Wizard Kings Books

While the title leaves much to be desired - and in fact makes you weary of the book - this is a good book, detailing the time surrounding The Chaos War in Qualinest.

This novel has it all: treachery, plotical intrique & plenty of action but it isn't neccessarily about Porthios vs Gilthas has the review leads you to believe. Give this one a read. BTW, it ends with a twist. I'd still like to know what events transpired in Silvanesti.

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Correct me if I'm wrong here but I don't believe this book holds true to Dragons of a Fallen Sun. I am going to ruin the ending right here so if you are planning to read this book continue to a different review. At the end we see Porthios fall off his gryphon and his face becomes dissfigured by the Chaos Dragons flame. Then he is taken to the wilderness by the wilder elves never to be seen again. In the new WOS series by the great W&H the exiled king has now grown a new face and he is communicating to his wife Alahna. Please if i am wrong someone inform me of my mistake, but if I happen to be correct please in the future can the writers of Dragonlance keep their stories straight.

Alright to explain the title of my review. This book was a surprise for me because it is one of the few books that have a main political twist to it that I still actually enjoyed reading. The characters in this are great especially some of the ones that are hardly even in it. I don't want to give away to much but the title basically speaks for itself. Gilthas is a young elf being manipulated by Rashas an evil qualinesti senator.
Niles definitely knows how to develop his villains. I mean I actually ended up really hating Rashas and the silvanesti general. Even though this book may deal a lot with the political aspect of the elvish society there is still plenty of action. And not all of the politics are boring either. Niles is definitely one of the better authors in Dragonlance and this book is definitely worth the money/time spent on it.

"The Puppet King" but Douglas Niles is a book full of action, politics, exitement, and everything else you could possibly want in a Dragonlance novel. This book is strangely set up, being that it is told like a story, but that doesnt take away from the read. The story itself follows many different points of view. It follows the exiled elf, Porthios. It follows the young and troubled Speaker of the Suns, Gilthas. And even follows the thoughts of a massive green dragon.

This book is full of Dragonlance goodness. Not only is the story an exciting read, but the characters are nicely developed. This book is set during the Chaos War, The same time as Margeret Wies'and Tracy Hickman's great book "Dragons of Summer Flame." It is nice to see the inner workings of the elven society, and see heroes rise up from unlikely places. This book is a must for any Dragonlance fan to read and enjoy.

To be honest, wasn't expecting much from this book. I only read it because I was hoping for more info about how Qualinesti handeled the Choas War. I was really inpressed. The plot is excellent, and apparently, I was the only one who liked the characters. Gilthnas was surprisingly well written, but I would have liked to see more emotion in him. I really like the parts about Gilthnas and his Kagonesti wife. I reccommend this book to everyone.

i liked it the first one but the second one was better. im going to read it again too

The Elf Queen and the King is a good book, perhaps even great. However, it shouldn't be the first Robert Stanek book you read. The Elf Queen offers an alternate history/telling of the story of Ruin Mist (which is the name of the world the story takes place in the common language of men but from an ancient saying for "the Lost Ages"). The best starting place for reading the books is The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #1. After reading books 2, 3, and 4, the next series is In the Service of Dragons. Then The Elf Queen and the King, but all the fan sites and even the publisher site says it is meant for only the truest fans of the books.

If you like fantasy and magic this is the book for you! The Seventh Tower is good too.

The second in the Ruin Mist Tales series is the follow up to the first one. It is very good.

As a fan of The Kingdoms and the Elves books, I enjoyed this alternate telling of Ruin Mist's history. I just wish Book 3 and 4 would hurry up and come out already.

Before I start my review, I want to say that I have very little experience with the Magic the Gathering card game. Over the years I have collected the cards on and off, but have since quit the game due to lack of friends who play. With that said, I am reviewing this book not from the perspective of a player, but a reader. I am also reading this book before I have started to read the Invasion Cycle. And now, onto the review.

The Thran is the prequel to the three book Invasion Cycle (making this the fourth book in the cycle). The book tells the story of Glacian, a genius from the "city-state" of Halcyon who during a typical day in the mana rig is stabbed by an untouchable (an outcast or a criminal from the society) with a "powerstone". Afterwards, Glacian is hospitalized as he now suffers from a mysterious illness known as phthisis (am unsure of the correct spelling). After regular healing (white magic) proves to only worsen Glacian's condition, a banished "healer" is brought in to try and cure Glacian. However, it appears that this "healer" has an agenda of his own, while making slow and steady strides to cure the disease he plots and schemes until he finally gets what his heart desires. This is the story of Yawgmoth and his rise to power in the Thran empire, how he came to rule, the revolt from the Thran and other races in Dominaria to stop the evil genius, and the creation of the deadliest "plague of creatures" ever, the Phyrexians.

Though, I'm an essential novice to the game of Magic the Gathering, I have to say that I love this book. All the suspense and drama, the betrayals by loved ones, I mean it's all amazing. I had a hard time putting this book down because I was left wondering what would happen to Glacian would he get better or would he perish from the disease the eats away his body. And Yawgmoth, another gripping character, as you go through the book, you're just hoping that someone, anyone realizes what he's doing and tries to stop him. I must say that I am very pleased with how this story ends and can't wait to read the Invasion Cycle. This is a gripping novel of love and loss, deception and betrayal, and the ultimate battle of good and evil.

