The Vacant Throne

Band of Four #2

by Ed Greenwood

Aglirta is known as the Kingless Land. Once prosperous and peaceful, it has fallen into lawlessness, studded with feuding baronies engaged in a constant state of war . . . but the land is kingless no more.

The legendary Sleeping King has been reawakened by the efforts of the valiant Band of
-Hawkril, a bold and brave warrior gifted with great strength and fortitude
-Craer, the crafty and clever thief
-Sarasper, the learned and wise healer
-Lady Embra Silvertree, the mystical Lady of Jewels, a powerful sorceress

With the aid of the Dwaerindim Stones, the King's curse has been lifted . . . but it will take more than the Dwaerindim to restore him to the long vacant throne of the land. Ambitious and devious barons are ready to challenge him for the throne, while dark, inhuman forces wait for the chance to bring Aglirta under its evil shadow. The Band of Four must quest for a powerful secret that will restore the kingdom to its former glory.

Genres: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Magic, Forgotten Realms, High Fantasy, Dragons, Science Fiction Fantasy

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Ed Greenwood is the creator of the Forgotten Realms fantasy world, which became the setting for his home D&D game in 1975. Play still continues in this long-running campaign, and Ed also keeps busy producing Realmslore for various TSR publications.

Ed has published over two hundred articles in Dragon magazine and Polyhedron newszine, is a lifetime charter member of the Role Playing Game Associaton (RPGA) network, has written over thirty books and modules for TSR, and been Gen Con Game Fair guest of honor several times.

In addition to all these activities, Ed works as a library clerk and has edited over a dozen small press magazines.

Invented the character Elminster from the popular Forgotten Realms RPG series. Currently resides in an old farmhouse in the countryside of Ontario, Canada.

Reviews

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, if anyone is looking for a book with feelings and emotions, this is definitely not it. The characters are as flat and one-sided as they come, no internal dialog, no explanations, not much of anything to influence the reader as to what moves the heroes to pursue one thing or another. But, the book is full of action, the writer's choppy stile could be fun to follow, if not a bit difficult, it just takes a bit of concentration, and it is fun! A major fantasy that makes fun of itself, what is there not to love?
Again, if you need any feelings or have an expectation of your heroes to be emotionally involving, this book is not it. You end up wanting the protagonists to win simply because we know they are the protagonists, little else separates them from the rest of the characters. I am sure most would find this to be a major flaw, but I just let the story sweep me in its current of action and it's all good:)

[Matthew Lang · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really respect Ed Greenwood, especially for his work in creating the Forgotten Realms DnD setting. However it really seemed to me as though the strength in The Vacant Throne: A Band of Four Novel was in the world building, not in the writing. There were some very nice twists in the plot, and the novel was very fast paced, but the huge cast of characters struck me as poorly integrated and exemplarised the fantasy cliche of overly crazy names.
As an example, the vast majority of the names were made of strange syllable strings, like Xavalandro, Talasorn and Elroumarae. These were juxtaposed against compound descriptive names like 'Castlecloaks', 'Bowdragon' and 'Silvertree'. There appeared to be no rhyme, reason or rationale behind the syllables incorporated into names. There did not appear to be any cultural significance to the names, and it did seem like a case of 'it's a fantasy realm, let's have outlandish names'.

I also had a lot of issues trying to keep the characters sorted out in my head-more than once confusing Ingryl with Inthyl (4 of six letters being the same in each name), which was bad considering one was a protagonist and one was an antagonist. Characters also came out of the woodwork to play a major role in the plot without being integrated into the storyline, or explaining their connection to the plot or the other characters (Baron Blackgult being the prime example). Part of this may have been that The Vacant Throne is constructed as if it's the middle book in a trilogy, even though it isn't listed as such, only as 'A Band of Four Novel'. To me, putting that on the front should indicate that it uses the 'Band of Four' as characters, but works as a standalone novel, introducing characters in such a way that a new reader can pick up and dive straight into the book, and I really didn't feel it. I didn't get a sense of who the King was, or of his enmity of the Serpent, which I believe would have been the plot arc of book 1.

In terms of the writing, it bugged me how a lot of named characters received names so that their deaths would be that of a named character, rather than a redshirt, but I question the need for overly fantastical names for such throwaway characters, which made it harder for me to follow who they are in the two paragraphs of their existence. There were also frequent perspective jumps--sometimes in the middle of a paragraph--where characters perceived a scene consisting of people they didn't know, and then magically put names to characters they had never met in the next line.

