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Forgotten Realms: Anthologies #13
Realms of the Dead
Every creature on Faerûn has its dark mirror in the undead—from the ghosts of ancient warriors to the rune-scribed skeletons of dragons. And in a world as rich and bloody a history as the Forgotten Realms®, they are legion—outshining the living in variety and number.
Here are a dozen of the most terrifying tales of the haunted Realms.
Here are a dozen of the most terrifying tales of the haunted Realms.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 5, 2010
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603 people want to read
About the author
Susan J. Morris
8 books258 followersSusan J. Morris is a fantasy author best known for her Harker & Moriarty novels, including Strange Beasts and its sequel, Wayward Souls. Before succumbing to books entirely, Susan worked as a novels editor at Wizards of the Coast, ran workshops for Clarion West, and penned a popular writing-advice column—all of which, she is coming to realize, are more or less books. Susan makes her home in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her partner, her cats, and entirely too many plants. Find her online at susanjmorris.com.
Content warnings available on her website.
Content warnings available on her website.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 17, 2019
A very mixed anthology ranging from utter dren stories to amazing ones.
June 4, 2017
A rather nice collection of short stories but, although it's published as being related to the Haunted Lands trilogy, the connection is actually very weak. The stories are all over the place, with the only shared theme being that these stories are all about death, undeath, and/or life.
Pieces - Richard Lee Byers - 3/5 - A story about Bareris and Mirror on a side quest, when they were "off-screen" from the main trilogy, in search of rebels to go against Szass Tam.
Soul Steel - Lisa Smedman - 4/5 - An engaging dark tale of vengeance and redemption with strong characters. But I found the portrayal of the elves here to feel oddly out of what I'd expect of their usual behaviour or tendencies.
The Resurrection Agent - Erin M. Evans - 5/5 - A very specialised assassin is featured in this one. Loved the idea. Strong characters and a good plot.
Wandering Stones - Bruce R. Cordell - 2/5 - A story about a lost lineage with the power to control dragons. Didn't really enjoy this as I felt it's a story that should've been stretched out more. Some of the characters here are just dying to be fleshed out more.
The Bone Bird - Jaleigh Johnson - 3/5 - A cleric of Chauntea deals with a mysterious attacker in a village and finds a burst of faith through adversity.
Feast of the Moon - Christopher Rowe - 5/5 - I enjoyed this very much. The protagonist is a priest of Malar, on a hunt that pushed him to his very limits. A very flavourful rendition of the mindset of such a priest.
A Prayer for Brother Robert - Philip Athans - 5/5 - A haunted house, a damsel in distress, and a reluctant hero. It's almost a cliché ghost story, but I loved it.
The King in Copper - Richard Baker - 3/5 - Set in ruined Hulburg, an impoverished king fends off greedy mercenaries by leading them in search of a legend, but at what cost?
Dusty Bones - Rosemary Jones - 4/5 - A fun, almost wacky, romp in the City of the Dead in Waterdeep. Great characters.
The Many Murders of Manshoon - Ed Greenwood - 1/5 - Easily the worst of the lot. It follows a Manshoon clone as he goes on a boring murder spree that turned out to be completely pointless.
A Body in a Bag - Erik Scott de Bie - 2/5 - An unrequited love story that involves a ghoul, a lie, and a rather pathetic tiefling protagonist. It's humorous in a few portions, but it's just not quite there for me.
Iruladoon - R. A. Salvatore - 2/5 - Seems to be connected to the end of the Ghost King but I haven't read that one yet. But it's pretty easy to guess who the halfling and the girl is. On its own, it was short and too disjointed; it used too many perspectives to tell its story.
Pieces - Richard Lee Byers - 3/5 - A story about Bareris and Mirror on a side quest, when they were "off-screen" from the main trilogy, in search of rebels to go against Szass Tam.
Soul Steel - Lisa Smedman - 4/5 - An engaging dark tale of vengeance and redemption with strong characters. But I found the portrayal of the elves here to feel oddly out of what I'd expect of their usual behaviour or tendencies.
The Resurrection Agent - Erin M. Evans - 5/5 - A very specialised assassin is featured in this one. Loved the idea. Strong characters and a good plot.
Wandering Stones - Bruce R. Cordell - 2/5 - A story about a lost lineage with the power to control dragons. Didn't really enjoy this as I felt it's a story that should've been stretched out more. Some of the characters here are just dying to be fleshed out more.
The Bone Bird - Jaleigh Johnson - 3/5 - A cleric of Chauntea deals with a mysterious attacker in a village and finds a burst of faith through adversity.
Feast of the Moon - Christopher Rowe - 5/5 - I enjoyed this very much. The protagonist is a priest of Malar, on a hunt that pushed him to his very limits. A very flavourful rendition of the mindset of such a priest.
A Prayer for Brother Robert - Philip Athans - 5/5 - A haunted house, a damsel in distress, and a reluctant hero. It's almost a cliché ghost story, but I loved it.
The King in Copper - Richard Baker - 3/5 - Set in ruined Hulburg, an impoverished king fends off greedy mercenaries by leading them in search of a legend, but at what cost?
Dusty Bones - Rosemary Jones - 4/5 - A fun, almost wacky, romp in the City of the Dead in Waterdeep. Great characters.
The Many Murders of Manshoon - Ed Greenwood - 1/5 - Easily the worst of the lot. It follows a Manshoon clone as he goes on a boring murder spree that turned out to be completely pointless.
A Body in a Bag - Erik Scott de Bie - 2/5 - An unrequited love story that involves a ghoul, a lie, and a rather pathetic tiefling protagonist. It's humorous in a few portions, but it's just not quite there for me.
Iruladoon - R. A. Salvatore - 2/5 - Seems to be connected to the end of the Ghost King but I haven't read that one yet. But it's pretty easy to guess who the halfling and the girl is. On its own, it was short and too disjointed; it used too many perspectives to tell its story.
January 8, 2017
A wonderful collection of some of the best known Realms authors, all involving ghouls, vampires, and zombies. We are introduced to some new friends and old favorites, and we are given some heartening news along the way.
So those who follow the Realms know that the goddess of magic Mystra was killed off in the Realms around the time when D&D 4.0 came about, and her death caused the begining of a new age in the Realms, as both the lands and magic of the Realms was torn asunder by the force of her death. Thanks to this book, there is hope.
Now I don't know if this is wishful thinking on Ed Greenwood's part, but in his little snippet in the book he references how a piece of Mystra was saved by another god, and how it has been housed in the body of a Zentyrian wizard who is being held in a type of stasis. One can only imagine what would happen if the Old Mage ever catches wind of this...
Oh and there's hope for followers of Drizz't as well! Salvatore reveals in his story that Regis and Cattie-Brie are essentially alive and accessible on the Prime Material Plane.
So in one volume we have your typical walking dead stories, coupled with several heartening pieces of news for those of us who's hearts live more in the Realms than the real world.
So those who follow the Realms know that the goddess of magic Mystra was killed off in the Realms around the time when D&D 4.0 came about, and her death caused the begining of a new age in the Realms, as both the lands and magic of the Realms was torn asunder by the force of her death. Thanks to this book, there is hope.
Now I don't know if this is wishful thinking on Ed Greenwood's part, but in his little snippet in the book he references how a piece of Mystra was saved by another god, and how it has been housed in the body of a Zentyrian wizard who is being held in a type of stasis. One can only imagine what would happen if the Old Mage ever catches wind of this...
Oh and there's hope for followers of Drizz't as well! Salvatore reveals in his story that Regis and Cattie-Brie are essentially alive and accessible on the Prime Material Plane.
So in one volume we have your typical walking dead stories, coupled with several heartening pieces of news for those of us who's hearts live more in the Realms than the real world.
January 6, 2019
This may be quite the odd review because this is the first fiction book I have read in English. I wanted to get a quick look into different styles of writing (as well as English grammar) in prose and was drawn to the cover art. With that... I had absolutely no prior knowledge of the universe or characters. I figured a review from someone coming to read these stories blind could be fascinating to some of us.
