Under Fallen Stars

The story of Jherek and the Sahauguin invaders continues in this well written book. Odom continues to develop his characters well, even adding a couple of new additions to the journey. A young paladin joins Jherek on his journey after the item given to him by the priest of Lethander. And they end up at the Sea of Fallen Stars right where the old bard weaving his tale just happens to have traveled to.The series is shaping up to be a fantastic one all in all, but this book was missing something compared to the first book. It seemed drawn out at times just filling space, like the author ran into the problem of one group being here and the other there and no way to bring them together, but he manages to pull it off rather well and it doesn't destract from the book at all. Despite what some reviewers say this does not surpass the books of Salvatore. Does it come close? I will have to concede that it does. This is shaping up to be one of the best adventures in the Realms in recent history. Enjoy!

As I read this second book it what is shaping up to be a fantastic series, I can not help that notice that this book is not as strong as the first. The Character development contined at a some what slower rate, and I see signs that the story is begining to be drawn out (Though not to the extreem that Robert Jorden is still doing), and can only hope that the next book remains the same quality. I find that there are a lot of similarities in the general story line to a series of "ready to play" adventures developed by TSR for the DD gaming universe. So I recomend for those players that liked this series to look in finding the "Trouble in Saltmarsh" adventures and trying them out. Over all I did like this book and I highly recomend that the fans of the first should also get the second.

Overall Mel Odom continues to do a good job with this saga that touches on an area that no Realms novel has ever dealt with before. He deserves much credit for being the first author to work in this virgin territory, creating detailed pictures of the cultures and creatures that make their lives under the waves. In this second installment of the trilogy he continues to add color and depth to his characters as well as introduce a few new ones. My only regrets which keep this a 4 star review, are the few moments when I had to suspend my disbelief. For example, Jherek with the help of his new found friend the paladin launch a clumsy, hopeless attack on the HQ of a pirate, and are only saved by the good samaritan actions of another pirate. Not too believable. Jherek's sense of honor also gets a bit annoying, mainly during combat. In the naval attack on Baldurs Gate he passes up oppurtunities to strike his sauhagin foes in the back, and he shudders at the tactics his fellows use in combat because they seem "unfair" to him. In all probability Jherek should have gotten himself killed fighting the way he does. However, towards the end of book Jherek's sense of himself receives a serious blow, and he needs the help of a friend to get himself centered again. So in a sense his character retains some realism and becomes believeable. The book's pace doesn't quite match the first, but I still enjoyed reading it and look forward to the final novel.

While I can't agree with the reviewer below that Odom is better than Salvatore - he is certainly making a grab for fame. Mr. Odom has managed to make an aquatic setting actually interesting (no mean feat) and (what I imagine inspired the below review) you can actually care about the characters while most of the AD & D novel characters are complete throw-aways. I can't wait for the next one! The next Salvatore? Maybe. ... but a very fine novel in the meantime.

Just read this series -- that's all I have to say -- you MUST read this series! IMO Odom has passed Salvatore as the FR bard par excellence! This book is so rich in detail and characterization -- plus action, action, action -- and draws all the best from AD & D and the FR setting--WOW!