Giants Among Us

Forgotten Realms: Twilight Giants #2

by Troy Denning

The second title in a classic trilogy about the giants of the Forgotten Realms world.

Giants Among Us is the second novel in a trilogy that deals with the giants of
the Forgotten Realms setting. Giants are little written about, and this trilogy,
written by New York Times best-selling author Troy Denning ten years ago, was
the first to detail them. This reissue features new cover art.

AUTHOR BIO: TROY DENNING is the New York Times best-selling author of Waterdeep. He has written numerous other novels set in the Forgotten Realms world as well as the Prism Pentad, set in the Dark Sun® world of Athas. He is also the author of Star by Star, Tatoonine Ghost, and Recovery, all set in the Star Wars® universe.

Genres: Forgotten Realms, Fantasy, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, Collections, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks

314 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 21, 1995

About the author

Also known as Richard Awlinson.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Den...

Reviews

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 1 out of 5]

It doesn't bode well for this book that I have to struggle to remember details two weeks after I read it. It's a mild improvement over the first book in terms of plot interest; the charactrs spend significantly less time simply tramping through wilderness and arguing over deductions. But, it's still pretty weak overall. It's a strain on the reader to get behind any of the characters' motivations.

Tavis, the main character, is a short firbolg (giant-kin) who carries a special golden arrow with which he is supposed to kill Queen Brianna, whom he loves, should she be captured by marauding giants (and at least they are actual giants in this book, unlike merely ogres as in the first book in the "Giants" series). You hear about this arrow again and again, but no semi-intelligent reader would ever think that he would actually ever use it. The only reason to think so is because it is the strong nature of his race to be dutiful and honest, not because of his actual character. Queen Brianna, the next-to-main character, has great physical strength and supposedly strong spirit, but she is forced to be a drunken floozy for the bulk of this book. No one seemed to respect her at all even before this stage. Not the way to write a strong character, guy. There is some teenager or pre-teen who is an orphan and a scamp and a troublemaker and who inexplicably shows incredible combat prowess when faced against a giant ice worm in a gladiator pit. Basil is of another goofy giant-ish race and provides magic for the gang in the form of inscribed runes.

The plot makes odd use of a woolly mammoth in the later half of the book. This was an opportunity to create an animal ally, but the darn thing gores someone to death, and they have to control it with the threat of intense pain. Somebody call PETA.

It should all be original and different from your typical D&D-based adventure story, but in reality it is has poor story conception, character development, and nothing approaching decent dramatic tension. To be honest I hope the Big Evil wins in the next book.

The title was changed from The Giant Among Us to Giants Among Us for the reprint for some reason. The original version's cover art is pretty awful.

[UnforgottenRealms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twilight Giants: Giants Among Us
More Giants...

When first diving in, I assumed this book would follow along in the steps of its predecessor: a long,
drawn out journey wherein the hero’s meet all sorts of dangers, troubles, and roadblocks. Instead, I got a masterfully reworked, intricate plot that leans on the strengths of the first Twilight Giants book, ‘The Ogre’s Pact’, while simultaneously creating a fully new, fully different adventure.

Where I found the first book lacking in character development – leaving most of the characters
miserably flat – this second novel fares significantly better in that regard. Characters are more in-depth, more realistic, and easier to experience as a whole. Specifically, the giants shine in ‘Giants Among Us’ (as would be hoped) and much care is taken to expand on their interesting, mysterious world. Troy Denning has successfully revived a possibly DNF series into very good representation of what Forgotten Realms can (or could) be.

However, there are noticeable cons. For example, at times, the plot feels like it slows to a crawl – a
problem also faced by its predecessor. Compounding this issue, there are some cringe character
moments (the majority of which center around Queen Brianna) that have the potential to spoil the well- crafted mood. ‘Giants Among Us’ has obvious flaws, but personally I believe they are outweighed by the positives present here. If you’re looking for a (mostly) well-paced, (sometimes) hack-and-slash adventure complete with giants, magic, mammoths and more, this is the book for you.

*This review was written by UnforgottenRealms and, in every aspect, a representation of
UnforgottenRealm’s opinion. The writing above is simply meant to highlight some greats and flaws
present in ‘Giants Among Us’, and is in no way a complete summary or recommend of the story. If you got this far, thank you for reading! - Originally listened as audiobook -

[George Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a couple of decades, I finally got around to reading the second volume of this trilogy. It did not disappoint! I still love the alpine setting. Tavis, Brianna, Avner, and Basil are some of my favorite Forgotten Realms characters. In fact, I'd like to create a runecaster for my D&D games like Basil.

[Jonathan Martindale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Follow Up!

Denning did a great job with this trilogy! The first book is awesome and this second installment might be even more fun to read! I really enjoy the adventure wrapped into the plot of this trilogy.

[Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good adventure. Lots of fun battle descriptions.

[Ogre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Troy Denning keeps surprising me. While this series is certainly no Lord of the Rings, and it is rather trope-laden, he surpasses expectations in this trilogy, and in this story in particular.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Giant Among Us is the second book in Troy Denning’s The Twilight Giants trilogy. Tavis the Firbolg and Brianna, Queen of Hartsvale, are back for another adventure teeming with giants. But like any Denning tale, things are never easy for our heroes. This time the threats come from within as well as without. Can Tavis save the women he loves, or will he be destined to loose his golden arrow to save the entire kingdom from a horrible prophecy of doom?

The story kicks off with a suitable introduction. Giants besiege a small town, killing all that they find, even the most innocent of victims. The cover (newer one) illustrates what becomes a chilling and dark scene. It’s a sign of things to come. No longer is there a peace between the people of Hartsvale and the giant tribes. A shadow has crossed the land.

Brianna finds herself trapped for most of this story. Cut off in a castle surrounded by giants, she struggles to protect her people. It’s up to Tavis to go get help. Most troubling of all, Tavis has to leave Brianna in the protection of a stranger. Even worse, the stranger has come to court Queen Brianna, and the Queen actually considers his offer. Of course she doesn’t love the stranger. She actually goes as far as to offer Tavis a role as a secret lover. Yet even if he wanted to, Tavis can’t accept the offer. Being a firbolg, he can’t live a lie. Thus he’s stuck in a bad position that just gets worse.

The action, prose, and characters continue to shine in the series and Denning does a wonderful job of following up to The Ogre’s Pact. If you enjoyed the first one, you’ll definitely want to check this one out.

Now to delve into some spoilers. Be warned, if you want to remain spoiler free, tread no further.

Part of this book is a real torture test on the emotions of the reader. We all want to see Tavis and Brianna have a happy ending together. Yet Troy does his damndest to use that very desire against the reader. Brianna plays the role of the practical minded ruler. Her wishes to do the best for her kingdom lead her to believe that she needs to find a king. This leads her to Prince Arlien. The prince is a character that you can’t help but hate. He’s Tavis’ opposition. But things are much worse than just a troubled love triangle. Prince Arlien is really an Ettin in disguise who ends up drugging Brianna and causing trouble all around. Not only is the reader left waiting for Tavis to kill this despicable character, but Brianna’s drugged state makes her pretty much helpless throughout the book. Brianna is a very strong willed and capable person. To see her rendered useless is painful. Even good old Basil gets shelved for much of story since he gets in trouble for stealing some books. Helplessness becomes a big theme for each character and the heart of the story is their struggle to overcome each obstacle put before them. As a parting shot to pain the reader, there’s one very big question raised in the end and left unanswered. Did Arlien have his way with Brianna? Has the dark prophecy been fulfilled?

Sometimes emotional roller coasters can be pretty fun, and The Giant Among Us is definitely an emotionally provoking story. I give it a five out of five for being an outstanding fantasy story filled with action, adventure, compelling characters, and sweeping emotion. It certainly kept me entertained.

[Sean G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three are spoilers in this review.

I'm reviewing this as an adult (over 40) who grew up playing D&D.

I've read both books one and this installation of the Twilight Giants series. Overall I agree with what other reviewers are saying in that it is interesting to read a book dedicated to giants, giant kin and the creation story behind giants.

The main characters are pretty well developed and likable (except perhaps Brianna). I'd like to know a bit more about why Tavis is so dedicated to her. In book one she spent a lot of time at the orphanage he was running and he apparently fell head over heels in love with her at that point. Apparently there aren't many women / female firbolgs in this part of the forgotten realms world.

Overall the story moves and there are some good action sequences.

I like how we read about Brianna's loss of clerical powers since she lost touch with her deity.

A couple of things that seemed a bit of a stretch. While in stone giant form it apparently is harder to move than while in his normal Firbolg form, yet Tavis manages to walk across a glacier in a storm with an injured toe, then does battle with the frost giants in their lair (and wins), then hunts down Arlien and Hagmil through a blizzard and almost kills them. I was wondering where all of this strength was coming from because Tavis was apparently very tired even before he starts the march across the glacier.

I don't like Arlien's weapon. It's clearly based on Mjolnir (Thor's Hammaer) but Thor's hammer was used to slay giants, not used by giants against humans. Give the Ettin a different magical weapon.

I didn't' like how Selwyn and the Company of the Winter Wolf were used during the entire story. Is this not Tavis' elite unit? They are treated like cannon fodder throughout the whole story. They clearly had a larger role to play, particularly during the castle siege.

