Sword of the Gods

The Abyssal Plague Spreads #1

by Bruce R. Cordell

With no memory of his past, a lone hero must fight two battles—one to understand his identity and one to defeat the demon that now plagues Faerûn Demascus wakes up on the cold stone slab of an ancient altar. He doesn’t know who he is. He doesn’t know where he’s from. He doesn’t even know his own name until a stranger tells it to him. But someone—or something—wants to kill him. This he knows with the certainty of the grave. At the same time, a demon from a dead universe—a gift from the Chained God—is freed from its fossilized prison. Its essence takes root in the nightmare reality of the living, sparking a transformation once thought halted by forgotten heroes.Dodging knives, uncovering clues left by his past life, and dueling demons, Demascus must figure out who he is, who his enemies are, and what battles he is fighting. Along the way, he will discover that he is the last of the forgotten heroes—the only thing that stands between the light of the world and the phantasmagorical torments of the Abyss.

Genres: Forgotten Realms, Fantasy, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, High Fantasy

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Bruce R. Cordell authored books for Dungeons & Dragons over the course of 4 editions (2nd Edition through 5th Edition D&D). These days, he’s a senior designer for Monte Cook Games, LLC designing Numenera , Gods of the Fall, and The Strange. Also a novel author, his credits include several titles set in the Forgotten Realms. Bruce’s tenth novel, Myth of the Maker, is just out from Angry Robot Books:
http://brucecordell.blogspot.com/2017...

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer-If you read the review and feel there is a spoiler in it, please let me know and I will remove that section. Also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thank you.

Sword of the Gods by Bruce R. Cordell is the first book to bring the Abyssal Plague to the Forgotten Realms. The next book about the Abyssal Plague is Shadowbane by Eric Scott de Bie.

Sword of the Gods begins as a mystery when Demascus awakes to find himself naked and surrounded by dead bodies and a demon with no memory of who he his or where he has been. In the search of his identity, fragmented memories come back to him and later he learns what he must do. Some subplots involve a startling memory Demascus has, a companion who owes a debt, another companion with troubles of her own, a cult hidden within, and other spoiler related subplots.

After the initial prologue, Sword of the Gods builds a bit slowly. But once things get set in motion and more characters are introduced, the book moves at a nice pace. There is plenty enough action to keep things interesting as well as regular moments for plot development. The novel is richly detailed and really draws the reader into the scenery. The flow is nice and smooth and keeps things moving from one direction to the next. The characters for me were very likable and I enjoyed them and getting to know them. They become well developed as the story progresses.

Some criticisms:

1. I expected a little more in the final battle. This one has to quick of an ending to me. There is a battle about 3/4 of the way in that had more of the feeling it would have been better as a finale, but does fit where it is placed.

2. This is a minor criticism, but one of the subplots is left open. I would really like to know what happened with it, but will just put it down to being completed in a later novel as there is an opening left at the end of this one.

3. This book didn't have the plague feel as much as is depicted in the D&D novels. Though there is a slight connection that makes perfect sense, it just didn't have a "plague" feel to it.

Some positives:

1. The writing felt more refined in this novel then previous books by Mr. Cordell. It is really nice to see his writing progress as it has through the years. I have definitely become a fan.

2. The PG-13 line is towed nicely here. The language felt refreshing and real. There is also some nice scenes to make someone squeamish and had a nice dark feel to them.

3. I really enjoyed the characters. Others may have reservations as the characters do come off a bit heroic and ready to do the right thing and defeat the evil, but I enjoyed them very much none the less. They were easy to relate to and fun to read. There are also some sides to the characters that haunt their pasts making them feel real.

I really liked Sword of the Gods and look forward to more from Mr. Cordell. It has all the aspects of the realms without the bad points of the 4ed feel. For those who are looking to get into the realms and see what is going on, I recommend giving this one a try. If you are looking to see what the fantasy genre is about in a shared world, you should also give this one a try. For individuals who like a dark feel to the story there is something for you as well. All in all, this would be chalked up to more of a 4.5 star rating and I can see others may feel it is more of a 3.5 to 4 stars, but I feel it is good enough to me to upgrade to 5.

