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Adrian Cole

Author of The Crimson Talisman

42+ Works 730 Members 9 Reviews

About the Author

Series

Works by Adrian Cole

The Crimson Talisman (2005) 118 copies
A Place Among the Fallen (1987) 98 copies
The Gods in Anger (1988) 65 copies
Throne of Fools (1987) 62 copies
Mother of Storms (1989) 46 copies
Lord of Nightmares (1975) 30 copies
Thief of Dreams (1989) 27 copies
Warlord of Heaven (1990) 27 copies
A Plague of Nightmares (1975) 24 copies
Bane of Nightmares (1976) 23 copies
Labyrinth of Worlds (1993) 23 copies
Blood Red Angel (1993) 21 copies
The Shadow Academy (2014) 16 copies
Oblivion Hand (2001) 12 copies

Associated Works

Shadows Over Innsmouth (1994) — Contributor — 369 copies
The Mammoth Book of Wolf Men (1994) — Contributor — 160 copies
The Mammoth Book of Frankenstein (1994) — Contributor — 98 copies
Heroic Fantasy (1979) — Contributor — 88 copies
The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 5 (1980) — Contributor — 86 copies
The Giant Book of Fantasy and the Supernatural (1994) — Contributor — 65 copies
65 Great Tales of the Supernatural (1979) — Contributor — 59 copies
Weirder Shadows Over Innsmouth (2013) — Contributor — 59 copies
Realms of Darkness (1985) — Contributor — 44 copies
Shangri-La (1982) — Contributor, some editions — 29 copies
The Tindalos Cycle (2009) — Contributor — 29 copies
Berserkers (1973) — Contributor — 27 copies
Not Your Average Monster: A Bestiary of Horrors (2015) — Contributor — 26 copies
The Tales from the Miskatonic University Library (2017) — Contributor — 23 copies
Worlds of Cthulhu (2012) — Contributor — 20 copies
By Horror Haunted (1992) — Contributor — 19 copies
Dark Voices 2 (1990) — Contributor — 17 copies
Weirdbook Annual #2: The Third Cthulhu Mythos MEGAPACK (2019) — Contributor — 12 copies
The Giant Book of Fantasy Tales (1996) — Contributor — 11 copies
Weirdbook #31 (2015) — Contributor — 10 copies
Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 50 • July 2014 (2014) — Contributor — 10 copies
Gaslight and Ghosts (1988) — Contributor — 9 copies
Swords Against the Millennium (2000) — Contributor — 7 copies
The Alchemy Press Book of Ancient Wonders (2012) — Contributor — 6 copies
New Tales of Terror (1980) — Contributor — 6 copies
Tales From The Magician's Skull, No. 5 — Contributor — 6 copies
The Alchemy Press Book of Horrors (2018) — Contributor — 5 copies
Terror Tales of Cornwall (2017) — Contributor — 4 copies
Weirdbook #35 (2017) — Contributor — 4 copies
The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes 2 (2013) — Contributor — 4 copies
The Alchemy Press Book of Pulp Heroes (2012) — Contributor — 4 copies
Tales From the Magician's Skull: Special 2 — Contributor — 3 copies
The Lovecraft Squad: Rising (Lovecraft Squad) (2020) — Contributor — 2 copies
Weirdbook #38 (2018) — Contributor — 2 copies
Weirdbook #44 (2021) — Contributor — 1 copy
Strange Pleasures (2001) — Contributor — 1 copy

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Common Knowledge

Members

Reviews

'The Crimson Talisman' starts off a four-part series of standalone novels by four different authors. They are linked thematically by characters that had lives profoundly changed by the Last War and are unsure of how to live in a world, theoretically, at peace, or even if they have a place in it.

The Last War was a century-long conflict that consumed so much energy and resources that it drastically altered society, technology and the landscape itself. It was one of the main components of the Eberron setting that set it apart. The suggested starting point for campaigns was only a few years after the end of the war.

That said, the thematic link doesn't make all that much sense here. Our protagonist is one Vaddi d'Orien a young half-elf of good family who witnesses the death of his father and half-brothers at the hands of undead. This is shortly after his father handed him his mysterious birthright: a macguffin in the form of a carved dragon's tooth. There are necromancers, vampires, a thin romance angle complete with a warrior/sorcerer damsel who needs to be saved, and a bunch of dropped plot points that could have made the novel at least atmospheric. The Last War and setting markers (like major NPCs, locations, etc.) are seldom mentioned. The only connection with 'The War-Torn' theme is with the supporting character of Nyam Hordath, whose family died in the war, and whom, for obscure reasons, sees something of his sons in young Vaddi.

There are some nerdish objections - including the strict rule that a half-elf cannot bear the d'Orien dragonmark (an inherited magical ability) - but I won't bother with that. This was the third ever Eberron novel so mistakes were gonna be made. Of course, the 'Campaign Setting' itself was out almost a full year before this novel debuted so editors should have been able to make some corrections...but, whatever. There are enough flaws to the book on a more basic level.

The plot was all macguffin and there wasn't a real solution to be found. Conversations would happen between heros and between villains and made no sense until I reversed who was saying the lines. That...shouldn't happen, at least not in more than one scene. This was not an auspicious beginning to my return to Eberron novels, but I know that there's more (and better) to come.

The War-Torn

Next: 'The Orb of Xoriat'
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½
 
Flagged
ManWithAnAgenda | Jul 6, 2019 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
It is difficult today, with the islands almost completely covered in forest, when even moors and uplands are succumbing to the spread of the trees, to visualise the terrain as it must have once existed.

The Shadow Academy, set in a sparsely populated Grand Britannia, in which fortress cities on the coast such as Petra Dumniorum in the West Country guard against an attack from mainland Evropa that never comes, and the rulers from Central Authority in Londonborough ban historical research, so no-one really knows what did happen in the Plague Wars that devastated the world over a century ago. The plot is driven by a secret society's desire to study the past and free the country from the Central Authority's rule, and the Central Authority's attempts to crush dissent and thwart its enemies.

It has an interesting premise, although I could have done without the weak love triangle sub-plot, and I would have liked to know a little more about the wider world. Grand Britannia has reverted to forest with the population in widely separated towns, but has there really been no contact at all with Evropa since the Plague Wars? Erish pirates from Ireland make an appearance in the story, so surely there would have been some contact with French traders or fishermen at least. I would be interested in reading a prequel set at the time of the Plague Wars now that I have some idea about what happened to devastate the world and decimate its population.
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½
 
Flagged
isabelx | 6 other reviews | Nov 21, 2014 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
good descriptive scenes and place setting but just too slow to get into. unfortunately i have not found it engaging although the quality of the writing is good it just didn't draw me in. possibly a good holiday book that you can just dip in and out of.
 
Flagged
dragonpixi | 6 other reviews | Nov 4, 2014 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
This was a well written book. But I found myself wanting more of the back story. It was hard to gauge what brought all of them to that place and times and the events surrounding them without a little more information. I also would have liked more information on the characters. It was difficult to learn who they were or to care about them without knowing more about them. As I said, well written. I just wanted more information. But i did enjoy the read nonetheless. Good for a rainy day read.
 
Flagged
deemelody | 6 other reviews | Oct 4, 2014 |

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Works
42
Also by
41
Members
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Rating
½ 3.7
Reviews
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ISBNs
77
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