Undead: Haunted Lands, Book II (Forgotten Realms)

by Richard Lee Byers

Book Overview

Join heroes fighting the undead hordes Undead armies have massed and march to the beat of an evil necromancer's drum. The living citizens of the magic-rich realm of Thay must unite and mount a defense... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786947837
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 0.9" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Great 2nd act to the trilogy

RLB's 2nd Haunted Lands book was a pleasant surprise to me. The series is definately gaining momentum as it goes along. I wasn't very impressed with the first 75 pages or so. The characters from the first novel didn't leave me with a strong impression, so it took a while to remember who everyone was and what their motivations were. I'm glad I decided to stick with it. The action picks up and never relents. Can't wait to go out and get the 3rd in the series this month!

One of the best Forgotten Realms...

I am not a professional reviewer by any means, but when I came to add my review for Undead I was shocked that it didn't average 4 1/2 or 5 stars. I am wondering if perhaps I read a different copy of Undead by Richard Lee Byers than a few others here? Because for me, it is 5/5 without question! I found this book to be absolutely spectacular for a variety of reasons. One is that I feel as if this trilogy is truly epic, as it is greatly affecting and changing one of the more popular regions of Forgotten Realms, the Red Mage realm of Thay. For better or worse, the Realms are evolving. And after reading 100s of novels over 20+ years, I can say I am slightly depressed to see many things I have known for so long changing, but at the same time I have to admit that shaking things up and evolving isn't necessarily such a horrible thing. This book also contained many "Wow" moments, I can count three or four where I literally dropped the book! Without giving away any spoilers whatsoever, one was a major event that is shaking the very core of the Realms, and it was introduced in such a sudden yet subtle way I literally didn't see it coming. *nor did the characters in the realms, which I think was part of the point, which made the way the author introduced it even more genius* Another was the interaction between a certain undead archmage and a villainous god, where not only the action but the dialogue was superb. One of the criticisms about this book from a prominent reviewer was that the book "jumped" from one scene to another in rapid succession. However, I had every intention of raising the review because of it, certainly not lowering it! What is affecting Thay in this trilogy is an epic event, and one thing I dislike in novels is an epic event focusing on only a small handful of individuals or happening at a slow pace. I want to see some of the greater picture! Spice it up a little! The way the author introduced us to a variety of scenes from different locales was excellent, and was part of what kept me reading. Just to throw in another point that came to mind before I'm finished, another important thing I liked about Undead is that the characters are extremely diverse in both class and personality. Primary characters contain combinations of Mage, Bard, Warrior, and Monk just as a few examples. Going hand in hand, the book also introduced truly new and creative undead instead of the generic staple, and the imagination put into the new undead aspects is quite splendid. If you like character and monster diversity, you will no doubt appreciate this book. In Summary, Undead is easily in my top 10% of Realms novels. Interesting characters, epic plot, a wide cast, jaw dropping moments, excellent action and dialogue... it is hard to find a better formula. 5/5, no doubt in my mind whatsoever.

Second is as good as the first, once it gets rolling.

Richard Lee Byers, Undead (Wizards of the Coast, 2008) (warning: this review contains spoilers for Unclean. If you haven't read that one yet, don't read this review.) Byers continues with his Haunted Lands trilogy, and the second book is a worthy successor to the first. Undead picks up ten years after Unclean left off, with that book's main characters scattered around doing the things they normally do. Szass Tam, however, has spent the last decade quietly researching a few tricks that could, if everything goes right, give him unimaginable power and allow him to win the war for control of Thay at last. All that stands in his way are a number of squabbling ex-heroes, a turncoat vampire, and a dream. Since we already know the characters, Byers dispenses with most of the setup and throws us right into the action. If it's been a while since you read Unclean, this may prove a minor drawback, as there is such a thing as too little reminder of what came before. You'll be back up to speed quickly enough, however, and Byers never lets the pace flag here. Like a number of other reviewers, I think this one is a bit better than Unclean, in part because of the hike in average pace, but also because we get to know some of these characters a lot better than we did in the previous book. Byers manages to fit in small bits of character development that really do add up to something, and in genre writing, that can be pretty impressive. I like this series a great deal, and can't wait for book three. ****

Worthy Sequel

I looked forward to this next book in the series and it didn't disappoint. It had everything you expect in a good Forgotten Realms novel. Sure the battles against Szass Tamm are a little lopsided and seem hopeless but it'll make the third book worth the wait.

Even Better than "Unclean"

I have been a hopeless fangirl of Szass Tam ever since I read Jean Rabe"s "Red Magic" 12 years ago in high school, and I was thrilled to discover a new Tam-centric triogy, written by the talented Richard Lee Byers, coming out in the Forgotten Realms universe. Volume I, "Unclean," was satisfying and entertaining despite the cliche romantic subplot, and the latest installment in the trilogy is even better. Byers also writes Szass Tam much better than Jean Rabe, portraying the character as highly intelligent and charismatic, with genuinely devious schemes. This book takes place ten years after the first, and every character has improved for the better. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but both Tammith and Mirror are MUCH improved in this volume, and Szass Tam gets plenty of lines as his evilly charming self. I have always been intrigued by the evil society of Thay, as well as its would-be regent Szass Tam, and Byers does a great job with his grey-area characters of the battle mage Aoth and the bard Bareris -- "good" guys from an evil world. I think both Aoth and Bareris are improved for the better in "Undead," and I can't wait for volume III in 2009. I had heard that this volume was more action-focused, which made me worry about endless boring fight scenes, but there was nothing of the kind. "Undead" is great blend of action scenes and character development, and I never felt like either element was lacking. As in the first book, there are a lot of vignettes from minor characters that add to the poignancy or interest of a scene, and there are a lot of female warrior characters who are treated with dignity and respect, to my pleasant surprise. 4 and a half stars rounded up to 5.