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Forgotten Realms: The Harpers #5
The Ring of Winter
From the cover:
For centuries, adventurers have sought the fabled Ring of Winter, rumored to possess the magical might to make the wearer immortal and bring a second Ice Age down upon the Realms. Artus Cimber knows where it is.
After discovering the ring is hidden in the jungles of Chult, he sets off to fulfill the quest that has devoured a decade of his life. Knowing that the artifact is hidden somewhere in the danger-filled jungles and recovering it are two entirely different matters, however--especially when a lost city, rampaging dinosaurs, and the villainous Cult of Frost all stand between Artus and his goal.
The Ring of Winter is the fifth in an open-ended series of novels focusing on the Harpers, the secret organization for Good in the Forgotten Realms® fantasy world
For centuries, adventurers have sought the fabled Ring of Winter, rumored to possess the magical might to make the wearer immortal and bring a second Ice Age down upon the Realms. Artus Cimber knows where it is.
After discovering the ring is hidden in the jungles of Chult, he sets off to fulfill the quest that has devoured a decade of his life. Knowing that the artifact is hidden somewhere in the danger-filled jungles and recovering it are two entirely different matters, however--especially when a lost city, rampaging dinosaurs, and the villainous Cult of Frost all stand between Artus and his goal.
The Ring of Winter is the fifth in an open-ended series of novels focusing on the Harpers, the secret organization for Good in the Forgotten Realms® fantasy world
312 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 3, 1992
38 people are currently reading
807 people want to read
About the author
James Lowder
85 books102 followersaka Richard Awlinson, J D Lowder, Jim Lowder
James Lowder has worked extensively in fantasy and horror fiction on both sides of the editorial blotter. He's authored several best-selling dark fantasy novels, including Prince of Lies and Knight of the Black Rose, and has had short fiction appear in such anthologies as Shadows Over Baker Street and Genius Loci. He's penned comic book scripts for several companies and the city of Boston. His book and film reviews, feature articles, and role-playing game design work can be found in such diverse publications as Amazing Stories, Milwaukee Magazine, and The New England Journal of History. As an editor, he's directed lines or series for TSR, Green Knight Publishing, Chaosium, and CDS Books. He's helmed more than twenty anthologies, including Hobby Games: The 100 Best and Curse of the Full Moon. In the media, he is a regular contributor to the Public Radio show "Lake Effect" in Milwaukee, provided werewolf lore on the TV show Weird or What? and tabletop game industry lore for the documentary The Dreams in Gary's Basement, and served as a puppeteer on the indie film Misfit Heights.
James Lowder has worked extensively in fantasy and horror fiction on both sides of the editorial blotter. He's authored several best-selling dark fantasy novels, including Prince of Lies and Knight of the Black Rose, and has had short fiction appear in such anthologies as Shadows Over Baker Street and Genius Loci. He's penned comic book scripts for several companies and the city of Boston. His book and film reviews, feature articles, and role-playing game design work can be found in such diverse publications as Amazing Stories, Milwaukee Magazine, and The New England Journal of History. As an editor, he's directed lines or series for TSR, Green Knight Publishing, Chaosium, and CDS Books. He's helmed more than twenty anthologies, including Hobby Games: The 100 Best and Curse of the Full Moon. In the media, he is a regular contributor to the Public Radio show "Lake Effect" in Milwaukee, provided werewolf lore on the TV show Weird or What? and tabletop game industry lore for the documentary The Dreams in Gary's Basement, and served as a puppeteer on the indie film Misfit Heights.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
December 9, 2018
A tale of Artus Cimber and his journey to the enigmatic continent of Chult to find the fabled Ring of Winter. This was a great research read for running the current most recent D&D campaign, and a good introduction to the next, which is set to take place in Chult.
Overall, this book was not bad at all. It was short and quite enjoyable for a cliché-ridden shared-world fantasy novel.
Overall, this book was not bad at all. It was short and quite enjoyable for a cliché-ridden shared-world fantasy novel.
November 15, 2018
A well-done 1930's adventure serial style romp. A deadly island! Lost cities! Dinosaurs! Cannabalistic goblins! Magical servants! The protagonist, Artus Cimber, is a flawed, obsessed, good-hearted, and lucky adventurer, pursuing rumors of a legendary magical item which he has sought for years. His quest takes him to the island of Chult, where his coming sets off nation-rattling events. He is an enjoyable character, as is his prime nemesis. Even the wombat twins fail to be excessively annoying, despite their best efforts. If this were written by R.A. Salvatore it would have gone quite over the top, but Lowder writes with just enough restraint to avoid becoming ridiculous.
James Lowder also wrote the third book in the Empires trilogy (also in the Forgotten Realms novel series), Crusade, and events in that book are referred back to tangentially in spots, in a tasteful manner. The Ring of Winter is part of 'The Harpers' soft series, but the connection to that group is very tenuous; Artus Cimber is a former Harper who left the association, and while there was a threat that the Harpers would raise their collective head early on, the story really had nothing to do with them, except wherein Cimber's personal qualities were in alignment with their general goals. It was a better book for this.
I have been reading the Forgotten Realms line of novels in publication order, and with this, I am done with 1992! Audible sigh, why did I partake of this unforced quest? This particular book is a little rarer than most, I had to pay about three times the usual price to get my hands on a copy (physical, not e-book). I suspect that it had only a single print run; I further suspect that the 'Harpers' series was not as popular as others (*cough* Drizzt *cough*); certianly the two books in the Harpers line that preceded this were quite bad. Later Harpers books in that crossed over with other series (such as those written by Elaine Cunningham or Ed Greenwood) had better sales, I think.
James Lowder also wrote the third book in the Empires trilogy (also in the Forgotten Realms novel series), Crusade, and events in that book are referred back to tangentially in spots, in a tasteful manner. The Ring of Winter is part of 'The Harpers' soft series, but the connection to that group is very tenuous; Artus Cimber is a former Harper who left the association, and while there was a threat that the Harpers would raise their collective head early on, the story really had nothing to do with them, except wherein Cimber's personal qualities were in alignment with their general goals. It was a better book for this.
