A review by manwithanagenda
The City of Towers by Keith Baker
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
'The City of Towers' takes place in a land that has just concluded a devastating hundred years war. The main characters are all refugees of a country that was swallowed up in an as-yet-unknown dark magic fallout. Sharn, the titular city, is the metropolis of the only kingdom among the combatants to offer sanctuary to the few survivors. Captain Daine, his friend Jode the halfling healer, the warforged (think sentient robot) Pierce are escorting their comrade Lei back to the city to reunite with her fiancee. There are dark forces at work however, and soon the four companions are in the center of a deep intrigue, shut-out from their expected welcome, with monsters stalking them in the streets.
I've been seeking a palate-cleanser, but I never imagined that I would dive back into a dungeons and dragons inspired novel. Quite a lot of time was spent in middle school in Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms novels with little to show for it. Wandering through one of my favorite used book stores, I saw this sitting on a rack. Seeing as how Keith Baker was the creator of the Eberron setting, I figured I could break the ice on reading something not so manuel-y and get a quick dose of fantasy, too.
This being the flagship novel of Baker's baby, there's a lot of exposition with a thick appendix on top that covers the world of Eberron, its religion, calender and government as well as a glossary of terms, characters and places. But it still comes off a lot better than other media tie-ins I've read in the past. There was little eye-rolling, halfling tropes aside, and the characters and story were compelling. I'm glad to have the sequel on-hand. I don't know how normies would take it, but it worked for me, and got me excited about setting a campaign in Eberron in the future.
The Dreaming Dark
Next: 'The Shattered Land'
I've been seeking a palate-cleanser, but I never imagined that I would dive back into a dungeons and dragons inspired novel. Quite a lot of time was spent in middle school in Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms novels with little to show for it. Wandering through one of my favorite used book stores, I saw this sitting on a rack. Seeing as how Keith Baker was the creator of the Eberron setting, I figured I could break the ice on reading something not so manuel-y and get a quick dose of fantasy, too.
This being the flagship novel of Baker's baby, there's a lot of exposition with a thick appendix on top that covers the world of Eberron, its religion, calender and government as well as a glossary of terms, characters and places. But it still comes off a lot better than other media tie-ins I've read in the past. There was little eye-rolling, halfling tropes aside, and the characters and story were compelling. I'm glad to have the sequel on-hand. I don't know how normies would take it, but it worked for me, and got me excited about setting a campaign in Eberron in the future.
The Dreaming Dark
Next: 'The Shattered Land'