Despite having no knowledge of the universe, I enjoyed most of the stories quite a bit. Some I found so dull I began skimming while others made me wish there would be another chapter to the story. I will surely have to see if my local library has more books from some of these authors.
But let's see how each story fared. I will mostly be judging these based on story, characters and concepts as, yes, I have never read prose in English before. If the structure and grammar of a story is off, it probably goes over my head! Honestly, I found it amusing how every other story seemed to hit me hard while the rest were mostly misses. It was almost as if most of the stories were ordered as "great, meh, great, meh, great, meh..."
((Also spoiler alert? I will avoid saying what exactly happens but in some my biggest critique was the ending so... yeah.))
Pieces by Richard Lee Byers - 5/5 - I am weak for sane undead characters and liked the main characters by default. I also found witnessing the hopeless situation they were stuck in enjoyable and the ending made me wish there was another chapter to see what would happen next.
Soul Steel by Lisa Smedman - 2/5 - This story was one that constantly made me think about how I would have written this story differently. While the concept itself was really neat, I feel like it would have been more interesting (and even potentially fit to be a full-length novel!) if there was a bit more conflict. As it was, the story felt too convenient for the main character, not forcing her to truly fight with the consequences of her decisions... because none of the decisions had the consequence she feared when making it.
The Resurrection Agent by Erin M. Evans - 4/5 - Definitely a cool concept here! I am not a huge fan of fight scenes in general but still enjoyed the other parts of his story greatly. I do feel the story could have worked well as a novel too as it would have given readers more time to get attached to the characters and made the impact of the ending heavier. Still, enjoyable.
Wandering Stones by Bruce R. Cordell - 2/5 - This one didn't really hold my interest too well. I am not sure why but it just didn't. Maybe it was the lack of undead as I did suddenly perk up when the spirits appeared. Sadly, they did not get to do much and I found the ending quite unsatisfying as the problem was not solved by the main character herself? (Unless I missed something important after beginning to lose interest.)
Maybe if this is only the beginning of a longer story, it would be fine but as a stand-alone, I would have liked to have a more satisfying ending. Something that stems from the main character, not the environment.
The Bone Bird by Jaleigh Johnson - 5/5 - I enjoyed this one a lot. The emotional turmoil from the main character, the brutality of the fight and the wild ending. Ah, clerics... My only gripes with it were minor plot-related things (How did he forget about his mentor's amulet after making such a scene over it?) and the rest was very fun to read through.
Feast of the Moon by Cristopher Rowe - 2/5 - It may be because I have no prior knowledge of the universe but I found this one quite dull. The creature and the concept of the main character's religion were interesting but I still am not a fan of action/fight scenes and this story had plenty of that.
A Prayer for Brother Robert by Philip Athans - 5/5 - This one was adorable. It was not the most unpredictable story in the world but the main character was likable in his fearfulness and watching him deal with the conflict was amusing. I also quite liked how the "the escape" happened, ah, clerics again...
The King in Copper by Richard Baker - 3.5/5 - This story was also a bit on the convenient side but I still quite enjoyed it. I adored the brutality in the end as it really let you simmer in the suffering of those the story wanted you to hate, but I do wish the very ending had taken a slightly different turn but maybe that is just me hoping liches wouldn't always be so edgy.
Dusty Bones by Rosemary Jones - 4/5 - This one surprised me with how different it was from the rest. No grand adventures, just someone doing their job and accidentally helping in releasing an ancient evil to the graveyard. It was very refreshing and fun even if I do wish there was more to the ending.
The Many Murders of Manshoon by Ed Greenwood - 0/5 - This was the only story where I really, really began skipping lines. I had no idea who all these characters were and the story really failed to make me care about any of them. I honestly can't even remember how it ended because I just speed-read through it in search of something to latch onto, never finding it.
A Body in a Bag by Eric Scott de Bie - 4.5/5 - I have somewhat mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, I find the main character adorable with his flaws, on another, I was disappointed by how little his actions meant in the end. The build-up of problems his one decision caused was wonderful but in the end it all kind of fell flat for me with how easily he got out of the situation. I can't believe he didn't get a massive whooping!
Iruladoon by R.A. Salvatore - ?/5 - To put it shortly, when I read this, I was disappointed in the ending as it didn't really give you any kind of explanation for what was going on. But after reading some reviews of it, I guess it is linked to a different story by the author? I don't feel qualified to say much about it as I have no idea what the full story of this "Iruladoon" place is. Maybe I should check out those other books once I'm done with my current pile.
Despite having no knowledge of the universe, I enjoyed most of the stories quite a bit. Some I found so dull I began skimming while others made me wish there would be another chapter to the story. I will surely have to see if my local library has more books from some of these authors.
But let's see how each story fared. I will mostly be judging these based on story, characters and concepts as, yes, I have never read prose in English before. If the structure and grammar of a story is off, it probably goes over my head! Honestly, I found it amusing how every other story seemed to hit me hard while the rest were mostly misses. It was almost as if most of the stories were ordered as "great, meh, great, meh, great, meh..."
((Also spoiler alert? I will avoid saying what exactly happens but in some my biggest critique was the ending so... yeah.))
Pieces by Richard Lee Byers - 5/5 - I am weak for sane undead characters and liked the main characters by default. I also found witnessing the hopeless situation they were stuck in enjoyable and the ending made me wish there was another chapter to see what would happen next.
Soul Steel by Lisa Smedman - 2/5 - This story was one that constantly made me think about how I would have written this story differently. While the concept itself was really neat, I feel like it would have been more interesting (and even potentially fit to be a full-length novel!) if there was a bit more conflict. As it was, the story felt too convenient for the main character, not forcing her to truly fight with the consequences of her decisions... because none of the decisions had the consequence she feared when making it.
The Resurrection Agent by Erin M. Evans - 4/5 - Definitely a cool concept here! I am not a huge fan of fight scenes in general but still enjoyed the other parts of his story greatly. I do feel the story could have worked well as a novel too as it would have given readers more time to get attached to the characters and made the impact of the ending heavier. Still, enjoyable.
Wandering Stones by Bruce R. Cordell - 2/5 - This one didn't really hold my interest too well. I am not sure why but it just didn't. Maybe it was the lack of undead as I did suddenly perk up when the spirits appeared. Sadly, they did not get to do much and I found the ending quite unsatisfying as the problem was not solved by the main character herself? (Unless I missed something important after beginning to lose interest.)
Maybe if this is only the beginning of a longer story, it would be fine but as a stand-alone, I would have liked to have a more satisfying ending. Something that stems from the main character, not the environment.
The Bone Bird by Jaleigh Johnson - 5/5 - I enjoyed this one a lot. The emotional turmoil from the main character, the brutality of the fight and the wild ending. Ah, clerics... My only gripes with it were minor plot-related things (How did he forget about his mentor's amulet after making such a scene over it?) and the rest was very fun to read through.
Feast of the Moon by Cristopher Rowe - 2/5 - It may be because I have no prior knowledge of the universe but I found this one quite dull. The creature and the concept of the main character's religion were interesting but I still am not a fan of action/fight scenes and this story had plenty of that.
A Prayer for Brother Robert by Philip Athans - 5/5 - This one was adorable. It was not the most unpredictable story in the world but the main character was likable in his fearfulness and watching him deal with the conflict was amusing. I also quite liked how the "the escape" happened, ah, clerics again...
The King in Copper by Richard Baker - 3.5/5 - This story was also a bit on the convenient side but I still quite enjoyed it. I adored the brutality in the end as it really let you simmer in the suffering of those the story wanted you to hate, but I do wish the very ending had taken a slightly different turn but maybe that is just me hoping liches wouldn't always be so edgy.
