World Famous Comics: The Queen of Death: The Lost Mark, Book 3 (The Lost Mark)
The Queen of Death: The Lost Mark, Book 3 (The Lost Mark)
By: Matt Forbeck Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Wizards of the Coast Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 352 Publication Date: October 10, 2006 Release Date: October 10, 2006
Product Description: They’ve been hunted across the Mournland, captured in Karrnath, and attacked in a dragon’s mountain lair. One band of adventurers has had enough. Time to take the battle to the enemy. Time to fight back. One young woman will have to decide to give in or embrace her destiny as . . .
Finishes off one of the original Eberron trilogies. Satisfactory ending. Finishing off one of the two original Eberron trilogies, THE QUEEN OF DEATH does a fine job of wrapping up to story of Kandler, Espre, Burch, Sallah, Te'oma, and Xalt. The first half of the book is actually rather plain, with the heroes facing enemies that seem wholey nonthreatening to the hardened group. And, I thought it was a bit of a stretch to get Espre's father into the story so late in the game. In any case, the last part of the book picks up with an excellent climax that takes up about a quarter of the total book and is highly exciting. The way the book ends is very satisfying and, while I didn't see it coming, seemed rather predictable in hindsight. Very pleased with the ending.
The Lost Mark trilogy would be a good place to start reading Eberron books, as it does take you all across the land and introduces you to many of the inhabitants of the world. History, geography, and the unique magic of the world is given a very good overview in the trilogy. Its also a good story.
While I have enjoyed the six Eberron books I've read, I just don't see myself coming back (at least for a while) to Keith Baker's creation. Too many good fantasy books out there to get tied up with the never-ending WoTC library.
Wizards of the Coast Pulp This is more fantasy pulp from Wizards of the Coast. It's an ok trilogy but should have been shortened to two books. There's too much catch and release going on in the first two books (you'll have to read it to know what I am refering to). I really liked the ending, though. Overall, there's better stuff in the pantheon of Wizards of the Coast novels. The characters are very simplistic (except for the one that makes the ending cool). If you like fantasy pulp, read volume 1 and read volume 3 - you really won't miss anything important by skipping volume 2. Overall, an ok trilogy from Wizards of the Coast.
Excellent conclusion to a great trilogy I enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy immensely and Queen of Death was a terrific ending to the series. It brings closure to the central issue of the trilogy but leaves just a bit of a question open. Plus there are several easy story arcs left open at the end of the story for future books. This series served as a really good introduction (and tease) to the Eberron setting. It covered several different cultures, countries, races, and areas of world enough to make me interested but not so much that it detracted from the storyline. I really like Forbeck's writing style, so much so that I finished the entire trilogy in less than a week. He has a knack for creating suspense and memorable characters. I feel like I could read a series focusing on any of the main characters from this trilogy. If you already like the Eberron setting, read this series. If you want an introduction, I highly recommend this trilogy. And if you like other Wizards of the Coast settings, give this one a try.
Solid conclusion to this trilogy Queen of Death by Matt Forbeck is the final book in The Lost Mark Trilogy. The first book in this trilogy is Marked for Death and the second book is titled The Road to Death. This trilogy is set in the new world of Eberron. I would certainly stress reading the first two books in this trilogy before reading this one. Other wise you will become quickly lost with the plots lines and some things that occur. With that said on to my review.
While the second book had an extraordinary mix of character development with a very good plot, this book lacks just a little in the plot department. Part of that reason is there is a great deal of character development that occurs in this book. This character development has a price of lessening the plot just a little bit. That des not mean the plot is a bad one, it just means the plot feels a little rushed in terms of the past book and the good balance it held. This plot covers the same characters as the first two books and their journey to make sure Espre will be ok and just what the Dragonmark is that she wields. Saying more would give spoilers and I would rather not do that. If you enjoyed the plots of the first two books you will enjoy this one as well.
The character development in this book is fantastic. There is such a wide array of characters and each one grows and develops in some way. Mr. Forbeck could have easily ignored the Warforged character, but he chose to develop him at times as well. This wide array of characters and motivations lends itself well to the reader becoming interested in at least one character, if not more. There is certainly a character in this book for everyone. There is the covert character with her own motivations, there is a noble character looking out for the interests of his daughter, and there is also the loyal character that tries everything to help his friend succeed. Of course there are many more, but those are three of the main ones. Each character has its own `voice' in the story and Mr. Forbeck's understanding of the various voices allows the characters to lead the story and the story never feels contrived or forced. It flows very well.
What book would be complete without a good twist at the end. This book certainly has that. I honestly didn't see this twist coming, but once I finished I can see how it was there. A good author can hide those twists and Mr. Forbeck hid this one rather well.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book and a decent end to the trilogy. It was a little too open ended for my liking, but it makes sense for the story. Throughout this trilogy I can see how Mr. Forbeck really grew as a writer, it was a pleasure to read.
If you are an Eberron fan you will most certainly enjoy this book. If you are looking at starting to read in the Eberron world, this is a pretty good trilogy to start as it does give some history without being overwhelming. This trilogy is a solid addition to the Eberron world. Solid conclusion to this trilogy
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
