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The second in a new trilogy of novels from R.A. Salvatore’s War of the Spider Queen author Richard Lee Byers.
The Rite is the second title in a trilogy exploring the ancient secrets of dragon society in the Forgotten Realms world. Author Richard Lee Byers will write the entire trilogy, and the cover art for the trilogy and the associated anthology will be rendered by award-winning fantasy artist Matt Stawicki.
AUTHOR Richard Lee Byers is the author of over 15 novels, including the Forgotten Realms novels The Shattered Mask, The Black Bouquet, and R.A. Salvatore’s War of the Spider Queen, Book Dissolution.
The Rite is the second title in a trilogy exploring the ancient secrets of dragon society in the Forgotten Realms world. Author Richard Lee Byers will write the entire trilogy, and the cover art for the trilogy and the associated anthology will be rendered by award-winning fantasy artist Matt Stawicki.
AUTHOR Richard Lee Byers is the author of over 15 novels, including the Forgotten Realms novels The Shattered Mask, The Black Bouquet, and R.A. Salvatore’s War of the Spider Queen, Book Dissolution.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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About the author
Richard Lee Byers
198 books370 followersA resident of the Tampa Bay area, Richard spends much of his leisure time fencing, playing poker, shooting pool and is a frequent guest at Florida science-fiction conventions. His current projects include new novels set in the Forgotten Realms universe and the eBook post-apocalyptic superhero series The Impostor.
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November 15, 2010
The Rite by Richard Lee Byers- This is the second book in The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy. The first book is titled The Rage and the third book is titled The Ruin. The Rite is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Richard Lee Byers has written a number of books, mostly focused on the horror genre; Deathward, Fright Line, The Vampire's Apprentice, Dark Fortune, Dead Time, The Tale of Terrible Toys, and The Children of Gaia and Uktena: Werewolf, 5. His also contributed a number of stories to other series including; three Nightmare Club novels (Joyride, Warlock Games, and Party Til You Drop), three World of Darkness (Caravan of Shadows, Netherworld: Vampire, On a Darkling Plane, and Wraith: The Ebon Mask), a X-Men based novel titled Soul Killer, and a Warhammer based novel titled The Enemy Within. His also written a trilogy for the Scarred Lands called Dead God trilogy (Forsaken, Forsworn, and Forbidden). He has written a number of Forgotten Realms novels as well; a novel and a short story in the Sembia: Gateway to the Realms series (the short story is found in the first book of the series, The Halls of Stormweather, and wrote the third book, The Shattered Mask), wrote the first novel in R. A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen series called Dissolution, a novel in The Rogues series called The Black Bouquet, a book in The Priests series called Queen of the Depths, The Haunted Lands trilogy (Unclean, Undead, and Unholy) and he is working on finishing The Brotherhood of the Griffon trilogy (The Captive Flame, Whisper of Venom, and The Spectral Blaze). He's also contributed a vast amount of short stories to various anthologies. The Rite was released in January 2005 and published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
The lich Sammaster is not very pleased that someone is discovering and stopping him in his goal, having dragonkind turn to him to help quell the rage that is turning them insane. But he realized a grave mistake, he forgot to destroy everything he has learned, so no one can stop him. However, a group of hunters have started searching for answers and begin traveling to the sites the lich used to uncover the same clues he should have destroyed. The half-human, half-golem Dorn and the arctic dwarf Raryn travel with the song dragon bard Kara and a bronze dragon named Chatulio to one such site. Before arriving to one of the sites, the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, they discover that it's under attack by a group of evil chromatic dragons tasked to destroy everything in the monastery by Sammaster himself. The group decide to help the monks protect the monastery, while looking for the valuable information that is stored there. However, as the rage gnaws on Kara's and Chatulio's minds, will they be able to hold that back along with the attackers long enough to find the answers? On a similar quest to one of Sammaster's locations, the halfling Will and the priest of Lathander, Pavel seem to be lost trying to find the lost temple. Thankfully, after helping a tribe of ogres kill a dragon, the tribe decide to take the duo to the ruins of the hidden temple. But how long will it be until the ogres turn on the two? Elsewhere, war is brewing in the country of Damara. Their king, Gareth Dragonsbane, falls due to a traitor and is seemingly dead. With no king to lead, the country has no hope in stopping the hordes from neighboring Vaasa, unless someone knows how to help the fallen king. The problem is, will the people of Damara trust in the help? In the city of Thentia, Taegan Nightwind arrives to help aid the hunters and their mage allies, but discovers that they left to search for some of the sites Sammaster visited. However, after meeting with the mages he discovers that there may be a traitor in their midst. Taegan and his faerie dragon friend, Jivex, decide to found the traitor before they could do serious harm. But are they too late?
Criticisms:
1) Deus ex Machina. The Rite is riddled with a lot of things, big and small, that seem to happen for the sole purpose of moving the plot along. While some of the smaller instances of deus ex machina can be forgiven, however the amount of it is just too much to simply ignore. It seemed like every major part of the story had something that suddenly appears and move it along, only to have to disappear a few chapters later. In the Will and Pavel part of the story, a the sudden appearances of dragons helps them out in a bind. In the Dorn and Kara part we see something similar but with the unlikely discovery of a hidden passage. Even in Taegan's part, he learns a lot of information about a type of dragon offscreen on the off-chance he will see one. But that said, these small things barely compare to the massive convenience of Brimstone, who seems to know everything and has all the answers. When he appears to help Will and Pavel, I didn't give his appearance that much of a thought. But after that initial appearance of the vampire dragon, he quickly became the 'god of knowledge' telling and doing everything that others couldn't. It was just so sudden and unexpected that I hardly believed that he knew the exact spell and the exact way to right things. It just got tedious and annoying to see everything being solved with either off-screen information or by sudden appearance of something, only to have it almost disappear later.
