Sea of Swords (Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness)

Book Description

It is good to be home.It is good to hear the wind of Icewind Dale, to feel its invigorating bite, like some reminder that I am alive.

The Dark Elf

When the mark of the great warhammer Aegis-fang is found branded on the back of a vicious outlaw, Drizzt can no longer merely hope that Wulfgar is safe. The dark elf and his companions set out to find the barbarian once and for all. As they discover pieces of the puzzle their friend's life has become, Drizzt grows only more determined to locate him.

The Barbarian

As his friends search for him, Wulfgar sails with Captain Deudermont in search of the stolen Aegis-fang, now in the hands of the vile pirate Sheila Kree. But the pirate isn't willing to sit around waiting to be caught. She has other plans.

Drizzt, Cattie-brie, Regis, Bruenor, and Wulfgar -- the Companions of the Hall -- come together for the first time since The Silent Blade in a reunion filled with discovery and adventure.

The paperback version of a top-selling hardcover featuring the return of Drizzt Do'Urden, R.A. Salvatore's most popular character.

Customer Reviews:

I don't get it.......2007-02-14

I don't understand. The plots in these books aren't very different from each other, the fight scenes go on too long and it's another "group of friends go adventuring book". Nothing original or anything here.

The problem is that I LOVE these books! RAS makes me care about the characters and what happens to them. Watching Drizzt evolve as a character is fascinating. Drizzt is the most evolving character I've ever seen in fiction. It's amazing. His relationship with Cattie-Brie keeps me at the edge of my seat.

I do find myself skipping over some of the more lengthy fight scenes, but other than that I'm hooked.

I don't particularly care about Wulfgar at all, but when the focus is on him I find that I do care. Same with Bruenor and Regis.

I just don't understand...

Sea of Mediocrity.......2006-10-21

The first half of the book is pretty good actually, focusing more on Wulfgar being affected still by the tortures of Errtu. He becomes a liability on Deudermont's Sea Sprite with Robillard and Deudermont arguing over what to do with him. As they pursue pirates looking for Sheila Kree, we actually get some tension as Kree sends a team to kidnap Wulfgar's new woman and adopted child.

Then the tension is ratcheted downwards. Rather than have the supreme tension of Kree holding hostages as well as Aegis Fang, the kidnap attempt fails. Drizz't, Cattie-Brie, Regis and Bruenor go north in search of Kree and perhaps Wulfgar. At this point we have a very bad technical lapse on Salvatore's part. Wizard Robillard is used more than once as the hand of the author to move Wulfgar around. First to prod him to find his friends and Kree, and secondly to actually teleport Wulfgar to his friends, and then scout Kree's hideout for them. Yeeesh, you get the sense the story had to be wrapped up quickly so the convenient wizard was used to move it along.

On the good side, Drizz't and Cattie-Brie finally move towards some sort of relationship with glacial slowness and there are some nice fight scenes, though the last one with the companions vs. The Entire Pirate Crew & Ogre Friends is a little unbelievable. The mysterious elf sub-plot is wrapped up very quickly and easily. The book should probably have been longer to address these problems.

Not as strong as the previous two which dealt with character issues and political intrigue, and a definite step back to predictable dungeon romps. At the end, everyone is back together almost as if the reset button has been hit.

Terrible.......2006-07-10

It really would have been better had this novel not been written at all and we could strike it from the Drizzt series. The plot of the story is completely contrite and childish and you get more of the same old predictable Drizzt as we've had since The Silent Blade.

One of the Worst Books RAS Has Ever Written.......2006-07-09

There was a time when RAS used to be one of the most enthralling writers in the Fantasy genre. Now he's become stale, he rehashes old plots, and all of the main characters are invincible.

The plot in Sea Swords has absolutely no validity to anything in the series.

One can only hope that RAS can revert back to his older style. And let's hope that happens sometime soon.

Loved it........2006-04-29

I could read all these books twice really. The whole series is by far the best adventure series ever! I read his first book 15 years ago the crystal shard. I looked that book up Last year to read it again 3/05 since then I have been addicted I have read every book he has wrote since all this year. the cleric Quintet That was also a must read if just for the dwarfs. Bob if you read this Thank you for all the great work!