I have been reading the Forgotten Realms line of novels in publication order, and with this, I am done with 1992! Audible sigh, why did I partake of this unforced quest? This particular book is a little rarer than most, I had to pay about three times the usual price to get my hands on a copy (physical, not e-book). I suspect that it had only a single print run; I further suspect that the 'Harpers' series was not as popular as others (*cough* Drizzt *cough*); certianly the two books in the Harpers line that preceded this were quite bad. Later Harpers books in that crossed over with other series (such as those written by Elaine Cunningham or Ed Greenwood) had better sales, I think.
October 5, 2017
I picked up this book mainly to get some background for the new D&D adventure: Tomb of Annihilation. It is most definitely a mixed bag for several reasons:
1. I suspect, but can't be sure that the author may have been directed to stick to a 300 page limit. The book is very choppily edited and actually NEEDS more exposition and backstory for the lead protagonist... not to mention the supporting characters.
2. I don't usually say this about fantasy, but this novel would have benefited from more world building. Yes, I know that it is set within an established fantasy world (Forgotten Realms), but at the time of publishing, almost nothing had been written about the jungles of Chult.
3. Cute animal sidekicks. The two wombat characters (literally talking wombats) seemed unnecessary and served almost no purpose. Furthermore, their backstory was never explained and barely hinted at. Were they once human and turned into wombats by some enchantment? Are they from a society of intelligent wombats? Were they "awakened" animals as in books like The Plague Dogs or Watership Down? It took me right out of the story at times... and I couldn't figure out if the author was trying to give them a faux Cockney or faux Australian (at least that would have made a little sense) accent.
Bottom line: There are hints of a great tale here, and I wish the author would have been given free reign to tell ALL of it.
Finally... this is ostensibly book 5 in a series, however, just to be clear, none of these characters appear in any of the other books in the series. The only connection here is the Forgotten Realms secret society known as The Harpers. There is no connecting narrative thread.
For D&D nerds: It is interesting to see which ideas Chris Perkins and Co. chose to bring forward to the modern depiction of Chult, and what was discarded!
1. I suspect, but can't be sure that the author may have been directed to stick to a 300 page limit. The book is very choppily edited and actually NEEDS more exposition and backstory for the lead protagonist... not to mention the supporting characters.
2. I don't usually say this about fantasy, but this novel would have benefited from more world building. Yes, I know that it is set within an established fantasy world (Forgotten Realms), but at the time of publishing, almost nothing had been written about the jungles of Chult.
3. Cute animal sidekicks. The two wombat characters (literally talking wombats) seemed unnecessary and served almost no purpose. Furthermore, their backstory was never explained and barely hinted at. Were they once human and turned into wombats by some enchantment? Are they from a society of intelligent wombats? Were they "awakened" animals as in books like The Plague Dogs or Watership Down? It took me right out of the story at times... and I couldn't figure out if the author was trying to give them a faux Cockney or faux Australian (at least that would have made a little sense) accent.
Bottom line: There are hints of a great tale here, and I wish the author would have been given free reign to tell ALL of it.
Finally... this is ostensibly book 5 in a series, however, just to be clear, none of these characters appear in any of the other books in the series. The only connection here is the Forgotten Realms secret society known as The Harpers. There is no connecting narrative thread.
For D&D nerds: It is interesting to see which ideas Chris Perkins and Co. chose to bring forward to the modern depiction of Chult, and what was discarded!
January 9, 2023
I enjoyed this book cause it had a Land of the Lost meets Indian Jones feel to it and the story keeps the reader's attention. The main character, Artus Cimber, goes through loss and pain in search of his fixation for the Ring of Winter. It takes him far from home to the jungles of Chult to discover a hidden civilization while following the map... However, Artus isn't the only one in search of the ring of Winter and will threaten all in their path to get it! It has dinosaurs, a lost city, magic and a map inside the to aid the reader. Fun read!
July 21, 2020
Welcome to the jungle baby, you're gonna diiiie!
Metagaming Warning - For those that are currently in or are planning to be playing in the Tomb of Annihilation campaign for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition be warned that content in this book are set in Chult where the campaign is held. Although set far in the past to the adventure there are connecting elements to the present game so if you find it hard separating what you know versus what your character knows then please avoid this book until your campaign is over. On the other hand if you are the Dungeon Master go ahead and read the book if you want some inspiration on what to lace your own campaign world. The rule of cool is always in affect. :)
With a lore constantly growing through adventures and books nearly the entire length of the game (back in 1972) we have many iconic heroes and villains to ignite our imaginations, inspire our choices, and at times to even interact with in the modern world of the game which builds on teh former editions rather then reset the world every time a new edition comes out (like say a comic book series) and this book published back in the TSR days of D&D is no exception as we meet characters being used even know (assuming your DM choses to allow them in the world.)
This story is nothing out of the ordinary but the characters themselves are fairly unique at times which can be a little distracting but then again it is a world of magic so what can you expect. Of course talking animal sidekicks was a weird touch but awakened animals are possible so I can't say I am surprised that it was possible. Basically this is a old fashioned lost civilization romp like Indiana Jones set in a fantasy world so don't expect a serious story even if there are serious elements within. Most of all I hope you enjoy as you discover a (potentially) new world and fun adventures as you read. :)
Metagaming Warning - For those that are currently in or are planning to be playing in the Tomb of Annihilation campaign for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition be warned that content in this book are set in Chult where the campaign is held. Although set far in the past to the adventure there are connecting elements to the present game so if you find it hard separating what you know versus what your character knows then please avoid this book until your campaign is over. On the other hand if you are the Dungeon Master go ahead and read the book if you want some inspiration on what to lace your own campaign world. The rule of cool is always in affect. :)
With a lore constantly growing through adventures and books nearly the entire length of the game (back in 1972) we have many iconic heroes and villains to ignite our imaginations, inspire our choices, and at times to even interact with in the modern world of the game which builds on teh former editions rather then reset the world every time a new edition comes out (like say a comic book series) and this book published back in the TSR days of D&D is no exception as we meet characters being used even know (assuming your DM choses to allow them in the world.)
