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kadomi's review against another edition
3.0
The series of Pathfinder Tales books are a mixed bag so far. They're fast food. They offer a deeper look at the various countries of the Inner Sea region of Golarion, clad in fantasy tales. Now, let's say that this is McDonald's fast food. My favorite burger there is the Big Mac. Dave Gross' Prince of Wolves set in Ustalav was a Big Mac. Elaine Cunningham's Witch of Winter was a cheeseburger. Tasty, but not filling, and lacking substance.
Plague of Shadows is a hamburger. Not as tasty as the cheeseburger, and kinda bland, but you eat it anyhow.
It didn't really do anything that I want from a Pathfinder Tale. I want a deeper look and feel for the atmosphere of its Golarion region. This story begins in Taldor, moves through Galt and touches on Kyonin, but none of them in any depth. Galt is pretty much the French Revolution going on perpetually, and it would have been fun to find out more about the power structures and factions. Hell, you don't even get any motivation for the BBEG at the end. I have no idea what this guillotine event is all about. Galt=evil, without any true explanation. Disappointing. Kyonin is similarly skimmed.
The only thing I really liked was Elyana as a character, though again, she lacked any real depth. It would have been more interesting to see her develop more with Drelm, the half-orc.
At least it's a fairly entertaining read, but all in all that's just 2.5 stars for me, rounding up to 3 on Goodreads.
Plague of Shadows is a hamburger. Not as tasty as the cheeseburger, and kinda bland, but you eat it anyhow.
It didn't really do anything that I want from a Pathfinder Tale. I want a deeper look and feel for the atmosphere of its Golarion region. This story begins in Taldor, moves through Galt and touches on Kyonin, but none of them in any depth. Galt is pretty much the French Revolution going on perpetually, and it would have been fun to find out more about the power structures and factions. Hell, you don't even get any motivation for the BBEG at the end. I have no idea what this guillotine event is all about. Galt=evil, without any true explanation. Disappointing. Kyonin is similarly skimmed.
The only thing I really liked was Elyana as a character, though again, she lacked any real depth. It would have been more interesting to see her develop more with Drelm, the half-orc.
At least it's a fairly entertaining read, but all in all that's just 2.5 stars for me, rounding up to 3 on Goodreads.
perch15's review against another edition
3.0
Unfortunately, this one was a bit of a slog. It was well-written and the character work is wonderful, but at times it felt like an interminably long introduction. I'm certainly not saying it was bad, but it took me entirely too long to read a book of this length, because I simply wasn't compelled to turn the pages.
peter_xxx's review against another edition
3.0
This was a nice book. the fact that the a lot of the main characters have a history as an adventure party and are forced to go on an adventure once more is really cool. I also liked the characterisation of the people in this book.
The only thing that bothered me is the fact that in the final battle you never have a real clear few on what is happening. Some people seem far away and the next moment they are right there. but other than that, a very nice book.
The only thing that bothered me is the fact that in the final battle you never have a real clear few on what is happening. Some people seem far away and the next moment they are right there. but other than that, a very nice book.
eaterofworlds's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
towo's review against another edition
2.0
Horrible and cheesy plot, raking its way through mindless usage of tropes. Okay writing.
kazmx's review against another edition
4.0
Although I'm not very fond of books that are all over the place, Howard presents a very decent story. As many pathfinder novels it made me feel like I was there with Elyana, Renar and Drelm.
The introduction had a very messy start. It made me feel like I had to go back a few pages because it squeezed a lot of information. I liked how we were introduced to the main character.
The middle chapters had a lot of info about Golarion. And that's when I got lost at first. Even though I know the geography I felt it was a lot to take in.
The climax and ending were the best parts. They wrapped up with perfectly the story, tieing loose knits everywhere and presenting a villain with all its inhuman characteristics.
The introduction had a very messy start. It made me feel like I had to go back a few pages because it squeezed a lot of information. I liked how we were introduced to the main character.
The middle chapters had a lot of info about Golarion. And that's when I got lost at first. Even though I know the geography I felt it was a lot to take in.
The climax and ending were the best parts. They wrapped up with perfectly the story, tieing loose knits everywhere and presenting a villain with all its inhuman characteristics.
capellan's review against another edition
3.0
A light and easy RPG tie-in novel. The characters are pretty thin and the plotline takes many detours into somewhat tangential fight scenes ... which honestly makes it feels more like an actual set of RPG sessions turned into fiction. If you have an itch for that kind of undemanding fantasy fare, this book will scratch it.
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