Book Review: The Reaver by Richard Lee Byers (The Sundering book 4)

Last year, Wizards of the Coast announced The Sundering series. The series is meant to consist of six stand alone novels based on Dungeons and Dragons universe, each book will be written by a different author. I am not a Dungeons and Dragons player, but I like reading novels based on the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Therefore, I was excited by this announcement, I have been reading The Sundering series since the first book came out in August last year.

The novels in The Sundering series are pretty good, I enjoyed most of them. The Reaver, is the fourth installment. After reading The Reaver, I have decided this is currently, my favorite book in this series.

Synopsis:

Endless rains plague the people who live in the coastal regions surrounding the Sea of Fallen Stars. Crops are dying, and harvests are failing, as agricultural produce drown in the never-ending rainfall. In despair, some people have returned to the evil Goddess Umberlee, Queen of the Depth, offering sacrifices in hope for relief from this miserable condition.

Evendur Highcastle, an undead pirate captain, is the chosen champion of Umberlee. He attempts to seize this opportunity, and use it to further the power of the cult of Umberlee.

Among the hopelessness and despair, a little farm boy called Stedd Whitehorn became the chosen for Lathander the Morninglord, to bring renewed hopes of peace and kindness. The teachings of the Morninglord is in stark contrast to the savage ways of Evendur and the ways of Umberlee.

Evendur hired Anton Marivaldi, an infamous and formidable pirate, to capture Stedd Whitehorn in exchange of a handsome bounty. Yet, Anthon soon found himself tangled up in a web of affairs that will concern the future fate of all who reside at the Sea of Fallen Stars..

What I think about this book:

The Reaver is my favorite book in this series yet. It has a straight forward, yet interesting and gripping story. The characterization is the main strength of this book. Anton the reaver, is the main character in this book. He started off as a somewhat selfish and antagonistic character, whose moral compass is dictated by gold. As the story progresses, Anton's character gradually changed. Other supporting characters such as Stedd and Umara are fascinating as well. Stedd brings into the story an aspect of innocence, and he will do what is right even if it causes danger to himself. When Stedd's innocence meets Anton's self preserving/profiteering moral attitude, the result is a dynamic relationship that is thought provoking.

The story is also well paced, I was never bored while reading this book. The action scenes are well described, and exhilarating. Overall, The Reaver is a good, traditional sword and sorcery novel, with swashbuckling high adventures, memorable characters, and a good story. It reminds me why reading fantasy novels can be so much fun.