Dusty Bones by Rosemary Jones - 4/5 - This one surprised me with how different it was from the rest. No grand adventures, just someone doing their job and accidentally helping in releasing an ancient evil to the graveyard. It was very refreshing and fun even if I do wish there was more to the ending.
The Many Murders of Manshoon by Ed Greenwood - 0/5 - This was the only story where I really, really began skipping lines. I had no idea who all these characters were and the story really failed to make me care about any of them. I honestly can't even remember how it ended because I just speed-read through it in search of something to latch onto, never finding it.
A Body in a Bag by Eric Scott de Bie - 4.5/5 - I have somewhat mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, I find the main character adorable with his flaws, on another, I was disappointed by how little his actions meant in the end. The build-up of problems his one decision caused was wonderful but in the end it all kind of fell flat for me with how easily he got out of the situation. I can't believe he didn't get a massive whooping!
Iruladoon by R.A. Salvatore - ?/5 - To put it shortly, when I read this, I was disappointed in the ending as it didn't really give you any kind of explanation for what was going on. But after reading some reviews of it, I guess it is linked to a different story by the author? I don't feel qualified to say much about it as I have no idea what the full story of this "Iruladoon" place is. Maybe I should check out those other books once I'm done with my current pile.
May 18, 2010
Realms of the Dead edited by Susan J. Morris was released in 2010. This is an anthology based in the Forgotten Realms setting. This anthology is composed of twelve short stories written by Richard Lee Byers, Lisa Smedman, Erin M. Evans, Bruce R. Cordell, Jaleigh Johnson, Christopher Rowe, Philip Athans, Richard Baker, Rosemary Jones, Ed Greenwood, Erik Scott de Bie, and R. A. Salvatore. This anthology is included with Richard Lee Byer's The Haunted Lands trilogy, and deals with all things undead.
“Pieces” by Richard Lee Byers- The story follows the events after the second book in The Haunted Lands trilogy entitled Undead. Bareris Anskuld was a bard in life, and still is in death. Along with the specter of a paladin named Mirror, Bareris seeks revenge for the 're-death' of his love. In this story, Mirror and Bareris go to join a resistance group against the undead horde that the lich Szass Tam rose to take over the land of Thay. But it's hard for undead to join a group opposing the undead.
Negatives:
1) Undead. I didn't really care for how a few of these undead were explained. It didn't really paint a vivid picture in my mind and kind of was a little bit of a bummer.
Positives:
1) Bareris. Now I liked Bareris in the trilogy, a lot. His thirst for revenge is something that you can really feel. That and he is one of the coolest bards in any story.
2) The Ending. It's was dark and it really worked considering the premise of the anthology and trilogy itself is about death. The 'twist' it takes I really enjoyed.
Overall: 5/5
*Even though I didn't really like the undead description's, it was an interesting story with a great ending and with a character I really enjoyed.
“Soul Steel” by Lisa Smedman- This short story is about revenge. A green elf by the name of Trelwyn wants to avenge the death of her brother, who saw their queen having an affair with a lover. The queen had him sentenced to death, and when Trelwyn finds out the truth, she goes to a dark elf lich to make a sword that will steal the soul of the queen. However, during her revenge things don't go according to plan.
Negatives:
1) Terms. There were a few words that I had never heard of that pop up in the story. For example, I never really heard of a green elf till this story, and upon some research, they are wild elves. Why not just call them that? Also, the word Trunadar was brought up a few times and, at first I thought it was yet another name for the green elves, when in fact it's their village name. Which was never mentioned as being such and just barely hinted at.
2) Ending. I didn't really care for it, but it was bad. I just don't understand how these two characters would seem to trust one another, it just seemed like a stretch.
Positives:
1) Revenge Story. I really enjoyed the revenge story. I thought it was really interesting and had a really good premise. It was enjoyable and exciting at the same time. Also, I liked the added ironic touch of using a drow weapon to kill the queen.
2) Twist. I really enjoyed the twist the story takes. I'm not going to give it away, but while it was a little simple and convenient, I thought it made sense and was kind of unexpected.
Overall: 4/5
*This was a pretty solid story. There were a few things that were to simple-minded and unbelievable, but all in all it was a nice story about revenge.
“The Resurrection Agent” by Erin M. Evans- The story is about a spy named the Harlot, consoling her spymaster, Viridi, on her deathbed. We learn that the Harlot is a resurrection agent, which is a spy who is caught and killed, then resurrected to condemn her target. When Harlot's spymaster dies, she was to take Viridi's body to a safe place where her spymaster's secrets can remain hidden. With the help of the priest who resurrects her, named the Shepard, they being their journey. But little does the Harlot know, not all her targets remained dead and they would love to pry the secrets out of the spymaster.
Negatives:
1) Big Story. The story really is to big of one to really be a short story. There is a lot of background information that was given and at times, it seemed to rushed. Because of this, a lot of the scenes were a little hard to follow at times.
Positives:
1) Dark. The story really gets into the feel of horror. It's dark and twisted. Reading what Harlot goes through when she “dies” is a little demented in a way. That and a creature she meets is really a shock, not to mention, really twisted.
2) The Harlot. I really liked this character for some reason. At first I really didn't care for her at all and thought that she was some sort of run of the mill female character. But as the story progressed she became more and more interesting. Mostly do to her back story and her past.
Overall: 5/5
*While I really enjoyed reading this, I just strongly think that this shouldn't have been a short story. It just had too much missing and shortened that it causes the story to suffer slightly. This really captures what a story included in an anthology should be about.
“Wandering Stones” by Bruce R. Cordell- This story follows a woman named Jada, who is being chased by a brown dragon. Jada is looking for a place in which dragons can not enter called Wandering Stones, which is a village were former slaves of dragons go for protection. We learn that Jada claims a heritage to a thought extinct group of people who can control dragons called Dragonmasters. The problem is, she can't control it.
Negatives:
1) Dragons. This is anthology for the dead, so why is there a story based mostly on dragons? Yes, there are some spirits, but they aren't the focus of the story. They only appear towards the end and it was only mentioned in a few sentences before hand. This is much more suited for Realms of the Dragons than for Realms of the Dead. This just feels wrong in here.
Positives:
1) History. I like the history of the story. Upon a little research, I found that this story gives some background information on Returned Abeir, which returned to the world of Toril during the Spellplague. I didn't know anything like this happened and it is really interesting to see that the continents that came over are ruled by dragons.
Overall: 2/5
*Why such a low-grade? This story DOES NOT belong in Realms of the Dead! DOES NOT BELONG. This story should be in something like Realms of the Dragons part three (does not exist, by the way). However, it is a fairly interesting story and it does give some back ground and it did perk my interest up in learning about “Returned Abeir.” Honestly, if this was in a dragon anthology, I'd give it a solid 4. But alas, it's not.
“The Bone Bird” by Jaleigh Johnson- This story is about two clerics of Chauntea on a mission to aid the village of Lendris, who is having a problem with a hooded figure that comes at night. We are then introduced to Bromar and his mentor as his mentor is dying on his trip. While burying him, Bromar passes out and awakes to find the body outside of the grave he dug. Later, he travels to the village and comes across a woman, named Milra, who has his mentors' holy symbol. After a brief struggle, the townsfolk, Milra, and Bromar decide to help each other conquer this hooded figure. Things don't go according to plan and a secret is revealed.
Negatives:
1) Structure. The story's structure wasn't that good. At times the paragraphs didn't make much sense and it felt rushed. For example, the first page, when we learn what is going on with his mentor, I had a really rough time figuring out who was talking and what exactly was going on. It didn't read to well.
2) Secret. The “secret” really seemed “phoned in.” It was rushed and quite honestly, unimpressive. It really didn't make sense other than why the tavern was named The Bone Bird.
Positives:
1) Milra. I really liked this character a lot. I felt the tension between Bromar and her when he sees the holy symbol, and then seeing her be condescending, in a way, towards him throughout the struggle. I honestly hoped there would have been more that took place throughout the story between these two. I am a little disappointed in how Milra was treated after the first confrontation, but it did feel right what happens. I just wish that there was a little more before what happens.
