The dragon's doom : a tale of the Band of Four

From Publishers Weekly Forgotten Realms creator Greenwood's fourth Band of Four book (after 2002's A Dragon's Ascension), with its gory and repetitive battle scenes, will please the faithful, many of them role-playing gamers, but fans of gentler fantasy had best stay away. Now in the position of Overdukes, sorceress Embra Silvertree, warrior Hawkril Anharu, thief Craer Delnbone, sorceress Tshamarra Talasorn and ex-regent Ezendor Blackgult must battle the priests and sundry servants of the Serpent, the wizard Ambelter and various barons in an effort to bring peace to the realm of Aglirta and keep the king on the throne. The scheming of the priests centers on a wine-induced blood plague, which compels people to spontaneously kill others before dying or to change into mythical beasts that remain under the priests' control. The action is fast and furious as the Band of Four, wielding the Dwaer (stones that amplify magical power and intensify spell-casting), contend with their double-crossing enemies as well as spontaneous attacks of the blood plague. Given the many new characters and others from previous volumes, the Dramatis Personae section at the back is particularly useful, but only if discovered beforehand. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Inevitably, a tale called the Band of Four has four volumes. Every bit as good as its predecessors--_The Kingless Land_ (2000), The Vacant Throne (2001), and A Dragon's Ascension (2001)--this book brings things to a satisfactory conclusion. The Four--Embra, Craer, Blackgult, and Hawkril--have been joined as overdukes of Aglirta by Tshamarra the sorcereress. They are all high-ranking troubleshooters, and trouble frequently shoots back, for the dissident nobles led by the Bowdragon clan and the Servants of the Serpent are as unruly and treacherous as ever. Another part of the opposition, however, consists of ordinary folk who don't see that putting Raulin Castlecloaks, the boy king, on the throne has really solved all that many problems. As the opposing sides seek the Dragon and the Serpent, respectively, and magical and material weapons are unleashed, the pacing turns brisk and the story acquires a slight Perils-of-Pauline quality. The book's many conflicts and their resolutions are never simple-minded, and altogether this is a most respectable wrap-up to a highly readable saga. Roland Green Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Praise for The Band of Four

The creator of the Forgotten Realms begins a new epic adventure.

—Dragon magazine

The Kingless Land [has] supercharged action and attention to detail that will undoubtedly satisfy Greenwood¿s core audience. There¿s more than enough arcane magic, pumped-up swordplay, and gory injury for the most dedicated gamer.¿

—Quill & Quire

A new series, a new land, and a band of adventurers we can root for - it¿s got everything a fantasy fan could ask for and more. Much more.

—SF Site

Energetic.

—Kirkus Reviews

A new world of magic and bold deeds ... a graceful tale of high fantasy.

—Library Journal

Agreeably entertaining all the way.

—Booklist

Ed Greenwood is a master of fantasy adventure world-building. His magic and wizardry are wondrous to all!

—New York Times bestselling author Margaret Weis

Creating fantasy requires imagination and a deft but subtle hand which Ed Greenwood has long showed himself capable of in his creation of the Forgotten Realms world. His skill lies in his ability to make the ordinary magical and in integrating magic and legends so thoroughly in his work. His sense of humor and drama combine in wondrous adventure tales with depth and pacing that make his books single-sitting treasures.

—New York Times bestselling author and award winning game designer Mike Stackpole

Publishers Weekly

Forgotten Realms creator Greenwood's fourth Band of Four book (after 2002's A Dragon's Ascension), with its gory and repetitive battle scenes, will please the faithful, many of them role-playing gamers, but fans of gentler fantasy had best stay away. Now in the position of Overdukes, sorceress Embra Silvertree, warrior Hawkril Anharu, thief Craer Delnbone, sorceress Tshamarra Talasorn and ex-regent Ezendor Blackgult must battle the priests and sundry servants of the Serpent, the wizard Ambelter and various barons in an effort to bring peace to the realm of Aglirta and keep the king on the throne. The scheming of the priests centers on a wine-induced blood plague, which compels people to spontaneously kill others before dying or to change into mythical beasts that remain under the priests' control. The action is fast and furious as the Band of Four, wielding the Dwaer (stones that amplify magical power and intensify spell-casting), contend with their double-crossing enemies as well as spontaneous attacks of the blood plague. Given the many new characters and others from previous volumes, the Dramatis Personae section at the back is particularly useful, but only if discovered beforehand. (May 28) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

The death of the Dragon has brought down the villainous Serpent and restored order to the land of Aglirta but the surviving members of the Band of Four have no time to grieve for their lost comrade. An anarchic berserker plague is spreading like wildfire and insidious factions are poised to seize control and resurrect their unholy deity. Can the Band dispel this threat or must a new Dragon be invoked and thus doom yet another of their number? The land of Aglirta is kingless no more. The rightful heir has been located, rebellion has been suppressed, and the Serpent slain. Yet the land is not at peace. The priests of the Serpent have regrouped and unleashed a plague, sowing chaos among the citizenry. The rattle of keys awakened an echo in that dark and stone-walled place, and then a heavy door scraped open, flooding torchlight into a damp darkness that had lasted for decades.