This story is nothing out of the ordinary but the characters themselves are fairly unique at times which can be a little distracting but then again it is a world of magic so what can you expect. Of course talking animal sidekicks was a weird touch but awakened animals are possible so I can't say I am surprised that it was possible. Basically this is a old fashioned lost civilization romp like Indiana Jones set in a fantasy world so don't expect a serious story even if there are serious elements within. Most of all I hope you enjoy as you discover a (potentially) new world and fun adventures as you read. :)
August 29, 2024
https://beforewegoblog.com/review-the...
THE RING OF WINTER by James Lowder is one of the Harpers series, back from when Forgotten Realms was publishing a lot of standalone novels. I’ve always been a fan of James Lowder’s work and this is no exception. It’s arguably one of the most well-written and entertaining standalones in the entire history of “D&D fiction” and would have been ranked as my favorite for the Forgotten Realms if not for the fact that it has a slight issue: some elements have aged extremely poorly. While it doesn’t reach INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM levels of cringe, there’s a few things that I can list as “cringe” that are very noticeable. These elements may not even bother you and you might perhaps argue I’m being oversensitive.
The premise is that Artus Cimber is Indiana Jones or pretty close to the character as exists in a Medieval Fantasy World. A member of the Stalwart Adventuring Society, he travels across the globe to seek out treasures in lost ruins as well as dungeons. The big difference being that Artus also takes time to study these ruins and record their secrets for posterity. The association of treasure hunting with archaeology by James Lowder is quite clever and something that we’re only now starting to become a bit more accepting of outside of fiction.
Artus, like Indy, Lara, and Nathan, has a particular artifact that serves as his personal grail: the titular Ring of Winter. The Ring of Winter bestows the wearer with the ability to generate vast amounts of frost and immortality. Which are admittedly some pretty good benefits here. It’s also being hunted by the evil Kaverin Ebonhand, who is basically a Bond villain with his deformed hand as well as a female henchwoman named Phyrra al-Quim (i.e “Fiery Quim”, a dirty name that probably only a handful of fans would have gotten before the Avengers movie had Loki use the latter in its proper context). He serves as our Belloq figure.
The very short version of the plot is that Artus heads down to the kingdom of Chult, the miniature Africa that exists as a peninsula in Faerun, and seeks the city of Mezro in order to find the Ring of Winter. Mezro is a bit like Wakanda in that it is a highly advanced civilization of magic-users that has completely isolated itself from the rest of the country in order to protect itself. This has resulted in all of the people left outside of the city being screwed as they’re subject to the hordes of cannibalistic goblins as well as other threats abounding. Yes, the superstitious cannibal goblins that worship monsters and offer human sacrifices to it while fitting quite a few stereotypes of tribal peoples.
James Lowder’s book runs into the uncomfortable problem of wanting to do a big Alan Quartermain-esque pulp adventure with all of the tropes but not actually be racist or colonialist. For the most he succeeds. Mezro isn’t “lost”, it just doesn’t want to deal with White Cormyrians. It is shown to also be more “civilized” than Cormyr. Artus also has to deal with the fact that a lot of his guidebooks to Chult are horrifyingly inaccurate as their writer was, in fact, a racist jerkass.
However, making the racist European stereotypes into monsters instead of people isn’t really a fix for problematic content as Watto from The Phantom Menace proves. There’s some uncomfortable bits here too like when Kaverin casually feeds a female henchman to the goblins because he needs his supplies more. At one point, one of the Mezro leaders also discusses how he committed genocide against an inferior tribal people in Chult and is annoyed he was exiled for it.
There’s some other minor issues that are just the result of D&D’s long history as well and expectations thereof. James Lowder doesn’t actually bother to stay within the rules. Artus Cimber is officially a Ranger but he could have been a Fighter, Bard, or Rogue since he doesn’t follow any character sheet write-up. He’s just the way the book writes him as a Pulpy action hero and scholar. The people of Mezro are called Tabaxi but they’re human beings but Tabaxi would later be used as a name for the cat people of the setting. It gets more confusing because there are cat people Tabaxi in Chult as well. This isn’t on James Lowder, though, as I’m sure he thinks its better to tell a good story than keep Artus’ abilities consistent with his class.
The Ring of Winter has a lot going for it but it is trying to be a rollicking good adventure while dealing with things like the legacy of colonialism as well as tropes based on really awful views of the world. This is a book with two Cockney talking wombats, it shouldn’t have to deal with uncomfortable subject matter. Still, props to James Lowder, he does his very best to navigate the minefield of homage and satire. At one point, Artus Cimber passes the test of Ubtao and has the option to become an immortal god king in Mezro. He points out how grossly inappropriate that would be given he’s a foreigner to Mezro. It just would have been better if there wasn’t already a white guy on the council of god kings. There’s nothing wrong with problematic elements in books as long as you recognize them but James Lowder does and struggles to reconcile them with his desire to just have a magic treasure hunt in the jungle.
THE RING OF WINTER by James Lowder is one of the Harpers series, back from when Forgotten Realms was publishing a lot of standalone novels. I’ve always been a fan of James Lowder’s work and this is no exception. It’s arguably one of the most well-written and entertaining standalones in the entire history of “D&D fiction” and would have been ranked as my favorite for the Forgotten Realms if not for the fact that it has a slight issue: some elements have aged extremely poorly. While it doesn’t reach INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM levels of cringe, there’s a few things that I can list as “cringe” that are very noticeable. These elements may not even bother you and you might perhaps argue I’m being oversensitive.
The premise is that Artus Cimber is Indiana Jones or pretty close to the character as exists in a Medieval Fantasy World. A member of the Stalwart Adventuring Society, he travels across the globe to seek out treasures in lost ruins as well as dungeons. The big difference being that Artus also takes time to study these ruins and record their secrets for posterity. The association of treasure hunting with archaeology by James Lowder is quite clever and something that we’re only now starting to become a bit more accepting of outside of fiction.
Artus, like Indy, Lara, and Nathan, has a particular artifact that serves as his personal grail: the titular Ring of Winter. The Ring of Winter bestows the wearer with the ability to generate vast amounts of frost and immortality. Which are admittedly some pretty good benefits here. It’s also being hunted by the evil Kaverin Ebonhand, who is basically a Bond villain with his deformed hand as well as a female henchwoman named Phyrra al-Quim (i.e “Fiery Quim”, a dirty name that probably only a handful of fans would have gotten before the Avengers movie had Loki use the latter in its proper context). He serves as our Belloq figure.
