Jess Lebow

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com by express permission of this reviewer Title: Obsidian Ridge Series: The Citadels, Forgotten Realms Author: Jess LeBow Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars Genre: SFF Pages: 339 Synopsis: A King is trying to keep his realm together while merchants are pushing a new drug. The king's enforcer, The Claw, happens to be in love with the Princess. Drugs, Enforcer, King and Merchants, all mixed together. Throw in a rogue Magician who wants the Princess as his next bride, a magician powerful enough to use a flying castle, and you have a Forgotten Realms adventure. My Thoughts: I actually enjoyed this novel more than the first Citadels novel, but I had to rate it less because it was just so "pedestrian". I'm tired of giving "ordinary" a higher rating just because there is so much utter and abysmal trash out there. I am tired of the fact that there IS so much trash out there. The magician was a complete idiot and for someone who has supposedly lived as long as he has, well, he certainly didn't spend the time improving his mind. He was a 2 bit villain with a 5bit castle. Sadly, this is the quality that people think of AND expect when they hear the words "Forgotten Realms". The Citadels are just in the title unfortunately. It would be nice if they actually played a bigger part of the story. "… (mehr)

From a reader's point of view, Master of Chains is both interesting and problematic.

On the one hand, it has a plot that's simply bigger than should've been stuffed into a single book. And it has a plot that offers several competing interests that must inevitably collide; just the thing to stir up interesting conflicts. That's what good stories are made of, right?

On the other hand, almost all the conflicts and build-ups receive fleeting attention. For example, the book's protagonist, Ryder, finds himself in a position where he has a relationship with chains (trying not to spoil anything here), but the scenarios is so brief that one is left to wonder how he suddenly has become this incredible "Master of Chains." It all sort of wags along, unbelievably.

Unfortunately, many instances in the book seem glossed over or given a light treatment, and I found myself shaking my head in disbelief--immersion breaking stuff, I'm talking about.

Atop that, the book's editor should be fired. At times, the writing reads more like a second or third draft rather than a Forgotten Realms published novel. Sometimes the text is even confusing, perhaps approaching nonsense, particularly when the author flung around pronouns too much.

And then there's the ending. This bugger felt slapped on and deflated the final, confrontational build-up central to the book. Strangely and painfully abrupt, too.

Okay, now that I've beat this thing like a pinata, let me say that the plot still, somehow, propped up the novel despite its frequent and glaring flaws. Had it been given more time to stew, the story could have smartly fit into two or three novels instead.

I still sort of like the book, even though it's not quite good. You know the type? Something you're glad you've read but you can't recommend to anyone else? Yup. Right here, folks.… (mehr)