The Maelstrom's Eye: Spelljammer, the Cloakmaster Cycle, Book 3

Arriving at the Rock of Bral, Teldin Moore is hoping to find help from the Elven Imperial Navy. But, all they can do is send him on, looking for information on his magical cloak and the legendary ship, the Spelljammer. But, the cloak is a most potent object, and there are many people who want it, and are willing to kill anyone who gets between them and the cloak. Can Taldin Moore stay alive long enough to complete his quest? And, just who can he trust, if anyone? This is the third book in the Cloakmaster Cycle (after Beyond The Moons and Into the Void), the books that laid the groundwork for AD & D's most fascinating campaign - Spelljammer. This third book is really exciting, with lots of great action and adventure. I found the characters and creatures of the book to be very interesting, giving the story a lot of suspense and horror. So, let me just say that this is a great book, and a worthy addition to the series. You say you can't imagine how anyone can combine space travel with swords and sorcery? Well, just read this book and find out. I highly recommend it!

Maelstrom's Eye is the third book in the Cloakmaster Cycle series, which consists of six (6) books in total. Picking up from where Into the Void left off, the book continues to shed light on Teldin Moore and his ongoing quest to find out more about the magical cloak he carries a.k.a. "The Cloak of the First Pilot" and eventually be free of it. The book does not waste time, instead it rushes to answer some of the questions that have been left lingering/unanswered from the first two books e.g. the changing of the cloak's colors, the ability to comprehend languages, the Reigar race to which the fallen she-captain from Beyond the Moons belonged and more... This time round, Teldin has changed both physically and mentally; less trusting, longer hair, mustache etc Ability-wise, he is maturing, becoming more and more experienced and able as a fighter as well as in learning the secrets of the cloak and thus better able at controlling and handling its immense power. He is able to cast Haste, Magic Missiles, and set up protective magical barriers among others. The book opens with a bang, immediately catching the reader's interest and attention. The amazing tour of the exotic Rock of Bral and the graphic way that Vorr dispatches the goodly party leave the reader enthralled! The book immediately becomes captivating, to the point that it cannot be easily put down. The graphic slaughter of noble heroes is surely to get one's attention and develop hateful feelings towards the perpetrators. The plot as a whole is excellent! The book is so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another plane of existence and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. Moreover, Roger Moore does a great job of presenting the distinct culture and civilization of the space faring peoples, especially the elves, the gnomes, and the scro. He has done a great deal of research in order to provide such an accurate and lucid description of these people. Neogi, umber hulks, elves, gnomes, space battles, intrigue, betrayal, and swordfights are all about. In addition, there are some new and interesting races/creatures like the Fal and the scro (space goblinoids) that really do spice up things. Furthermore, there is a strong sense of Star Wars and Star Trek with the motley collection of aliens that one encounters in Wildspace and on the Rock of Bral in particular, though a map of the Rock would be extremely helpful. Finally, it is truly wonderful to be provided with so much more information regarding the Spelljamming world. On the negative side, there is still the question from the first book that is left unanswered as to why Teldin seemed as being a draconian to the draconians while at the SAME TIME as himself to his human companions (there must be some kind of magic from the School of Illusion at work that has not been explained). Hopefully this will be dealt with in one

I warmly remember The Maelstrom's Eye as one of the best TSR-novels I read as a teen. Roger Moore gave his debut as a novelist, displaying a quite surprising talent for writing, given that he was primarily a game designer. He managed to elevate the up to then solid but not captivating Cloak Master Cycle to new heights, delivering a story as complex as it was intriguing. Elaine Cunningham came close to matching him in this, but after that, the series sadly dropped off. Don't miss the appearance of the dreaded space hamsters!

These are the ONLY novels written before TSR cancelled the Spelljammer AD & D campaign:In this, the third novel of a 6-part series, the main character (Teldin Moore, a native of Krynn, the Dragonlance world) meets with the Elven Imperial Navy to get help in determining the properties of his mysterious cloak, which is said to have ties to the Spelljammer ship itself.As the story develops, he is emroiled in a conflict with the elves and the Scro, an intelligent orc race, who both want to obtain his cloak (as does an undead neogi). Along the way, he is reunited with a character from the first book (a hippo-man named Gomja) and is joined by a native of his homeworld, a female half-kender (as he would say, "Great Paladine!").Well-written and in-depth, this continues the series of novels about the Cloakmaster. Each novel is written by a different TSR-native author. The story, so far, has meshed well and each author well-defines the broad scope of the unique Spelljammer setting.This entire series must-buy for a fantasy fiction lover tired of the traditional "Earth-style pseudo-medievil world-walker" campaigns.

This had to one of the best if not the best book of the series. Roger E. Moore spins a great tale about the continuing adventures of Teldin, the cloakmaster. In this volume Teldin following Vallus Leafbower's advice seeks out the imperial elven fleet. After meeting admiral Cirathorn. He encounters Gaye, the half kender[this is not a misprint] and seeks the help of a fal a great space sage, who is to be found in herdspace. However, his troubles are not yet over as both the Imperial eleven fleet and their ancient enemiesthe scro now seek the cloak. I loved this book as it introduced the Scro. Cold, clinical, ruthless. The scro are the decendants of the goblinoid races that lost the first unhuman war waged between their races and the elves. The military feel of this book is a welcome change and marks a turning point in the series. With the return of Gomja and the itroduction of several new characters. This book sealed my devotion to this series.