The Thran is a deep tale of progressive generation and its roots in civilization. The visions painted in our minds of heavenly cities and floating temples provoke ideas of ascension as if we were citizens of Halcyon itself. The story is enriched with intrigue and open-ended technological innovation in the form of a limitless source of energy. Insights into the brilliant mind of Glacian imbue a sense of wonder at the possibilities of such energy sources. His wife Rebbec has countless inspirations of beauty, and as an archictect they both contribute to the good of the city. Yawgmoth is the catch. He is much more than a character, he is an idea. He is the embodiment of human moral failure, shown through his rape of entire nations for his own means. He is a compulsive liar, and tends to get away with it because anyone who speaks the truth is silenced immediately and branded a sick person who needs to be quarantined. I would love to see this on the big screen, with a high budget. Johhny Depp would make a great Yawgmoth, Sean Bean would make a great Glacian, and Vin Diesel would be awesome as Gix. Angelina Jolie as Dyfed and the woman who plays "M" for 007 as Eldest Jameth.

this is the bomb. If you ever wondered how yawgmouth came to power this is the book you need. Must have

This book is excellent. It has a lot of background information on some important characters in the magic universe. This book takes place before Urza and Mishra, and even before there were colors of magic. In fact, there is no knowledge of magic in "the Thran." This book starts with the knowledge of a Thran-Phyrexian War. It then jumps back and explains the build up to this war - which by the end will leave you wondering what just happened and how the magic universe was drastically affected thousands of years before Urza rocked the world in the Brother's War.

Very interesting book and I recommend it for Magic: The Gathering fans and those who have never played the game. M:TG fans will certainly love the history provided but the story is still so well written and an amazing tale that even people who do not know who Yawgmoth is will still like the book.

Upon finishing this book I wanted to immediately to jump in to the "Invasion" cycle because the Phyrexians are so crazy and powerful. I can't wait.

The first book I read in this series is Nemisis, then I got Apocalypse, and all time I wanted to know more abot Yawgmoth, Rebbec and Halycon, now I know! This is so good I cried, even the sample pages show how cool the book is. J. Robert King writes the best MTG books (and the funniest and must cursed filled ones.). This is my favorite book in the world.

After a big win at the end of the first book of the Invasion Cycle, "Invasion", the people of Dominaria feel pretty confident about their chances at defeating the Phyrexian menace once and for all. However, things begin to look grim, when after a 3-day celebration there are suddenly hundreds of thousands of Phrexians surrounding the Dominarian forces. Just when things begin to look grim, Urza and his fellow Planeswalkers transport the troops to much safer places to wage battle (at least where the odds are slightly better).

After some minor victories here and there by the Dominarian Defenders, the Planeswalkers gather for the biggest battle yet, an attack on Phrexia itself in an effort to bring a quick end to the war. However, all is not as it seems and it seems like everyone essentially has their own agendas. Plotting, betrayl, and murder are rampant in this the second book of the Invasion Cycle.

In order to save the world, all of the people must be united to fight for the safety and good of all of Dominaria instead of pursuing their own agendas. But just when it looks like all is well for the defenders, tragedy seems to strike Dominaria's two biggest heroes, Yawgmoth is attempting to seduce Urza to join his forces in the hopes of learning everything there is to know about Phyrexia, but also holds the soul of Gerrard's lost love Hanna in return for his devout service. How will it all play out, with alliances falling apart and plenty of dirty dealing, the war begins to look bleak for all of Dominaria.

This is another fantastic book in the Magic the Gathering universe, the story is rich, the characters are awesome, and the descriptions of the battle is vivid and life-like. If you love to read about the adventures in Magic the Gathering, you will definetly not be disappointed in this book or even this cycle for that matter.

The read this book at midnight the day I got it. I could not put it down. I just had to finish this book so I could read Apocalypse and finish the story. I play Magic now and I only started reading the books to understand the cards but I immediately fell in love with the books. This is a must read.
PS. Phyrexia is taken from Dante's Inferno

Planeshift is one of those rare books that has extreme action that never quits. It seriously felt like watching a movie. The violence is descriptive, and very captivating, but, for me, that's not quite enough to completely quench my thirst. First of all, there is little character development in this book: it's all fighting. However, the most interesting characters in the book are the dragons, specifically the Primevals. The five mighty gods rampage about Dominaria, showing their very distinctive natures. We see how the dragons change as the story progresses, until the final, breathtaking outcome. However, back on the human/metathran etc side, we have less interesting characters, but more battles. Consider this: billions, yes, BILLIONS of Phyrexians march towards our helpless heros, and at the last minute, they are seperated by Urza to complete seperate tasks. Basically, aside from the gory fights, the humanoid sections are fairly boring. Finally, we get to the Planeswalkers. Here is where the overall story really matters, and where the twists really occur. With the 'Walkers ongoing struggle to fight Phyrexia, the temptation of such power begins to corrupt the 'Walkers to the point of turning on one another. The one complaint I could have with the fighting portions is the whole 'We can kill anything' sceme. Sure, our heros are battle trained, but the Phyrexians are brutal killing machines, bred for that purpose. Most of them have blades and weapons integrated right onto them! I think there certainly could have been more outright casualties. Anyways, I recommend this book as a good read to anyone who loves Magic, any fantasy fan, or just anyone looking for a (literally) bloody good time.

As the story progresses, it is not all that important that one has to read the previous books in this theme, however in order to understand what is going on one needs to read the previous books as well. This entire set (called cycle) takes up about 930 pages total, unfortunately having read them all, this story could have been compressed to half of that. Which is the only flaw of these books; they are repetitive, especially when it comes to combat (after all, there are only so many ways to kill an opponent). Asides from that, its worth buying.

This is a great novel by J. Robert King which i think is truely awsome. The story line is good, but you sort of need to read Invasion first, and perhaps Thran prior to that. It is nonstopped action that takes you from on board the Weatherlight to inside Urza's titan engine, to fighting with the dragons. I highly recommend it, and the other books in the saga, as well as all books by J.R. king

Great book worthy of a 5 star review. Its great how the chacters develop & how the book starts the story off. Its too bad how the author has akroma destroy almost everything Ixidor created when he created her in the first place though. Ixidor was one of the best chacters in the book in my opinion however that dosn't change the fact that this was a great startoff to the onslaught series & most definatly deserving of 5-stars.

Good to start from the beginning so readers may understand the pace of the triology and others that came after.

Onslaught is a cool book. It has a lot of fighting in it that is fun to read. In this book, there are four main characters. Kamahl was a barbarian, but now he is a druid. Jeska, Kamahl's younger sister, has been turned into an evil person named Phage. Ixidor is a creator that makes things alive out of clay, painting, etc. Akroma is an angel that Ixidor had created in his dream. Ok, now that everyone is introduced, Onslaught is about Kamahl trying to bring Phage back to Jeska. Though, Ixidor wants to kill Phage, because she had killed his beloved, Nivea. So, Ixidor makes Akroma to slay Phage. However, Kamahl believes that Phage can become Jeska again and still believes that she is his sister. So, while Akroma tries to kill Phage, Kamahl protects her. Now, Kamahl and Phage ally to kill Akroma and Ixidor. So, they have this big was at the end to kill each other. It is a very complicated book, but if you read it you'll get.
I liked the book Onslaught, because it has a lot of cool fighting in it. There are pit fights and wars. J. Robert King explains the battles very well. So the reader won't get confused. J. Robert King also created these characters very well. He explains them in very good details. Another reason why I liked this book is that its plot is very interesting. Here is a quote from the book that explains a part while they are fighting, "Kamahl used his boot again, smashing it on the flat of the blade and shoving it ground-ward. The arm of the barbarian was too strong, though. The blade swept on. Putting all his weight on the boot, Kamahl stood on it and kicked his other foot into the barbarian's throat. He continued the motion, flipping backwards and landing out of reach, among piles of the dead." Onslaught is an exciting book.
Some things I disliked about the book was that it got a little too confusing at some parts. I had to read the same part over and over again. Here is a quote from the book about a confusing part, "The angel's feet struck the shaft and broke it into two. An explosion of green fire roared out of the shattered stalk. For a moment, it eclipsed Akroma, Kamahl, and Phage. When the initial blaze diminished, green force remained, clinging in viney lines to Akroma's legs. It emerged from the riven ends of Kamahl's staff and dragged her down." This part was confusing to me, because I did not know where the green vines came from and how. Then I found out it came from the staff at the broken ends. That part was only a small confusing part. Onslaught does actually have some misunderstanding parts.
My favorite part in Onslaught was the end where they have the massive war. It is my favorite part, because it had the most exciting and action parts. Some parts in the book had nothing fun. Though, at the end it had me reading and reading. I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in magic and action.

I love to play Magic: The Gathering, and this book helps deliver the story behind the cards. It has a character to each emotion and/or personality. Two are despairing, two are hateful. One soul is driven by greed, another by self-lessness. One soul has been driven to utter madness... another was already there, and never really cared much about sanity. There is a character for everyone to enjoy in this book, so you will like at least some of it, guranteed.

ah crap, i'd completely forgotten that Onslaught was my first magic book and stated Mirrodin was my first instead! not that any of you care, its just bothering me that i put that false info out there.

i also read this book several months ago, so my memory of it isnt that fresh.
anyway so there i was a bright young magic player curious about the stories in the cards i enjoyed so much. and.. i chose onslaught. why? because i wanted to read about Akroma. if you see her on the cards, she's this beautiful, strong, white-garbed, bejeweled angel that radiates .. um, something. and if you play the game and look at her card, its a bit crazy all the abilities they give her and such. im iffy about this book but i give it 4 stars because it wasnt that bad. its just that, i loathe reading about the main character, and i dislike its view of akroma. which is of course, unfair because i already created in my mind my own view of her.
however, kamahl returns in this book and if you read the odyssey cycle that may please you. so do a few other enjoyable characters. oh, it might depress you if you're fond of green (the forest) but then again, it seems a lot of magic books are like that.

