Tomes of Other Realms: The Cities: The City of Ravens

Tomes of Other Realms

Welcome to the lands of swords and sorcery, where people live and die by the sword and only the bravest of souls stand between the common folk and the forces of darkness. Join me as I wander different planes and hear the stories of their greatest defenders and the sagas of their worthiest warriors.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: The Cities: The City of Ravens
Author: Richard Baker
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 2000

Jack Ravenwild never thought of himself as being very patriotic. Certainly, he never thought he'd care so much when Raven's Bluff, the city he grew up in and now made his living in, became the target of numerous threats from both without and within. And certainly he never imagined that he'd play such an enormous role not only in saving the city this time around, but from a considerably greater threat than it has been facing already. After all, Jack Ravenwild, for all his magical skill and mastery of disguise, is a thief, and he could have simply left the town and made his living elsewhere. But he has a bond with Raven's Bluff, and all unwilling he'll do all he can to save the city from itself. Even if it means descending deep into the earth into tunnels and ruins from ages past. Who knows what creatures lurk in the depths, and which are more dangerous, those unseen things or the companions he's forced to travel with?

The Cities: The City of Ravens is the start of a new Forgotten Realms novel series, a stand-alone novel that, for all its individuality still requires a basic awareness--or maybe not--of the world of the Forgotten Realms.

It's a rarity to find a book with a thief as the main character--in my experience at least--but to have a thief who's also a wizard is something unique...again, in my experience at least. Add to that the fact that this thief who's also a wizard also manages to use magic in a way that conforms to no known school, and you have a character who will always be surprisingly intriguing and observable. And given how many situations Jack gets himself into, you'll get to do a lot of observing.

The Cities: The City of Ravens is well worth the read. Action may get confusing, especially since there are several plots running forward at the same time and Jack is immersed in all of them, but you'll get it all straight eventually. But you'll never know unless you read the book!

Rating: Thumbs up! A wizardly thief with renegade powers...worth the read, I think so!

Buy this book in paperback or visit the Cosmic Tomes Bazaar for other titles.

Looking for something that's no longer here? Check in the Archive to search for it.

Comments? Suggestions? Just click here to send me e-mail. Also, if this review prompted you to read the book, then let me know. I appreciate knowing I made a difference in somebody's life.

This page posted October 1, 2002.

Back Home Back to Starfire Reviews

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page