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Eberron
Thieves of Blood
Once one of his world's deadliest assassins, Diran has turned his back on violence to seek peace in the life of a wandering priest, but his past is about to catch up with him as raiders capture his former lover, and he must risk everything to free her from these minions of Erdas Cal. Original.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 9, 2006
30 people are currently reading
493 people want to read
About the author
Tim Waggoner
282 books757 followersTim Waggoner's first novel came out in 2001, and since then, he's published over sixty novels and eight collections of short stories. He writes original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins. He's written tie-in fiction based on Supernatural, The X-Files, Alien, Doctor Who, Conan the Barbarian, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Grimm, and Transformers, among others, and he's written novelizations for films such as Ti West’s X-Trilogy, Halloween Kills, Terrifier 2 and 3, and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. He’s also the author of the award-winning guide to horror Writing in the Dark. He’s a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a one-time winner of the Scribe Award, and he’s been a two-time finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and a one-time finalist for the Splatterpunk Award. He’s also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 9, 2025
This is the first novel in a trilogy that's a tie-in to the Eberron D & D campaign module. It's not a game I ever played or am familiar with, but I enjoyed the story as an interesting swords & sorcery adventure and have been advised by a reliable expert that it's true to the franchise. So, three stars ('cause it feels kind of long-winded at times), yea. However, sometimes odd situations or unusual occurrences influence your like or dislike of a volume. Once upon a time, about twenty years ago, I was planning to attend a convention at which the author was slated to be one of the honored guests, so I went to the bookstore and picked up three or four of his most recent novels (yes, children, you used to be able to get all the books you wanted by driving, not interfacing electronically with Amazon), including this one, of course. There's a map of the pertinent part of the world of the story facing the first page of the novel. Avoiding spoilers... In the text there's a description of a secret location that's important to the action. It's really, really secret. There's quite a bit of emphasis given to the fact that the location is so secret that it doesn't appear on any map. So, I turned back to the map facing page one and there it was, right there for everyone to see. What foul sorcery was this? An error or a misleading plot thread? So, I took the book to the convention and asked the author about it, and he looked surprised and thought about it for a minute, and he signed my copy "For Craig, the eagle-eyed!" And we all lived happily ever after.
May 15, 2014
oh man it's bad.... it's soooooooooo bad. It reads like a D&D adventure, with WAY too many adjectives, awful sexism, and dialogue that could be between awkward players. It was entertaining at times just because of these reasons, but more often than not left me wanting the shake the author and demand he go back to high school and this time pay attention to his english teacher.
100% will not read the rest of the trilogy.
100% will not read the rest of the trilogy.
October 6, 2013
I really enjoyed this first book of a trilogy. Diran is an assassin turned cleric of the Silver Flame. With Ghaji a half-orc fighter they hunt down a group called the Black Fleet to rescue Diran's friend Makala. Teaming up with Yvka an evel acrobat, Hinto a halfling rogue, and Tesslar a human artificer they travel to fight a vampire lord trying to raise an undead army.
Thought the pacing was great, and the characters were well thought out. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Thought the pacing was great, and the characters were well thought out. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.
November 29, 2010
Thieves of Blood by Tim Waggoner
Thieves of Blood is the first book in the Blade of the Flame trilogy. The second book is Forge of the Mindslayers and the third book is Sea of Death. The Blade of the Flame trilogy is set in the Eberron setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Tim Waggoner has written one other Eberron novel titled Lady Ruin. He has written a vast amount of other novels. His work includes; a Hyperswarm novel titled Defender, the Godfire series (The Orchard of Dreams and Heart's Wound), the Nekropolis series (Nekropolis, Dead Streets, and Dark War), Last of the Lycans series (Monarch of the Moon), Dying for It, The Harmony of Society, a Dark Ages: Vampire book called Gangrel, Necropolis, an Exalted novel titled A Shadow Over Heaven, Like Death, Darkness Wakes, Pandora Drive, Cross Country, two novels in the Dragonlance: New Adventures series (Temple of the Dragonslayer and Return of the Sorceress), a novel based on Nightmare on Elm Street called Protegé, and a Stargate SG-1 novel titled Valhalla. He has written a vast amount of short stories for various anthologies and magazines, and has two story-collections titled All Too Surreal and Broken Shadows. Thieves of Blood was released in May 2006 and was published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Diran Bastiaan left the life of an assassin behind him and turned to be a priest of the Silver Flame. However, his past catches up to him in the form of his former lover, Makala. After saving Diran and his half-orc companion Ghaji from a changeling, Diran and Makala reflect on old times. However, before they reminiscence for too long, ships appear in the darkening sky line. The Black Fleet has come and they are taking hostages. Unfortunately, Makala is captured. With the help of Ghaji and a friendly elf acrobat named Yvka, Diran goes on a search to find his missing love. What he discovers alarms him. Apparently, the famous adventurer Erdis Cai isn't dead and is leading the Black Fleet. Diran may not be prepared enough for the trials to come.
Criticisms:
1) Ghaji/ Yvka. The characters were really great characters, but the budding romance that is developing between them was a problem. It sprang up from almost no where. There was some significant moments between the two, but they didn't seem get the point across. Also, the sudden interest in one another came off awkwardly. There didn't seem to be any real attraction between the two, which was the problem. If you compare Ghaji and Yvka's relationship to Diran and Makala's, you see a huge difference in the amount of time that was used build it up. While Diran and Makala's relationship is important to the overall plot, it would have been nice to see the same time being taken to develop the budding relationship. Otherwise, this just come off as rushed and awkward as possible.
2) Descriptions. A small issue with Thieves of Blood is with the character descriptions. When we first meet Diran and Ghaji, the descriptions of the characters were cut up. For example, we first meet the duo walking down a street with very basic descriptions. Then right after basic description we get some exposition and establishing shots of the city and area. Then two pages later we get a large section describing Diran in more detail. While normally, this wouldn't have been an issue, here it just comes across as awkward. It seems to happen with every character introduced. There are short bursts of description, followed by a page or so of something else, and back into a more detailed description. It's a little jarring and does take you out of the story.
