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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780812550467
ISBN: 0812550463
Label: Tor Fantasy
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: February 15, 2000
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
Sales Rank: 115170
Studio: Tor Fantasy
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Kethol--The pretty fellow, a long and lanky redhead with an easy smile and an easygoing attitude that his clever eyes deny. He is quick with a quick...and quicker with a sword.
Durine--The big man, a head taller than most and twice as wide, built like a barrel, with a loyal heart and hands too thick to use anything more delicate than an ax handle.
Pirojil--The ugly one, his face heavy-jawed, with an eye ridge that would mark him as a Neanderthal only to the most gracious. But looks deceive, and his might be the rarest gift of all.
Athos, Porthos, and Aramis they're not.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Boring, repetitive and disinteresting.
Joel Rosenberg really blew it by developing the changes in the alternative fantasy world far too quickly.
The great fun and interest of the original three books was the interplay between characters with contemporary/technology and the alternative world people.
I don't blame Joel Rosenberg for trying to expand on the theme and draw out the original trilogy, but the whole Home Valley concept seems as laughably unrealistic as like Ayn Rand's hidden valley in "Atlas Shrugged." There were too many changes in too short of a time.
Unfortunately, this only leaves a rather snoozy theme of feudal political intrigue peppered with the ageing original characters...Who have been relegated to the equivilent of a rather clownish upper middle-class medieval gated suburb.
As far as the broken trio of Pirojil, Durine and Kethol from the previous book...Enjoy reading about the character Kethol had become a magically disguised lovelorn milksop. Feh.
Erenor, the low level wizard scoundrel with a penchant for magical glamour disguises is almost completely ignored except for the tail end of the story, where his threat seems completely out-of-character.
The worst part was with the character Pirijol, the only possible half saving grace of this entire "next generation" series, completely underdeveloped and underused except when Rosenberg reminds the readers for the 100th time about how ugly he is.
This book is a sad and worthless waste ... Read More
Rating: - I'll confess,
I am a Rosenberg fan. I really like the Guardian of the Flame novels even if they are getting a bit (okay a LOT) repetitive. I am also a fan of series, and I like that this one is starting to branch off from the original characters and explore more of the world through the eyes of what were only secondary players in the beginning novels. All of the Guardian books have been solid enjoyable reads, and I recommend them highly to those who enjoy fantasy.
Right before Christmas, out of new books and searching for something to read I came across the first book in the Guardian series and I reread it. Which led me to reread ALL the Rosenberg books again and I take it back. They really aren't repetitive. I am surprised I thought so. They were a very, very enjoyable read even though it was my second time through the entire series. Maybe the first time I read them too fast, who knows? All I can say is that I was wrong. I recomend them even more.
Rating: - Definitely an enjoyable book.
I actually started the series by reading this book (thank you, Andy, for the gift. Good call) and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Summary: Three soldiers are dragged into a political argument and ordered to investigate a minor dispute in the outreaches of the realm, which leads to more than anyone had bargained for.
Pretty good opening concept, although I never read the backs of the books (it ruins the surprise for me). What interested me more than anything else was the pure grittiness of the world that Joel, whom I'm sure doesn't mind being on a first-name basis from me, captured and dropped into my hands. In a land of magic, legends and dragons, one wouldn't expect there to be hardship in simply travelling or even danger in getting a simple drink.
If life were so simple, there wouldn't be much of a story. So the attention to detail, the dangers of everyday life in a world without constant police presence, was impressive.
The characters are hardened veterans, having fought, bled and watched those they've known fall in battle, or even in a street fight. They're honorable without being fanatical about it, exceptionally practical and utterly dedicated to their lord. Joel captures and keeps the societal differences between our world and theirs, and the consistency of it was well done indeed.
The characters are Pirojil, ugly as can be and never is he portrayed otherwise, Durine, large and dangerous and distant, and Kethol, heroic and not too bright but humble. ... Read More
Rating: - A fun read
This book is a fun read. I started reading the guardians of the Flame series a few years ago and have enjoyed them all.
The book starts off a little slow but has great character developement and by the end you won't want to put it down. In fact you'll be sad that it's over.
This the first time that the leads of the story are neither Othersiders or the son of an Oothersider and it is fun to see things from a different point of view.
Rating: - Half-hearted at best
I keep hoping the Guardians of the Flame series will improve, but after the first two, it was all down hill. The author has a habit of reusing favorite phrases and descriptions. Particularly disgusting is the frequently mentioned "loosing of the bowels with a horrible flatulence" upon someone's death. Although many of the other stories in the series follow an interesting idea (modern-day folks transported into a wizards-and-warriors world), this story fails to have anything interesting to explore. He keeps you in the dark about the 'real' part of the plot until at least page 288, and even then it's over so quickly that I almost missed it. This book doesn't really have anything to recommend it; it has poor writing, poor character development, and a poor plot. I'd take Terry Brooks over this any day.
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