Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: A decent ending to a great triology... Review: All four (one short story book) of the books in this series have been written very well. Congratulations to Mel. With out giving away too much the antagonist was very exciting; I was usually reading just to get to the points about him. Our Hero on the other hand seemed rather undeveloped during the first two novels. The third novel did slightly better. All in all a great book. I will most definitely buy anymore concerning Jherek.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: A decent ending to a great triology... Review: All four (one short story book) of the books in this series have been written very well. Congratulations to Mel. With out giving away too much the antagonist was very exciting; I was usually reading just to get to the points about him. Our Hero on the other hand seemed rather undeveloped during the first two novels. The third novel did slightly better. All in all a great book. I will most definitely buy anymore concerning Jherek.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Huge build up that went thump Review: Alright, for the last two books I've been reading about Jherek being the chosen one, about the bard being the Taleweaver and the Taker being this big god-like figure who courted a goddess, and tried to take over the world. So I buy the third book and it all seems promising, Jherek is sailing sailing sailing and the bard is swimming swimming swimming. Oh they're travelling, they're fighting, doing a lot of stuff to fill the void between the covers. Jherek is oh so angst ridden about his stupid morals and then he finally becomes a paladin. Good stuff. Then, in the span of like, five pages, the trilogy ends. Jherek turns out to be the chosen one to just show up, pick up a sword and have one little sparring match. And then what does the all powerful Iakhovas do? He turns into a big shark. A big, stupid fish. This big, superpowerful, godlike thing doesn't even have an opposable thumb. So I closed the book and said aloud. Jherek jumps on his back, jabs him with the sword and Iakhovas can't do anything because he's too busy being a big stupid shark. Come on Mel, it all looked so promising... I loved the style of writing and even the whole premise was good, but the ending fell flat.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Huge build up that went thump Review: Alright, for the last two books I've been reading about Jherek being the chosen one, about the bard being the Taleweaver and the Taker being this big god-like figure who courted a goddess, and tried to take over the world. So I buy the third book and it all seems promising, Jherek is sailing sailing sailing and the bard is swimming swimming swimming. Oh they're travelling, they're fighting, doing a lot of stuff to fill the void between the covers. Jherek is oh so angst ridden about his stupid morals and then he finally becomes a paladin. Good stuff. Then, in the span of like, five pages, the trilogy ends. Jherek turns out to be the chosen one to just show up, pick up a sword and have one little sparring match. And then what does the all powerful Iakhovas do? He turns into a big shark. A big, stupid fish. This big, superpowerful, godlike thing doesn't even have an opposable thumb. So I closed the book and said aloud. Jherek jumps on his back, jabs him with the sword and Iakhovas can't do anything because he's too busy being a big stupid shark. Come on Mel, it all looked so promising... I loved the style of writing and even the whole premise was good, but the ending fell flat.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Disappointing Review: I had to give this book a bad review because it was a horrible ending to a trilogy that showed promise. Although book 2 should have been edited and made part of this book. Ok let me gripe about this book. It takes forever to reach the the main battle between the hero and the villian but the fight is over in like 5 seconds. Iakhovas worked all kinds of impressive magics, slayed huge creatures, and completed all kinds of other mystical feats to basically be stabbed once or twice and bam it's over. Horrible ending. Also no closure either. After this climatic battle if one would call it theres a whole 2 pages maybe. Plus I have to gripe about Jhereks mystical weapons. They are stupid. Plain and simple.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Loved it! Review: Mel Odom has definately became my fave Forgotten Realms author. This whole story built and built and got me reading faster and faster. Each character was continually developing and learning where they fit within the story. This trilogy was one of the best stories I have read, the only problem I had was the death of the Great Whale Bard especially as I love stories with animals that can communicate with humans. Now go and read The Jewel of Turmish.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Send me an intrest preserver someone! YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWNNNNNN! Review: Mel Odom sholuld stay away from Novel writing. This book was so boring and the accual main character was the least intresting out of all the other highly boring characters. Two character I accually like Klinatt the Dwarf. My favorite character and the ONLY intresting one who's short fall-flat end left me dissapointed. The Sea Elf Laqueel was the only great character here. Jherek, was so whiny and self-beaten, before I got even half way though book3, I couldn't wait till I was done with him. On the other hand, here you have Laqueel, who though started off as a villian was the only character that had any true development. I wasn't ever really sure what she was going to do with herself before the end of the story but, I could tell she was changing. I just wish somewhere at the end, Mel would have been smart enough to have her mention to the other characters, now that she had found a new calling, or even to herself. Every character that lives in a book should have complete closure for it's readers. Mel Odom has failed to keep what I thought was good in Book2 carry over to book3. I found a continuity error in a few places in this book, that he should have kept track of. For example Sabyna asks Glawinn something of how he knew about her brother, when he never even personaly mentioned it to her in the conversasion pages before hand, or ever! Another example.....in the conclusion battle, there was a point where the story had switched from underwater to water surface, with not even letting the reader in on it. OH and my biggest complaint......I almost forgot. Jherik traveled half-way around the world for the weapon that would help fight Ikhovas in the end. What does he find? What is given to him by the whales? Apperantly the Witchblade from Top Cow Comics because, he is granted possesion of a brazier that can change shape into any weapon he chooses as he wears it on his arms. I honestly, wanted to close the book and never look into it again. It's a witchblade, plain and simple. I'd really like to see Mel Odom deny that. That is what the witchblade does I don't see how anyone could, unless of coarse they havn't been informed that the witchblade does exactly. It changes can shape into any weapon thought up by it's owner. The only saving point of the book is the above mentioned character, Laqueel, and the fact that it is the last of the trilogy.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Save this book......in case you run out of toilet paper Review: OK I just wrote a review for part 2 and said "I enjoyed this book like the others in the series". Boy was I wrong. I first read this series like 2 years ago or maybe it was more I don't remember...Anyway I just reread the trilogy and part 3 sux. If I hadn't read the others and wanted to know how it ended I would have torn this book up halfway throw in anger...so many cheesy things happen. Like Jherek getting some magical weapon that pops out of his arm and can do pretty much whatever he wants...That girl Sabyna, who isn't hot, has some kind of creature refered to as a "familiar", don't ask me what the #$%& it means but for all intents and purposes it means the book is ruined...It is basically a bunch of cloth that can do whatever it wants and wrap itself around bad guys and make them jump overboard...the only reason I liked the first 2 books was because of the huge battle scenes, and there isn't as much of those in this book...there is a lot of talking, romance, and other stuff that takes up space...I thought Glawin was an interesting character b/c I didn't know that anyone could be that big of a tool...Jherek actually starts to become interesting, much to the dismay of the other characters...
The wierd thing is, throughout the whole book it feels like Odom is really stretching it to fill the minimum page requirements he was apparently given, but then at the end there is no closure whatsoever, it just ends...while I was glad about this at the time (Please no more!) It seems kinda wierd that he wouldn't just take out a few pages of Glawin crying of Jherek becoming cool and instead add a little more at the end...
This book reveals the whole series for what it is...a series with a ridiculously stupid plot and great action scenes to hide this fact...only there are few cool action scenes in the third book...
Oh and I know I am spoiling somethings here...but I don't want you to be dissappointed...in this book Jherek makes a promise to do something for this woman in return for her help, everyone is like "Don't do it, it will come back to bite you in the @%^" so he makes the promise anyway...but Odom never comes back to that...so we never find out what, if anything happened...I don't think Odom himself knew or cared, he just wanted to wrap up this series...the only reason I point that out is he really made it seem like the promise was going to end up being a huge deal later on...
Another disappointment...He also never really does anything with the whole twist of Bloody Falkane being Jherek's father...it was a great idea, and it would have been cool to have them meet up at the end or at least give some kind of closure to this situation, but again, its like the people at Forgotten Realms put a timer next to Mel while he was writing, and we're like you have till this goes off...because he just writes and writes and writes and then suddenly stops...there's no rhyme or reason to it...
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: Somewhat disappointing Review: The first two (or 3) books were great. Mel Odom took his time with them, but when he got to book 3 he rushed. The war in Seros seemed to fly right by, and the ending was somewhat disappointing. I won't spoil it for you, but for those of you who have read the AD&D Forgotten Realms Supplement Sea of Fallen Stars, the ending is vastly different then that one gave. Vastly. In fact, i only liked really 4 parts of the book. Who has talked to Jherek throughout the series, what Iakohovas really was, Keros making a cameo (character introduced in Rising Tides), and what happens to Laaqueel. He also put too many battles that didn't make sense, (especially the inclusion of the slaver battle, where it had no need), almost as if TSR said "you have ot have a battle every 8 pages". which is about what this was. Maybe I've been spoiled on writers like Guy Gavriel Kay, but i much prefer well thought out fantasy, instead of hack and slash save the princess fantasy.
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: Somewhat disappointing Review: The first two (or 3) books were great. Mel Odom took his time with them, but when he got to book 3 he rushed. The war in Seros seemed to fly right by, and the ending was somewhat disappointing. I won't spoil it for you, but for those of you who have read the AD&D Forgotten Realms Supplement Sea of Fallen Stars, the ending is vastly different then that one gave. Vastly. In fact, i only liked really 4 parts of the book. Who has talked to Jherek throughout the series, what Iakohovas really was, Keros making a cameo (character introduced in Rising Tides), and what happens to Laaqueel. He also put too many battles that didn't make sense, (especially the inclusion of the slaver battle, where it had no need), almost as if TSR said "you have ot have a battle every 8 pages". which is about what this was. Maybe I've been spoiled on writers like Guy Gavriel Kay, but i much prefer well thought out fantasy, instead of hack and slash save the princess fantasy.
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