I’ve finally wrapped this series up. It has been a good one. I actually need to go look up the D&D 5e equivalents of some of the character traits and abilities of the heroes and monsters now!
In case you care what I’m up to… I’m still behind on the campaign setup, but I have most of the outline in my head. I also have a huge need to finish a short story and write a couple more. It’s the same problem I always have though… sit down in the chair and write. I manage to find a billion ways to avoid that until I have a deadline (even an artificial one), but once I get going, it’s hard to turn it off! I wish I could explain it… or maybe I can. I think I may be a binge write as well as a binge watcher!
Anyway… here’s the review!
Amazon’s Blurb:
Lovecraftian horror from award-winning Forgotten Realms® game designer Bruce R. Cordell.
Raidon Kane survived his clash against the eldest aboleth, but came away with his mind shattered. Destiny hands Raidon one last chance to avert the Abolethic Sovereignty’s agenda, but only if he can find within himself the strength to care. Raidon, the warlock Japheth, and Anusha, a young woman whose dreams are made real, must find Key of Stars before it is used to open the Far Manifold, and all reality drowns in a tide of horrific insanity.
And now my take on the book…
Key of Stars: Abolethic Sovereignty, Book III by Bruce R. Cordell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The final book in this trilogy is both good and bad-good. By good, I mean that the story is well written (as were the first two books), and action/pacing flow well. By bad-good, I mean that it introduces some new elements that are secondary to the main story and leave them unresolved (un-detailed may be a better way of saying it) at the final close of the story. They are good threads, but they are left dangling in a way that leaves a bit of unresolved disappointment in the reader’s mind (this reader at least). That being said, I still can recommend the book with a forewarning that you might have an uncontrollable desire to go looking for more.
The characters we’ve come to know begin with a somewhat flummoxed state of mind. They have the huge threat of the Aboleth Sovereignty and the floating city of aberrations, Xxiphu, literally hanging over their heads, but they are at a loss as to what they should do about it. The big bad(s) (there are multiple, even thought they prevented the biggest bad from waking up in the last book) are a palpable threat, but they have no real idea of how to deal with them. Luckily, the continued leadership growth shown by Anusha pulls them together to deal with the problem, and our adventure begins in earnest.
The plot is excellent, and you can tell that the events of book three were planned from the beginning of book one. Most of the main points are resolved, including a few surprises (which I will not spoil here). There are a few new characters introduced at the last minute that are quite interesting and lead to the ‘unresolved’ feel I mentioned previously. The pacing and action kept me immersed in the story from start to finish. The main characters continue their growth to become people you care about even more. Except for one, that is; I was disappointed not to find out what happened to Seren who does not join the party on its quest. Some aspects of the characters circumstances are not fully explained and others paths seem rushed to a conclusion. Those are the only negatives in the book that prevented me from giving it an additional star.
Ultimately, the story is an excellent one (through the whole series), and I can recommend it quite easily. I give it three stars and call it an Overall Good Read.
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