Happy reading.

-dimndbangr

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me begin by saying that I am not a D&D fan. It’s not that I have anything against Dungeon’s and Dragon’s, but I never got into it. The thing I loved most about this book, especially since it is the second in a series, is that you don’t have to be a D&D fan or know anything about the D&D universe to enjoy this book.

Our hero Demascus has amnesia. Brilliant. He doesn’t know who he is or much about the world, and neither did I. So we learned together. With the aid of Chant a honest and opportunistic pawn show owner and Riltana a thief with morals, Demascus solves the mystery of his past, the deaths of several soldiers, and stops a demon uprising.

A fun fast read that not only inspires me to read more in this series, but also to go back and read other works by Bruce Cordell.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sword of the Gods by Bruce R. Cordell

Sword of the Gods is a stand-alone novel set in the Forgotten Realms universe of Dungeons and Dragons. This book also ties into The Abyssal Plague trilogy, but isn't part of the trilogy. The actual The Abyssal Plague trilogy is set in the Dungeons and Dragons self-titled novel line. The trilogy consists of The Temple of Yellow Skulls by Don Bassingthwaite, The Oath of Viligance by James Wyatt (due out in August 2011), and The Eye of the Chained God by Don Bassingthwaite (due out April 2012). There is an origin novella by James Wyatt titled The Gates of Madness and a prelude by Bill Slavicsek titled The Mark of Nerath. The plague will stay in the Forgotten Realms with Shadowbane by Erik Scott de Brie (due out in September 2011) and will spread to the Dark Sun universe with Keith R. A. DeCandido's Under the Crimson Sun (due out in June 2011). Thankfully, reading these books aren't required, but may help in understanding some of the details of the plague. Bruce R. Cordell has written other novels set in the Forgotten Realms universe; a book in The Priest series titled Lady of Poison, a book in The Wizards series titled Darkvision, a book in The Dungeons series titled Stardeep, and the Abolethic Sovereignty trilogy (Plague of Spells, City of Torment, and Key of Stars). He has also written a novel under the pen name of T. H. Lain titled Oath of Nerull. He has also contributed a number of short stories to various anthologies as well as writing a vast amount of role-playing game books. Sword of the Gods was released April 2011 and was published by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

After waking up on a slab of stone, surrounded by dead bodies the last thing Demascus would want is to not know who he is. He recalls nothing from his past, nor how he wound up on the altar of stone. After a bit of investigating, Demascus finds a map on one of the dead and heads to the closest city; Airspur. When he enters the city, he finds himself at the door of a pawn shop being hassled by a group of genasi. After being saved from the group by the pawn shop's owner, a human named Chant Morven, Chant realizes that he has something of Demascus', a scarf. However, before Demascus can figure out what the scarf is, it's stolen by a thief, Riltana. While Demascus and Chant try to track down the thief and help regain Demascus' memories, flashes of his past return. He doesn't like what he recalls.

Criticisms:
1) Antagonists. The biggest flaw with Sword of the Gods is that the antagonists never are really present until close to the end. They hardly appear throughout the story, and when they do, it's random and makes the book feel slightly disjointed. The reader is introduced to Kalkan in the first chapter and he reappears a few chapters later, but then almost disappears until two-thirds of the way through Sword of the Gods. When Kalkan returns, you barely remember who he is. On the other side, about one-third of the way into Sword of the Gods, the reader is introduced to a being known as Murmur out of the blue. There was nothing to suggest that this being existed until this point. It felt like Murmur was thrown in, even through he plays a large part in the story. Thankfully, they were still decent antagonists. When Murmur and Kalkan came back into the story, they did add a lot of disturbing and frightening images to the story. But they just needed more of a presence. The antagonists could have had a more constant presence than they did or not appear out of thin air.