Thanks again for the Very best adventure's
Magnanimous

The Parched Sea (Forgotten Realms Novel : the Harpers, Book 1)

Average customer rating:

Good adventure, but minimal tie in to the Forgotten Realms
There was just something missing in this one
"The men ate the camels, the reptilian sellswords ate the men."
Not bad for a rainy afternoon with nothing to do.
Great introduction to Forgotten Realms

The Parched Sea (Forgotten Realms Novel : the Harpers, Book 1)
Troy Denning
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560760672

Customer Reviews:

Good adventure, but minimal tie in to the Forgotten Realms.......2005-04-14

This is the first of "The Harpers" novels. It is out of print, so you may have some difficulty obtaining a copy. The adventure is quite good, and the characters are all-too-believable. If you are a fan of the Forgotten Realms, it is certainly a worthwhile acquisition.

There were several things I liked about the book. It was nice to learn about Ruha, the protagonist. She appears in a supporting role in a number of other FR novels, and I had always suspected that she had an interesting history. It was nice to finally learn some of that history. (Clearly, however, there is more somewhere, because at the novel's end her Harper affiliation is still somewhat negligible.)

I also enjoyed the portrayal of the Bedine and the desert nomad life. It reminded me quite a bit of "Dune" in the way the characters were always obsessed with water, and thinking of the desert almost as another adversary.

The "big three" in the book, Ruha, Lander, and Kadumi, are all well-created. They are all reasonably complex and have some inherent conflict that helps to drive the plot. Ruha and Kadumi in particular develop as characters. I would have enjoyed watching their relationship continue to develop. It would have been quite complicated, I am sure.

My only criticism of this book is that it does not particularly tie into the Forgotten Realms. There are a few passing allusions to the more famous Harpers, but really, there is very little that stamps this book as clearly a "Harpers" novel. In particular, one of the hallmarks of the Harpers seems to be their ability to respond to overwhelming odds with: 1) clever tactics, and 2) an above average "gallows" sense of humor.

While Lander's tactics were quite good (and frankly more believable than some other Harpers books) he never seemed to have the same attitude as most of the Harpers. Certainly there was very little humor in the book.

I do not want to be too critical of the novel's lack of "Harpers" feel, though. Many well-loved series take some time to find themselves. (Ask any Star Trek: The Next Generation fan about the first half-dozen episodes and you will understand what I mean.) Overall, this was a very enjoyable read.

There was just something missing in this one.......2005-01-05

While this book was enjoyable for the most part, I really felt as if it was missing something throughout the story.. Its hard to say exactly what that something is, but I just wasn't fulfilled after this Harpers novel. More detail should have been provided in some instances and the background characters were too predictable (the sheiks and the Zhents). There's something else though that left me with a bored feeling throughout much of the novel. Maybe it was just a little too predictable or maybe I was just looking for something with a little more serious/mature feeling, but I just couldn't ever really get into Ruha and Lander's plight.

I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I was surprised to see this novel getting an overall 4.5 star rating on Amazon.

"The men ate the camels, the reptilian sellswords ate the men.".......2004-06-05

Definitely a great fantasy epic and one of my personal favorites, THE PARCHED SEA sheds light on the ever-expanding magical desert of Anauroch set in the amazing world of the Forgotten Realms!
The book is the first in a series of 16 novels focusing on the legendary Harpers, the primary secret organization fighting the spread of evil in Faerun.
A Bedine witch outcast joins a Harper agent out of Sembia sent into the Desert to thwart the Zhentarim plans of enslaving the indigenous peoples, setting up a direct trade route between East and West, and eventually expanding Zhentish influence all across the continent. In the process, the couple will have to overcome its worse fears if they are to stand a chance at success...
The Parched Sea deals with a neglected part of the Realms, The Desert of Anauroch, with its rich history, its proud and exotic people, and that feeling of excitement and adventure.
The book is so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another plane of existence and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense.
Troy Denning has done a FANTASTIC job of acquiring and presenting, efficiently and successfully, essential knowledge relevant to Faerun, including customs, religion and the history of the peoples of Toril. His solid grasp of factual detail makes him capable of providing the necessary background needed to carry out the difficult task of writing Forgotten Realms novels, which is something often missing from the work of many Fantasy authors. Consequently, from the moment you pick up the book you have trouble putting it down and if that is not a clear sign of a fantastic writer/author, I don't know what is!
Troy Denning is an experienced author, who has truly outdone himself and has presented us with a wonderful piece of literature the likes of which can be compared to JRR Tolkien's work, RA Salvatore's The Dark Elf and Icewind Dale trilogies, and in authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies.
Magic, Monsters, Harpers and Zhents are all about. In conclusion, it's what Fantasy reading SHOULD be. A GREAT book indeed and a "must read" if you love Fantasy and especially if you love the Forgotten Realms! DON'T MISS IT!!!
The Veiled Dragon, Harpers novel #12, also happens to be Troy Denning's sequel to The Parched Sea. I can't wait...

