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ppetropoulakis's review against another edition
5.0
Godborn is the second book in the sundering anthology. It furthers the cycle of night plotline that takes place in the forgotten realms. Although the main character of the series is Erevis Cale, the book focuses on his son Vasen and his adventures. Dark and shocking at points I very much enjoyed Paul S Kemp's style. Like his previous forgotten realms novels his characters and plot are substantial. Great read only for those who have read the cycle of night so far.
frazzld's review against another edition
4.0
I'm liking this series so far with each book being a separate story. Looking forward to see how they are all linked together.
wakela's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any form of compensation.
This book is the second in the series. I enjoyed it alot. However, I just felt that R.A. Salvatore's treatment in the first book was so much better.
That being said, I did like this story a lot though. However, there were times that I felt a little lost not having all the back story about some of these characters. It seems that during the time I had stopped reading the Forgotten Realms novels, Paul S. Kemp had written some that created characters and situations that were referred to in this book.
Even though I did feel a little lost occasionally, the over all story line was still able to be followed and understood. It wasn't a complete epic romp through one of my favorite worlds, but it still ranked right up there.
This book is the second in the series. I enjoyed it alot. However, I just felt that R.A. Salvatore's treatment in the first book was so much better.
That being said, I did like this story a lot though. However, there were times that I felt a little lost not having all the back story about some of these characters. It seems that during the time I had stopped reading the Forgotten Realms novels, Paul S. Kemp had written some that created characters and situations that were referred to in this book.
Even though I did feel a little lost occasionally, the over all story line was still able to be followed and understood. It wasn't a complete epic romp through one of my favorite worlds, but it still ranked right up there.
palwilhelmsen's review against another edition
This book is a tough sell, and has if I understand it correctly had a long time coming. Godborn is the conclusion of Twilight War storyline, and possibly the Erevis Cale series which I have not read.
Forgotten Realms books used to light-hearted fun books for teenagers when I was a kid. Not this book. It is well written, but is humorless and has somewhat bland characters. The story picks up at the end, but there are no real twists or anything that made me care how this turned out (other than fondness of the Realms itself). The only thing that made me care was the Source's fear of dying alone, at best a subplot in this story.
Kemp is stuck with the ham-fisted Spellplague metaplot tacked the setting on by the publisher, and struggles with the equally ham-fisted reversal of said plot. I recall liking the Twilight War books - this book should have been so much better.
Forgotten Realms books used to light-hearted fun books for teenagers when I was a kid. Not this book. It is well written, but is humorless and has somewhat bland characters. The story picks up at the end, but there are no real twists or anything that made me care how this turned out (other than fondness of the Realms itself). The only thing that made me care was the Source's fear of dying alone, at best a subplot in this story.
Kemp is stuck with the ham-fisted Spellplague metaplot tacked the setting on by the publisher, and struggles with the equally ham-fisted reversal of said plot. I recall liking the Twilight War books - this book should have been so much better.
resareads's review against another edition
2.0
The Godborn by Paul S. Kemp
Published by Wizards of the Coast LLC
Anticipated Publication Date: October 1
In this installment of the new 52 of the DnD world Paul S. Kemp brings a variety of characters into the world of the Spellplague and the Chosen. Don’t be fooled, even though it’s a part of the same series this book has nothing to with The Companions other than a few tenuous references to the same worldly challenges. Still Kemp delivers a world that is just as vibrant as the one in The Companions and a story that, for the most part, keeps a fast pace and holds your interest.
Unlike The Companions I had no prior knowledge of the characters in Kemp’s The Godborn and I’m not sure if it’s simply because of this difference or a difference in writerly craft, but Kemp’s characters just didn’t stay with me the way Drizzt and Cattiebrie do. I enjoyed the story of the half-shadowvar Vason Cale…but I didn’t particularly care about him…which made it a lot harder to get invested in an already dense plot.
The gods of Kemps novel (or devils depending on your theological background) are based both in mythology and the DnD universe, the most memorable of them being Mephistopheles, the demon of Christianity, Faust, and, apparently, table top gaming combined. The war of the gods didn’t make as much sense in The Godborn as in The Companions but the actual motivation for the war (stopping the end of the world from a nihilistic goddess who eats universes) made a lot more sense to me than the previous book. So I guess in terms of realisticness The Godborn wins.
Another aspect of Kemp’s novel I really enjoyed was the pure fantastical value of the plot and setting. This is a much darker world than normally portrayed in fantasy but it feels real. Kemp has thought of all the details to make this dark, disturbing world at war. Even the relationship of Garek and Elle rings true, and I wish more time had been devoted to them and their village.
By the end this installment in the series left me feeling ambivalent. The beginning of the story is drawn out and the ending is rushed, leaving questions unanswered or answered in a rushed, unsatisfactory way. The story was good, the setting excellent, but it didn’t bring back any of those warm, fuzzy, adventurer feelings I have when I think about fantasy.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.
Published by Wizards of the Coast LLC
Anticipated Publication Date: October 1
In this installment of the new 52 of the DnD world Paul S. Kemp brings a variety of characters into the world of the Spellplague and the Chosen. Don’t be fooled, even though it’s a part of the same series this book has nothing to with The Companions other than a few tenuous references to the same worldly challenges. Still Kemp delivers a world that is just as vibrant as the one in The Companions and a story that, for the most part, keeps a fast pace and holds your interest.
Unlike The Companions I had no prior knowledge of the characters in Kemp’s The Godborn and I’m not sure if it’s simply because of this difference or a difference in writerly craft, but Kemp’s characters just didn’t stay with me the way Drizzt and Cattiebrie do. I enjoyed the story of the half-shadowvar Vason Cale…but I didn’t particularly care about him…which made it a lot harder to get invested in an already dense plot.
The gods of Kemps novel (or devils depending on your theological background) are based both in mythology and the DnD universe, the most memorable of them being Mephistopheles, the demon of Christianity, Faust, and, apparently, table top gaming combined. The war of the gods didn’t make as much sense in The Godborn as in The Companions but the actual motivation for the war (stopping the end of the world from a nihilistic goddess who eats universes) made a lot more sense to me than the previous book. So I guess in terms of realisticness The Godborn wins.
Another aspect of Kemp’s novel I really enjoyed was the pure fantastical value of the plot and setting. This is a much darker world than normally portrayed in fantasy but it feels real. Kemp has thought of all the details to make this dark, disturbing world at war. Even the relationship of Garek and Elle rings true, and I wish more time had been devoted to them and their village.
By the end this installment in the series left me feeling ambivalent. The beginning of the story is drawn out and the ending is rushed, leaving questions unanswered or answered in a rushed, unsatisfactory way. The story was good, the setting excellent, but it didn’t bring back any of those warm, fuzzy, adventurer feelings I have when I think about fantasy.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.
tmlees's review against another edition
5.0
This book will be reviewed on my blog: wearywriter.wordpress.com, and then reviewed on Good Reads when the book comes out. Thank you for your understanding.
stargrace's review against another edition
3.0
You can read this review and others over at The Nomadic Reader.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley, my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity.
When I first saw The Godborn on NetGalley I was very interested in reviewing it because it’s the second book in The Sundering series, started by R.A. Salvatore. Like many, I had assumed that the books would have some sort of link between them, but I was wrong. They do both take place in the Forgotten Realms world, but that is where the similarities end. This is both good and bad, it means you can read them as individual stand alone novels, but if you're looking for some continuation of a story you'll be out of luck.
You follow the life of Vasen, who was born in an abbey having never known his father. He meets up with some heroes, and together they set forth to prevent the destruction of the world. Pretty straight forward story. The writing style is incredibly dark which makes sense since the end of the world is a pretty bleak time, but it was so dark and morbid and at times just disgusting that I found myself really wishing for some sort of reprieve. For fans of that sort of writing style I have no doubt that the book will resonate very well, but personally it was a bit too much.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley, my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity.
When I first saw The Godborn on NetGalley I was very interested in reviewing it because it’s the second book in The Sundering series, started by R.A. Salvatore. Like many, I had assumed that the books would have some sort of link between them, but I was wrong. They do both take place in the Forgotten Realms world, but that is where the similarities end. This is both good and bad, it means you can read them as individual stand alone novels, but if you're looking for some continuation of a story you'll be out of luck.
You follow the life of Vasen, who was born in an abbey having never known his father. He meets up with some heroes, and together they set forth to prevent the destruction of the world. Pretty straight forward story. The writing style is incredibly dark which makes sense since the end of the world is a pretty bleak time, but it was so dark and morbid and at times just disgusting that I found myself really wishing for some sort of reprieve. For fans of that sort of writing style I have no doubt that the book will resonate very well, but personally it was a bit too much.
the_resa_p's review against another edition
2.0
The Godborn by Paul S. Kemp
Published by Wizards of the Coast LLC
Anticipated Publication Date: October 1
In this installment of the new 52 of the DnD world Paul S. Kemp brings a variety of characters into the world of the Spellplague and the Chosen. Don’t be fooled, even though it’s a part of the same series this book has nothing to with The Companions other than a few tenuous references to the same worldly challenges. Still Kemp delivers a world that is just as vibrant as the one in The Companions and a story that, for the most part, keeps a fast pace and holds your interest.
