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Forgotten Realms: The Nobles #4
The Mage in the Iron Mask
Mulmaster, nicknamed the "City of Danger," is the next stop on Volothamp Geddarm's research trip for his upcoming Guide to the Monsoon, and maybe his final resting place when the bailing out of a friend from the Mulmaster prison embroils Volo in a sinister plot that threatens the tenuous political stability of all Faerun.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 1996
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370 people want to read
About the author
Brian M. Thomsen
61 books10 followersBrian Thomsen was a founding editor of the Questar Science Fiction line of books, and served as managing fiction editor at TSR, Inc.; he also wrote over 30 short stories, and collaborated with Julius Schwartz on Schwartz's autobiography. He also worked as the publisher for TSR's Periodicals Department at one point. He was a consulting editor at Tor Books; as an author he was a Hugo Award nominee.
He died on September 21, 2008, at his home in Brooklyn at the age of 49. He was survived by his wife, Donna.
He died on September 21, 2008, at his home in Brooklyn at the age of 49. He was survived by his wife, Donna.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 3, 2025
I have a theory. Call it a Unifying Theory of Brian Thomsen. We'll get to that.
I semi-enjoyed his prior book, 1995's Once Around the Realms. It was a cringy groanfest, but I enjoyed it's lighthearted take after the slog of typical Forgotten Realms novels. I didn't know the nefarious background information at the time, that Thomsen, as newly-hired Director of Books for TSR, used that book to reinforce that other writers' creations (like Drizzt Do'Urden) were the property of TSR and could be used with impunity. He alienated most of the company's stable of contributing authors through a belligerent attitude and by cutting compensation. This lasted until TSR went fully bankrupt in 1997 and was purchased by Wizards of the Coast. They did not keep Thomsen on.
There's no new discernible motivation for publishing another book in 1996 except that he wanted to, I suppose. Did he pay himself for it, and at what rate, I wonder? In any case, any enjoyment of the previous book has been sucked out by now, not just because of what I now know, but because this is also a worse book. It's even much less creative with the awful literary and TV references, with hardly any even bothering to show up until the last 60 pages or so. It's possible that I simply failed to recognize some earlier; I couldn't make any sense of the blind swordsman Honor Fullstaff with his servants Poins and Hal and his dwarf chef Hotspur. I tried to find a connection to Zatoichi or the Rutger Hauer film Blind Fury without success. And what about the random bandit John the Felon (or Felonious John), does that mean anything? How about this:
Thomsen is a very bad writer. His bio praises his editorial accomplishments, so you'd think he'd at least absorbed something about decent writing, but it's as though Jim Theis grew up and kept writing but no one ever told him The Eye of Argon was bad, so he continued in the same style with only some improvement in comprehensibility. If ever the oft-cited writing advice of, "show, don't tell" needed a negative example, this is it. Thomsen tells everything, at length in unnecessarily verbage, often after already showing the thing, with awful alternate descriptors at every turn, with every character speaking in the same manner as he, the omniscient narrator. He has no qualms about word repetition much of the time, but elsewhere resorts to things like, "his own orbs of vision," instead of typing "eyes" again. One character is watching the sunrise, while another asks, "mind if I join you in your appreciation of one of Toril's early morning attractions?" It's unbearable. One further example: immediately following a paragraph in dialogue in which Rickman's boss, the High Blade, ranted about all his troubles, the next paragraph starts, "Rickman was surprised at the recent amount of anger and emotion the High Blade had made evident," referring to the dialogue that had just at that moment concluded.
The ostensible main characters, Volo and Passepout, carry out no function in the main plot, merely acting as intended comic relief, maybe. Passepout, of course, is "funny" because he's a fat fuck and an idiot. In case you forgot what a fat fuck he was from the first book, here is his new introduction:
The plot is, of course, a plain rip-off of Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask. It does not make it interesting by applying it in a fantasy setting. The location in the Realms the story is placed in is not interesting. The additional characters added are not interesting. The villains' scheming is not interesting. The story's resolution is not interesting.
