The Mark of Nerath

The Abyssal Plague #2

by Bill Slavicsek

It is a time of magic and monsters, a time when only a few scattered points of light glow with stubborn determination amid a rising tide of shadows. It is a time when only the bravest heroes dare tread the wild of the unknown…

About a century ago, the collapse of Nerath, the last empire of the world, ushered in a dark age that continues to this day, the peace and prosperity of the past seemingly lost forever. However, even those fabled days weren’t without a few blemishes. One of these was Emperor Magroth the First, a tyrant and a conqueror; cruel, ambitious, filled with delusions of grandeur and dreams of destiny, and more than a bit insane.
 
During Magroth’s reign, rumors of necromancy and demon worship were rampant, but  the truth was far worse. Thanks to deals he made, pacts he agreed to, and rituals he performed, death was not the end Emperor Magroth. Instead, a piece of him was drawn into the Shadowfell where he became the ruler of a domain of dead. From this vantage, the old king prepared for his return—and the new empire he would forge from the ruins of old.
 
Now Magroth has made a new deal with Orcus, the Demon Prince of Undeath, that frees him from his eternal prison for a year and a day. In that time, Magroth must re-establish his ancient kingdom while also accomplishing a series of terrible tasks for Orcus. To this end, Magroth’s plans intersect with two other threats that are rising in the world. Where these threats meet, the world shudders. And it falls to our heroes to keep the fragile lights of civilization burning for another day

Genres: Fantasy, Forgotten Realms, Dungeons and Dragons, High Fantasy

311 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Bill Slavicsek's gaming life was forever changed when he discovered Dungeons & Dragons in 1976. He became a gaming professional in 1986 when he was hired by West End Games as an editor. He quickly added developer, designer, and creative manager to his resume, and his work helped shape the Paranoia, Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and Torg roleplaying games. He even found some time during that period to do freelance work for D&D 1st Edition. In 1993, Bill joined the staff of TSR, Inc. as a designer/editor. He worked on a bunch of 2nd Edition material, including products for Core D&D, Dark Sun, Ravenloft, and Planescape. In 1997, he was part of the TSR crowd that moved to Seattle to join Wizards of the Coast, and in that year he was promoted to R&D Director for D&D. In that position, Bill oversaw the creation of both the 3rd Edition and 4th Edition of the D&D Roleplaying Game. He was one of the driving forces behind the D&D Insider project, and he continues to oversee and lead the creative strategy and effort for Dungeons & Dragons.

Reviews

[Travis · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Mark of Nerath by Bill Slavicsek- This is the first book in a new setting of novels in the Dungeons and Dragons universe, which is conveniently called Dungeons and Dragons. This book is also a stand-alone novel. This is Bill Slavicsek's first full-length novel, but he has worked on a number of role-playing game modules and co-authored Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition For Dummies and Dungeon Master 4th Edition For Dummies. The Mark of Nerath was released in August 2010 and published by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Magroth wants to escape his banishment into the Shadowfell. The once alive ruler of the kingdom of Nerath was slain by one of his personal guards, and was somehow transported into the Shadowfell. After an enticing offer from a priestess of Orcus (the demon lord of the undead), he readily agrees to the terms. After easily accomplishing the first two tasks, Magroth now has to find and kill any remaining descendants. At the same time, a group of adventures are hunting down a green dragon that is terrorizing the countryside. After encountering the dragon, three of the five people in the group are killed leaving a warrior woman named Shara and a rogue halfling named Uldane. After losing both her father and her beloved, Shara now wants to seek out and slay the dragon who did this. At the same time, an apprentice priest of Erathis (the goddess of civilization) named Falon is attacked by a group of undead, only to be saved by an old dwarf named Darrum. After the dwarf discovers who Falon is, and after Falon's mother tells him who he is as well, they set off to keep Falon hidden. At the same time, a corpse awakens in a graveyard being compelled to action by the Raven Queen (the goddess of death). The revenant named Erak sets off to finish an unknown goal. Finally, a young eladrin wizard named Albanon, after a night of hearing of dragonborn named Roghar and tiefling named Tempest's adventures, returns home to find his teacher slain. He quickly leaves to find the killer and the two adventurers tag along to help him. What do all these people have to do with one another? Does Magroth find and kill his descendant? Does Shara and Uldane get revenge on the dragon? Who is Falon and why does he need Darrum's protection? What does the Raven Queen want Erak to accomplish? Does Albanon avenge his masters death with the help of Roghar and Tempest? Can this be anymore confusing?

