Title: The Legacy
Series: The Legend of Drizzt
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Release Date: October 1, 1992
Format: Paperback
Pages: 334

 

The Legacy picks up a little after the end of The Halfling’s Gem. With the previous plot points wrapped up, our heroes are now living easy and enjoying some peace and quiet. Until they aren’t because the plot has to come from somewhere. Most of the plot threads from the previous books are already wrapped up at this point, but not quite all of them.

Now, this is the point where the series truly becomes about Drizzt. Remember, he wasn’t intended to be the main character of the Icewind Dale trilogy. His popularity convinced Salvatore to focus on Drizzt with the prequel trilogy. While those books were good, they did have some limitations since they were prequels. Yeah, they were about Drizzt, but they were just bringing readers up to speed on his backstory. One of my personal grievances with prequels is knowing certain characters will be ok because we’ve already seen them fine and dandy further down the timeline. It just makes it harder to convey a sense of danger and suspense.

Anyway, The Legacy has a few advantages over the previous books. Now we’re focused on a single main character instead of splitting attention equally(ish) between the party. So, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Drizzt’s backstory is what drives the plot here. Being on a sociopathic deity’s shit-list tends to be problematic, especially when said deity’s followers are almost equally sociopathic.

The fact that this isn’t the first book is also a big advantage. The Icewind Dale trilogy had to do what all first books do and establish the worldbuilding and characters. Then the prequel trilogy kind of had to do it again since it’s chronologically first. This time, all that stuff is established from the get-go. We start already knowing the characters and setting, so we can get right to the plot. It gives the page count a lot more time to actually do stuff, which is wonderful.

The set-up of The Legacy is also nice. The book is broken into five ‘Parts’, which give it an almost episodic feel. The later parts aren’t quite as disconnected as the earlier ones, but they still mark stopping points in the story. Which works surprisingly well considering The Legacy as a whole is a ‘Part I’ in the new story arc. The standalone feeling of The Crystal Tower is nowhere to be had here and it’s great. You can read this book knowing we’re going to get more.

It took a little time for The Legacy of Drizzt to get rolling, but this seems to mark the point where it’s grown the beard. Looking forward to the next book for sure.

Title: The Liar's Key
Series: The Red Queen's War
Author: Mark Lawrence
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 472

 

The Liar’s Key picks up not far from where Prince of Fools left off. Our heroes are recovering from their ordeal at the Black Fort before setting out for their next destination. But one victory doesn’t mean their problems are over. Far from it. The Dead King still has a target on their backs as the protagonists try and deal with their own problems. So, it’s time for another journey across the kingdoms, dodging danger along the way. But danger isn’t the only thing Jalan and Snorri will encounter on their journey.

What would a new book be without new characters? That’s right, it’s time for new protagonists! As more people join the party, we start to enter Five-Man Band territory. And hey, this trope is a thing because it works. Now, I wouldn’t say that The Liar’s Key follows the Five-Man Band formula exactly, but it’s close. And as much as I love the relationship and banter between Jalan and Snorri, it would’ve been a bit much if the whole trilogy was just that. The new characters are very different and add a great amount of diversity and conflicting opinions to the dialogue and plot.

That being said, the story is still being told with Jalan as the central character. We still get to see his thoughts and how much people’s assumptions diverge from what he’s really thinking. But Mark Lawrence also incorporates something that was big in books 2 & 3 of the Broken Empire trilogy: flashbacks. Throughout The Liar’s Key, we start to see bits of Jalan’s childhood and how a few key events shaped him into who he is today. We’ve seen time and again that despite being a Dirty Coward, he’s also a Lovable Rogue. He’s got a Harry Dresden thing going where his brain says one thing, but his conscience tends to get the better of him. Though admittingly not always.

While the characters here are a lot more lighthearted than The Broken Empire’s cast, it’s the same world. The same cruel, cruel world. With all of its horrific violence and the reminder that even in a world with literal monsters, man is the true monster. And the full knowledge, of both us readers and characters themselves, that Jalan and co. are being treated like chess pieces in a much bigger game. Jalan is many things, but stupid isn’t one of them. And no one likes being treated like a game piece.

One last note, parts of this book are admittingly slow. It’s not the near non-stop action romp that was Prince of Fools. But it’s still a high-quality high fantasy adventure and I can’t wait to see how it wraps up.

Title: Firestorm
Series: Destroyermen
Author: Taylor Anderson
Genre: Sci-fi
Publisher: Ace Books
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Format: Paperback
Pages: 422

 

And now we’re on to the next inevitable phase of any war series, fighting on multiple fronts. The Grik are still out there but the Dominion have proven themselves to also be a threat. Despite that, we really don’t get a lot of the Dominion’s POV just yet. That’s still focused mainly on the Alliance and occasionally the Grik. One of the big things in Firestorm is the escalation of war. We start to see each side building bigger, stronger, and more devastating weapons. Everyone is getting better at fighting from experience as the infusion of new technology rapidly grows the war machine on both sides.

