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Forgotten Realms - Publication Order
The Rose of Sarifal
Cloaked in mist and layered in magic, the denizens of Moonshae Isles move in secret
circles as capricious rulers vie for power.
High Lady Ordalf wanted her niece, the princess known as the Rose of Sarifal, dead. Instead, the young regent was secreted away by the high lady’s opponents. For years the eladrin queen of Gwynneth Isle has searched for evidence of her niece’s death, and word has finally come in the form of a castaway’s tale. The princess lives on the island of Moray—a mad beauty who leads a nation of lycanthropes.
As long as her niece is alive, Lady Ordalf cannot rest secure in her claim to the throne. Enlisting a band of adventurers to seek out the princess is the
first step toward stemming the Rose of Sarifal and her tide of wolves. Will those heroes see the same threat the queen sees in the beautiful young maiden?
circles as capricious rulers vie for power.
High Lady Ordalf wanted her niece, the princess known as the Rose of Sarifal, dead. Instead, the young regent was secreted away by the high lady’s opponents. For years the eladrin queen of Gwynneth Isle has searched for evidence of her niece’s death, and word has finally come in the form of a castaway’s tale. The princess lives on the island of Moray—a mad beauty who leads a nation of lycanthropes.
As long as her niece is alive, Lady Ordalf cannot rest secure in her claim to the throne. Enlisting a band of adventurers to seek out the princess is the
first step toward stemming the Rose of Sarifal and her tide of wolves. Will those heroes see the same threat the queen sees in the beautiful young maiden?
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 9, 2015
Ugh. This was quite possibly the worst Realms book I've ever read. Well I gave up just a few chapters in, but by that point I was positive that it wasn't for me.
Bad writing + bad editing + the author's complete lack of being able to generate nostalgia for returning to the beloved Moonshae Isles = utter crap
Bad writing + bad editing + the author's complete lack of being able to generate nostalgia for returning to the beloved Moonshae Isles = utter crap
October 31, 2012
If you’re looking for a D&D/Forgotten Realms novel that is truly different, this is the one for you. Rose of Sarifal is unlike any Realms novel I’ve read before, and probably unlike anything else Wizards of the Coast will publish. The author brings a unique voice to the prose and with it comes a much more lyric story that reminds me more of a dark fairytale than a sword & sorcery novel.
Many readers (myself included) won’t have read the original Forgotten Realms trilogy by Douglas Nile that took place in the Moonshae Isles. For those that have, I’m sure there are a lot of connections to be made, but I didn’t find that it took away from the story not having read the originals.
Paulina Claiborne, as her strange bio implies, seems to be a different breed of D&D author, and from a writing standpoint, she’s much more literary in her ambitions with this novel than her counterparts in the Realms. The caveat here is that you have to be open to a different writing style, one that may grate a little on the reader who consumes sword & sorcery novels as their main reading diet. Her characters are both deeper and stranger than most in the Realms, sometimes stepping outside the genre with their actions and dialog. In parts this is delightful, and it parts it feels like you’re on some strange fey trip through wonderland that balances precarious on a plot cliff (which can be equally delightful).
I feel like Rose deals with certain aspects of the Realms and Dungeons & Dragons that haven’t been dealt with well yet, particularly the Feywild and the fey in general. For the first time, you get a sense of what it would be like to be an Eladrin or and elf and live for hundreds of years. It might be easier to draw comparisons to Shakespeare with this story than it is to draw comparisons with other D&D novels.
I can see why there have been some negative reactions to this book in particular. It reads slow in some chapters and I found myself scratching my head more than once trying to figure out where the plot was heading and discerning true character motivations. The writing is poetic in parts and experimental in others, and this isn’t everyone’s cup of fantasy tea. If you’re looking for a good old Forgotten Realms yarn, this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re looking for something different, and you’re tired of the same old same old in the Realms, give this book a chance. Although I found the reading uncomfortable in parts (I didn’t breeze through this book like many other Realms novels), after I was finished I kept thinking about this novel for days, and it’s one of the few Realms novels I feel like I should go back and re-read for the nuance and beauty of the story. I also find myself recommending this novel to other non-fantasy or non-D&D readers more than others in the Realms line.
Many readers (myself included) won’t have read the original Forgotten Realms trilogy by Douglas Nile that took place in the Moonshae Isles. For those that have, I’m sure there are a lot of connections to be made, but I didn’t find that it took away from the story not having read the originals.
Paulina Claiborne, as her strange bio implies, seems to be a different breed of D&D author, and from a writing standpoint, she’s much more literary in her ambitions with this novel than her counterparts in the Realms. The caveat here is that you have to be open to a different writing style, one that may grate a little on the reader who consumes sword & sorcery novels as their main reading diet. Her characters are both deeper and stranger than most in the Realms, sometimes stepping outside the genre with their actions and dialog. In parts this is delightful, and it parts it feels like you’re on some strange fey trip through wonderland that balances precarious on a plot cliff (which can be equally delightful).
I feel like Rose deals with certain aspects of the Realms and Dungeons & Dragons that haven’t been dealt with well yet, particularly the Feywild and the fey in general. For the first time, you get a sense of what it would be like to be an Eladrin or and elf and live for hundreds of years. It might be easier to draw comparisons to Shakespeare with this story than it is to draw comparisons with other D&D novels.
