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platanus's review against another edition
3.0
Not a magnificent but a solid adventure novel.
Our party recently passed through Iriaebor about ten years after the story so I had a lot of nostalgia for a few places and characters.
The characters fit much more into an "NPC" (non player character) category rather than people in a novel. They each have a few traits meant to set them apart from the other NPCs accompanied by a quick backstory. There's no real surprise no actual growth and no depth to any of them. Same goes for the story. There's enough fundament to make it a solid adventure but nothing more.
I'm also getting tired of the apparently obligatory pairing off of the male and female leads in every Harper novel so far.
Our party recently passed through Iriaebor about ten years after the story so I had a lot of nostalgia for a few places and characters.
The characters fit much more into an "NPC" (non player character) category rather than people in a novel. They each have a few traits meant to set them apart from the other NPCs accompanied by a quick backstory. There's no real surprise no actual growth and no depth to any of them. Same goes for the story. There's enough fundament to make it a solid adventure but nothing more.
I'm also getting tired of the apparently obligatory pairing off of the male and female leads in every Harper novel so far.
isauldur's review against another edition
DNF. Not bad, but has kinda bland characters and the story feels weirdly paced at the beginning.
dark_reader's review
4.0
I was going to give this a solid three stars for a decent pulp fantasy by a first-time-solo author (he had published some short stories and paired up for a joint novel in the Dragonlance universe prior to this), but given a consistently positive impression I bumped it up to four. Despite some mildly cliche and predictable early events, the direction of the plot ended up quite enjoyable. I liked the way that current events unfolded alongside revelations of the events of past years, in an effective plot ladder. New characters were added organically as the main character reluctantly got the old band together. Although speaking of the main character: Caledon Caledonia, really? (I know that is not quite his actual name, but it is close enough). And Meara Al-Mearen? (Again, I am approximating the precise name which escapes me without the book on hand for reference).
I most enjoyed the character of (Tyberius? Tymeron? clearly the characters were not that memorable), the Chultan former swordsman-turned-monk, whose irrepressible cheerfulness and good heart packed into a muscular body made for an easily likeable guy. He was featured in the author's short story in [b:Realms of Valor|529609|Realms of Valor (Forgotten Realms Anthologies, #1)|James Lowder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312046551s/529609.jpg|517293], published a couple of months earlier. The main character was likeable too but I don't know why; he was surly, obsessive, begrudging, and prone to pushing others away. I guess his heroism shone through despite being damaged goods. I was annoyed how throughout the novel, he called Meara "Harper" exclusively, despite their joint emotional journey. I don't think he used her name one time. She usually called him "scoundrel" but at least mixed it up a bit.
One true thing, shared with virtually all of the Forgotten Realms novel authors published up to 1993 (which is far as I have read), is that the author is intensely adorkable! Seriously, check out the author photo at the back if you have the actual paperback. He even thanked an Enya album in his dedications for this book! Ah, good times.
I most enjoyed the character of (Tyberius? Tymeron? clearly the characters were not that memorable), the Chultan former swordsman-turned-monk, whose irrepressible cheerfulness and good heart packed into a muscular body made for an easily likeable guy. He was featured in the author's short story in [b:Realms of Valor|529609|Realms of Valor (Forgotten Realms Anthologies, #1)|James Lowder|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312046551s/529609.jpg|517293], published a couple of months earlier. The main character was likeable too but I don't know why; he was surly, obsessive, begrudging, and prone to pushing others away. I guess his heroism shone through despite being damaged goods. I was annoyed how throughout the novel, he called Meara "Harper" exclusively, despite their joint emotional journey. I don't think he used her name one time. She usually called him "scoundrel" but at least mixed it up a bit.
One true thing, shared with virtually all of the Forgotten Realms novel authors published up to 1993 (which is far as I have read), is that the author is intensely adorkable! Seriously, check out the author photo at the back if you have the actual paperback. He even thanked an Enya album in his dedications for this book! Ah, good times.
mw2k's review
3.0
A minor step-up from the usual popcorn D&D fare. It tells a decent story, and one that concentrates more on the people within that story, which is a rarity for this kind of novel. There's some real attempt at character building, but in the main, it's all out of the stock character manual.
And I agree with a couple of reviews here re: the title. It's misleading. The eponymous crypt plays almost no part in the story until the very end, but let's face it Crypt of the Shadowking will sell more copies than Two Bards Try Hard Not to Fall in Love.
Solid, but nothing special.
And I agree with a couple of reviews here re: the title. It's misleading. The eponymous crypt plays almost no part in the story until the very end, but let's face it Crypt of the Shadowking will sell more copies than Two Bards Try Hard Not to Fall in Love.
Solid, but nothing special.
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