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The Citadels #2
Obsidian Ridge
Forgotten Realms
313 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2008
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381 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 16, 2015
Edward Scissorhands meets the Forgotten Realms. 'nuff said.
October 4, 2012
While a little slow to get started, and the shock/twist/surprise/hidden secret hinted at on the back cover was not revealed until something like 80% of the way through the book, and was by then both predicted and not very shocking. However, once the plot got going, I was surprisingly entertained and enraptured. The myriad plot threads wove together nicely, though one or two were left dangling (or at least, impliedly resolved but not explicitly so).
March 26, 2018
I mean is it gonna win any awards? Of course not! But for a self contained story within a franchise of similar tales it stands out. It’s fun, inventive, riddles with cliches that feel done right and not just boring repetition. The characters are unique enough and the story itself is enjoyable, if you like fantasy and action for the sake of itself, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re looking for a literary masterpiece, you should look elsewhere.
September 24, 2023
This was pretty enjoyable, as it has been a bit since I've read much Forgotten Realms. It's fun to come back and visit.
As mentioned many times in my reviews about FR, I am always on the hunt for further history of the realms, or to learn about a place I haven't been to before. "Obsidian Ridge" did a nice job of providing that. We learned a bit, not a lot, about the region to the South of the Sea of Stars, separated by the Cloven Mountains.
Lebow introduces some interesting characters, and sets up a decent political system that plays on some of the issues we are seeing in real life today (i.e. rampant capitalism attempting to influence the government). However, the plot itself is a bit cliched. The mystery is pretty easy to spot. The climax is fun, but also somewhat predictable.
Overall, I enjoyed it. And I am stoked to get my first glimpse at "The Citadels" series.
As mentioned many times in my reviews about FR, I am always on the hunt for further history of the realms, or to learn about a place I haven't been to before. "Obsidian Ridge" did a nice job of providing that. We learned a bit, not a lot, about the region to the South of the Sea of Stars, separated by the Cloven Mountains.
Lebow introduces some interesting characters, and sets up a decent political system that plays on some of the issues we are seeing in real life today (i.e. rampant capitalism attempting to influence the government). However, the plot itself is a bit cliched. The mystery is pretty easy to spot. The climax is fun, but also somewhat predictable.
Overall, I enjoyed it. And I am stoked to get my first glimpse at "The Citadels" series.
August 21, 2017
My thoughts:
1) An okay fantasy story with too much dues ex machina.
2) If you can't figure out who the hero and villain are by 1/3 of the way through the book you haven't read much.
3) I found it hard to care for the characters at times.
4) My analogy of the plot is Batman & Scarecrow are fighting. Deadshot wants his chance @ Batman. Darkseid shows up. Batman somehow finds a way to survive it all because Deadshot takes out Darkseid while going after Batman while Robin defeats Scarecrow. The dues ex machina to make it all work is, in the analogy, pure comic book physics.
5) One of the pluses is it explores an area of Forgotten Realms I knew little about.
1) An okay fantasy story with too much dues ex machina.
2) If you can't figure out who the hero and villain are by 1/3 of the way through the book you haven't read much.
3) I found it hard to care for the characters at times.
4) My analogy of the plot is Batman & Scarecrow are fighting. Deadshot wants his chance @ Batman. Darkseid shows up. Batman somehow finds a way to survive it all because Deadshot takes out Darkseid while going after Batman while Robin defeats Scarecrow. The dues ex machina to make it all work is, in the analogy, pure comic book physics.
5) One of the pluses is it explores an area of Forgotten Realms I knew little about.
May 27, 2017
"What do you want from me?"
"What does anyone want from anyone else?" ... "I want you by my side. Your symphaty. Your loyalty. Your companionship. Those things that everyone craves."
"What does anyone want from anyone else?" ... "I want you by my side. Your symphaty. Your loyalty. Your companionship. Those things that everyone craves."
June 6, 2024
First Forgotten Realms I have read. I really enjoyed it but I love all things DND anyways. High fantasy simply rocks my world.
April 4, 2025
A book with unattractive characters. The story drags on until a somewhat forced ending.
August 12, 2008
As posted in [http://www.amazon.com]:
In the kingdom of Erlkazar, King Korox is fighting the underground wizards and other evil foes from making a certain elixir, which is banned in the kingdom. However, the underground lord, the Matron, proves to be a formidable foe.
However, the king isn't alone. He has his deadly assassin, the Claw, and his daughter, skilled with spellcasting, helping him bring and maintain order in the kingdom.
