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Forgotten Realms: The Fighters #2
Ghostwalker
This scar on my arm is the mark of the thin man's sword...
These on my chest, the barbarian's gyrspike...
This, on my shoulder, the woodman's axe.
And this rasping whisper, all that is left of my voice, it is the scar of the Lord Singer's jealousy.
They took my voice and my life and left my body for the crows. But not all who die rest in peace.
Erik Scott de Bie spins a haunting tale of revenge, honor, love, and hate, all bound within a dark man whose indomitable spirit marks him as on of - The Fighters!
These on my chest, the barbarian's gyrspike...
This, on my shoulder, the woodman's axe.
And this rasping whisper, all that is left of my voice, it is the scar of the Lord Singer's jealousy.
They took my voice and my life and left my body for the crows. But not all who die rest in peace.
Erik Scott de Bie spins a haunting tale of revenge, honor, love, and hate, all bound within a dark man whose indomitable spirit marks him as on of - The Fighters!
314 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2005
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437 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 29, 2008
I really really wanted this book to be at least moderately good. It couldn't even manage that. Let me sum this up for you to show you what a classicly simple story the writer has managed to botch. This is essentially a classic revenge western story. If you've seen "High Plains Drifter" or "Pale Rider" with Clint Eastwood, then you've seen the broad strokes of this type of story. Its a spirit of vengence thing. Sounds simple enough. Give it a modicum of depth and throw in some awsome payback action, and you've got it made in the shade. And this book cocks that up horribly. So badly I couldn't even get past page 30, it was so contritely cliche it wasn't even funny. Oh well, at least I didn't pay anything for the book. Take my advice, go read the punisher or The Count of Monte Cristo if you want revenge fiction, Wizards of the Coast don't have the skill for such a basic story.
June 23, 2010
Because my brother recommended this book, I really wanted to like it, and so I trudged through it almost to the end. Then, I just gave up. This book is just boring, there's no other way to say it. Erik is a master at writing action scenes, there is no doubt, and that's a good thing, becaue Ghostwalker is nothing but a series of action scenes loosely strung together with a disappointing attempt at a plot. de Bie just went along, writing whatever was convenient, throwing together alliances and having deaths--no wait! A death here isn't going to work! He's okay, after all--and "love" that is so unbelievable that I just DON'T CARE. I was hoping this novel would be more like the Drizzt books, which I loved.
February 22, 2020
I read this book like 10 or so years ago, but outside of the relationship between Walker and Arya, I didn't remember anything about it. However, I remember really liking their relationship, so I thought I would revisit it.
The reason that I only remembered their relationship was because that was the only decent part of the whole book. It's cliched, and really it all boils down to Arya throwing herself at him because he's mysterious and brooding and hot and he saved her once or twice; honestly, I think I only liked it because the dark, brooding man with a dark, horrible past and is closed off from all emotions outside of vengeance meets a girl who is sweet and kind, and determined to save him from his inner demons will ALWAYS be a guilty pleasure of mine. Their relationship isn't done well--I cannot stressed how rushed it all is--but it was still the only enjoyable part of the book.
There are three main villains here, and one of them could have been cut out entirely because she adds nothing to this story. The book could have ended 40 pages sooner except we needed to wrap up whatever was going on with the angry ghost of the forest. Maybe if less time had been spent with her, the other two villains and their respective stories could have been more fleshed out. As it was, what we were left with was a famous bard who somehow became a trusted and respected politician who wanted more political power (? I'm not going to lie, I really don't know what he was trying to achieve) and his bastard serial killer son who it was strongly implied murdered all of his siblings. And I don't even know why he was murdering couriers in the first place? Because he wanted to? I don't know and it doesn't matter.
And to top it all off was the painfully unfunny sidekicks who de Bie mistakenly thought the reader was going to love and think were hilarious. They kept popping up and having a running commentary that just kept going and going and going.
It, much like this review, was a mess.
The reason that I only remembered their relationship was because that was the only decent part of the whole book. It's cliched, and really it all boils down to Arya throwing herself at him because he's mysterious and brooding and hot and he saved her once or twice; honestly, I think I only liked it because the dark, brooding man with a dark, horrible past and is closed off from all emotions outside of vengeance meets a girl who is sweet and kind, and determined to save him from his inner demons will ALWAYS be a guilty pleasure of mine. Their relationship isn't done well--I cannot stressed how rushed it all is--but it was still the only enjoyable part of the book.
