Sea of Death: Blade of the Flame, Book 3 (The Blade of the Flame)

I really liked this series. Good characters, great action, nice plots and pacing - it has it all. I want another trilogy ASAP!

THIS THRD PART OF THIS TRILOGY WAS GOOD... NOT AS GOOD AS THE FIRST ONG BUT IT WAS OK.. TO FINSIHING AND END THE STORY OF DIRAN AND HIS FRIENDS... I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THEM BUT IF THEY DO THEY SHOULD HAVE THE VIBE AS THE FIRST NOVEL THIEVES OF BLOOD

Sea of Death by Tim Waggoner is the third, and final, book in the Blade of the Flame trilogy. The first book is titled The Thieves of Blood : Book 1 (The Blade of the Flame)and the second book is Forge of the Mind Slayers: The Blade of the Flame, Book 2 (The Blade of the Flame). If you are contemplating reading this book, and trilogy, and have not yet read the short story by Mr. Waggoner in the Eberron anthology called Tales of the Last War (Eberron Novels)I strongly suggest it. The short story is called `The Blade of the Flame' and adds quite a bit of depth to a couple of the characters in this trilogy. The plot of this novel, as with book two, picks up right where the previous book left off. The main plotline of this book is the group of heroes tracking down the lich Nathifa and her group. While this plotline dominates most of the book, and rightly so. There are also a couple small subplots as well. Such as: a characters from Diran's past who, along with Diran, seek to find answers about some questions that come from the depth of his soul. (Sorry I can't be more specific on that). Mr. Waggoner also gives us little nuggets of information on several of the characters that, while they are certainly relevant to the plot, help flesh out the characters more as well. The characters are largely the same set as that from the firs two books. There are a few added in, but, by and large it is the same cast. This is both a positive and negative. It's a positive because Mr. Waggoner does not have to spend a great deal of time setting them up. It's a negative because we, as readers, have spent two books (and possibly a short story) reading about these characters some change is a good thing. If a reader has grown to dislike a characters then they may tune this story out. In the first book I loved the characters, in the second I felt like something was missing. In this book I was back to liking the characters again. There seemed to be a much more `human' element to them. They did not come across as forced and the dialogue never felt contrived. I think the strength of this particular novel was how well fleshed out the characters became. Most of the major characters had some growth and development in this story. My only criticism with this book is that the plot, especially for a third book in a trilogy, was much too linear. Mr. Waggoner certainly tied up a few loose ends from previous books, as well as leaving some openings for future stories. However, I can't help but feel, upon finishing this book, that not really a whole lot happened in the grand scheme of things. Maybe another, deeper, subplot would have helped. But, when I read a conclusion to a trilogy I expect a little more than what was delivered here. I am pleased that the characters were developed much more in this book than in book two. It made them feel more real and I was able to relate to them more. Mr. Waggoner writes a pleasant prose. It's not overly flowery, but provides enough description