2) Entomber. I really liked how the creature was described. It brought a really brought sense of disgust and vileness that you would feel if you would see such a creature. Just disgusting.
Overall: 3/5
*The story really did feel a tad bit rushed at times and confusing. All in all, it's just an average story. It does have it's faults, but it was a good read.
“Feast of the Moon” by Christopher Rowe- The story is about a Huntmaster named Jaeg on a quest-like mission from his god Malar, to find and kill the whatever killed the former Huntmaster. Jaeg, processing the ability to turn into a tiger, finds the undead creature that undoubtedly kill the former Huntmaster. However, two female halfling are also trying to kill the creature. But to avenge the death of the former Huntmaster, Jaeg is the one that needs to kill the creature.
Negatives:
1) First Half. The first half of the story wasn't really interesting or coherent. You understand what is going on, but at the same time you don't. It's feels awkward to read.
Positives:
1) Little to No Dialogue. The lack of dialogue is wonderful. It makes the story much more atmospheric and the subtle actions are much more potent. Even with the amount of dialogue that there is, what is said really is simple but hits hard.
2) Creature. The creature is just wonderful. Unlike the undead creature in “The Bone Bird”, this creature just radiates evil and corruption. The description is just wonderful and the story really picks up when we meet the creature. This basically makes the story.
Overall: 4/5
*Really good story, however the beginning just felt awkward. The undead creature is just wonderful and really makes the story great.
“A Prayer for Brother Robert” by Philip Athans- An acolyte named Brother Robert goes to help out a woman whose house is being haunted.
Negatives:
1) Length. This story is long. It's probably the longest story within the anthology and it really feels long. There could have been so many things shorten or scrapped all together.
Positives:
1) Brother Robert. He isn't your normal hero of a story. He's nervous, scared, and continues to have “strange feels” toward the woman who owns the haunted house.
2) Funny. There are a few times I really laughed at during the story. For example when Sister Kalia turns up at random times. It was amusing.
Overall: 4/5
*This was a pretty good story. Brother Robert was wonderful in his insecurities.
“The King in Copper” by Richard Baker- The story is about the lord, if only in title, of Hulburg named Angar who is having trouble with some mercenary bands. The mercenaries are taking over Hulburg, and Angar can do nothing but do as the leaders say. The mercenaries raid is stores, take his food, and even rob graves. Angar, knowing that the mercenaries will kill him because of the poorness of the town and himself, tell the mercenaries of the treasures they would find held in the King in Coppers fortress. Little do they know that the King in Copper is “alive” and “well.” The story does tie into Richard Bakers Blades of the Moonsea trilogy.
Negatives:
1) Slow. The story wasn't very exciting until the last three pages. It's a little hard to read because it is a little dull and unexciting.
2) Angar. I never really felt to sorry for the character. He is a pathetic ruler and I just didn't care for him.
Positives:
1) Last Four Pages. They were a little disturbing and frightening. Seeing what the King in Copper can do is just amazing. 2) The villains. The mercenaries were wonderfully done. I really loathed both of their vile attitudes and disregard of kindness.
Overall: 3/5
*The story is just to dull and even though the last four pages were exciting and frightening, the slowness really hurt. Even the main character was pathetic to read about.
“Dusty Bones” by Rosemary Jones- The story follows the family that tend to the City of the Dead, the graveyard, in the great city of Waterdeep. Leaplow Carver enjoys his job of polishing the various monuments within the City of the Dead, mostly because he likes to whistle at the young women as they pass by. One day, his long-lost cousin named Fitnor comes to help Leaplow, mostly because Fitnor has no wish to work with anything else about the graveyard. During Leaplow's “tour,” Fitnor becomes fascinated with one particular mausoleum, and unleashes a terrible undead force.
Negatives:
1) Character Names. They are so unbearably stupid. Leaplow? Really? There seems to be really no sense of originality with everyone mentioned, mostly within the Craver family.
2) Childish. A lot of things that happen, be it the character names or some actions really seem to be more cartoonish and immature.
Positives:
1) Story. I did like how the story went. It was exciting and very interesting, to say the least.
2) Humor. There was some pretty funny parts. Mostly because of how much of a “ladies man” Leaplow is.
Overall: 4/5
*I thought a lot of the action was cartoonish and immature even when I thought most of it was funny. It was an interesting story, just with really terrible character names. It really doesn't “fit” into the previous entries darker tones, with this story being a little lighter.
“The Many Murders of Manshoon” by Ed Greenwood- The story is really hard to summarize. In fact, I have no idea what was going on. But from what I do understand, or at least am attempting to understand, is that the founder of Zhentarim, a mercenary company, Manshoon is hunting down those who killed him. Manshoon, before his death, made clones of himself so that if something like this would happen to him, he could still live. That's really all I could understand because...
Negatives:
1) Confusing. The whole story is just confusing and don't make any sense at all in what is happening. The scenes are short paragraphs, for the most part, that really have Manshoon attacking someone and failing. This seems like an easy thing to do, but apparently it isn't. The reason for it being so confusing is because:
- Names. There are way to many names thrown at you. Most of the people I've never read about or heard of.
- Logical Flow. There so no logic behind any of the scenes. It seems like the story is lost within the story. It's just confusing to the extreme.
- Epic. The whole story seems to be more epic than it should be. What I mean is, the story should be longer. It seems like a lot of stuff was trimmed down for “simplicity” but it just makes it even harder to follow. And quite honestly, I don't think I could read a longer story, if it's just going to be like this one.
Overall: 0/5
*Really, do I need to explain it? I hated reading this story. Sure, it started out decently, but it just ends in a confusing, what the “f” did I just read a cluster@%$ of nonsense? I normally wouldn't curse in any review, but this was just horrible. It was honestly painful to read.
“A Body in a Bag” by Erik Scott de Bie- The story is about two friends crypt delving and accidently killing one friends betrothed's brother from a ghoul attack. Korvo, a tiefling, is deeply in love with his friend, Ande, who is a budding necromancer. In order to “make his move,” Korvo decides to help revive the dead brother to save their heads from being executed. But the resurrection doesn't go according to plan, causing a ghoul to be created. With inspiration, or bad luck some would say, striking Korvo, he decides to lie to Ande and say that the ghoul and him are bound, just so he could find someway to win her love and affection. Hilarity ensues.
Negatives:
1) First Few Pages. The first few pages were kind of confusing. Seeing as this story is right after one of the worst stories I've read, it was hard for me to follow. Without the previous story, it still would be a little hard to understand what is going on. This is due because of how unique the dialogue is. It takes a few pages to get used to.
Positives:
1) Korvo and Ande. What wonderful characters. They were funny and just brilliantly written. Korvo was just hilarious, with his insecurities about doing what they were doing and how much he wanted Ande to love him. It doesn't help him when his fiendish blood starts to talk with him. Ande, with her unhealthy obsession with death, seemed more focused on solving their problem with the ghoul being “bound” to Korvo. Her obvious obliviousness to the love struck Korvo is just wonderful.
2) Hilarity. The story was just a riot. It was funny, clever, and just an all around good time. The awkwardness that Korvo feels being down in the crypts and his “fantasies” about Ande are just great. Then the scene with Korvo's mother and the crowd outside his home is just plain funny.
3) Pacing. The story really was fun to read and really hard to put down. It was fast and quick-witted. It just ends making you want more.
Overall: 5/5
*Wow, just wow. One of the best, if not the best, short stories I've read in a long time. It was clever, fun, and had great characters. It's no small wonder why Erik Scott de Bie is really becoming one of my favorite authors.