There are three main villains here, and one of them could have been cut out entirely because she adds nothing to this story. The book could have ended 40 pages sooner except we needed to wrap up whatever was going on with the angry ghost of the forest. Maybe if less time had been spent with her, the other two villains and their respective stories could have been more fleshed out. As it was, what we were left with was a famous bard who somehow became a trusted and respected politician who wanted more political power (? I'm not going to lie, I really don't know what he was trying to achieve) and his bastard serial killer son who it was strongly implied murdered all of his siblings. And I don't even know why he was murdering couriers in the first place? Because he wanted to? I don't know and it doesn't matter.
And to top it all off was the painfully unfunny sidekicks who de Bie mistakenly thought the reader was going to love and think were hilarious. They kept popping up and having a running commentary that just kept going and going and going.
It, much like this review, was a mess.
December 28, 2023
This is the third book I have read in the "Fighters" series of Forgotten Realms. I am a bit familiar with de Bie's work from previous novels, and have enjoyed his writing in the past.
This story had a lot going on, the plot was somewhat dense to begin with. It is also a pretty dark story, which I don't mind at all, but readers be warned that the antagonists are pretty brutal in this story.
I am familiar with the concept of a Ghostwalker in 3.5 edition, but never utilized it in any games. This was an interesting look at what a character like this would potentially look like. I have wanted to use something like this in my campaigns, so again, I enjoyed checking out the dynamics of it.
The plot is a pretty straight foreword revenge tale, but de Bie definitely fills the pages with intrigue and interesting details. Overall enjoyable.
This story had a lot going on, the plot was somewhat dense to begin with. It is also a pretty dark story, which I don't mind at all, but readers be warned that the antagonists are pretty brutal in this story.
I am familiar with the concept of a Ghostwalker in 3.5 edition, but never utilized it in any games. This was an interesting look at what a character like this would potentially look like. I have wanted to use something like this in my campaigns, so again, I enjoyed checking out the dynamics of it.
The plot is a pretty straight foreword revenge tale, but de Bie definitely fills the pages with intrigue and interesting details. Overall enjoyable.
May 30, 2019
Most vengeful heroes are avenging the deaths of those they love. Not Walker. Walker is avenging his own death. But he's not a ghost. Well... he's sort of a ghost. The closest I can think of to describe him is Talion in the Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor games. In fact, I was playing that game when the orcs kept calling me "Gravewalker", reminding me of this book. Which I promptly reread. And loved again.
Recommended for people who like ghost stories and tales of revenge.
Recommended for people who like ghost stories and tales of revenge.
August 18, 2020
I have read many books in the forgotten realms world, this was by far the worst one. No idea how I managed to finish it. The writing is foppish and exegerated, the author was desperately trying to sound theatrical so all the characters are talking and acting like they are on stage. The resault is silly and downright annoying, it felt like I was going trough a very badly written play.
September 7, 2021
This is possibly one of the worst FR novels if not straight up worst novel I've ever read. After about five chapters you can stop, as it pretty much sets up all the basic tropes that the novel will then follow. At that point you can guess what the ending is going to be like with 80% accuracy if not higher.
May 19, 2019
"Black absorbs blood...Black covers all things and hides all hurts."
"It is easier to destroy than to create."
"Damn your honor" he shouted. "Damn all honor. How many lives has honor destroyed? How many innocents has it slain? It is nothing. It is worse than nothing."
"It is easier to destroy than to create."
"Damn your honor" he shouted. "Damn all honor. How many lives has honor destroyed? How many innocents has it slain? It is nothing. It is worse than nothing."
January 20, 2021
Overall, another tidy entry into Forgotten Realms lore. A few too many twists and turns I think, but the main character and his powers were cool. Side characters were nice and had some personality, and the mysteries were well conceived.
April 16, 2022
Quite happy with this one. Quite well written, good plot, greatly done scenes.
Well done.
Well done.
