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the_midwest_library's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I'm a touch conflicted on this one. There were so many parts of this that I think are stronger than book one. Especially some of the character arcs/side stories we take on.
But there are also a lot of things that really work against this book. The time skips are realllllll weird. There are a lot of instances where events occur, then we spend what feels like a chapter summarizing those prior events we just read about in retrospect from some random future perspectives. The worldbuilding is also lacking in this one. The geography is so baffling even with the map included (quite frankly the map is terrible but I blame the 80s for that lol).
Overall I'm still really enjoying these, book 2 just wasn't as good as book 1. But gosh do I love the D&D storytelling and I really love the characters. They feel really well realized.
But there are also a lot of things that really work against this book. The time skips are realllllll weird. There are a lot of instances where events occur, then we spend what feels like a chapter summarizing those prior events we just read about in retrospect from some random future perspectives. The worldbuilding is also lacking in this one. The geography is so baffling even with the map included (quite frankly the map is terrible but I blame the 80s for that lol).
Overall I'm still really enjoying these, book 2 just wasn't as good as book 1. But gosh do I love the D&D storytelling and I really love the characters. They feel really well realized.
cecchinsette's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
kleturgez's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
thecolourblue's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Not as much fun as book one, kinda jumps around randomly in setting and timeline while feeling like it's skipping chunks that happen 'off scene'. But this is still very much a nostalgic comfort-read for me. Also, I forgot how much of a badass Laurana is.
sace's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
mikime's review against another edition
4.0
Le avventure del gruppo variegato di elfi/e, umani/e, nani, maghi e quant'altro continuano per tutto il continente, e arrivano a momenti cruciali, in cui combattono contro forze misteriose e nemici imprevedibili, oltre che contro le creature più feroci in circolazione, i draghi blu. Scontri , tradimenti e discordie anche interne non mancano, la compagnia si separa anche per protare a termine diverse missioni e qualcuno non si reincontrerà di nuovo.... Qualcun altro dato per perso invece ricompare, così come oggetti e conoscenze preziosi andati apparentemente perduti si palesano a chi sa cercare, e aiutano i protagonisti ad affrontare le prove più dure. Un romanzo avvincente, più del primo devo dire, che non finisce proprio con un colpo di scena ma lascia comunque la storia in sospeso, in attesa degli sviluppi nell'ultima parte della trilogia.
mercenator's review against another edition
4.0
I love this series. Mostly out of nostalgia, but rereading has confirmed they still slap.
jamessmith82's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
scroggin_cooper's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5
Eeeeh, das ist sehr schlecht!
Liked:
1. Some permanent death. Well, that's a nice change. We actually have some permanent death in Sturm, whom I genuinely thought was going to survive to the end.
2. The gnomes. The gnomes were kinda cool, I like that they were little tinkerers and how they kept the Dragon Orb.
Now to the bad stuff.
Dislike:
1. The sheer amount of characters. This book has way too many characters. Now that isn't necessarily a bad thing, my favorite series, the Wheel of Time has thousands of characters, but that is across a fifteen-book-long series. This is a trilogy. There are long stretches of chapters where I completely forgot some of the characters were even still alive. There are chapters where they don't say a word, Hell, not even mentioned. For about half of the book, I thought Goldmoon and Riverwind were both dead, which I wouldn't have minded, since I don't like either of them.
2. The 'oh, it was all a dream,' shock. This might be writing law 4 that I will never violate. The entire dream sequence where a good half of the party was massacred was something I was loving so much because it would've been some great stuff for development and shaved down the party. But no, it had to be a FUCKING DREAM SEQUENCE!!! JESUS H. CHRIST!
3. Tika tagging along. Why is Tika here? I understand her home is gone, but why is she here with everyone else?
4. The lack of character development. I understand that this is in 1980s fantasy, but I'd expect for there to be at least someone other than Tanis to have at least some garlic of character. Tanis' confliction was quite interesting, having to pick between Kitara and his other friends, but no one else has any other development. Tas is still annoying, Laurana's still very honorable, and Flint's stubborn as a jackass.
Scared to see if this last book can redeem this series.
Eeeeh, das ist sehr schlecht!
Liked:
1. Some permanent death. Well, that's a nice change. We actually have some permanent death in Sturm, whom I genuinely thought was going to survive to the end.
2. The gnomes. The gnomes were kinda cool, I like that they were little tinkerers and how they kept the Dragon Orb.
Now to the bad stuff.
Dislike:
1. The sheer amount of characters. This book has way too many characters. Now that isn't necessarily a bad thing, my favorite series, the Wheel of Time has thousands of characters, but that is across a fifteen-book-long series. This is a trilogy. There are long stretches of chapters where I completely forgot some of the characters were even still alive. There are chapters where they don't say a word, Hell, not even mentioned. For about half of the book, I thought Goldmoon and Riverwind were both dead, which I wouldn't have minded, since I don't like either of them.
2. The 'oh, it was all a dream,' shock. This might be writing law 4 that I will never violate. The entire dream sequence where a good half of the party was massacred was something I was loving so much because it would've been some great stuff for development and shaved down the party. But no, it had to be a FUCKING DREAM SEQUENCE!!! JESUS H. CHRIST!
3. Tika tagging along. Why is Tika here? I understand her home is gone, but why is she here with everyone else?
4. The lack of character development. I understand that this is in 1980s fantasy, but I'd expect for there to be at least someone other than Tanis to have at least some garlic of character. Tanis' confliction was quite interesting, having to pick between Kitara and his other friends, but no one else has any other development. Tas is still annoying, Laurana's still very honorable, and Flint's stubborn as a jackass.
Scared to see if this last book can redeem this series.