Rating: Summary: Actually, it's quite entertaining ... Review: ... granted that in the end, it's still light reading. But one thing I'd like to say that I didn't notice anyone else saying is this: for ME, at least, Liriel seemed real where Drizzt never did. I could never make myself believe that someone could grow up so uninfluenced by his society as he. I didn't buy it. Liriel, by contrast, demonstrates time and again that her upbringing has very much influenced her outlook and behavior, despite the fact that she's still a rogue drow.
Rating: Summary: Overloaded and ridiculous Review: Despite its flaws, I did find Daughter of the Drow interesting enough to read the sequel. What did I find? A typical Elaine Cunningham book - and that is not a compliment. Tangled Webs is way over the top. Yet again, there was far too much going on, and the plot was just silly. Liriel and Fyodor go on the next stage of their joint quest. He is seeking a way to control his berserker rages, she a way to keep her drow magic on the surface, and both of them need to use the Windwalker amulet to do so. That's fine, as far as it goes. But Cunningham cannot resist the temptation to let her heroes fall into a many-layered plot (yawn) with significant repercussions for the Forgotten Realms (again) that only the heroes can bring to a successful resolution (naturally). Along the way, we get pointless cameos (Caladorn, the doppleganger), the return of old foes (Shakti - going nowhere, as usual), and way too many villains (monstrous and otherwise). I would have much preferred a quieter, less "significant" tale that really focused upon the characters of Liriel and Fyodor and their relationship with each other - I do believe that Cunningham has the talent to pull it off. This story was overloaded with action and with too many characters and plot elements, and it all added up to very little in the end. Fyodor is not a bad character, though he's given little to do except admire Liriel or worry about her. The whole "those who think, and those who dream" thing is becoming a bit tired, too. Liriel is a real problem. Cunningham just cannot allow her to be limited in any way. She's beautiful, noble, rich, charming, miraculously able to win everyone's trust despite the fact that she's a drow. The way drow are (rightly) demonised elsewhere, I found it hard to believe that she could gain such acceptance at all, let alone so quickly. And her magical powers are way over the top, considering her age and the training she has had access to. Why is it that she can learn and cast any spell, no matter how high its level, whenever she pleases - often from a single reading? Why should she expect to keep her drow magic at all? Why is it that she can wield considerable clerical powers, despite her ambivalence about Lloth and her own lack of clerical training and commitment? The way Cunningham excuses her characters from having to conform to the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules is extremely irritating. Weis and Hickman stuck to the rules in classic Dragonlance, so why can't Cunningham? (Another little thing that grated - the cleric of an evil goddess would command the undead, not turn them) And the issue of whether Liriel is good but misguided, or neutral and wavering, is never made clear enough for my liking. In this, as in everything else, Cunningham allows Liriel to get away with too much. None of the other characters in Tangled Webs made me care about them; in fact, the Ruathym were unpleasant, and I even found myself somewhat in sympathy with the evil twin sister. The final battle was too chaotic. And as for the scene where Liriel carves her rune - was the sex really necessary? And what was the rune, and where did it come from? If you want a great deal of intricate action and plot and aren't concerned by depth, then fine, you might enjoy Tangled Webs. Cunningham certainly has a good flow to her writing. But if you want anything more than that, this is not the book for you. By the way, when will someone portray drow the way they actually look on book covers?
Rating: Summary: Even better than the last! Review: Elain Cunningham has wrote something that is rarely done by many authors of this time. She has wrote a sequal that is acually better than last. As an achieving young author I honestly look up to the writtings of Cunningham as an inspiration to my own personal work in the same area.
Rating: Summary: Awesome, gripping, fast and furious! This book is a winner! Review: Elaine Cunningham has done it! A long slow year has dwindled on by since I have been satisfied in a good book. This one is it! Awesome (original) story. I was stunned. I couldn't put it down.
Rating: Summary: Good continuation Review: Following on the footsteps of Daughter of the Drow, Cunningham brings our favourite mischeivous drow back in all her elven glory. Truly, I have never found anyone who writes elves as well as Cunningham. The dark elves, or drow, are by far the most difficult to write. Yet Cunningham pulls it off with brilliance! Liriel continues on with Fyodor to solve some mysteries and bring her adorable impish charm into our hearts and minds. Again, I rave about Cunningham's talent in bringing her characters to life. Few authors pull this off as well as she does. You simply can't stop reading!
Rating: Summary: A brilliant read that takes you away! Review: Following on the footsteps of Daughter of the Drow, Cunningham brings our favourite mischeivous drow back in all her elven glory. Truly, I have never found anyone who writes elves as well as Cunningham. The dark elves, or drow, are by far the most difficult to write. Yet Cunningham pulls it off with brilliance! Liriel continues on with Fyodor to solve some mysteries and bring her adorable impish charm into our hearts and minds. Again, I rave about Cunningham's talent in bringing her characters to life. Few authors pull this off as well as she does. You simply can't stop reading!
Rating: Summary: Great Sequel of the First Review: Great!I enjoyed reading this book more(if it is possible)than the first. I miss again the ancient evil of the drows,that it is'nt shown at full in the series,but great indeed.I hope Miss Cunningham write down the third novel about Liriel. Great book
Rating: Summary: The next Drizzt? Review: How can people even consider talking bad of this book? one said everyone shouldn't be afraid of her. Drow didn't earn their reputation on good looks, of course everyone will fear her! This book was an awesome book, good for a change of pace. When I bought it, I thought it would be a more typical drow book by the cover. Or so I thought. I was pleasently surprised to find that nothing, save skullport, took place in the underdark. excellent book, highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: Easily as good as Salvatore's work Review: I am a HUGE fan of R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf novels and as such, I approached Elaine Cunningham's Female Dark Elf series with some skepticism, but after reading Daughter of the Drow and then Tangled Webs I am happy to say that her novels are every bit as captivating as the Drizzt novels. I wait on baited breath for the next Daughter of the Drow novel to come out. Please, Elaine, DO write a third novel in this series... and a fourth and fifth.
Rating: Summary: One of my favorite Forgotten Realms titles Review: I enjoyed this book more than any of Elaine Cunningham's other novels because I felt as though Liriel and Fyodor were much better developed than Danilo Thann and Arilyn Moonblade. Liriel in particular developed into a fascinating character. She has a wicked sense of humor, and seemed to struggle with the notion of herself as a "goodly drow". She developed through this novel into one of "those who dream".The only thing I did not much care for was Liriel's relationship with Lloth and, to a lesser extent, Ellistrae. I realize that a goddess of chaos can act however she chooses, but I agree with some other reviewers that Lloth seemed to answer Liriel's prayers frequently, without much reason. Moreover, the way in which Liriel finaly escaped from Lloth was a bit of an anticlimax to one of the central struggles within the book: Liriel's relationship as a "good drow" with an evil goddess. Finally, mere minutes after renouncing Lloth, Ellistrae enabled Liriel to perform a resurrection. That seems like a lot of magic for a fledgling priestess who has just renounced her goddess. All in all, though, I really enjoyed this book, including the twists at the end, even if I did find the clerical aspects to be somewhat unbelievable, the characters themselves were so rich that it made up for a lot.
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