The Sapphire Crescent

Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars for a magnificent book!
Review: Okay, I have to admit.. I dont like heroes that are obssessed with justice and doing good, but Vambran is truly one of a kind and I couldnt help but like him!

Thomas M. Reid is really becoming one of my favorite authors of all time, the Sapphire Crescent places Vambran in the midst of a crime that took place during a festival called 'Spheres'. Merely witnessing the murder takes him through perils and mysteries waiting to be solved.

You might think the book is sort of slow... however once you reach Chapter V, you wont be able to put the book down!!!

Rating:
Summary: Mr Reid breaks-out better than pimples before a big dance.
Review: The Sapphire Crescent, the first in the Scions of Arrabar Trilogy, is an excellent book filled with action, mystery, romance, and betrayl. Vambran Matrell is a captain of The Sapphire Crescent, a mercenary order of the Waukeen Temple. Faced with inner conflict from a dark past, he is confronted with two mysterious murders on the streets of the port city of Arrabar. On a quest to bring the muderers to justice, he discovers the killings were in fact just a small part of a much larger, and much more evil conspiracy. Now, even the temple is after Vambran to stop him from discovering the evil truth. And as he looks for friend and alliances to take on his many foes, Vambran finds that the people behind this dark mystery, might just have been under his nose all along. And in his family.

Thomas M. Reid creates a new trilogy that many will enjoy and find enthralling. With excellent characters that you will cheer, boo, and cry for, this action-packed story will have you guessing to the very end. And the Ruby Guardian cant come soon enough.

Rating:
Summary: Mr Reid breaks-out better than pimples before a big dance.
Review: The Sapphire Crescent, the first in the Scions of Arrabar Trilogy, is an excellent book filled with action, mystery, romance, and betrayl. Vambran Matrell is a captain of The Sapphire Crescent, a mercenary order of the Waukeen Temple. Faced with inner conflict from a dark past, he is confronted with two mysterious murders on the streets of the port city of Arrabar. On a quest to bring the muderers to justice, he discovers the killings were in fact just a small part of a much larger, and much more evil conspiracy. Now, even the temple is after Vambran to stop him from discovering the evil truth. And as he looks for friend and alliances to take on his many foes, Vambran finds that the people behind this dark mystery, might just have been under his nose all along. And in his family.

Thomas M. Reid creates a new trilogy that many will enjoy and find enthralling. With excellent characters that you will cheer, boo, and cry for, this action-packed story will have you guessing to the very end. And the Ruby Guardian cant come soon enough.

Rating:
Summary: Nice idea - but only so-so writing quality
Review: This book does indeed entertain as well as delve into subjects not usually covered in the Realms novels. But I found the writing, over all, to be of average quality and the dialogue contrived and not very believable. That would make it three stars, but I subtracted one since the flow isn't quite there; you aren't compelled to read just a little longer than you should to see what happens next.

Rating:
Summary: Political intrigue galore - but weak twists and turns
Review: This book was a good read. I enjoyed it, it was entertaining, it had some twists and turns (however weak), and some interesting magic, and some likeable (and hateable) characters. Everything you could want from an above average book.

I'm excited to read the next two books in the series but it seems like the books will be rather stand-alone-ish because "The Sapphire Crescent" was almost completely closed book. The ending threw some things at you that were somewhat relevant to the storyline, but nobody would have ever thought about it because the book is so closed and self containted. And that's what I mean by weak plot twists. I never saw this one coming - not because it was so clever or well hidden, but because it was almost unrelated to the main storyline. It was something like "Oh, but now we know who THESE guys work for..."

But all in all, this book was good. Some really good battles, some interesting way of describing the magic used (almost psionic) and mercenaries with passion. Oh, and the cover of this book is awesome and is so classy-looking.

Read this book, it doesn't dissappoint, but it's not like other Forgotten Realm trilogies that leave you hanging between books.

Rating:
Summary: A Fair Start.
Review: This book was an entertaining read. The main plot was interesting, and the characters were engaging. It's not high literature, but it's a decent way to pass the time. My rating would have been higher if it were not for the "mystery" saviour that appears to bail our hero out whenever he finds himself in a jam. Even the slowest of readers would instantly discern the identity of this person, which makes the whole device rather lame. Still, the book does manage to rise above this shortcoming and manage to be a worthwhile read in the end.

Rating:
Summary: Subpar for the genre
Review: This book was marred by weak characterization and a flimsy plot. It seemed as though it was rushed to print (several typos) and is clearly not up to the fine standard other Forgotten Realms books have set. None of the characters were very likeable and it all seemed a bit silly. This was a disappointment in my opinion. When compared to Paul Kidd's Greyhawk novels, this book was seriously lacking.

Rating:
Summary: Mystery Galore
Review: This novel is a intrigueing novel depicting the struggle within a city for prestige and wealth. There are layers upon layers of mystery woven together into this magnifecent novel. The ending is to die for. The character you least suspect orchestrated the whole thing. The end of the book settles the mystery in this novel but you find out about a new player in the game of commerce at the end.

Rating:
Summary: Subpar for the genre
Review: Thomas M Reid weaves a great tale of mystery and intrigue. Every time I read something from him, I brought fully into the Realms. This one was no different. Great action sequences, memorable heroes, vile villains. Murder, mystery, intrigue. This one has it all. A MUST read!

Rating:
Summary: Another Fantastic Tale
Review: Thomas M Reid weaves a great tale of mystery and intrigue. Every time I read something from him, I brought fully into the Realms. This one was no different. Great action sequences, memorable heroes, vile villains. Murder, mystery, intrigue. This one has it all. A MUST read!