The very short version of the plot is that Artus heads down to the kingdom of Chult, the miniature Africa that exists as a peninsula in Faerun, and seeks the city of Mezro in order to find the Ring of Winter. Mezro is a bit like Wakanda in that it is a highly advanced civilization of magic-users that has completely isolated itself from the rest of the country in order to protect itself. This has resulted in all of the people left outside of the city being screwed as they’re subject to the hordes of cannibalistic goblins as well as other threats abounding. Yes, the superstitious cannibal goblins that worship monsters and offer human sacrifices to it while fitting quite a few stereotypes of tribal peoples.
James Lowder’s book runs into the uncomfortable problem of wanting to do a big Alan Quartermain-esque pulp adventure with all of the tropes but not actually be racist or colonialist. For the most he succeeds. Mezro isn’t “lost”, it just doesn’t want to deal with White Cormyrians. It is shown to also be more “civilized” than Cormyr. Artus also has to deal with the fact that a lot of his guidebooks to Chult are horrifyingly inaccurate as their writer was, in fact, a racist jerkass.
However, making the racist European stereotypes into monsters instead of people isn’t really a fix for problematic content as Watto from The Phantom Menace proves. There’s some uncomfortable bits here too like when Kaverin casually feeds a female henchman to the goblins because he needs his supplies more. At one point, one of the Mezro leaders also discusses how he committed genocide against an inferior tribal people in Chult and is annoyed he was exiled for it.
There’s some other minor issues that are just the result of D&D’s long history as well and expectations thereof. James Lowder doesn’t actually bother to stay within the rules. Artus Cimber is officially a Ranger but he could have been a Fighter, Bard, or Rogue since he doesn’t follow any character sheet write-up. He’s just the way the book writes him as a Pulpy action hero and scholar. The people of Mezro are called Tabaxi but they’re human beings but Tabaxi would later be used as a name for the cat people of the setting. It gets more confusing because there are cat people Tabaxi in Chult as well. This isn’t on James Lowder, though, as I’m sure he thinks its better to tell a good story than keep Artus’ abilities consistent with his class.
The Ring of Winter has a lot going for it but it is trying to be a rollicking good adventure while dealing with things like the legacy of colonialism as well as tropes based on really awful views of the world. This is a book with two Cockney talking wombats, it shouldn’t have to deal with uncomfortable subject matter. Still, props to James Lowder, he does his very best to navigate the minefield of homage and satire. At one point, Artus Cimber passes the test of Ubtao and has the option to become an immortal god king in Mezro. He points out how grossly inappropriate that would be given he’s a foreigner to Mezro. It just would have been better if there wasn’t already a white guy on the council of god kings. There’s nothing wrong with problematic elements in books as long as you recognize them but James Lowder does and struggles to reconcile them with his desire to just have a magic treasure hunt in the jungle.
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June 17, 2013A brief summary followed by a book review. A starred rating has been purposefully avoided.
***WARNING: SKIP TO THE REVIEW TO AVOID MINIMAL SPOILERS****
***SUMMARY******
Artus Cimber and his adventuring companion, the old mage Sir Hydel Pontifax, travel to the jungles of Chult looking for the fabled Ring of Winter, a magical artifact that bestows its wearer with immortality, the ability to wield snow and ice, and the power to bring forth an Second Ice Age. Legend has it that the ring is a power of ultimate destruction. However, Artus believes he might be able to use that power to fight for Good. As a one time member of The Harpers in his youth, Artus has become disenchanted by the society's inability to fight Evil on its own terms. While the members of his former semi-secret society have sworn to protect the realms of Faerûn and fight for Good, the ideals of Artus' youth can not live up to the realities of politics or the limitations of a small, disconnected group who are unwilling to make the kinds of ambiguous decisions that Artus will ultimately act on.
Also searching for the ring, and following closely behind, is their longtime rival Kaverin Ebonhand, the leader of the Cult of Frost who has made a horrible pact with the God of Murder, Cyric The Prince of Lies. After being killed and sent to Hades by Artus and Pontifax, Kaverin secures a second chance at life only by promising Cyric that he will lay waste to the lands of Faerûn in Cyric's name. However, only until after the bargain is sealed does Ebonhand discover that he awaits a fate worse than death if he dies...a second time.
On the sweltering jungle island of Chult, Artus will fight off dinosaurs, Barati tribes made up of cannibal Goblins, evil assassins made entirely of ice, and a seemingly indestructible four-armed, silver-skinned being from the Mulhorandi pantheon known only as Skuld. At one time bound to Artus as his own protector, Skuld's powers have now been twisted under service of Kaverin.
Artus will also meet the inhabitants from the long lost city of Mezro. Peopled by the native Tabaxi humanoids, the city, and the rest of Chult, is ruled over by it's absent God, Ubtao. Though absent from his people's lives, Ubtao has chosen 6 Mezroan paladins, known as barae, to rule and keep the Tabaxi people safe in his stead. Each paladin is granted immortality and awesome powers, much like the ring that Artus has been searching for over the past decade.
Artus will help the Mezroans to defend their secret village from an invading horde of Barati, a legion of shape-shifting pteranodons, and the magical Skuld, all led by the Goblin Queen M'bata and Kaverin Ebonhand. Along the way, Artus will meet the 1500 year-old founder of the Society of Stalwart Adventurers, his life will be saved by two talking Wombats stranded on Chult years ago, he will have to decide whether his guide may or may not want to kill him, and ultimately he will discover his destiny and find love.
***REVIEW******
The Ring of Winter is book 5 of 14 in The Harper series of the Forgotten Realms. While some of the books in this series are sequels to earlier Forgotten Realms novels, and other Harper stories lead into their own series, this is a completely stand-alone book. Which, for those who read fantasy, is refreshingly rare. The protagonist, Artus Cimber can only be found in one other short story "The Family Business," which can be found in the first Forgotten Realms anthology entitled, The Realms of Valor (of which I have not read at the time of this review).