Not bad for a rainy afternoon with nothing to do........2004-03-25

This was an enteratining book, that gives you a good amount of information about the peoples of the anauroch. I think that my only problem with the book is that the heroes would make a big deal about how certain stretches of the desert were impassible, and then travel threw them with really very little difficulty at all. One of the better in the Harper's series though.

Great introduction to Forgotten Realms.......2004-02-16

My love of the Baulders Gate and Neverwinter Nights PC/PS2 games (both set in Forgotten Realms) is what drew me to pick this up. This is the first FR book I had read, and I wasn't dissapointed.

Book Description

From the murky depths of the Shining Sea rises a pre-historic menace who commands a rising tide of invasion to crash over the shores of .

Iakhovas has plotted for long, bitter years to regain the powers that were torn from him by an angry goddess. Now, nothing will stand in his way, and the face of Toril will never be the same again.

Oblivious to the growing danger of the undersea civilizations, the surface world is about to awaken to a new, horrifying threat from the sea.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome..........2004-08-01

This was one of the first fantasy books I had read where such a large portion of the story takes place underwater. This makes it very interesting and suspenseful b/c I am less familiar with underwater, since I live above water, and you wonder, "What is lurking down there?" Well according to Odom, there are all sorts of really cool and dangerous beasts, and in this book they launch a huge assault on Waterdeep, one of the greatest cities of Faerun or whatever its called...The action and fights scenes are almost non-stop, and his descriptions make it really easy to picture these scenes...unfortunately the series goes downhill after this one, but its still a strong series overall...this is one of my favorite Forgotten Realms books...

The only downside is the characters are not even remotely realistic and if they were real people no one would be able to stand them...

In a word, Jherek is perfect...he feels guilty about glancing at a woman, and is just plain boring b/c there's never any doubt as to what he is going to do and you won't really care anyway...but that is more of a problem in the 2nd and 3rd books for me, b/c this one is almost non-stop action so the fact that their is no plot and the characters suck isn't enough to hurt the book...I thought it was kind of interesting though how Jherek happened to be the estranged son of Bloody Falkane, a pirate from Nelanther...still Odom doesn't really capitalize on this good idea...

EDIT:
I actually reviewed parts 2/3 first, but after rereading the series, I really feel the need to bash the character of Pacy's the bard. He seemed pretty cool at first, he was a nice guy, and a great fighter (but when he casted a spell to make himself invisible its kinda like "C'mon...)...but he's suppose to be some master bard, like the best performer in the world...and while we can't hear his music in the book, we can read his lyrics...and they are oh so incredibly stupid...I don't care how great the music sounds, when you read the lyrics to his songs, you will be like, "I can't believe I'm reading this book, I hope no one sees me." I wish Odom would have just assumed we could imagine great music and left the lyrics out. But again, this is more of a problem in book 3 that anything else, but I couldn't really help but review this trilogy as a whole...

decent book.......2004-01-18

I picked up this book because I was in the mood for a sea based adventure and in that respect it delivers. I kind of felt a love/ hate relationship for the two main characters. Jherek, the hero, is a mere boy who of course is destined to be an amazing hero who saves all of faerun (played out plot yawn) was annoyingly innocent. He did have my sympathy for his tendency to have bad luck. The other semi-villan Laaqueel a malenti (birth deformed saughin) was just plain annoying. The only thing she did through the whole book was pray to her god.
It was a decent enough book just because I was in the mood for the particular setting. I even picked up the rest of the series that is were things went downhill.

