Review of Dream Spheres

"It's a marvel your still alive." "Yes, so I'm often told." Arilyn and Danilo, Dream Spheres.

Dream Spheres is the latest -- probably the last for a time -- story from Elaine Cunningham detailing the adventures of Danilo Thann and Arilyn Moonblade. It nicely ties up many of the loose threads of the two star-crossed lovers and deals with them finally getting together.

"Where Arilyn is concerned, there are no bargains." Danilo Thann, Dream Spheres.

The story picks up shortly after Arilyn has returned to Waterdeep, on a mission for the Harpers. Once returned to the City of Splendors the two -- the half-elf warrior and the noble bard -- work to make their relationship work.

Things quickly become complicated. A mage is using a lost and cursed elf artifact to create magical baubles that he sells and hopes to use to gain power. Elaith Craulnober is blamed for much of the trouble in the city and causes more than his fare share. In addition, an underlying currents of racism and notions of propriety from the cities nobility try to tear the lovers apart.

Elaith Craulnober's character in this book more or less finishes a 180 degree turn in personality that was begun in previous books. Bronwyn and Ebenezer, Cunningham characters from Thornhold, make a welcome reappearance.

Danilo's family also make vivid appearances. By comparison, much detail is given to the Eliath-Arilyn relationship.

"It is possible she took aim at your character, but missed so small a target." Elaith Craulnober, Dream Sphere.

All stories come from conflict and the resolution of conflict. In most contemporary fantasy stories -- which the Forgotten Realms typify -- this conflict is mostly a physical battle between simplistic interpretations of good and evil.

While this is neither inherently right nor wrong, it can be boring. If there is nothing more to it than that, then there is nothing to separate it from an episode of the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers. To tell a story more interesting than something that seen on a Saturday morning requires pushing the envelope.

In short, the endless hostility, the boundless pettiness, the effluent hypocrisy and the corrupting racism the nobility of Waterdeep are portrayed as possessing is a welcome change from the normal standard where everyone is so perfect as to unbelievable and uninteresting.

To the heroes all of this – hostility, hypocrisy, pettiness, racism -- are greater obstacles than any create listed the Monster Manuel. The conflicts they create are also harder to overcome than any created by a physical monster- a physical monster (such as the tren) can be stabbed and killed. Dealing with the bone deep flaws of humanity requires more finesse and makes for more interesting reading.

"Don't think this is over." Isabeau, Dream Spheres.

There are weak points to the story.

One is the inconsistency in the portrayal of Khelben. In this story, he gives his blessing to Danilo and Arilyn's relationship. While it is believable that he would not have Danilo's mother's fear of scandal; his blessing is none the less inconstant with previous behavior. In the last story with Danilo – "Thornhold" – Khelben essentially tells him that he and Arilyn should remain unattached so that they would be more useful to the Harpers. His apparent reversal of this stance is confusing, and is not given explanation or justification. Like wise, it seemed very unlikely that he would ever allow the two to walk away from the Harpers and Danilo from the Lord Ship of Waterdeep.

Fortunately, Khelben is not in the story enough to make much of a difference.

As above, Dan's family -- namely his mother and father -- makes vivid appearances. However, given the nature of his parents, it is somewhat unclear how he grew to his current disposition. His personality and temperament bears no resemblance to either parent.

While Eliath is not a good person at the end of the novel, it is questionable whether or not he belongs in the Villain's Lore book.

A personal gripe is that Danilo and Arilyn consummated their relationship. The story would have been more poignant if they had been denied -- for whatever reason -- and had never been able to consummate their relationship, let alone leave the city together.

Our heroes are allowed to walk into the sunset at the end of the story, but there is always the probability we will hear from them again someday.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)