I thoroughly enjoyed The Ring of Winter. The author, James Lowder, had already written Crusade (the 3rd book in The Empires Trilogy) and alludes to the events in that book frequently during the first quarter of The Ring of Winter. However, the reader does not need to know the details of that story or series in order to enjoy Artus' adventures. The addition of Cyric to the story must have been due to Lowder's second Forgotten Realms novel written soon after, The Prince of Lies (the 4th book in The Avatar Series). Cyric is a truly horrific God, and his involvement always makes for a disturbing read. Incidentally, the two aforementioned series are two of the best of the early Forgotten Realms novels.
Artus is an interesting protagonist. His connection to The Harpers as a former comrade lends a complexity and ambivalence to the role of membership with the group that is previously unexplored in the series. Kaverin plays an antagonist motivated not only by Evil, but by the horrific consequences of his mistake; a mistake that anyone might make in similar circumstances.
Like all the Forgotten Realms books, this story is full of magic, Gods, and destiny. I appreciated the author's light handedness with the love story, which only gets a subtle nod. The comic relief by the two Wombats are a bit George Lucas-esque, but this aspect of the story, also common for a Forgotten Realms book, is small. The battles are well written, the magic is fun and interesting, and the mythos of Ubtao and the barae is quiet engaging. Artus may avoid death a bit too easily at times, but this is no different from a DM adjusting the game for a group of poor dice rollers.
The plot reveals some twists and turns, but nothing the reader would not be able to guess themselves. There is minimal character development. The Harpers storyline provides a bookend to the novel, and the overall end is satisfying. Unlike some other Forgotten Realms books, it doesn't feel like the author rushes too quickly to end the story in order to finish up by the 312 page mark.
I'd recommend this book to a Realms fan or to someone interested in testing the Forgotten waters. It's a fun, well written read.
***WARNING: SKIP TO THE REVIEW TO AVOID MINIMAL SPOILERS****
***SUMMARY******
Artus Cimber and his adventuring companion, the old mage Sir Hydel Pontifax, travel to the jungles of Chult looking for the fabled Ring of Winter, a magical artifact that bestows its wearer with immortality, the ability to wield snow and ice, and the power to bring forth an Second Ice Age. Legend has it that the ring is a power of ultimate destruction. However, Artus believes he might be able to use that power to fight for Good. As a one time member of The Harpers in his youth, Artus has become disenchanted by the society's inability to fight Evil on its own terms. While the members of his former semi-secret society have sworn to protect the realms of Faerûn and fight for Good, the ideals of Artus' youth can not live up to the realities of politics or the limitations of a small, disconnected group who are unwilling to make the kinds of ambiguous decisions that Artus will ultimately act on.
Also searching for the ring, and following closely behind, is their longtime rival Kaverin Ebonhand, the leader of the Cult of Frost who has made a horrible pact with the God of Murder, Cyric The Prince of Lies. After being killed and sent to Hades by Artus and Pontifax, Kaverin secures a second chance at life only by promising Cyric that he will lay waste to the lands of Faerûn in Cyric's name. However, only until after the bargain is sealed does Ebonhand discover that he awaits a fate worse than death if he dies...a second time.
On the sweltering jungle island of Chult, Artus will fight off dinosaurs, Barati tribes made up of cannibal Goblins, evil assassins made entirely of ice, and a seemingly indestructible four-armed, silver-skinned being from the Mulhorandi pantheon known only as Skuld. At one time bound to Artus as his own protector, Skuld's powers have now been twisted under service of Kaverin.
Artus will also meet the inhabitants from the long lost city of Mezro. Peopled by the native Tabaxi humanoids, the city, and the rest of Chult, is ruled over by it's absent God, Ubtao. Though absent from his people's lives, Ubtao has chosen 6 Mezroan paladins, known as barae, to rule and keep the Tabaxi people safe in his stead. Each paladin is granted immortality and awesome powers, much like the ring that Artus has been searching for over the past decade.
Artus will help the Mezroans to defend their secret village from an invading horde of Barati, a legion of shape-shifting pteranodons, and the magical Skuld, all led by the Goblin Queen M'bata and Kaverin Ebonhand. Along the way, Artus will meet the 1500 year-old founder of the Society of Stalwart Adventurers, his life will be saved by two talking Wombats stranded on Chult years ago, he will have to decide whether his guide may or may not want to kill him, and ultimately he will discover his destiny and find love.
***REVIEW******
The Ring of Winter is book 5 of 14 in The Harper series of the Forgotten Realms. While some of the books in this series are sequels to earlier Forgotten Realms novels, and other Harper stories lead into their own series, this is a completely stand-alone book. Which, for those who read fantasy, is refreshingly rare. The protagonist, Artus Cimber can only be found in one other short story "The Family Business," which can be found in the first Forgotten Realms anthology entitled, The Realms of Valor (of which I have not read at the time of this review).
I thoroughly enjoyed The Ring of Winter. The author, James Lowder, had already written Crusade (the 3rd book in The Empires Trilogy) and alludes to the events in that book frequently during the first quarter of The Ring of Winter. However, the reader does not need to know the details of that story or series in order to enjoy Artus' adventures. The addition of Cyric to the story must have been due to Lowder's second Forgotten Realms novel written soon after, The Prince of Lies (the 4th book in The Avatar Series). Cyric is a truly horrific God, and his involvement always makes for a disturbing read. Incidentally, the two aforementioned series are two of the best of the early Forgotten Realms novels.
Artus is an interesting protagonist. His connection to The Harpers as a former comrade lends a complexity and ambivalence to the role of membership with the group that is previously unexplored in the series. Kaverin plays an antagonist motivated not only by Evil, but by the horrific consequences of his mistake; a mistake that anyone might make in similar circumstances.
Like all the Forgotten Realms books, this story is full of magic, Gods, and destiny. I appreciated the author's light handedness with the love story, which only gets a subtle nod. The comic relief by the two Wombats are a bit George Lucas-esque, but this aspect of the story, also common for a Forgotten Realms book, is small. The battles are well written, the magic is fun and interesting, and the mythos of Ubtao and the barae is quiet engaging. Artus may avoid death a bit too easily at times, but this is no different from a DM adjusting the game for a group of poor dice rollers.
