The Reaver: A Novel of The Sundering

The Reaver was an intense novel that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. There was a sense of urgency through out the novel that emphasized the intensity of The Sundering. We start off meeting Anton, a pirate that has no apparent qualms to killing for what he wants, and what he wants is a boy named Stedd, who is a Chosen of the once dead Lathander. I enjoyed the development of Anton as a character. As the novel progressed, he became more and more of a unique person with his own complex pattern of thinking that gave him life. On the same note, I truly enjoyed Umara’s development and portrayal of a Red Wizard that was not just an evil wizard. Her love of magic was evident and made her more than the surface of her character. From that moment we are introduced to Anton, the novel races on towards the final battle between the Chosen of Umberlee and in essence, a servants of Lathander and Silvanus.This is the first novel in the Sundering Series that the reader gets to see the gods in direct action with the events that are progressing on Toril. Most of the action still is at the hands of their followers, however the gods obviously direct those actions. The higher level of the effects of the Sundering are coming into play for the reader. I have been waiting for this since The Companions. I know that what Ao is doing is possibly changing everything, but until now, we have not seen the gods move beyond creating a bunch of Chosen.The detail of what is happening in the Sea of Fallen Stars is a snap shot into the kinds of physical/global impacts the Sundering is having on Toril. There is war as the people of Toril fight for supremacy, the gods are vying for more power, and the planet is in the midst of shifts that are changing the world the environment. More evidence at how huge this event is and that it will impact (and has) every aspect of life in the Forgotten Realms.Byers fully engages the reader with the events that are racing on regardless if the characters can fully keep up. The actions of the characters and the events of the novel keep a pretty frantic pace for the most part, but the story does not feel rushed. I would love to read more about Anton and Umara in the future and see what becomes of them and how they move forward from the events of The Reaver.A fabulous novel and more evidence that the direction that The Sundering is taking the Realms is intense and going to be spectacular.(I received an ARC from WotC in exchange for my honest review)

Last year a major new even began in the Forgotten Realms. The Sundering is a world changing event that is ushering in new changes to the Dungeons and Dragons gaming system as well as the world of the Forgotten Realms novels. The first three novels dealt with established characters. Some are relatively new and some have been around since the beginning of the Realms. Now in the fourth book bestselling author Richard Lee Byers introduces us to a new character: Anton Marivaldi. Marivaldi is a reaver, a pirate known for his bloodthirsty ways.The novel opens with Marivaldi and his crew searching after Stedd Whitehorn, a boy who appears to be a prophet of Lathandar, the god of the dawn who was believed to have been slain. After capturing the boy Marivaldi’s crew turns on him and takes him prisoner as well. The wily Marivaldi is able to escape with Stedd. During this time the entire Sea of Fallen Stars is experiencing a major environmental disaster. The rain has fallen almost without a stop for a year. Crops are almost non-existent and the people are hungry and scared. Into this void has come the worship of Umberlee, the dreadful goddess of the sea. Her chosen is a former pirate Evendur Highcastle who she raised in undeath. Now Umberlee wants the blood of Stedd Whitehorn to increase her power. Szass Tam, the lich-lord of the Thayans wants the blood of Stedd Whitehorn. Stedd wants to preach the return of Lathander and help bring an end to the rains. Before the book is finished strange companions will come together as allies in the battle between the Chosen of Umberlee and the Chosen of Lathander.Anton Maribaldi is a great new character. He comes from an honorable past, but has fallen to a low station. No matter how hard he tries to stay bad the young Stedd keeps talking him into doing the right thing. Normally I am not fond of stories where characters go from murderous rouges to honorable characters. Most of the time the transformation doesn’t make sense. Somehow Byers is able to make this transition believable. So much so that we almost forget about the bloodthirsty actions in the beginning of the novel.As the Sundering moves towards the finish we see change coming to the world. Old gods thought dead seem to be returning. The Spellplague seems to be coming to an end. Hope is returning to the world. Where will the future of the Forgotten Realms take us? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to make the journey.After reading The Reaver I certainly hope that the future of the Realms holds more Anton Marivaldi stories. The book is well written. The characters are well rounded and interesting. This is great, classic sword and sorcery fiction. If you enjoy a good fantasy adventure novel then stop here and enjoy The Reaver. Afterwards, do what I plan to do. Go buy more of Richard Lee Byers novels and read those as well.