In the midst of this comes a floating citadel, reeking with even a greater evil, overshadowing the kingdom. The citadel, the Obsidian Ridge, was thought to be of a legend since no one has ever seen it before. Xeries, ruler of the Obsidian Ridge, makes an ultimatum. He demands the king's daughter to become his wife or else he will eradicate all living beings. For survival, the kingdom and the underground wizards must band together and battle Xeries.
When I got the *Obsidian Ridge*, I wasn't aware that it was part of a series. However, I soon learned that each is a stand-alone. Therefore, you will not be lost, although the previous book might be somewhat helpful in terms of the Citadels.
*Obsidian Ridge* is simplistic in the story plot even though there are several sub plots going on. However, Lebow did a good job to make sure the readers would not be confused or get lost among the plots. It's an easy read with some interesting twists.
In the kingdom of Erlkazar, King Korox is fighting the underground wizards and other evil foes from making a certain elixir, which is banned in the kingdom. However, the underground lord, the Matron, proves to be a formidable foe.
However, the king isn't alone. He has his deadly assassin, the Claw, and his daughter, skilled with spellcasting, helping him bring and maintain order in the kingdom.
In the midst of this comes a floating citadel, reeking with even a greater evil, overshadowing the kingdom. The citadel, the Obsidian Ridge, was thought to be of a legend since no one has ever seen it before. Xeries, ruler of the Obsidian Ridge, makes an ultimatum. He demands the king's daughter to become his wife or else he will eradicate all living beings. For survival, the kingdom and the underground wizards must band together and battle Xeries.
When I got the *Obsidian Ridge*, I wasn't aware that it was part of a series. However, I soon learned that each is a stand-alone. Therefore, you will not be lost, although the previous book might be somewhat helpful in terms of the Citadels.
*Obsidian Ridge* is simplistic in the story plot even though there are several sub plots going on. However, Lebow did a good job to make sure the readers would not be confused or get lost among the plots. It's an easy read with some interesting twists.
February 8, 2012
Hackneyed plot... very prredictable. No character depth. Very little insight into personas or the reason for things. No notable plot twists or surprises. Poor dialogue, and stereotypical fantasy heroes. The good guys are tall, broad-shouldered and strong while the bad guys are hunched, pock-marked and have a wheezy voice. The heroes are like Rambo... they dispatch random baddies with one swing of their sword, mowing down 3-4 per stride on the battlefield.
If you don't mind all of this, it's a half-decentread for a mindless afternoon. But if you're looking for more, or if you want for a good introduction to the Forgotten Realms books, do yourself a favor and skip it.
If you don't mind all of this, it's a half-decentread for a mindless afternoon. But if you're looking for more, or if you want for a good introduction to the Forgotten Realms books, do yourself a favor and skip it.
June 2, 2012
I really loved the intense "cloak and dagger" secretive nature of the relationship between "The Claw" and the Princess .I imagined "The Claw" to be like Jet Lee,in Iron Monkey.
The insanity of Arch Magus Xeries and his obsession with obtaining a new bride is twisted. Xeries past experiences with spell-casting is horrific and almost makes you feel sympathy for him.You better understand his selfish, motivations. There is a lot of darkness to the story and there is an awesome Hero/Heroine.This is a typical good vs. evil.Life can be unpredictable and cruel..........but you must always strive to protect the innocent from evil.......instead of submitting to the darkness.
The insanity of Arch Magus Xeries and his obsession with obtaining a new bride is twisted. Xeries past experiences with spell-casting is horrific and almost makes you feel sympathy for him.You better understand his selfish, motivations. There is a lot of darkness to the story and there is an awesome Hero/Heroine.This is a typical good vs. evil.Life can be unpredictable and cruel..........but you must always strive to protect the innocent from evil.......instead of submitting to the darkness.
August 11, 2015
I could barely get through the first few chapters. The dialogs were predictable and cliche. The characters had ridiculously cheesy names. The plot wasn't engaging. The overall writing style was unimpressive on every front. The description of the book sounded promising for a grand adventure, but it felt more like a small-town carnival. Perhaps a good read for a young fantasy reader, but otherwise I would suggest picking up something else.
October 12, 2014
The book is a Forgotten Realms (The Citadels) series. Not a great fantasy book but interesting story line. Kept me busy while reading a Patterson mystery book. Would be a good book for a young fantasy reader.
January 20, 2009
Standard fantasy novel, set in the Forgotten Realms.
August 27, 2012
This book was pretty good. It was pretty standard as far as the story goes, pretty predictable but I still enjoyed the journey.
I'd recommend it.
I'd recommend it.
January 9, 2017
I didn't go in with crazy high expectations and I was pleasantly surprised, while predictable in some ways it had enough different ideas to be fun while still having that "realms" flavor I love.
July 24, 2009
An extremely predictable book, less fantasy/sci-fi than a drama book, but overall a good read.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews