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The Amazon Store at MillionDollarPetPix.com ( In association with Amazon.com )Ascendancy of the Last (Lady Penitent) - Good read, but tried to do a little too muchFirst off, I think Lisa Smedman is one of the Forgotten Realms best authors and I really enjoyed the House of Serpents series. I also love the War of the Spider Queen and early Salvatore books (though admitedly I'm getting tired of the Drizz't books - how much can a person milk one character??). This book was good, but it had it's shortcomings. The character development was lacking. Part of the reason was that there were so many characters to follow. Quite honestly, I forgot most of them since it had been so long since I read the 2nd book. The story moved relatively quickly but I felt there were definite holes in the plot development which just didn't quite fit together. Like prior books, there are ties between the storyline of the book and a Sava game between Elistraee and Lloth. But to me, especially at the end, the sava game just didn't tie well to what was actually going on. There is little explanation for why things happened, only that it happened. It's a little tough to follow when you've got 5 or 6 story arcs going on at the same time. Now it's not all bad. I like the duplicity and intrigue associated with some of the main characters (won't mention which ones). I also am a sucker for any book that involves the Seven Sisters (Qilue and Laerel), dieties (Ghaunaundar, Elistraee, and Lloth), and powerful demons (Halistrae and Wendonai the Balor). I also really like her portrayal of the various followers of Vhaerun (now obviously the Dark Lady). Further, while the story read more like an action movie, I love that Smedman actually killed off a good number of characters. Don't get me wrong, Salvatore is great but how many fights can Artemis Entreri or Drizz't realistically live through?? So for that, I give her an extra star. Rating:  - Just not good.Sadly, I feel bad for Lisa Smedman. It seems quite clear that she was given a start and a finish for this story by her bosses, and was rushed on how to deliver those two things. Much of the Forgotten Realms history and lore was completely forgotten or ignored in this book which again saddens me. Further, anyone who knows the Forgotten Realms lore and history will see the huge holes in this book and the glaring dramatic incompetance of the characters. Additionally, the plausible believability of many of the occurances that happen in the book make you stop while reading and think "Why did that character do that, that's stupid." Also, two of the characters have powers that would have fully prevented the way they were killed. Ask any Realmslore wise person and they will tell you the same. To sum up: Smedman was put in a horribly rushed, predetermined position by her bosses to get from point A to point B in a very short time. The lore and history of the very universe she was trying to set this story in was ignored, and the characters were both dramatically incompetant and the story as a whole lacked plausible believability due to many of the character ability and reality facts that were completely ignored. Rating:  - Mixed feelingsAscendancy of the Last is the closing book in The Lady Penitent trilogy, featuring big changes in drow pantheon, and around the drow themselves. First book Sacrifice of the Widow (Forgotten Realms: The Lady Penitent, Book 1) came out disappointing, given its good plot and author's writing skills, but book two Storm of the Dead (Forgotten Realms: The Lady Penitent, Book 2) was simply great, with everything clicking together, for me at least. Like previous two books, this one is written in a fluid and reader-friendly manner, with several strong sub-plots nicely interwoven with each other. This novel is all about plot, so you wont see much in terms of character development, as often is the case with closing novels of series. Exception to this is T'lar, an interesting female assassin, and also Halisstra is given some more space for her introspections. World building is solid, and I especially enjoyed the part about Ghanaudan Ritual of Gathering. I also liked the ending, since it brings some significant changes into the Realms, and it is not a "good always prevails" cliché ending you come to expect from FR novels. In my opinion, the book was too battle-heavy, with attack on the Promenade talking almost half of the page count. When you read about characters fighting one kind of an ooze after another , it gets repetitive and boring. And of course, the resurrection mania from first two books is here so you don't really have to worry about any of the characters dying, they will get resurrected anyways. All in all, a mediocre novel, just like the first one. Three stars from me. For the series as a whole, 4 stars only because the sheer beauty of the second novel. If you are a FR fan, read it, you will enjoy it. If not, then you can skip it there are better fantasy books out there. Rating: - Woah- dont read this book if you like your characters to stay ALIVE!This was a very interesting book to say the least. Although it seemed a little less satisfying to me compared to the previous two volumes, it was a conclusion that not only has a lot of things happen, but it leaves room for some serious development of some characters like Q'arland and his band of merry magicians. For those who have read the previous two volumes, be warned- the World of the Drow is about to be changed forever (as "forever" as it can be, until TPTB decided to change the rules of the game again!). As with the Spider Queen Series, expect many people to die, many powerful people. I know this is a give away, so forgive me, but I feel sorry for The Lady Penitent- she lives on and gets more and more crazy. I hope she's not a subconscious manifestation of Lisa Smedman's mind! hehe I'm now awaiting the conclusion of The Twilight War with Everis Cale. :) Rating: - Ascendancy of the Last (Lady Penitent III)Wow! Changes this big to the pantheon of deities are rare! Lisa has done it already in this series by eliminating two members of the Drow pantheon. I really didn't expect what she did here and that is what I like about her writing. She really makes major changes to the world. Dieties rarely die or cease to exist. This could make great plots to the D&D gamers who follow the books. I read every book that comes out about the Underdark, and Lisa continues to do superb work. If you read Salvatore's and Elaine Cunningham's Underdark work, then you will love this too. I was disappointed that there was very little story to the title character, Lady Penitent. It's like she was forgotten. Also there were too many named characters that weren't developed. It wasn't as bad as book II, but I got confused at all the names. Lisa does a great job developing characters history-usually, but not the last two books. The plot is a little confusing w/ so many twists. Her explainations don't feel as logical as they should. But it is still a great work and well worth the read. I won't hesitate to pick any book up by Lisa. I just feel this is her weakest book in the Underdark. Wish it had been more about Lady P.
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