The plot reveals some twists and turns, but nothing the reader would not be able to guess themselves. There is minimal character development. The Harpers storyline provides a bookend to the novel, and the overall end is satisfying. Unlike some other Forgotten Realms books, it doesn't feel like the author rushes too quickly to end the story in order to finish up by the 312 page mark.
I'd recommend this book to a Realms fan or to someone interested in testing the Forgotten waters. It's a fun, well written read.
August 25, 2018
I am at a point in my Dungeon Master career in which I have research to do that only exists in the novels. Saturday morning adventure, wildly out of order in a series—it’s like I’m 13 again.
This was good, and more importantly, it gave me ideas.
This was good, and more importantly, it gave me ideas.
June 14, 2023
A fantasy novel with dinosaurs? Say less.
October 24, 2020
Came for the dinosaurs, started u for the wombats.
July 31, 2019
I'm preparing to be a GM for Tomb of Annihilation and I loved get my hands on a story that happens on Chult. It's also great to get some backstory on Artus Cimber.
Although the story was somewhat predictable and cheesy I really enjoyed immersing myself in the lore. The story made me decide to introduce Amarak to my players and I might even give them a magically enchanted book with 'infinite' pages as in the story.
I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I would not have been using it as preparatory material. I even want more, there are so many interesting places on Chult and we barely got introduced to a handful of them and although the story was centred on Artus I would have loved a richer backstory. He had spent ten years searching for the ring. That must have been an adventure on its own.
Also, dinosaurs, this story should be a movie :)
Although the story was somewhat predictable and cheesy I really enjoyed immersing myself in the lore. The story made me decide to introduce Amarak to my players and I might even give them a magically enchanted book with 'infinite' pages as in the story.
I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I would not have been using it as preparatory material. I even want more, there are so many interesting places on Chult and we barely got introduced to a handful of them and although the story was centred on Artus I would have loved a richer backstory. He had spent ten years searching for the ring. That must have been an adventure on its own.
Also, dinosaurs, this story should be a movie :)
August 18, 2009
This is the first, and one of the only, forgotten realms books set in the Jungles of Chult. That was a huge draw for me, since I'm always trying to discover new things about this world.
There were all kinds of little things that I liked about this story; a dragon turtle that charges for safe passage, a four armed magical servant, and the bera of Mezzro. I also liked being introduced to the god Ubtao...I will say that I did not expect him to be like he was portrayed in this book.
There were several things that bothered me, too, but I don't want to ruin the story for the rest of you...
This was the best I've read by James Lowder.
There were all kinds of little things that I liked about this story; a dragon turtle that charges for safe passage, a four armed magical servant, and the bera of Mezzro. I also liked being introduced to the god Ubtao...I will say that I did not expect him to be like he was portrayed in this book.
There were several things that bothered me, too, but I don't want to ruin the story for the rest of you...
This was the best I've read by James Lowder.
January 17, 2019
Primarily read because of any possible ties to our ongoing Tomb of Annihilation campaign. It's a short, easy read with paper-thin characters, but it's a decent little swashbuckling adventure in the jungles of Chult. Too many goblins and not enough of everything else, however, as Artus Cimber hunts the Ring of Winter, befriends goofy talking wombats, battles dinosaurs, and meets the immortal defenders of Mezro. The brief but intriguing Ras Nsi cameo and the climax featuring the unleashed Ring of Winter are the most relevant sections to ToA, though Artus himself is a generically boring hero. Not a horrible book but not exactly a memorable adventure.
March 8, 2023
The books in the Harpers series are rather low quality, with a bit of ups and downs. But this one was one of the ups. Still rather inferior fantasy, but quite an enjoyable book, captivating and fun. And certainly a far cry from the monstrosity that was the previous installment.
Chult is quite an unusual setting for the Forgotten Realms, and although it has gained in popularity in the last years, back in the 90's it was very marginal. So a book set in Chult is quite an interesting anomaly.
The plot is good, nothing transcendental, but consistent and catching. The book is fast-paced, it never gets boring, and there are quite a few unexpected surprises in the plot. The characters are your usual D&D characters, with some parts of lore that show that James Lowder is a great expert in the Forgotten Realms.
There is also an underlying naivety that is expressed on several occasions. For example, what about Byrt and Lugg? The book totally ignores how the hell they are what they are, why, and in general, any explanation on their nature. Talking wombats are by far not the strangest thing one can find in the Forgotten Realms, but in general there is always some explanation that is totally absent here. This detail makes this facet of the book funny, but gives a sense of "take it as it is," which spoils the story a little.
Furthermore, I think there is one major hole in the plot.
If it weren't for the two above issues, this book would have deserved a better score.
Chult is quite an unusual setting for the Forgotten Realms, and although it has gained in popularity in the last years, back in the 90's it was very marginal. So a book set in Chult is quite an interesting anomaly.
The plot is good, nothing transcendental, but consistent and catching. The book is fast-paced, it never gets boring, and there are quite a few unexpected surprises in the plot. The characters are your usual D&D characters, with some parts of lore that show that James Lowder is a great expert in the Forgotten Realms.
There is also an underlying naivety that is expressed on several occasions. For example, what about Byrt and Lugg? The book totally ignores how the hell they are what they are, why, and in general, any explanation on their nature. Talking wombats are by far not the strangest thing one can find in the Forgotten Realms, but in general there is always some explanation that is totally absent here. This detail makes this facet of the book funny, but gives a sense of "take it as it is," which spoils the story a little.
Furthermore, I think there is one major hole in the plot.
If it weren't for the two above issues, this book would have deserved a better score.
April 3, 2025
Poor Artus Cimber, the only other player in his group quits halfway through, and then Artus spends the rest of the adventure surrounded by level 20 DMPCs and whimsical talking animals.
Didn't really like this one. It feels like Lowder wants you to be more impressed by the Wakanda-style utopia setting and NPCs than the bland surly protagonist himself, who sort of drifts around without any plans besides "step one: get powerful magical artifact, step two: ??? step three: freedom??" and yet despite the shallowness of his characterization, Lowder wrote twenty pages of backstory for Artus and tries to cram it in whenever there's a lull in the action. No, the religion of his ex wife is never relevant to the plot, nor is the way his father paid for his education.
