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Realms of Chaos #2
An Enemy Reborn
Destiny's Firstborn...In Chaos, a new power has arisen, an evil more ancient and more awesome than Fialchar himself, who first broke the Seal of Reality and let the Wilderness spill over the world.
Locke became a Chaos Rider to find his lost father. Now Locke must become the very hero that he seeks. For the only hope of defeating this new Darkness is with an unlikely alliance of Empire and Chaos forces, led by an untried swordsman from beyond time.
Stackpole spins tales that grab you by the heart!"
Locke became a Chaos Rider to find his lost father. Now Locke must become the very hero that he seeks. For the only hope of defeating this new Darkness is with an unlikely alliance of Empire and Chaos forces, led by an untried swordsman from beyond time.
Stackpole spins tales that grab you by the heart!"
450 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1998
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143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 2, 2008
Do not read this book! It's pitched as a sequel to A HERO BORN, but this is the worst book I've read in my life. This was a great disappointment. Apparently, Stackpole and another author had agreed to write books in the same world. A HERO BORN was Stackpole's book and this one was the other author's. However, other author died before he finished AN ENEMY REBORN and Stackpole finished it for him.
Don't waste your money. Seriously. Worst. Book. Ever.
Don't waste your money. Seriously. Worst. Book. Ever.
July 8, 2013
While I was in Iraq during a particularly difficult time, I read this book. A good friend of mine gave it to me for just that purpose. It offered an escape from what I was going through. Good books do that. It captured my imagination enough to allow me to be there with Len and go on an adventure. For that it's worth 5 stars to me. Might not be the best written book ever, but it did it's job supremely well.
November 15, 2011
I ended up disliking this "sequel" pretty much with my whole heart. Oh, it started out with the same flavor as the first in the series, but quickly lost its focus and became a really awful book full of boring phiolsophic discussions about predestination and reincarnation-- and meandering through a series of adventures and characters that were difficult to care about. Though it was set in the Realms of Chaos setting, it didn't have the same feel as the original. A new character, a shoe salesman from our reality in Orange County, stumbles into chaos along with a shoe-sizing tool, a pair of boots, a fitting stool, and a mini-promotional badge that talks. Once they fall into the realms of chaos, they are changed into something different. Sorry, the fitting stool becoming an animated grazing animal was just STUPID...
Next, the author tries to convince us that the actual chaos Lord is really sort of the good guy of the chaos realm, making deals, etc. Uhmmm.. what happened to threat he made against the Empire, that he would return to the realm in a year's time to claim what is his? Why does he keep doing acts of kindness to his enemies, like a gracious dungeon master rewarding his players for solving mysteries and overcoming challenges? Sorry, despite the fact that Stackpole is usually much, much better than this-- I really did not like this one at all.
The author's note at the end of the book explained a bit more about why it is so different. Stackpole worked more as an editor than the actual author of this book. His friend, William We had actually written the book set in Stackpole's universe, but both books had failed to see publication, and so the rights reverted back to the authors. The book is much more Wu's than Stackpole.. And while the actual writing is decent-- the plotting leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Dealing with the Chaos Lord should not be like dealing with a benovolent form of the devil.. it should leave all concerned feeling dirty and contaminated, not blessed to live and fight another day.
So I give this one two thumbs down, a raspberry and its proper place.. MY TRASH CAN! Sorry, it just lacked too much.
Next, the author tries to convince us that the actual chaos Lord is really sort of the good guy of the chaos realm, making deals, etc. Uhmmm.. what happened to threat he made against the Empire, that he would return to the realm in a year's time to claim what is his? Why does he keep doing acts of kindness to his enemies, like a gracious dungeon master rewarding his players for solving mysteries and overcoming challenges? Sorry, despite the fact that Stackpole is usually much, much better than this-- I really did not like this one at all.
The author's note at the end of the book explained a bit more about why it is so different. Stackpole worked more as an editor than the actual author of this book. His friend, William We had actually written the book set in Stackpole's universe, but both books had failed to see publication, and so the rights reverted back to the authors. The book is much more Wu's than Stackpole.. And while the actual writing is decent-- the plotting leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Dealing with the Chaos Lord should not be like dealing with a benovolent form of the devil.. it should leave all concerned feeling dirty and contaminated, not blessed to live and fight another day.
So I give this one two thumbs down, a raspberry and its proper place.. MY TRASH CAN! Sorry, it just lacked too much.
November 25, 2016
I can look past the fact that Locke, the main character from A Hero Born (Realms of Chaos: The First Book) (Realms of Chaos: The First Book), is featured prominently on both the front cover art and the description on the back cover when in fact he only shows up at the end of the book. Sure it's disappointing, but as long as the story is good, that's all that matters.
I can also look past the fact that Michael Stackpole, whose novel Talion: Revenant I credit with awakening me to the world of fantasy fiction, is listed as the book's author when in fact it is his pal William Wu who is responsible for most of the story. Again, disappointing, but as long as the story is good, that's all that matters.
I can even look past the fact that one of the book's major characters comes from "our" world, even though this type of plot device almost never works well (Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry being the obvious exception). Besides, as long as the story is good, that's all that matters.
BUT THE STORY IS NOT GOOD!!!
Seriously, I'm supposed to accept this as the sequel to the very enjoyable A Hero Born? Everything about this story screams amateur hour. I'm tempted to launch into a tirade about every flaw I encountered in An Enemy Reborn, but it all comes back to the same thing: the story just isn't good. I hate writing such a negative review of a (sort of) Michael Stackpole novel. I consider him one of the better fantasy fiction authors out there, and he seems like a nice guy too. But this novel is beneath him. Here's hoping it remains out of print.
I can also look past the fact that Michael Stackpole, whose novel Talion: Revenant I credit with awakening me to the world of fantasy fiction, is listed as the book's author when in fact it is his pal William Wu who is responsible for most of the story. Again, disappointing, but as long as the story is good, that's all that matters.
I can even look past the fact that one of the book's major characters comes from "our" world, even though this type of plot device almost never works well (Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry being the obvious exception). Besides, as long as the story is good, that's all that matters.
BUT THE STORY IS NOT GOOD!!!
Seriously, I'm supposed to accept this as the sequel to the very enjoyable A Hero Born? Everything about this story screams amateur hour. I'm tempted to launch into a tirade about every flaw I encountered in An Enemy Reborn, but it all comes back to the same thing: the story just isn't good. I hate writing such a negative review of a (sort of) Michael Stackpole novel. I consider him one of the better fantasy fiction authors out there, and he seems like a nice guy too. But this novel is beneath him. Here's hoping it remains out of print.
August 17, 2008
This book is terribly weak. Stackpole finished his storyline well enough in A Hero Born, that there's no reason to bother with this installment. It really doesn't even feel like the same story, even with the reintroduction of some characters. I find it easy to believe that Stackpole didn't write this book, because it just doesn't have the same feel that many of his books do.
February 24, 2025
Honestly, I would give this zero stars if it was possible. Terrible follow up to A Hero Born - don't believe either the cover or the summary, Locke doesn't even appear until the last 20% of the book. This book was also written mainly by William F. Wu (re-imagining his own previous characters), and not by Michael A. Stackpole
October 4, 2015
Not as good as its predecessor, A Hero Born, but still enjoyable, and worth the read.
July 14, 2016
Not as good as the first book, but still a good read. I would say 3½ stars.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews