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"A tale told in seven parts set within the walls of the mighty city of Selgaunt, which sits perched on the northern coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars in the realm of Sembia."
-The Halls of Stormweather

"The Halls of Stormweather" is a collection of short stories centering on a single Sembian family published earlier this summer. Ed Greenwood, Clayton Emery, Richard Lee Byers, Dave Gross, Paul Kemp, Lisa Smedman and Voronica Whitney-Robinson write the stories.

"It is winter in the Year of the Unstrung Harp, 1371 by Dalereckoning. Sembia, guided by many hands of her prosperous merchants princes, thrives."

While all seven stories are about the Uskevren family, each author picks a separate member of the household to focus on; the five members of the immediate family and two servants.

Mr. Greenwood writes of Thamalon Uskevren the Elder and family head in "The Burning Chalice." Someone challenges Thamalon's clam to the family title claming to be his long lost elder brother. The story features a novel and clever use of a magic cup. Likewise, it illustrates the difficult life Thamalon has had in rebuilding the family name and fortunes from earlier hardships. More so than any of the other writers, Mr. Greenwood manages to convey the nature of the city Selgaunt – utterly mercenary where all the nobles deeply hate all the other nobles.

"Song of Chaos," the story about the family matriarch Shamur Uskevren, was penned by Mr. Byers. Shamur and her daughter Thazienne must fight their way out of an opera house when things run amok. Shamur, we see, is actually much older than she appears and is an imposter who is pretending to be someone she is not. In the story the mother and daughter are quite close. It also shows that the mayor of Selgaunt is mad as a mongoose on LSD.

Mr. Emery wrote "Night School," about Thamalon the Younger, heir to the family fortunes, title and general idiot. Thamalon must survive - with the aid of his trusty and well-paid sidekicks - attacks from mutant flying dogs and their hillbilly masters so he can redo a financial deal he badly bungled. There are not many fantasy stores that occur – even in part – in a cattle stockyard, an innovative touch on the part of Mr. Emery.

Mrs. Whitney-Robinson writes the story of Thazienne, "The Price," the daughter of Thamalon the Elder and Shamur and the middle child of the family. While she may not hate her mother, there is no love lost between the two, who only talk to each other to say mean things. Thaziene is more like her mother than ether realizes, what with all the running around, thieving and in general being a complete near-do-well. In the story learns her father pays for the closest friends and becomes involved with a gloating, sadistic magic user - some women just can not pick men. This is one of the better stores in the book, because Thazienne is not portrayed in a completely flattering light and because of the human suffering portrayed in the story.

Mr. Gross pinned the tail on Talbot...(ahem)...Mr. Gross penned the tale of Talbot, the youngest son and youngest child of the family in "Thirty Days." Talbot suffers a grievous hunting accident and returns a changing man...(ahem again) and returns a changed man. It is refreshing how quickly Talbot realizes he has been infected with lycanthropy and the logical steps he takes to deal with the situation. Likewise, there is no sentiment or affection between Talbot and his older brother or between Talbot and his father. In addition to all the nobles of the city hating each other, members of the family care if other members live or die only as far as it directly inconveniences themselves. It is a refreshing changing of pace to see "heroes" in the Realms portrayed as so venal.

The story of the butler, Erevis Cale, "Resurrection," is by Mr. Kemp. Cale has been working for the Uskevren for several years. Unbeknownst to his employers, he is really a thief, a killer and works for the city's thieves guild. However, while working for the Uskevrens, Cale has reconsidered his life and wants to continue to be a part of their family, rather than betray them to the guild. During the story, this conviction is tested. Cale responds to this test by creating a large pile of bodies of the people who wish the family ill. Cale is nicely flawed, ruthless and insightful (but perhaps not quite insightful enough). However, he does manage call a spade a spade when he thinks of the city as "a street whore in full makeup."

The last story in the collection, "Skin Deep," by Mrs. Smedman, is the story of the maid Larajin. Larajin is unhappy and unfit as a maid, yet the Uskevren retain her services in any event. As it turns out, she is annointed by the elfin and human goddess of beauty, half-elf and Thamalon the Elders bastard daughter. Such elements on her resume are why the Uskevren keep her around, despite the fact Cale thinks she is incompetent and Shamur apparently has suspicious about Larajin parentage. She also manages to make the most interesting enemy out of all the stories – the aforementioned deranged mayor.