Criticisms:
1) Characters. The main problem this story is its characters and there are a few reasons why the characters are the story's biggest weakness. The first thing, as you probably can see from my plot summary above, is that there are way too many characters. The story follows about thirteen characters; Magroth, Erak, Kalaban, Falon, Darrum, Roghar, Tempest, Nu Alin, Albanon, Shara, Uldane, Splendid, Tiktag, and Vestapalk. Thirteen characters, and not one of them could be considered the main focus. Sure Magroth and Falon may have headlined the most chapters out of the group, but I still refuse to call them the main focus. Why would I say that? There are thirteen characters! And because there are thirteen characters, no one is developed enough to be considered as the main character(s). Each character has one personality trait. Just one. Magroth is insane. Erak is the stoic character. Kalaban is Magroth's sidekick. Falon is naïve. Darrum is loyal. Roghar is something and honestly I really don't know what he is. Tempest is levelheaded. Nu Alin is pure evil. Albanon is also naïve. Uldane is energetic and carefree. Splendid is annoying. Tiktag is just a follower. Vestapalk is full of himself and a little crazy. However, Shara may be the only deep character, due to losing both her father and beloved. You actually see her try to hide her pain but that is soon forgotten and not further explored after you hit the halfway point in the story. None of these characters are really that deep or even likeable. They are all horrible in some way, shape, or form. It doesn't help that you can easily forget who is who. The characters are just terrible and what causes this story too really fail.
2) Dungeons and Dragons Session. The other main problem with this story is that it reads like someone's notes on last nights Dungeons and Dragons adventure. When you have lines that sound like someone right out of a game session, you have problems. As soon as I heard Uldane say, “Lucky for you I spotted it on the path back there. I do have excellent perception, you know.” I knew that something was extremely wrong. That was on the second page. Then upon further reading, I ran across other such wording and sentences that just screamed that it came directly out of a gaming session. When things like this came up, it just took me right out of the story and it should have never been worded in those ways.
3) Choppy. The dialogue is just awful. It does not flow naturally. It also does not accompany what is happening. For example, when someone is in a fight someone else will say a smart remark that doesn't even pertain to what is happening in the story. It doesn't help that this is how the majority of the dialogue is handled either. It read sloppy and just didn't match up at all.
4) Reiteration. The final major issue with the story is the amount or reiterating everything that happens. This bugged me like nothing else. For one thing, the chapters are only between a few paragraphs to five pages in length so what's the point of saying Nu Alin over and over during a chapter? Also, because the chapters are so short, only a chapter or two may pass between a certain character's parts, and reintroducing them quickly became annoying and bothersome. It made me feel like the author thought that the reader was stupid and had to be reminded of who this person was or what this is. It was insulting half the time.

Praises:
1) Funny. There was two funny moments. That's it. Just two.

Side Notes:
1) Erak. Even though I hated the character for his lack of personality, I really liked the idea behind him. To bad he wasn't utilized very well.
2) The Gates of Madness. This story comes with the second installment of a five-part novella called The Gates of Madness by James Wyatt that has to do with something called The Abyssal Plague. The first part is found in the paperback version of R. A. Salvatore's The Ghost King. It's billed as a worlds-spanning event. Anyways, the short little story is really interesting, except I have no idea what is happening. I didn't pick up the first part so I am a little lost. However, I will say that in these ten or so pages, there was more cohesion and character development than in the entire story of The Mark of Nerath.
3) Cover Art. It's interesting and does catch your eye. There are problems however. It's a little too busy with Magroth and Falon fighting, Erak jumping behind Magroth, Shara and Darrum destroying skeletons. It's just busy.

Overall: 1/5
Final Thoughts:
The Mark of Nerath is terrible, frustrating, annoying, and disappointing. The only thing that is good about the book is the inclusion of The Gates of Madness and the two funny parts. Everything else is just awful. The characters are one-dimensional and have little to no personalities. The plot is a mess and boring. The pacing and flow is chopping and confusing. Nothing works. If the goal of this new setting is to be a written version of someone's Dungeon and Dragons campaign, then this idea itself should be scrapped. There is nothing original or interesting happening. There were some neat ideas, but they weren't explored. I just hope the next book in this setting is leaps and bounds better. As for a recommendation, what do you think? No. Do not pick up this book. Only pick it up to read the short story but do not buy this. It's not worth the purchase.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

As predictable as you can get for a fantasy book. Not terrible, but nothing amazing or new either, it just exists as an average boy fights evil wizard kind of thing.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly solid story. Going to pass it on to someone else. =)

[Bowens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually feeling nostalgic for 4e

Not excellent, but not bad. A fun read. Lots of inside jokes, so if you don't play DnD, you'll miss them; if you do play, they'll annoy you.

