[Book/Fiction]: Children of the Dragon (Bk. 3 of the Trilogy of the Second Age), reviewed by Stephen Joseph Ellis (1/1)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/9/9309.phtml

Stephen Joseph Ellis's Summary:

A book so forgettable that I had to re-read it in order to review it.

Go to the full review for more information.

Post originally by Frank Frey at 2003-05-07 11:25:20
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Greetings,

First of all, this was a very good review. It was concise and to the point. It's a shame too as I am still relatively new to Exalted. From all of the material that I've read so far, this should be a rich tapestry of people and places to savor and enjoy. The story telling should be epic with the sense of grandeur that you get from listening to a piece of classical music.
Anyway, thanks for warning me about this book. Maybe someone will write something more decent and fitting.

Uncle Franko

Post originally by John Peralta at 2003-05-07 12:38:47
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I've read other books by this author and I know he can do better.

If you hadn't told me that The Prince of Shadows was a Deathlord, I would of never guessed it. If it was stated in the books I must have missed it. I felt that way about many of the characters. For example, I didn't know Kejak was as siderial until the second book. Same thing with Holok. You say T'fillit is a sidereal as well? Wow! That's news to me.

This series had so much potential and it's really sad to see it wasted like this. The 2 page chapters were a clear sign that this was not your typical piece of gaming fiction. I've read worse but not many.

Post originally by Stephen Ellis at 2003-05-07 14:15:55
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If you are new to Exalted, then the general recommendation is that the phat-splats (Dragon Blooded and Abyssal especially) are the way to go. They have far better game fiction in them than that of the novel trilogy.

Indeed I think an anthology of Exalted short stories would be a good move, since then you can have some bite size epic adventure without stretching characters and plots to the breaking point.

But I am diverted from which Exalted books give the most bang for your buck. The more immediately useful softback supplements are probably Scavenger Sons since that gives you a detailed setting to run adventures in and the Book of 3 Circles since sorcery appeals both to your players, and can be used to boost yer NPC's to challenging status.


Regards,

Steve

Post originally by Garen at 2003-05-08 01:58:20
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I agree.

I felt through the entire series that people who should have been like gods (ie the Deathlord, the Sidereals, Malhavosh etc) came off as small and boring. Maybe I'm a bit naive but surely people/entities who have been around for 2000+ years and can control the fundamental forces of the universe should have a bit more going for them?

The way Holok got taken out was weak. If Sidereal magic couldn't see that coming they should ask for a refund.

In the end everything was so petty I couldn't bring myself to care.

Garen

Post originally by Stephenls at 2003-05-08 10:01:15
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John Peralta wrote:

> If you hadn't told me that The Prince of
> Shadows was a Deathlord, I would of never
> guessed it. If it was stated in the books I
> must have missed it.

That's 'cause he's not a Deathlord. He is, in fact, the iconic Abyssal Exalted from the corebook. The fiction in the Exalted corebook that opens Chapter 8 is about him, as is the fiction opening to Exalted: The Abyssals.

> For example, I didn't know Kejak was as
> siderial until the second book.

Chejop Kejak is The Iconic Sidereal, actually. He gets the opening fiction for Chapter 9 in the corebook.

This isn't me defending Children of the Dragon, BTW. It really is forgettable.
--
Stephenls
Geek

Post originally by Dean McNabb at 2003-06-11 14:15:57
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Although I agree with the description of the book, I still liked it and still would recommend it for those who like the game.

Given that its the first book(s) in the world of Exalted I feel that it was written more to cover the world than to tell a story with a central character.

But I still liked it. I've read the trilogy about 3 times. And I still like it.

I have high hopes for the next trilogy.