Books like The Ruin

It’s been a decade since I read the second book in the Year Of Rogue Dragons trilogy, so I’m not really able to review The Ruin in context (i.e. in relation to the overall story arc). Nevertheless…The story is typical of D&D / Forgotten Realms fiction. There are some mandatory ingredients when it comes to concocting this sort of thing: there has to be a “hero” or a “party of heroes”; there has to be a “quest” of sorts; there have to be “items” such as enchanted weapons and artifacts; there has to be a “big bad” i.e. a villain of extraordinary malicious proportions. As such, you can almost hear the dice rolls and the scribbling of pencil on paper… Characters travel with spell-books, have a daily spell limit and drink healing potions after battle. I don’t know the ruleset so I can’t vouch for the book’s accuracy in that respect. The character classes are clearly defined, and there is at least one prestige class in the party of heroes (in this instance a bladesinger). However, the story does feature a half-golem, which isn’t something I’ve come across too often.…a gigantic hellfire wyrm, with bony spikes stabbing up from its head and shoulders, and the color of its scales inconstant, oozing from one shade of yellow or crimson to another as if the creature were made of flowing magma. Also, a howling dragon, long and spindly of body, with deceptively short and delicate-looking limbs. Topaz eyes dotted with minute pupils glared from its mask, and a ruff of spines encircled the back of its head. Near the howling [dragon] swooped a pyroclastic dragon, massively built, its hide a mottled confusion of dark patches mixed with streaks and blotches of fiery red and gold. Its wings were gray and fragile in appearance, like charred parchment.There is a bewildering array of creatures on display, from Gelugons to Tirichiks and many more. And of course, given the very nature of the main story event, any number of Dragons of all type and description. In addition to all the metallic and chromatic dragons (undead or otherwise) you could possibly wish for there is also a significant collection of planar dragons that make an appearance. One of the more impressive of all the wyrms found here is a Linnorm (or Corpse Tearer) known as “The Hermit”. Groovy!This is also where the book faces its biggest challenge. Dragons are by and large some of the strongest creatures in this setting, and coming up with innovative, but believable, ways to depict battles with them that don’t end in outright slaughter is always going to be daunting task. The author sometimes succeeds and sometimes doesn’t. There is also (in my opinion) a flaw in the internal logic insofar as the characters comprising the “dragonslayer” party are concerned. The halfling, Will, and Faery Dragon, Jivex, have nothing to bring to the table (other than a slingshot and happy breath, which doesn’t suffice in any of the engagements in this book) and are only excess baggage. Yes, I know it’s only fantasy, but suspension of disbelief only gets you so far. As such, it’s a bit of a lopsided read. But it isn’t all bad, some of the battles are quite spectacular, especially toward the end of the book. I particularly enjoyed the engagement between the metallic dragons and the tarterian dragons above the elven citadel. The rating really boils down to what you expect from a story such as this. There is a certain expectation from D&D fiction and it should be rated with that in mind. As a shared-world adventure yarn the book succeeds on many levels, especially pertaining to some of the locations and in its portrayal of magic. On the other hand, some of the characters were just a bit annoying at times, and the final climactic battle was dragged out too long.I enjoyed the previous two instalments, and this one doesn’t strike me as being wildly different in terms of general feel and readability, so I’ll just stick to my guns regarding the rating. Just take the whole thing with a pinch of salt and keep a Monster Manual handy.He snarled a final invocation, and something – the underlying structure of the world, perhaps, on which seas, plains, and mountains lay like paint on a canvas – moaned in protest.