“Iruladoon” by R. A. Salvatore- The story is about a group of fishermen on Lac Dinneshere in Icewind Dale who are taking on water. They set make it to a hidden dock which has a cabin and a good-sized forest surrounding the area. As they make their repairs to the ship, they decide to stay for the night and the ship's captain, Ashelia, has the two younger members of the ship, Spragan and Lathan, go out to find firewood. While the two are searching, they somehow get separated and find out that the forest isn't what it seems to be. When the two make it back to camp, the other two members, a wizard named Addadearber and a ranger named Roundabout, go into investigate. But come out changed.
Negatives:
1) Ashelia and Lathan. She never really seemed to be all that interesting. Granted, she was more like a minor character, but it would have been nice to see if she sees anything unusual. While Lathan seems more there and not really all that engaging. He had the most boring encounter out of the others.
Positives:
1) Characters. The other three characters were really interesting and fun to read about. Spragan, being the youngest runs into some sort of “ghost” who goes from being a little girl, to his own age, to an older woman every time he turns around. His fear really starts to feel real after a while. Addadearber's unique encounter with a fishing halfling was pretty funny, if a bit twisted. You can really feel how anger he gets from being unable to frighten the halfling. Roundabout is perhaps the most interesting of all the characters. I don't even know why, but he just was interesting. With saying this, I would really like to read more about Addabearber and Roundabout.
2) “Fan Service.” I'm really calling this story a fan service story. It is a really good, fun story though and I'm glad to have read it just to learn more about the two “creatures” in the woods of Iruladoon. It makes the ending of The Ghost King (R. A. Salvatore's latest book to be released) seem much happier than when we left that book.
Overall: 5/5
*Even though I had a problem with Ashelia and Lathan, they still were decent characters that didn't really hurt the overall story. While the other characters were wonderfully done and that I'd be more than happy to read more about Roundabout and Addadearber.
OVERALL ANTHOLOGY: 4/5
“Pieces” by Richard Lee Byers- The story follows the events after the second book in The Haunted Lands trilogy entitled Undead. Bareris Anskuld was a bard in life, and still is in death. Along with the specter of a paladin named Mirror, Bareris seeks revenge for the 're-death' of his love. In this story, Mirror and Bareris go to join a resistance group against the undead horde that the lich Szass Tam rose to take over the land of Thay. But it's hard for undead to join a group opposing the undead.
Negatives:
1) Undead. I didn't really care for how a few of these undead were explained. It didn't really paint a vivid picture in my mind and kind of was a little bit of a bummer.
Positives:
1) Bareris. Now I liked Bareris in the trilogy, a lot. His thirst for revenge is something that you can really feel. That and he is one of the coolest bards in any story.
2) The Ending. It's was dark and it really worked considering the premise of the anthology and trilogy itself is about death. The 'twist' it takes I really enjoyed.
Overall: 5/5
*Even though I didn't really like the undead description's, it was an interesting story with a great ending and with a character I really enjoyed.
“Soul Steel” by Lisa Smedman- This short story is about revenge. A green elf by the name of Trelwyn wants to avenge the death of her brother, who saw their queen having an affair with a lover. The queen had him sentenced to death, and when Trelwyn finds out the truth, she goes to a dark elf lich to make a sword that will steal the soul of the queen. However, during her revenge things don't go according to plan.
Negatives:
1) Terms. There were a few words that I had never heard of that pop up in the story. For example, I never really heard of a green elf till this story, and upon some research, they are wild elves. Why not just call them that? Also, the word Trunadar was brought up a few times and, at first I thought it was yet another name for the green elves, when in fact it's their village name. Which was never mentioned as being such and just barely hinted at.
2) Ending. I didn't really care for it, but it was bad. I just don't understand how these two characters would seem to trust one another, it just seemed like a stretch.
Positives:
1) Revenge Story. I really enjoyed the revenge story. I thought it was really interesting and had a really good premise. It was enjoyable and exciting at the same time. Also, I liked the added ironic touch of using a drow weapon to kill the queen.
2) Twist. I really enjoyed the twist the story takes. I'm not going to give it away, but while it was a little simple and convenient, I thought it made sense and was kind of unexpected.
Overall: 4/5
*This was a pretty solid story. There were a few things that were to simple-minded and unbelievable, but all in all it was a nice story about revenge.
“The Resurrection Agent” by Erin M. Evans- The story is about a spy named the Harlot, consoling her spymaster, Viridi, on her deathbed. We learn that the Harlot is a resurrection agent, which is a spy who is caught and killed, then resurrected to condemn her target. When Harlot's spymaster dies, she was to take Viridi's body to a safe place where her spymaster's secrets can remain hidden. With the help of the priest who resurrects her, named the Shepard, they being their journey. But little does the Harlot know, not all her targets remained dead and they would love to pry the secrets out of the spymaster.
Negatives:
1) Big Story. The story really is to big of one to really be a short story. There is a lot of background information that was given and at times, it seemed to rushed. Because of this, a lot of the scenes were a little hard to follow at times.
Positives:
1) Dark. The story really gets into the feel of horror. It's dark and twisted. Reading what Harlot goes through when she “dies” is a little demented in a way. That and a creature she meets is really a shock, not to mention, really twisted.
2) The Harlot. I really liked this character for some reason. At first I really didn't care for her at all and thought that she was some sort of run of the mill female character. But as the story progressed she became more and more interesting. Mostly do to her back story and her past.
Overall: 5/5
*While I really enjoyed reading this, I just strongly think that this shouldn't have been a short story. It just had too much missing and shortened that it causes the story to suffer slightly. This really captures what a story included in an anthology should be about.
“Wandering Stones” by Bruce R. Cordell- This story follows a woman named Jada, who is being chased by a brown dragon. Jada is looking for a place in which dragons can not enter called Wandering Stones, which is a village were former slaves of dragons go for protection. We learn that Jada claims a heritage to a thought extinct group of people who can control dragons called Dragonmasters. The problem is, she can't control it.
Negatives:
1) Dragons. This is anthology for the dead, so why is there a story based mostly on dragons? Yes, there are some spirits, but they aren't the focus of the story. They only appear towards the end and it was only mentioned in a few sentences before hand. This is much more suited for Realms of the Dragons than for Realms of the Dead. This just feels wrong in here.
Positives:
1) History. I like the history of the story. Upon a little research, I found that this story gives some background information on Returned Abeir, which returned to the world of Toril during the Spellplague. I didn't know anything like this happened and it is really interesting to see that the continents that came over are ruled by dragons.
Overall: 2/5
*Why such a low-grade? This story DOES NOT belong in Realms of the Dead! DOES NOT BELONG. This story should be in something like Realms of the Dragons part three (does not exist, by the way). However, it is a fairly interesting story and it does give some back ground and it did perk my interest up in learning about “Returned Abeir.” Honestly, if this was in a dragon anthology, I'd give it a solid 4. But alas, it's not.
“The Bone Bird” by Jaleigh Johnson- This story is about two clerics of Chauntea on a mission to aid the village of Lendris, who is having a problem with a hooded figure that comes at night. We are then introduced to Bromar and his mentor as his mentor is dying on his trip. While burying him, Bromar passes out and awakes to find the body outside of the grave he dug. Later, he travels to the village and comes across a woman, named Milra, who has his mentors' holy symbol. After a brief struggle, the townsfolk, Milra, and Bromar decide to help each other conquer this hooded figure. Things don't go according to plan and a secret is revealed.
Negatives:
1) Structure. The story's structure wasn't that good. At times the paragraphs didn't make much sense and it felt rushed. For example, the first page, when we learn what is going on with his mentor, I had a really rough time figuring out who was talking and what exactly was going on. It didn't read to well.
2) Secret. The “secret” really seemed “phoned in.” It was rushed and quite honestly, unimpressive. It really didn't make sense other than why the tavern was named The Bone Bird.
Positives:
1) Milra. I really liked this character a lot. I felt the tension between Bromar and her when he sees the holy symbol, and then seeing her be condescending, in a way, towards him throughout the struggle. I honestly hoped there would have been more that took place throughout the story between these two. I am a little disappointed in how Milra was treated after the first confrontation, but it did feel right what happens. I just wish that there was a little more before what happens.
