Corsair: Blades of the Moonsea, Book II (Blades of Moonsea) [Mass Market Paperback]

Corsair by Richard Baker is the second novel in the Blades of the Moonsea. The first book is titled Swordmage: Blade of the Moonsea, Book I (Blades of Moonsea) and the third book, scheduled for release sometime in 2010, is titled Avenger. As with the first book this book takes place in the post-Spellplague era. The prologue takes place in the year 1466 with the rest of the novel taking place in the year 1479. As with the first book I was expecting, more hoping actually, to get a little more information on just what the Spellplague is but that never really surfaced. However, upon finishing the book, I think that the lack of Spellplague information was okay. I do find it slightly amusing that there was so much talk about the Spellplague and the new fourth edition rules, and so far I have not really seen that much difference in the novels. Here are my thoughts on this novel.

The plot of this book has an almost completely different feel than the first novel. In the first novel the plot seemed rather clichéd and static. However, in this book the plot seemed much more fluid and natural. There were not those forced moments where it was blatantly obvious what was going to happen. Granted, some of the plot points are easily discernable, but not to the point where it is no longer interesting. The main plot revolves around a group of pirates terrorizing merchant ships from Hulberg. Geran Hulmaster is charged with assembling a group to seek out and eliminate the pirates. Of course, things are never as easy as they seem. Along the way there are several subplots that come into play such as; a person from Geran's past that wants nothing more than to see Geran suffer, a mysterious pirate cove, political subterfuge, and of course the requisite love interest. I enjoyed almost every aspect of this plot. It felt much more rich and substantial than the first book, and that's not to say that the first book was bad. This one just seemed to build on the good things of the first book and leave the less than good things behind.

The characters in this book, being that it is book two of the series, are largely the same cast as the first book. Familiar characters such as; Geran, Hamil, Sarth, Sergen, Karoth, and several more. The characters were one of my favorite parts of the first novel, and that certainly holds true in this novel as well. Even the secondary characters added great depth to the story such as Narsk and Sorsil. I hated Narsk (in a good way), but I loved Sorsil. Most of the time secondary characters are present for one purpose and when they achieve that they fade away. In this book neither Narsk of Sorsil felt like secondary characters. They felt just as developed and interesting as the other characters, and as a reader I really appreciate that. I had a visceral reaction to both of them and I think that is one of the biggest compliments I can give an author. Almost all of the characters seem real, the dialogue flows well and the characters motives are genuine. Character development doesn't take a backseat either. There is significant development for most of the main characters, although I would have liked to have seen some development for Hamil. Where Mr. Baker leaves Geran is flat out mean, but in a good cliff hanger sort of way. I won't say anymore about that. No matter though, I really enjoyed the characters in this novel and they only enhanced what I think it a very slid plot.

A couple criticisms about this novel:

1 - The only thing in this novel that seemed forced and not right was Geran's intense interest in Mirya. I know it added a significant plot point, but I wish it would have been done differently. It didn't `feel' right and felt contrived to me.

2 - The prologue did not sit right for me at first. There is about a 13 year difference between the prologue and chapter one and that time difference made for a bit of confusion. The connect between the two seemed to be lacking. Only when I got deeper into the story did it make some sense, but even then it still felt like it was missing something.

Some things I liked about this novel:

1 - The characters. Really, all of the characters were well done. The dialogue, flaws, motives, everything just worked well in regards to the characters. I think one of the things that really makes the characters stand out is the fact that each of the characters is so different from the others. There is a uniqueness to them that makes them stand out.

2 - The plot. I was somewhat critical of the plot in the first book, but this one far surpassed my expectations. It certainly wasn't the plot I was expecting. It is a deeper plot than the first book. For lack of a better way of saying it there seemed to be a purpose behind this book and never felt like it was just going through the motions.

3 - The pacing and flow of the novel are going to be an under rated thing with this book, but it adds immense value to the overall enjoyment of the novel. It ticks along at a brisk pace that never feels bogged down, but also never feels rushed. It's the perfect balance and makes for easy reading.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it was simply a case of me going into it with more real expectations of what to expect, based off the first novel. Coming away from this novel, I believe no novel will really detail what happened in the Spellplague, rather readers will have to slowly piece together the ruins, spell scars, etc to begin to get even a glimpse of what happened, and I am okay with that. With that thought, Mr. Baker did a very good job at offering up a couple of hints but not too much. I still feel as though fans of the Forgotten Realms should not give up on the Realms as I have mostly enjoyed the fourth edition novels. I know I will be recommending this series to Realms fans. I am really looking forward to seeing how this series concludes with the third book.

After reading Swordmage & loving the hometown heroes aspect of the story i was seriously let down by Corsair. I should say that i'm not a huge fan of the D&D 4E system its built upon & this will probably shine through, as i wonder if the writer is a fan of it. I say this because one of the greatest problems i had with the novel is it at times looks like it is going in a particular direction only to have an editor turn to him & say "I'm sorry, that is no longer in the rules, so you can't do that anymore, your going to have to find another way to resolve this issue," at which point Mr Baker has to try and come up with another equally good work around (this is seen most often when characters try to spellcast).

But beyond that i found that the characters that were so vibrant in the previous book had stagnated in this book. Characters had there entire motivation turned on there heads in some cases & in some places just ignores the last novel entirely. The pirate plot was exceptionally hockey, using the kind of logic gamers have used for years to glorify pirates & ninjas. The family tree of villany also seemed to have been incredibly cliched & convoluted. This is not the Richard Baker writing i expected... Is this even the same author who gave us "The City of Ravens?"

-M

Corsair continues the adventures of Geran, Hamil, and Sarth. There is a new problem facing the town of Hulburg in the form of pirates. Like the first book Swordmage, the pacing is good; maybe a little better and the descriptions are still wonderful. We even get to travel to far off lands that were new and exciting. Mr. Baker continues to have great characters. The battle scenes are also engaging and wonderful to read.

I really don't have any criticisms with the book. It didn't wow me for a 5 star rating, but it was up there. I would have gone with a 4.5, but since that is not an option, I will go with a 4. I positively enjoyed the characters and storyline. I feel fans of the realms will really enjoy this one and if you like books about pirates, you will also enjoy it very much.

Happy reading

-Dimndbangr