The Howling Delve

I'm surprised that the reviews for Howling Delve have not been more positive. I found Delve to be an excellent book and one of the few from this genre that I have enjoyed. I normally don't read fantasy but one day I saw this in the book store and thought I would give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a robust, multi-layered story with well developed, "human" (actually not all human, I simply meant as opposed to "cardboard") characters. In fact, I liked it so much that I went out a bought a series of related books from different authors - Salvatore, Cunnnigham, etc. Those, by contrast, were a disappointment. Flat, unbelievable characters, implausible motivations, contrived plots. I would recommend Delve to readers of any genre who enjoy characters and story telling. This is not epic fantasy. You won't discover that the swine herd from chapter one is actually the eternal hero named in the ten thousand year old prophecy who will eventually fight an arch demon to determine the fate of the world. Instead you will read about a troubled youth that faces through adversity and finds his way in the world - a well written story that just so happens to take place in the world of magic.

The Howling Delve is the third book i read from the Dungeons series. First two books i read, Starfall (Cordell classic) and Crypt of the Moaning Diamond (a bad attempt at child fantasy) were both terrible in their own special way. So understandably i went into reading this title with more then moderate scepticism. Well the book turned out to be quite nice. It's biggest strength is a solid plot, and strong side-characters. The plot moves nicely and although being a bit too linear for my taste, it is not boring at all. It is important to say that it isnt a choking dungeon-crawl like other books in the series. It does involve a dungeon, but in a different, much more creative way. Perhaps the other books should have followed this format. Too late now anyways. Book also contains much lore on some deties and places that havent been given much space in earlier realms novels. Side characters are really well thought out and interesting. I think Garavin the dwarf could carry a series of books by himself, and Cesira was truly unique. Main characters, Kall and Cesira, could have been given more distinguishing traits i guess. They arent bad or annoying, and most importantly they arent cheesy like 90% of main characters nowadays. But they should really have been more memorable. I can say the same of the villains, who left much to be desired. I really dont have any more complaints about this novel. Strong plot, good pace and writing, rich lore and interesting side characters. Well worth the time and money.

The Howling Delve, second book of the Dungeons series, by Jaleigh Johnson is a story of vengeance. The story is set in the Forgotten Realms wizard-hating land of Amn and follows Kall, a powerful gem merchant's son who escapes the bloody betrayal of his father's guard captain. After stumbling through a magical portal Kall finds himself in the midst of a digging camp led by a dwarven priest. A parallel story tells of an orphan named Meisha, who is taken in by a curious wizard that discovers her latent talent in fire magic. She becomes a Harper agent and fire elemantalist bent on vengeance also, for the murder of another agent. Both Kall and Meisha find homes in their respective situations and grow to become strong characters. Meisha and Kall meet when Kall tries to return to his father but finds him completely wasted away in both mind and spirit. Meisha arrives on the scene and attempts to kill his father for murdering a Harper agent during the captain's betrayal. Kall pursues vengeance against the guard captain and Meisha reluctantly follows suit. The Dungeon series is meant to elaborate on particular Realms lore, in this case an ancient, underground dwarven stronghold that holds a dark secret. The story is well done and fluid. It's full of fast paced action and great characterization as it reveals more and more of this ancient complex. The characters themselves are well done and make sense, feeling lifelike and plausible, even the villains and side characters. Jaleigh's word usage and style are a delight to experience; the rhythm of her writing carries the reader through the entire novel marvelously. In fact, her rhythm carried me through several pages before I realized I noticed an inconsistency. It may have been implied from the beginning of the story and was mistakenly forgotten to remind the readers later on. It wasn't something that would drive the reader nuts over though. As I said, her rhythm is wonderful and is very smooth. You only stop to realize how much you've read when you have to put the book down to use the restroom. Aside from the two issues above I enjoyed the book immensely. It ended on a most exciting note, one in which I hope Wizards of the Coast allows her to explore - it certainly has the makings of giving the Shadow Thieves of Amn a much needed remodeling, in my opinion. I am most anxious for her to return to the Realms and tell more tales. A great book, a fast read, and an enjoyable way to idle away the time!