Tomes of Other Realms: The Black Vessel

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 Black Vessel
Author: Morris Simon
Publisher: TSR, Inc.
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1996

In lands of the Savage Baronies, playing at politics is often more dangerous than braving the Red Curse and the often hideous Afflictions it brings. So deadly can the games of kings and rulers be that the discovery of a single unknown relic can cause a scramble to capitalize on it. But what happens when that artifact comes from a time long before modern humans settled the area? That's the question plaguing Captain Hernan Costa, his Hutaakan companion Vulipor Watak, and the wizard-who-isn't-what-he-seems Mazrooth al Yedom as they desperately search for clues to the black vessel's origins and purpose. The quest takes Costa and Vulipor to the Hutaakan homeland and back, but will they return before a triple-agent captures the relic and releases the power trapped within? And if they don't, can they possibly hope to contend with the force that Mazrooth fears is an evil monstrosity, an evil that the vessel's creators could only imprison and not destroy?

The Black Vessel offers some links to the previous Mystara books, referring to the Great One--the dragon Immortal who dominated the Dragonlord Chronicles--and the land of Karameikos. This book, however, is a completely self-contained work all its own, and written in a decidedly different style. For one thing, while Dark Knight of Karameikos seemed to involve a number of Russian sounding names--Sergei, Yuri, Mikhail, among others--this book relies heavily on an Iberian influence, with names like Diego and Alvarez and Medina or titles like "Don" and "Dona" occuring throughout. It required something of an adjustment for me to really get into the book, which the slow rising action in the beginning didn't help...or all the outisde distractions I was contending with, but that's another matter.

Another thing that took getting used to was all the talk about the Red Curse and Legacies and Afflictions and Inheritors, since those things weren't mentioned in the other Mystara books. On the other hand, though, they made for some interesting plot devices. I especially liked the variations those things could take, such as Hernan's Fireball Legacy or Miguel Pardo's Charm Legacy. And some of the Afflictions that cropped up, like the Webcasting Legacy that supposedly mutated Herathians into spiders, were fascinating in their ingeniousness. And yet, throughout the entirety of the novel, it was the humanness of it all--perseverance in the face of one's Afflictions or Legacies--that drove the story along.

The Black Vessel parallels in part the quest of "real-world" scientists for a cure for diseases like cancer or AIDS. As with that real search for answers, this book doesn't provide a miracle cure for the Red Curse, but we get to enjoy an archaeological search and have a terrific magical adventure on the way!

Rating: Thumbs up! What will you find when you shed physical disguises and pyschological beliefs alike?

This book is currently not available, but click here for further instructions, 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.

You are the

th visitor to this page since August 16, 1999.

Back Home Back to Starfire Reviews

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page