Get this for an all-niter!.......2002-09-28

Im not a bookworm fan at first. Then I got this book from a friend. It kept me WIDE AWAKE for the entire night. This seafaring adventures are THE best. It is a well deserved 5 star.

At last a book with good fighting scenes.......2002-05-17

This is probebly the first book i read that has good fighting scenes not some boring all to long fighting scenes the worst thing in this book was the relationship between Sabyna and Jherek
to much romance for my taste. But yet this book is one of the best i have ever read.

I live in Icland so im sorry if my english is bad.

Tremendously Exciting!.......2002-01-27

I've read this book along with the other two in the trilogy and I found that it became harder to put it down as you become more deeply entranced in this breath-taking tale. You'll be captured right away and by the time it's over yearning for more. Fortunately, I read these books when they were all published so I didn't have to wait a year for the next book. So, weather you are or aren't a fan of the 'Forgotten Realms' I suggest reading and purchasing all three of the books in this trilogy together so they won't leave you hanging at the end. That's the beauty of discovering a good trilogy when all three of the books are already out. Read these books and you won't be disappointed. This is a fabulous book filled with all the nececsary elements needed to make a tale come alive and let you experience the adventure. I still can't decide which one I enjoyed most.

Sea Devil's Eye (Forgotten Realms: The Threat from the Sea, Book 3)

Average customer rating:

Flawed (Spoilers Ahead)
Save this book......in case you run out of toilet paper
Disappointing
Loved it!
Send me an intrest preserver someone! YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWNNNNNN!

Sea Devil's Eye (Forgotten Realms: The Threat from the Sea, Book 3)
Mel Odom
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0786916389
Release Date: 2000-05-01

Book Description

Iakhovas has caused more destruction than any force since the Time of Troubles, but his true objective has been a mystery . . . until now.

When a young sailor's journey is complete, an aging bard's final song is sung, and a malenti priestess faces her most challenging test, the Threat from the Sea concludes in an explosive climax that will set all of Faerûn reeling.

Customer Reviews:

Flawed (Spoilers Ahead).......2005-10-31

Among the Forgotten Realms novels, this book is the most predictable book I've read. In the first two books, Jherek is visited by a mysterious voice that keeps saying the same thing. The voice's identity is revealed, but anyone who paid attention to the first two books should know who it is. I had it figured out before reading the first page of this novel. The simmering romance between Jherek and Sabyna happens, though the irritating drama queen of a hero drags it out. It drags to the point that, instead of being happy when the kiss comes, you're just glad it's over and done with. Jherek becomes something more than a sailor, though that should be obvious, too.

Iakhovas' true form has been revealed before, and it's no surprise when he turns into what he turns into. The final 'battle' is only a surprise because of how short it is. Iakhovas has summoned sea creatures such as giant eels and dragon turtles to attack Baldur's gate and Waterdeep. He did these things to gather a series of magical items, which you think would increase his power. Yet, in this book, all he manages to summon is singing kelp.

Pacys has stayed the same through the first two books, and his character doesn't change here. He's still constantly playing music, trying to compose his epic . . . like he's done in every scene since his character was introduced back in book one.

The dwarf, paladin, and pirate captain that showed up in the last book all stay the same, though Azla's 'alignment shift' at the end could be seen coming a mile away.

The only truly interesting character, Laaqueel, has doubted Iakhovas and, to a lesser extent, Sekolah, for a while now. Can you guess what happens in the final battle? Yes, you're probably right. When I picked up this book, my only question concerning this character was if she would live or die.

I would only recommend this book to someone who has a good knowledge of the monsters of Dungeons and Dragons. Otherwise, you may get a bit confused when a few different underwater races show up. I had to stop and think for a moment to remember the definitions of koalinth, merrow, ixixachitals, locathah, and at least three others races, not to mention the undead known as 'drowned ones.'

