Thornhold

Forgotten Realms: Songs & Swords, Book 4

By: Elaine Cunningham

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

All is not well in the City of Splendors. A new Zhentarim threat lurks in the shadows of Waterdeep. Roguish Harper Bronwyn is sent by Archmage Khelben Arunsun on a mission to meet her long-lost father and reclaim her bloodline's dangerous heritage. She uncovers a family secret that threatens to destroy not only Bronwyn, but the Harpers themselves!

©1998 TSR, Inc., c. 2000 Wizards of the Coast LLC (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What an adventure!

This was an excellent tale from the Forgotten Realms mythos. The narrator, as always, was perfect. well done indeed.

Promise made, promise kept… even if you try to kill me

I love these books! But seriously… I keep every promise even if you try to kill me? Not a great business model. Of course everyone tries to kill Bronwyn so they get the loot without paying because she doesn’t seem to mind and know they will get it either way

Family can't live with them.

Elaine Cunningham, I find to be a very wonderful writer, because she covers the aspect of life that we normally see in the real world. I was very controlled by the Dynamics of the characters and their associations through the story. The Forgotten Realms is Rich with history and offers the reader a sense of reality that they would normally see in the real world.

Maybe Elaine's best

Very good character's, great story with lots of depth, and a twisting plot with multiple turns. Overall very enjoyable!

Entertaining Book

Would you listen to Thornhold again? Why?

I would not listen to Thornhold again. While it was enjoyable the story was a little too convoluted. There are Paladins and evil sorcerers... girls being reunited with their fathers... the whole gambit. Oddly, I felt the daughter/father thing with Bronwin and her father closely resembled that of a certain half-elf female from the previous series entries. It was like the same situation with different characters. Eric Michael Summerer was terrific as always.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The conflict between the Harpers and Paladins was interesting. I didn't feel like the Harpers did anything wrong like many other reviewers (they did what they always do). The least interesting aspect was the family affairs that took place. I know it is FR but it seemed far fetched and played out.

Which character – as performed by Eric Michael Summerer – was your favorite?

Dwarf (sorry I forgot his name).

Any additional comments?

I'm finishing up the series... this book had promise with a different set of characters, but the author played the uninteresting family card for a few too many chapters. Learning about the Harpers and Paladins was nice though.

Requires proper ending, not writer's fault

What made the experience of listening to Thornhold the most enjoyable?

A proper voice acting that gave each character a distinct voice and made the listening fluid and without any pauses to understand which character is currently speaking.

What did you like best about this story?

The story behind Bronwyn Caradoon and the intrigues between The Harpers and The Knights of Samular, are great resources for any D&D campaign set in the Forgotten Realms.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Eric Michael Summerer?

Certainly!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Powerful artifacts can come with a hefty responsibility

Any additional comments?

The non-character narration suffered from a somewhat monotonous voice and at times felt as if it was narrated by stringing words together like an answering machine.