THE VEILED DRAGON [Mass Market Paperback]

I found this book the worst of the entire harpers series. It took me at least four times as long as all the other books to finish. I actually had to force myself to read it to the end. I don't know if it's because of the Shou background, but this novel has nothing of the spirit a good FR book should have.

The Veiled Dragon is the twelfth in a series of 16 novels focusing on the legendary Harpers, the primary secret organization fighting the spread of evil in Faerun.
The book picks up a few years from where The Parched Sea left off.
Ruha has made her way to the Western Heartlands where she has learned Common and joined the Harpers, meeting Storm Silverhand herself in the process.
The Veiled Dragon is set in the vicinity of Elversult, though the region's rich history, and that feeling of excitement and adventure is pretty much missing from this book.
Ruha, the Bedine witch, has become a Harper agent sent by Storm Silverhand to protect Yanderslara, Elversult's ruler, but what she encounters is beyond what any of us could have imagined due to the sheer lameness of the plot, making the Veiled Dragon is one of the weakest of the 16 Harpers novels.
It is indeed a rare occasion when a weak/poor Forgotten Realms novel gets published: among them The Night Parade, Death in Cormyr and Soldiers of Ice.
Specifically:
1) The poor style of writing resulting in some pretty tedious reading and great difficulty in concentrating and staying focused. It really does very little to keep the readers' interest, which is very disappointing considering how good The Parched Sea is.
2) The interim period is barely brushed upon! It seems there is a big part of the plot missing from what happened after the end of The Parched Sea until the beginning of The Veiled Dragon.
3) Ruha simply does not belong in this book. She seems totally out of place. A different character would have been better if only the plot was any good.
4) Tusks is a very weak character! I had no idea the Harpers have so much trouble finding someone less greedy...
5) The Imperial Shou embassy in the West involved with the Cult of the Dragon???
6) The silly coincidences and ridiculous encounters like Ruha who just happens to stumble upon the ginger... or her surviving a Dracolich attack after being badly bitten by sharks in freezing waters! REALLY!!!
7) Troy Denning choosing to name one of the minor characters... Yuan ti! WHY???
Is there a shortage of names? What's next? A baker named "Orc," or a fisherman named "Drow?"
8) The Shou prince and his collection of lizards, weasels, and ants as pets.
9) Veriana calls Ruha names (!), and of all the Harpers she wants Ruha, the "loser," to save Yanderslara??? (pp. 234-5)
10) The name Cypress brings to mind a female! Was it that difficult to choose a male name or at least one that does indicate a female?

Anybody interested in Shou Lang should read The Empires Trilogy.
In short, The Veiled Dragon is the sequel to a GREAT book and should have been a great book itself. A wasted opportunity and a great shame to see Ruha's story die out in this way/manner...

The Veiled Dragon is the twelfth in a series of 16 novels focusing on the legendary Harpers, the primary secret organization fighting the spread of evil in Faerun.
The book picks up a few years from where The Parched Sea left off.
Ruha has made her way to the Western Heartlands where she has learned Common and joined the Harpers, meeting Storm Silverhand herself in the process.
The Veiled Dragon is set in the vicinity of Elversult, though the region's rich history, and that feeling of excitement and adventure is pretty much missing from this book.
Ruha, the Bedine witch, has become a Harper agent sent by Storm Silverhand to protect Yanderslara, Elversult's ruler, but what she encounters is beyond what any of us could have imagined due to the sheer lameness of the plot, making the Veiled Dragon is one of the weakest of the 16 Harpers novels.
It is indeed a rare occasion when a weak/poor Forgotten Realms novel gets published; among them The Night Parade, Murder in Cormyr, Soldiers of Ice, and the very bottom of the barrel: Brien Thomsen's infamous Once Around the Realms.
Specifically:
1) The poor style of writing resulting in some pretty tedious reading and great difficulty in concentrating and staying focused. It really does very little to keep the readers' interest, which is very disappointing considering how good The Parched Sea is.
2) The interim period is barely brushed upon! It seems there is a big part of the plot missing from what happened after the end of The Parched Sea until the beginning of The Veiled Dragon.
3) Ruha simply does not belong in this book. She seems totally out of place. A different character would have been better if only the plot was any good.
4) Tusks is a very weak character! I had no idea the Harpers have so much trouble finding someone less greedy...
5) The Imperial Shou embassy in the West involved with the Cult of the Dragon???
6) The silly coincidences and ridiculous encounters like Ruha who just happens to stumble upon the ginger... or her surviving a Dracolich attack after being badly bitten by sharks in freezing waters! REALLY!!!
7) Troy Denning choosing to name one of the minor characters... Yuan ti! WHY???
Is there a shortage of names? What's next? A baker named "Orc," or a fisherman named "Drow?"
8) The Shou prince and his collection of lizards, weasels, and ants as pets.
9) Veriana calls Ruha names (!), and of all the Harpers she wants Ruha, the "loser," to save Yanderslara??? (pp. 234-5)
10) The name Cypress brings to mind a female! Was it that difficult to choose a male name or at least one that does indicate a female?

Anybody interested in Shou Lang should read The Empires Trilogy.
In short, The Veiled Dragon is the sequel to a GREAT book and should have been a great book itself. A wasted opportunity and a great shame to see Ruha's story die out in this way/manner...

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 7 reviews  2.1 out of 5 stars