2) Dorn. Dorn is actually bearable in this book, but he still has a long way to go. He doesn't bring down any of the other characters, but he still comes across as a whiny character. For the first half of the novel, all Dorn seems to do is complain and whine about how he looks and that he knows that no one would love a 'freak' like him. It quickly becomes annoying after seeing him put himself down continuously. Even towards the end, when the complaining, thankfully, becomes less frequent, it just gets to ridiculous levels of complaining. Dorn's problems just don't stop there. In The Rage, Dorn's and Kara's relationship just kind of happened out of the blue, with no build up or reason for attraction. With this novel, it's the same story. The relationship is developing a little better, but it still comes across as sudden. there is still almost no build-up in the romance and it's so off-putting that it's unbearably stupid. It's just a half-brained attempt at a love interest and it doesn't seem be 'real' or sincere. Overall, Dorn has improved, but he is still a long way to go before becoming a decent and likable character.
Praises:
1) Main Characters. The other characters, aside from Dorn and the amazingly easy to forget Raryn, do get some good development and do start to shine a little more. It also helps that most of the characters are in smaller groups, allowing some actual growth and development from these characters. It's just easier for them to share the spotlight now. The situations also allow the characters to grow a little more easily. The best example of this is with Kara. With the rage gnawing at her mind, you can see her become more frustrated and downtrodden when she is dealing with simple situations. It's easy to see her frustrations and because of this, she does grow into one of the more interesting characters of the trilogy. With Taegan, well, he's still Taegan. I did lose a bit of that mystery and uniqueness from the previous novel, but his sections were just plain awesome. He was more of a detective in this novel and it was fun to see him try to piece together the mystery. It really does add a new dimension to his character. However, in terms of 'natural' development, Will and Pavel really do take the cake. From the previous novel, you really only had the friendly banter to go off of these two, there really wasn't much else. Now they really do grow into very interesting and complex characters. After seeing some of the things they say and do, I did get a better understanding of the two. But the one character who is the most memorable from the novel is Chatulio. He is an amazing character. Each scene he's in, he seemed to steal it. Also, Chatulio has to have the most memorable scene of the novel, but I can't tell what it is. It's just a shame that their wasn't more time to get to know the dragon. All in all, the main characters have a bigger impact in the story and do become more interesting.
2) Multiple Stories. The Rite has four main story-lines going on within the novel. The first is Dorn, Raryn, Chatulio, and Kara are off to a temple in search of some knowledge concerning the rage. This story was a little more basic, but it was undeniably attack pack. Then you have Will and Pavel looking into another lead, and it was pretty much the same. It was action packed, but it seemed to have something more added in. We also have Taegan traveling to Thentia to meet up with the hunters and offer his assistance, and that was a different type of story. It comes off as more of a mystery and adds something very different to the novel. Finally, we have war ravaging the country of Damara. Now, I will say that the final story-line is by far the weakest of the bunch. It seemed like it was thrown into just to help pad out the plot, but it still was exciting to read. With so much happening, one would think that it would be hard to follow. But this wasn't the case. Everything was pretty easy to follow. I had no trouble recalling some of the events that happened a chapter ago. It was especially helpful when each story-line is distinctly different. However, it doesn't really come together quite as smoothly at the end. In fact, the epilogue felt more like a rushed recap of everything. But, having multiple story-lines felt like I was getting more out of the story.
Side Notes:
1) Dragons. There are so many types of dragons that it's getting a little ridiculous. I'm starting to get a little sick of seeing a new kind being introduced almost every other chapter. It's got to stop or down the line we'll get something like a 'wood dragon' that's made of wood and breathes out splinters.
2) Editing. Did anyone really edit this book? Seriously, I've found so many misspelled words, misplaced words (saying so instead of do or to), and a major lack of indenting new paragraphs. It does get bothersome, but it was easy to read over some of these mistakes.
3) Cover Art. The Rite's cover art is okay. The warriors in the foreground don't really look that good and seem a little odd to me. The dragon kind of looks silly and not as threatening as it should be. The scene on the cover doesn't happen in the novel, to the best of my recollection. Also, is it just me or is the colors needlessly dark? However, it does do a good job and drawing you eye with the lightning bolts. Overall, it isn't that impressive, but it does its job with drawing your eye.
Overall: 3/5
Final Thoughts:
The Rite is a definite improvement over the previous novel, but still has a number of issues. The worst thing that I found was the amount of deus ex machina going on. With the small things, it wasn't that much of a problem. However, after 'the god machine' himself, Brimstone, makes an appearance, it become unbearable and annoying. It just gave me a headache seeing all these 'random' things start happening to either help out the characters or move the story along. Also, I am still not liking Dorn. He comes across as too whiny about his lot in life and it started get on my nerves. Also, the relationship between Dorn and Kara have is as awkwardly unnecessary as possible. However, the rest of the characters really do shine. They all seem to have a bigger and more important role this time around and it really helps in their development. The multiple story-lines also help in this regard. With the group of characters split up, they each got a moment, or two, to really shine and become more than what they were. It also helps that while reading it felt like I was reading shorter stories combined into one major story. However, with that said, I am still reluctant to recommend this. While The Rite is an improvement, I think it still has a long way to go.