The book is full of obvious copyediting errors. That might tell you something about how much people cared to support Thomsen's book, which is in essence self-published. Action sequences are nonsensical and forced. One example: Volo and Passepout are in a dungeon cell, which was seen earlier but for no particular reason has since had a man-eating fungus growing in the back. Guards come to collect them, but apparently this cell is so vast and deep that there's a whole dark portion of it in which two people, one of them extremely rotund, can hide in without being visible from the cell entrance, said dark space also containing the man-eating fungus and enough space for the two prisoners to stand away from it. Passepout runs from this dark space out of the room, barreling into a guard in the entrance, and this guard is somehow flung over Passepout's head and rolls into the cell, the opposite direction from the force that collided with him, deeply enough to roll into the fungus, which consumes him.
Thomsen is extremely dismissive of Forgotten Realms lore and, more generally, all of Dungeons and Dragons. He makes up ridiculous magic items and spells that have no foundation in the game or any other Realms novel. Like, an amulet that will make people think you weigh the same as the prior person to wear the amulet, so if they carry you in a sack they won't suspect you're not the other person, for a couple of minutes. This is just one thing demonstrating his disdain for the work he oversees, while seeming so proud of himself in his teenage-level writing.
Of course, all of this is speaking ill of the dead. Thomsen died in 2008 of a heart attack, merely 49 years old. This brings us to my theory. To recap:
-smarmy asshole
-grandiose, belligerent boss
-permanently alienates others
-undeservedly confident in his own writing prowess and sense of humour
-died young of heart disease
Conclusion: COCAINE!
It's the only unifying explanation. Brian Thomsen was a coke fiend. You heard it here first.
And somehow, the book is still more enjoyable than Ed Greenwood's.
I semi-enjoyed his prior book, 1995's Once Around the Realms. It was a cringy groanfest, but I enjoyed it's lighthearted take after the slog of typical Forgotten Realms novels. I didn't know the nefarious background information at the time, that Thomsen, as newly-hired Director of Books for TSR, used that book to reinforce that other writers' creations (like Drizzt Do'Urden) were the property of TSR and could be used with impunity. He alienated most of the company's stable of contributing authors through a belligerent attitude and by cutting compensation. This lasted until TSR went fully bankrupt in 1997 and was purchased by Wizards of the Coast. They did not keep Thomsen on.
There's no new discernible motivation for publishing another book in 1996 except that he wanted to, I suppose. Did he pay himself for it, and at what rate, I wonder? In any case, any enjoyment of the previous book has been sucked out by now, not just because of what I now know, but because this is also a worse book. It's even much less creative with the awful literary and TV references, with hardly any even bothering to show up until the last 60 pages or so. It's possible that I simply failed to recognize some earlier; I couldn't make any sense of the blind swordsman Honor Fullstaff with his servants Poins and Hal and his dwarf chef Hotspur. I tried to find a connection to Zatoichi or the Rutger Hauer film Blind Fury without success. And what about the random bandit John the Felon (or Felonious John), does that mean anything? How about this:
I remember an article a while back that I read about a man with a crossbow who searched all Faerun in hopes of finding the meaning of life, but instead found love, laughs, and friendship," he began.Does this have anything to do with Jack Kerouac? I just don't know. The references I caught were so ham-handed and obvious, I can't imagine there's supposed to be any subtlety here.
"What was its title?" Chesslyn asked.
"On the Road with Crossbow, Hope, and Lamour."
Thomsen is a very bad writer. His bio praises his editorial accomplishments, so you'd think he'd at least absorbed something about decent writing, but it's as though Jim Theis grew up and kept writing but no one ever told him The Eye of Argon was bad, so he continued in the same style with only some improvement in comprehensibility. If ever the oft-cited writing advice of, "show, don't tell" needed a negative example, this is it. Thomsen tells everything, at length in unnecessarily verbage, often after already showing the thing, with awful alternate descriptors at every turn, with every character speaking in the same manner as he, the omniscient narrator. He has no qualms about word repetition much of the time, but elsewhere resorts to things like, "his own orbs of vision," instead of typing "eyes" again. One character is watching the sunrise, while another asks, "mind if I join you in your appreciation of one of Toril's early morning attractions?" It's unbearable. One further example: immediately following a paragraph in dialogue in which Rickman's boss, the High Blade, ranted about all his troubles, the next paragraph starts, "Rickman was surprised at the recent amount of anger and emotion the High Blade had made evident," referring to the dialogue that had just at that moment concluded.
