Review: "Streams of Silver" by R.A. Salvatore

Title: Streams of Silver
Author:  R.A Salvatore
Genre:  Fantasy
Publication Date: 1989
Publisher:  TSR
Pages:  342

Rating:  4 out of 5

Amazon Book Blurb: 
  

Drizzt Do'Urden struggles with his own inner voices, voices that call him back to the pitiless depths of the Underdark. But louder still are the voices of his newfound friends, and the dream that drives Bruenor Battlehammer on to reclaim Mithral Hall. Time and again they're told to turn back, that some dreams can never be fulfilled, but on they fight -- together.

Review:  The second entry in the Drizzt series is a more personal adventure than its predecessor, The Crystal Shard.  Whereas The Crystal Shard was epic in scale, recounting the strife of an entire region, Streams of Silver stays close to Drizzt's small band of adventurers and their journey filled with both physical and prejudicial conflict.

Drizzt, being a dark elf, and the dark elves being a notoriously evil race, is treated with suspicion, fear and outright hatred wherever he travels.  Being a gentle and noble soul, an aberration amongst his people, Drizzt struggles with his ostracism on a regular basis providing a healthy dose of character progression for the reader to watch unfold.

In fact, a strong theme that's carried on in subsequent books that begins in Streams of Silver is Drizzt's need to prove that he's not like his people. He comes into contact with an assassin who represents everything Drizzt would have become had he stayed with the Drow and accepted their ways.  This assassin is, from what we can tell, Drizzt's equal in combat and stealth, and so Drizzt finds himself seeking vindication for his choice of honor over selfish pragmatism which can only be found in defeating the assassin.

One issue that I neglected to cover in my review of The Crystal Shard is R.A. Salvatore's inclination in these early novels to tell rather than show.  There's a lot of narrative describing our protagonists' honor and empathy.  The reader is often told how a character feels, or about the strength of the bond between characters, but these themes and ideas could would be significantly stronger if a way had been found to show the reader rather than tell.

Still, Streams of Silver was a satisfyingly fun read about a classic group of adventurers off to find treasure and excitement.  If that's your idea of a good time, seek no further.  As King Bruenor might say, "Suren yer not to be disappointed."

Review: "The Crystal Chard" by R.A. Salvatore

Title:  The Crystal Shard
Author:  R.A. Salvatore
Genre:  Fantasy
Publication Date: 1998
Publisher:  Wizards of the Coast
Pages:  340

Rating:  4 out of 5

Amazon Book Blurb: 

Drizzt Do’Urden has settled in the windswept towns of Icewind Dale. There, he encounters a young barbarian named Wulfgar, captured in a raid and made the ward of a grizzled dwarf name Bruenor. With Drizzt’s help, Wulfgar will grow from a feral child to a man with the heart of a dwarf, the instincts of a savage, and the soul of a hero. But it will take even more than that to defeat the demonic power of Crenshininbon, the fabled Crystal Shard.

Review:

The first entry in a very successful thirty-three book series, The Crystal Shard is also R.A. Salvatore's first published work.  He's since sold over fifteen million copies of his books, of which, twenty two have been New York Times best-sellers.  He's done well for himself, displaying a knack for fantasy and adventure, and it all started with The Crystal Shard.

Despite there being a few tell-tale signs of this being a book by a new author, these very minor distractions are swept away in the onslaught of unrelenting adventure and war.  I found myself enjoying the characters and setting so much that any flaws I noticed simply paled in comparison or simply went unnoticed.

The scope of the novel ranges from very personal adventures and struggles to sprawling wars and grand campaigns that engulf the entire region and its inhabitants.  There's politics, resource disputes, tensions and tenderness in interpersonal relations, and a cold, unforgiving setting that's as likely to kill its inhabitants as not.  Most new authors would crumble beneath the sheer scope of the narrative, but like Atlas, Mr. Salvatore carries his massive story line as if he's been doing it since the beginning.  As a result, there's plenty to do in The Crystal Shard's Icewind Dales.