The language used somewhat archaic, making frequent (perhaps overly frequent) use of 'wherefore' which does add a really nice historical touch to the vocabulary, but I felt like archaic words were being thrown over modern storytelling and speech modes, which made it a bit jarring every time one came along.

Overall the novel read like a slightly more coherent version of Gary Gygax's Greyhawk novels--more plot, but still a celebration of adventure and the constant throwing in of new characters. On the plus side it had a very complex plot which I assume ties into a broader narrative, but it felt like it didn't work without a comprehensive knowledge of the prior Band of Four novel, which for me, really exposed the incomprehensible names and perspective shifts. Unfortunately I found it pushing me out of the book, rather than drawing me in and it was only too easy to put the book down--frequently.

Still, if you can follow along better than I could and enjoy the action for what it is, you may really enjoy this adventure story--and naked women. Woman. It's only one really.

[Bruce · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have a confession to make. I couldn't finish this book. It jumped around too much and didn't hold my interest.

[Walter Herrick]

This book was pretty confusing, and I didn't finish it.

[Chip Hunter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, Greenwood continues to disappoint with THE VACANT THRONE, the second book in his mostly-ignored series staring "The Band of Four". Even knowing what I was getting into this time (a shallow, silly, and ridiculous distraction), I still found myself let down by this book. Other reviewers have commented on the annoyingness of the characters, the inaneness of the plot, and the over-abundance of (evil) characters, but there is much more than these general complaints to gripe about with this book. Through most of the book, I can't really tell whether Greenwood is trying to be funny by being WAY overly dramatic, or whether he's trying to be dramatic really, which is what I suspect. Completely unexplained groups such as the Faceless Ones or the Melted Ones periodically show up to change the direction of the story for unknown reasons, evil characters that had been previously completely destroyed keep re-appearing, bards and flute-players are a constant annoyance, and the arbitrary use of Thee's and Thou's drives one up the wall. Who does this guy think he is??

While I actually did find myself starting to enjoy this book at about the half-way point, as the minimal plot started coming together and I felt the flow of the story begin to be established, that feeling quickly disappeared as I reached the long climax and realized just how irritating and pointless the story had become. When the heroes' plan to attract all of their enemies (plus some) to a extremely dangerous place with no escape route finally begins to work, in comes the totally predictable Dues Ex Machina and the realm is saved again. Wow. Bad.

Greenwood did tone down the sluttiness of his only good character here, but honestly, if she's already established as being whorey, why not just run with it? Not Recommended if you've ever read anything decent before in your life.

[Shamsia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Porque hay gente que cuando vas y haces un milagro, te empiezan a buscar la hilacha enseguida. O ven cómo pueden aprovecharlo para su propio beneficio. El rey Nívesar se encuentra con una Aglirta tironeada por barones y nobles de diversos niveles, que no ven mucho sentido a aceptar un rey que estuvo durmiendo la siesta por un par de siglos. De paso, con él despierto, vuelve la Serpiente y su panda de fanáticos religiosos que no tienen ganas de portarse bien. Así que la Banda de los Cuatro salen en nueva campaña de rol de mesa... digo, misión por el bien del reino.

Greenwood es un escritor que sabe lo que es el rol, si es que sus cientos de obras (artículos, novelas, módulos) son prueba de algo. Si alguna vez has jugado Calabozos y Dragones, verás aquí una campaña larga de varias sesiones. He jugado rol por años y se nota su experiencia y dedicación. Lo que no le encontré es motivos para seguir con la saga.

A poco de empezar la historia se me hizo pesada, repetitiva y hasta frustrante. Para qué despertar a alguien si lo único que te trae son ganas que se vuelva a dormir. La historia no es repetitiva, pero llegó un punto en que seguí para ver si había algo que renovase mi interés... y no, no lo hay.

No seguiré con la saga.

[Ryan Dennehy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a strange series to talk about. It's the most DND book series I've ever read (and I like Dragonlance) in the sense that our Band of Four are literally just murder hobos. I feel almost nothing for these characters and they're all strangely horny. There's so much action that this book is actually tiring to read. I think I have a new rule when it comes to action: no action scene, save for the climax, should be longer than one chapter. Still, this was a fun read overall.

The lightest of light recommendations.

[Ben Arispe · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO. MANY. CHARACTERS! it was hard to keep track of everything going on in this story. Especially in the last 100 pages or so. I know I read this a while back, because I remember the four becoming archdukes or whatever, but I definitely don't remember all the side characters and mages. Overall, pretty decent read with some great story progression.

[Darin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof. What a mess of a "story" and writing.

[Rhyson · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a warrior type, a thief/rogue type, a shapeshifter/healer type, and a sorceress. They travel across the countryside fighting off random woodland creature encounters, fighting off bad guys who wanted to do bad stuff, and gathering magical crap. Except for healing potions and magical figurines because they already had plenty of those in their pockets. >:(

The main characters kept pulling those instant-fix potions out with absolutely no explanation of how they got the potions in the first place. Then again, this was the same book where one of the main characters got too tired and lost the will to live. Luckily, they had a female nearby who had boobs, so she could let him touch them to restore his will to live... X(

The only saving graces that kept it slightly better than Paolini was that Greenwood had and managed to keep an enthusiastic, fun-loving tone, the scenes were relevant to the plot, there wasn't any thesaurus abuse, and nobody (that I noticed at the time) was an accidental sociopath. They did spend an inordinate time running around without their clothes for some reason or another. But there was definately more consistency than Paolini. Even if it did mean there was always a healing potion in their pockets.

They just kept pulling more and more of those out of their pockets everytime someone skinned their knee. No mention of how the potions even came into existance. Dying? No problem. Just drink the potion before you die and you'll be walking away from the battefield.


Yes, I keep harping on them, but I really want to know where those potions come from and how come no one's trying to get a monopoly on the supply. This is poor world-building. No author should ruin the tension/suspence of their book for something so lousily implemented.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greenwood has a gift for writing about battles and spells, and the passages that involve such actions and details are lurid and fascinating. I've rarely come across authors so talented at describing the casting and appearances of spells, or the smells and sights of the battlefield. Greenwood's novel reads in many ways like a role-playing game, full of twists and turns and unexpected demons and devils. Regardless of anything else I say about this book, I do have to admit that it kept me turning the pages. Unfortunately, I found that Greenwood spent far too much time talking about how "shockingly firm" the lead female character's breasts were, and her companions (the other three members of the "Band of Four," all male) seem to spend most of their time either staring at her or accidentally tripping and grabbing her nether regions. I have nothing against such actions when they're properly incorporated into a novel, but The Vacant Throne gave me the distinct impression that Greenwood only included a female character so that he could spend so much time talking about her breasts.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books that had too many characters and too many things going on. I was not really enjoying it at all, but a promise to read every book on my shelf is a promise that I'm keeping to myself. It wasn't so bad I couldn't finish it, but it definitely took some effort to keep picking it up before moving onto the next one on the shelf.

Is this because it was the second book in the series? I think it was more likely because 15 pages of an appendix at the back of the book to keep track of all the players. Ugh.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

It took a lot of effort and concentration to read this book, which is not really something I tend to look for in a book. If I wanted to trudge through a book, I'd pick up one of my school textbooks. That being said, I think the main reason why it took so much out of me to read this was all the characters being introduced. I barely cared about any of the characters and so when the book switched around to show what was happening in the realm, all the interest I mustered up withered away.

[Chris Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Fantasy fiction quite a bit, then go ahead and read this book. This is not a cross-over book into that genre. I liked it, but at times it felt like work, trying to keep up with who was who and trying to keep the imagery in my mind as I read. There were scenes, however, that made the rest well worth it.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been saving this rare treat for a long time. I love his Elminster books and wanted to read this series in order. Years later I changed my mind to read it anyway. Great fantasy with lots of horrendous villians all over the place. I definitely love the Band of Four. Lots of good fun. =)

[Edwin Downward · Rating 3 out of 5]

An epic fantasy within a wondrous world but told in a manner to far flung and sweeping for my taste.

[Eric Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard read, it jumps around a lot. Plus the abundance of characters can be very confusing at times. However it was better than the first book in the series.

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't stay into the series any more. Too disjointed, lots of last minute saves, not enough plot, boring characters, etc.

[Angiebookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decently funny and a good adventure in the classic high fantasy style.