Reiffen's Choice by S.C. Butler is the first book of the new young adult fantasy series, The Stoneways Trilogy.
In a world filled with so much wonder that the presence of talking animals, dwarves, and shape shifters seems mundane, twelve-year-olds Reiffen, Avender, and Ferris desire the good-natured fun of young people everywhere--sneaking extra candy, visiting friends, and complaining about school--all the while enjoying a safe home among adults who love them so that mortal dangers remain the stuff of myth.
When Reiffen, the heir to a great throne, is kidnapped, Avender and Ferris must put away the comfort and security of home in order to rescue him. But they are running out of time. Will Reiffen succumb to the temptation of wielding the power of magic--a power so great that his soul and self will be forfeit and death and destruction will follow in his wake?
Mr. Butler wields the power of words like a delicate knife. I was entranced by the first paragraph of his book.


One warm spring day in Valing, a large, fat bear sunned himself on the gray stone of the Neck. His russet coat gleamed, sleek as a nokken's: the long mountain winter didn't seem to have bothered him at all. Half-asleep or half-awake, he lay comfortably between the orchard and the top of the cliff, where the scent of the apple blossoms was almost as lovely as the hum of the bees. Behind him the lake glistened a deep and sparkling blue. Except for a long plume of spray from the falls to the west, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Valing? The Neck? Nokkens? Three unknown things in the first paragraph and I didn't care--the charm of the description carried me along.
Mr. Butler has written an innovative creation mythos to anchor his story, much the way J.R.R. Tolkein created a founding mythos to secure his world in The Lord of the Rings. While I could find logical nitpicks because of my technical background (training that I rue at times), in general, I found his mythos enchanting.
Though the character development of Reiffen, Avender, and Ferris fell flat at times because of a wandering viewpoint, Mr. Butler told their stories with an empathy and affection that drew me throughout the book, and, at the end, I knew that I would purchase (and have done so) the sequel--Queen Ferris.

Reiffen is the heir to both the thrones of Banking and Wayland, but b/c his parents' marriage was not officially recognized his uncle is king. Living in exile Reiffen is treated much like the other children living in the isolated community of Valing. Life is good at the Manor with this mother and his friends Avender and Ferris, until Reiffen is kidnapped by three evil Wizards who want to use him in their plans to spread chaos among the kingdoms of the world. Reiffen is thrust into a world where nothing is as it seems and choices are not what they seem. Meanwhile, his friends, with the help of Redburr the Shaper and Nolo the Dwarf, won't stand by to let him rot in the Wizards' dungeon.

Reiffen's choice is the rare bit of young adult fiction that not only spins a great yarn, but also takes us into fantastic situations that make us think about what happens when our deepest held convictions are tested to their limits. It is well written, fast paced, with memorable characters, and a twist you won't see coming. Very enjoyable for all ages.

As a fantasy writer myself, I often have trouble really getting engaged with someone else's work. It's hard to turn off the internal editor and just discover a new world, but this book did it for me.

It begins right away in a well-realized world, full of believable characters. The plot turns are startling and delightful to follow. For me, it's the voyage through the Stoneways that made the book take flight. Butler let me see things I'd never imagined. It reminded me of reading Tolkein for the first time, because my eyes were opened, my senses alert to the fascinating world around me.

My only complaint, in fact, is that Butler's Brydden are so intriguing as a people, and so different from the stereo-typical "dwarf" of fantasy, that I wish he had used his own terminology exclusively, in the way that he invented other perfect words for the things they made. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.

Fantasy fiction is not my usual choice in a novel. However, my daughter encouraged me (actually she challenged me) to read at least a bit of Reiffen's Choice, which she insisted was an outstanding example of this genre. What a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am delighted that there will be two more. Is the book targeted to 'young' readers? Perhaps. But as an 'old' reader I'm convinced that anyone, of any age, who has a modicum of imagination will be fascinated by the world and the characters the author has created.

Reiffen's Choice by S.C. Butler is the first novel in The Stoneways Trilogy. It also marks Mr. Butler's first published novel. Admittedly I had never heard of Mr. Butler, nor this novel, until I was perusing the shelves of a bargain book store and found it. That is one of the great things about bargain bookstores; they give you the opportunity to take a chance on authors, and books, that you have never heard of before. Here are my thoughts on this novel.

The plot of this novel is riddled with clichés and overused plot devices. What seems like an interesting concept quickly deteriorates into plot lines that I have read in countless other novels. Things such as a boy being the `true' heir to the throne are just heaped in unimaginative plots in this book. It almost seems as though the author picked plot points from a variety of different fantasy books and combined them into a book. If the book was not so repetitive of other books it may have been a decent read, however, as it stands it fails to capture my imagination or hold my interest. Other plot points include talking animals that can shape change and seem to have the one answer that will solve every situation, to the loss of a friend only to find out that friend is still alive and well. One or two of these minor subplots being clichéd and overused may have been okay, but this book just seems steeped in them.