Praises:
1) Main Characters. The three main characters; Demascus, Chant, and Riltana, in Swords of the Gods were wonderful. For being a stand-alone novel, these three were surprisingly well-developed early on. It felt like you've known these characters for years. Demascus really works because he, like the reader, is just learning about himself, making it very easy to like this character. You can really identify with his plight. He also adds a lot of humor and fun to the story, something I didn't expect. Out of the three, Chant seems like the more generic character, but had the most developed backstory. He's just a pawn broker who's more than that. But he's past is what is really interesting, and I won't give it away. I just hope that in the future, we learn what happens to Chant. Of the three characters, Riltana was the best. She had humor, a great back story, interesting relationships, and I want more of her! There's no easy why to explain why Riltana was so great. She's not your typical heroine, nor is she your typical thief. There was just something about her that you couldn't get enough of. All in all, the three lead characters were wonderful and made the story fun.
2) Humor. Sword of the Gods was surprisingly funny. If you look at the cover and read the plot summary on the back of the novel, you wouldn't think that this book had as much humor as it did. It was surprising and a breath of fresh air. The humor doesn't detract from the story, but instead enhances the story. It helps in adding a lot of fun to the story as well. The humor, while surprising, makes Sword of the Gods a lot of fun to read.
3) Memory. It's hard to successfully pull off an amnesia-stricken character well, but the way Demascus' memories were worked into the story made it really work. It worked because you, as a reader, were in Demascus' shoes. The random flashbacks and visions didn't detract from the story, but drew you in more. You wanted to know who Demascus was just as much as he did. The way the memory problem worked out was wonderful and made Sword of the Gods that much deeper.

Side Notes:
1) Language. This doesn't feel like a typical Forgotten Realms novel, mostly due to the strong language used. It's a nice change and makes Sword of the Gods feel very different.
2) Tie-ins. Along with being a part of The Abyssal Plague, Sword of the Gods also has some nice nods to Bruce R. Cordell's Abolethic Sovereignty trilogy.
3) Cover Art. Truth be told, I am not a fan of the cover art for Sword of the Gods. It's one of those covers that just isn't attractive and looks awfully generic. While the red color scheme is interesting, there's just too much of it. Because of this, you are instantly drawn to the pale and ugly form of Demascus. He just doesn't look good, at all. He just looks awful, and there is really no easy way to explain why. As for the other creature he's up against, I have no idea what or who it's supposed to be. All in all, the cover art is a real turn off.

Overall: 5/5
Final Thoughts:
Sword of the Gods is a wonderful story and really surprised me with a number of things. While the antagonists never really had a huge presence, they still were creepy and disturbing. It's just a shame that they weren't around more. Thankfully, everything else was just wonderful. The characters were great. You can really identify with Demascus and it was almost as though you were in his shoes. The way he gained his memories back made you want to learn more about him and who he was. Chant had a wonderful backstory and I hope that at some point, it gets explored further. Riltana was just awesome. She added a lot of fun and depth to the story, and whenever she popped up, I didn't want her to go away. The most surprising thing about Sword of the Gods was how much humor was in the story. When going into the book, I thought it was going to be your typical serious fantasy novel, but I was surprised by how funny it really was. The humor never took away from the serious parts and only enhanced the overall experience. I really do hope that Sword of the Gods has a sequel in the future, because it really does deserve it. Sword of the Gods is a great read, very easy for new readers to jump into, and definitely worth picking up.

[Lorewarden]

This novel is a tie-in between the Abyssal Plague series and the Forgotten Realms. I enjoyed the story very much, of a hero with amnesia suddenly finding himself in the middle of a big evil plot. His friends are nuanced and likable for their faults. I will say that the Abyssal Plague tie-in is pretty minimal. The story doesn't rely on it at all, and honestly would be pretty much the same without it. That's not to say that this detracts from the book - the story stands well on its own - but it feels like the Abyssal Plague was added to an existing novel just because they needed a tie-in.

