Neversfall

it could be said that the writing is predictable, i rather enjoyed it. i did not feel it was simple but rather i felt it led you on and kept you guessing, making you think you knew but didnt. i followed the book quite well and enjoyed it, i only wish there could have been more books in the same area to follow the adventures as i feel it was left open in a very positive light. i am generally very critical of books but i found this one quite enjoyable.

When I pick up a Forgotten Realms novel, I expect a good, solid read and a mild dose of entertainment...sorta like an afternoon munching popcorn while watching a Hollywood action flick. Not a lot to think about...just a bit of fluff and a chuckle or two. Neversfall, written by Ed Gentry, is an odd duck. It is the first book in the Citadel series of stand alone novels. It also leaves a very high benchmark for the rest of the series to live up to. So, why is Neversfall an odd duck? Simply put...it is a Hollywood action film with a heavy dose of Oscar-caliber drama. It is a light and fluffy fantasy novel abounding with political subtext. The characters don't do anything stupid, like walk into dark basements without flashlights. The main character struggles with duty, honor and faith. He face betrayal, not blithely, but with great pain. He isn't in it for the glory, but because of what is right. And that is where the novel's greatest strength lies. To every single one of the characters in Neversfall, what they are doing is absolutely the right thing to do for them...and that's what makes it so much more than a simple yet delightful afternoon read. The main character is a Maquar named Taennan, a soldier who, as a child, turned his father in for breaking the law. Law and order are everything to him. Duty above all else. He is the prototypical soldier. And yet, he comes to his position via an act of betrayal. He seems unsure of himself and always willing to accept that he is responsible for failures, yet not willing to accept accolades for success. Everyone else is a mirror for Taennan. Adeenya, the commanding officer of a mercenary group of Durpari who have entered an alliance with the Maquar, is the pragmatic warrior, the epitome of duty and the bedrock, the foundation whose own faith and self-assurance keep Taennan grounded and focused. Jhoqo is his commanding officer, a man whom Taennan hero-worships and the man who took him in and made him the soldier he is after he had his father arrested for using his magic illegally. The story itself follows the Maquar-Durpari forces as they attempt to find out what happened to a previous combined force that has disappeared while trying to secure Neversfall, a citadel and compound that the Maquar believe will be the central point in future trading with northern lands. Ed Gentry creates a stunningly creepy atmosphere upon the character's arrival at Neversfall. Food and clothing lay undisturbed, as if the previous occupants just walked away from everything, which goes against Maquar ideology. The author lays groundwork for several mysteries that all play out simultaneously and are all interconnected as soon as the soldiers arrive. Barbarians appear from out of nowhere to attack and kill the soldiers. In the tower, a device that allows wizards to launch attacks from a great distance is discovered, the wizard who discovered it murdered. Conspiracies abound, plots unfold and through

As other reviewers have mentioned, Neversfall has a main plot and numerous subplots. While it is without doubt a fantasy novel, these subplots give it elements reminisent of both thriller and mystery novels. There is political intrigue and internal moral struggle, as well as a healthly dose of swordplay. The mystery element was particularly enjoyable to me. I found myself developing theories as I read, only to later reject them as more information was revealed. All the various elements and plot threads interact with each other and come together quite well, making Neversfall even better than the sum of its parts. Previous knowledge of the Forgotten Realms setting is not necessary for the enjoyment of this novel. I do not know the Realms well and knew absolutely nothing about the Shining South region prior to reading Neversfall. There was only one instance where my lack of knowledge of the local geography became an issue. Even then, it only affected my ability to "solve" one of the mysteries, not my overall enjoyment of the novel. Neversfall would be a good opportunity for a reader to introduce (or re-introduce) themselves to the Forgotten Realms setting.

Neversfall is the first book in the Citadel series, a set on stand alone novels set in the Forgotten Realms (but does not require any previous knowledge of the Realms). The story begins with two groups of soldiers from different countries coming together to investigate the disappearance of a regiment of soldiers from a shared fortress in the wilderness. Things begin to go wrong even before they arrive at the empty fortress to find no trace of what has happened there. In addition to the determining the fate of the lost regiment these two groups will have to overcome their mistrust of each other in order to survive. This book has something for everyone: Action/adventure, mystery, and even a little bit of political intrigue. The plot and story are very interesting and well written, but, for me, what really made this book great were the characters. The author writes characters that you can't help but have strong opinions on. The character of Taennen, especially, showed great growth over the course of the story and to me that was one of the more interesting parts of the book. Even the secondary characters were quite memorable. Another of my favourite aspects of the book was it's exploration of the concept of duty and the conflict that can arise between doing your duty and doing what you believe is correct, when the two courses of action may not be the same. This theme gives rise o several interesting issues and conflicts in the story and further add to the feeling of tension I mentioned above. The author also does an excellent job of conveying to the reader the reader the spookiness of the fortress and the tension if the situation. The story is full of surprises and the mystery of just want is going on kept me guessing for most of the book. For this reason and for the great character I give the novel 5 stars (out of 5).

Neversfall by Ed Gentry is the first novel in a series of stand-alone novels titled The Citadels. The second novel in this series is titled Obsidian Ridge: The Citadels by Jess Lebow and is scheduled for release in April of 2008. Lately, Wizards of the Coast has been releasing these stand-alone novels in series form seemingly to give new authors a chance and to expand on some areas that are rarely written about in the Forgotten Realms. If you have read any of the previous stand-alone series i.e. The Fighters, The Clerics, The Dungeons etc. You know what to expect here. A nice compact story, where previous reading is not necessary. That is one thing I really appreciate about these books, as a reader you don't have to have tomes of past knowledge under your belt to understand the story. The plot of this book, at least at the start, is there is a citadel in the untamed wilderness where everyone has went missing. No one knows why or how. Pretty simple storyline. However, Mr. Gentry adds several sub plots to the mix to liven things up. For starters the replacement regiment sent to investigate the disappearance is made up of two different military groups. One being the hard lined Maquar and the other being a mercenary band from Durpari. Later in the book there is a bit of a political sub plot, as well as something that is present in many books, but the way Mr. Gentry presents it makes it much more poignant and that is morality. While I enjoyed the book, I really enjoyed the last two to three chapters when the morality issue came to a head. There are a few other things mixed in for good measure, but I will let you find them for yourselves, you know those dreaded spoiler things. The characters in this novel are equally as entertaining as the plot. The main character is Adeenya, the mercenary leader. I was a little surprised that this book featured a strong female lead character. However, after finishing the novel, I think that choice was perfect. I like how Mr. Gentry explained how she came into the life of a mercenary as well. Another character that features prominently in this novel is Taennen who is the Maquar second in command. He is a solid character, well written and just enough depth and back story to be interesting without overburdening the reader with needless details. There are several other characters that are equally as interesting, but in an effort to keep this review succinct, I'll refrain from listing all of them. I will say this though, for only three hundred and twelve pages, there is a great deal of character development with the majority of the characters. Mr. Gentry obviously put a lot of thought into how the characters were going to act, their motivations, and he succeeded in giving each one of them a voice. The only criticism I have for this novel is I wish we could have learned more about the Durpari mercenaries that were present. It seemed aside from Adeenya and her second the rest were just fodder. I understand word count issue