The City of Ravens

Let's be honest, books like these are modern day pulp. A number of fantasy series, like "Dragonlance" and "Forgotten Realms" churn out largely anonymous, pedestrian books that are easily readable and easily forgettable. Nobody should be reading these books and looking for great literature or a lot of originality. Books like these function best as a few hours of pleasant, diverting reading for those who enjoy fantasy and have a passing familiarity with Forgotten Realms. This book is not different. However, I am somewhat surprised because the book is written a bit smarter and in general is better executed than many of its peers. Jack Ravenwild is a thief and ne'er-do-well with some magic abilities who has a number of odd friends: a naive noblewoman, a surly dwarf, a suspicious warrior who helps him in his schemes, and a drunken wizard. This is complicated when he is contracted by a beautiful woman who may be more then she seems (you can guarantee it) to find a magical book for her, and crosses path with a fiery Red Wizard. Also vying for his time, he must attend a ball that features a riddle with his noblewoman friend (who he is lying to, posing as a nobleman with a tragic story), finding a lost dwarven treasure, and evading the town's guards, all while hoping his allies don't tear him apart. Predictably, Jack gets into more hairy situations and trouble than he can handle, and as the story picks up steam Jack finds himself embroiled in more plots and danger than you could reasonably expect one man, even a blackguard like Jack, could find himself in. It's a pretty typical story, but the author adds a little more by fashioning a city that comes to life in its geography, businesses, and landmarks, and a cast full of colorful characters. It's not great literature in any way, but it's a nice read.

I devoured this book in short order. I loved the colorful thief / mage, Jack as he conned his way in and out of trouble in the city of Ravens. There were a lot of subplots going on, but Richard Baker makes it easy to follow. The charm and wit that Jack possess as well as the characters he runs into are unforgettable. This will probably be one of my favorite Forgotten Realm books and I look forward to reading other Richard Baker novels. Worth reading if you are a Dungeons and Dragons fan and enjoy a lively city adventure with a smart talking thief.

This was one of the best Realms novels I have read (I've read over 60). In many other realms novels , thieves and bards are also master swordsmen. Here , the main character Jack Ravenwild wasn't. It was really great to see a thief who actually lost duels. The book had many characters & sub-plots, all of which were interesting. The only weird thing in the book was the red wizard Zandria, who wasn't evil and had a companion who was a priest of Tyr.I would recommend it to anyone who is a FR fan.

After reading an interview at TSR.com with Richard Baker about this book I could hardly wait to get my hands on it. I was not dissapointed in the least. The main character Jack Ravenwild is now one of my favorite FR characters ever. This book is so witty that it will have you laughing out loud as you read it. It has its fair share of intrigue and adventure that will keep you up at night because you cannot put this book down. My only complaint is that it could have been at least fifty pages longer. The end seemed a bit rushed but overal the books entirety FAR outweighs this slight setback. I hope that we will get to see more of Jack in future FR books. I highly recomend this book to any fan of the forgotten realms series or anyone who enjoys good books.

The City of Ravens is a witty, fast-paced, and engaging read from page one. Jack Ravenwild, the protagonist, gets himself into and out of more scrapes than you can shake a stick at while trying to get ahead in a fantasy city portrayed with a liberal amount of sarcasm and black humor. It reminded me a lot of Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar, or Jack Vance's Cugel the Clever -- not what I'd expected from a Forgotten Realms novel, and a fun change of pace. I'm going to make a point of reading more of Richard Baker's stuff in the future.The reviewer who said that the book was written entirely in first person is incorrect, by the way. It's a third person narrative, and Jack is the point of view character throughout the story.