The characters of this book are a mix of kids and adults with a few `exotic" characters mixed in. Characters such as Reiffen, Avender, Ferris, and Redburr are slightly interesting, but again the drawback of all the characters is that they are so predictable. I don't recall being surprised by any characters actions in this book. In fact I would even go so far as to say fans of the fantasy genre may be able to read the first one hundred pages or so of this book and know what will transpire for the characters throughout the book. The dialogue seems stiff and unimaginative. The characters say just enough to move the plot ahead without really focusing on character development. To me, the characters seemed flat and rather one-dimensional and mere card board cut outs of more interesting characters in other novels I have read.

Some criticisms about this novel:

1 - Too much description. There are several times throughout the book where Mr. Butler over describes things to the extent that the actual story becomes bogged down and sputters through the descriptiveness. While the adage of show don't tell holds true, sometimes show too much takes away from the story.

2 - The length of this novel. It is marketed as a young adult novel. However, at well over 400 pages and needless description it doesn't come across as such.

3 - The clichés and unimaginative plots and characters. When I read a book I am looking for something new and interesting. I got neither with this novel.

A positive about this novel:

1 - Mr. Butler's prose, with a little more honing, is good. It just seemed like he didn't trust his imagination instead using others as a crutch. Word choice, flow, and narrative were, for the most part solid. For a new author I was pleased with what I found.

In the end I simply was not satisfied with this novel. I wanted to like it, but the inconstancies, clichés, and repeated plot elements severely affects the novel. After finishing the book I was left with the feeling that Mr. Butler is a talented author and just needs to trust his own imagination instead of using plots from other author's novels. Maybe, fans who are just starting to get into the fantasy genre will appreciate this novel. However, when reading the cover blurb and seeing that it is being compared to Raymond Feist's Magician my expectations are naturally raised. This novel is no where nears Feist's work and it's a shame the publisher tried to place it up there. A may check in on Mr. Butler's later works, but my expectations will be much lower next time.

Hi. I am an 11 year old from California and a great fan of Magic. Apocalypse is a great book with an interesting plot and recognizable characters from the Magic universe. In this book you follow the battles of the skyship Weatherlight with its crew (Sisay, Tahngarth, Karn, etc.) and the rebels (Eladamri, Lin Sivvi, and Grizzlegom) as the Dominarian Apocalypse nears.
Gerrard and Urza are in Yawgmoth¡¯s lair and are fighting to the death for survival. In the end a horrible evil dawns upon the rebels and threatens to destroy everything that they have fought for¡­
This book is a great buy with its twisting plot and sharp imagery. Your eyes will be glued to this book until the end (or maybe longer). I applaud J. Robert King for this dazzling piece of literature.
The end is near¡­

I have read this whole series from the begining of the brothers war. I have followed these characters through thousands of years of story and development, and although this book is amazing on its own, put together with the rest, it really does lack- it doesnt do justice to the epic story before it.

Things are rushed and the story goes by and ends rather quickly. It ruined the flow of the whole series and easily dissapoints with its hollow ending. At the same time, the characters and situations have flow from previous books and yet dont. It is very confusing- and at the same time everything comes together. Actually a lot come together, but i fee like they have smushed 2 books into one, it would have been better to have this the 3rd book - and then end it all in a final fourth book, a first 4th book in the whole series. That is how epic this story truely is!

I've seen many reviews here on Amazon, all of which I truley respect, but most of them either deter people way from the book, or don't give enough information about it in the first place. I hope the review may satify anyone who has a disire in reading this particular series.
First off, Apocalypse, I believe, is one of the best books in whole series of Magic: The Gathering. The sheer twists and turns in the plot would dazzle anyone who reads it. But I must admit, some aspects of this book are confusing.But these are only minor defects, and as you read on you will adapt to them.Andplus you won't wonder to yourself about why the event happened for they don't really affect the plot. (By "event" I mean the minor defects in the storyline)
The story continues in a very suspensefull arora. With the battle scenes wavering as each side tries to overcome each other. The different subjects occurring at the same time are written very well. But at times battle subjectsmay get a little repetitve. And I must give praise to King, for the climax of this story will not let you drop the book until you are done.
Overall this book is written very well, and I believe it is a fine ending to the Invastion Cycle. With so many twists and turns in the plot, you'll be sitting at the edge of your seat and the abrut end of the story will make you wanting to read the next series. (Odyssey) I'd like to remind you, I reviwed this book from the perpestive of myself, and thateachperson has their very on view on the quality of books. All I can do is hope that you enjoy this book. Thank you.

Once again, King does a superb job. Easily one of the best books ever released, Apocalypse is a good buy. As a Magic player, I can see where the flavour text from the cards is incorporated into the book. Whether or not you play Magic, or whether or nor you like fantasy stories, the Invasion cycle will definitely sate your appetite for books.

If you are interested in this kind of subject you are no doubt a fan of Magic-The Gathering. This book is a direct spin off from that game, and as such it is perfect if you are already a fan. You can read about the adventures of Gerrard, Weatherlight, Squee and of course Urza in this book, as they battle the evil of Crovax and the demon god Yawgamoth.
The story moves from location to location as the heros fight their battles, and moves towards a perhaps rather obvious ending- although I'm not going to let on what it is here!