2) Entomber. I really liked how the creature was described. It brought a really brought sense of disgust and vileness that you would feel if you would see such a creature. Just disgusting.
Overall: 3/5
*The story really did feel a tad bit rushed at times and confusing. All in all, it's just an average story. It does have it's faults, but it was a good read.
“Feast of the Moon” by Christopher Rowe- The story is about a Huntmaster named Jaeg on a quest-like mission from his god Malar, to find and kill the whatever killed the former Huntmaster. Jaeg, processing the ability to turn into a tiger, finds the undead creature that undoubtedly kill the former Huntmaster. However, two female halfling are also trying to kill the creature. But to avenge the death of the former Huntmaster, Jaeg is the one that needs to kill the creature.
Negatives:
1) First Half. The first half of the story wasn't really interesting or coherent. You understand what is going on, but at the same time you don't. It's feels awkward to read.
Positives:
1) Little to No Dialogue. The lack of dialogue is wonderful. It makes the story much more atmospheric and the subtle actions are much more potent. Even with the amount of dialogue that there is, what is said really is simple but hits hard.
2) Creature. The creature is just wonderful. Unlike the undead creature in “The Bone Bird”, this creature just radiates evil and corruption. The description is just wonderful and the story really picks up when we meet the creature. This basically makes the story.
Overall: 4/5
*Really good story, however the beginning just felt awkward. The undead creature is just wonderful and really makes the story great.
“A Prayer for Brother Robert” by Philip Athans- An acolyte named Brother Robert goes to help out a woman whose house is being haunted.
Negatives:
1) Length. This story is long. It's probably the longest story within the anthology and it really feels long. There could have been so many things shorten or scrapped all together.
Positives:
1) Brother Robert. He isn't your normal hero of a story. He's nervous, scared, and continues to have “strange feels” toward the woman who owns the haunted house.
2) Funny. There are a few times I really laughed at during the story. For example when Sister Kalia turns up at random times. It was amusing.
Overall: 4/5
*This was a pretty good story. Brother Robert was wonderful in his insecurities.
“The King in Copper” by Richard Baker- The story is about the lord, if only in title, of Hulburg named Angar who is having trouble with some mercenary bands. The mercenaries are taking over Hulburg, and Angar can do nothing but do as the leaders say. The mercenaries raid is stores, take his food, and even rob graves. Angar, knowing that the mercenaries will kill him because of the poorness of the town and himself, tell the mercenaries of the treasures they would find held in the King in Coppers fortress. Little do they know that the King in Copper is “alive” and “well.” The story does tie into Richard Bakers Blades of the Moonsea trilogy.
Negatives:
1) Slow. The story wasn't very exciting until the last three pages. It's a little hard to read because it is a little dull and unexciting.
2) Angar. I never really felt to sorry for the character. He is a pathetic ruler and I just didn't care for him.
Positives:
1) Last Four Pages. They were a little disturbing and frightening. Seeing what the King in Copper can do is just amazing. 2) The villains. The mercenaries were wonderfully done. I really loathed both of their vile attitudes and disregard of kindness.
Overall: 3/5
*The story is just to dull and even though the last four pages were exciting and frightening, the slowness really hurt. Even the main character was pathetic to read about.
“Dusty Bones” by Rosemary Jones- The story follows the family that tend to the City of the Dead, the graveyard, in the great city of Waterdeep. Leaplow Carver enjoys his job of polishing the various monuments within the City of the Dead, mostly because he likes to whistle at the young women as they pass by. One day, his long-lost cousin named Fitnor comes to help Leaplow, mostly because Fitnor has no wish to work with anything else about the graveyard. During Leaplow's “tour,” Fitnor becomes fascinated with one particular mausoleum, and unleashes a terrible undead force.
Negatives:
1) Character Names. They are so unbearably stupid. Leaplow? Really? There seems to be really no sense of originality with everyone mentioned, mostly within the Craver family.
2) Childish. A lot of things that happen, be it the character names or some actions really seem to be more cartoonish and immature.
Positives:
1) Story. I did like how the story went. It was exciting and very interesting, to say the least.
2) Humor. There was some pretty funny parts. Mostly because of how much of a “ladies man” Leaplow is.
Overall: 4/5
*I thought a lot of the action was cartoonish and immature even when I thought most of it was funny. It was an interesting story, just with really terrible character names. It really doesn't “fit” into the previous entries darker tones, with this story being a little lighter.
“The Many Murders of Manshoon” by Ed Greenwood- The story is really hard to summarize. In fact, I have no idea what was going on. But from what I do understand, or at least am attempting to understand, is that the founder of Zhentarim, a mercenary company, Manshoon is hunting down those who killed him. Manshoon, before his death, made clones of himself so that if something like this would happen to him, he could still live. That's really all I could understand because...
Negatives:
1) Confusing. The whole story is just confusing and don't make any sense at all in what is happening. The scenes are short paragraphs, for the most part, that really have Manshoon attacking someone and failing. This seems like an easy thing to do, but apparently it isn't. The reason for it being so confusing is because:
- Names. There are way to many names thrown at you. Most of the people I've never read about or heard of.
- Logical Flow. There so no logic behind any of the scenes. It seems like the story is lost within the story. It's just confusing to the extreme.
- Epic. The whole story seems to be more epic than it should be. What I mean is, the story should be longer. It seems like a lot of stuff was trimmed down for “simplicity” but it just makes it even harder to follow. And quite honestly, I don't think I could read a longer story, if it's just going to be like this one.
Overall: 0/5
*Really, do I need to explain it? I hated reading this story. Sure, it started out decently, but it just ends in a confusing, what the “f” did I just read a cluster@%$ of nonsense? I normally wouldn't curse in any review, but this was just horrible. It was honestly painful to read.
“A Body in a Bag” by Erik Scott de Bie- The story is about two friends crypt delving and accidently killing one friends betrothed's brother from a ghoul attack. Korvo, a tiefling, is deeply in love with his friend, Ande, who is a budding necromancer. In order to “make his move,” Korvo decides to help revive the dead brother to save their heads from being executed. But the resurrection doesn't go according to plan, causing a ghoul to be created. With inspiration, or bad luck some would say, striking Korvo, he decides to lie to Ande and say that the ghoul and him are bound, just so he could find someway to win her love and affection. Hilarity ensues.
Negatives:
1) First Few Pages. The first few pages were kind of confusing. Seeing as this story is right after one of the worst stories I've read, it was hard for me to follow. Without the previous story, it still would be a little hard to understand what is going on. This is due because of how unique the dialogue is. It takes a few pages to get used to.
Positives:
1) Korvo and Ande. What wonderful characters. They were funny and just brilliantly written. Korvo was just hilarious, with his insecurities about doing what they were doing and how much he wanted Ande to love him. It doesn't help him when his fiendish blood starts to talk with him. Ande, with her unhealthy obsession with death, seemed more focused on solving their problem with the ghoul being “bound” to Korvo. Her obvious obliviousness to the love struck Korvo is just wonderful.
2) Hilarity. The story was just a riot. It was funny, clever, and just an all around good time. The awkwardness that Korvo feels being down in the crypts and his “fantasies” about Ande are just great. Then the scene with Korvo's mother and the crowd outside his home is just plain funny.
3) Pacing. The story really was fun to read and really hard to put down. It was fast and quick-witted. It just ends making you want more.
Overall: 5/5
*Wow, just wow. One of the best, if not the best, short stories I've read in a long time. It was clever, fun, and had great characters. It's no small wonder why Erik Scott de Bie is really becoming one of my favorite authors.
