Adrift. book two of the Messenger Trilogy By Joel Pierson All this conflicting information is enough to set the messenger adrift in his own thoughts.
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Would you like us to take another look at this review? So, to recap, The Messenger is a good book, slow in the beginning, but an obvious part one, which is good. The descriptions of the various places in Icereach and its climate are wonderful, as is the flavor Niles brings it an almost Scandinavian flavor, which is what I've always pictured Icereach to be like. I'm really looking forward to the next one. I like the cover, it is a poignant piece by Brom, returning after many years to Dragonlance art.
The cover design, even though I think it obscures too much of the painting, is tasteful and evocative as well, as is the patterns inside the book. The book does not deliver what the cover promises. I expected it to be a personal, character-driven Odyssey centered on a dark elf's journey, and wondered whether Doug Niles could pull such a thing off, he is more a man of action. As it turned out, the elf, Kerrick, wasn't even the most important character in the book.
The book was mostly about the conflicts between the peoples living around the White Bear Sea, a huge bay located south of Ansalon, on what seems to be the northern part of a continent that is mostly obscured by a glacier, Krynn's Antarctica. The great ogre kingdom of Winterheim, the Arktos, the Highlanders and the thanoi are cultures we get to know well, as the book provides us with the point of view of all of them.
Ogres kill and enslave the eskimoesque peoples living around the White Bear Sea, and after all fighting men in the tribe are killed, the chieftain's daughter Moreen has to lead her people, now consisting of children, the elderly and women, in search of safety, with the legends of Blackenrock, a castle humans abandoned during the Third Dragon War, as her guide. She and the tribe become involved with the Highlanders, a viking-esque people living inland and clearly the cultural ancestors of the Ice Folk in DL6 Dragons of Ice, but there is a conflict of interests.
In addition, the Arktos are targeted by the ogres, who fear a prophecy of their downfall, a prophecy which involves an elf. Like I said, we get the point of view from all of these peoples, including the thanoi to a lesser degree. There are also conflicts within these peoples, the ogres in particular, which are interesting.
Multiple points of view along with the more complicated conflict patterns keep the book from becoming a black and white conflict. However, it is clear that Moreen is the hero in this, and the person we are supposed to cheer for. She is clearly the main character in this book, and the character I found most interesting. The elf, Kerrick, doesn't seem to have much impact on the plot, except helping the Arktos at one crucial point, but I expect him to be more integrated in future books.
The plot doesn't provide any shocking twists and revelations, but neither is it formulaic and totally predictable. After a mediocre first half the plot thickens and the book picks up. But, and a big but, the book had some annoyances. I thought the ogre empire was a bit too sophisticated at first, but I came to accept it as I read the book and got used to it. Many would react negatively to the kender Coraltop Netfisher, but he is more than he seems, not just your average kender side-kick. But Doug Niles is terrible with names.
Not only has he given last names to dwarves in several of his books about dwarves, but some silly names as well Pounce Quickspring for a Theiwar, dark dwarf, thane comes to mind. Here, he manages to give last names to gods. And not just any last names, but silly last names as well.
Kerrick refers to his goddess who is neutral, unsuitable for a Silvanesti elf as Zivilyn Greentree, even though DL5 and Tales of the Lance says the elven name for Zivilyn is the Tree of Life. The Arktos calls their goddess Chislev Wilder. That is a terrible last name, and does not provide any cultural flavor at all. Chislev, and just Chislev, should be enough. However, I loved that there were clerics of the gods Chislev and Sargonnas in this book, and they were portrayed in the way that clerics would be according to their cultures, in this case shamans.
They could have been more shaman-like, though, a shaman of Chislev casting spells with citing rhymes is not particularly shaman-esque, but silly. Shamans should be intriguing, humming and sinister, that side of them could and should have been captured more. Also, shamans, like all clerics in all times, should have holy medallions with the symbol of their god.
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It never says they didn't have, but I thought about it as the two shamans of the Arktos and the Highlanders cooperated on a spell. The book is a worthwhile piece of brain candy, it explores new areas with a good degree of Dragonlancyness, and particularly during the last half I was very entertained, forgetting that today is the day I will crack open Dragons of a Lost Star. The views and opinions expressed in the reviews shown here are those of the reviewer s listed and do not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of the Dragonlance Nexus.
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Books by Joel Pierson (Author of Don't Kill the Messenger)
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