Vanity's Brood: House of Serpents, Book III

Vanity's Brood picks up from where Viper's Kiss left off and continues to shed light on Arvin, a rogue/psion, and his efforts at exacting revenge on Sybil, the half-demon yuan-ti abomination responsible for the deaths of Naulg and Karrell, the only two people he ever felt close to. In this final installment Arvin who has grown stronger, mastering powers such as invisibility and polymorph self among others, returns to Hlondeth before traveling to the exotic Jungles of Chult... Vanity's Brood starts off incredibly well, with a description of Smaragd, one of the infinite layers of the Abyss, immediately catching the reader's interest and attention. The plot as a whole is excellent! The book is so incredibly well written and presented 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. Lisa Smedman has done a FANTASTIC job of acquiring and presenting, efficiently and successfully, essential knowledge relevant to Faerun, including customs, religion and the history of the peoples of Toril. Her solid grasp of factual detail makes her capable of providing the necessary background needed to carry out the difficult task of writing Forgotten Realms novels, which is something often missing from the work of many Fantasy authors. Consequently, from the moment you pick up the book you have trouble putting it down and if that is not a clear sign of a fantastic writer/author, I don't know what is! Moreover, Lisa Smedman does a fantastic job of providing a good dose of Faerunian history and lore throughout the book (e.g. pages 12-13). Furthermore, on pages 122, 130, and 237 respectively, the author provides more exceptional portrayals that help teleport the reader alongside Arvin: "They recoiled and stumbled backward, screaming and weeping. At least a dozen ran blindly into the lava and were killed, their hair and clothes bursting into flame and their flesh sizzling as it roasted from their bones," "He could remember every detail. Sibyl, sending out waves of magical fear that turned into lava and burned the flesh from his bones, leaving him a walking skeleton the reeked of seared meat. Zelia, cracking open enormous eggs and slurping out the screaming infants they contained, her neck bulging grotesquely as she swallowed them down. The marilith demon, hacking open Karrell's pregnant belly with its swords, inside was a nest of dead snakes tied in an intricate knot," and "She bit into it [the heart] like an apple, blood-juice running down her chin and throat." On the negative side: 1) Yuan-ti are monsters and there is nothing cute or pleasant about having the hero become intimate and have babies with one. If it was elves, or even halflings it would be great, but scales and forked tongues... Really... 2) Sibyl had been to Chult before and since she is winged she would have recognized the landmark/volcano. The

Just put the book down and wow, what a book. This whole series has been great and you would be well advised to get into it. Great action and a wonderful cast of characters. good Job If you like books like this one, might I suggest another I've recently come across. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly recommend it.