And yet, the villain was a lot of fun, and the setting was surprisingly respectful for something that desperately wanted to indulge in pulp fiction about dinosaurs and cannibal goblins. The action never rises to Indiana Jones level thrills, but there were some twists and turns, and the part where the DM clearly got tired of everyone carrying fifty feet of rope and said "fuck it, the dinosaurs eat your backpack" was hilarious. That's the sort of thing that really makes it feel like D&D.
By the way, Lowder really shines in short stories - it's worth tracking down The Family Business, The Club Rules, and Laughter in the Flames. True, the third one doesn't feature Cimber, but it does have familiar characters from the Society of Stalwart Adventurers, which is a great addition to the setting.
Didn't really like this one. It feels like Lowder wants you to be more impressed by the Wakanda-style utopia setting and NPCs than the bland surly protagonist himself, who sort of drifts around without any plans besides "step one: get powerful magical artifact, step two: ??? step three: freedom??" and yet despite the shallowness of his characterization, Lowder wrote twenty pages of backstory for Artus and tries to cram it in whenever there's a lull in the action. No, the religion of his ex wife is never relevant to the plot, nor is the way his father paid for his education.
And yet, the villain was a lot of fun, and the setting was surprisingly respectful for something that desperately wanted to indulge in pulp fiction about dinosaurs and cannibal goblins. The action never rises to Indiana Jones level thrills, but there were some twists and turns, and the part where the DM clearly got tired of everyone carrying fifty feet of rope and said "fuck it, the dinosaurs eat your backpack" was hilarious. That's the sort of thing that really makes it feel like D&D.
By the way, Lowder really shines in short stories - it's worth tracking down The Family Business, The Club Rules, and Laughter in the Flames. True, the third one doesn't feature Cimber, but it does have familiar characters from the Society of Stalwart Adventurers, which is a great addition to the setting.
September 12, 2017
I wasn't a fan of this book. I generally find books based on games not that great and this was no exception. The hero is not really a hero, he's arrogant (expects people just to give up the thing he's looking for simply because he's been looking for it for a long time), he's useless in most situations and gets through scenes because of the help he gets, and he's overly emotional. He's kind of like Bella from Twilight - people like him or fall in love with him for no particular reason. Not only that but he lives in a world where undead exist, and when he sees a ghost he's all disbelieving and thinks he's insane. The author just seemed to hope we'd like him because he's the protagonist of the story. I didn't like him at all. The story was ok, I liked the work the author did on the lore of the land, and the book wasn't longer than it needed to be. But overall this is not a book for the average fantasy reader. Read it only if you like the Forgotten Realms books or want to know more about some of the history of the jungle lands of Chult (as the latest D&D adventure Tomb of Annihilation is set here).
October 5, 2019
Tomb of Annihilation Supplemental Reading
I recently started acting as DM for a Tomb of Annihilation game, and I got this book to better understand the characters in the D&D module.
I am glad that I did because one of the things that was concerning me about the module was the inclusion of the NPCs Artus Cimber and Ras Nsi. After reading this story I feel even more confident about removing them in my game. Their inclusion into the model seen shoehorn in and now that I better understand their personalities, I feel like they should have maybe made cameos, but definitely not have been made main characters.
It was a pretty quick read, and made a little bit more enjoyable by being able to switch between the audiobook and e-book whenever the circumstances changed (when my child woke up from a nap usually 😅). As a story it was OK.
I recently started acting as DM for a Tomb of Annihilation game, and I got this book to better understand the characters in the D&D module.
I am glad that I did because one of the things that was concerning me about the module was the inclusion of the NPCs Artus Cimber and Ras Nsi. After reading this story I feel even more confident about removing them in my game. Their inclusion into the model seen shoehorn in and now that I better understand their personalities, I feel like they should have maybe made cameos, but definitely not have been made main characters.
It was a pretty quick read, and made a little bit more enjoyable by being able to switch between the audiobook and e-book whenever the circumstances changed (when my child woke up from a nap usually 😅). As a story it was OK.
April 24, 2023
This book averaged out to a 3 for me.
I really liked the characterisation here. Artus was a good protagonist who had strong motivations and actual adventuring skills. I particularly enjoyed the BBEG, Kaverin. He was a proper evil wizard who had presence and actually got his own goals fleshed out too.
I unfortunately did not care for the two talking wombats. They didn't really add anything and were a bit annoying, especially compared to how well the other companions had been.
When the plot was good, the action and characterisation was enthralling. It was refreshing to see there were realistic stakes and injuries during the fights. However, I found the lulls in-between a bit of a chore to get through.
Ultimately was a fun read, not too sure how it ranks compared to the other Forgotten Realms novels I've read.
I really liked the characterisation here. Artus was a good protagonist who had strong motivations and actual adventuring skills. I particularly enjoyed the BBEG, Kaverin. He was a proper evil wizard who had presence and actually got his own goals fleshed out too.
I unfortunately did not care for the two talking wombats. They didn't really add anything and were a bit annoying, especially compared to how well the other companions had been.
When the plot was good, the action and characterisation was enthralling. It was refreshing to see there were realistic stakes and injuries during the fights. However, I found the lulls in-between a bit of a chore to get through.
Ultimately was a fun read, not too sure how it ranks compared to the other Forgotten Realms novels I've read.
November 9, 2020
Was useful for Tomb of Annihilation prep. Contains at least 3 names and powers of the original barae aside from Ras Nsi, which was surprisingly difficult to find online.
Has a lovely section on the ritual to become a barae. Definitely useful if you’re planning to extend Tomb Of Annihilation beyond the hardcover, or planning to use the City of Mezro DMguild material.
Book did feel a little rushed, and we only had a glimpse of the powers of the barae. Also, I thought the barae has fast regeneration, but Dhalmoss’s bruise didn’t heal in captivity, so that was a weird quirk.
All in all, recommended if you’re going to be DM-ing Tomb of Annihilation. I might insert the book in a library in my campaign if my players meet Artus in game.
Has a lovely section on the ritual to become a barae. Definitely useful if you’re planning to extend Tomb Of Annihilation beyond the hardcover, or planning to use the City of Mezro DMguild material.