The lich Sammaster is not very pleased that someone is discovering and stopping him in his goal, having dragonkind turn to him to help quell the rage that is turning them insane. But he realized a grave mistake, he forgot to destroy everything he has learned, so no one can stop him. However, a group of hunters have started searching for answers and begin traveling to the sites the lich used to uncover the same clues he should have destroyed. The half-human, half-golem Dorn and the arctic dwarf Raryn travel with the song dragon bard Kara and a bronze dragon named Chatulio to one such site. Before arriving to one of the sites, the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, they discover that it's under attack by a group of evil chromatic dragons tasked to destroy everything in the monastery by Sammaster himself. The group decide to help the monks protect the monastery, while looking for the valuable information that is stored there. However, as the rage gnaws on Kara's and Chatulio's minds, will they be able to hold that back along with the attackers long enough to find the answers? On a similar quest to one of Sammaster's locations, the halfling Will and the priest of Lathander, Pavel seem to be lost trying to find the lost temple. Thankfully, after helping a tribe of ogres kill a dragon, the tribe decide to take the duo to the ruins of the hidden temple. But how long will it be until the ogres turn on the two? Elsewhere, war is brewing in the country of Damara. Their king, Gareth Dragonsbane, falls due to a traitor and is seemingly dead. With no king to lead, the country has no hope in stopping the hordes from neighboring Vaasa, unless someone knows how to help the fallen king. The problem is, will the people of Damara trust in the help? In the city of Thentia, Taegan Nightwind arrives to help aid the hunters and their mage allies, but discovers that they left to search for some of the sites Sammaster visited. However, after meeting with the mages he discovers that there may be a traitor in their midst. Taegan and his faerie dragon friend, Jivex, decide to found the traitor before they could do serious harm. But are they too late?
Criticisms:
1) Deus ex Machina. The Rite is riddled with a lot of things, big and small, that seem to happen for the sole purpose of moving the plot along. While some of the smaller instances of deus ex machina can be forgiven, however the amount of it is just too much to simply ignore. It seemed like every major part of the story had something that suddenly appears and move it along, only to have to disappear a few chapters later. In the Will and Pavel part of the story, a the sudden appearances of dragons helps them out in a bind. In the Dorn and Kara part we see something similar but with the unlikely discovery of a hidden passage. Even in Taegan's part, he learns a lot of information about a type of dragon offscreen on the off-chance he will see one. But that said, these small things barely compare to the massive convenience of Brimstone, who seems to know everything and has all the answers. When he appears to help Will and Pavel, I didn't give his appearance that much of a thought. But after that initial appearance of the vampire dragon, he quickly became the 'god of knowledge' telling and doing everything that others couldn't. It was just so sudden and unexpected that I hardly believed that he knew the exact spell and the exact way to right things. It just got tedious and annoying to see everything being solved with either off-screen information or by sudden appearance of something, only to have it almost disappear later.
2) Dorn. Dorn is actually bearable in this book, but he still has a long way to go. He doesn't bring down any of the other characters, but he still comes across as a whiny character. For the first half of the novel, all Dorn seems to do is complain and whine about how he looks and that he knows that no one would love a 'freak' like him. It quickly becomes annoying after seeing him put himself down continuously. Even towards the end, when the complaining, thankfully, becomes less frequent, it just gets to ridiculous levels of complaining. Dorn's problems just don't stop there. In The Rage, Dorn's and Kara's relationship just kind of happened out of the blue, with no build up or reason for attraction. With this novel, it's the same story. The relationship is developing a little better, but it still comes across as sudden. there is still almost no build-up in the romance and it's so off-putting that it's unbearably stupid. It's just a half-brained attempt at a love interest and it doesn't seem be 'real' or sincere. Overall, Dorn has improved, but he is still a long way to go before becoming a decent and likable character.
Praises:
1) Main Characters. The other characters, aside from Dorn and the amazingly easy to forget Raryn, do get some good development and do start to shine a little more. It also helps that most of the characters are in smaller groups, allowing some actual growth and development from these characters. It's just easier for them to share the spotlight now. The situations also allow the characters to grow a little more easily. The best example of this is with Kara. With the rage gnawing at her mind, you can see her become more frustrated and downtrodden when she is dealing with simple situations. It's easy to see her frustrations and because of this, she does grow into one of the more interesting characters of the trilogy. With Taegan, well, he's still Taegan. I did lose a bit of that mystery and uniqueness from the previous novel, but his sections were just plain awesome. He was more of a detective in this novel and it was fun to see him try to piece together the mystery. It really does add a new dimension to his character. However, in terms of 'natural' development, Will and Pavel really do take the cake. From the previous novel, you really only had the friendly banter to go off of these two, there really wasn't much else. Now they really do grow into very interesting and complex characters. After seeing some of the things they say and do, I did get a better understanding of the two. But the one character who is the most memorable from the novel is Chatulio. He is an amazing character. Each scene he's in, he seemed to steal it. Also, Chatulio has to have the most memorable scene of the novel, but I can't tell what it is. It's just a shame that their wasn't more time to get to know the dragon. All in all, the main characters have a bigger impact in the story and do become more interesting.
2) Multiple Stories. The Rite has four main story-lines going on within the novel. The first is Dorn, Raryn, Chatulio, and Kara are off to a temple in search of some knowledge concerning the rage. This story was a little more basic, but it was undeniably attack pack. Then you have Will and Pavel looking into another lead, and it was pretty much the same. It was action packed, but it seemed to have something more added in. We also have Taegan traveling to Thentia to meet up with the hunters and offer his assistance, and that was a different type of story. It comes off as more of a mystery and adds something very different to the novel. Finally, we have war ravaging the country of Damara. Now, I will say that the final story-line is by far the weakest of the bunch. It seemed like it was thrown into just to help pad out the plot, but it still was exciting to read. With so much happening, one would think that it would be hard to follow. But this wasn't the case. Everything was pretty easy to follow. I had no trouble recalling some of the events that happened a chapter ago. It was especially helpful when each story-line is distinctly different. However, it doesn't really come together quite as smoothly at the end. In fact, the epilogue felt more like a rushed recap of everything. But, having multiple story-lines felt like I was getting more out of the story.