“Iruladoon” by R. A. Salvatore- The story is about a group of fishermen on Lac Dinneshere in Icewind Dale who are taking on water. They set make it to a hidden dock which has a cabin and a good-sized forest surrounding the area. As they make their repairs to the ship, they decide to stay for the night and the ship's captain, Ashelia, has the two younger members of the ship, Spragan and Lathan, go out to find firewood. While the two are searching, they somehow get separated and find out that the forest isn't what it seems to be. When the two make it back to camp, the other two members, a wizard named Addadearber and a ranger named Roundabout, go into investigate. But come out changed.
Negatives:
1) Ashelia and Lathan. She never really seemed to be all that interesting. Granted, she was more like a minor character, but it would have been nice to see if she sees anything unusual. While Lathan seems more there and not really all that engaging. He had the most boring encounter out of the others.
Positives:
1) Characters. The other three characters were really interesting and fun to read about. Spragan, being the youngest runs into some sort of “ghost” who goes from being a little girl, to his own age, to an older woman every time he turns around. His fear really starts to feel real after a while. Addadearber's unique encounter with a fishing halfling was pretty funny, if a bit twisted. You can really feel how anger he gets from being unable to frighten the halfling. Roundabout is perhaps the most interesting of all the characters. I don't even know why, but he just was interesting. With saying this, I would really like to read more about Addabearber and Roundabout.
2) “Fan Service.” I'm really calling this story a fan service story. It is a really good, fun story though and I'm glad to have read it just to learn more about the two “creatures” in the woods of Iruladoon. It makes the ending of The Ghost King (R. A. Salvatore's latest book to be released) seem much happier than when we left that book.
Overall: 5/5
*Even though I had a problem with Ashelia and Lathan, they still were decent characters that didn't really hurt the overall story. While the other characters were wonderfully done and that I'd be more than happy to read more about Roundabout and Addadearber.
OVERALL ANTHOLOGY: 4/5
January 5, 2020
The first couple of stories are decent, maybe even good, but the bulk of them are utter dreck. While it's nice and all that Wizards of the Coast lets lesser known writers have a chapter in these types of books, surely they could edit them a little. Or a lot.
I suffered through them hoping for redemption at the end, as the bigger author names, Greenwood and Salvatore, are saved till last. Sadly, it turns out the cherries on top of this poo sundae are just as insufferable. Greenwood starts every inane, incomplete sentence fragment with a pretentious "Wherefore", and Salvatore lost me when a female character was "quite sturdy for her gender" but "still a handsome woman". Garbage. I am ashamed that I spent a younger and obviously stupider portion of my life calling him a favorite author.
I suffered through them hoping for redemption at the end, as the bigger author names, Greenwood and Salvatore, are saved till last. Sadly, it turns out the cherries on top of this poo sundae are just as insufferable. Greenwood starts every inane, incomplete sentence fragment with a pretentious "Wherefore", and Salvatore lost me when a female character was "quite sturdy for her gender" but "still a handsome woman". Garbage. I am ashamed that I spent a younger and obviously stupider portion of my life calling him a favorite author.
June 29, 2010
Realms of the Dead is an anthology based on The Haunted Lands trilogy by Richard Lee Byers. There are a wide range of stories by some famous and new up and coming authors in the Forgotten Realms. Here are some quick reviews of the short stories you will find here.
Pieces-Details how one of the characters in The Haunted lands trilogy becomes who he is and gives more information about what Bareris and Mirror were doing when not in action. Good story and moves at a nice pace. 4 out of 5.
Soul Steal-A new story from Lisa Smedmen. Trelwyn is looking to avenge her brother and has an interesting way of going about it. Unexpected actions lead to a nice twist at the end. Great story with excellent characters. 4 out of 5.
The Resurrection Agent-How many times can a person live again? Harlot is a person who is used as an agent to find the villains and after she is killed by them, comes back to life and gets revenge. This story details her adventure as she is traveling and comes across an old acquaintance who is looking to get revenge on her. A good piece with a nice background to the characters. Flows smoothly. 4 out of 5.
The Wandering Stones-This one was really good. Jada has found out about her past and is on the run from a dragon who is looking to get more from her than she can imagine. After taking refuge in a town where dragon dare not go, she learns more about her mysterious past. I have a feeling this will be the new characters for Bruce R. Cordell's next trilogy or at least I hope so. A solid story. 4 out of 5.
The Bone Bird-Jaleigh Johnson tells the tale of Bromer, a cleric of Chauntea who is sent to help a town plagued by the undead. Waylaid along the way things become complicated. Good story. Jaleigh keeps it moving and provides a nice conclusion. 4 out of 5.
Feast of the Moon-Newcomer Christopher Rowe's story depicts a servant of Malar who is sent on a hunt to kill a creature even his last master could not. The story was good but fell off at the end. When all was said and done, I said to myself, "What was the point in that." 2 out of 5.
A Prayer for Brother Robert-Philip Athans changed gears for this haunting tale. Even though it is in the FR, it has the feel of belonging more in a horror anthology. Since this is the Realms of the Dead, it still fits nicely though. Brother Robert is a priest and enlisted to check on a woman's house she moved into after her grandfather passed away. Can he clear out the evil spirits? It took a long time to get into this one. By the end I still enjoyed the story, however, I felt it could have been a bit more. 3 out of 5.
The King in Copper-Richard Baker's character is lord of Hulburg. He is spineless and at the mercy of the Red Plumbs, a mercenary band who are looking for food and loot. The captain in charge, Odelmore, forces Angar to take him to his ancestor's crypts to rob the dead. This one was not bad. I really did feel sorry for Angar and his plight, but at the end, I feel I needed something more to find out how things really turned out for Angar. This one may be a tie in the Mr. Baker's trilogy Blades of the Moonsea. 3 out of 5.
Dusty Bones-Rosemary is back to further one of the Carver's adventures in the City of the Dead. This time it is Leaplow Carver who works with a distant cousin who is not very good at the Carver's line of work and has ulterior motives. There is some good background on the Carvers and the story flows well and the characters are fun to read. 4 out of 5.
The Many Murders of Manshoon-Ed Greenwood gives the account of Manshoon going around trying to get revenge on those who have killed him and most of his clones. Things don't go the way he plans. The story is not too bad. I enjoyed it more than the last trilogy he wrote and at least this time he doesn't use the made up swear words that were prevalent in the trilogy. 3 out of 5.
A Body in a Bag-Erik Scott de Bie's take on a tiefling named Korvo who is working with a necromancer named Ande who is studying the undead. As the story progresses, Korvo who is infatuated with Ande fanes a connection to the undead they just created so as to spend more time with her. Now she is trying to discover how to remove the fake cures. Mr. de Bie continues to put out great writing and is not afraid to provide excellent graphic descriptions. This was an excellent story, though I did hope for a different ending. 5 out of 5.
Iruladoon-R.A. Salvatore here adds a bit more to the conclusion of The Ghost King in the Transitions trilogy. The main story is about a group of fishermen who need to make repairs to their boat and so end up at a dock with a cabin near a place called Iruladoon. Strange occurrences happen and the characters experience the unwanted feeling of the haunted wood. It took me a while to get into the story and everything was getting set up. I did like the added explanation to a trilogy that ended a bit too quickly for me. A couple of the characters we good while the others were a bit bland. Overall, a pretty good story. 4 out of 5.
In the end, I feel there is something here for everyone. I enjoyed most of the stories. Some more so than others and have to say this was probably one of the better anthologies in the realms setting. I do hope some of the stories are introductions to a new adventure, Bruce R. Cordell comes to mind here and am happy to see others further the trilogies that have continued to entertain.
Happy reading
-Dimndbangr
Pieces-Details how one of the characters in The Haunted lands trilogy becomes who he is and gives more information about what Bareris and Mirror were doing when not in action. Good story and moves at a nice pace. 4 out of 5.
Soul Steal-A new story from Lisa Smedmen. Trelwyn is looking to avenge her brother and has an interesting way of going about it. Unexpected actions lead to a nice twist at the end. Great story with excellent characters. 4 out of 5.
