Afbeelding auteur

Edward Bolme

Auteur van The Alabaster Staff

38+ Werken 923 Leden 10 Besprekingen

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Werken van Edward Bolme

The Alabaster Staff (2003) 197 exemplaren
The Orb of Xoriat (2005) 85 exemplaren
Bound By Iron (2007) 67 exemplaren
Alpha Complexities (Paranoia) (1988) 31 exemplaren
Six-Guns & Sorcery (1995) 31 exemplaren

Gerelateerde werken

The Dragons of Magic (2001) — Medewerker — 60 exemplaren
Paranoia Flashbacks (Paranoia Xp) (2005) — Auteur — 24 exemplaren
Flashbacks II (2007) — Medewerker — 15 exemplaren
Paranoia: Materials Treacherously Deleted (2012) — Auteur — 1 exemplaar

Tagged

Algemene kennis

Geboortedatum
20th Century
Geslacht
male
Woonplaatsen
Seattle, Washington, USA

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'The Inquisitives' is a series of standalone Eberron novels, much like 'The War-Torn', that share thematic elements. In this case, instead of characters permanently altered by war, we're focusing on mysteries. Inquisitives are the detectives of Eberron, investigating crimes for money or for subtle reasons of their own.

'Bound by Iron' begins with a young girl in Karrnath being extorted by a dwarf claiming to be a member of a legendary troop of fighters. As proof he displays an iron band about his arm. The crime is stopped by an actual veteran of that company, Cimozjen.

Cimozjen is a paladin of Dol Dorn and discovers the arm band belonged to a colleague, Torval, who he thought dead in a battle years previous. With the help of unscrupulous chronicler Minrah (a freelance journalist) he recovers the body and they start an investigation into what happened to Torval after he became a prisoner. This opens up into a conspiracy around other prisoners of war who were never released from custody - against the terms of the treaty ending the Last War. In the investigation they are joined by a warforged who was sold into gladiatorial slavery (warforged are constructs created for battle, but by the terms of the Treaty of Thronehold they were acknowledged as free persons) and must adjust to a life outside of the arena.

The book periodically flashes back to Cimozjen's activities in the war, his bond with his fellow soldiers, and especially his friendship with Torval and why the paladin would risk so much to discover what happened.

Bolme is a good writer, his 'Orb of Xoriat' was very good too, he provides a lot of action, convincing fight scenes, and understands the character of the world he's writing in. I really liked his treatment of Cimozjen as the old veteran seeking justice and his dynamic with the naïve warforged Fighter/Four was always charming. However, particularly with the character of Minrah, there were some big problems with the novel as a whole. Minrah is young in years for an elf, but despite her brilliance of observation she wasn't very useful or interesting, tending to flee from confrontation or huddle behind the others. The book also ends in an abrupt way - tying up most loose ends to be sure - but not in a way that makes me satisfied. This is the only appearance of Cimozjen and the warforged known as Four and that's too bad.

There is a lot going on in Eberron, but its steam-punk, noir aesthetic is what really sets it apart from other campaign settings like 'Forgotten Realms' or 'Dragonlance'. I liked the idea of a series that might evoke noir classics from Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett. It's not a genre I've read much of - those two authors are pretty much it - but I'm hoping for some more of that flavor once we get into Halloween Bingo.

The Inquisitives

Next: 'Night of Long Shadows'
… (meer)
1 stem
Gemarkeerd
ManWithAnAgenda | 2 andere besprekingen | Aug 15, 2019 |
A partially-ruined monastery makes an oasis in the Crying Fields of Aundair, the site of so many battles during the Last War the land itself became corrupted and haunted by the many who died. At least, that is the conventional explanation. The truth lies buried and there are several parties looking to secure a powerful artifact for their own ends.

First there is Teron, the last monk of a secret order, who is charged with keeping the artifact out of the wrong hands after its theft. Used to working alone, except for his cat Flotsam, he must ally himself with Praxle d'Sivis a gnome from Korranberg University who travels with his half-orc body-servant/bodyguard "Jeffers" in order to reclaim the orb. Once they get the orb they'll decide who gets to keep it. The would-be thieves of the orb is a group of Cyrans led by Shadow Fox. They hope the powers of the orb can be harnessed to bring their nation back from the living nightmare that is the Mournland.

This was an excellent standalone novel set in the Eberron universe for Dungeons and Dragons. Bolme makes excellent use of locations within the game, but is not beholden to them. This is classic heist fantasy with well-shaded characters that fit into the noir sensibility of the setting. There were few clear villains, all of the characters did what they must for the good as they saw it. This was a relief after the disappointing 'Crimson Talisman'. I especially loved the hard-assed monk carrying his kitty around.

An ending that felt rushed which left a few supporting characters without closure is the only reason this didn't get full marks. You don't often find writing this good and this entertaining in licensed novels.

The War-Torn

Next: 'In the Claws of the Tiger'

Previous: 'The Crimson Talisman'
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
ManWithAnAgenda | 1 andere bespreking | Jul 6, 2019 |
A collection of extraterrestrials for the men in black rpg!
 
Gemarkeerd
Abrahamray | Dec 29, 2018 |
I never played the game this book is based on, but I appreciate humor in the dystopic, Computer-ruled future. (The footnotes make the book.)
 
Gemarkeerd
akaGingerK | Sep 30, 2018 |

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Statistieken

Werken
38
Ook door
4
Leden
923
Populariteit
#27,803
Waardering
½ 3.3
Besprekingen
10
ISBNs
37
Talen
4

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