Side Notes:
1) Dragons. There are so many types of dragons that it's getting a little ridiculous. I'm starting to get a little sick of seeing a new kind being introduced almost every other chapter. It's got to stop or down the line we'll get something like a 'wood dragon' that's made of wood and breathes out splinters.
2) Editing. Did anyone really edit this book? Seriously, I've found so many misspelled words, misplaced words (saying so instead of do or to), and a major lack of indenting new paragraphs. It does get bothersome, but it was easy to read over some of these mistakes.
3) Cover Art. The Rite's cover art is okay. The warriors in the foreground don't really look that good and seem a little odd to me. The dragon kind of looks silly and not as threatening as it should be. The scene on the cover doesn't happen in the novel, to the best of my recollection. Also, is it just me or is the colors needlessly dark? However, it does do a good job and drawing you eye with the lightning bolts. Overall, it isn't that impressive, but it does its job with drawing your eye.
Overall: 3/5
Final Thoughts:
The Rite is a definite improvement over the previous novel, but still has a number of issues. The worst thing that I found was the amount of deus ex machina going on. With the small things, it wasn't that much of a problem. However, after 'the god machine' himself, Brimstone, makes an appearance, it become unbearable and annoying. It just gave me a headache seeing all these 'random' things start happening to either help out the characters or move the story along. Also, I am still not liking Dorn. He comes across as too whiny about his lot in life and it started get on my nerves. Also, the relationship between Dorn and Kara have is as awkwardly unnecessary as possible. However, the rest of the characters really do shine. They all seem to have a bigger and more important role this time around and it really helps in their development. The multiple story-lines also help in this regard. With the group of characters split up, they each got a moment, or two, to really shine and become more than what they were. It also helps that while reading it felt like I was reading shorter stories combined into one major story. However, with that said, I am still reluctant to recommend this. While The Rite is an improvement, I think it still has a long way to go.
June 12, 2023
A satisfying middle book of a trilogy... and I'm swiftly moving on to book three. I'm going to miss these characters when I've finished the series.
October 1, 2023
’Go make yourself useful. Pulp some paladins or something.’
There’s no sophomore slump in Richard Lee Byers’ second book in The Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy. In fact, The Rite may be even better than the series’ first volume. With book one having already introduced our major characters and the overall plot, Byers can dispense with the table-setting and get down to the main course which is essentially: action! action! action!
Here’s what great about this series:
• A roller coaster plot that leapfrogs from battle to battle, splitting the major protagonists across three parallel storylines that are deftly balanced against one another with high stakes consequences and intensely interesting conflicts. Byers doesn’t so much build to a book-ending explosive climax as much as he sets a series of escalating detonations chapter-by-chapter until he reaches his big BOOM at book’s end.
• Killer combat sequences that are choreographed like high octane film work, Byers does not gloss over combat but spills it out across the pages blow by breath weapon by spell. It’s pulse-pounding, capturing the spirt and flavor of the D&D game, pulling on the richness of the role-playing game’s tomes of spells and monsters without slipping into the pedantry of simply paraphrasing a rulebook.
• Great, original characters who can be wryly funny, bravely heroic, and surprisingly tender. In the midst of the war, Byers doesn’t leave much time for his protagonists to get mushy, but when those moments do come, they are genuine and desperate as the gears of battle grind close. And while, Byers isn’t quite to bloodthirsty as say George R.R. Martin, he’s not without putting an arrow into a key character’s back just to prove that this is war and there are going to be casualties.
• And while Dragonlance may have set the bar for dragons in the Dungeons & Dragons universe (and made it seemingly impossible do ‘better’ with the drakes within the milieu), Byers proves there’s much more to be done with the great wyrms. From playing dragon-politics to taking full advantage of the complete bestiary of dragon-kin, shadow, fang, burrowing, and faerie dragons all get their due, the panoply of wyrms of the Forgitten Realms proves proof against any staleness that dragons became completely passe after Weiss and Hickman.
Having grown up on the D&D game and its accompanying novels, it disappoints me to no end that these books came at a time I had mostly moved on. They are hard as heck to find -- so thank you Georgia PINES library system! -- but they are some of genre’s best stories and consider me a unrelenting hunt for the rest of Byers’ fantasy and horror work. If you can find these, read ‘em! The Year of Rogue Dragons is superior fantasy and, had I my own ‘wish’ spell, a collected omnibus would be just perfect.
April 23, 2024
A solid follow up to the first book, but a POV storyline that felt like bloat.
This is a great 2nd installment in the series that continues the journey of our band of heroes searching for a cure to the Rage afflicting faerun. The book begins with our party having split up to pursue different avenues of study based on the main antagonist's previous exploits. Will & Pavel searching for ruins in land controlled by Ogres, Taegan & Jivex communing with a group of wizards, and Dorn, Raryn & Kara seeking out a monastery.
The story continues along at a nice pace with plenty of action, and development to the overall narrative. Will & Pavel's mission was interesting as they bicker, and insult each other; which you can tell is how they show affection. Dorn, Raryn, and Kara's mission to the monastery results in a clash with a group of dragons assaulting the keep to prevent any hope of unraveling the mystery. Taegan & Jivex are wrapped in a conspiracy of treachery within the wizards they are seeking help from.