Things are also getting more and more split up at this point, with the POV still jumping between characters. I expect it to stay that way for the rest of this series, or at least until the war wraps up on one front. That being said, a lot of Firestorm is dedicated to build-up. As opposed to another giant battle here, we more see the work going towards the next one. This also leaves lots of time for worldbuilding, which is always nice. Worldbuilding has really slowed down to make way for the war so it’s great to see Anderson’s world explored again.

Part of me wants to say Firestorm has lots of “twists and turns”, but there aren’t really any twists. It’s just the turns. A lot happens with the story jumping around to resolve existing plotlines and get new ones going. If you’re familiar with war stories, it’s all fairly predictable. Especially war stories where new weapons are constantly introduced, which seems more common in sci-fi settings. But I don’t think anyone is reading Destroyermen expecting Herbert-level quality, so it continues to be the same campy fun.

Now, one thing I do have to complain about is the Spoiler Cover. Look, I know that this is somewhat passable for well-known pop culture references. No one complains that the cover for Free Willy shows him jumping over the rocks. But while Destroyermen is a lot of good things, well-known to the general public is not one of them. The zeppelins on the cover are supposed to be a big twist at the end of the book. They’re the purported Grik super-weapon that the book builds up to in a “surprise!” moment. But they’re just right there on the front cover. So, not so much a surprise.

That one major complaint non-withstanding, Firestorm is another good entry in a fun sci-fi alternate history series. Looking forward to the next one.

Title: The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 7: Ut Sementem Feceris, ita Metes
Series: The Saga of Tanya the Evil
Author: Carlo Zen
Genre: Light Novel
Publisher: Yen On
Release Date: May 19, 2020 (English) | December 28, 2016 (Japanese)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 288

 

Ut Sementem Feceris, ita Mete – As you sow, so shall you reap. The Latin titles continue to be extremely on-point in this series. Things have picked back up a bit since the lull in the last book as the war continues. The series has spent quite a few volumes focused on the Empire (not-Germany) fighting the Union (not-Russia) at this point. But it’s starting to seem like the end of that fighting is in sight. If for no other reason than both militaries are practically on their last legs. Until, of course, reality ensues.

The opening of this volume is fantastic because Tanya’s unit gets stuck babysitting an observer from a neutral country. This guy provides some outside perspective and reminds us, the readers, just how insane everything Tanya’s group now considers normal really is. War is hell but, apparently, you can get used to anything given enough time. And it is hilarious. Seeing this guy utterly horrified while Tanya just stands there with a “this is fine” face. While this all ties into the heavy diplomacy the last book really focused on, it mixes it pretty evenly with the action sequences of the earlier volumes. The action is more in the middle here while the politics are the book-ends.

Now for a lot of this series, the brass has been disconnected from the frontline troops in terms of thought. We’ve seen time and again how Tanya’s knowledge of Earth’s military history lets her predict how things will play out. We’re now to the point where the brass realizes they’re barely hanging in there. Manpower and resources are stretched to the limit; victory or defeat, the war will end soon. So, they better do their best to make sure it’s a victory. Unfortunately, the civilian leadership is of another mind and the aforementioned reality ensues.

In my review of the last book, I talked about how humans are rarely logical creatures. Even when there is an obvious logical choice, emotions often stop us from acting like Vulcans. In this case, greed is the motivating emotion. Seeing is believing and the civilian leadership has not seen the frontlines. Not to mention people tend to only see what they want to, in this case viewing small victories as bigger than they are. We see more of that here and there’s no question Tanya’s battles will be far from over in Volume 8.

5 stars for this book though. A great mix of the action and political elements I’ve come to love in this series.

Title: Prince of Fools
Series: The Red Queen's War
Author: Mark Lawrence
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Format: Paperback
Pages: 355

 

So, the Red Queen’s War series takes place in the same world as the Broken Empire trilogy. Same setting, same(ish) time, mostly new characters. I wouldn’t say that it’s really necessary to read the Broken Empire books first. However, certain things make a lot more sense if you have. And a few things about the Broken Empire books do get spoiled throughout this trilogy, so consider yourself warned.

Now despite being in the same world, the narrative in Prince of Fools is very different from the previous trilogy. Mainly because of the protagonist, Prince Jalan. Whereas Jorg was a heartless bastard who brought himself up in a cruel dog-eat-dog world, Jalan has lived an easy life. If I had to compare Jalan to another character, Tyrion Lannister at the start of Game of Thrones (before he had any character development) comes to mind. But less clever and more reliant on sheer dumb luck. Happy to live out his days in luxury using his family’s wealth, until The Thing happens.

Anyone familiar with these stories knows they always kick off with The Thing happening. Destiny calls, the protagonist is the chosen one, and a hero will rise! Or, you get someone like Jalan who has to be dragged towards the quest. Pretty sure Jalan himself puts it best, “I’m a liar and a cheat and a coward, but I will never, ever let a friend down. Unless of course not letting them down requires honesty, fair play, or bravery.” He is a dirty coward and while he certainly has a lot of luck, it’s not always good luck. The pendulum swings both ways hard for this poor bastard.

And then we get our 2^nd protagonist, Snorri, who is a viking. And…that’s kind of it. He’s a viking, that’s his character. If you’ve watched Vikings or played Skyrim, you know what to expect here. There is admittingly a bit more to it than that and Snorri really helps to balance out Jalan’s character. Which is really the point; he is the stoic warrior opposite of Jalan’s reluctant/accidental heroism. They make a hell of a pair, something other characters comment on throughout the story, and spawn an epic bromance.

This is a powerful start to a new trilogy and shows a lot of depth to Mark Lawrence’s skill as an author. I say that as someone who has only read the Broken Empire trilogy and none of his other work before picking up Prince of Fools. This is the same world but it’s not the same type of story. Broken Empire was extremely grimdark while this is more of your standard fantasy fare. Nonetheless, it’s going to be one hell of a trilogy.

Title: Rising Tides
Series: Destroyermen
Author: Taylor Anderson
Genre: Sci-fi
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Format: Paperback
Pages: 433

 

Rising Tides kicks off right where Distant Thunders left off, really being Act 2 of this story arc. With several of their people kidnapped, Captain Reddy and his destroyermen must sail Walker into new waters for the rescue. While the Empire seems like a potential ally, having traitors running loose does not make for a good first impression. Given the fact that the Empire was founded by ships from the East India Company at the height of its power, it should come as no surprise how their modern-day “Company” is behaving. Think Pirates of the Caribbean.

What Reddy can’t know, of course, is that the hostages have already rescued themselves. In no small part thanks to Silva. God, I love Silva. And they are now stuck on an island that’s just about as hospitable as anywhere else in this world. This takes us to the part of the story where the author has split the party. In pretty much any grand-scale military sci-fi series, this happens eventually. The war starts to get bigger and Team Protagonist has to split up to fight battles on multiple fronts. It’s now abundantly clear that The Grik are not the only threat in this world and the new enemies will also need to be dealt with.

The action is still a bit toned down here, but not as much as it was in the last book. Some of the action does come from military fighting while the rest is built around natural disasters and the planet’s many super-predators. This all happens on multiple fronts since the characters are scattered around now. Along with the physical danger, getting new factions involved means politics are now playing a bigger role in this war. Not to mention all the implications that the Empire’s existence has for the Lemurian religion and their newfound friendship with Reddy and his crew.

While Reddy and his crew are fully aware that humans can be bastards, this is a new(ish) concept for the Lemurians. Yeah, they’ve already fought against Kurokawa and know he’s helping the Grik. But knowing an enemy is on a ship somewhere is a lot different than talking to the person. Showing that so many other humans can be bastards demonstrates that Kurokawa is not some outlier of normal human behavior.

The events of Rising Tides wrap up a lot of subplots but also open many new doors. This really feels like the turning point where the series goes from being about one ship to being about war. And considering how good these books have been so far, I can’t wait to see where Anderson continues to take his series as it sails into new waters.

Title: The Halfling's Gem
Series: The Legend of Drizzt
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Release Date: January 1990
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336

 

The Halfling’s Gem picks up right where Streams of Silver left off. Bruenor lost, Regis and Guenhwyvar kidnapped, and the remaining companions at a loss. Bruenor may be gone, but Regis and Guenhywvar can still be saved as the companions continue forward. Now, nothing in this book is too surprising. It’s still your standard fantasy fare. That being said, now that the group is out of not-Moria, the plot does start to get more original.

Like the rest of the Icewind Dale trilogy, there are no real surprises here. It’s fairly easy for readers to guess what will happen next, but the characterization and storytelling still make this book worthwhile. Regis’ old boss, Pasha Pook, serves as the key villain here but not really the main one. Entreri is still around and technically working for Pook, but very much has his own agenda. He leads the companions on a merry chase throughout the Forgotten Realms, dangling Regis as bait to lure Drizzt into the rematch he craves.

Despite this series later being coined “The Legend of Drizzt”, things are pretty even among the whole cast here. As I mentioned in my review of The Crystal Shard, Salvatore originally intended Wulfgar to be the main character. People just liked Drizzt better because he’s dark and mysterious but still a good person. The focus does start to lean a bit more towards Drizzt in this book, but the spotlight isn’t on him just yet.

That being said, everyone gets character development here. Regis (sorta) learns to be a better person, Wulfgar continues to learn about civilized lands, and love starts to blossom being Catti-brie and Drizzt. Kudos to Catti-brie for still being a warrior woman badass and not just a love interest. Entreri also takes a more central role as Drizzt’s rival and is sure to be a recurring villain in this series.

R.A. Salvatore’s writing continues to be incredibly detailed. The action sequences are fast-paced but every important little detail is still there. Instead of just saying “this person swings his sword”, Salvatore describes how they swing their sword, why, and what their opponent does in response. It gives a better sense of the immense skill each character possesses with their weapons.

Despite all that, The Halfling’s Gem still feels like a very early story. I wouldn’t go as far as to claim it has Early Installment Weirdness, it’s just…shallow. A standard fantasy adventure in a standard fantasy setting. But considering this series started in 1988 and is still going as of 2020, I assume things pick up a bit later.