonic dog-fights and "fencing david vs winged goliath" scenarios truly gave the book justice.
I really enjoyed the characters, and i hope that someday they'll continue their adventures in the future.
Taegan and Drizzt adventures? how's that sounds?! HEhehe
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| ericlboyd |
Posted - 14 Jul 2006 : 03:41:08
quote:
Originally posted by Kuyahdon
Also, Is this the end of the Cult of the Dragons? They sure are greatly weakened and depleted in resources with their "rush" to convert Sacred Ones...
It is not the end of the Cult of the Dragon. See Dragons of Faerun, if you're so inclined, for more information.
--Eric |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 14 Jul 2006 : 03:08:15
Glad you enjoyed it, Shad. |
| Shadovar |
Posted - 14 Jul 2006 : 02:09:25
Overall, I must say the trilogy and the last book itself were indeed a very good read afterall.
Sammaster's frustrations in the ending were indeed very amusing to me, for most of the time, I believed him to be some sort of composed lich who have a solution for almost any problem that crops up, yet his narrow thinking on the identities of the people disrupting his plans were certainly funny enough when he realized who the disruptors were. I was expecting Sammaster to merely raise an eyebrow at the discovery of the disruptors and annhilate them with supernecromantic spells given his incredible power though the way he shot down the silvers and finished off Brimstone did lived up to the expectation of sammaster as a powerful figure of legend. Nevertheless, I liked Sammaster.
Pavel combines the traits of a thinking scholar with a fighting priest, which was kind of unexpected for a humble priest like him. The manner in which he ingeniously solved the mysteries of say, a way to destroy the mythal was kind of...too easy for him, I'd expected more experimentation from Pavel before pavel could find a way to truly destroy the mythal. The fact that the mythal was so quite easily located also kind of too easy for the heroes, I d'expected the mythal to be shielded by formidable prismatic walls and forcefields as well as more dynamically powerful guardians that will challenge the characters to their limits. It would had made for a more eye-seizing read.
Nevertheless, I still say the trilogy was a very good read and well-written nonetheless. I will be hoping for the return of Sammaster, in a more powerful form hopefully to impose a tougher challenge on future heroes. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 19:37:50
Glad you liked it, Crust. |
| Crust |
Posted - 11 Jul 2006 : 18:34:21
I had this to say on the novels forum, if I may:
quote:
I must say that I had a bit of trouble catching up to the events in The Rite, but that soon passed. That always happens to me when there's that inevitable wait in-between books.
I LOVED the Iryaclea appearance. I was grinning from ear to ear when she was introduced. It reminded me of things like seeing Wolverine in a Spider-man comic, etc. A lot like seeing Starbrow in the Last Mythal series. I was kind of disappointed that she was killed by a white dracolich of all things. I would have expected the Ice Queen to knock the dracolich into next Tuesday. Whites aren't exactly masters of magic, even at great wyrm age...
But that's where one must be careful. One can't assume that the author has the rules memorized. It's always fun making those distinctions (because the connection to the game is clear as day), but like other posters have mentioned, you can't go through the Rogue Dragon books (or any other FR novel) and annotate each paragraph with die rolls, skill checks, and feat usage.
All in all, I think the Rogue Dragon books (and the anthology companions) are a great addition to the FR library.
I really enjoyed the entire trilogy. I often rate books from a DM's viewpoint. The Rogue Dragon books served me as a great resource of Realms lore AND the execution of powerful characters like Chosen of Auril, necromancer liches, legions of dragons, and, most importantly, the tactics of dragon slayers.
I loved the characters. The play between Will and Pavel reminded me of Belkram and Itharr (two beloved favorites). Meeting Raryn's people was interesting. The great treks across land were GREAT! It's nice seeing that as oppose to simple teleportation and portal usage. Those scenes were also great food for DMs running and role-playing overland movement.
I liked the splitting of the group, I liked the Tarterian dragons, I liked Taegan wheeling-and-dealing in the skies, I liked Brimstone (I LOVE that the trilogy ended with him), I loved Jivex, and I bought into the gelugons (I'm critical when it comes to fiends and behavior... I paid careful attention to Malkizid in Last Mythal).