Its the 3rd part that I felt dragged a bit too much, and made me want to get through as soon as possible. The issue with the group of wizards with Taegan & Jivex wasn't BAD, but it felt like bloat. Granted it wasn't boring, or slow, but I just wasn't as interested in that aspect of the story as I was the other two. It didn't help that the group of wizards are all name dropped considerably throughout this portion, and it made it hard to keep track of everyone. At some point I just gave up on remembering who is who, and trekked along to the conclusion of that storyline.
As with the previous book; Dragons abound! I said in my review of the previous book that this series is the benchmark for Dragon related content, and it continues here. We get a secondary storyline of the group of dragons assaulting the keep that Dorn, Raryn, and Kara are at which is a nice change of perspective.
I've stated before, and I'll reiterate; this series is fantastic. Its not a heavy read, and moves along at a very nice pace where you don't feel like you're wasting time. My own personal opinion aside pertaining to the section devoted to Taegan & Jivex I can admit it has bearing on the bigger picture. If you're this far into the series then you'll want to stick through to it's climactic finale.
This is a great 2nd installment in the series that continues the journey of our band of heroes searching for a cure to the Rage afflicting faerun. The book begins with our party having split up to pursue different avenues of study based on the main antagonist's previous exploits. Will & Pavel searching for ruins in land controlled by Ogres, Taegan & Jivex communing with a group of wizards, and Dorn, Raryn & Kara seeking out a monastery.
The story continues along at a nice pace with plenty of action, and development to the overall narrative. Will & Pavel's mission was interesting as they bicker, and insult each other; which you can tell is how they show affection. Dorn, Raryn, and Kara's mission to the monastery results in a clash with a group of dragons assaulting the keep to prevent any hope of unraveling the mystery. Taegan & Jivex are wrapped in a conspiracy of treachery within the wizards they are seeking help from.
Its the 3rd part that I felt dragged a bit too much, and made me want to get through as soon as possible. The issue with the group of wizards with Taegan & Jivex wasn't BAD, but it felt like bloat. Granted it wasn't boring, or slow, but I just wasn't as interested in that aspect of the story as I was the other two. It didn't help that the group of wizards are all name dropped considerably throughout this portion, and it made it hard to keep track of everyone. At some point I just gave up on remembering who is who, and trekked along to the conclusion of that storyline.
As with the previous book; Dragons abound! I said in my review of the previous book that this series is the benchmark for Dragon related content, and it continues here. We get a secondary storyline of the group of dragons assaulting the keep that Dorn, Raryn, and Kara are at which is a nice change of perspective.
I've stated before, and I'll reiterate; this series is fantastic. Its not a heavy read, and moves along at a very nice pace where you don't feel like you're wasting time. My own personal opinion aside pertaining to the section devoted to Taegan & Jivex I can admit it has bearing on the bigger picture. If you're this far into the series then you'll want to stick through to it's climactic finale.
March 24, 2021
Disclaimer: I tend to rank Forgotten Realms (and other D&D) novels against each other rather than against the field of fiction as a whole. The reason for this is because most people who seek out D&D novels do it because they want that type of experience. Many of the tropes that would be flaws in other books are perks here, so bear that in mind as you read this review (and any other of my D&D novel reviews).
The second entry in the Year of Rogue Dragons series, this book does an excellent job of keeping the pressure on the characters. I liked it a little better than the first book, but not quite enough to give it 5 stars. Also, the first book was more like a 3.9 that was rounded up, and this book would be more like a 4.2 or around that area. Regardless, it was a great entry to the trilogy and the Forgotten Realms shared universe as a whole.
Byers brings back the main characters from the previous book, and introduces a lot more. The number of characters might get a little overwhelming, and the author splits the party more than once which could also add to the confusion. However, if you keep up with things the action is strong and the characters evolve, in particular you see Dorn calm down a bit and stop being so brooding. Taegan continues being suave and awesome. Pavel and Will keep up their Abbott and Costello, while Raryn shows his usual constant competence. Kara doesn't change much, but we do get to see her struggle with the rage itself, and that journey is interesting and meaningful.
As for the plot, it is interesting for a book and yet also manages to feel like something ripped straight from a D&D campaign. For the non-D&D fans who wandered in, that might be off-putting, but for the rest of us that is a bonus. I read the Forgotten Realms novels because I want to feel like I'm playing D&D, or at least watching someone else play. For others seeking more standard fantasy fare, it might not work.
Without going on in too much detail, this sequel was a great follow up to the first book, and has me excited to read the third one. Check it out.
The second entry in the Year of Rogue Dragons series, this book does an excellent job of keeping the pressure on the characters. I liked it a little better than the first book, but not quite enough to give it 5 stars. Also, the first book was more like a 3.9 that was rounded up, and this book would be more like a 4.2 or around that area. Regardless, it was a great entry to the trilogy and the Forgotten Realms shared universe as a whole.
Byers brings back the main characters from the previous book, and introduces a lot more. The number of characters might get a little overwhelming, and the author splits the party more than once which could also add to the confusion. However, if you keep up with things the action is strong and the characters evolve, in particular you see Dorn calm down a bit and stop being so brooding. Taegan continues being suave and awesome. Pavel and Will keep up their Abbott and Costello, while Raryn shows his usual constant competence. Kara doesn't change much, but we do get to see her struggle with the rage itself, and that journey is interesting and meaningful.
As for the plot, it is interesting for a book and yet also manages to feel like something ripped straight from a D&D campaign. For the non-D&D fans who wandered in, that might be off-putting, but for the rest of us that is a bonus. I read the Forgotten Realms novels because I want to feel like I'm playing D&D, or at least watching someone else play. For others seeking more standard fantasy fare, it might not work.