Random Thoughts:
- Does it seem odd that, for a mage, Sabyna fights with daggers more than she casts spells?
- Remember how, at the end of book two, Laaqueel was full of faith in Iakhovas and Jherek had become darker? Neither attitude carries over to book three.
- In book two, Azla and Sabyna seem jealous of each other, yet this never shows up in book three.
- Bloody Falkane never shows up again, nor does Laaqueel even think about the encounter that happened in book two.
- I feel like if I had an oxygen tank and a harpoon, I could kill the 'Great Whale Bard' just as easily as Iakhovas. For a whale that measured over 400 feet long, the thing just sat there, letting Iakhovas rip it to shreds.
- At the beginning of this book, Jherek makes a promise to a diviner, and at the time, this seems like a major plot point. However, this is never revisited.
- Jherek is still annoyingly polite and full of self pity, whining about his 'ill luck' every chance he gets.
- Did the ending of this book remind you of 'Jaws' at all?
- Why did Laaqueel need to have the exact same kind of divine intervention as Jherek? When she hears the deity she hears, it falls flat because we've heard it before.

If you're looking to get into this series, only do so if you have nothing else to read. Every character is one-dimensional and grows tiresome, the ending is amazingly predictable, and the action in book three doesn't compare to the other two books.

Save this book......in case you run out of toilet paper.......2004-07-29

OK I just wrote a review for part 2 and said "I enjoyed this book like the others in the series". Boy was I wrong. I first read this series like 2 years ago or maybe it was more I don't remember...Anyway I just reread the trilogy and part 3 sux. If I hadn't read the others and wanted to know how it ended I would have torn this book up halfway throw in anger...so many cheesy things happen. Like Jherek getting some magical weapon that pops out of his arm and can do pretty much whatever he wants...That girl Sabyna, who isn't hot, has some kind of creature refered to as a "familiar", don't ask me what the #$%& it means but for all intents and purposes it means the book is ruined...It is basically a bunch of cloth that can do whatever it wants and wrap itself around bad guys and make them jump overboard...the only reason I liked the first 2 books was because of the huge battle scenes, and there isn't as much of those in this book...there is a lot of talking, romance, and other stuff that takes up space...I thought Glawin was an interesting character b/c I didn't know that anyone could be that big of a tool...Jherek actually starts to become interesting, much to the dismay of the other characters...

The wierd thing is, throughout the whole book it feels like Odom is really stretching it to fill the minimum page requirements he was apparently given, but then at the end there is no closure whatsoever, it just ends...while I was glad about this at the time, it seems kinda wierd that he wouldn't just take out a few pages of Glawin crying over Jherek becoming cool and instead add a little more at the end...

This book reveals the whole series for what it is...a series with a ridiculously stupid plot and great action scenes to hide this fact...only there are few cool action scenes in the third book...

Oh and I know I am spoiling somethings here...but I don't want you to be dissappointed...in this book Jherek makes a promise to do something for this woman in return for her help, everyone is like "Don't do it, it will come back to bite you in the @%^" so he makes the promise anyway...but Odom never comes back to that...so we never find out what, if anything happened...I don't think Odom himself knew or cared, he just wanted to wrap up this series...the only reason I point that out is he really made it seem like the promise was going to end up being a huge deal later on...

Another disappointment...He also never really does anything with the whole twist of Bloody Falkane being Jherek's father...it was a great idea, and it would have been cool to have them meet up at the end or at least give some kind of closure to this situation, but again, its like the people at Forgotten Realms put a timer next to Mel while he was writing, and we're like you have till this goes off...because he just writes and writes and writes and then suddenly stops...there's no rhyme or reason to it...

Disappointing.......2004-01-18

I had to give this book a bad review because it was a horrible ending to a trilogy that showed promise. Although book 2 should have been edited and made part of this book. Ok let me gripe about this book. It takes forever to reach the the main battle between the hero and the villian but the fight is over in like 5 seconds. Iakhovas worked all kinds of impressive magics, slayed huge creatures, and completed all kinds of other mystical feats to basically be stabbed once or twice and bam it's over. Horrible ending. Also no closure either. After this climatic battle if one would call it theres a whole 2 pages maybe. Plus I have to gripe about Jhereks mystical weapons. They are stupid. Plain and simple.

Loved it!.......2002-05-08

Mel Odom has definately became my fave Forgotten Realms author. This whole story built and built and got me reading faster and faster. Each character was continually developing and learning where they fit within the story. This trilogy was one of the best stories I have read, the only problem I had was the death of the Great Whale Bard especially as I love stories with animals that can communicate with humans. Now go and read The Jewel of Turmish.