There are a number of powerful baddies in recent novels: Sarya, Malkizid, the Sojourner, Iryaclea... It's interesting observing their level of confidence and competence. I wanted Sammaster to be... badder, perhaps. Of course, his weakness comes from the many "betrayals" in his life: Mystra, Alustriel (great reference in the novel!), so I can see that side of it. As I mentioned above, I also thought that Iryaclea should have bested the white dracolich. Just a fanboy speaking out.
I await more stories dealing with Dorn and all of them. So many stories just end with the third novel. |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 10 Jul 2006 : 22:48:08
The Cult is weakened but not defunct. That's the offiicial straight poop from WotC.
As far as the future of the dragon race, even if I knew (and I'm not saying I do), I wouldn't spoil the ongoing saga for you. You just have to stay tuned and in time, all will be revealed. Or at least some stuff will be revealed. |
| Kuyahdon |
Posted - 10 Jul 2006 : 20:28:41
I just realized part of my reply is refering to another thread to the Chosen of Auril rolling a one...
Question...
With the end of Rage, do you see the resurgance of dragons as the dominant race in Faerun? Or most likely that the other races have had such a foothold that dragons would never re-claim their "glory" days.
Also, Is this the end of the Cult of the Dragons? They sure are greatly weakened and depleted in resources with their "rush" to convert Sacred Ones...
Wouldn't it be great if Brimstone were to pose as Sammaster to use the Cult for his nefarious schemes? |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 10 Jul 2006 : 16:42:14
Glad you enjoyed it, Kuy. |
| Kuyahdon |
Posted - 10 Jul 2006 : 16:29:00
Enjoyable triology... the fights were great. Loved Jivex!
Felt at times Dorn and company way too powerfull to contend with Dracoliches, survive a full on breath, while Adult Wrymms falls... nasty encounter with the Rust dragon though.
I wish there were more of Sammaster through out the books, but I guess have to keep the page count down. Also, didn't like the fight and ending of Iyraclea (sp)... I pictured her more capable, not even a contingient dimension door in her arsenal (she had wizard thralls after all)?
LOL at her rolling a one though! Maybe Sammaster level drained her to that of "snot-nosed acolyte".
But over all, a good read. |
| Braveheart |
Posted - 29 Jun 2006 : 09:49:45
quote:
As for
Scattercloak, I recently queried Ed on this personage and he stated that
there is nothing concrete or canon about him/her.
Taken from the Wizards-Oracle, originally by George Krashos. Dunno if it's still up to date, though |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 11 Jun 2006 : 17:30:01
Why do you assume that I know? |
| Brian R. James |
Posted - 11 Jun 2006 : 15:28:54
Excellent trilogy indeed. Though the characters were interesting in their own right, for me the various settings in the trilogy were the key to its success. You made the right move including Impiltur and Sossal. And I've always wanted to see an adventure in Northkeep. Again, awesome job.
Come on Richard, you can tell us. What does Scattercloak look like under that hood? |
| Richard Lee Byers |
Posted - 29 May 2006 : 00:37:18
First, thanks again to all who have had kind things to say about the trilogy.
coach: To be honest, I didn't worry about assigning a specific location to the citadel for two reasons:
1. The part of Faerűn in which it stands is unmapped (at least in any product to which I had access), which would make it difficult.
2. All travel back and forth was by teleportation, which made it irrelevant to the plot. |
| coach |
Posted - 27 May 2006 : 18:13:10
clarification of the above post...
not to say that epic level NPCs should never die, but she seemingly went out like a snot-nosed acolyte, not an epic level chosen of auril
and the fact that she died meaningless to her goals/objectives, 25+ level genious intelligent NPCs should be the epics they are, not get caught up in another's schemes and die meaningless to their deity's goals if they are chosen divine worshippers
and i know some will say that, "hey do whatever you want in your campaign", but it just takes the luster and mystique off something to read about it dying such a meaningless death
other than that though, i say again, great trilogy and great to hear about some lesser travelled areas of faerun such as sossal, narfell, and the great glacier
one question i'd like to ask is there a general location that the primordial elven citadel is in relation to the great glacier?
i know north but where? |
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