Mr. Salvatore has a knack for describing close-combat, a talent he ascribes to his days as a bouncer.  The action is intense and the stakes are always high.  His story-telling chops don't stop there; he's also a maestro of conveying the ebb and flow of a large-scale battle in a way that still manages to convey the touching themes of tragedy, nobility, and sacrifice.

There's a little something for almost everyone in Icewind Dale.  Go visit sometime.

Lord of the Rings Extended Trilogy on Sale for $26.49, Today Only!

I've never seen it priced this low.

Click the picture above to be whisked away to fantasy heaven.

The extended release of the trilogy is pretty much never lower that $50 and is usually north of $100.  It's a steal at a price that is just a little higher than new bluray releases that don't come with two additional groundbreaking movies, a bajillion hours of enjoyment, and a ton of extras.

Get it for yourself, buy it for a Christmas gift.  Just buy it or you will regret it.
 

Review: "Ave, Caesarion" by Deborah Davitt

Title: Ave, Caesarion
Author: Deborah Davitt
Genre:  Fantasy
Publication Date: October 20, 2016
Publisher:  Self-Published
Pages:  534

This product was given to Black Fox Book Review in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:  3 out of 5

Amazon Book Blurb: 
  

A single event can reshape a world—or shatter it forever.

Fifteen years ago, Caesar escaped assassination, and went on to be crowned Emperor of Rome. His son by Cleopatra, Caesarion, carries the blood of Mars, Venus, Isis, and Osiris in his veins—but will the power that the gods have granted him, be enough to secure his hold on Rome after his father’s death?

What of the powers his sister, Eurydice Julia, has begun to manifest, and her puzzling visions that hint at the sacrifices that the gods of both Rome and Egypt will demand of them?

Will they, together, be strong enough to forge a better world than the one their ancestors built?

Return to the world of Edda-Earth, where magic and science coexist and all the gods are real.

And always remember this truth: The end of all things . . . was just the beginning.

Review: This review is somewhat limited in scope. The copy I received for my kindle had some strange formatting issues that I verified are not found in the digital retail copy on Amazon.  As a result,  I'm not sure what formatting and sentence structure issues are unique to my copy.  Thus, I am forced to keep this review limited to an evaluation of its story elements.

Mixed in with the nonfiction backdrop of a recently imperialized Rome is a healthy dose of magic and mythology that gives the setting a relatively unique setting akin to Stiger's Tigers, the review of which you can find here.

I should say upfront that this book contains adult content and some nearly universal taboo themes.  The author tries to keep this from being a surprise to the reader in the Foreword where she encourages readers to keep an open mind by not projecting current day morals on a very different time and culture.

Those who read bodice rippers will probably find it pretty tame.  While Ave, Caesarion contained many references to male and female arousal and the occasional blanket hornpipe, I felt it was still subtle and tastefully done and it served to further specific plotlines.  Still, there was far, far more sexual tension and sexual content than I'm used to.  So if you avoid books containing green gowns, you've been warned and you're welcome.  If that sort of thing is your bag, you're just plain welcome.

This an innocent hornpipe.  Not a blanket hornpipe.  Take note.

The plot pacing was a little off at the beginning, but improved as the story progressed.  Near the start, a key character is giving a eulogy one moment at a beloved's funeral, then the reader is whisked suddenly and without so much as a section break to an attempt on his life which is also brushed over.  These scenes would have been wonderful storytelling opportunities; the assassination attempt could've been a very exciting conflict, but received only a cursory treatment which I found disappointing.  Again, this sort of scene-skipping was only prevalent in the beginning.  There were also instances of head-hopping throughout.  This kind of third-person omniscience within a single scene has to be treated carefully, and many, myself included, prefer to avoid it altogether.  It wasn't confusing, however, and as such is acceptable by literary standards.