The ostensible main characters, Volo and Passepout, carry out no function in the main plot, merely acting as intended comic relief, maybe. Passepout, of course, is "funny" because he's a fat fuck and an idiot. In case you forgot what a fat fuck he was from the first book, here is his new introduction:
"Oh thank you, Master Volo," the pudgy thespian Passepout exclaimed, his bulgy flesh bouncing between his tunic.Just to make sure the reader remembers who he is, he receives the following varied alternate descriptors at great frequency: the pudgy thespian, the chubby thespian, the stout thespian (all three of these on the same page following his introduction, mind,) the portly actor, and for variety, the corpulent thespian. At least this is more variety than Volo receives, being referred to as, "the master traveler" more times that I can count. They are reduced to mere observers for the entirety of the plot, except for the times when any of multiple characters trip over Passepout's beached whale form. You can't even call them POV characters because half of the book's scenes take place away from both of them.
The plot is, of course, a plain rip-off of Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask. It does not make it interesting by applying it in a fantasy setting. The location in the Realms the story is placed in is not interesting. The additional characters added are not interesting. The villains' scheming is not interesting. The story's resolution is not interesting.
The book is full of obvious copyediting errors. That might tell you something about how much people cared to support Thomsen's book, which is in essence self-published. Action sequences are nonsensical and forced. One example: Volo and Passepout are in a dungeon cell, which was seen earlier but for no particular reason has since had a man-eating fungus growing in the back. Guards come to collect them, but apparently this cell is so vast and deep that there's a whole dark portion of it in which two people, one of them extremely rotund, can hide in without being visible from the cell entrance, said dark space also containing the man-eating fungus and enough space for the two prisoners to stand away from it. Passepout runs from this dark space out of the room, barreling into a guard in the entrance, and this guard is somehow flung over Passepout's head and rolls into the cell, the opposite direction from the force that collided with him, deeply enough to roll into the fungus, which consumes him.
Thomsen is extremely dismissive of Forgotten Realms lore and, more generally, all of Dungeons and Dragons. He makes up ridiculous magic items and spells that have no foundation in the game or any other Realms novel. Like, an amulet that will make people think you weigh the same as the prior person to wear the amulet, so if they carry you in a sack they won't suspect you're not the other person, for a couple of minutes. This is just one thing demonstrating his disdain for the work he oversees, while seeming so proud of himself in his teenage-level writing.
Of course, all of this is speaking ill of the dead. Thomsen died in 2008 of a heart attack, merely 49 years old. This brings us to my theory. To recap:
-smarmy asshole
-grandiose, belligerent boss
-permanently alienates others
-undeservedly confident in his own writing prowess and sense of humour
-died young of heart disease
Conclusion: COCAINE!
It's the only unifying explanation. Brian Thomsen was a coke fiend. You heard it here first.
And somehow, the book is still more enjoyable than Ed Greenwood's.
February 8, 2014
This was, once again, kind of a let down. But, honestly, I'm coming to terms with the fact that all "Forgotten Realms" books written in the 90's (outside of Salvatore...and even Cunningham) are pretty well below par.
I must add that this book actually had a fairly large amount of 'history of the realms' in it, which is why I started reading these books in the first place. I chock it up to one of the main characters being a 'travel writer' and he's sposs to know a lot about a lot of things.
Secondly, for the most part, the writing was fairly decent. However, I feel like this statement may be misleading. The plot was pretty flacid, even without the huge Alexander Dumas ripoffs (which the author states he is doing right in the dedications, so I can't really hold that against him). There is very little resolution, the climax is very ANTI-climactic, and the set up to the story is choppy and too long. But what I ment to say about the writing, is that Thomsen is not completely inept at using the English language.
