The Grieving Tree

Eberron

by Don Bassingthwaite

For three heroes, the past is about to come back to hunt them. A renegade warrior, a mystic exile, and a magic-wielding soldier are on the run. Their enemies are closing in. Some want to control them, some want to rob them, and others just want them dead. In a land of monsters and renegades, their one hope for survival may be an ancient device of evil, the long-lost Grieving Tree. . . .

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

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2006

About the author

Don lives with his partner in Toronto, surrounded by gadgets, spice jars, and too many books.

No, I don’t normally refer to myself in the third person. That’s the official author bio from the back of my most recent books. You want some other trivia?

I’m a fan of the serial comma.
I’m a huge fan of breakfast cereal.
I own one (and only one) stuffed animal — a Highland cow from Edinburgh named “Ewan MooGregor.”
I love Edinburgh and London — other large cities visited in the UK include Bath and Plymouth. I’ve also been to Cheddar where I ate a really good cheese sandwich.
I like cheese, especially hard and blue cheeses (Mmmm. Stilton.).
I look terrible in hats with the exception (for unknown reasons) of a few ball caps of particular colour and design.
I look good in rugby shirts, but don’t really own any as I neither play rugby nor follow the sport enough to feel honest buying the shirt of any particular team.
I don’t play or follow soccer either, but that didn’t stop me from choosing a “shirt team” in the last World Cup, wearing their shirt, and cheering for them in pubs. Go Netherlands!
To quote Paul S. Kemp, “Mmm. Beer.”
I have seriously considered buying a kilt. Update March 2008: The kilt has been bought!
Kilt, cow, and fondness for Edinburgh aside, I’m not Scottish.

More to come, I’m sure!

Reviews

[Ubiquitousbastard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, so four stars might seem excessive, but it was a bit more than adequate and I gave the first book three stars when it was more like 3.5, so this evens it all out. I think that the plot moved a bit better here, and while there were a few less than amazing uses of tropes, I also think that the characters improved. Not Dandra, but I didn't expect that. I suppose the most development was probably in the villains, which is odd, but appreciated since they were all basically twirling their mustaches and stomping on puppies à la Pryrates in The Dragonbone Chair. I liked seeing the villains as somewhat more than just maniacal bad guys; it makes things much more interesting.

Same complaints as before, sometimes extensive usage of cliches and tropes and the simple fact that I just do not like half of the characters. (Same as with Dragonlance, most of those characters can jump off a bridge, but the good characters make up for it). Also, a few obvious mistakes which definitely disrupted my reading process, like "a the." Bad editing, bad.

Still, this was good for a short and mostly entertaining read. Especially good for the subgenre.

[Steven Wilber · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Grieving Tree" is the second book in the "Dragon Below" trilogy, set in the world of Eberron. Like the first book in the trilogy ("The Binding Stone"), this book is a fast-paced, exciting adventure book. The plot revolves around a mixed bag of heroes who are caught up in a life or death struggle with Dah'mir, a charismatic priest of the dragon below who turns out to be more than he appears.

"The Grieving Tree" picks up where "The Binding Stone" left off with the heroes learning of a riddle which could lead them to an important clue about Dah'mir's origins. The riddle is obscure and the path they must follow is filled with danger. As mentioned above the book is fast-paced and full of action. The plot is well thought-out and well written.

The strength of this series is in its characters all of whom have interesting back-stories which are slowly revealed over the course of the story. The good guys, are not your typical hero-types. Each has his or her own flaws and their shared past often creates tension between some of the members of the party. This adds a sense of urgency and excitement to the story. Throughout the book, the reader is left guessing about what will happen next and how this sometimes fragile alliance will hold together. If you are a fan of characters who are "shades of grey" and of character development, then you will enjoy this book.

And the villains are equally interesting. My favourite was the very unique Hruucan, who is an undead creature who feeds off on fire and peoples life-forces. A very interesting villain indeed. One thing I enjoyed is that, while Dah'mir was not above using and discarding his followers, the bad guys are not the typical bad guys whose in-fighting leads to their downfall.

In my humble opinion, this book has something for everyone. There is action, adventure, magic, and even a little mystery. The story is interesting and the characters are well-written.

I would recommend this book to all fans of epic fantasy, but especially to fans of Eberron.

One word of warning, this is the second book of the series, and while there is a very nice summary of book 1 at the beginning, I would recommend first reading "The Binding Stone," which is also an excellent book.

[Mphecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent follow-up to the first book. This series has been a great example of the setting, with interesting characters and good villains.

[Lorewarden]

This was a great second installment to an excellent trilogy. Our heroes continue to balance trying to save the world with their own interpersonal problems and personal obstacles. Parties where members have to put aside hating each other to do the right thing adds a tension that's a bit more engaging than the standard adventuring party of friends. I'm also learning a lot about Eberron's base cosmological premise, which is important to a lore seeker like myself.

Just like with volume 1, I want to draw attention to the excellent cover artwork of Michael Komarck.

[Yavor Vlaskov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another surprisingly good entry way beyond the low bar of tie-in literature for worlds based on a game's lore. Very advanced and sound characterisation, fleshed out new characters introduced, and a genuinely interesting and actively immersive read beyond helping aspiring DMs in Eberron flesh out their worlds. Only negative I can find is that I didn't leave Don Bassingthwaite's stuff for last and am afraid how the rest of the books I have gotten for Eberron will compare, lol.

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid middle entry in the series, full of travel and things in-between. Reminiscent of Empire, minus the big reveal. The characters' strong personalities drive things along very well as they work to uncover and foil the plans of a rather evil dragon serving his very evil master.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

[REVIEW TO COME AT A LATER DATE UPON A FULL SERIES RE-READ.]