"Here we meet one of Sembia's powerful merchant lords and his family, the Uskevren." -The Halls of Stormweather

Each of the stories largely serves as "setting the stage" or as an introduction to later stores. Point of fact, "Halls of Stormweather" is the first in a new series of "Sembia" books. Hopefully the series will do well, allowing each the authors an opportunity to further the explore the characters and situations introduced in the volume. Books on Cale (by Kemp), Shamur (by Byers) and Talbot (by Gross) are scheduled. Further books will presumably depend on the sales of these books.

As there are going to be future book in the series, there are some things the authors may wish to address in future volumes, because these things detracted from this one.

Mr. Greenwood's story is quite clever, however it does leave some questions unanswered. Namely – was Thamalon's father actually involved in piracy? Either way – yes and he was a rogue, or no and he was set up – creates interesting possibilities.

Mr. Byers story suffers from the weakest internal logic. Shamur, who is publicly supposed to be weak and ineffectual, goes romping around an opera hall where evil magic is running amok. Her daughter witnesses this as does a little old man and the mayor has to be aware that someone interfered with his plains. The mayor and the little old man are both blithely ignored as witnesses to Shamur's shocking degree of competence. Shamur manages to swear Thazienne to secrecy – and then everything goes back to normal. It is illogical to expect everything to work out so nicely with so little effort.

One wonders how Thamalon the Elder and Shamur managed to raise a nincompoop like Thamalon the Younger. Hopefully Mr. Emery will address this in the future. Likewise, one wonders why Escevar considers Thamalon his friend when he is really nothing more than his employer and tormented him as a child. Hopefully Mr. Emery will address this as well.

Mrs. Whitney-Robinson's story had the strongest internal logic – but the least connection to any of the other stories. An elf makes an appearance at a party and no one remarks on this, although it has long been assert Sembia has antipathy for elves and the maid reacts fearful when she sees elves in the streets. No mention is made of her romp with her mother at the opera. She is apparently more than just oblivious to the way Cale feels about her. In future stories the authors would do well to read each other stories and consult with each other more if there stories are going to be so closely wound together.

Mr. Gross's story has few internal lapses. "Black Wolf," presumably, will answer the questions it leaves unanswered and is due out in November 2001. The only real problem is the antagonist seemed underpowered. For a priest of Malar and a werewolf he was defeated too easily.

Mr. Kemps story is a contender for the best in the volume, in part due to the battles and their savagery. However, it leaves some glaring questions unanswered. Namely, why does Cale give a rats *** about the Uskevren? He was a thief and member of the thieves guild – a "letters man" to be exact. As such, he was making a living on his own. How did he come to find opening the front door for guests and bossing the kitchen staff around more personally rewarding than what he used to do? What caused him to develop any sense of personal integrity? It is simply stated he now has a sense of family and integrity – not where these things came from or what caused him to develop these sentiments. Likewise, it is never address why he has such a personal feeling for the Uskevren and why he sees them as anything more than employers. It is not apparent that they see him (with the probable exception of Thazienne) as anything more than a valued employee. Valued perhaps, but still nothing more than an employee and not a family member. Some exploration of the origins of Cale's sentiments is warranted.

Mrs. Smedman's story leaves question unanswered but these may be answered in a future story. Like, who was Larajin mother and what was her relationship with Thamalon? It would be very interesting to see Larajin confront her real father about the situation. However, in this story - as in Mr. Kemp's - the servant seem to display a surprising degree of loyalty to the family. In the first story a servant dies – secretly killed – and no one bats an eye nor lifts a finger. While this is to be expected from a family that barely cares if a fellow family member lives or dies, it would probably effect employee moral. More over, all the servants wear their uniforms at just about all times. Are they indentured servant? Do they have any "time off?" Where is the line drawn? These are questions worth exploring.