With that said, there were at least 2 HUGE blunders in the writing that I have never seen before in a book, not even a lowly "Forgotten Realms" book. Fisrt, Thomsen has painstakingly told us that the iron mask is completely (magically) form fitted. But the character with in can "wipe the persperation from his brow". What? And in the very next chapter he says that a blind man "watched the perpelexed looks on his companion's faces". I must say that my own look was perplexed at this screw up.
Anyways, I shouldn't just talk shit. I mean, I did read the whole book. The characters were pretty interesting, even though there seemed like there was too many for the length of the book.
The point is, I got another one finished!
I must add that this book actually had a fairly large amount of 'history of the realms' in it, which is why I started reading these books in the first place. I chock it up to one of the main characters being a 'travel writer' and he's sposs to know a lot about a lot of things.
Secondly, for the most part, the writing was fairly decent. However, I feel like this statement may be misleading. The plot was pretty flacid, even without the huge Alexander Dumas ripoffs (which the author states he is doing right in the dedications, so I can't really hold that against him). There is very little resolution, the climax is very ANTI-climactic, and the set up to the story is choppy and too long. But what I ment to say about the writing, is that Thomsen is not completely inept at using the English language.
With that said, there were at least 2 HUGE blunders in the writing that I have never seen before in a book, not even a lowly "Forgotten Realms" book. Fisrt, Thomsen has painstakingly told us that the iron mask is completely (magically) form fitted. But the character with in can "wipe the persperation from his brow". What? And in the very next chapter he says that a blind man "watched the perpelexed looks on his companion's faces". I must say that my own look was perplexed at this screw up.
Anyways, I shouldn't just talk shit. I mean, I did read the whole book. The characters were pretty interesting, even though there seemed like there was too many for the length of the book.
The point is, I got another one finished!
September 9, 2012
On the one hand, the idea of adapting Alexandre Dumas to the Forgotten Realms is kind of appealing.
On the other hand, Thomsen's inability to keep dropping literary allusions, or anachronistic puns, into the book was so constantly jarring, I hurled this sucker aside more than once in annoyance, wishing the author were nearby so I could hit him with the book.
On the other hand, Thomsen's inability to keep dropping literary allusions, or anachronistic puns, into the book was so constantly jarring, I hurled this sucker aside more than once in annoyance, wishing the author were nearby so I could hit him with the book.
February 10, 2021
Brian M. Thomsen, while being a fairly decent writer and somewhat adept at weaving the lore of Faerûn into his tales, has several obnoxious habits. First, the constant use of anachronistic idioms in his dialogue. This is supposed to be a fantasy novel, yet modern phrases and figures of speech abound... ugh. Likewise, he seems to enjoy dropping modern cultural references (even pop culture, of all things!) such as the names of characters... the dwarf named "Hoffman" of the "Seventh Dwarven Abbey" (a blatant reference to activist Abbie Hoffman). He's even referred to as "Abbey Hoffman" several times, for crying out loud. Finally, much as Thomsen's FR novel "Once Around the Realms" borrowed its plot loosely from Jules Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days," this book borrows from Alexandre Dumas' "The Man in the Iron Mask." The rest of the Nobles series was meant to be serious... this is more like parody. So was "Once Around the Realms."
It's almost irrelevant that he credits the classic works, the annoying idiosyncrasies of Thomsen's writing are jarring enough to pull me right out of the story. Did Brian M. Thomsen even understand the genre he was supposed to be writing?
It's almost irrelevant that he credits the classic works, the annoying idiosyncrasies of Thomsen's writing are jarring enough to pull me right out of the story. Did Brian M. Thomsen even understand the genre he was supposed to be writing?
May 15, 2023
“I never thought of Mulmaster as much of a party town,” Passepout said. “I guess first impressions can be misleading, especially when your first night is spent in jail.”
This was fun! I mean, it was fun once it finally kicked off and the whole party got assembled, but fun was had nonetheless. It’s not exactly the most groundbreaking of ideas to just map something this well known of stuff (Dumás, The Prisoner of Zenda, Princess Bride and Mel Brooks movies) onto Dungeons & Dragons.
But it’s delivered with enough cheek and fun flinty energy to really make it sing. Especially once the tanks, like a blind Swordmaster and secret Harper trained by him, and other rogues of the story start to come into the foreground. Just be warned, the start is slooooooooow slow slow.