Praises:
1) Protagonists. The main characters were diverse and interesting. They each added something unique and exciting to the story. Also, there never seemed to be a weak character in the cast, which is surprising. The closest character that could have been considered weak, Yvka, still was very worth while and interesting. The interest with Yvka could be due to her mysterious background, which helped to overpowered her lack of presence. The same could be said about the halfling pirate Hinto, but his condition made up for any set backs. You never knew what Hinto would do in different situations and he really surprised me most of the time. Tresslar, while having the shortest presence in the novel, really seemed like one of the more interesting minor characters. His past really gave the character something special. He came across like you would want to know more about him. The main characters is where this story shines. Diran, Ghaji, and Makala were great characters. Makala was just great. She had some wonderful screens while being held captive that really made you care for her and want things to turn out for the best. Her relationship with Diran never came across as fake or made up, and at times was really touching. With Diran and Ghaji, they worked well together. If they were separated, I don't think either character would have had much of an impact as they did while together. They came across as through they were real friends and really played up the other's strengths. All in all, the protagonists were great.
2) Story. The story was very straightforward, but in a good way. It wasn't bogged down with side quests and stories, which cause it to be a quick and enjoyable read. It kept to the point. This helped out with the feeling of urgency that you should feel with these kinds of stories. It felt like Makala's life, along with the lives of the others who are also captives, were on the line and important. There were some side trips, but they were integral to the plot. Finding out more information about the Black Fleet is a logical step one would take while searching for it. Finding a former member of the crew is yet another logical step. There was one side trip that felt weird, being struck in a mire, but it wasn't dragged out and was resolved rather quickly. When everything is said and done, this is how you want to do a straightforward story.
3) Antagonists. The villains were fantastic. They didn't seem to be cliché while being cliché. A better way to put that is, the villains did have cliché moments, but they were written in a way that they still came across as unique. Onkar, the Black Fleet's first mate, was the more cliché and the weaker of the main villains. He was your usual henchmen type, be evil and do what your told. However, he still was menacing. The main villain, Erdis Cai also was cliché, but still a very good character. He made his clichés work for him, making him all the more memorable and terrifying. Nothing seemed to phase him and he gave off this air of confidence that only villains seem to have. While with most villains it would be kind of silly, Erdis Cai made it terrifying. When he popped up throughout the story, it gave me chills. He took menacing to another level. However, the best villain in Thieves of Blood, and the most frightening, is Jarlain. From her first appearance, she was formidable. You could almost sense that she had hidden power and that you would never have a chance against her. As the story went on, you really start to feel bad about her situation and learn more interesting things about who she is. That's what makes a great villain, and Jarlain pulled it off wonderfully. Overall, the villains were cliché, but they still made a great impact.
Side Notes:
1) Editing. There are some very silly editing mistakes that popped up from time to time while reading. The most memorable mistake is having two misspelled words within a page of each other. It kind of detracted from the story, but not for long.
2) Vampire Pirates. What's not to like about vampire pirates? It's as cool as it sounds.
3) Cover Art. The best way to describe the cover art for Thieves of Blood is epic. It's just epic in every way. It's very action heavy, with Diran seemingly rushing at Erdis Cai to save Makala. The colors do a good job in reflecting the dark mood that's in the novel. There are some awesome poses and it helps in adding to overall feeling of the cover. Also, its notable that something akin to this does happen in the story, which I find very satisfying. All in all, the cover art is just epic.
Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Thieves of Blood is a good way to start off a trilogy. There wasn't much that really holds it back, aside from a few things that can be ignored. The relationship that suddenly seemed to develop between Ghaji and Yvka came from no where. There wasn't enough time devoted to their budding romance. All we got were some looks here or a word there. It just felt sudden. Also, character descriptions came off as jarring. Having a brief description followed by dialogue or exposition, then a huge paragraph dedicated to detail, did take me out of the story for a brief time. However, everything else seemed to work great. The protagonists and antagonists were just great. They both added something to the story. With the protagonists, there were some great backgrounds that really made me want to read more about them. With the antagonists, they were cliché but they used their clichés to a wonderful effect. Also, the story was wonderful. This is how you should write a straightforward fantasy novel. The straightforward nature gave the plot a feeling of importance and made it feel like something was on the line. Overall, would I recommend Thieves of Blood? Yes, this is a great story with some fantastic characters. Plus it has vampire pirates, what's not to like about that?
Thieves of Blood is the first book in the Blade of the Flame trilogy. The second book is Forge of the Mindslayers and the third book is Sea of Death. The Blade of the Flame trilogy is set in the Eberron setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Tim Waggoner has written one other Eberron novel titled Lady Ruin. He has written a vast amount of other novels. His work includes; a Hyperswarm novel titled Defender, the Godfire series (The Orchard of Dreams and Heart's Wound), the Nekropolis series (Nekropolis, Dead Streets, and Dark War), Last of the Lycans series (Monarch of the Moon), Dying for It, The Harmony of Society, a Dark Ages: Vampire book called Gangrel, Necropolis, an Exalted novel titled A Shadow Over Heaven, Like Death, Darkness Wakes, Pandora Drive, Cross Country, two novels in the Dragonlance: New Adventures series (Temple of the Dragonslayer and Return of the Sorceress), a novel based on Nightmare on Elm Street called Protegé, and a Stargate SG-1 novel titled Valhalla. He has written a vast amount of short stories for various anthologies and magazines, and has two story-collections titled All Too Surreal and Broken Shadows. Thieves of Blood was released in May 2006 and was published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Diran Bastiaan left the life of an assassin behind him and turned to be a priest of the Silver Flame. However, his past catches up to him in the form of his former lover, Makala. After saving Diran and his half-orc companion Ghaji from a changeling, Diran and Makala reflect on old times. However, before they reminiscence for too long, ships appear in the darkening sky line. The Black Fleet has come and they are taking hostages. Unfortunately, Makala is captured. With the help of Ghaji and a friendly elf acrobat named Yvka, Diran goes on a search to find his missing love. What he discovers alarms him. Apparently, the famous adventurer Erdis Cai isn't dead and is leading the Black Fleet. Diran may not be prepared enough for the trials to come.