Despite its flaws, each of the stories is worth reading. Several are very promising, such as the stories by Gross, Kemp and Whitney-Robinson. If nothing else, it manages to paint an evocative picture of Sembia – one that is not entirely pretty.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Halls of Stormweather
Author: Ed Greenwood & others Category: novel Company/Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Line: n/a Cost: $7.99 Page count: 342 ISBN: 0-7869-1560-9 Capsule Review by R. Sullivan on 09/29/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Conspiracy	"A tale told in seven parts set within the walls of the mighty city of Selgaunt, which sits perched on the northern coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars in the realm of Sembia." -The Halls of Stormweather "The Halls of Stormweather" is a collection of short stories centering on a single Sembian family published earlier this summer. Ed Greenwood, Clayton Emery, Richard Lee Byers, Dave Gross, Paul Kemp, Lisa Smedman and Voronica Whitney-Robinson write the stories. "It is winter in the Year of the Unstrung Harp, 1371 by Dalereckoning. Sembia, guided by many hands of her prosperous merchants princes, thrives." While all seven stories are about the Uskevren family, each author picks a separate member of the household to focus on; the five members of the immediate family and two servants. Mr. Greenwood writes of Thamalon Uskevren the Elder and family head in "The Burning Chalice." Someone challenges Thamalon's clam to the family title claming to be his long lost elder brother. The story features a novel and clever use of a magic cup. Likewise, it illustrates the difficult life Thamalon has had in rebuilding the family name and fortunes from earlier hardships. More so than any of the other writers, Mr. Greenwood manages to convey the nature of the city Selgaunt – utterly mercenary where all the nobles deeply hate all the other nobles. "Song of Chaos," the story about the family matriarch Shamur Uskevren, was penned by Mr. Byers. Shamur and her daughter Thazienne must fight their way out of an opera house when things run amok. Shamur, we see, is actually much older than she appears and is an imposter who is pretending to be someone she is not. In the story the mother and daughter are quite close. It also shows that the mayor of Selgaunt is mad as a mongoose on LSD. Mr. Emery wrote "Night School," about Thamalon the Younger, heir to the family fortunes, title and general idiot. Thamalon must survive - with the aid of his trusty and well-paid sidekicks - attacks from mutant flying dogs and their hillbilly masters so he can redo a financial deal he badly bungled. There are not many fantasy stores that occur – even in part – in a cattle stockyard, an innovative touch on the part of Mr. Emery. Mrs. Whitney-Robinson writes the story of Thazienne, "The Price," the daughter of Thamalon the Elder and Shamur and the middle child of the family. While she may not hate her mother, there is no love lost between the two, who only talk to each other to say mean things. Thaziene is more like her mother than ether realizes, what with all the running around, thieving and in general being a complete near-do-well. In the story learns her father pays for the closest friends and becomes involved with a gloating, sadistic magic user - some women just can not pick men. This is one of the better stores in the book, because Thazienne is not portrayed in a completely flattering light and because of the human suffering portrayed in the story. Mr. Gross pinned the tail on Talbot...(ahem)...Mr. Gross penned the tale of Talbot, the youngest son and youngest child of the family in "Thirty Days." Talbot suffers a grievous hunting accident and returns a changing man...(ahem again) and returns a changed man. It is refreshing how quickly Talbot realizes he has been infected with lycanthropy and the logical steps he takes to deal with the situation. Likewise, there is no sentiment or affection between Talbot and his older brother or between Talbot and his father. In addition to all the nobles of the city hating each other, members of the family care if other members live or die only as far as it directly inconveniences themselves. It is a refreshing changing of pace to see "heroes" in the Realms portrayed as so venal. The story of the butler, Erevis Cale, "Resurrection," is by Mr. Kemp. Cale has been working for the Uskevren for several years. Unbeknownst to his employers, he is really a thief, a killer and works for the city's thieves guild. However, while working for the Uskevrens, Cale has reconsidered his life and wants to continue to be a part of their family, rather than betray them to the guild. During the story, this conviction is tested. Cale responds to this test by creating a large pile of bodies of the people who wish the family ill. Cale is nicely flawed, ruthless and insightful (but perhaps not quite insightful enough). However, he does manage call a spade a spade when he thinks of the city as "a street whore in full makeup." The last story in the collection, "Skin Deep," by Mrs. Smedman, is the story of the maid Larajin. Larajin is unhappy and unfit as a maid, yet the Uskevren retain her services in any event. As it turns out, she is annointed by the elfin and human goddess of beauty, half-elf and