Like slow enough that I put it down for a few months and didn’t even really bat an eye about it. But still! Fun! Especially if you liked the latest D&D movie.
This was fun! I mean, it was fun once it finally kicked off and the whole party got assembled, but fun was had nonetheless. It’s not exactly the most groundbreaking of ideas to just map something this well known of stuff (Dumás, The Prisoner of Zenda, Princess Bride and Mel Brooks movies) onto Dungeons & Dragons.
But it’s delivered with enough cheek and fun flinty energy to really make it sing. Especially once the tanks, like a blind Swordmaster and secret Harper trained by him, and other rogues of the story start to come into the foreground. Just be warned, the start is slooooooooow slow slow.
Like slow enough that I put it down for a few months and didn’t even really bat an eye about it. But still! Fun! Especially if you liked the latest D&D movie.
November 8, 2017
Really just below a 4 star rating. Again, there was a flaw that required a suspension of disbelief involving magic that really ruined the ending for me
May 31, 2018
I'm really enjoying the "The Nobles" series of books. They are a cross between Politics and Fantasy. This on has many interesting characters and the story is will told.
September 24, 2020
Decent take. Enjoyable read. =)
February 26, 2025
The first disappointment in the Nobles series. Not a good book, not a fun D&D game, and very weird about women.
January 21, 2015
Another alternate story of the well-known Man in the Iron mask… another subpar novel.
Thompson writing is light and fun, but the plot is too easy with no surprise or stunning twist.
Most characters have no depth and poor background. He used the cliché of the evil ruler who kill the peoples working for them on a whim just too make them ‘evil’… the story is on a few days and they kill almost one person per day…
Plot is really weak. Ex. The prisoner with is Iron Mask is in a cell when a rock on the wall moves. Another prisoner, a dying dwarf appears and gives him a way to escape by the sewer to get directly on the sea. On the open sea, he meet with an unconscious Passepout (who was kidnaped by a press gang but thrown overboard because he was too drunk) but since he’s obese he can float by himself so they float to the shore like that. After that, they go on foot not knowing where to go and they find a villa where his friend Volo happens to be too. The villa proprietor is an ancient captain of the city and over a night everybody is ready to take on the ruler of the city.
I don’t know why Passepout and Volo are so good friend, but Passepout look more like a nuisance than a friend. Speaking of Volo, even if he’s present half the book, he’s not doing anything in the story.
The book could make a good drinking game! I don’t know how many time Thompson used ‘master-traveller’ in the book, but I’m sure nobody can finish the book if he takes shoot each time.
Perfect example of a book you won’t remember a month after reading it. Not horrible, but with so many good books out there, I don’t see any reason to recommended this one.
Thompson writing is light and fun, but the plot is too easy with no surprise or stunning twist.
Most characters have no depth and poor background. He used the cliché of the evil ruler who kill the peoples working for them on a whim just too make them ‘evil’… the story is on a few days and they kill almost one person per day…
Plot is really weak. Ex. The prisoner with is Iron Mask is in a cell when a rock on the wall moves. Another prisoner, a dying dwarf appears and gives him a way to escape by the sewer to get directly on the sea. On the open sea, he meet with an unconscious Passepout (who was kidnaped by a press gang but thrown overboard because he was too drunk) but since he’s obese he can float by himself so they float to the shore like that. After that, they go on foot not knowing where to go and they find a villa where his friend Volo happens to be too. The villa proprietor is an ancient captain of the city and over a night everybody is ready to take on the ruler of the city.
I don’t know why Passepout and Volo are so good friend, but Passepout look more like a nuisance than a friend. Speaking of Volo, even if he’s present half the book, he’s not doing anything in the story.
The book could make a good drinking game! I don’t know how many time Thompson used ‘master-traveller’ in the book, but I’m sure nobody can finish the book if he takes shoot each time.
Perfect example of a book you won’t remember a month after reading it. Not horrible, but with so many good books out there, I don’t see any reason to recommended this one.
May 15, 2011
Another Forgotten Realms book. This one is really 3 and a half stars, but not quite 4 on my scale.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews