Rating: 
Summary: Exceptional Novel!
Review: All right. Two things: 1. Erevis Cale kicks serious arse. 2. This novel kicks serious arse. This is one of the few anthologies that I've ever read that actually worked. And this one worked well. This family is the best thing in fantasy since...I don't know what! Each character is fully developed, there's no cliches, and each story, while it does stand independently, interacts nicely with the others. Sembia is finally explored for FR fans, and the explanation is grand. Noble infighting, commercial espionage, thieves guilds, curses, a ton of action, you name it! Now back to point one: Erevis Cale, the butler/manservant in this novel, is now my favorite FR character. This guy is a walking contradiction, but it works perfectly, effortlessly. Tension spills from the pages as he tries to reconcile his past with his present. This characterization job is all the more impressive considering that the author has only thirty or forty pages to work with. I should add that everything I just said is true of the rest of the characters too, but Cale just sticks in my brain. This guys is unbelieveable! I can't wait to read more about him in Shadow's Witness this November.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Was Great!
Review: Alright, small background here. I've read over one thousand books. This isn't to brag but to late you know i've had experiance reading. And I've never touched a forgotten realm book from hearing they're ok. But today this book caught my eye in the store. So I decided to buy it and take a look. I generally don't like short stories like this, but this book was magnificant. All the stories were well told and as the othre review stated in reviewing "The Heir" I couldn't stand the guy my self and it was the first book I hated the character. I rather liked his bodyguards though. The twist was rather interesting. All the other stories were great but by far the last story was short and placed at the end I presume since it was the best! It left me hanging and wanting to kill for the sequal to the story. This book is a must read for fantasy lovers. Can't wait till the sequal comes out.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent read rich in character, and exotic backdrops
Review: An excellent anthology that just seemed to be get better with each new chapter. I was immediately drawn to the idea of the exploration of the rarely seen Sembia. Each author was able to explore in reasonable depth the exotic new characters of this on going storyline. I eagerly look forward to the next book, and think that the butler with a past Cale, will go on to become one of the Realm's favorite characters. Though Cale is a stand out in the book. I do hope that the other interesting members of the Uskevran household will be explored in future works. Overall a great read for the long time fan, and an excellent jumping off point for the new to the Realms reader.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent read rich in character, and exotic backdrops
Review: An excellent anthology that just seemed to be get better with each new chapter. I was immediately drawn to the idea of the exploration of the rarely seen Sembia. Each author was able to explore in reasonable depth the exotic new characters of this on going storyline. I eagerly look forward to the next book, and think that the butler with a past Cale, will go on to become one of the Realm's favorite characters. Though Cale is a stand out in the book. I do hope that the other interesting members of the Uskevran household will be explored in future works. Overall a great read for the long time fan, and an excellent jumping off point for the new to the Realms reader.
Rating: 
Summary: The Halls of Stormweather
Review: Fans of Thieves' World rejoice for TSR/WOTC has created an homage to that great collection of books. Unlike much of the junk put out by TSR over the years (Rose Estes rings a bell among others), the Sembia series is a cut above the rest. The interplay between various characters works well in this introductory novel and one can only hope that there will be more of the same during the series as a whole, while continuing to flesh out their individual stories and nefarious backgrounds. The Burning Chalice set the stage for the dark, almost macabre, dog-eat-dog atmosphere that is Sembia. As most reviewers have already indicated, Erevis Cale stands out as the character of note and extreme interest so far. Mysterious background, considerable skills of both strength and stealth, and strange associates (Jak Fleet was an excellent addition), make Cale worth the price of this admission. While Mr. Kemp may be labelled a "talented newcomer", WOTC has wisely slated his book to lead off the series. One can only hope the remainder of Sembia will be as good as its introduction.
Rating:
Summary: The Halls of Stormweather
Review: Fans of Thieves' World rejoice for TSR/WOTC has created an homage to that great collection of books. Unlike much of the junk put out by TSR over the years (Rose Estes rings a bell among others), the Sembia series is a cut above the rest. The interplay between various characters works well in this introductory novel and one can only hope that there will be more of the same during the series as a whole, while continuing to flesh out their individual stories and nefarious backgrounds. The Burning Chalice set the stage for the dark, almost macabre, dog-eat-dog atmosphere that is Sembia. As most reviewers have already indicated, Erevis Cale stands out as the character of note and extreme interest so far. Mysterious background, considerable skills of both strength and stealth, and strange associates (Jak Fleet was an excellent addition), make Cale worth the price of this admission. While Mr. Kemp may be labelled a "talented newcomer", WOTC has wisely slated his book to lead off the series. One can only hope the remainder of Sembia will be as good as its introduction.
Rating: 
Summary: A fun book to read
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. Most of the stories were interesting and the character development was done fairly well. I was disappointed in the second story (about Shamur & Tazi) because the story seemed to have no real purpose. The story of Cale was my favorite (I can't wait to read Shadow's Witness). Hopefully more history of his life in Westgate will come out. If you are a fan of the FR you won't be disappointed in this book. It will be interesting to see how many spin-offs this book produces.
Rating:
Summary: A fun book to read
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. Most of the stories were interesting and the character development was done fairly well. I was disappointed in the second story (about Shamur & Tazi) because the story seemed to have no real purpose. The story of Cale was my favorite (I can't wait to read Shadow's Witness). Hopefully more history of his life in Westgate will come out. If you are a fan of the FR you won't be disappointed in this book. It will be interesting to see how many spin-offs this book produces.
Rating:
Summary: Genuinely, This Book Was A Great Read
Review: I read this book very, very fast because of the fact that is is seven separate stories, there was something bran new every fifty or so pages, so you go through the book very fast. The stories are fast paced and exciting and good for anyone that likes a good fantasy or medieval based book, regardless of if you've read any other Forgotten Realms books. It can easily be a stand alone novel.
Rating:
Summary: More EREVIS CALE!
Review: I truly enjoyed the total book, but found I particularly liked Erevis Cale as a character. I'd love to see some of these characters explored more in depth, but especially Cale.. and intriguing and well thought out plot surrounds him! Bravo Mr. Kemp! I can't wait to see what you do in November!
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