Criticisms:
1) Ghaji/ Yvka. The characters were really great characters, but the budding romance that is developing between them was a problem. It sprang up from almost no where. There was some significant moments between the two, but they didn't seem get the point across. Also, the sudden interest in one another came off awkwardly. There didn't seem to be any real attraction between the two, which was the problem. If you compare Ghaji and Yvka's relationship to Diran and Makala's, you see a huge difference in the amount of time that was used build it up. While Diran and Makala's relationship is important to the overall plot, it would have been nice to see the same time being taken to develop the budding relationship. Otherwise, this just come off as rushed and awkward as possible.
2) Descriptions. A small issue with Thieves of Blood is with the character descriptions. When we first meet Diran and Ghaji, the descriptions of the characters were cut up. For example, we first meet the duo walking down a street with very basic descriptions. Then right after basic description we get some exposition and establishing shots of the city and area. Then two pages later we get a large section describing Diran in more detail. While normally, this wouldn't have been an issue, here it just comes across as awkward. It seems to happen with every character introduced. There are short bursts of description, followed by a page or so of something else, and back into a more detailed description. It's a little jarring and does take you out of the story.
Praises:
1) Protagonists. The main characters were diverse and interesting. They each added something unique and exciting to the story. Also, there never seemed to be a weak character in the cast, which is surprising. The closest character that could have been considered weak, Yvka, still was very worth while and interesting. The interest with Yvka could be due to her mysterious background, which helped to overpowered her lack of presence. The same could be said about the halfling pirate Hinto, but his condition made up for any set backs. You never knew what Hinto would do in different situations and he really surprised me most of the time. Tresslar, while having the shortest presence in the novel, really seemed like one of the more interesting minor characters. His past really gave the character something special. He came across like you would want to know more about him. The main characters is where this story shines. Diran, Ghaji, and Makala were great characters. Makala was just great. She had some wonderful screens while being held captive that really made you care for her and want things to turn out for the best. Her relationship with Diran never came across as fake or made up, and at times was really touching. With Diran and Ghaji, they worked well together. If they were separated, I don't think either character would have had much of an impact as they did while together. They came across as through they were real friends and really played up the other's strengths. All in all, the protagonists were great.
2) Story. The story was very straightforward, but in a good way. It wasn't bogged down with side quests and stories, which cause it to be a quick and enjoyable read. It kept to the point. This helped out with the feeling of urgency that you should feel with these kinds of stories. It felt like Makala's life, along with the lives of the others who are also captives, were on the line and important. There were some side trips, but they were integral to the plot. Finding out more information about the Black Fleet is a logical step one would take while searching for it. Finding a former member of the crew is yet another logical step. There was one side trip that felt weird, being struck in a mire, but it wasn't dragged out and was resolved rather quickly. When everything is said and done, this is how you want to do a straightforward story.
3) Antagonists. The villains were fantastic. They didn't seem to be cliché while being cliché. A better way to put that is, the villains did have cliché moments, but they were written in a way that they still came across as unique. Onkar, the Black Fleet's first mate, was the more cliché and the weaker of the main villains. He was your usual henchmen type, be evil and do what your told. However, he still was menacing. The main villain, Erdis Cai also was cliché, but still a very good character. He made his clichés work for him, making him all the more memorable and terrifying. Nothing seemed to phase him and he gave off this air of confidence that only villains seem to have. While with most villains it would be kind of silly, Erdis Cai made it terrifying. When he popped up throughout the story, it gave me chills. He took menacing to another level. However, the best villain in Thieves of Blood, and the most frightening, is Jarlain. From her first appearance, she was formidable. You could almost sense that she had hidden power and that you would never have a chance against her. As the story went on, you really start to feel bad about her situation and learn more interesting things about who she is. That's what makes a great villain, and Jarlain pulled it off wonderfully. Overall, the villains were cliché, but they still made a great impact.
Side Notes:
1) Editing. There are some very silly editing mistakes that popped up from time to time while reading. The most memorable mistake is having two misspelled words within a page of each other. It kind of detracted from the story, but not for long.
2) Vampire Pirates. What's not to like about vampire pirates? It's as cool as it sounds.
3) Cover Art. The best way to describe the cover art for Thieves of Blood is epic. It's just epic in every way. It's very action heavy, with Diran seemingly rushing at Erdis Cai to save Makala. The colors do a good job in reflecting the dark mood that's in the novel. There are some awesome poses and it helps in adding to overall feeling of the cover. Also, its notable that something akin to this does happen in the story, which I find very satisfying. All in all, the cover art is just epic.
Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Thieves of Blood is a good way to start off a trilogy. There wasn't much that really holds it back, aside from a few things that can be ignored. The relationship that suddenly seemed to develop between Ghaji and Yvka came from no where. There wasn't enough time devoted to their budding romance. All we got were some looks here or a word there. It just felt sudden. Also, character descriptions came off as jarring. Having a brief description followed by dialogue or exposition, then a huge paragraph dedicated to detail, did take me out of the story for a brief time. However, everything else seemed to work great. The protagonists and antagonists were just great. They both added something to the story. With the protagonists, there were some great backgrounds that really made me want to read more about them. With the antagonists, they were cliché but they used their clichés to a wonderful effect. Also, the story was wonderful. This is how you should write a straightforward fantasy novel. The straightforward nature gave the plot a feeling of importance and made it feel like something was on the line. Overall, would I recommend Thieves of Blood? Yes, this is a great story with some fantastic characters. Plus it has vampire pirates, what's not to like about that?