Unlike The Companions I had no prior knowledge of the characters in Kemp’s The Godborn and I’m not sure if it’s simply because of this difference or a difference in writerly craft, but Kemp’s characters just didn’t stay with me the way Drizzt and Cattiebrie do. I enjoyed the story of the half-shadowvar Vason Cale…but I didn’t particularly care about him…which made it a lot harder to get invested in an already dense plot.
The gods of Kemps novel (or devils depending on your theological background) are based both in mythology and the DnD universe, the most memorable of them being Mephistopheles, the demon of Christianity, Faust, and, apparently, table top gaming combined. The war of the gods didn’t make as much sense in The Godborn as in The Companions but the actual motivation for the war (stopping the end of the world from a nihilistic goddess who eats universes) made a lot more sense to me than the previous book. So I guess in terms of realisticness The Godborn wins.
Another aspect of Kemp’s novel I really enjoyed was the pure fantastical value of the plot and setting. This is a much darker world than normally portrayed in fantasy but it feels real. Kemp has thought of all the details to make this dark, disturbing world at war. Even the relationship of Garek and Elle rings true, and I wish more time had been devoted to them and their village.
By the end this installment in the series left me feeling ambivalent. The beginning of the story is drawn out and the ending is rushed, leaving questions unanswered or answered in a rushed, unsatisfactory way. The story was good, the setting excellent, but it didn’t bring back any of those warm, fuzzy, adventurer feelings I have when I think about fantasy.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.
Published by Wizards of the Coast LLC
Anticipated Publication Date: October 1
In this installment of the new 52 of the DnD world Paul S. Kemp brings a variety of characters into the world of the Spellplague and the Chosen. Don’t be fooled, even though it’s a part of the same series this book has nothing to with The Companions other than a few tenuous references to the same worldly challenges. Still Kemp delivers a world that is just as vibrant as the one in The Companions and a story that, for the most part, keeps a fast pace and holds your interest.
Unlike The Companions I had no prior knowledge of the characters in Kemp’s The Godborn and I’m not sure if it’s simply because of this difference or a difference in writerly craft, but Kemp’s characters just didn’t stay with me the way Drizzt and Cattiebrie do. I enjoyed the story of the half-shadowvar Vason Cale…but I didn’t particularly care about him…which made it a lot harder to get invested in an already dense plot.
The gods of Kemps novel (or devils depending on your theological background) are based both in mythology and the DnD universe, the most memorable of them being Mephistopheles, the demon of Christianity, Faust, and, apparently, table top gaming combined. The war of the gods didn’t make as much sense in The Godborn as in The Companions but the actual motivation for the war (stopping the end of the world from a nihilistic goddess who eats universes) made a lot more sense to me than the previous book. So I guess in terms of realisticness The Godborn wins.
Another aspect of Kemp’s novel I really enjoyed was the pure fantastical value of the plot and setting. This is a much darker world than normally portrayed in fantasy but it feels real. Kemp has thought of all the details to make this dark, disturbing world at war. Even the relationship of Garek and Elle rings true, and I wish more time had been devoted to them and their village.
By the end this installment in the series left me feeling ambivalent. The beginning of the story is drawn out and the ending is rushed, leaving questions unanswered or answered in a rushed, unsatisfactory way. The story was good, the setting excellent, but it didn’t bring back any of those warm, fuzzy, adventurer feelings I have when I think about fantasy.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.
akodoken's review against another edition
4.0
The Godborn by Paul S. Kemp is the second book of The Sundering. The series tells the tale of the Sundering through the eyes of the men, women, gods, and everything in between during the Era of Upheaval in the Forgotten Realms setting. Each novel features a different set of characters, and highlights different aspects of the evolving setting.
On one hand, The Godborn tells the tale of Vasen Cale, a shade paladin of Amaunator and son of Erevis Cale, Orsin, a deva shadowwalker, and Gerak, a human hunter and former soldier. On the other hand, we also see the unfolding of Shar and Mask's plans for the future (or destruction) of Toril. The weaving of these two stories was masterfully accomplished and quite entertaining.
On one hand, The Godborn tells the tale of Vasen Cale, a shade paladin of Amaunator and son of Erevis Cale, Orsin, a deva shadowwalker, and Gerak, a human hunter and former soldier. On the other hand, we also see the unfolding of Shar and Mask's plans for the future (or destruction) of Toril. The weaving of these two stories was masterfully accomplished and quite entertaining.