Rating: 
Summary: Searching for Mister Good Baron
Review: Not Quite Scaramouche is the ninth novel in the Guardians of the Flame series, following Not Exactly the Three Musketeers. In the previous volume, Baroness Elanee instigated a plot to lure Ellegon into a trap, but Pirojil, Kethol, Durine and Erenor foiled the setup. However, Durine and a medium sized brown dragon were killed and Erenor required a healing draught for his slit throat. Although her treasonous plot misfired, Elanee herself survived until Ellegon and Pirojil executed the death warrant on her. Her son Miron disappeared in the confusion.In this novel, Emperor Thomen calls Parliament into session and Jason Cullinane is late. In addition, Henrad the wizard is beginning to feel the presence of another wizard in the castle. Walter Slovotsky, the new Imperial Proctor, decides to kill two birds with one stone and sends Pirojil, Kethol and Erenor to Barony Cullinane. Jason delays to the last minute before leaving for Parliament and then finds himself delayed by assassins. Kethol first detects something scaring the wildlife and he, Pirojil and Ahira Bandylegs go into the woods to check out the situation. They find an assassin with two crossbows, one of which gets Ahira in the thigh and the other scrapes Kethol's ear. Pirojil takes the party off the Royal road and occupies a nearby farmhouse. That evening, Kethol and Ahira take a shortcut through the woods to Dernal's Ford and Pirojil and Erenor head off through the rain on the Royal road to Belneten's Spring. Pirojil and Erenor find more assassins waiting for them, but the other party find Imperial troopers guarding a landing zone for Ellegon. The next day, Jason and his close associates ride to Parliament in style, way above any possible assassins on the ground. In this story, Miron returns to Biemestren through the sponsorship of Baron Tyrnael. General Treseen recommends that Miron be installed as the new baron and Parliament tends to agree. Walter delays the decision, hoping for an alternative. Leria provides a means of searching for the long gone Forinel, heir presumptive to the barony, and Pirojil, Kethol, Erenor and Leria fly off of Ellegon to search for the heir. This story twists and turns like a snake with its head cut off. Some things remain the same, of course, such as Kethol dashing heroically after the assassin and Jason standing up on Ellegon as they fly along. Naturally, the barons are always plotting something and the Imperial governors in the Holt baronies are playing their own game. Recommended for Rosenberg fans and for anyone who enjoys tales of high adventure and intrigue with more than a touch of cynicism. -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating:
Summary: Gets better and better
Review: Rosenberg just keeps reinventing heroic fantasy with apparently no effort at all. In Not Quite Scaramouche, he takes his three motley heroes into and out of palace intrigue, and back on the road again (where they clearly belong. I don't know why, but Rosenberg seems to do "on the road" scenes and chapters better than anybody else now writing). In this one, Kethol, Pirojil, and the mildly competent and untrustworthy wizard, Erenor, are charged first with bodyguarding characters that readers of previous Guardians of the Flame books will remember fondly, and new readers will surely enjoy. Naturally, things don't go as planned -- our heroes end up having to hare off into the countryside to attempt to recover a missing heir. They, and we, never quite know what will be around the next bend, except that it will usually be dangerous for them, and always be entertaining for us. I liked Not Exactly the Three Musketeers very much; this one is even better. The replacement of the stolid Durine with the untrustworthy -- but not entirely untrustworthy; Rosenberg is too clever for that -- Erenor reminds me in a perverse way of every time a good television ensemble drama, like Mash or NYPD Blue, replaces a good major character with a better one. The only thing I missed was the cameo appearance by Rosenberg himself that I so much enjoyed in the last one. Maybe next time?
Rating:
Summary: Gets better and better
Review: Rosenberg just keeps reinventing heroic fantasy with apparently no effort at all. In Not Quite Scaramouche, he takes his three motley heroes into and out of palace intrigue, and back on the road again (where they clearly belong. I don't know why, but Rosenberg seems to do "on the road" scenes and chapters better than anybody else now writing). In this one, Kethol, Pirojil, and the mildly competent and untrustworthy wizard, Erenor, are charged first with bodyguarding characters that readers of previous Guardians of the Flame books will remember fondly, and new readers will surely enjoy. Naturally, things don't go as planned -- our heroes end up having to hare off into the countryside to attempt to recover a missing heir. They, and we, never quite know what will be around the next bend, except that it will usually be dangerous for them, and always be entertaining for us. I liked Not Exactly the Three Musketeers very much; this one is even better. The replacement of the stolid Durine with the untrustworthy -- but not entirely untrustworthy; Rosenberg is too clever for that -- Erenor reminds me in a perverse way of every time a good television ensemble drama, like Mash or NYPD Blue, replaces a good major character with a better one. The only thing I missed was the cameo appearance by Rosenberg himself that I so much enjoyed in the last one. Maybe next time?
Rating: 
Summary: A fantasy world with progression...
Review: The one thing that sets Rosenberg apart from most fantasy writers is that he understands the aging process with respect to his characters and his world. This is the 9th book and many years have passed in his world since book one. His characters age, and he does a great job of demonstrating the aging process on these people. You see his characters mature. I really enjoy watching some younger characters step up and start to put their stamp on his world. Jason Cullinane is his father's son and will be fun to read about in future books. I'd recommend this to anyone that has enjoyed the other 8 in the series. Rosenberg keeps it interesting and fun. The fact that I'm still reading after 9 books says a lot.
Rating:
Summary: A fantasy world with progression...
Review: The one thing that sets Rosenberg apart from most fantasy writers is that he understands the aging process with respect to his characters and his world. This is the 9th book and many years have passed in his world since book one. His characters age, and he does a great job of demonstrating the aging process on these people. You see his characters mature. I really enjoy watching some younger characters step up and start to put their stamp on his world. Jason Cullinane is his father's son and will be fun to read about in future books. I'd recommend this to anyone that has enjoyed the other 8 in the series. Rosenberg keeps it interesting and fun. The fact that I'm still reading after 9 books says a lot.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Really the Guardians Anymore
Review: While still witty and entertaining, this installment fails to capture the spirit and flavor of the original three. Gone is the wonder of people from a mundane, technological world trapped in a world of dragons, miracles, and arcane magic. Also, gone is the righteousness of Karl Cullinane & Crew's original goals.
Not only have these elements been completely left out in favor of a plot involving the characters in a convoluted political morass, Rosenberg has left several loose ends untied. For instance, what happened with the conflict with the wizard that originally brought them to this place? And the sword destined for Jason Cullinane?.Maybe it's been so long since the original trilogy, even the author has forgotten what was happening.
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