I can see why there have been some negative reactions to this book in particular. It reads slow in some chapters and I found myself scratching my head more than once trying to figure out where the plot was heading and discerning true character motivations. The writing is poetic in parts and experimental in others, and this isn’t everyone’s cup of fantasy tea. If you’re looking for a good old Forgotten Realms yarn, this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re looking for something different, and you’re tired of the same old same old in the Realms, give this book a chance. Although I found the reading uncomfortable in parts (I didn’t breeze through this book like many other Realms novels), after I was finished I kept thinking about this novel for days, and it’s one of the few Realms novels I feel like I should go back and re-read for the nuance and beauty of the story. I also find myself recommending this novel to other non-fantasy or non-D&D readers more than others in the Realms line.
January 9, 2022
Steaming pile of refuse.
The writing is poor, jumbled and pointless.
This is not a Realms novel in way way shape or form.
The author should be embarrased for selling such utter crap as this for human literary consumption.
Burn it with fire. Worst Forgotten Realms book I have ever read.
This singlehandedly probaly caused the decline and cessation of Wizards of the Coast publishing.
Shame....shame...shame....SHAME!
The writing is poor, jumbled and pointless.
This is not a Realms novel in way way shape or form.
The author should be embarrased for selling such utter crap as this for human literary consumption.
Burn it with fire. Worst Forgotten Realms book I have ever read.
This singlehandedly probaly caused the decline and cessation of Wizards of the Coast publishing.
Shame....shame...shame....SHAME!
February 26, 2013
This book is off the hook. Dude it's ssssssssooooooooo good. I read this shit in one sitting. I am personally friends with Paulina she's a crazy bitch but I love her and her amazing writing
March 31, 2014
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.
The Rose of the Sarifal is a stand-alone novel by Paulina Claiborne. The story takes place in the Moonshae Isles which were made popular by Douglas Niles in the late 1980s with the Moonshae Trilogy. While it was nice to look forward to returning to one of my favorite areas in the Forgotten Realms, this book just completely destroyed what I was hoping would be a return to a beloved place.
The main plot was to have a band of adventurers retrieve a part of a princess for the queen. The queen paid them half up front and kept one of the crew to ensure they did not part with their payment since they had to ship off to another island. There are many subplots and they are all over the place. The subplot involving the crew member Suka whom was left behind was the only one that was worth reading about. The pacing is disjointed and destroys the flow of the novel.
Some criticisms:
1. The language is awful. I don’t mind swearing in a novel, but this one felt like the episode of South Park where they were able to say sh*t and so did it at every point they could. This book is no different. Not only that, but the book has lycanthropes and so the author has to let the reader know every time they are defecating or marking their territory.
2. The characters were really flat and uninteresting. There is not much more to go with than that.
3. The ending, if it were to be called that, was just dumb. While it is mentioned about where some of the characters will later find themselves and explain to one another about the adventures they had while separated, it still left the reader missing a final battle. This book wasn’t left open for a sequel, it was just left open.
Some positives:
1. As I mentioned before, Suka was the only character who made the novel interesting. I would like to get into it more than that, but it would lead to spoilers. Of course there were some things about her character that didn’t mesh well with the story such as her having a dog tattoo on her tongue and also having it pierced. That just felt like pandering to the younger generation.
This book would be best left out of the list of FR books. There are a few books I have not cared for in the realms and this one I think makes my worst FR book ever read. Whoever decided to publish this one should be fired. I can think of better books that should have been published such at Erik Scott de Bie’s Shadowbane - Kingdom of Night
Happy reading
-Dimndbangr
The Rose of the Sarifal is a stand-alone novel by Paulina Claiborne. The story takes place in the Moonshae Isles which were made popular by Douglas Niles in the late 1980s with the Moonshae Trilogy. While it was nice to look forward to returning to one of my favorite areas in the Forgotten Realms, this book just completely destroyed what I was hoping would be a return to a beloved place.
The main plot was to have a band of adventurers retrieve a part of a princess for the queen. The queen paid them half up front and kept one of the crew to ensure they did not part with their payment since they had to ship off to another island. There are many subplots and they are all over the place. The subplot involving the crew member Suka whom was left behind was the only one that was worth reading about. The pacing is disjointed and destroys the flow of the novel.
Some criticisms:
1. The language is awful. I don’t mind swearing in a novel, but this one felt like the episode of South Park where they were able to say sh*t and so did it at every point they could. This book is no different. Not only that, but the book has lycanthropes and so the author has to let the reader know every time they are defecating or marking their territory.
2. The characters were really flat and uninteresting. There is not much more to go with than that.
3. The ending, if it were to be called that, was just dumb. While it is mentioned about where some of the characters will later find themselves and explain to one another about the adventures they had while separated, it still left the reader missing a final battle. This book wasn’t left open for a sequel, it was just left open.
Some positives:
1. As I mentioned before, Suka was the only character who made the novel interesting. I would like to get into it more than that, but it would lead to spoilers. Of course there were some things about her character that didn’t mesh well with the story such as her having a dog tattoo on her tongue and also having it pierced. That just felt like pandering to the younger generation.
This book would be best left out of the list of FR books. There are a few books I have not cared for in the realms and this one I think makes my worst FR book ever read. Whoever decided to publish this one should be fired. I can think of better books that should have been published such at Erik Scott de Bie’s Shadowbane - Kingdom of Night
Happy reading
-Dimndbangr
July 19, 2014
So, I only got to the end of the second chapter before I ditched this, it's so badly written... what do I mean by 'badly written'? The constant grating against my conciousness of 'that's not the word you mean', 'that's badly phrased', 'this scene is poorly presented', 'this character's actions make no sense', 'this is ridiculous'... in other words, it was almost total gibberish.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews