Elaine Cunningham (1) (1957–)

This is my 3rd (4th?) read of this book and I find something new I like about it every time. I usually don't have high hopes for book tie-ins for video games but this one was an unexpected gem. Even without playing EverQuest, the novel functions as a solid stand alone high fantasy adventure. It has everything - a supremely evil villain, a curse, a hidden treasure, a reluctant hero, the band of like minded adventurers sworn to assist (with their own motivations of course),peril, intrigue, show more heartbreak, and a massive final battle.

The characters are well written and fun. The POV of chapters alternates between our heroes and our villains, really building a rich and full world for the reader. It is a quick read but packs a lot of action between the pages.

As a word of caution, while there is not an excessive amount of gore or sexual content in the book, there are some highly suggestable moments in the novel and several gruesome deaths. I strongly suggest that this book is not for younger readers. I was around 16 when I first read the book and I feel that was around an appropriate age but any younger a reader, I would be hesitant. Please be cautious if moments of death, torture, necromancy, and assault would be upsetting to read.

I highly suggest this read to anyone that loves high fantasy but wants a quick but thrilling adventure for an entertaining weekend. I promise you'll be wishing this had had a sequel by the end. show less

i added this to my list of d&d-related books to read largely because i remembered really liking her star wars njo book dark journey, which i was actually totally primed to hate because it was the book right after the series killed my favorite character, but it’s actually improbably one of my favorite books of the series? i just remembered really liking her writing style, and that did indeed prove to be the case for this book as well.

unfortunately i didn’t particularly connect with any of show more the characters or events, so while i found the book perfectly entertaining, i don’t think i’m going to continue with this particular series. i’m gonna give her other series, starlight & shadow, a try. i swear i didn’t go into this planning on just reading underdark-focused books, that’s just how it seems to be working out at the moment! show less

These books are set in Providence, RI, and it's obvious the author knows the area. She mentioned so many places I've been and things I've done and none of it rang false.

Gwen is a fun character to spend time with. She could have descended into angst and woe and has good reason to do so (like so many male protagonists in her situation) but she doesn't. That isn't in her. Gwen's more a fighter. She values what and who she has in her life and doesn't waste a great deal of time worrying about show more might-have-beens. It's truly a refreshing change of pace in urban fantasy books. Something else refreshing is Gwen's love life and her attitude toward sex. She has it, a lot of it, with different partners, and that's just another facet of her life. No longing for her one true love, no guilt over being a sexually active woman, just Gwen living her life the way she wants to.

Gwen has some wonderful friends. Marcy, the lawyer, Trudy her partner (though I wouldn't exactly count Trudy as one of Gwen's friends), Frank the retired cop, and Sylvia her landlady who may or may not have earned her retirement money through the world's oldest profession. Then there are her new friends, Wallace "Earl" Edmondson and Ian Forest, both "Elders." Edmondson is less a friend than competition for Gwen's power and we're not at all sure what kind of friend Forest is, or even if he is at all.

I'm skimming over the plot because I don't want to spoil any of it. There are some painful moments in this book, some happy ones, and all in all I enjoyed it very much. show less

Writing books based on established RPG worlds is a tricky business which very few authors can successfully pull off. Elaine Cunningham is one such author, and her series (both this one and Harper series) are pretty much the best books set in the Forgotten Realms one can find.

The characters are interesting and likeable, knowledge of Forgotten Realms lore is deep, language is pleasant to read, the author clearly possesses a sense of humor and, most importantly, it does NOT read as a show more nationalisation of a DnD campaign.

The protagonist is most interesting, being an example of non-evil drow who, unlike Drizzt (if you are reading this review you probably know who that is :)), retains very drow-ish qualities and mindset - ambition, love for intrigues, devotion to Lolth, love for spiders, sense of superiority... What sets Liriel apart is not innate goodness of the heart but curiosity and love for adventure. She is just too busy having fun to do evil. show less