Cuthbert's last stand seemed too fatalistic. Why not slip out of the back door when you have the cance (escorting your wife and kids to safety) and rebuild your ancestral castle? Nah, rush an all powerful ettin and face certain bone crushing death instead.

3 stars = "I liked it."

[DirqusMaximus · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the first book in the Twilight Giants trilogy, you'll know what to expect in the second entry: lavish descriptions of the frozen setting, a variety of giant species (hill, frost, and fog giants this time around), unsympathetic noblemen, romantic strife between our hero and heroine, and some truly brutal fantasy violence.

This time around, now-Queen Brianna and her bodyguard/boyfriend Tavis are visiting a remote duchy that is suddenly besieged by marauding giants, who want to deliver the Queen to their patron "Twilight Spirit." There's also a double agent, but who could it be? Prince Arlien, who claims he comes from a far-off kingdom to court Brianna? Earl Cuthbert, taking over the "cowardly blowhard" role filled by Earl Dobbin in the first book? ... Well, those are your only two suspects, to take your pick.

Once again there are deaths a-plenty - Denning rarely introduces a minor character that he doesn't gruesomely dispatch within a few chapters. Once again our heroes suffer tremendous beatings but still come back for more. This time, Tavis is armed with "exploding rune-arrows" to counteract the size and strength of his giant foes. These weapons turn out to be an entertaining gimmick, and the author doesn't abuse them like magical items in some other series I could name.

The characters are more interesting here than in "The Ogre's Pact." Of particular interest are the frost giants Hagamil and Halflook, who bizarrely share the same body, and an ettin who first appears chewing on a human thigh. The climactic siege of Cuthbert Keep is worth the price of admission by itself. All in all, this book is an improvement over the first and is possibly the best entry in the series.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in the "Twilight Giants" series, this one was pretty much on par with the first...maybe a little worse.

There were definitely some cool things going on; neat magic, some pretty cool fights, fog giants and frost giants. However, there were somethings I didn't really like. I didn't like Princess Briana being a dimwit (even though she was under a spell, it only made it more annoying). I didn't like that hill giants were attacking a castle by lake...I know that this is fantasy, but it just didn't make sense. I didn't like the mamoths....and not the mamoths themselves, but the use of them as submarines seemed a bit much to me...A handsome Ettin seemed silly, too. I don't know. I like it when the authors really push the envelope and shape the world they are writting in, and somethings in this novel really did work well, but others definitely floundered.

Still, I do enjoy this author and I've already started the last one in the trilogy...we'll see how it goes.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Troy Denning really has outdone himself in the second book of the Twilight Giants trilogy, The Giant Among Us. Right from the beginning, the action is fast and furious and the story moves along at an amazing pace. I didn't want to put this book down, not even for a minute.

I found this to be a much better book than the first one in this series, The Ogre's Pact, which is still worth your notice. I just thought the story was so much better. The first book introduces what is going on with the Twilight Giants, but this book brings it all together in a tale that is hard to forget. I liked the way Troy Denning focused more on Tavis in this story and really did a terrific job of great fantasy writing.

Overall, The Giant Among Us, is an excellent fantasy story that is sure to keep readers flipping pages late into the night. I can't wait to see how it all ends in The Titan of Twilight.

I rated this book a 9 out of 10.

[Ward G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Giant armies and castle sieges.
Introducing a good amount of different giants, for the first time here.

This one is a decent read, with a lot of action.
Some of the plot points, fairly easy to figure out. Still, keeps you turning pages.
To find out how the main characters finally realize, and deal with main villain.

If you like this genre. You will probably enjoy this.
If your not sure. I would say to try a different series. For your first taste of Forgotten Realms.
This is not the best example, of what it may have to offer the fan.
If your wanting to try Forgotten Realms novels.
Not sure I can recommend this trilogy.

[Bernard Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part 2 of Twilight Giants. Continuation of the story about these mostly ignored creatures of the Forgotten Realms.
Again pure indulgence and pulp style of a read. The style
From Denning the writing is simple, maybe classed as young adult, is simply just easy read.
Nothing too great here, fairly typical adventure fantasy storyline but great to hear more about the giants and creating some extension to their mythology.
Good fun read.
Now to find book 3...

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very average fantasy series. Although the storyline was compelling, the characters were shallow and the writing was simplistic. The novels cover an interesting gamut of giants and giant-kin, their cultures and differences, but overall, these books are nothing special.

For these reasons, and because I enjoy the fantasy genre, I give the books in this series 2 stars.

[Ken]

Sold to Lewis White on eBay on 7-Jun-11:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI....

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

buils on first book of the trilogy, and was more entertaining.