The Mage in the Iron Mask

Rating:
Summary: Avoid at all costs
Review: If I'd known this novel was another Volo story by Brian Thomsen I wouldn't've bought it, and that's saying a lot, because I've got all the Forgotten Realms Novels.

As you can see by the title of the book, the story is a rip-off of "the man in the iron mask", and badly done, placing Volo in the middle of the story of a man placed in a mask because of his likeness to the current ruler.

In my opinion, the worst thing about this novel is that at one point we read a conversation giving the whole background - as to how the current ruler's father was a slave who managed to escape and end up ruling a country - and this story seems FAR more interesting than what Brian actually has us reading.

Brian - stick to the editing and away from the Authoring

Rating:
Summary: Well....
Review: Let's just say that it's not the most original story in the world. The characters aren't bad, and its a change to see things such as level limits mentioned in an AD&D novel...but apart from these, the book just hasn't got the flair of a great work!! Stick to the original book.

Rating:
Summary: Well....
Review: Let's just say that it's not the most original story in the world. The characters aren't bad, and its a change to see things such as level limits mentioned in an AD&D novel...but apart from these, the book just hasn't got the flair of a great work!! Stick to the original book.

Rating:
Summary: Review From Mr. Ronto's CCG and RPG Page
Review: The Nobles series just keeps on getting better and better, before this book that is. The Mage in the Iron Mask isnt a bad book, but lets just say by far it's the worst of the Nobles series. Thomsen just isnt a great writer like Salvatore or Anthony, because his last (and only other) book was worse than this one. The thing that makes it bad is not the characters, on the contrary, the characters are very good, especially the villains and the supporting characters. And its not the story either, the story is pretty good, just not all that original. The things that make his books bad are the stupid little puns he throws in, and with really bad taste. For example, in one part of this book, Rassendyll is complaining about his neck being chaffed from the mask. Passpout (whom the bad puns usually come from) tells a story about a mage that used to make this oil to put on rough skin to make it softer and make it feel better, the mages name was Oleigh. The item he was talking about he called Oil of Oleigh (Oil of Olay). There are worse one, such as a solder that's name is Nabors, but his friends call him GoMar, and he always says "golly" at the beginning of every sentence (from the show Gomer Pile, the actors name was Jim Nabors). That's basically the worse of it, the puns, there are a few other puns that have to do with other FR novels, but they aren't as bad. The reason the puns are so bad, is that, the reason we read FR novels(or any other fantasy novel) is that we want to escape this world and go into a fantasy for awhile. With Brian Thomsen's novels, you're constantly reminded of the real world, constantly reminded that this is just a novel that your reading, not a mythical story that the Forgotten Realms has been built to become. The story is good, filled with good adventure and fighting, but not all too serious drama here. Lots of comic things but not enough dramatic moments. Over all, a pretty good book (if you can look past those terrible puns), characters are good, story is decent, this book is basically just a "if there's nothing else on the shelf, read it" book. If you like good fantasy and drama, look someplace else.