Send me an intrest preserver someone! YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWNNNNNN!.......2001-06-15

Mel Odom sholuld stay away from Novel writing. This book was so boring and the accual main character was the least intresting out of all the other highly boring characters. Two character I accually like Klinatt the Dwarf. My favorite character and the ONLY intresting one who's short fall-flat end left me dissapointed. The Sea Elf Laqueel was the only great character here. Jherek, was so whiny and self-beaten, before I got even half way though book3, I couldn't wait till I was done with him.

On the other hand, here you have Laqueel, who though started off as a villian was the only character that had any true development. I wasn't ever really sure what she was going to do with herself before the end of the story but, I could tell she was changing. I just wish somewhere at the end, Mel would have been smart enough to have her mention to the other characters, now that she had found a new calling, or even to herself. Every character that lives in a book should have complete closure for it's readers.

Mel Odom has failed to keep what I thought was good in Book2 carry over to book3. I found a continuity error in a few places in this book, that he should have kept track of. For example Sabyna asks Glawinn something of how he knew about her brother, when he never even personaly mentioned it to her in the conversasion pages before hand, or ever! Another example.....in the conclusion battle, there was a point where the story had switched from underwater to water surface, with not even letting the reader in on it.

OH and my biggest complaint......I almost forgot. Jherik traveled half-way around the world for the weapon that would help fight Ikhovas in the end. What does he find? What is given to him by the whales? Apperantly the Witchblade from Top Cow Comics because, he is granted possesion of a brazier that can change shape into any weapon he chooses as he wears it on his arms. I honestly, wanted to close the book and never look into it again. It's a witchblade, plain and simple. I'd really like to see Mel Odom deny that. That is what the witchblade does I don't see how anyone could, unless of coarse they havn't been informed that the witchblade does exactly. It changes can shape into any weapon thought up by it's owner.

Book Description

A photographic celebration of the spectacular drama of exotic marine creatures' lives and the otherworldly beauty of the deep-sea ecosystems that shelter them.

Written and photographed by Emmy award-winning couple Michele and Howard Hall, Secrets of the Ocean Realm is more than just a collection of stunning photographs: it is a revelation of the sea creatures' complex and mysterious cycles and patterns of behavior. The reader is presented with striking images of all manner of marine life--sharks, opalescent squid, molting lobsters, dolphins, giant whales--engaged in the vital activities of mating, threat displays, hunting and feeding.

Based on a five-part series of public television specials, the remarkable photographs of Secrets of the Ocean Realm are complemented with fascinating and engaging stories that take the reader behind the scenes and reveal the state-of-the-art equipment and techniques used to capture these exquisite scenes of underwater life.

Customer Reviews:

10 stars for this book.......2004-08-16

This is one of the best books I have ever read about the underwater world. Incredibly beautiful underwater photography of high quality. The photos do not only depict animals swimming around but, for example, sarcastic fringehead males in a showy territorial "fight," close up.

I also like the authors' sensible view about animals and diving in the ocean. No show-off accounts of near-shark-escapes but an honest experience, mostly good but sometimes scary, of working under water. The authors recount some extraordinary events, such as a ride on a manta after freeing him from entangling fishing nets, or unexpectedly finding themselves surrounded by a school of fish that is being slaughtered by marlins.

With this book we get a wonderful view into the ocean world but also a fascinating account of what it is like spending many hours a day waiting, scouting, decompressing, refilling tanks and back to waiting so one can capture a never seen one-minute event on film that made it worth all the work.

A poetic underwater journey!.......2000-08-30

Stare at the beautiful underwater photographs. Sitback, relax and gently discover the Ocean Realm with the still images of Howard Hall and his wife Michele, images that, as Peter Benchley (Jaws, The Deep) writes in the foreword, are among the finest in the world. Dive. Wander through the Kelp forests of the northern Pacific. Get a close-up of sharks and squids in magic detail. Enjoy the vivid colors of the reef and watch lobsters and sea turtles, dolphins and whales in an exciting photographic journey! Since this book is not a reference work, you will also enjoy reading it slowly and in the direction of your choice, diving at pleasure through the light text that describes the Hall's adventures as filmmakers and marine photographers. And then you will also find some information about the sea-life captured in the images and poetic hints about scuba-diving and underwater photography. A nice dive, a pleasant reading and, at the price that Amazon.com is offering it, a real gift. Buy the book!