October 9, 2011
I put off buying Ghostwalker for a long time. It was published in 2005, thereabouts, and I just recently purchased it. I picked up the novel Bloodwalk out when it first came out. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with it, the plotline or the characters. At some point, I heard that Ghostwalker contained a very similar protagonist to Quin, in Walker. I didn’t want to trudge through another novel that I was going to dislike, so I never bothered picking it up. Recently, however, I entered in into a conversation going on between Erik and some others at Candlekeep. I promised to read the novel, and held true to my word, picking it up a few hours later. I would not be disappointed. Ghostwalker was an excellent read. It took me a while to finish, but that was not because of the book itself, but rather, real world stuff.
The best part of the novel was the characters. Mr. De Bie created various characters, most of whom were likable- which is an important quality, for me, anyway- and interesting. Walker, the protagonist, I’ll admit was a little one-dimensional. It’s nothing against the character- or the writer- but silent-but-deadly killers who wear black and talk little of their past is a little cliché. That’s not to say that I didn’t like Walker. I liked the supporting cast of characters a lot more, however.
Arya, Bars and Derst, I liked. They reminded me a lot of the Zexen Knights, from my favorite video game series (Suikoden). Arya was a good, strong, effective woman protagonist (there’s not all that many, in thinking back). Bars and Derst, good supporting characters. At some points, the roguishness and interplay between the two sometimes seemed a little excessive or out-of-place, but it certainly made the characters seem alive.
Meris and Greyt, I liked. A lot. Lord Greyt was a Bard, and it’s not all that often that you see Bards as main characters in novels (I can only think of a few). Not only that, but he was the villain. The villain! And, what a villain he was. An excellent, excellent character. The sequences depicting Lord Greyt using his Bardic powers- along with his natural charisma- to work and influence the crowds of Quaervarr were excellent. As the Jewish adage goes- alright, I don’t remember it word for word- the tongue is the most powerful weapon there is. That is why G-d sealed it behind teeth and lips, two layers of protection. Meris, I liked a bit less than his father. The rage, the anger, the obsession, the fury of being a bastard, of never truly being good enough for his father, all of that came through clear. The sadism that living with that psychological weight, as well. Meris seemed to be too well connected for my taste, though. It seemed that every time any character- be it Walker, Arya, or Lord Greyt believed themselves to be one step ahead, Meris wasn’t exactly one step behind, but rather, a half step behind, or a quarter step behind, or even a half step ahead.
Gylther’yel was an interesting character. The final “twist”, at the end, I didn’t particularly like, but she was a very well made character, in my opinion. An Sun Elven Druid is pretty cool, but, let’s up the ante, and make her Ghost! I’m not being sarcastic when I am saying that it was a neat concept. I was thinking for the point she and Walker “crossed sides” so-to-speak, that she was going to turn out to be a Banshee, but…A good name, too. Can’t pronounce it too good, but a good name. A fun name.
The setting, at first, I was a little hesitant about. I didn’t think that a story in our little frontier hamlet of Quaervarr would really be all that interesting. When, at the beginning, it seemed that it was going to be a bid-for-power from Lord Greyt, and random assassinations by Walker, while the trio of knights bumbled along, until they eventually solved the mystery. The city itself wasn’t all that interesting, but the events and people that happened and lived there- ghost Druids, Malarites, power plays- made it interesting. Like my matzoh ball soup, the broth itself wasn’t necessarily all that great, but everything else in it made it good.
The best part of the novel was the characters. Mr. De Bie created various characters, most of whom were likable- which is an important quality, for me, anyway- and interesting. Walker, the protagonist, I’ll admit was a little one-dimensional. It’s nothing against the character- or the writer- but silent-but-deadly killers who wear black and talk little of their past is a little cliché. That’s not to say that I didn’t like Walker. I liked the supporting cast of characters a lot more, however.
Arya, Bars and Derst, I liked. They reminded me a lot of the Zexen Knights, from my favorite video game series (Suikoden). Arya was a good, strong, effective woman protagonist (there’s not all that many, in thinking back). Bars and Derst, good supporting characters. At some points, the roguishness and interplay between the two sometimes seemed a little excessive or out-of-place, but it certainly made the characters seem alive.
