The Crimson Talisman

Eberron: War-Torn #1

by Adrian Cole

When it is discovered that his family has long been charged with hiding and protecting Erethindel, the fabulous Crimson Talisman, from the forces of darkness, one young man discovers that it has fallen to him to keep it safe, as the powers of the talisman are awakened within him. Original.

Genres: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, Fiction, Audiobook, Collections, Media Tie In, Science Fiction Fantasy

312 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Adrian Cole was born in Plymouth, Devonshire in 1949. He is currently the Director of College Resources in a large secondary school in Bideford, where he now lives with his wife, Judy, son Sam, and daughter Katia. He remains best known for his Dream Lords trilogy as well as his young adult novels, Moorstones and The Sleep of Giants.

Reviews

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining read and Adrian Cole demonstrates his indisputable skill as a storyteller. Alas, if you're a fan of the Eberron Campaign Setting for D&D, i.e. if you want to learn more about the setting, you might find this interesting but perhaps a little frustrating. Why? This is first and foremost a pulp adventure novel that is character driven and not setting focused or an exploration of world lore; accordingly, Cole doesn't draw a lot on the distinctiveness of the Eberron world. There are no warforged characters, for example (a defining feature of Eberron). The main character, Vaddi, is a young noble who has been entrusted with a magical artifact. Evil forces want the artifact to open up a portal to another dimension to allow their dark god entry into the world. But the twist is that Vaddi must wield the artifact for its power to be unleashed. One wonders why Vaddi just didn't abandon the artifact and flee from it or go into hiding; instead, he seeks the artifact out and is compelled to find it. There are some interesting betrayals, reversals, and exciting brawls. Summary: great pulp fantasy adventure but leaves the Eberron fan feeling unsatisfied.

[Marissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF'd at page 100. Honestly couldn't find it in myself to care about anything that was happening or who it was happening to. Additionally, the author seems to have done no research about the uses of various weapons he gives his characters, and delights in using large words that makes the book read like it was written by a pretentious thesaurus. Characterization felt flat, pacing is not well done, "revelations" were basically dropped without finesse, and everyone seemed to have the emotional range of a teaspoon.

[Hyann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this Eberron book (even with the low rating) hoping nothing because most Eberron I read were not really captivating.
This book didn't really help my opinion. The main problem with this book is that it got nothing new. If you have read your share of fantasy stories, you will ask yourself is you already read this one.

The plot: Youn noble who inherit suddenly a powerful artifact that nobody knows really. He have to go on the run to find protection elsewhere fighting all the way against many villains. Secret Keepers appearing to protect him. A love Story, family & friends dies. Traitor with remorses that sacrifice himself in the end. The evil sorcerer who's like the Emperor in Star War trying to lure the hero on the other side...

Only déjà vu, you know what will happens without guessing.

Cole did have some great ideas here and there but no depth and cliché make this book at best average.

Young readers or casual fantasy readers could like it, but otherwise you can skip it... I'm feeling generous and will give it a three starts

[Seth Tomko · Rating 2 out of 5]

My video review of The Crimson Talisman can be found here: https://youtu.be/-g3WM3oso3Y?si=yzMZQ...

[Benjamin Spurlock · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Crimson Talisman is an example of how not to do an expanded universe story. Some aspects of the story are right on, but other parts are off in ways that fans will immediately notice and be disappointed in. The shoehorned-in 'love triangle' read as tedium instead of tension, and the Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal unfortunately did little to develop any of the characters.

I appreciate that Adrian Cole tried in this story, and at parts it does feel like an Eberron story. But sadly, it mostly feels like a generic fantasy story with some of the phrases and names switched around. Perhaps worst of all, I really don't feel a connection with any of the characters. They lack the charm of some of the other Eberron stories, and when that's the focus of your story, it's an unfortunate strike against you.

In the end, I'm afraid that this was not a good introduction to the series, and I doubt I'll be exploring more of this particular arc.

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first of the War-Torn books unfortunately sets the tone for the remainder of them, although Crimson Talisman is certainly the worst. Aside from the fact that the settings creater stated that he wouldn't consider it cannon, and the formulatic script, the characters in this novel were completely inaccessable. All either super human or so flawed as to be useless there is simply no one you can ever bring yourself to root for.

[Andre · Rating 2 out of 5]

A typical sword and sorcery novel that transcribe well the world of Eberron.

[Marvin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Turrible, Kenny. Just turrible. The writing is boring, the story is slapdash, the characters are cardboard, and it makes pitiful use of the (super fun) setting of Eberron.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

[REVIEW TO COME LATER UPON RE-READ.]