This book has not been well written, however. The theme is the last big do or die battle, but the writer totally fails to give that impression. The battles are stupidly one sided, and always favour the heros- the enemies are crushed like so many paper dolls, whilst the goodies don't take a scratch. Lin Sivvis " Totten Vec " Is perhaps the most annoying feature of the book- read it and find out why!

Also a side plot features a climatic duel between Urza and Gerrard. This could have been excellent, but again the book fails to understand that a duel to the death needs suspense. Here we have the bizarre situation of when one man dies he just comes back to life again, several times- the emotion generated is not excitment but boredom.

It is worth reading if you are a big Magic fan, because it will bring the " Magic " world to life. But on the whole it is not a well written book.

There are absolutely no redeeming qualities to these villians. You'd love to kill them yourself. The narrow escapes, danger from 'friends', help from 'enemies', the blurring of always excepted right and wrong -- and tied all up with magic. What more could you ask for? A hero, a heroine, a mission with no clear direction and danger around every corner. Do what's right or do as you're told and preserve surface honor? What would you do?

Elaine did an excellent job with The Floodgate. The book is both captivating and entertaining. I recommend this novel along with the entire trilogy.

The multicultured variety in the Forgotten Realms settings never seems to end.

In the second volume of the "Counselors and Kings" series, the story of the young jordain, Matteo, continues. It continues with advancing the history of the land of Halruua.

The book is not astounding or anything, but you could say that Elaine Cunningham certainly knows how to capture the reader's dedicated attention. I just can't wait to read the third volume.

Don't get me wrong, people. It's a great book. Worth reading and buying.

Enjoy!

Having defeated the deadly Laraken, Jordaini counselor Matteo and his mischievous companion Tzigone get on with their lives... or so they would want to. Along with a memorable cast of companions, they will be thrust into a wickedly twisted plot that threatens to undo the might of magical Halruaa.

In this second of three novels of the Counselors and Kings series, author Elaine Cunningham maintains the quality of work she is well known for. As with most go-between novels in a trilogy, The Floodgate builds upon previous material and leads into a conclusion. As such, it is as fine a bridge as I've had the pleasure of reading. Halruaa is brought to life as never before, and despite the general lack of references to some more familiar Forgotten Realms characters (who are largely dismissed as 'barbaric northerners') you won't be missing any bit of the excitement or action that the Realms are known for.

The author, as is expected, answers some questions and leaves others for later. There is a tense sort of foreboding behind the swordplay and spell battles, impressive though they might be. One cannot help but wonder where this is all leading. Rest assured that all will be answered by the end of the series. Do read The Floodgate on the way, however, for this trilogy is best taken in whole.

For a middle book it is good. I did not care for this book quite as much as "The Magehound", but still I enjoyed it. In this book the author evolves the characters well. We learn the fates of the characters after the battle in the swamp. This is a great book within an excellent trilogy. "Counselors & Kings" will end up being one of the more popular FR sets in recent years.

I enjoy just certain fantasy or scifi stories. Crystalwizard weaves an interesting story, so spellbinding that I don't worry or care about the genre. Her characters are well-rounded, the plot intriging, and the material well-written.

I stayed up all night reading because I could not wait to see what happened next.

Other reviewers have compared it to Tolkien but I think it's more Simak. The story starts with Dale arriving on a planet, a place he's never been before and some of his technology seems not to be working quite right. He decides to go in search of some answers and as the power in this world seems to be in the hands of the Magicians then to the college of magicians is where he goes. Along the way he enlists and co-opts help from several people, many of whom are quite young and he becomes a father figure for them.

The Gorg that are hunting him are interesting, and part of the quest is to find out why. I enjoyed some of the characters and how they developed over the story, though Dale sometimes seemed to be a little to much of the "My way or the highway" school of management.

This is the first book in a series of (apparently) 6, and it does end quite abruptly, leaving me wanting more. For a quest novel it's not bad and the blend of magic, psionics and technology is interesting, sometimes though it does drag, though a lot of the drag is in getting to know the characters more.

I look forward to reading more in this series.

Dale is a man in trouble, stranded, lost and seriously out of place - transported through a galactic space warp and marooned on Earth by means and enemies unknown! He is worried to discover that his sophisticated, technologically advanced tools and weaponry, normally capable of modifying and controlling the people and the environment around him are now undependable, inconsistent and frequently out of commission entirely. But the tools that he does have and his charismatic force of personality are sufficient to gather around him a ragtag collection of misfits that seem to have also lost their place in the world - a thief bent on reform and self-improvement, an "animal-whisperer" who dropped out of the local wizard's college, the spoiled son of a baron, a demon held in thrall by a sorcerer's spell who can't seem to stay out of trouble and the runaway pacifist son of a cutthroat murderer.

As Dale and his strange fellowship fight for their lives against Gorgs that, time and again, materialize out of nowhere to attack them, (think really mean, really ugly and really powerful ogres - big brutes with a serious attitude problem) they come to the realization that the entire world is under attack by a magical force that survived the Wizard's War thought to have ended over fifty thousand years earlier. The world's only hope for survival against an impending all-out attack rests with Dale's technological know-how reaching the city of Villenspell and enlisting the magical aid of the City of Wizards!

