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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3736 Posts |
 Posted - 13 May 2011 : 17:35:32
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The Yellow Silk
By Don Bassingthwaite
Book IV, The Rogues
The Yellow Silk was one of the first non-Drizzt, non-Drow Forgotten Realms books that I read. Suffice to say, I liked it, and began reading non-Drizzt, non-Drow Forgotten Realms books. Imagine, though- had I not liked it, I wouldn’t be here right now. What a scary alternate reality. Having gone back and read The Yellow Silk again, I can affirm that the book was good. Sadly, though, it wasn’t as good as I remember it being.
First, let me get to the characters. Tychoben Arisaenn was a great bard. He was roguish and cunning, as evidenced by his dealings with organized criminal Brin. He was goodhearted and charming, as evidenced by his living situation with Veseene, his mentor. Kuang Li Chien was a sort of generic, stereotypical “Easterner who knows kung-fu”, but he was a tolerable character. Brin, the Halfling gangster, I liked. I don’t know why, but there is something about Halfling gangsters that I like. I know, in my own setting, there exists at least one very powerful Halfling crime lord, so for all I know, Brin right here might have been the latent inspiration. Veseene, Tycho’s teacher, was another character I liked. A former Bard, who’s now, more or less an invalid. A depiction that you don’t see too often in the heroic fantasy literature that most Forgotten Realms novels are.
Yu Mao was one character I didn’t like. His curse was very unique, and was a major swerve, though. It wasn’t a surprise this time around, since I am re-reading the book, but I remember being very surprised at the revelation the first time reading it, when he transformed from Black Scratch. That said, his motives for doing what he did were very anti-climactic and generic. He was the first-born son of a respected family in Shou Lung who didn’t want the burdens and pressures that came with it. So, what did he do? Become an evil pirate. It felt pretty unrealistic to me. Not wanting to deal with the pressure and propriety that come with being the heir to a semi-important lineage in Shou Lung? That works. Randomly becoming a pirate, and consorting with Faerûnians to escape it? A little less realistic.
Speaking of unrealistic, I found the final battle scene to be just slightly reinforced by plot armor. And, when I mean just slightly, I mean a lot. Tycho and Li against a bunch of Brins thugs, a few more hired thugs for good measure, and two Red Wizards, and the two of them pull it off? Even though they had a plan, and the Yellow Silk artifact on their side, if you ran a percentages program about the likelihood of their victory, the chance that they pull it off would be very, very, slim. And, yet they do, with very little problem.
I liked the city of Spandeliyon, itself, too. Dan Bassingthwaite really captured the essence of the city. Its “grittiness”. Its “seediness” Its “Elf hate”. It was big enough to be a city, but small enough to be an intimate setting for the book.
Out of a possible Five Beholders, I give The Yellow Silk Four Beholders.
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(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerûn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerûn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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swifty
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
517 Posts |
Posted - 15 May 2011 : 21:58:34
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| nice review.i to enjoyed it.i really enjoyed that series. |
go back to sleep america.everything is under control.heres american gladiators.watch this.shuttup. BILL HICKS. |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3736 Posts |
Posted - 16 May 2011 : 04:11:56
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| -The series a a whole, I didn't feel really stood out or anything (I only liked 2 out of the 4), but I did like the concept of a bunch of stories regarding specific classes. The Rogues series spawned all of the others, so that's a good thing. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerûn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerûn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 19 May 2011 : 02:36:24
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I had my problems with this book. It was well written, the story was different etc etc.
But: my biggest problem was that I felt it is true misery to live in that city.
I like the realms because it is a beautiful way to escape real world's completely magic and mystic free environs.
Then I read The Yellow Silk and it is just too tough for me in the real world sense. Spandeliyon is described as a miserable place with all the grueseome negative aspects of the setting if one looks at it from a point of view that is far from the games & fun aspect that is more sane to look at the realms from.
Good book, but it made me feel kinda sober regarding the more real world aspects of the realms..  |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3736 Posts |
Posted - 22 May 2011 : 22:37:37
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quote:
Originally posted by skychrome
I had my problems with this book. It was well written, the story was different etc etc.
But: my biggest problem was that I felt it is true misery to live in that city.
I like the realms because it is a beautiful way to escape real world's completely magic and mystic free environs.
Then I read The Yellow Silk and it is just too tough for me in the real world sense. Spandeliyon is described as a miserable place with all the grueseome negative aspects of the setting if one looks at it from a point of view that is far from the games & fun aspect that is more sane to look at the realms from.
Good book, but it made me feel kinda sober regarding the more real world aspects of the realms..
-Is that really a problem, though? I'd count something like that, portraying very well the "daily toil", as points in it's favor. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerûn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerûn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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LK's Novel Reviews: The Yellow Silk