Book did feel a little rushed, and we only had a glimpse of the powers of the barae. Also, I thought the barae has fast regeneration, but Dhalmoss’s bruise didn’t heal in captivity, so that was a weird quirk.
All in all, recommended if you’re going to be DM-ing Tomb of Annihilation. I might insert the book in a library in my campaign if my players meet Artus in game.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2018
It took a while for this particular tale of the realms to grab me, and I'm not sure if that was the story itself of the narrator, but once it got moving and the action moved into the mysterious jungles of Chult I found the whole thing really engaging and a lot more fun than I expected.
A great one for D&D or fantasy geeks who love rangers, dinosaurs, pirates, villains with hands made of actual black stone for no discernible reason other than the name "Ebonhand" sounds cool (not kidding), goblin queens with flowing blonde hair (yes, really) and Laurel and Hardy-esque anthropomorphic wombats (still not kidding).
A great one for D&D or fantasy geeks who love rangers, dinosaurs, pirates, villains with hands made of actual black stone for no discernible reason other than the name "Ebonhand" sounds cool (not kidding), goblin queens with flowing blonde hair (yes, really) and Laurel and Hardy-esque anthropomorphic wombats (still not kidding).
June 15, 2021
I'm giving The Ring of Winter a 3.5, rounded up. I found this to be a rather entertaining Realms book. It seems Lowder is one of their authors I enjoy more than a lot of the others.
This is a pretty exciting adventure, kind of making me think more of Alan Quatermain than Indiana Jones. I like the descriptions of Chult and the people and cultures that inhabit it. Artus was mostly likeable, though not particularly deep, and the side characters were okay at best, but I still found the tale compelling and finished it rather quickly. If you like the Realms, give this one a shot.
This is a pretty exciting adventure, kind of making me think more of Alan Quatermain than Indiana Jones. I like the descriptions of Chult and the people and cultures that inhabit it. Artus was mostly likeable, though not particularly deep, and the side characters were okay at best, but I still found the tale compelling and finished it rather quickly. If you like the Realms, give this one a shot.
July 7, 2017
Another book in the Forgotten Realms Harpers series, in its favor it does not read like the traditional fantasy genre novel. The author's notes mentioned he borrowed from his childhood memories of pulp fiction and action serials, and one could easily imagine this with Indiana Jones as the lead character, with magic and sword instead of gun and whip. However, ending was very abrupt and unsatisfying. Took away from what was otherwise a decent book.
March 29, 2022
Back when I was in high school this was my favorite book in FR. I'm reading all the books in chronological order so I read this one again. Not quite as good as I remember it but still quite enjoyable. Added bonus that it takes place in Chult and this is the only book I read in that part of the Realms. I didn't remember much about the book outside of Artus finds the Ring of Winter and it is a very powerful artifact. It did give off an Indiana Jones vibe but I was always fascinated with those movies so probably why I liked it so much. It didn't really go deep into the barae and their powers outside of a few pages here and there so hopefully there is a book further down the chronological order that comes back to this region.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2025
I had read this as prep for 5e Tomb of Annihilation. The older FR novels can be a little hit and miss but this one is not too bad. Although nominally part of the Harper Series there's not much Harper involvement in this yarn, which gives off an Indiana Jones pulp-adventure vibe.
There's lots to like here: a fun protagonist, an ancient artefact, a bad guy with stone hands, two sassy talking wombats, and a hidden city.
Worth a read.
There's lots to like here: a fun protagonist, an ancient artefact, a bad guy with stone hands, two sassy talking wombats, and a hidden city.
Worth a read.
November 19, 2025
Forgotten Realms meets Indiana Jones in Jurassic Park. What isn't there to enjoy?!
The Ring of Winter was entertaining enough and keep me plodding along. Characters felt as though they had weight and motive even if these as thing as a razor. More importantly, after reading the first 4 Harpers books this one just felt fun. A light unhinged with cannibal goblins and talking wombats, but it was a solid entry in the FR series.
If you are looking for a more lighthearted and fun FR book, absolutely give this one a read.
Overall a 3.4
The Ring of Winter was entertaining enough and keep me plodding along. Characters felt as though they had weight and motive even if these as thing as a razor. More importantly, after reading the first 4 Harpers books this one just felt fun. A light unhinged with cannibal goblins and talking wombats, but it was a solid entry in the FR series.
If you are looking for a more lighthearted and fun FR book, absolutely give this one a read.
Overall a 3.4
June 28, 2017
A good read
If you like fantasy reading, you should like this book. A little more 'pulpy' than typical Forgotten Realms fare, the jungle setting gives this book a unique feel among the FR books. The story is well written and the plot laid out well with good pacing and a story that takes a different perspective on the culmination battle.
If you like fantasy reading, you should like this book. A little more 'pulpy' than typical Forgotten Realms fare, the jungle setting gives this book a unique feel among the FR books. The story is well written and the plot laid out well with good pacing and a story that takes a different perspective on the culmination battle.
October 18, 2019
Intrepid explorer Artus Cimber heads into the jungles of Chult in his decade-long quest for a magical artifact capable of great evil and destruction--or possibly good. A rather pulpy adventure held back by the dullness, or flatness, of Artus, and most the characters around him, through most of the book and the inexplicable appearance of some talking wombats.
July 4, 2020
Good start and ending.
Finishing the book took long because I didn't enjoy the middle part. Starts off good and ends good, but the middle felt like filler to me. Perhaps because I started the book with some expectations as I'm running Tomb of Annihilation for my D&D group.
Finishing the book took long because I didn't enjoy the middle part. Starts off good and ends good, but the middle felt like filler to me. Perhaps because I started the book with some expectations as I'm running Tomb of Annihilation for my D&D group.
August 1, 2021
This is my first Forgotten Realms book and I don't know how does it stack with other books from the franchise, but it was good. Solid 3 stars, it did what I needed it to do, I learned more about Cimber for my ToA campaign and it was a quick nice read. I'll probably delve deeper into FR
September 9, 2022
Read it as an adventure book rather than a novel. The characters are all gimmicks, the events are mostly coherent and easy to follow. I just don't like books where the protagonist overcomes everything by being super special and granted means and powers that don't feel earned.
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