Without going on in too much detail, this sequel was a great follow up to the first book, and has me excited to read the third one. Check it out.
July 1, 2021
Excellent read.
Criticisms against this book by other goodreaders are, to put it in a blunt and immature way, retarded. They get it stuck in their heads that since Dorn was the first character to appear, that it would be centered around him. It wasn't. So what? This is an epic tale about several regions throughout Faerun, impacting multiple races and involving all of dragonkind. And you're disappointed it's not principally about a half-golem lacking in personality? Of course this tale should deserve the attention of several key players. Besides, he's already exhibited significant character development with being slightly more at ease amongst dragonkind, considering he's suffered a traumatic childhood.
More besides, after reading pages and pages from other authors of some tedious and long-winded variations of melee combat man-on-man where victory for the good guys is a foregone conclusion, it's refreshing and invigorating to read about military strategy involving dragons and mass armies, ancient magics borne from the earliest days when Elves were dominant, and good characters begrudgingly forced to collude and cooperate with evil characters, and vice versa. Oh, and throw in a nail biting mystery investigation into the mix for good measure.
Out of the FR books I've read (War of the Spider Queen is still on my to-do list), Mr. Byers has finally given an FR series worthy of attention. Now, onto the finale book.
Criticisms against this book by other goodreaders are, to put it in a blunt and immature way, retarded. They get it stuck in their heads that since Dorn was the first character to appear, that it would be centered around him. It wasn't. So what? This is an epic tale about several regions throughout Faerun, impacting multiple races and involving all of dragonkind. And you're disappointed it's not principally about a half-golem lacking in personality? Of course this tale should deserve the attention of several key players. Besides, he's already exhibited significant character development with being slightly more at ease amongst dragonkind, considering he's suffered a traumatic childhood.
More besides, after reading pages and pages from other authors of some tedious and long-winded variations of melee combat man-on-man where victory for the good guys is a foregone conclusion, it's refreshing and invigorating to read about military strategy involving dragons and mass armies, ancient magics borne from the earliest days when Elves were dominant, and good characters begrudgingly forced to collude and cooperate with evil characters, and vice versa. Oh, and throw in a nail biting mystery investigation into the mix for good measure.
Out of the FR books I've read (War of the Spider Queen is still on my to-do list), Mr. Byers has finally given an FR series worthy of attention. Now, onto the finale book.
January 12, 2025
Continuing on with the trilogy in my excitement to finally read something by the wonderful, dashing, and sweetest, Richard Lee Byers. Lots of battle scenes and hopefully obvious content notes, but there were things I really loved in particular about this second installment:
- I mentioned in the first book that the author has a deep respect for skill. In this book, I felt a deep respect for people. Regardless of size, strength, gender, disability, and many other factors, the author made it clear that anyone can be a force in their own ways. I loved that.
- I love that resisting is not easy. To be discredited, to lose friends, to take wounds, and to do it anyway. There are many veins of ethics, friendship, loyalty, and true respect for life that run through this work.
- I really liked the handling of the Rage in this. How hard it can be to be afflicted, and how hard you fight to do right, to be yourself. The dragons were written with exceptional nuance and interest. Brings out all the rogue dragon in me; I do admit it. : p
- The blueberry wine scene was absolutely beautiful. Sex, respect, vulnerability, respect. I won't forget it.
Onto the finale!
- I mentioned in the first book that the author has a deep respect for skill. In this book, I felt a deep respect for people. Regardless of size, strength, gender, disability, and many other factors, the author made it clear that anyone can be a force in their own ways. I loved that.
- I love that resisting is not easy. To be discredited, to lose friends, to take wounds, and to do it anyway. There are many veins of ethics, friendship, loyalty, and true respect for life that run through this work.
- I really liked the handling of the Rage in this. How hard it can be to be afflicted, and how hard you fight to do right, to be yourself. The dragons were written with exceptional nuance and interest. Brings out all the rogue dragon in me; I do admit it. : p
- The blueberry wine scene was absolutely beautiful. Sex, respect, vulnerability, respect. I won't forget it.
Onto the finale!
September 12, 2017
2nd time reading the trilogy 'Year of the Dragon'. Began with the 'Rage', seemed appropriate. The Rage is a condition that dragons in the 'Forgotten Realms' get where they go crazy and terrorize Faerun.
February 1, 2019
This has more of the things that I didn't like from book 1 and less of the things that I did like about book 1.
Chapter Seven opens with a character saying, "This is boring."
I couldn't agree more.
Pass.
Chapter Seven opens with a character saying, "This is boring."
I couldn't agree more.
Pass.
November 27, 2024
I found a lot to like in this title. In splitting the party, Byers manages to juggle multiple storylines which moved along at a nice clip, aside from occasionally bogging down in descriptions of combat.
October 9, 2019
Very good book, plenty of action to keep me interested the whole time and at the same time keep it exceedingly funny!!
May 18, 2022
Definitely the middle book of the series but a page Turner nonetheless! Great action, suspense and even mystery in this one
did-not-finish-or-start
June 19, 2023DNS 6/19/23
June 2, 2011
Dragons, Dragons, and more Dragons are offered up by Richard Lee Byers, author of Dissolution (War of the Spider Queen Series), in his second book of The Year of the Rogue Dragon Series, The Rite. The story picks up where The Rage left off, geographically, around the Moonsea in Faerûn (Forgotten Realms). The city of Thentia, and in The Monastery of the Yellow Rose, home to the monks who serve Ilmater, the Crying God, become the main locations for the battles that take place.
