Undead: Haunted Lands Bk. 2 (Forgotten Realms) [Mass Market Paperback]

I have been a hopeless fangirl of Szass Tam ever since I read Jean Rabe"s "Red Magic" 12 years ago in high school, and I was thrilled to discover a new Tam-centric triogy, written by the talented Richard Lee Byers, coming out in the Forgotten Realms universe. Volume I, "Unclean," was satisfying and entertaining despite the cliche romantic subplot, and the latest installment in the trilogy is even better. Byers also writes Szass Tam much better than Jean Rabe, portraying the character as highly intelligent and charismatic, with genuinely devious schemes.

This book takes place ten years after the first, and every character has improved for the better. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but both Tammith and Mirror are MUCH improved in this volume, and Szass Tam gets plenty of lines as his evilly charming self. I have always been intrigued by the evil society of Thay, as well as its would-be regent Szass Tam, and Byers does a great job with his grey-area characters of the battle mage Aoth and the bard Bareris -- "good" guys from an evil world. I think both Aoth and Bareris are improved for the better in "Undead," and I can't wait for volume III in 2009.

I had heard that this volume was more action-focused, which made me worry about endless boring fight scenes, but there was nothing of the kind. "Undead" is great blend of action scenes and character development, and I never felt like either element was lacking. As in the first book, there are a lot of vignettes from minor characters that add to the poignancy or interest of a scene, and there are a lot of female warrior characters who are treated with dignity and respect, to my pleasant surprise. 4 and a half stars rounded up to 5.

Undead by Richard Lee Byers is the second book of the Haunted Land trilogy set in the Forgotten Realms. The first book is titled Unclean (Forgotten Realms: The Haunted Lands, Book 1) and the third book, scheduled for release in March 2009, is titled Unholy. This trilogy is the second trilogy penned by Mr. Byers in the Forgotten Realms, the first trilogy was titled Year of the Rogue Dragons. Mr. Byers also has several other stand alone books, or books apart of other series, set in the Forgotten Realms such as; Dissolution (Forgotten Realms: R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen, Book 1), The Black Bouquet (Forgotten Realms: The Rogues, Book 2), The Shattered Mask: Sembia: Gateway to the Realms, Book III (Forgotten Realms), and Queen of the Depths (Forgotten Realms: The Priests).

The plot of this book is a direct continuation of Unclean, so if you have not read the first book, then you really need to do so before reading this novel. There are many plot elements that occur in this book that are set up in the first novel. The main plot of this book is the continued civil war that is occurring in the realm of Thay. There are several sub plot scattered throughout the novel as well such as; numerous political aspects. Things such as who is on who's side, and will that person betray the side they are currently on to help the other side. The romantic sub plot from the first part continues into this novel as well. A sub plot involving Szass Tam's army and what it takes to keep an army, such as his, moving and `happy'. There are also a couple other sub plots, but I won't talk about those for fear of spoiling things for some people. Overall, the plot seems a little more developed, which is to be expected, from the first book.

The characters in this book are mostly the same as the first book, but there are a few more added that help the story progress. The main characters remain largely the same. Characters such as Aoth, Bareis, Tammith, and Szass Tam headline the character cast. Much like I felt with the first book, the characters of this book seem to really be an aspect that keeps things interesting. While I enjoyed these same characters in the first book, I was unsure just how much character development would take place in this book. I was pleasantly surprised at the level of character development that did take place. There is even at least one instance that the character development goes beyond normal expectations and adds an interesting touch to what should be a very interesting character in the third book. The thing I like most about the characters, is that they really aren't flashy, they just are. They seem normal, and real. Even the lich Szass Tam has some character development, which surprised me because he has been around in the realms for a long time.

My only real criticism with this novel is how the chapters are setup. They are organized as several small `snap shots' of scenes featuring different points of view. To me, setting up chapters like this causes them to feel disjointed and as though they are jumping around. I would have much preferred slightly longer scenes, and smaller chapters. The way it is right now it is very hard to develop any continuity and consistency. As a reader, it seemed like just as I was getting into the story I was jerked out and thrust into a different plot line. It made for difficulty following things and I am almost positive I missed things due to this.

Some things I really enjoyed about this book.

As I said above, I enjoyed the characters quite a bit more. In fact, I enjoyed them even more with this book, since Mr. Byers did not have to spend as much time setting things up. He was allowed more liberties with them and it really showed.

Also, I have always been interested in Thay, as I am sure many other readers have been. This book, and trilogy, allows us a glimpse into the intrigue and cut throat nature that Thay is.

Overal, I enjoyed the book however, I am still left with the impression that if it was written differently (style wise) I would have enjoyed it more. I don't feel as though I was able to get the full experience and see the full vision that Mr. Byers had. With that said, I think this trilogy is a must read for Forgotten Realms fans as there is one event in this book that will certainly have an impact throughout the entire Forgotten Realm landscape. This is a book I will recommend to hard core Forgotten Realms fans, but aside from that I am not sure how often I will be recommending this one.

I am not a professional reviewer by any means, but when I came to add my review for Undead I was shocked that it didn't average 4 1/2 or 5 stars. I am wondering if perhaps I read a different copy of Undead by Richard Lee Byers than a few others here? Because for me, it is 5/5 without question!

I found this book to be absolutely spectacular for a variety of reasons. One is that I feel as if this trilogy is truly epic, as it is greatly affecting and changing one of the more popular regions of Forgotten Realms, the Red Mage realm of Thay. For better or worse, the Realms are evolving. And after reading 100s of novels over 20+ years, I can say I am slightly depressed to see many things I have known for so long changing, but at the same time I have to admit that shaking things up and evolving isn't necessarily such a horrible thing.

This book also contained many "Wow" moments, I can count three or four where I literally dropped the book! Without giving away any spoilers whatsoever, one was a major event that is shaking the very core of the Realms, and it was introduced in such a sudden yet subtle way I literally didn't see it coming. *nor did the characters in the realms, which I think was part of the point, which made the way the author introduced it even more genius* Another was the interaction between a certain undead archmage and a villainous god, where not only the action but the dialogue was superb.

One of the criticisms about this book from a prominent reviewer was that the book "jumped" from one scene to another in rapid succession. However, I had every intention of raising the review because of it, certainly not lowering it! What is affecting Thay in this trilogy is an epic event, and one thing I dislike in novels is an epic event focusing on only a small handful of individuals or happening at a slow pace. I want to see some of the greater picture! Spice it up a little! The way the author introduced us to a variety of scenes from different locales was excellent, and was part of what kept me reading.

Just to throw in another point that came to mind before I'm finished, another important thing I liked about Undead is that the characters are extremely diverse in both class and personality. Primary characters contain combinations of Mage, Bard, Warrior, and Monk just as a few examples. Going hand in hand, the book also introduced truly new and creative undead instead of the generic staple, and the imagination put into the new undead aspects is quite splendid. If you like character and monster diversity, you will no doubt appreciate this book.

In Summary, Undead is easily in my top 10% of Realms novels. Interesting characters, epic plot, a wide cast, jaw dropping moments, excellent action and dialogue... it is hard to find a better formula. 5/5, no doubt in my mind whatsoever.