The Resurrection Agent-How many times can a person live again? Harlot is a person who is used as an agent to find the villains and after she is killed by them, comes back to life and gets revenge. This story details her adventure as she is traveling and comes across an old acquaintance who is looking to get revenge on her. A good piece with a nice background to the characters. Flows smoothly. 4 out of 5.
The Wandering Stones-This one was really good. Jada has found out about her past and is on the run from a dragon who is looking to get more from her than she can imagine. After taking refuge in a town where dragon dare not go, she learns more about her mysterious past. I have a feeling this will be the new characters for Bruce R. Cordell's next trilogy or at least I hope so. A solid story. 4 out of 5.
The Bone Bird-Jaleigh Johnson tells the tale of Bromer, a cleric of Chauntea who is sent to help a town plagued by the undead. Waylaid along the way things become complicated. Good story. Jaleigh keeps it moving and provides a nice conclusion. 4 out of 5.
Feast of the Moon-Newcomer Christopher Rowe's story depicts a servant of Malar who is sent on a hunt to kill a creature even his last master could not. The story was good but fell off at the end. When all was said and done, I said to myself, "What was the point in that." 2 out of 5.
A Prayer for Brother Robert-Philip Athans changed gears for this haunting tale. Even though it is in the FR, it has the feel of belonging more in a horror anthology. Since this is the Realms of the Dead, it still fits nicely though. Brother Robert is a priest and enlisted to check on a woman's house she moved into after her grandfather passed away. Can he clear out the evil spirits? It took a long time to get into this one. By the end I still enjoyed the story, however, I felt it could have been a bit more. 3 out of 5.
The King in Copper-Richard Baker's character is lord of Hulburg. He is spineless and at the mercy of the Red Plumbs, a mercenary band who are looking for food and loot. The captain in charge, Odelmore, forces Angar to take him to his ancestor's crypts to rob the dead. This one was not bad. I really did feel sorry for Angar and his plight, but at the end, I feel I needed something more to find out how things really turned out for Angar. This one may be a tie in the Mr. Baker's trilogy Blades of the Moonsea. 3 out of 5.
Dusty Bones-Rosemary is back to further one of the Carver's adventures in the City of the Dead. This time it is Leaplow Carver who works with a distant cousin who is not very good at the Carver's line of work and has ulterior motives. There is some good background on the Carvers and the story flows well and the characters are fun to read. 4 out of 5.
The Many Murders of Manshoon-Ed Greenwood gives the account of Manshoon going around trying to get revenge on those who have killed him and most of his clones. Things don't go the way he plans. The story is not too bad. I enjoyed it more than the last trilogy he wrote and at least this time he doesn't use the made up swear words that were prevalent in the trilogy. 3 out of 5.
A Body in a Bag-Erik Scott de Bie's take on a tiefling named Korvo who is working with a necromancer named Ande who is studying the undead. As the story progresses, Korvo who is infatuated with Ande fanes a connection to the undead they just created so as to spend more time with her. Now she is trying to discover how to remove the fake cures. Mr. de Bie continues to put out great writing and is not afraid to provide excellent graphic descriptions. This was an excellent story, though I did hope for a different ending. 5 out of 5.
Iruladoon-R.A. Salvatore here adds a bit more to the conclusion of The Ghost King in the Transitions trilogy. The main story is about a group of fishermen who need to make repairs to their boat and so end up at a dock with a cabin near a place called Iruladoon. Strange occurrences happen and the characters experience the unwanted feeling of the haunted wood. It took me a while to get into the story and everything was getting set up. I did like the added explanation to a trilogy that ended a bit too quickly for me. A couple of the characters we good while the others were a bit bland. Overall, a pretty good story. 4 out of 5.
In the end, I feel there is something here for everyone. I enjoyed most of the stories. Some more so than others and have to say this was probably one of the better anthologies in the realms setting. I do hope some of the stories are introductions to a new adventure, Bruce R. Cordell comes to mind here and am happy to see others further the trilogies that have continued to entertain.
Happy reading
-Dimndbangr
April 1, 2018
This was a very good set of stories for the most part. Really 3 1/2 stars for me. I was distracted by Ready Player One, which I read twice before going to see the movie, so I had to stop reading this book as a sacrifice.
March 29, 2023
"Soul Steel" - a clever tale of revenge and regicide. Would've been cool to see a full length book centered around the two main characters, using this short story as their introduction.
"Pieces" - intrigue and necromancy in Thay. Bad people doing bad things to other bad people.
"A Prayer for Brother Robert" - a neophyte of Amaunator comes to rescue of a relation of a deceased Zhentarim "butcher".
"A Body in a Bag" - a tiefling boy is smitten and tries to win over a paladin's pretty daughter who likes raising undead. Pelnus is a terrible and laughable name. I mean, come on, you read that name and you either think 'penis' or 'pelvis'. But then, maybe that was the point. The story is light hearted.
"Wandering Stones" - ghosts and a dragon in Abeir. Ends on a mysterious note.
"Pieces" - intrigue and necromancy in Thay. Bad people doing bad things to other bad people.
"A Prayer for Brother Robert" - a neophyte of Amaunator comes to rescue of a relation of a deceased Zhentarim "butcher".
"A Body in a Bag" - a tiefling boy is smitten and tries to win over a paladin's pretty daughter who likes raising undead. Pelnus is a terrible and laughable name. I mean, come on, you read that name and you either think 'penis' or 'pelvis'. But then, maybe that was the point. The story is light hearted.
"Wandering Stones" - ghosts and a dragon in Abeir. Ends on a mysterious note.
October 16, 2011
Pieces by Richard Lee Byers 3/5
Soul Steel by Lisa Smedman 4/5
The Resurrection Agent 3/5
Interesting concept, mediocre execution, dull ending.
Wandering Stones 4/5
Though not terrible action-oriented, an interesting intro story. It made me curious about what else Bruce Cordell has done. I'm not terribly impressed by what I found. Mostly, game manuals and one off books in the series...
The Bone Bird 3/5
Feast Of The Moon 3/5
The King In Copper 3/5
Dusty Bones 4/5
The Many Murders of Manshoon 4/5
A Body In A Bag 4/5
A nice little story, but a little too current/real in tone and style. Still fairly well written. Ande's a complete ditz, though.
Soul Steel by Lisa Smedman 4/5
The Resurrection Agent 3/5
Interesting concept, mediocre execution, dull ending.
Wandering Stones 4/5
Though not terrible action-oriented, an interesting intro story. It made me curious about what else Bruce Cordell has done. I'm not terribly impressed by what I found. Mostly, game manuals and one off books in the series...
The Bone Bird 3/5
Feast Of The Moon 3/5
The King In Copper 3/5
Dusty Bones 4/5
The Many Murders of Manshoon 4/5
A Body In A Bag 4/5
A nice little story, but a little too current/real in tone and style. Still fairly well written. Ande's a complete ditz, though.
July 25, 2014
Not a bad collection of short stories. Fairly hit and miss, with 'Feast of the Moon,' 'The Many Murders of Manshoon,' and, surprisingly, 'Iruladoon' being letdowns in my opinion. Nothing left much impact with me, which isn't surprising, but the book packs a nice variety that appeals to people of different ages and interests, and the stories range from gory and creepy to romantic comedy.
December 26, 2015
Ik ben sowieso wel van de korte verhalen, maar als ze dan ook nog allemaal in de D&D setting zijn, en allemaal van verschillende schrijvers is het een no-brainer. Sommige verhalen lezen uiteraard beter weg dan anderen, maar dat maakt dit boekje ideaal om 'nieuwe' schrijvers te ontdekken.
Want to read
October 10, 2009Keen to read the authors whose TOC I am so honored to share. :)
October 8, 2010
Not bad for a Forgotten Realms anthology.
February 22, 2011
Interesting collection of novels. A good overall mix.
June 10, 2014
Terrible.
January 30, 2016
Some stories managed to shine although most of them were just good or average.
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