The obvious themes of "fellowship", "quest" and "world survival" beg for the reader to compare "Wizard's Bane" to Tolkien's classic "Lord of the Rings". I wouldn't presume to make such a grandiose comparison but it is clear that Crystalwizard has succeeded admirably in drawing on the work of the giants before her while still injecting a dose of originality that is at once charming, thrilling, humorous, moving and unique in its own right! As the first novel of a six-part epic, "Wizard's Bane" focuses primarily on the character development of the "fellowship" and the realization of the extent of the trouble the world is really in as it comes under attack from the Gorg army. In a manner reminiscent of Clifford Simak's warm pastoral style of writing, Crystalwizard's characters are realistic, personable, down-home and easy for any reader to identify with and care about. Her credible, completely natural dialogue flows easily and there are plenty of light moments that will cause a chuckle or a wry smile. That "Wizard's Bane" barely gets revved up on the plot can be forgiven on the understanding that there are five novels left for the now eager reader to enjoy.

Where "Wizard's Bane" creatively departs from the standard medieval based sword fantasy is Crystalwizard's unique marriage of sci-fi and creative technology with good old-fashioned wizardry and magic - the science even touches quite clearly on relativistic concepts of time dilation and space warping!

Highly recommended for lovers of both sci-fi and fantasy! In fact, I can't think of a better book to introduce devoted readers of one genre to the joys of the other! I think I'll head off to the bookstore to look up a copy of "Villenspell - City of Wizards".

Paul Weiss

Crystalwizard is a storyteller of considerable ability. Some people aspire to be good writers; my own belief is that the art of weaving a good story is a prerequisite to the craft of putting that story onto paper (or computer screen). Others will doubtless disagree. But, if I aspire to anything as a writer, it is to become a good story teller. Crystalwizard is a good story teller.

Though I have only read the first book of the Sojourn Chronicles, it is clearly an epic tale of Tolkien proportions. The characters are believable, in a fantastic sort of way, and there is both a noble goal (that spans books) and immediate challenges and dangers for the hero, Dale, to overcome. Dale has a mission to accomplish, though he only slowly becomes aware of its scope while struggling to survive on the world into which he has been thrust. His survival is accompanied by his gathering a strange assortment of misfits on his journey to the "city of wizards".

There were some nice touches in the story. I was tickled by the idea of programming as 'magic' (a spell got stuck in a 'for ... next loop')which reminded me of Arthur C Clarke's quotation "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

In one sense, I was disappointed in the way that book one ended; there was less of a climax than I would have liked. But in another sense, this is part of the epic genre; how do you end a story that is a part of a much larger story? If you read Wizard's Bane, then be prepared to read book two (and book three, and ...)

Also be prepared to encounter the odd misplaced word on the way through. These things didn't bother me, but I did notice them. If you are pedantically inclined, then don't let this spoil an otherwise great read.

All in all, I consider this to be a read that shouldn't be missed, and I will be reading the second book very soon.

A classical style fantasy novel that draws its influences from many recognizable sources, Wizard's Bane captures the reader's attention and draws them into the pages. In the opening paragraphs that are vaguely reminiscent of the start of Terminator: The Movie we meet Dale, a man from a technologically superior world who finds himself marooned in a land of magic. Dale has a penchant for attracting a rag-tag band of followers that, not surprisingly, ultimately end up matching the character profiles found in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

This group of misfits sets out on a multi-focal quest to restore Dale's missing powers, discover the truth about themselves, and what good fantasy novel would omit - save the world from sure destruction at the hand of otherworldly invaders. The pacing of the story takes a backseat to character development in this book, so not much progress is made towards the fulfillment of their quest, a good thing in this case as all of the characters possess strong but likeable personalities making it difficult to choose a favorite.

As this is book one in a series, the ending is very much a cliffhanger, since it ends rather abruptly right before they reach their first of many goals. Fortunately books two and three, Villenspell: City of Wizards (2005) and Wizards and Wanderers: Book Three of the Sojourn Chronicles (2006) are already available, and books four through six are written but not yet published according to the author's website.

A few minor flaws: the proof-reading isn't perfect, leaving behind a few errors that wouldn't be caught by a spell-checker. The layout style is a little odd and takes a little getting accustomed to as there are an abundance of new paragraphs, the majority of which are only one sentence long.

The reviews thus far gave this book uniformly outstanding reviews. Me, I just don't get it--I'm a fan of the Planescape setting, but maybe I just don't read enough fantasy novels and my standards haven't been lowered by a bookshelf of mediocre fiction. This book was an absolute LABOR to get through--much of it doesn't make sense, parts that do make sense are genuinely stupid, and precious little seems to have anything to do with the Blood War--and sometimes not even the Planescape setting itself.

The plot (and I'm not giving much away here) has to do with a demon army attacking Sigil--which, last I checked, doesn't have anything to do with the Blood War. In fact, for a trilogy that's supposed to be about the unending war between demons and devils (the Abyss and Hell), there isn't a single appearance by a single devil anywhere in the story. (The devils make a cameo appearance in the first book, in a contrived scene that reads like the book editor told the author he had to have a couple of demons fight a couple of devils for a page or two.)

I virtually smacked my head in disbelief when one of the characters shouts, "The Blood War has come to Sigil!" That's like Iraqis shouting at British soldiers, "The Falklands War has come to Baghdad!"

The characters themselves are painfully, excruciatingly undeveloped, the kind that could be described by a movie studio executive who only speaks in two-word adjective-noun combinations (Boffo--"curmudgeonly gnome"; Jandau--"untrustworthy tiefling"; and so on.)

Other plot points are so bad as to be very nearly laughable: at one point, the characters climb into giant flying seeds and then have an aerial battle like X-wing fighters over the surface of the Death Star (no, I'm not kidding here); at another point several dozen demons get burned to death by hitting them with lamppost lanterns (still not kidding); and at another point an army of crazed demons invade another plane by shriking down to the size of 72,000 ants (kidding! Ok, no, I'm not).

And then there's the part where the tide of a key battle is turned by a set of musical instruments that suddenly have special properties never mentioned before, like how a bucket of water can suddenly melt the wicked witch...

The writing...well, this is always a matter of taste, but I thought the author was just an acolyte of clumsy writing and overwrought metaphors; goofy plot points can often be excused (or at least overlooked) if they're told with strong writing, but here, it's as if the author had a tin ear that he had convinced himself was made of gold.

All in all, a catastrophe, and one utterly unbefitting the trilogy that was supposed to launch a setting as excellent as Planescape.

--KRad

Definitely a great fantasy epic and one of my personal favorites, The Blood Wars Trilogy-Blood Hostages, Abyssal Warriors, and Planar Powers, brings to life the story of Aereas and Nina, two cousins, and their adventures in the "multiverse" that is the World of Planescape. The books are so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another universe and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense.
The author has done a FANTASTIC job of both acquiring vast knowledge relevant to the Planes as well as presenting this material efficiently and successfully! His solid grasp of factual detail makes him very capable of providing the necessary background needed to carry out the very difficult task of writing Planescape novels, which is something often missing from the work of many Fantasy authors.
JR King has truly outdone himself and has presented us with a masterpiece of literature the likes of which we have seen only in JRR Tolkien's work and in authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies as well as RA Salvatore's Icewind Dale and Dark Elf Trilogies. Love, fiends, bravery, magic, swordfights and battles of epic proportion are all about. A great trilogy indeed and a "must read" along with Pages of Pain, sadly, the only other novel written in the Planescape setting.

I'm not sure what he did, but JR king accomplishes in a couple hundred pages what the War of Souls trilogy couldn't do in around a thousand.

These books are like poetry in a strange way, even though they are product line fantasy novels. The author has a way of making you care about the characters even in the little time you spend with them.

The memory flashbacks play an important part, and were an ingenious device, just as they were in the last one. In this book, we are treated to the madness of two lands: The Abyss, where chaos and evil join, and the Beastlands, where Heaven is a place where wild things can grow without attacks from civilization.

Though he alters the basics of the Planescape setting, he does so in a way that truly invigorates it with a new flavor and new ideas. Even with all the strange reality levels of giant flies and crystal fruit-bearing plants, the book stays grounded in the story of love and betrayal. It may be a retelling of old stories, but it does so in a backdrop of worms that are homes, a universe of dead gods, and much more insanity.

As I've mentioned in my review of the first book, if you have kids who are hyperactive readers of fantasy, this is a wonderful book to open their minds to depths and beauty of imagination.

There is an interesting twist in this, the second book of the trilogy. The heroine of the first book has gone mad. Because she has not changed that much, I found myself still rooting for her, although she is now the "bad guy". Another aspect of the book I liked was the character Phaeton, who is basically an angel. Through Phaeton, we see how sometimes beings of "pure good" can sometimes do evil, and how "right" can sometimes be wrong. Overall, this book was a welcome and refreshing change from the formulaic "action movie" first book.

The "Blood Wars" books were my first exposure to the Planescape scenario, which I think rocks. Too bad "Blood Hostages", the first book of the trilogy, didn't get close to the potential of the scenario at all.

This second one, however, is captivating. It has been the first book in a while that I read in one sitting, dropping into bed at half past two. The story is compelling, and the characters are drawn much better than in "Blood Hostages". I agree with the other reviewers that it's especially the mad Nina, a powerful female character like you don't encounter in the Fantasy literature very often, that makes the book stand out. Finally, without giving anything away, the end of the book is brilliant and really evil, and I can't wait to read the final book so the characters can finally get out of this ugly situation. (I hope they will, at any rate.)

The reason why I'm not giving the book five stars is that it lets opportunities pass. After a third of the book, we are told about a special and unique power of the two main characters; but while one might think it should be, this power is never a driving force behind the storyline, it just comes in handy in some situations.

About the first book: I'd recommend to buy and read it before reading "Abyssal Warriors", even if it's substandard. You'll be much more able to appreciate this one afterwards (and not just because of the contrast in quality).