The Moonsea city of Phlan has weathered many storms, but when the god Bane snatches the city away in its entirety, its denizens know they are in for trouble. But, Marcus, a renegade Red Wizard, has plans of his own for Phlan. Having moved Phlan to a giant cavern beneath his keep, he is determined to take it on his own, and double cross Bane. Can Phlan hold out against so much evil? And, can its would-be rescuers arrive in time?
OK, I must admit it, just about all of the complaints against this book that you see are legitimate. The whole story has an air of implausibility, as Marcus keeps throwing more and more armies at Phlan, but never comes up with enough at any one time to actually accomplish anything. The heroes are ALL larger than life, and the villains all cringing or stupid or whatnot. You need to suspend disbelief for any fantasy story, but this one asks a lot of the reader.
But, that said, the book does have its moments. There's a lot of good magic, and the adventures of the people outside the city are a good deal more realistic and interesting. I don't regret the time I spent reading this book, but I am giving it away, as I can NOT imagine reading it again. On the whole, I give it a rather guarded recommendation.