Another issue that occasionally presented was awkward sentence structuring.  E.g.: "Was going to ask you to go to Athens for me.  Will take three months, probably."  Now, this being dialogue gives the author a lot of leeway given its usually casual nature.  I've heard people drop the starting pronoun just like in the first sentence enough that it still works for me.  It's rare in written dialogue, but it doesn't quite cross the line into awkward territory.  The second sentence on the other hand, I do find awkward.  And then there were cases similar to this that were not dialogue, internal or otherwise.  Exposition that isn't internal dialogue really shouldn't ever be casual like this, and unfortunately, Ave, Caesarion contains a few instances.

I found the ending to be a tad anticlimactic.  There came a point when our protagonists' military campaigning came to an end when their taboo activities became public knowledge.  It's at this point that only the potential for political conflict is present, but no real political conflict really presents itself.  There's some overheard backbiting, but nothing overly threatening.  There's only the potential for threatening conflict, and that's not good conflict to rely on just before a climax.  The book winds up with a very showy climax, but without a stronger conflict that actually manifests itself, this climax is wasted.

Now, after having pointed out the various flaws and weaknesses of the story, I come to the point where I broadly paint a picture of why the book is still a worthwhile read. 

I'm generally reading several books at any given time, so it's noteworthy that while I slogged through the other books I was reading at the time which were all written by established and traditionally published authors, Ave, Caesarion was the book I kept falling back on when I was tired of trudging through these other books' frequent lulls.  The premise, setting and characters all kept me interested and invested throughout the book.  Ultimately, despite the detractions I outlined earlier, I enjoyed the book quite a bit.  I fear that due to its imperfections, its appeal will be greatly limited to readers who have a preexisting interest in fantasy and the Roman Empire such as myself.

While I can't confirm the author's accuracy, it seemed apparent that Ms. Davitt really did her research on ancient Roman culture.  There are a number of rituals and holiday traditions I'd never heard of before that helped tremendously with immersing me in the setting.  There's also a considerably sized glossary of Roman terms at the back of the book that sheds additional light on the the unique aspects of the culture of the Roman Empire.

In all, Ave, Caesarion is an enjoyable read for those who enjoy fiction based in ancient Roma and don't mind a little horizontal mambo mixed in.

Do you have any books you'd recommend to others?  Let us know in the comments below.

 

Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs

Title: Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs
Author: Tomie dePaola
Genre:  Children's
Publication Date: April 25, 2011
Publisher:  Puffin Books
Pages:  32

Rating:  5 out of 5

Amazon Book Blurb: 
  

Tommy is four years old, and he loves visiting the home of his grandmother, Nana Downstairs, and his great-grandmother, Nana Upstairs. But one day Tommy's mother tells him Nana Upstairs won't be there anymore, and Tommy must struggle with saying good-bye to someone he loves.

Review:  This is a classic children’s story about a boy’s relationship with his grandparents. Tomie dePaola based the book on his real grandmother (Nana Downstairs) and great-grandmother (Nana Upstairs). His portrayal of Nana Upstairs was a spot-on description of what many elderly loved ones experience—living with one of their children, spending most of their time in bed, having trouble sitting up in a chair, to name a few. I loved how he took a simple, honest approach to the death of Nana Upstairs. He avoided any playful wording around the issue of losing grandparents, which will help young children understand that, though sad, this is a normal event that many children will experience. He even gave young children a way to remember those they’ve lost by using a falling star to signify a kiss from Nana Upstairs. He left the reader reminiscing about their own grandparents and feeling a kinship with what Tomie went through.

Tomie dePaola is also a very talented illustrator and does most of his own books. I’ve always loved how his characters have a roundness to their features that makes them so very charming. The old women usually remind me of the stereotypical Mrs. Claus, and this book holds true to that style. The version I checked out from the public library is a later edition, which dePaola explains was a change from the originally published work of 1973. The pictures are more vibrant and full of texture and detail than the original, enough to keep my three year old entertained through the whole book! It’s definitely a go-to book to read to children of any age who have experienced loss.

Star Wars: Darth Bane Trilogy - Legends

Title: Star Wars: Darth Bane Trilogy
Author: Drew Karpyshyn
Genre:  Science Fiction
Publication Date: September 1, 1998 (US)
Publisher:  Lucasfilm Ltd. (US)
Pages:  1009 (2009 US edition)

Rating:  2 out of 5

Amazon Book Blurb: 
  

After a high-stakes card game ends violently, Dessel, a lowly miner, vanishes into the ranks of the Sith army and ships out to join the war against the Republic and its Jedi champions. There, Dessel’s brutality, cunning, and exceptional command of the Force swiftly win him renown as a warrior. But in the eyes of his watchful masters, a far greater destiny awaits him . . . if he can prove himself worthy. As an acolyte in the Sith Academy, studying at the feet of its greatest masters, Dessel embraces his new identity: Bane. However, in order to gain full acceptance into this chilling Brotherhood, he must surrender completely to the dark side. Only by defying the most sacred traditions of the Sith can Bane hope to triumph—and forge from the ashes a new era of absolute power.

Review: I jumped into this trilogy as soon as it appeared on my Kindle, a digital gift from my son. I immediately identified with Dessel’s struggles as a sweaty manual laborer trying to break free of the enslaving debt that his deceased father had bequeathed to him. I was also intrigued by the promise his special gifts held for future freedom, fame and fortune.

As his life circumstances forced him into a career as a mercenary soldier in an army of Sith, transforming him into an archenemy of the Jedi Order, I could not help hoping redemption from the dark side would eventually come.  But when he donned the dark lord identity of “Bane” I couldn’t resist mentally rolling my eyes a bit. 

The first book began fresh and fast-paced and then seemed to settle in for a long ride toward the final chapters as if to prolong the ending. I slogged through the second book which, looking back on it now, seemed to rely overly much on Bane’s discovery of ancient Sith artifacts in tombs for his meteoric rise to top Sith Lord. Although Bane is not naturally the brightest Sith that ever lived, he is somehow the only one to crack into the most powerful secrets of infamous tombs and pyramids after thousands of years.

After he concludes that the Sith army’s problem is its abandonment of the Rule of Two, Bane plots to kill off every Sith in existence except for one who is worthy to be his apprentice, the one destined to eventually challenge him in mortal combat and replace him or die. I understand Bane’s aversion to a Sith “brotherhood” but am I the only Star Wars fan struggling to see how destroying every Sith in the galaxy save for the apprentice is a smart path to Sith dominance? I would have preferred a tribal equilibrium more like that of the Spider Queen culture in the Forgotten Realms books where the social dynamics based on hate and fear quickly rebalance in the wake of every bloody coup or assassination. How can the Sith rule an entire galaxy when its society is reduced to a single Dark Lord at the end of each leadership stint?

The body of the story is pocked with some serious mistakes by Bane that disappointed me. His best candidate for an apprentice – sufficiently wicked, power-hungry, treacherous and traitorous that she qualified with flying colors – is killed by his first mass destruction plot. Then he settles for a youngster without any evil experience whatsoever to be his apprentice.

If the galaxy in the story is anything like the Milky Way, it would have about half a billion habitable planets. So, it stretches credulity that the Jedi Order is fooled into thinking that all the Sith would gather at one place and allow themselves to be killed in a single event. Are the Jedi that gullible and the Sith that stupid?

As if to compensate for the loss of the Sith’s force of numbers, Bane’s advantage for several years is anonymity while he pieces together his master plan to wipe out the Jedi, although the reader is not made privy to the ingenious details. Either the author figured the reader would be bored or confused by such trivia or too stupid to understand (or the author didn't have the details either). Bane’s apprentice isn’t privy to such details either. As if to keep the reader occupied as the years slip by, the story has Bane track down more and more long lost Sith lore that enables him to become insanely powerful. Yes, insane and powerful. The skills of the best Jedi pale by comparison. The years slip by without any visible progress on taking down the republic. Bane’s only real enemy seems to be himself for a while. Finally, Bane’s veil of anonymity is blown as his uncharacteristic sparing of a teenage Sith-wannabe catches up with him.