[Pierre van Rooden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really get to care that much for the main protagonist, Demascus, but I seem to have that with most novel's heroes. Chant, Rilta, and Carmenere went well though, and the demon/cultists opposing them were interesting (if a bit gullible).

Demascus' starts the story with amnesia, which works well, as it allows one to slowly discover Demascus'nature. One thing puzzles me, and that is Demascus assuming he is a human. Why would he think that? Wouldn't a creature upon waking with amnesia know he was a creature of a certain race? I definitely don't see a hobgoblin waking up and thinking 'I am a human'... It feels like the writer is projecting his own thoughts there rather than the deva's.

Demascus discovery of his history gives interesting scenes such as the strangling of a priest. It prtomise ssome dark discoveries. However, the resolution for this, at the end of the novel, is not satisfactory - It felt like Demascus is let off the hook a bit too easily there. All that is left is the notion that Demascus is a bit too easily convinced for the need of killing the priest. Unfortunately it is the bad guy that has to point that weakness out, and his arguments are rather easily cast aside as lies.

I liked the conflict between Carmenere and Rilta, but was a bit disappointed that the cause was not a more personal issue. Stealing stuff and then losing it seems not worth losing a deep friendship over. Not that I can't understand Carm's anger, but the whole thing seems a bit... stupid, I guess. Maybe if the two were lovers, then a (fairly minor and childish) betrayal like this would have mattered more.

The deception with Murmur's host was unfortunately a bit too predictable. The 'Jett' deception however was pulled off well (maybe exactly because Lehren was so obvious).

The end of the novel was a bit too fast and closed too soon, leaving a lot open and unexplored (Riulta and CArmenere, Chant's son, the conflict with people like the fire mage).

It is obvious this is a setup to a sequel. While I will read it, mostly out of interest for Rilta and Chant, I am not entirely sure if this is something I want to see a lot of. I liked how the stories in the 'Ed presents Waterdeep' series were set on their own, without too many cliffhangers leading to sequels.

All in all, despite all the nitpicking, I thought it was an entertaining novel. There is less jumping around than in previous novels, which makes this story well paced.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A greatly refreshing novel by Bruce R. Cordell. I loved every minute of this book, and truth be told if I hadn't been with my girlfriend I absolutely would have finished this in a single sitting without any breaks for anything.

The story takes some old writing cliches (like the main character have amnesia)and uses them refreshingly. The book follows Damascus and his misadventure that results in quite the interesting read.

The characters were highly realistic, the humor was witty, the action was excellent, the plot was interesting if a tad bit predictable but it in no way took away from the story. Cordell managed a masterpiece here, and though I won't ruin anything for you, I can say with all certainty that I'll be looking for more of his work, particularly if he attempts to continue writing about Damascus or the Abyssal Plague events.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really kind of disappointing. No real ending and yet I don't think the other Abyssal Plague books deal with these specific characters. I hadn't read a "new" Dungeons and Dragons novel in ages and now I am sad I started with one that was only okay. I checked the other books in the series on Amazon and there is no mention of the characters in this novel. I really feel like Black Library's Warhammer books have surpassed D&D novels. That is really tough for me to say since I love Dragonlance and the Drizzt books. Though I really have not read "new" books in either series.

[Don Corcoran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There was a mystery element that propelled you forward, the characters were effective but didn't feel invincible. I didn't feel like the world building got in the way of an interesting story with interesting characters. The combats were exciting without bogging down the rest of the plot. The writing was complex but not over-wrought. I'm definitely reading the second book in the series.

[Bryan Thomas Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and entertaining. Not at all what I expected from my first Forgotten Realms. A delight. Good characterization. Fun adventure. An enjoyable stand alone read for sword & sorcery fans.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book! Excellent character development and nonstop action...