Crucible : The Trial of Cyric the Mad

Rating:
Summary: Wickedly entertaining
Review: For months after I'd heard rumor this title was being released I waited in anticipation for its arrival. When it arrived I was not dissappointed.

Following after the events in "Prince of Lies" by James Lowder, "Crucible" tells the tale of the eccentric Malik, a Calishite merchant, and devoted worshipper of Cyric. We watch as he seeks out the Cyrinishad, followed closely by a seethingly angry Ruha, a bedine witch made famous in "Veiled Dragon" also by Denning. The story is told as though Malik were the author, a tactic I found delightful. Not only does it allow you to look into the mind of a villain, but his narration in regards to the deities and other "good guys" is just wonderful, and often funny.

Any follower of this series of novels will also delight in the further delving into power plays between deities within the Forgotten Realms world. This title does a marvelous job of detailing Jergal, Tyr, Helm, Mystra, Kelemvor, Talos, Mask, and especially Cyric. We witness as we are allowed a greater understanding of how the gods think, and how they pine against other deities. We also gain witness to the growth of Kelemvor as a Fearunian god.

Despite a pile of nay sayers against this title, I suggest you give it a shot, it's a fun read, and a good book. However, if you're a staunch "canon" Realms fan, remember this is written by Malik, if you don't like his history consider it propoganda, but don't turn away from the book, it's worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: An exciting on the edge of your seat Adventure/fantasy.
Review: I found this book to be extremley well written and exiting.

Rating:
Summary: Horrid Writing with a even more horrid plot
Review: I hate it so much when other writers screw up characters that have been created by other authors. In this case Troy Denning totaly destroies the characters of Kelemvor and Midnight created by James Lowder and Scott Ciencin respectively. Troy Denning decides to turn Kelemvor into something that he would not have had Lowder written this book and had Midnight just cry about it.

Also, the way in which it was written was bad. Not that Denning is a bad writter, but writing from the first person is very difficult and he did not accomplish what he set out to in this book.

I think Denning destroyed the entire Faerunian Pantheon single handedly with this book. If you want a good ending to the Avatar Trilogy just stop reading at Price of Lies by James Lowder. It gives you a much more refreshing feeling when you are done rather than a putrid feeling.

Rating:
Summary: The gods didn't feel right
Review: I know the book is written from the perspective of Malik but when so many authors have written about the gods in previous novels they all feel so different. (Read Spellfire, Elminster making of a mage etc. where Mystra is included). The novel was funny at times but here are some things I didn't like; Why is Mask scared of Keezef? Compare his powers(Faiths and avatars) as a lesser god against the stats of the hound(Powers and Pantheons) and you will know what I mean. Tempus speaks on Faerun!! It says in Faiths and avatars that he has never been known to speak there, he only snarls in battle fury. Lathander seems like a fop. He started the previous gods war(according to F&A) and one would think he would be a little bit more involved in the trial, not just being a love struck fool following Chaunteas whim.

Troy is a good writer but I think the realms have had it's share with powerful deities(not to menition the thousands of powerful archmages lurking around every corner!!) Keep the deities in the background just as Doug Niles did in his excellent Maztica triology.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome! One of the best! Worth the wait!
Review: I love Cyric. Even though he's the god of strife, and I can even get over the insane part, he's just one of us! (Isn't he?). I do have to feel sympathy for the pathetic wretch however, he tries so hard.
This book was awesome, and broke a record of a 1 day reading. I feel fulfilled. I need a cigarette.

Rating:
Summary: Complete and utter rubbish...
Review: I read this book in order to give Mr. Denning another try (I had to see if I was wrong about how he has no grasp of the Forgotten Realms)...Disappointed again. Let somebody else do FR novels instead of him, please? And for those of you howling about how it's 'official', I beg to differ. The book was written from that sluggard Malik's perspective. It's complete allegory and hearsay, therefore it doesn't seem to be something that WotC will build upon. At least they better not...So, rejoice. Look to the Prince of Lies as the last 'offical' word on the goings-on of the FR gods (or to the trilogy of FR gods-related books such as Faiths & Avatars, Powers & Pantheons, and Demihuman Deities--at least James Lowder and Eric Boyd know the Realms well enough, both in novel and game terms!).

Rating:
Summary: Denning manages to breathe life into Forgotten Realms
Review: I though Prince of Lies by James Lowder was the best book ever written for Forgotten Realms. Well, I was wrong.

Troy Denning has managed to take all the cliches of fantasy fiction and shake 'em up good. The main character, as people have pointed out, is evil and the book is almost a justification for evil gods and characters. However, it actually just shows why evil isn't all black and white.

Few books make you doubt if the definition of evil is correct. The Crucible not only makes you doubt, it makes you scream out loud: "Who is evil here? "

Rating:
Summary: Not great, but a sequel.
Review: I was quite disappointed in Crucible. I read the Avatar trilogy, and Prince of Lies, and this book simply killed all the good character's in these books! Rinda, Gwydion, Adon, and especially Kelemvor, were much more interesting before this book. Still, I can't rate it too low, as it is a good stand-alone book. My official recommendation, for series readers, is to avoid Crucible unless you really want to know what "officially" happens or you simply want to be depressed.

Rating:
Summary: WELL DONE TROY DENNING!!!
Review: If you enjoyed The Avatar Trilogy- Shadowdale, Tantras, and Waterdeep, and the Prince of Lies, you will love Crucible: the Trial of Cyric the Mad, which is the conclusion to this wonderful series set in the magical world of Toril! The books are so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another plane of existence and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. The authors have truly outdone themselves and have presented us with a masterpiece of literature the likes of which we have seen only in JRR Tolkien's work, RA Salvatore's The Dark Elf and Icewind Dale trilogies, and in authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies. Magic, Gods and Heroes are all about. In conclusion, it's what Fantasy reading SHOULD be. A GREAT book indeed and a "must read" if you love Fantasy and especially if you love the Forgotten Realms! DON'T MISS IT!!!

Rating:
Summary: Knights in Shining Armor Need Not Apply.
Review: If you're looking for the brave, valiant knight that leads the forces of good to victory over unholy evil then look elsewhere. The story is told from the perspective of Malik, a follower of Cyric, the evil God of Strife, Lies and Murder. Malik is an unlikely anti-hero who possesses traits more of a merchant and part-time rogue than a warrior who brandishes steel to combat his enemies directly. Malik is comical and sometimes clumsy. However its' his unwavering devotion to his god that gets him through a grueling fanatical life, which all makes him a very distinctive, unconventional, and enjoyable character.

The book fleshes out how Kelemvor and Mystra/Midnight came to terms with their new role as gods, and their transition from mortality to the responsibility of immortality and the worshipers and portfolio that came with it. On the other side of the coin, it also deals with Cyric's self-delusions caused by the Cyrinshad debacle, which drove him insane.

You'll also read of interactions between the newly crowned gods and the established personalities within the Faerunian Pantheon. Much intrigue occurs, particularly between Mask and Cyric, which I found highly amusing.

If you feel very strongly for the forces of good from the books in the Avatar Trilogy and Prince of Lies, then Crucible will probably leave a bitter taste in your mouth. If you abhor Cyric or similar evil Gods, then you'll be disappointed. If you've got an open mind about how mortals deal with their new existence and responsibilities that come with attaining godhood, as Troy Denning spells out here, then I think it's an excellent read.

Troy Denning, one of my favorite authors, has written an unconventional book that isn't your standard fair FR novel. This is how I'd describe Crucible in one statement: "Attaining power is easy, understanding it is difficult, and keeping it is extremely hard."