More years slip through Bane’s fingers without much happening other than the waning of his skills as he ages and succumbs to the side-effects of the force and parasites that feed on it. The major source of suspense is the question of how and when Bane’s apprentice will try to strike him down. Other characters such as revenge-seekers are brought into the story to keep it going and boring background narratives are included for context. I found myself skimming to find the next action scene.

It’s a curious thing that any flow of talent seemed to be from light to dark side only. I kept waiting for one of the ex-Jedi traitors to think better of their decision once they experienced the dark loneliness of life as an evil self-serving Sith. I also expected some degree of romantic passion to weaken the dark resolve of Bane or his apprentice momentarily. But nothing other than sterile Sith darkness ruled those two until the end. The story felt like one book that, with effort, was stretched into a trilogy. The beginning of the first book was interesting and the end of the last book was interesting. If you bog down in the first book, bail out and jump into the middle of the third book to see how it ends.

SPOILER ALERT: The clue given at the very end of the trilogy, confirming that what the reader expected in the final scene actually happened, was clever but biologically nonsensical.

Did you love the whole trilogy?  Does the Rule of Two make sense to you? Please comment below!

Review: "Thunder Moon" by Joanne Mallory

Title: Thunder Moon
Author: Joanne Mallory
Genre:  Fantasy
Expected Publication Date: January 17, 2017
Publisher:  Crooked Cat PublishingCrooked Cat Publishing
Pages:  145

This product was given to Black Fox Book Review in exchange for an honest review.

My Star Review: 3 out of 5

Book Blurb: 

Thea Lavelle has a lot to juggle: a teaching career that is ramping up, keeping tabs on her globetrotting family and fine tuning her craft.

Thea is a hereditary witch whose gift came late. She’s still learning exactly what her wayward magic can do, but on meeting Marc, her best friend’s brother, she soon discovers her magic has some firm ideas about it wants.

The fates have been pushing Marc back home, to the bay of his teenage years. He knows that grief and guilt have left him burnt out, and that his family’s particular skill with healing is the best place for him.

He’d left home not knowing what he was searching for. Could it be that she’d been in Langston Bay all along?

Thunder Moon is the first novella in a trilogy of love, family and age-old magic.

Review:


First off, let me admit that I totally judge books by their cover. And when I saw this cover, I swooned a little bit. It drew me in, and convinced me that this story about a witch discovering her gifts would be a magical treat. This will be author Mallory's debut novel, not due to be released until January 2017.

I really enjoy Mallory's description of the novel's setting: a beach village where the locals all know each other. I can feel the sunny breezes, and the salt of the rising tides. I assume the story takes place in England, judging by the author's vernacular. And though the town of Portsmouth is mentioned several times, a bit more detail on the location would probably be helpful to the average American reader.

Mallory's detailed depiction of the area's scenic nature lends itself to the magical plot. Thea draws her power from the area, and frequents a copse of trees where the spirits speak to her. Now, I am absolutely no stranger to magical fantasy novels. I was, however, taken aback at how REAL the magic in this story was made out to be. I am a bit uncomfortable with how commonplace and natural the characters' magic blends into the real world. Thea never has to struggle to hide or explain her powers to non-gifted people, which I thought was a missed opportunity for dramatic development. She is still learning what she can do, but there is nothing incredulous in her experience. She just seems to accept it far too smoothly and easily.

My main criticism of the novel is the length. At 145 pages, it doesn't allow for adequate character development and growth. I really enjoy Thea, Ellie, and Marc. I feel like we became fast friends in a short time. However, I wanted to know more about their background. I wanted them to have to struggle through a few more obstacles before we reached a happy ending. And, to be honest, I wanted more fantasy. Too much of the book felt like regular old adult fiction, in a lovely beach setting, with some erotic love scenes thrown in for good measure.

Aside from these few gripes, and a few editing errors, I enjoyed Mallory's writing style. I hope to see her grow as an author in the future.