Steven C. (SteveTheDM) -
Helpful Score: 1
This is, as far as I can tell, the first full length novel about Erevis Cale, and the second book (of seven) in the Sembia series of novels set in the Forgotten Realms. Put simply, this is the story of Cale and his friend Jak Fleet and their struggle against some kind of shadow demon.
The book has a solid story with a limited scope. (No grand kingdoms or politics here.) That smaller scope does allow for more character development than seems normal in these fantasy adventure books, which is a good thing. That development seems a bit forced, however, but at least Kemp gave it a shot instead of ignoring it altogether (which I've seen a number of other places). I know that Kemp has written a number of further Erevis Cale books, so I'm hopeful that what we see here is the early stage of his craft, and that he gets better handling his characters as he gains ranks in Profession (Author).
Thus: this is a solid, enjoyable adventure fantasy. 4 of 5 stars.
The book has a solid story with a limited scope. (No grand kingdoms or politics here.) That smaller scope does allow for more character development than seems normal in these fantasy adventure books, which is a good thing. That development seems a bit forced, however, but at least Kemp gave it a shot instead of ignoring it altogether (which I've seen a number of other places). I know that Kemp has written a number of further Erevis Cale books, so I'm hopeful that what we see here is the early stage of his craft, and that he gets better handling his characters as he gains ranks in Profession (Author).
Thus: this is a solid, enjoyable adventure fantasy. 4 of 5 stars.
