A rising tide of adventure!The sahuagin have brought back an ancient evil to wage war against the surface dwellers. From the murky depths of the Shining Sea rises a prehistoric menace who commands a rising tide of invasion to crash over the shores of Faerun. Iakhovas has plotted for long bitter years to regain the powers that were torn from him by an angry goddess. Oblivious to the growing danger of the undersea civilizations, the surface world is about to awaken to a new horrifying threat from the sea. Award-winning author Mel Odom's Forgotten Realms(R) trilogy is now repackaged as a stunning trade paperback collector's edition. Exploring an area of the Realms few think to tread--the bottom of the ocean--Threat from the Sea takes readers for a ride that's full of high-seas adventure and monster battles.

A sword's steel splintered the weak moonlight, sweeping toward his head.Ah. The old shared-world hack-and-slash adventure fantasy fiction. More specifically: Forgotten Realms. I purchased The Threat from the Sea (way back), on the strength of its cover art. My introduction to fantasy was Tolkien, the Icewind Dale Trilogy and the original Dragonlance Chronicles. When I was younger, I enjoyed shared-world fiction, and Forgotten Realms in particular, because of the potential for immersion. So, I suppose it’s no real surprise that I still, every so often, get a nostalgic kick out of this sort of thing. Also, I’m not as picky as literary critics (self-appointed or otherwise). It’s not like I get paid to force my opinion on others write book reviews, so I have the singular privilege of, well, reading random books purely for the sake of a yarn. I’ve also come to the conclusion that I’m easily sold on fantasy that features interesting or exotic settings. So, to it then:The general consensus seemed to be that he'd gone insane, and everyone knew the gods favored those too stupid to save themselves.Though it isn’t the silliest D&amp;D story I’ve ever read (not even close) it’s pretty representative of this kind of fiction in at least one sense: namely it reads like a B-movie… all plot and not too much characterization. Every situation seems to be an excuse for some sort of confrontation. This isn’t by default a bad thing if you’re looking to read something that’s pretty much action oriented, featuring exotic settings and strange beings, and reads at a fair trot. I also found the use of Sahuagin as the enemy at least somewhat novel, tying in as it does with a big event in the greater Forgotten Realms universe.The action scenes are competently written (often exceptionally so), which is important in a story such as this, in which it takes front and center. In fact, there are sequences that are the literary equivalent of a fireworks show. In small ways that I appreciated, the book illustrates wonderfully how unknown factors, such as the use of magic or alchemy, can change the course of events and battles just so. A large portion of the book deals with the battle for Waterdeep after being attacked from the sea. I probably found this whole sequence more exciting than I had any right to, but I can’t apologise for that.I was partial to the bard Pacys as far as characters were concerned. Jherek initially struck me as too much of a straight arrow trope, albeit an extremely unlucky one, but he eventually grew on me. Events seem to suggest that he is being groomed to become a Paladin, which could be interesting. In the end it’s a fairly typical D&amp;D story with all the expected trimmings, but with the added benefit of some interesting underwater locales and critters, and written very competently to boot. I’m certainly not naïve enough to view this as top shelf fantasy fiction, but for nostalgic value and a nice quick old-school fantasy-buzz it will get you there. If you regularly read and enjoy Forgotten Realms stories, this should be on your list. It’s the first in a trilogy, and I am rather invested in seeing what happens next.In closing: there is also a brobdingnagian albino Kraken in this book, which surely accounts for at least one of the stars awarded.

(I am playing catch up here with my reviews.) Again I will say I got this as part of the omnibook format which is an insanely good price for a lot of good Realms reading. The last in the series this book doesn't disappont. If I could draw a line to represent how well Odom does in increasing the overall setting and plot of the series I would. The setting is extremely interesting and Odom does a magnificient job describing everything for us. The characters are ones I could really identify with, not meaning they are cliche or overdone. No, Odom picks cliche elements and uses them with the most grace and tact in developing characters which are unique and memorable. The series closes well with a lot of anticipation and excitement. I will say, the final battle with Iakhovas was a little bit of a let done. It was interesting, but it seems like it is missing something. Still, I would recommend the whole series to any Realms fan.

There’s certainly nothing subtle about the Forgotten Realms. This is a setting that is unashamedly and overtly fantastical. This kitchen sink approach is arguably its greatest strength or its greatest weakness, depending on who you ask. Of the many sentient cultures and races to be found on Faerun, a good few are aquatic (or at least amphibian). I can’t offhand think of many (if any) story arcs, in Forgotten Realms or Fantasy in general, that focus on aquatic races. As such, the Threat From The Sea trilogy does, at the very least, have some novelty value going for it. This entry follows Rising Tide.[He] sat on an outcropping of rock overlooking the sea elf city of Faenasuor. [He] gave no thought to the two hundred feet of ocean above him, nor to the bluish hue it seemed all the world had taken on. The folk of Seros called all depths between one hundred fifty feet and three hundred feet the Gloom. The Sea of Fallen Stars itself served to stratify civilizations and undersea worlds. A few tall towers, mute testimony to the hubris of the elves of the ancient empire, stood up from the sea floor, rising over the other recovered structures and the new dwellings that had been built. The city sprawled unevenly across the irregular seabed the elves called the Hmur Plateau.The underwater peoples of Faerun feature heavily, as you may imagine: Merfolk, Sahuagin, Sea Elves, Tritons, Morkoths et al. While the previous book dealt with events in the Sea of Swords, this one introduces the Sea of Fallen Stars as an important location. This makes for a fascinating dynamic (it’s landlocked). There are some very cool locales, such as the Sharksbane Wall that keeps the Seros Sahuagin effectively imprisoned in the southeastern arm of the Inner Sea. Often with Forgotten Realms I enjoy the portions of the story dealing with the world at large more than I do the character driven sequences. Before he knew it, he'd started a new song weave. The notes from the struck crystals cut through the water like a knife, pouring out into the sea.As with the previous novel music plays an important part in the story. In keeping with this, the prophecy of the taleweaver and the taker is expanded on.Live, that you may serve.It looks like a foregone conclusion that Jherek Wolf’s-Get is becoming a Paladin. To be honest, I wasn’t too enamored with the whole thread of “Jherek the chosen hero boy” that runs throughout the story. This is, I suppose, par for the course, but it is also where things come undone a bit. It is laid on too thick, and he is remarkably whiny (and has a knack for self-pity).Speaking of characters: Iakhovas is growing on me a lot, even though he is the antagonist (the Taker).For the most part I’m still enjoying the trilogy. This is the second, or bridging, novel and should be taken as such. It’s a story filled with all kinds of craziness and some spectacular fighting sequences. Possessed pirates with red-eyes come standard. 3.5 stars."He's here. The Taker has arrived in the Sea of Fallen Stars!"

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