Thamalon the Elders bastard daughter. Such elements on her resume are why the Uskevren keep her around, despite the fact Cale thinks she is incompetent and Shamur apparently has suspicious about Larajin parentage. She also manages to make the most interesting enemy out of all the stories – the aforementioned deranged mayor. "Here we meet one of Sembia's powerful merchant lords and his family, the Uskevren." -The Halls of Stormweather Each of the stories largely serves as "setting the stage" or as an introduction to later stores. Point of fact, "Halls of Stormweather" is the first in a new series of "Sembia" books. Hopefully the series will do well, allowing each the authors an opportunity to further the explore the characters and situations introduced in the volume. Books on Cale (by Kemp), Shamur (by Byers) and Talbot (by Gross) are scheduled. Further books will presumably depend on the sales of these books. As there are going to be future book in the series, there are some things the authors may wish to address in future volumes, because these things detracted from this one. Mr. Greenwood's story is quite clever, however it does leave some questions unanswered. Namely – was Thamalon's father actually involved in piracy? Either way – yes and he was a rogue, or no and he was set up – creates interesting possibilities. Mr. Byers story suffers from the weakest internal logic. Shamur, who is publicly supposed to be weak and ineffectual, goes romping around an opera hall where evil magic is running amok. Her daughter witnesses this as does a little old man and the mayor has to be aware that someone interfered with his plains. The mayor and the little old man are both blithely ignored as witnesses to Shamur's shocking degree of competence. Shamur manages to swear Thazienne to secrecy – and then everything goes back to normal. It is illogical to expect everything to work out so nicely with so little effort. One wonders how Thamalon the Elder and Shamur managed to raise a nincompoop like Thamalon the Younger. Hopefully Mr. Emery will address this in the future. Likewise, one wonders why Escevar considers Thamalon his friend when he is really nothing more than his employer and tormented him as a child. Hopefully Mr. Emery will address this as well. Mrs. Whitney-Robinson's story had the strongest internal logic – but the least connection to any of the other stories. An elf makes an appearance at a party and no one remarks on this, although it has long been assert Sembia has antipathy for elves and the maid reacts fearful when she sees elves in the streets. No mention is made of her romp with her mother at the opera. She is apparently more than just oblivious to the way Cale feels about her. In future stories the authors would do well to read each other stories and consult with each other more if there stories are going to be so closely wound together. Mr. Gross's story has few internal lapses. "Black Wolf," presumably, will answer the questions it leaves unanswered and is due out in November 2001. The only real problem is the antagonist seemed underpowered. For a priest of Malar and a werewolf he was defeated too easily. Mr. Kemps story is a contender for the best in the volume, in part due to the battles and their savagery. However, it leaves some glaring questions unanswered. Namely, why does Cale give a rats *** about the Uskevren? He was a thief and member of the thieves guild – a "letters man" to be exact. As such, he was making a living on his own. How did he come to find opening the front door for guests and bossing the kitchen staff around more personally rewarding than what he used to do? What caused him to develop any sense of personal integrity? It is simply stated he now has a sense of family and integrity – not where these things came from or what caused him to develop these sentiments. Likewise, it is never address why he has such a personal feeling for the Uskevren and why he sees them as anything more than employers. It is not apparent that they see him (with the probable exception of Thazienne) as anything more than a valued employee. Valued perhaps, but still nothing more than an employee and not a family member. Some exploration of the origins of Cale's sentiments is warranted. Mrs. Smedman's story leaves question unanswered but these may be answered in a future story. Like, who was Larajin mother and what was her relationship with Thamalon? It would be very interesting to see Larajin confront her real father about the situation. However, in this story - as in Mr. Kemp's - the servant seem to display a surprising degree of loyalty to the family. In the first story a servant dies – secretly killed – and no one bats an eye nor lifts a finger. While this is to be expected from a family that barely cares if a fellow family member lives or dies, it would probably effect employee moral. More over, all the servants wear their uniforms at just about all times. Are they indentured servant? Do they have any "time off?" Where is the line drawn? These are questions worth exploring. Despite its flaws, each of the stories is worth reading. Several are very promising, such as the stories by Gross, Kemp and Whitney-Robinson. If nothing else, it manages to paint an evocative picture of Sembia – one that is not entirely pretty. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)