A Must Read for Fin Fans!.......1999-12-04

For those of us who read everything we can on underwater photography, this book provides an added dimension and delightful reprieve from the technical how-to's of most underwater photography books. This book is a series of fascinating stories about the adventures and mis-adventures Howard and Michelle and their staff encountered when shooting different subjects. A fascinating and stimulating book, it provides anecdotal insight into how they approach certain projects without dwelling on the technical "how to's" found in most underwater photography books. Everyone studying underwater photography or just enjoying the sport of diving should surface long enough to give themselves this present. It sure made me want to grab my fins and camera and head off to points all around the world. Thanks to Howard and Michelle for putting together such a compelling read. And of course, it has beautiful photographs.

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Realms of the Sea
National Geographic Society (U. S.)
Manufacturer: Natl Geographic Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0870448552

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The Watery Realm
Peter Gow
Manufacturer: Wooden Boat Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound

Book Description

The Watery Realm is a joyful contemplation of the ways in which waterâ€”lakes, rivers, and seasâ€”inspires the human spirit and ignites curiosity and the desire to learn in those who venture onto it, into it, or near it. Through an exploration of geography, language, natural phenomena, and multiple aspects of the human experience of water, readers are carried deep into their own primal connection with water and the watery realm. Rather than being the last word on this rather nebulous subject, this beautiful leatherbound package is intended to initiate a pleasurable response in the reader. The book is written to inspire reminiscence, reflection, speculation, idyll, and fantasy. Boat fanatics, beach bums, sailors, naturalists, linguists, surfers, and readers of maritime lore and literature will all find something to catch their fancy and remind them of the infinite joys and possibilities of the watery realmâ€”the world of sea and shore, tall ship and kayak, lake and stream, shell and seaweed.

Wondrous Realms of the Aegean (Lost Civilizations)

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Wondrous Realms of the Aegean (Lost Civilizations)
Time-Life Books
Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0809498758

Under Fallen Stars (Forgotten Realms: The Threat from the Sea, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Fun, for the most part
Too drawn out
Destiny takes hold...
Looking into a distant sea
Enjoyable, but loses some of the momentum of the first novel

Under Fallen Stars (Forgotten Realms: The Threat from the Sea, Book 2)
Mel Odom
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0786913789
Release Date: 1999-01-01

Book Description

The sea war rages up and down the Sword Coast, leaving the busy harbor of Baldur's Gate in flames. Following his mad quest, the evil Iakhovas has found a gateway into the protected waters of the Sea of Fallen Stars, and now no coast is safe from his marauding armies of the deep.

Customer Reviews:

Fun, for the most part.......2004-07-22

Overall I really liked this book, as with the others in this series. The battle/action scenes are great, and the whole time I was wondering, "What will happen next?" It was very hard to put down...
My only complaint about this book would be that the characters were just plain stupid a lot of the time. I had just finished reading some of RA Salvatore's crap, and I will say that the characters are nowhere near as annoying as his, but they are still annoying sometimes. Pacys the bard seems like a nice guy, but all he does is lament that the song he wants to write will never really come to him, and yet he is given lines to said song like every other minute. Jherek is clearly the chosen one or whatever, and yet he still denies it, even when any conclusion other than he is the chosen one would be incredibly insane. I guess he is too busy feeling sorry for himself to realize he is actually really tough. OK the character I liked least in these books was Sabyna...you can tell from reading the books that she's not hot at all, but thinks she is...again she is actually a really cool character when compared to RA's "Cattie-Brie" but she was still a pain in the neck sometimes. Oh wait, maybe Sabyna isn't the most annoying character, there is this sahaugin named Laqueel that is a religious fanatic, OK fine, people, and sahaugin should be able to believe what they want, and I have no problem with that, but if you do decide to be a religious fanatic, there shouldn't be books written about you. I don't want to read about someone if I always know what they will do in any given scenario. Oh and along the same lines as Pacys complaining he can't think up a song when he is writing one throughout the book, Odom says time and again that the Sahaugin hate magic, and yet all they do is use magic...What's going on here Mel? OK so that's all the bad stuff...the characters are really stupid and uninteresting, but much cooler and more interesting than any of Salvatore's good guys.
Here let me just say that I can't emphasize enough how cool Odom's battle/action scenes are...that alone has me reading this trilogy for a second time.

Too drawn out.......2004-01-18

Ok I picked up the first one had thought it was a pretty good book it definetly had my intrests peaked so when I settled in my favorite chair to start up reading the sequel I was expecting a decent read. I was definetly disappointed. This book is horribly drawn out. This book should have been condensed to a couple chapters and edited in the 3rd book to save people time from reading it.

Destiny takes hold..........2000-07-12

The story of Jherek and the Sahauguin invaders continues in this well written book. Odom continues to develop his characters well, even adding a couple of new additions to the journey. A young paladin joins Jherek on his journey after the item given to him by the priest of Lethander. And they end up at the Sea of Fallen Stars right where the old bard weaving his tale just happens to have traveled to.

The series is shaping up to be a fantastic one all in all, but this book was missing something compared to the first book. It seemed drawn out at times just filling space, like the author ran into the problem of one group being here and the other there and no way to bring them together, but he manages to pull it off rather well and it doesn't destract from the book at all.

Despite what some reviewers say this does not surpass the books of Salvatore. Does it come close? I will have to concede that it does. This is shaping up to be one of the best adventures in the Realms in recent history. Enjoy!

Looking into a distant sea.......2000-01-27

As I read this second book it what is shaping up to be a fantastic series, I can not help that notice that this book is not as strong as the first. The Character development contined at a some what slower rate, and I see signs that the story is begining to be drawn out (Though not to the extreem that Robert Jorden is still doing), and can only hope that the next book remains the same quality.

I find that there are a lot of similarities in the general story line to a series of "ready to play" adventures developed by TSR for the DD gaming universe. So I recomend for those players that liked this series to look in finding the "Trouble in Saltmarsh" adventures and trying them out.

Over all I did like this book and I highly recomend that the fans of the first should also get the second.

Enjoyable, but loses some of the momentum of the first novel.......2000-01-15

Overall Mel Odom continues to do a good job with this saga that touches on an area that no Realms novel has ever dealt with before. He deserves much credit for being the first author to work in this virgin territory, creating detailed pictures of the cultures and creatures that make their lives under the waves. In this second installment of the trilogy he continues to add color and depth to his characters as well as introduce a few new ones. My only regrets which keep this a 4 star review, are the few moments when I had to suspend my disbelief. For example, Jherek with the help of his new found friend the paladin launch a clumsy, hopeless attack on the HQ of a pirate, and are only saved by the good samaritan actions of another pirate. Not too believable. Jherek's sense of honor also gets a bit annoying, mainly during combat. In the naval attack on Baldurs Gate he passes up oppurtunities to strike his sauhagin foes in the back, and he shudders at the tactics his fellows use in combat because they seem "unfair" to him. In all probability Jherek should have gotten himself killed fighting the way he does. However, towards the end of book Jherek's sense of himself receives a serious blow, and he needs the help of a friend to get himself centered again. So in a sense his character retains some realism and becomes believeable. The book's pace doesn't quite match the first, but I still enjoyed reading it and look forward to the final novel.

6 Titles Forgotten Realms Series The Harpers (1-6) : The Parched Sea Elfshadow Red Magic The Night Parade The Ring of Winter Crypt of the Shadowking (Forgotten Realms)

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6 Titles Forgotten Realms Series The Harpers (1-6) : The Parched Sea Elfshadow Red Magic The Night Parade The Ring of Winter Crypt of the Shadowking (Forgotten Realms)
Troy Denning , Elaine Cunningham , Jean Rabe , Scott Ciencin , James Lowder , and Mark Anthony
Manufacturer: TSR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: B000M7Y8OU

Product Description

6 Titles Forgotten Realms Series The Harpers (1-6) : The Parched Sea Elfshadow Red Magic The Night Parade The Ring of Winter Crypt of the Shadowking. six mmpb books.

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