Byers continues to keep readers entranced with the quest Kara, the song dragon, and the hunting party, which has grown since the first book, continue to undertake. Dorn, Will, Pavel, Raryn, and Taegan team up with their dragon friends Jivex and Chatulio, and reluctantly with Brimstone to thwart Sammaster and the Cult of the Dragon as they try to make the insanity the dragons are experiencing permanent. Readers are introduced to several other key characters that all have a part to play in solving the riddle of the Rage. Dragonsbane, the Damaran King, Celedon Kierney, Damara’s spymaster, Firefingers and Scattercloak, mages of Thentia, Nexus, a gold dragon warlock and the reluctant new King of Justice, the gold dragon Tamarand all join in the quest.
Each chapter begins in the familiar FR style, providing the “Year of…” and the DR date, allowing Faerûn historians to easily place these events into the Forgotten Realms timeline. Fans of the Forgotten Realms will enjoy the depth in which Byers employs the different dragon species, both good and evil, through out the adventure. If you love dragons or just want to learn more about them, Byers has done his homework. The book is fact paced and filled with both air and ground combat, from the small skirmishes to a massive army going to war in Damara, all while trying to find the next piece of the puzzle that could be the cure the dragons seek.
This book is not a stand alone novel and should not be read without first reading Byers The Rage. The plethora of draconic information provided by Byers could be overwhelming but it is not. He weaves his knowledge throughout the story in such a way that readers don’t even realize they are learning the information until battles happen and are held in suspense while awaiting certain attacks to occur. The novel does not end with a “cliff hanger” but rather with the plan of attack for the heroes to complete their quest. The Rite will leave readers yearning to complete the story and rushing to get the final book, The Ruin.
Byers continues to keep readers entranced with the quest Kara, the song dragon, and the hunting party, which has grown since the first book, continue to undertake. Dorn, Will, Pavel, Raryn, and Taegan team up with their dragon friends Jivex and Chatulio, and reluctantly with Brimstone to thwart Sammaster and the Cult of the Dragon as they try to make the insanity the dragons are experiencing permanent. Readers are introduced to several other key characters that all have a part to play in solving the riddle of the Rage. Dragonsbane, the Damaran King, Celedon Kierney, Damara’s spymaster, Firefingers and Scattercloak, mages of Thentia, Nexus, a gold dragon warlock and the reluctant new King of Justice, the gold dragon Tamarand all join in the quest.
Each chapter begins in the familiar FR style, providing the “Year of…” and the DR date, allowing Faerûn historians to easily place these events into the Forgotten Realms timeline. Fans of the Forgotten Realms will enjoy the depth in which Byers employs the different dragon species, both good and evil, through out the adventure. If you love dragons or just want to learn more about them, Byers has done his homework. The book is fact paced and filled with both air and ground combat, from the small skirmishes to a massive army going to war in Damara, all while trying to find the next piece of the puzzle that could be the cure the dragons seek.
This book is not a stand alone novel and should not be read without first reading Byers The Rage. The plethora of draconic information provided by Byers could be overwhelming but it is not. He weaves his knowledge throughout the story in such a way that readers don’t even realize they are learning the information until battles happen and are held in suspense while awaiting certain attacks to occur. The novel does not end with a “cliff hanger” but rather with the plan of attack for the heroes to complete their quest. The Rite will leave readers yearning to complete the story and rushing to get the final book, The Ruin.
September 21, 2013
Dorn, the half-golem character, is the only reason that this book doesn't get one star, and he's barely in this book. I felt like this book had no direction, no guiding narrative force, and zero character development. I don't feel anything for any of these characters, except maybe for Dorn because his backstory was given in the prelude in volume one. Introducing new characters in the midst of a battle is a TERRIBLE way to get me interested or concerned in a character, especially when EVERY character is introduced this way. No lesson was learned from volume one. Also, there is some cumbersome, maybe even bad, writing here.
I felt like I needed to read this with a bestiary guide next to me to know what the hell I'm reading about, and a composition notebook on the other side to jot down character names, dragon classes, and other character-relevant information that the author didn't feel was necessary to develop. Rather, he wheelbarrows info on the backs of fighting dragons and magicians, and unceremoniously dumps them on our heads. Some of the battle scenes are done really well, and the descriptions move along at a movie-like pace. Other episodes and confrontations I've had to re-read to understand what was really going on, and why. There's something to be said for logical progression after all.
I'm not a novice to reading the fantasy genre, and I really do love and celebrate creativity of character class. However, character development can't happen if you never take the time to introduce your characters. Even in writing, you don't have a second chance to make a first impression. I think I'm ready to go back to Drizzt... He is a perfect example of how to do character development correctly. Salvatore wrote an entire trilogy developing Drizzt as a character. As cool of a character idea that Dorn is, I feel no attachment and only limited sympathy for his lot in life, and I believe it's because the author has locked us out of his mind, and not created a storyline geared to develop this character.
I felt like I needed to read this with a bestiary guide next to me to know what the hell I'm reading about, and a composition notebook on the other side to jot down character names, dragon classes, and other character-relevant information that the author didn't feel was necessary to develop. Rather, he wheelbarrows info on the backs of fighting dragons and magicians, and unceremoniously dumps them on our heads. Some of the battle scenes are done really well, and the descriptions move along at a movie-like pace. Other episodes and confrontations I've had to re-read to understand what was really going on, and why. There's something to be said for logical progression after all.