Meris and Greyt, I liked. A lot. Lord Greyt was a Bard, and it’s not all that often that you see Bards as main characters in novels (I can only think of a few). Not only that, but he was the villain. The villain! And, what a villain he was. An excellent, excellent character. The sequences depicting Lord Greyt using his Bardic powers- along with his natural charisma- to work and influence the crowds of Quaervarr were excellent. As the Jewish adage goes- alright, I don’t remember it word for word- the tongue is the most powerful weapon there is. That is why G-d sealed it behind teeth and lips, two layers of protection. Meris, I liked a bit less than his father. The rage, the anger, the obsession, the fury of being a bastard, of never truly being good enough for his father, all of that came through clear. The sadism that living with that psychological weight, as well. Meris seemed to be too well connected for my taste, though. It seemed that every time any character- be it Walker, Arya, or Lord Greyt believed themselves to be one step ahead, Meris wasn’t exactly one step behind, but rather, a half step behind, or a quarter step behind, or even a half step ahead.
Gylther’yel was an interesting character. The final “twist”, at the end, I didn’t particularly like, but she was a very well made character, in my opinion. An Sun Elven Druid is pretty cool, but, let’s up the ante, and make her Ghost! I’m not being sarcastic when I am saying that it was a neat concept. I was thinking for the point she and Walker “crossed sides” so-to-speak, that she was going to turn out to be a Banshee, but…A good name, too. Can’t pronounce it too good, but a good name. A fun name.
The setting, at first, I was a little hesitant about. I didn’t think that a story in our little frontier hamlet of Quaervarr would really be all that interesting. When, at the beginning, it seemed that it was going to be a bid-for-power from Lord Greyt, and random assassinations by Walker, while the trio of knights bumbled along, until they eventually solved the mystery. The city itself wasn’t all that interesting, but the events and people that happened and lived there- ghost Druids, Malarites, power plays- made it interesting. Like my matzoh ball soup, the broth itself wasn’t necessarily all that great, but everything else in it made it good.
April 25, 2016
Ghostwalker is part of a quartet of The Fighters stories that are staged in the Forgotten Realms creation, but are stand-alone novels. This one, written by Erik Scott deBie is one of the better ones. Reading, we are within the northern reaches of Silverymoon and Lady Alustriel's influence. Though these names are large in Salvatore's stories, they play minor roles. The setting is Quaervarr, a frontier town on the fringes of what is, supposedly, a haunted woods.
Although we get the story from several people's points of view, Walker, our protagonist, takes front and center. Along with him, is the Lady Knight Arya (A Song of Ice and Fire references aside) who was dispatched by Lady Alustriel to investigate the disappearances of couriers in the woods between Silverymoon and Quaervarr, Dharan Greyt who is the "hero" of Quaervarr and also the Lord Singer which sounds just like it is...a fancy, rich Singer who enchants crowds with his song, and Meris who is the bastard son of Dharan.
The story and key word of the days when reading the tale is vengeance. Walker, a mysterious being dressed in all black, with a piercing blue gaze, is out to avenge himself. We learn early on that he is not quite mortal and he seeks to put to rest the atrocities that occurred to him fifteen years prior. Some surprising parallels are akin to the graphic novel, and later movie, of The Crow. Someone is murdered and due to the atrocities of the murder the soul must return to seek vengeance. Thankfully, however, the author spins the tale further to make it so that it's not the same story blow for blow. Some surprises wait in store for Walker and us, following him through his story.
A major gripe of the book, however, is the descriptions of the fighting scenes. Often it's too difficult to decipher who is doing what and it takes some slow reading to get it sorted. Other than that, the tale is weaved rather well and it makes for some good reading. The pace is well managed and the characters well developed. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever read any of the Salvatore books, or someone who is maybe interested in seeing what kind of world and magic you might encounter there.
Although we get the story from several people's points of view, Walker, our protagonist, takes front and center. Along with him, is the Lady Knight Arya (A Song of Ice and Fire references aside) who was dispatched by Lady Alustriel to investigate the disappearances of couriers in the woods between Silverymoon and Quaervarr, Dharan Greyt who is the "hero" of Quaervarr and also the Lord Singer which sounds just like it is...a fancy, rich Singer who enchants crowds with his song, and Meris who is the bastard son of Dharan.
The story and key word of the days when reading the tale is vengeance. Walker, a mysterious being dressed in all black, with a piercing blue gaze, is out to avenge himself. We learn early on that he is not quite mortal and he seeks to put to rest the atrocities that occurred to him fifteen years prior. Some surprising parallels are akin to the graphic novel, and later movie, of The Crow. Someone is murdered and due to the atrocities of the murder the soul must return to seek vengeance. Thankfully, however, the author spins the tale further to make it so that it's not the same story blow for blow. Some surprises wait in store for Walker and us, following him through his story.
A major gripe of the book, however, is the descriptions of the fighting scenes. Often it's too difficult to decipher who is doing what and it takes some slow reading to get it sorted. Other than that, the tale is weaved rather well and it makes for some good reading. The pace is well managed and the characters well developed. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever read any of the Salvatore books, or someone who is maybe interested in seeing what kind of world and magic you might encounter there.
August 25, 2009
Ghostwalker is one of the best books I have had the pleasure to read in a long time. From the very first page, I was hooked. Once begun this book is impossible to put down. Especially considering that it is just one book rather than a whole series, it is impressive just how much these memorable characters are developed. The fight scenes are truly wonderful, easily rivaling the fights of R. A. Salvatore. While this book stands out among the numerous Forgotten Realms novels, it also stands alone perfectly well. No other books must be read before this one for it to be understood and enjoyed. If I hadn't already known that this was Erik Scott de Bie's first published novel, I would not have been able to guess it. This is the work of a great writer, and I anxiously look forward to reading his future works.
January 16, 2008
Erik is one of the "Young Dragons" and he really is. Tall, cute, in his 20s, studies fencing. The "Young Dragons" include a nifty set of writers who entered a competition on the Wizards of the Coast website and then got invited to play in the Forgotten Realms. Most of us were first published in Realms of Dragons II. Erik's take on the Realms tends to be very dark fantasy. My stuff tends to be the polar opposite (I do cute fluffy puppies, he does tortured fighters with a mysterious past). There is a reason why Erik got a FR book published long before me.
October 4, 2009
A well-written story that flows well. The characters are introduced and gradually developed in a pace that keeps you intrigued as to what their real motives are. Great character and scene descriptions, as well suspenseful dialogue at the turning points in the plot. The gripe about the plot is that it was quite predictable, probably because the gist of it has already been similarly told in movies and other stories - the character growths, their decisions, and the ending. Despite that, it's still a good read if you don't mind the predictable plot path.
November 8, 2010
This book was ridiculous in its bad writing and clunky plot. Don't waste your money, unless you just like reading contrived violence and cardboard characters. The book didn't even do what I expected it to do: shine light on the "fighter" class of D&D/Forgotten Realms -- or, should I say, if it is intended to match D&D then time to move on to something that isn't written for sociopathic 11 year olds.
October 23, 2007
its a pretty good book i fell about this what i fell about master of chains they were great the end was great. a good action book i would also recommend this to mostly dudes because this one also reminds me of some RPGs i've played and it really keeps your attention.
January 1, 2013
Sort of a 'meh'. There are hints of some actual talent from Mr. de Bie, but perhaps he was not allowed enough space to show it. Better by far than the first installment in this series -- but that's not saying a whole lot.
December 4, 2008
a god book
February 17, 2010
I really liked this book, will probably have to read the rest in this series. Not sure if I'll go back to read the 1st since I already know what's happened.
July 14, 2010
Interesting twists, and pretty epic characters. Well written, if not a bit verbose in the fighting scenes. All in all an excellent book, happy to have read it.
June 4, 2012
Nice book with an a straightforward story. A kill bill of Forgotten Realms. A revenge story with a mystery inbetween. Great characters.
January 13, 2013
Fight scenes move with a good pace, but the whole of the story is fairly predictable. The characters feel stereotyped, but it's an okay read to escape for a bit.
January 13, 2015
Cheesy, but amusing enough.
December 21, 2014
This book was okay. A bit too brutal for my taste. Gone.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews