by Carrie Bebris
This Forgotten Realms novel is based on the SSI computer game of the same name. The game and the novel revolve around a group of adventurers, traveling across a ruined elf city, trying to save the world from an evil dragon cult.
The main challenge for fantasy readers who want to read something that is based on a series of games (like Warcraft, Magic the Gathering, or Dungeons and Dragons), is that they must have some knowledge of how the world works – from the world’s inhabitants, history, and its laws of magic. It would be difficult for a reader who is not that familiar with the world to dive in the story, unless the novel takes time to explain the basics of the world.
Difficult, but not impossible. I think the target readers of these types of fantasy/sci-fi novels are people who are familiar with the world. They are the ones who would have a clear idea of what is going on, and truly appreciate the events or actions that transpire in the story.
In the case of this novel, Carrie Bebris jumps right into the action -- the Cult of Dragons have infiltrated Myth Drannor and corrupted the Mythal. The Cultists have befouled a magical pool which in turn, corrupted the Nagas, Drows, and Orcs inhabiting of the abandoned elf city. There is not that much explanation offered on the history of Myth Drannor, or the power of the Mythal.
The main protagonist of the story is Kestrel, a rogue who finds herself working with a troupe of warriors and magicians trying to save Myth Drannor. She finds herself at odds with the group’s leader, a holy knight of the god Tyr. Apparently the pious knight looks down on Kestrel’s immortal ways as a scoundrel and thief. However, Kestrel redeems herself by saving the group several times during the story.
The group wanders around the ruined city, trying to figure out how to save the world from the diabolical occultists. They encounter dark elves, snake people, ghosts, and other creatures. It turns out the cultists are trying to corrupt the magic of the city and use its power to further their own plans. Eventually Kestrel and her band of adventurers manage to single-handedly defeat the cultists, its leader, and a dracolich (a dead dragon).
When I started reading this book I wasn’t really into the story. I found the characters flat and uninteresting. It was hard to sympathize with Kestrel or the other characters since we don’t know much about their background or their personal motivations (except defeat the great evil in the city). The writer didn’t put much effort in describing the city, or the battle scenes either.
But when I began to treat the book as a narrative of a computer game, to look at the story like a computer game where you control the Kestrel and the other characters as they explore the city, I started to enjoy myself. I started to sympathize and admire the characters when they were rewarded with powerful magical items to help defeat the greater evil.
It takes a certain attitude and perspective to enjoy these types of books. I don’t think a lot of people would understand or enjoy the novel, unless they are fans of the Forgotten Realms world or play the Pool of Radiance game.
The main challenge for fantasy readers who want to read something that is based on a series of games (like Warcraft, Magic the Gathering, or Dungeons and Dragons), is that they must have some knowledge of how the world works – from the world’s inhabitants, history, and its laws of magic. It would be difficult for a reader who is not that familiar with the world to dive in the story, unless the novel takes time to explain the basics of the world.
Difficult, but not impossible. I think the target readers of these types of fantasy/sci-fi novels are people who are familiar with the world. They are the ones who would have a clear idea of what is going on, and truly appreciate the events or actions that transpire in the story.
In the case of this novel, Carrie Bebris jumps right into the action -- the Cult of Dragons have infiltrated Myth Drannor and corrupted the Mythal. The Cultists have befouled a magical pool which in turn, corrupted the Nagas, Drows, and Orcs inhabiting of the abandoned elf city. There is not that much explanation offered on the history of Myth Drannor, or the power of the Mythal.
The main protagonist of the story is Kestrel, a rogue who finds herself working with a troupe of warriors and magicians trying to save Myth Drannor. She finds herself at odds with the group’s leader, a holy knight of the god Tyr. Apparently the pious knight looks down on Kestrel’s immortal ways as a scoundrel and thief. However, Kestrel redeems herself by saving the group several times during the story.
The group wanders around the ruined city, trying to figure out how to save the world from the diabolical occultists. They encounter dark elves, snake people, ghosts, and other creatures. It turns out the cultists are trying to corrupt the magic of the city and use its power to further their own plans. Eventually Kestrel and her band of adventurers manage to single-handedly defeat the cultists, its leader, and a dracolich (a dead dragon).
When I started reading this book I wasn’t really into the story. I found the characters flat and uninteresting. It was hard to sympathize with Kestrel or the other characters since we don’t know much about their background or their personal motivations (except defeat the great evil in the city). The writer didn’t put much effort in describing the city, or the battle scenes either.
But when I began to treat the book as a narrative of a computer game, to look at the story like a computer game where you control the Kestrel and the other characters as they explore the city, I started to enjoy myself. I started to sympathize and admire the characters when they were rewarded with powerful magical items to help defeat the greater evil.
It takes a certain attitude and perspective to enjoy these types of books. I don’t think a lot of people would understand or enjoy the novel, unless they are fans of the Forgotten Realms world or play the Pool of Radiance game.
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