Master of Chains: The Fighters [Mass Market Paperback]

Like many Forgotten Realms novels, Master of Chains is a simplistic adventure that is meant to be a quick read. In that aspect, it certainly succeeds. You won't remember this one as one of the greats in the fantasy genre, but taken for what it is, author Jess Lebow does manage to spin a tale that you should at least find entertaining.

Master of Chains is a simple tale of anger and revenge, with fights aplenty. Unfortunately, for all its action packed splendor, there are some serious deficiencies in the book. Most of these weaknesses present themselves in the plot itself. There are several hooks and holes in the tale that, if examined, make little or no sense. At times, characters make choices that are implausible or even laughable. However, that being said, if you come into this one not expecting a masterpiece, but rather a quick, entertaining read, you should enjoy it. Lebow does emit some emotion from the reader at times, and you will probably want to read to the end, if only to find out what happens to each character.

The bottom line here is don't expect a "thinker". Cleanse you mind of criticisms and just let Lebow take you for a ride of battles and emotion. If you can achieve that, you will enjoy this one.

I must say that I wasn't really expecting a great book when I read the back of this Forgotten Realms adventure. I was excited when I discovered that the character class books (The Rogues, The Priests) would be extended to the Fighters. Reading the book description gave me a strong impression of the movie "The Gladiator." Man is hero, man gets sold into slavery, man escapes, blah blah blah. You know the story, you probably saw the movie. Much to my surprise the back of the book is very non-descript (as has been the case with many Forgotten Realms books recently. They just give you a couple sentences with no real plot summary).

Anyway, this book was pretty good. I am really starting to enjoy these "stand-alone" adventures. There is nothing more to read here. No waiting for two more books over the next two years. However, there is room for a lot of development with these characters and region of the Realms with possible future short stories or other story overlaps. Or, maybe just within my imagination.

There are a lot of battles in this book. Most of them are pretty exciting. The "Master of Chains" is precisely that. He uses his chains in battle. However, the chains are not always the ones he was enslaved with, and gets ahold of some magical chain weapons. I was expecting the main character, Ryder to be chained up the entire time. Half the chapters are plotlines that are not directly related to Ryder. This book focuses on many fighters and even more fights.

This book also has the undead in it. Vampires and zombies and such. Interesting stuff.

The major problem with this book is that it follows the typical recent Forgotten Realms story line: in the prologue something strange and evil is uncovered in someones quest for greed. That person flees and the evil broods and plots for a long time. Then it gets unleashed in a disguised and sneaky way. Sound familiar?

Anyway... Great read. It will be interesting to follow the other "The Fighters" books to read about other barbaric and heroic deeds on the battlefields and in the dark alleys. If you are looking for a good quick Realms adventure, then this book will be right up your alley.

Great title! Fantastic cover! If only the actual story had lived up to the hype. I love the Realms, amd a huge fan of Paul Kemp, R.A. Salvatore and a handful of other authors who breathe life into this world. I honestly went into this title anticipating great things... which NEVER happened. I did finish it, if for no other reason than I knew with a premise that cool it had to get better. It never did.

Do yourself a huge favor and pass on this one. Mr. Kemp or Mr. Salvatore should have a new book out soon...