[Tony Buchanan]

Good read

Many different quests that culminate into one powerful end. I like how he blended the races and class into one large group of adventurers.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer-If you read the review and feel there is a spoiler in it, please let me know and I will remove that section. Also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thank you.

The Mark of Nerath by Bill Slaveicsek is the first book in the new D&D setting. It is also a stand alone novel.

The Mark of Nerath begins by introducing a plethora of characters in very short chapters that are prevalent throughout the book. The main plot focuses on the villain trying to free himself from his place in the shadowfell. There are numerous subplots involving different groups of characters. One has the couple looking for revenge, then there is another couple characters who are hiding from the undead, a character awakened as a revenant, and another small band seeking answers.

First thing, I read all the other reviews before writing this and they all have their merits. A couple I read before reading the book itself and so went into reading it with an open mind and low expectations. My main reason for reading this book is the fact that the upcoming Abyssal Plague is also going to have a Forgotten Realms book in the series written by Bruce R. Cordell that will have a small tie in to the D&D campaign setting, but will ultimately be a realms novel.

That being said, the flow of this novel is very jumpy and with all the characters and plotlines forming can be disconcerting to those who don’t like a lot of jumping around. It made it a bit difficult to follow at times and only a couple times had I forgotten who some of the characters were. The only time I liked the jumping around was during the final battle. I liked seeing the different views of the characters as they were dealing with their own situations. The pace of the novel was not too bad and kept moving at a nice pace. This helped to keep me interested in the story. With all the characters, there was no real development except for one and that was a minor development at that.

Some criticisms:

1. The lack of environment. The beginning of the book has no real detail of the surrounding land. This book relies too much on the map at the beginning for the details of the landscape. This did improve towards the end, but I wanted more detail during the adventurer’s journey.

2. The fact that Mr. Slavicsek kept reintroducing the characters in every chapter and also who the God Erathos is. It got so annoying I kept thinking, “We know who he is. Move on please.” Also repeating the character Nu Alin’s name. In the short chapters with this character, his name popped up multiple times and even about 7 times in one paragraph. Most of the chapters with this character were only about this character and so the reader already knows and doesn’t need to be reminded.

3. The dialogue was not done very well in certain parts. Even a lot of the jokes were not funny even though the other characters were laughing. I failed to see the humor, but others may not. The worst dialogue was the dragon’s talking. For being a supreme type of creature, his words were childish and uneducated. Plus the referring to himself in the third person was really annoying.

4. The villain was too clichéd. There were also times his actions didn’t mesh with him being a villain for some inconsistency, but I guess that is because he is “mad”.

Some positives:

1. There’s a map. Ok, this really may not be a positive to some, but I really enjoy having a map at the beginning of fantasy books. It really came in handy with the lack of detail that is actually written in the book.

2. There are actually a couple characters I did like. Even though there wasn’t much development, I did enjoy their actions throughout the story. Erak was one, Kalaban was another. I even enjoyed Tempest, Falon, Roghar, and Moorin, even though he wasn’t a main character.

3. Treating this as the adventure that it was, I liked the way all the characters get together for the finally. Even though at times it felt a little forced, it still worked for me. Being introduced to a new world and a new type of adventure, I still found I enjoyed this book well enough.

It seemed as though the author won an amateur writing contest to be the first to write the first novel in a new series. While at times it was not a good book, it was good enough. I liked the feeling of something new and a new place to explore. Once there are some better authors writing for this setting, I know I will enjoy it a lot more. As for recommendations, other reviewers have mentioned that those who are more into the gaming aspects will enjoy this one and I have to concur. As for those who are more used to the way the Forgotten Realms are, they may not enjoy it as much and those who are more serious about their fantasy can skip it altogether. Me, I would rate this more at a 2.5 stars, but feel, for me, that 3 stars is not out of the question.

Happy reading

-Dimndbangr

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

When it was revealed that with the advent of 4th Edition that the newest edition of Dungeons and Dragons would be abandoning the setting of Greyhawk for its stock setting there was some outcry amongst fans. Not much, given that Wizards’ utilization of Greyhawk was, to put it mildly, sort of half-assed anyway it didn’t seem like too big a change. The “points of light” setting was an interesting concept, bits of civilization in a sea of darkness and danger that would leave room for players to expand their world however they saw fit. However, over the last few years and with the release of the new Essentials line of products Wizards of the Coast has been moving to form a more cohesive background for their Points of Light setting. The Nentir Vale, first introduced in Keep of the Shadowfell (or maybe before, but that is the first I remember of it) has been slowly becoming a more geographic distinct and well defined, albeit rather small in the grand scheme of things, place. The release of Wizards’ head of R&D Bill Slavicsek’s novel The Mark of Nerath continues that trend. While not quite world defining The Mark of Nerath expands upon the settings introduced in the adventures and supplementary materials that Wizards of the Coast has featured since the release of 4th Edition. Which, while great for people who have explored those places with dice in hand, doesn’t quite work as well for the uninitiated.

One of the things I’ve loved about the D&D novels of yore (your R. A. Salvatore, and old school Weiss/Hickman stuff) was that they frequently introduced a small cast of relatively strong personalities that a reader could easily latch onto. While The Mark of Nerath tries to do the same, it doesn’t quite succeed its characters, each group coming from their own separate plot path makes identifying or getting to know a single character a bit difficult. At the same time the novel often leans a bit too heavily on game mechanics and recognizable spells and abilities to be completely enjoyable. On the other hand The Mark of Nerath is also laying the groundwork for the worlds spanning Abyssal Plague (more on that late) a subplot that I found more interesting than the more immediate threats the characters face.

Now The Mark of Nerath isn’t all bad. Slavicsek has a lot of great ideas that just don’t always mesh into a cohesive whole. He employs some classic adventurer cliches that, while definitely familiar, I still found both enjoyable and somewhat comforting. I particularly enjoyed the Mad Emperor Magroth who was a nice blend of creepy, competent, and comical to be a fun read. On of those familiar adventurer tropes, the halfling Uldane, echoes Dragonlance’s Tasselhoff if somewhat toned down and entirely more deadly so that he is never ever rage inducing. Unfortunately I never felt the rest of the cast came together, they never managed to stand out as unique individuals.

The Mark of Nerath is ultimately both frustrating and disappointing. It never manages to capitalize on the relative unknown of the world it operates in to create a sense of exploration and wonder and leans far to heavily on terminology and conceits of the Dungeons and Dragons game system to work well as fiction. Furthermore it is tied too strongly to the upcoming meta-event of the Abyssal Plague to allow its own story to properly shine. That being said, those elements that do tie it to the Abyssal Plague are actually quite intriguing and for a “old hat” for D&D has me significantly excited to see where this event (which will touch on all the D&D worlds) will go. Why the excitement? Mention of the Elder Elemental Eye and the Chained God (both in the novel itself and in the 2nd part of the Gates of Madness at the back of the book), the alter ego of a certain old school D&D villains deity, tickles the nostalgia bone. I’ll be keeping my eye on future tie-ins to this event. By and large I’d suggest you steer clear of The Mark of Nerath unless your really curious or a D&D megafan that needs to read anything and everything as its troubles outweigh its merits. Still I’d like to see more done to expand the points of light setting but I’m just not sure Slavicsek, this being his first novel and whose design work in Eberron I’ve quite enjoyed, is the man for the task.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK, this book is everything you expect to see from a role-playing game tie-in book. The characters are wooden the action is predictable and the writing is like someone is writing a grade school book report.

The "About the Author" blurb in the book states that the author designed several modern day role-playing settings. I can see that. The man does not lack for imagination, but he writes as if he's writing a sourcebook, some D&D resource that describes how many hit points this monsters has. I mean come on! Don't name every monster you introduce in the book. Describe them, give us an idea of what they look like and what they're doing at the given moment. Are they menacing? Are they lounging around the tavern? Are they singing show tunes? Yes, names have power and sometimes calling something a zombie can be used to evoke a certain amount of fear and a certain atmosphere. In this book, the first several dozen chapters name the fantasy monsters like the fourth edition Monster Manual.

That brings me to the second big problem. Chapters should be more than six words long. Admittedly, that was a bit of hyperbole, but it was very annoying to read two pages then have a chapter break. Points of view can be spread across one chapter and woven together like a tapestry. This felt more like someone sewing their first quilt, using scraps and haphazardly sewing them together.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly not a masterpiece. Still, for a D&D fan, this novel is somewhat fun to read: many places, names, and situations that clearly point to the game mechanics and the game world. There's absolutely no pretension of literature here, it is just a nice (maybe a little stereotyped) story concerning a bunch of heroes that come together to fight a common foe(s).
Even though it has been pointed out that there are too many characters, I don't think this is a real drawback but, rather, it adds to the general fun of the book (it's D&D in its raw form!). As far as entertainment goes, "The Mark of Nerath" hits its mark (no pun intended) and it is a nice reading. If you plan to read the "Gone With the Wind" of fantasy, I strongly suggest to look elsewhere.

[Bernard · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Mark of Nerath is your cookie cutter D&D fantasy book. The characters tend to be a bit shallow with no true emotion or feeling to them. I felt like they were just on the adventure for the most basic of motivations and that I didn't truely feel like they were heroes.

The bad guy in the book was just as cookie cutter as the rest of the characters and I didn't truely see or feel a deep motivation other than the fact that he was insane on some level. I will say that the book has a good flow to it and the action is decent. The plot wont shock you and it dosn't break any new ground in story telling. It's an average D&D adventure and with so many of them out their it's hard ot justify spending your money and time on this one.

[Marcin Roszkowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bill Slavicesk to fantastyczny projektant gier. Pisane przez niego dodatki były jednymi z najlepszych. Szkoda, że nie było tak z powieścią, która jedną gwiazdkę dostaje dlatego, że nie mogę dać mniej. Sztampowi bohaterowie, idiotyzmy, przewidywalna narracja oraz kiepskie pisarstwo sprawiają, że "Mark of Nerath" plasuje się nisko pośród i tak kiepskich książek pisanych "pod światy growe".

Papier zniesie wiele. Nawet TAKĄ grafomanię.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one comes through as basic fantasy not really standing out from the pack , for some reason its in the forgotten realms wiki , but as far as I can see it is not in any way set in the forgotten realms , in fact from the way the the halfling char came across as a kender I thought it was a dragon lance novel. its not a bad book though the chars could of done with a bit more back story , little bit more action and a bit less running around

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read a dead-tree version. I enjoyed it... sure, it's got too many characters, the villain sucks, the writing is poor, and the plot is cheesy and, in parts, nonsensical. It was fun! It did a good job of name-dropping D&D powers, places, and classes. It did a good job of putting goofy D&D combat into prose. I enjoyed it.

[Mark Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not friggin' shakespeare, people! I've been seeing some bad reviews for the book, but I've found it really entertaining. It's not supposed to be the best writing ever, it's supposed to be exactly what it is: A fun adventuring Dungeons and Dragons book.

Just finished it, and, while predictable, it worked. It felt exactly like reading the adventures of a party of D&D players.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pretty decent read. After reading comments about this book that it's hard to read through. I had an easy time getting through it. The characters in it were okay but probably needed more of a background behind each one. I liked how the author pulled them all together in a certain way.

(4 out of 5)

[J.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because my roommate is starting a campaign in this setting, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable bit of fluff. The characters are likable, the plotlines are satisfyingly complex, and it gave me a good feel for the setting as I was hoping. No, it's not literature, but it's a fun quick read.

[Alan Castree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally...
Finished this book.
Interesting to read a book in this setting. It gave me a few ideas. But for the most part, the story was much simpler than I had hopped (which wasn't much). The thing that bothered me the most was how all of the characters were motivated by premonition. "Why are we going here?" "Because this is the way the story is telling us to go..."

[Matt Thomason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interested in this due to it being the "default" setting for 4th edition D&D. Had some nice background info, and a decent plot. The characters felt very much like they had been designed specifically to fit into the rules, but hey, it worked for the Dragonlance series so why not?

[Danny Hatcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd put this book on the "okay" list. The pacing was fast but there were just too many characters and sub-plots going through the book. I would say it was worth the read though, especially if you are interested in reading the rest of the Abyssal Plague books.

[Kevin Halter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent book.
There are a multitude of characters that move in and out of the story, and character development is a little shallow, but the writer is able to pull all the characters together for the big climactic scene at the end.

[Shane Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable read. Good pulp fantasy.

[Adon Coya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt like playing out an RPG campaign :)

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but feels more like flavor text than literature.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantasy novel that is extremely enjoyable!

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

could not finish.

[Frederik Andersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

In short: as other already have said, way to many characters many wich was redundant.. And it felt like the notes from a dnd scenario