Great book

‘The Reaver’ by Richard Lee Byers is book four in the multi-author event, ‘The Sundering’. Set during the Era of Upheaval, each novel tells a smaller story, which often include beloved characters and some of Faerûn’s iconic heroes. ‘The Reaver’ takes us to the Sea of Fallen Stars where a small boy is trying to be the voice of a god everyone believes has passed. It’s a good time for the return of Lathander, also known as the Morninglord, an aspect of Amaunator, god of dawn, renewal and spring. The Great Rain seems endless. The lack of sun has crops failing and, well, everything is wet, all the time. It’s a miserable existence.Not everyone is averse to endless rain. The evil sea goddess Umberlee likes it just fine. As the sea rises, so does her influence or so the waveservants say. Small acts of evil endear ordinary folk to the Bitch Queen, pitting friends and families against one another as they struggle to survive misery and starvation. Understandably, Umberlee would like Stedd, the prophet of Lathander, dead. As Stedd is one of the Chosen, the preferred method of disposal is ritual sacrifice. With a hefty price on his head, Stedd quickly learns he can trust no one, not even the servants of more benevolent gods. Worshippers are jealously guarded, after all.Enter Anton Marivaldi and Umara Ankhlab, the reaver and the red wizard. They are just two of the agents attempting to capture the boy in order to exchange him for the reward. Anton’s motivation is primarily pecuniary, Umara is driven more by duty. She identifies as an envoy of Szass Tam, who I understand is one of Byers’ regular cast of characters.Thrown together by circumstance and individually beguiled by the boy, Stedd, Anton and Umara become unlikely allies. Together, they battle their way east. Separately, they each vow to take the boy to complete their own quest. But as Stedd’s power grows, the good within each is illuminated. They stick by him through the proverbial thick and thin, battling friend and foe, Chosen and their gods, and the remnants of the Spellplague, so that Stedd might realise his true potential and purpose.Again, I slipped seamlessly into another world. The authors of the ‘Forgotten Realms’ write well, really well. ‘The Reaver’ is devilishly easy to read. The story takes off from the first page, quickly gaining momentum before settling into a easily deciphered adventure that combines elements of ‘The Sundering’, Byers own characters and the surrounding lore of Faerûn.I like Anton. I get the feeling he would outwardly disdain such a comment, but be inwardly pleased. He’s the bastard with a heart of gold. Umara is more difficult to like, but I think she would appreciate that comment as well. With her shaved head and tattoos, she has spent some time perfecting her façade. The woman within is easy to connect with, however. Though Stedd inspires Anton and Umara to help him, they stay true to character throughout. Umara is a red wizard and Anton is a reaver and they use what they know to prevail: dark magic and piracy.‘The Reaver’ is epic fantasy at its best. Swords and sorcery, swash-buckling action and illusion, twisting and turning politics of men and gods. Combat is fast-paced and some of the battles are truly grand in scale. Byers makes great use of all the tools available to a ‘Forgotten Realms’ author, peppering his pages with fantastic creatures and stunning magic. He definitely makes each his own, however. His characters felt truly unique in a world governed by archetypes.The plot of ‘The Reaver’ was fairly simple, which is refreshing. The shifting alliances and motivations of the characters and the twists in the purpose of certain situations provided all the complication necessary to give the story a weighty feel. It also adds a great chapter to the Era of Upheaval, and advances the general plot of ‘The Sundering’.Richard Lee Byers is the author seventeen or so novels for ‘The Forgotten Realms’. From what I can tell, Anton is a new character. I found mention of his name in ‘Queen Of The Depths’, which is from another multi-author series from ‘The Forgotten Realms’. Anton is written so confidently, I was sure I’d find a series about him. I’d like one now, please. The further adventures of Anton and Umara would do nicely.Written for SFCrowsnest.

great