February 12, 2016
This was a fantasy story set in the Dungeons and Dragons world of Ebberon, a land full of high magic, recovering from a century long war that ravaged the land with all sorts of magic battles.
Spoilers
Diran, a cleric and reformed assassin, and his half orc fighter buddy Ghaiji are in a port town on the lookout for shape changers to kill. They run into Makala, an old flame of Diran's from his days as an assassin. They catch up in a nearby tavern, when the town is attacked by pirates! The three of them, plus an elven performer, fight the pirates off for a while, but Makala gets abducted by the pirate leader, a vampire, and they get away!
The elf has a magic ship, so they all hop aboard and follow clues to figure out where the pirates come from. They meet a prototype warforged (magical living construct), save a halfling from a sea monster, and abduct an old artificer who knows where the pirates are. They discover that the vampire they met works for another more famous vampire! Eventually, they get in to the pirate's secret port, sneak in, fight a bunch of bad guys and monsters, save Makala from the leader vampire and kill him! The lesser leader vampire gets his hands cut off and flees, only to reappear at the last minute and nearly kill Makala after all! Sadly, Makala becomes a vampire and flees. The end!
I had a few problems with this book. First of all, half the book was actually from Makala's point of view while she was captured, but none of it had any bearing to the plot! She wasn't able to take any beneficial action to help herself for the entire book. Her side of the story gave us a bit more insight into the motivations of the bad guys, but it mostly boiled down to "They're evil", and the others figure it all out by themselves anyway.
Next... what the hell was up with the vampire's evil plot? The whole point was that this one vampire had found a hidden undead army that could only be rejuvenated by filling a huge pool full of blood. The blood had to be from those of a special character and could only be added to at special arcane times. The vampire had created a whole pirate army just to find these special individuals, and it had still taken him 40 years to almost but not quite fill it up. So, the good guys rush in to save their friend Makala who is the last special person needed to finally fill this thing up... but they kill one of the vampire's flunkies, who bleeds a little into the pool... and the whole thing is activated! What? The flunky didn't even bleed that much, and wasn't one of the special ones! That didn't make any sense!
Another thing... the elf rogue lady, after a whole book portraying her as an extremely competent protagonist, suddenly gets sloppy at the end and lets a bad guy escape. The guy had been nearly killed, and slowly dragged himself away while the elf had a quiet conversation with a little girl. Weird.
Finally, I had a few problems with the fact that this story was set in Ebberon. First of all, this is a land of high magic... magic is everywhere... except it would appear that the two main characters are extremely magic deprived! Ghaji has nothing, while Diran has a bunch of daggers made of different substances, none of which are magic. Ghaji is overjoyed near the end of the book when he gets his hands on a flaming axe... The artificer guy who leads them to the pirates has one wand... The only one with any magic is the elf, since she has the magic ship and a few trick explosive balls. Considering that... Why the hell do they leave all the loot once they defeat the baddies? They had all the time in the world to look around... it was all over! Why was this set in Ebberon again? No giants, no dragons... Sigh.
Aside from the setting of Ebberon being all wrong, the book hit another pet peeve of mine... a DnD book where everything is just slightly wrong. Would it hurt the authors of these books to do a little research? I'm just saying, who is going to be reading a DnD book set in Ebberon, especially one with no explanation as to what the hell Ebberon even is? Fans. Fans who want to immerse themselves in a DnD story and know when the author is getting annoying details wrong. Vampires whose bodies are disintegrated by silver? A weapon has to be both silver and magic just to hit a DnD vamp properly! And they can't regrow body parts! Nor are there any rules for cutting off body parts in the first place! And they have to kill their victims themselves to make a new vamp, not just let them die later!
For me, the lamest part was at the end. Onkar, the second in command vamp, had just abducted Makala, drank most of her blood, then got interrupted by the good guys, who killed him. Makala was in bad shape, and Diran tried out some healing magic on her. At this point, if she was alive she would have been either healed and fine, or nothing would have happened. When he's done, her body is healed, but a day later she becomes a vamp. Not in Ebberon buddy! She's either dead or alive, not undead. Of course, then they're all concerned about her being evil, and I'm sure it's supposed to be a touching moment, but he should know that he can just kill her and resurrect her again and she'd be fine. Even if his personal magic isn't up to snuff, he belongs to a huge cleric organization that is evidently heavy on the healing (that's the only magic he ever uses, after all) and has all that loot lying around to pay for it if he's strapped for cash. What an idiot!
And where the hell does Diran keep his never ending supply of non magical daggers? And if he doesn't have enough money for a real magic weapon, does it make sense that he would specialize in throwing expensive daggers around and then never retrieving them? Why would he even use such a piddly weapon?
The last thing I didn't like about the book was the pacing, which was just a laundry list of tasks the characters had to get to one after another. What a slow read.
The good thing? The title. The evil vampires were totally thieving blood! Nice!
Spoilers
Diran, a cleric and reformed assassin, and his half orc fighter buddy Ghaiji are in a port town on the lookout for shape changers to kill. They run into Makala, an old flame of Diran's from his days as an assassin. They catch up in a nearby tavern, when the town is attacked by pirates! The three of them, plus an elven performer, fight the pirates off for a while, but Makala gets abducted by the pirate leader, a vampire, and they get away!
The elf has a magic ship, so they all hop aboard and follow clues to figure out where the pirates come from. They meet a prototype warforged (magical living construct), save a halfling from a sea monster, and abduct an old artificer who knows where the pirates are. They discover that the vampire they met works for another more famous vampire! Eventually, they get in to the pirate's secret port, sneak in, fight a bunch of bad guys and monsters, save Makala from the leader vampire and kill him! The lesser leader vampire gets his hands cut off and flees, only to reappear at the last minute and nearly kill Makala after all! Sadly, Makala becomes a vampire and flees. The end!
I had a few problems with this book. First of all, half the book was actually from Makala's point of view while she was captured, but none of it had any bearing to the plot! She wasn't able to take any beneficial action to help herself for the entire book. Her side of the story gave us a bit more insight into the motivations of the bad guys, but it mostly boiled down to "They're evil", and the others figure it all out by themselves anyway.
Next... what the hell was up with the vampire's evil plot? The whole point was that this one vampire had found a hidden undead army that could only be rejuvenated by filling a huge pool full of blood. The blood had to be from those of a special character and could only be added to at special arcane times. The vampire had created a whole pirate army just to find these special individuals, and it had still taken him 40 years to almost but not quite fill it up. So, the good guys rush in to save their friend Makala who is the last special person needed to finally fill this thing up... but they kill one of the vampire's flunkies, who bleeds a little into the pool... and the whole thing is activated! What? The flunky didn't even bleed that much, and wasn't one of the special ones! That didn't make any sense!
Another thing... the elf rogue lady, after a whole book portraying her as an extremely competent protagonist, suddenly gets sloppy at the end and lets a bad guy escape. The guy had been nearly killed, and slowly dragged himself away while the elf had a quiet conversation with a little girl. Weird.
Finally, I had a few problems with the fact that this story was set in Ebberon. First of all, this is a land of high magic... magic is everywhere... except it would appear that the two main characters are extremely magic deprived! Ghaji has nothing, while Diran has a bunch of daggers made of different substances, none of which are magic. Ghaji is overjoyed near the end of the book when he gets his hands on a flaming axe... The artificer guy who leads them to the pirates has one wand... The only one with any magic is the elf, since she has the magic ship and a few trick explosive balls. Considering that... Why the hell do they leave all the loot once they defeat the baddies? They had all the time in the world to look around... it was all over! Why was this set in Ebberon again? No giants, no dragons... Sigh.
Aside from the setting of Ebberon being all wrong, the book hit another pet peeve of mine... a DnD book where everything is just slightly wrong. Would it hurt the authors of these books to do a little research? I'm just saying, who is going to be reading a DnD book set in Ebberon, especially one with no explanation as to what the hell Ebberon even is? Fans. Fans who want to immerse themselves in a DnD story and know when the author is getting annoying details wrong. Vampires whose bodies are disintegrated by silver? A weapon has to be both silver and magic just to hit a DnD vamp properly! And they can't regrow body parts! Nor are there any rules for cutting off body parts in the first place! And they have to kill their victims themselves to make a new vamp, not just let them die later!
For me, the lamest part was at the end. Onkar, the second in command vamp, had just abducted Makala, drank most of her blood, then got interrupted by the good guys, who killed him. Makala was in bad shape, and Diran tried out some healing magic on her. At this point, if she was alive she would have been either healed and fine, or nothing would have happened. When he's done, her body is healed, but a day later she becomes a vamp. Not in Ebberon buddy! She's either dead or alive, not undead. Of course, then they're all concerned about her being evil, and I'm sure it's supposed to be a touching moment, but he should know that he can just kill her and resurrect her again and she'd be fine. Even if his personal magic isn't up to snuff, he belongs to a huge cleric organization that is evidently heavy on the healing (that's the only magic he ever uses, after all) and has all that loot lying around to pay for it if he's strapped for cash. What an idiot!
And where the hell does Diran keep his never ending supply of non magical daggers? And if he doesn't have enough money for a real magic weapon, does it make sense that he would specialize in throwing expensive daggers around and then never retrieving them? Why would he even use such a piddly weapon?
The last thing I didn't like about the book was the pacing, which was just a laundry list of tasks the characters had to get to one after another. What a slow read.
The good thing? The title. The evil vampires were totally thieving blood! Nice!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2025
I loved the first book trilogy in Eberron, and I tried to keep that out of my thoughts of this one. I really liked the characters, pacing, and exciting elements that made it feel like a dnd party with a super cool DM. I think the way it shows flash backs was fine and the way that the book explained important concepts without me having to read 7 other books was great! I really liked the premise and bad guys. However, I think it was just a hair too predictable--which sucks cause I like books to fulfill on promises they make earlier in the book. Also, the ending felt shoddy at the very end. Multiple times before, it was paced well and used things that felt like just more world building to good effect. Yet, the end was the way it was because there needed to be more intrigue or to surprise readers rather than an interesting plot twist. The biggest thing was the sheer amount of spelling and grammar errors. I've found them in the most prolific fantasy books before but this one was riddled with them that I had to take offense to it.
December 23, 2024
I noticed that this full trilogy is randomly at my library, so I figured I'd give it a go.
There seem to be two main schools of thought when it comes to writing a licensed D&D book: either write a novel that happens to take place in the world you're using, but it's more setting/flair than anything else; or, write something that at least mostly feels like sessions of play dramatized into a novel. Waggoner, at least here, definitely takes the latter approach, which I definitely sometimes enjoy, but it didn't work for me this time. If you boil this story down, you essentially have like ... three beats with a lot of meaningless set pieces in between. If books two and three are the same, this is going to feel like one 450-page novel that somehow became three 325-page novels.
But the characters are interesting enough that I give a damn, and the ending was appropriately upsetting, and Waggoner's prose is inviting enough that I gave it three stars.
There seem to be two main schools of thought when it comes to writing a licensed D&D book: either write a novel that happens to take place in the world you're using, but it's more setting/flair than anything else; or, write something that at least mostly feels like sessions of play dramatized into a novel. Waggoner, at least here, definitely takes the latter approach, which I definitely sometimes enjoy, but it didn't work for me this time. If you boil this story down, you essentially have like ... three beats with a lot of meaningless set pieces in between. If books two and three are the same, this is going to feel like one 450-page novel that somehow became three 325-page novels.
But the characters are interesting enough that I give a damn, and the ending was appropriately upsetting, and Waggoner's prose is inviting enough that I gave it three stars.
June 22, 2024
I mean I have read worse, but it does feel like a weak effort either by an unskilled author or somebody who got contracted to write some piece about a world they didn't create so they couldn't be asked to put in too much effort. The romances were clunky at best, characterisation poor, and the female "lead" was only there to be used as a pedestal to prop up the baddies and to shine a light on how baddie they were. It has some creative ideas and usage of the absolutely stellar Eberron base, so I ultimately didn't hate it, but it really felt like a half-hearted effort at best.
October 20, 2017
It is necessary I present you all with a small amount of history between this book and myself. I first read Thieves of Blood when I was sixteen, with no prior knowledge of the world of Eberron and never having read Tim Waggoner's work before, thereby having nothing to compare it to. As a very stuck-up, opinionated, and arrogant sixteen-year-old, I dismissed the book upon finishing the read the first time, feeling it was extremely poorly written and not worth looking into the rest of the trilogy. But what I didn't realize then, was that this book I was so quick to dismiss was my gateway to a world, a setting, an adventure into the imagination that I've grown to love. It was during a trip to Half-Price Books in early 2015, I stumbled across a copy of Thieves of Blood, (which wasn't too surprising, as Eberron is a highly under-loved world setting and sort of has a cult following; Eberron titles don't sell well at all, especially when compared with contemporaries like The Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance,) and decided, for the sake of second chances (as well as my own collector's need to acquire as many Eberron books as possible,) that I would pick it up and read it again.
This time around, I can say I definitely have a much greater appreciation for the story, the characters, and the overall setting, and I enjoyed it as a fun little adventure and a foray back into the familiar. I still think that the book overall could have been written better than it was, but it's far, far better than I remember and just proves I was an arrogant idiot at sixteen.
Good points: -The plot, though fast-paced and interspersed with flashbacks, flows well, and the characters are for the most part, solidly written and generally easy to relate to.
-Half-orc character Ghaji is easily the most loveable of the cast we're introduced to, and he's given a lot of heart and adds quite a bit of spirit to the group and the story overall with his pragmatism.
-While we are introduced to different romantic ties in the book, they aren't suffocating or detract from the overall plot.
Unsure point: The fight scene at the plot's climax can get a little confusing, but is overall relatively fast-paced and over with quickly. It's a treat for those of us whose eyes easily wander and just skim long fight scenes in writing, though perhaps a little disappointing for those who enjoy long, drawn-out battles.
Neutral points: Diran Bastiaan, our main character, feels rather bland at times, and lacking in character definition.
-We're given multiple flashback scenes throughout the book for Diran, Makala, and at least one for Ghaji. While these flashbacks are meant to give background and definition to the characters they explore, they occasionally feel as though they detract from the overall plot and add very little definition (especially in Diran's case.) Makala seems to get most of these flashbacks, but since it's questionable by the end of the book whether or not she'll make a reappearance in either sequel, giving her all of these flashbacks can feel somewhat pointless.
Negative points: -Very few concepts unique to the world of Eberron or that were initially created by Eberron are actually explained. The book was written as though for an audience who already knew a decent amount about Eberron, and seems to assume those are the only readers who would pick it up. Hence, a lot of world-unique things are going to leave readers scratching their heads.
- The editing. DEAR GOD, the editing. The story of life with Eberron books is that rarely do you find an Eberron book that has both good writing AND good editing. You either get a trade-off of good editing with poor writing (*coughs*I'm looking at YOU, Orb of Xoriat*coughs*,) or else in this case, good writing with absolutely shoddy editing. There are spelling errors and grammatical mess-ups and glaringly obvious poor editing throughout the ENTIRE book. And I don't mean one little spelling error here and then another one way way later. I mean, there's something I can find in EVERY chapter. Whoever edited this must have fallen asleep at their desk or was lazy as all get-out. That's the one thing I remembered about Thieves of Blood that was completely accurate; this book is MURDER on the eyes for anyone with a natural knack for editing.
——
I'm glad to say that I can now enjoy this book and kick my ignorant sixteen-year-old opinion on it to the curb. However, this isn't necessarily a book I'd recommend, almost at all. If you have a natural knack for editing and seeing poor editing can detract from a read for you, do not read this book. If you are wanting to get into Eberron as a world in general, this is NOT a good gateway book, as there are several concepts that go unexplained. (If you want to get into Eberron, I highly recommend starting with either Don Bassingthwaite's The Binding Stone or Rich Wulf's Voyage of the Mourning Dawn.) If you're very picky about fantasy in general, do not read this book. However, if you are an Eberron fan and you've not yet read many of the novels, I do recommend giving this one a shot; or if you're just looking for a decent fantasy book for a casual read, this isn't a bad one to pick up.
This time around, I can say I definitely have a much greater appreciation for the story, the characters, and the overall setting, and I enjoyed it as a fun little adventure and a foray back into the familiar. I still think that the book overall could have been written better than it was, but it's far, far better than I remember and just proves I was an arrogant idiot at sixteen.
Good points: -The plot, though fast-paced and interspersed with flashbacks, flows well, and the characters are for the most part, solidly written and generally easy to relate to.
-Half-orc character Ghaji is easily the most loveable of the cast we're introduced to, and he's given a lot of heart and adds quite a bit of spirit to the group and the story overall with his pragmatism.
-While we are introduced to different romantic ties in the book, they aren't suffocating or detract from the overall plot.
Unsure point: The fight scene at the plot's climax can get a little confusing, but is overall relatively fast-paced and over with quickly. It's a treat for those of us whose eyes easily wander and just skim long fight scenes in writing, though perhaps a little disappointing for those who enjoy long, drawn-out battles.
Neutral points: Diran Bastiaan, our main character, feels rather bland at times, and lacking in character definition.
-We're given multiple flashback scenes throughout the book for Diran, Makala, and at least one for Ghaji. While these flashbacks are meant to give background and definition to the characters they explore, they occasionally feel as though they detract from the overall plot and add very little definition (especially in Diran's case.) Makala seems to get most of these flashbacks, but since it's questionable by the end of the book whether or not she'll make a reappearance in either sequel, giving her all of these flashbacks can feel somewhat pointless.
Negative points: -Very few concepts unique to the world of Eberron or that were initially created by Eberron are actually explained. The book was written as though for an audience who already knew a decent amount about Eberron, and seems to assume those are the only readers who would pick it up. Hence, a lot of world-unique things are going to leave readers scratching their heads.
- The editing. DEAR GOD, the editing. The story of life with Eberron books is that rarely do you find an Eberron book that has both good writing AND good editing. You either get a trade-off of good editing with poor writing (*coughs*I'm looking at YOU, Orb of Xoriat*coughs*,) or else in this case, good writing with absolutely shoddy editing. There are spelling errors and grammatical mess-ups and glaringly obvious poor editing throughout the ENTIRE book. And I don't mean one little spelling error here and then another one way way later. I mean, there's something I can find in EVERY chapter. Whoever edited this must have fallen asleep at their desk or was lazy as all get-out. That's the one thing I remembered about Thieves of Blood that was completely accurate; this book is MURDER on the eyes for anyone with a natural knack for editing.
——
I'm glad to say that I can now enjoy this book and kick my ignorant sixteen-year-old opinion on it to the curb. However, this isn't necessarily a book I'd recommend, almost at all. If you have a natural knack for editing and seeing poor editing can detract from a read for you, do not read this book. If you are wanting to get into Eberron as a world in general, this is NOT a good gateway book, as there are several concepts that go unexplained. (If you want to get into Eberron, I highly recommend starting with either Don Bassingthwaite's The Binding Stone or Rich Wulf's Voyage of the Mourning Dawn.) If you're very picky about fantasy in general, do not read this book. However, if you are an Eberron fan and you've not yet read many of the novels, I do recommend giving this one a shot; or if you're just looking for a decent fantasy book for a casual read, this isn't a bad one to pick up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2019
A fairly generic fantasy story following some fairly fun characters--albeit suffering from a bit of the classic nervous-around-girls and morally-tortured angst streak that runs through a fair portion of the D&D novel catalogue.
May 31, 2022
Great book, series is really good so far, characters have class and the story is a good build of elements
November 11, 2024
Entretenida. Vampiros piratas, hobgoblins zombies, monstruos marinos... una partidita de Eberron entretenida.
April 26, 2011
Let me start off by saying that I really enjoyed this novel. While the start of a new series it can also be read as a stand-alone. The basic story-line of the novel is fairly straightforward but interesting and well-written. Diran, an ex-assassin who is now a priest of the silver flame, and his companion, the half-orc Ghaji are travelling the land fighting demons and other aberrations as part of Diran's service to the flame. Along the way they encounter Diran's ex-lover, Makala, who is also an ex-assassin. She is then kidnapped by a strange group of raiders (led by a vampire). Diran and Ghaji set off on a quest to rescue Makala and the others.
While the novel started a little slowly in my opinion, it really improved as it went along. In particular, the characters were well-written and had interesting back-stories, which the author did a nice job of laying out using dreams and flashbacks. The issues and emotions faced by the characters felt 'right' in that I could believe they would react in that way. The inner conflicts faced by the characters were another plus.
My only complaint is I would have liked the 'good guys' to be a little less straight-forward and a little more grey (i.e., not always act like the good guys - one is an ex-assassin after all).
In addition to Diran and Ghaji, I thought the villains of the tale were well done. While a little clichéd at times they were still interesting and well-written. At points you really wonder how Diran and co will overcome these foes.
Plus, while the plot is fairly straight-forward, the author executes it very well. He managed to keep me interested and curious about what would happen next. And to me that is what is important. Can the author keep me vested in the characters and their plight? In this case the answer was yes. The book left me wanting to know more about the characters and in particular what happens next.
My only complaint with the book is that a few scenes seemed unnecessary and contrived. One scene has the heroes rescuing a sailor (actually a pirate) from "The Mire". The scene just didn't seem to fit with the story, except to add a new character who in my opinion was not really necessary. Also there were a few scenes where the characters actions didn't make much sense to me. Such as the opening scene where Diran attacks a shapeshifter who he seems to think is a powerful demon which he would have no hope of defeating.
But, as I said, this book got better as it went along and I actually think the ending was just right. In fact I thought it really made the book. The last several chapters are fast-paced and exciting. The author does an excellent job of putting the reader into the action and letting us know what the characters are thinking and feeling. I don't want to give the ending away, but I really liked it and thought it provided a great insight into what type of person Diran is and how far he has come.
I am looking forward to book 2 in this series and would recommend "Thieves of Blood" to anyone looking for a fun, exciting fantasy tale with lots of action.
While the novel started a little slowly in my opinion, it really improved as it went along. In particular, the characters were well-written and had interesting back-stories, which the author did a nice job of laying out using dreams and flashbacks. The issues and emotions faced by the characters felt 'right' in that I could believe they would react in that way. The inner conflicts faced by the characters were another plus.
My only complaint is I would have liked the 'good guys' to be a little less straight-forward and a little more grey (i.e., not always act like the good guys - one is an ex-assassin after all).
In addition to Diran and Ghaji, I thought the villains of the tale were well done. While a little clichéd at times they were still interesting and well-written. At points you really wonder how Diran and co will overcome these foes.
Plus, while the plot is fairly straight-forward, the author executes it very well. He managed to keep me interested and curious about what would happen next. And to me that is what is important. Can the author keep me vested in the characters and their plight? In this case the answer was yes. The book left me wanting to know more about the characters and in particular what happens next.
My only complaint with the book is that a few scenes seemed unnecessary and contrived. One scene has the heroes rescuing a sailor (actually a pirate) from "The Mire". The scene just didn't seem to fit with the story, except to add a new character who in my opinion was not really necessary. Also there were a few scenes where the characters actions didn't make much sense to me. Such as the opening scene where Diran attacks a shapeshifter who he seems to think is a powerful demon which he would have no hope of defeating.
But, as I said, this book got better as it went along and I actually think the ending was just right. In fact I thought it really made the book. The last several chapters are fast-paced and exciting. The author does an excellent job of putting the reader into the action and letting us know what the characters are thinking and feeling. I don't want to give the ending away, but I really liked it and thought it provided a great insight into what type of person Diran is and how far he has come.
I am looking forward to book 2 in this series and would recommend "Thieves of Blood" to anyone looking for a fun, exciting fantasy tale with lots of action.
August 1, 2013
Every once in a great while, an expanded universe book comes along that makes me ask, "Wait, this was really an EU?" 'Thieves of Blood' is one such book. Taking place in the Eberron campaign setting, it retreads ground that, for those used to the setting, is well-worn and honestly a bit repetitive. The Blood of Vol is doing evil things, and they must be stopped before even more evil things happen. Unfortunately, only the small group of misfit adventurers can save the day, and so they must.
It sounds so bland when put that way. Thankfully, the book doesn't read as boring or trite at all. The main character has far more depth to him than the average fantasy protagonist, and he honestly feels like a person who's had a life outside of the story's bounds. When we meet him, he is a cleric of the Silver Flame, despite being an assassin and a fiend in his old life. He has history with other characters, and that history comes into play time and again.
The plot itself is solid, and even though the story never goes beyond the bounds of the Lhazaar Principalities, it nevertheless seems to flesh out the world more than some other expanded universe projects, which hop around the sprawling lands. Likewise, the villain feels more realistic than the average fare- even the other villains of his ilk which are so painfully common in Eberron.
I have to take off points for a few typos that slipped past and the unfortunately rushed ending, but this book was a very pleasant surprise to me. The question that any first book in a series has to answer is, "Does this make me want to continue the series?" For this one, the answer is a definite "Yes."
It sounds so bland when put that way. Thankfully, the book doesn't read as boring or trite at all. The main character has far more depth to him than the average fantasy protagonist, and he honestly feels like a person who's had a life outside of the story's bounds. When we meet him, he is a cleric of the Silver Flame, despite being an assassin and a fiend in his old life. He has history with other characters, and that history comes into play time and again.
The plot itself is solid, and even though the story never goes beyond the bounds of the Lhazaar Principalities, it nevertheless seems to flesh out the world more than some other expanded universe projects, which hop around the sprawling lands. Likewise, the villain feels more realistic than the average fare- even the other villains of his ilk which are so painfully common in Eberron.
I have to take off points for a few typos that slipped past and the unfortunately rushed ending, but this book was a very pleasant surprise to me. The question that any first book in a series has to answer is, "Does this make me want to continue the series?" For this one, the answer is a definite "Yes."
May 29, 2008
I should probably mention that I know the author. He's my mentor at Seton Hill.
It's been a long long time since I've read any RPG-type media tie-ins and even longer since I played any RPGs. That being said, I picked up this book to see how Tim writes fantasy. (I should also pick up one of his non-media tie-ins, but this was more available.)
I enjoyed the book, even though I'm not really into the RPG world that the book is based in, so I'm sure I missed some of the connections with things. And generally, RPG books are not my cup of tea.
It's dark, which I expected, given Tim's penchant for horror, and gory in places, but not over-the-top.
I liked the characterization of Diran and Ghaji, and found it rather interesting that for most of the book, Ghaji (When the tale focuses on the two of them and not on Makala, another character) is the Point of View Character, when it is Diran who is the Protagonist. In fact, when the POV switched to Diran, it actually threw me for a minute.
The story moves quickly, as adventures should, and yet you also get a bit of background on the main characters, which is nice. I would have liked to know a bit more about the elvin character Yvka, but that may be my fondness for elves.
And it was kind of nice to read about vampires being evil, for a change.
It's been a long long time since I've read any RPG-type media tie-ins and even longer since I played any RPGs. That being said, I picked up this book to see how Tim writes fantasy. (I should also pick up one of his non-media tie-ins, but this was more available.)
I enjoyed the book, even though I'm not really into the RPG world that the book is based in, so I'm sure I missed some of the connections with things. And generally, RPG books are not my cup of tea.
It's dark, which I expected, given Tim's penchant for horror, and gory in places, but not over-the-top.
I liked the characterization of Diran and Ghaji, and found it rather interesting that for most of the book, Ghaji (When the tale focuses on the two of them and not on Makala, another character) is the Point of View Character, when it is Diran who is the Protagonist. In fact, when the POV switched to Diran, it actually threw me for a minute.
The story moves quickly, as adventures should, and yet you also get a bit of background on the main characters, which is nice. I would have liked to know a bit more about the elvin character Yvka, but that may be my fondness for elves.
And it was kind of nice to read about vampires being evil, for a change.
Read
January 19, 2016I came to really enjoy the character of Diran Bastiaan. He's a decent representation of my favorite hero architype, the redeemed villain. Starting out as a demon possessed, guild assassin. Once his demon was excised, he found religion in the Church of the Silver Flame, and now is a traveling priest fighting evil where ever he can. Over the course of the books he's presented with challenges that his personal relationships against his newfound beliefs. It's an inner turmoil that I dig.
July 11, 2016
Finally picked this back up. Read like second rate fan fic.
February 16, 2013
Fast-paced page turner that was more than well enough written to keep both a 32 year-old-male and his 11-year-old daughter captivated. :]]
November 7, 2016
This was a very good book. Tim Waggoner kept me engaged and the characters were interesting. I would re-read this book.
April 25, 2017
Good read nice pace.
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