I'm not a novice to reading the fantasy genre, and I really do love and celebrate creativity of character class. However, character development can't happen if you never take the time to introduce your characters. Even in writing, you don't have a second chance to make a first impression. I think I'm ready to go back to Drizzt... He is a perfect example of how to do character development correctly. Salvatore wrote an entire trilogy developing Drizzt as a character. As cool of a character idea that Dorn is, I feel no attachment and only limited sympathy for his lot in life, and I believe it's because the author has locked us out of his mind, and not created a storyline geared to develop this character.
January 30, 2021
This is one of those books I downloaded to my phone from my library, not really intending to finish it, reading it slowly over a course of months while standing on lines, waiting for doctor’s appointments, or otherwise without a physical book present. I hadn’t read the first book in the series, although I somewhat prefer starting fantasy series in the middle – if the middle books aren’t good enough to grab you, why slog through all that world-building detail in the first one? As middle books go, this wasn’t bad – I did finish it. I don’t feel any great hurry to read the other titles, but I am not repelled by the idea either.
As a player of D&D, I am generally looking for D&D books that scratch the right itches, and this one does pretty well at that. My major criticism will be seen as a feature not a bug by most of the likely target audience: There is too much action. More precisely put, the focus of the book is on the combat scenes, which are relentless and constant, and there’s very little in the way of problem-solving or character development. From my experience as a DM, that seems to be what many players prefer anyway. I recall reading that the reason for the original “Dragonlance” adventures, which became more popular as novels, was because the game had too many dungeons, not enough dragons. This book outdoes any Dragonlance novel I’ve ever read in sheer numbers of dragons, and in their being central to the plot. There are big dragons and little dragons, good dragons and evil dragons, live dragons and undead dragons, smart dragons and dumb dragons, flying dragons and burrowing dragons…you get the idea. If you want dragons, look no further.
I don’t think I would recommend this book to the uninitiated; it’s not a likely gateway to D&D, but if you’re a D&D geek, this book was written for you.
As a player of D&D, I am generally looking for D&D books that scratch the right itches, and this one does pretty well at that. My major criticism will be seen as a feature not a bug by most of the likely target audience: There is too much action. More precisely put, the focus of the book is on the combat scenes, which are relentless and constant, and there’s very little in the way of problem-solving or character development. From my experience as a DM, that seems to be what many players prefer anyway. I recall reading that the reason for the original “Dragonlance” adventures, which became more popular as novels, was because the game had too many dungeons, not enough dragons. This book outdoes any Dragonlance novel I’ve ever read in sheer numbers of dragons, and in their being central to the plot. There are big dragons and little dragons, good dragons and evil dragons, live dragons and undead dragons, smart dragons and dumb dragons, flying dragons and burrowing dragons…you get the idea. If you want dragons, look no further.
I don’t think I would recommend this book to the uninitiated; it’s not a likely gateway to D&D, but if you’re a D&D geek, this book was written for you.
January 13, 2014
For me, Reichard Lee Byers is as good as it gets when it comes to Forgotten Realms authors. And in this novel, he doesn't fail to deliver.
The companions from the first book have split up to help Kara and the other goodly dragons find a cure for the Rage that is rapidly turning all dragons into maddend flights.
Teagan the winged elf and Jivix the fairy dragon work with a group of wizards in the city, trying to learn what they can and uncover a traitor amongst them. The are opposed by dark magic and a supped up insectiod deamon. All of which makes for a great reading.
The halfling, Will, and the cleric, Pavel, are faced with an unruly clan of ogres whom they must team up with in order to find ancient tomes that will hopefully enlighten them as to how the evil lich, Samaster, is inducing the Rage.
All while Kara, the half-golem Dorn, an artic dwarf and a copper dragon fight to defend a mountain top monastry from rampaging cromatic dragons.
No stop action. Great intrigue. Excellent characters and plot.
The companions from the first book have split up to help Kara and the other goodly dragons find a cure for the Rage that is rapidly turning all dragons into maddend flights.
Teagan the winged elf and Jivix the fairy dragon work with a group of wizards in the city, trying to learn what they can and uncover a traitor amongst them. The are opposed by dark magic and a supped up insectiod deamon. All of which makes for a great reading.
The halfling, Will, and the cleric, Pavel, are faced with an unruly clan of ogres whom they must team up with in order to find ancient tomes that will hopefully enlighten them as to how the evil lich, Samaster, is inducing the Rage.
All while Kara, the half-golem Dorn, an artic dwarf and a copper dragon fight to defend a mountain top monastry from rampaging cromatic dragons.
No stop action. Great intrigue. Excellent characters and plot.
Want to read
March 18, 2009I want to read this one because i like the first one and this one looks good.
December 31, 2010
Easy to read and cool story line, but I really didn't like the characters. They were very very two-dimensional. I may have expected a little too much...
March 13, 2011
Really getting into the story now. The charactors are developed more and the pace is well kept up with plenty of action and look forward to reading the last book in the series
July 24, 2011
I loved this book. All the different dragon types that are incorporated is awesome. As A D & D player I was amazed to see the wide variety of dragons and very very happy. :)
May 13, 2014
A good follow up to the Rage. While I didn't enjoy it quite as much it was still very much an enjoyable high fantasy novel.
Read
January 25, 2017Pretty much the same as the first book. just as I predicted in book 1. XD
June 18, 2024
Taegans search for the traitor was confusing, as I had a hard time remembering who is who. But it was nice nevertheless.
"My wine is empty" - Jivex. I love this fellow so much.
"My wine is empty" - Jivex. I love this fellow so much.
March 12, 2008
NERD NOVELS FORVER!!!!
October 15, 2009
Wow! excellent! Third book here i come!
January 9, 2013
see book 1
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews