Fantasy Novel Cover Art Woman in Armor With Sword
 Cover of showtime edition | |
| Writer | Kate Novak & Jeff Grubb |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Clyde Caldwell |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English language |
| Series | Finders Stone Trilogy |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | TSR, Inc. |
| Publication date | October 1988 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 380 |
| ISBN | 0-88038-612-half dozen |
| OCLC | 18910805 |
| LC Class | CPB Box no. 1733 vol. 4 |
| Followed by | The Wyvern'south Spur |
Azure Bonds is a 380-page paperback fantasy novel written by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb, with cover art past Clyde Caldwell, and published by TSR Inc. in 1988. It is the first novel of the Finder'southward Stone Trilogy which is set within the world of the Forgotten Realms. Information technology served as the basis for the estimator game, Expletive of the Azure Bonds. I of the co-authors, Jeff Grubb, stated that of the novels he has written, Azure Bonds is one of his favorites.[1]
Development [edit]
In 1984, while Jeff Grubb was managing the Forgotten Realms setting: "I had a concept for a novel that mixed sword-and-sorcery with mystery and personal discovery - the tale of a woman who wakes up one morning with no knowledge of her firsthand past and a set of strange tattoos on her arms. I laid out the novel one night to my wife, Kate Novak, while we were driving from Lake Geneva [Wisconsin] to Milwaukee. By the time we got there, I had a co-author".[ii]
Plot [edit]
The trilogy's titular "finder's rock" plays a relatively limited function and has an essentially introductory presence in the novel.
The story begins with the principal character, an charlatan named Allonym, awakening in a disoriented and amnesic land. She soon discovers that she has a newly acquired azure colored tattoo imprinted on the inside of her sword arm in the space between her wrist and elbow. At first she attributes her memory loss to inebriation and the tattoo equally a drunken prank past companions. She presently finds that the tattoo is magical in origin, resists attempts to remove it and nearly worryingly, exerts a power to compel her actions.
Earlier long, Alias becomes the nucleus of a disparate party of adventurers: a mysterious lizard-fauna named Dragonbait, a southern mage called Akabar Bel Akash, and a halfling "bard" named Olive Ruskettle. The novel'due south plot follows the actions of the political party which are combinations of the group'southward investigations and interruptions caused by the compulsions of the tattoo.
It is later revealed that Alias herself is in fact a complicated, magically created, bogus being intended by her creators to be their proxy in various nefarious purposes. The tattoo was to be a means of control as well as a branding of ownership by each of the collaborating parties involved in her cosmos. Her long term memories were actually granted to her by her sole benign (just misled) creator and her short term retention loss is due in part to the gap between the terminate of her artificial memories and her premature awakening.
Alias eventually wins the liberty to control her actions and is able to embark on a life of her own. Events towards the end of the novel result in Giogioni Wyvernspur (a recurring supporting grapheme), inadvertently acquiring the finder'southward rock forming the back-story of the next novel in the trilogy, The Wyvern'southward Spur.
Characters [edit]
The novel marks the initial appearances of an ensemble of enduring characters, the foremost amid which being Allonym and Dragonbait. During the course of the story, several prominent characters of the larger fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms are featured. These include Azoun 4 and Vangerdahast, Elminster, Moander, and The Nameless Bard (Finder Wyvernspur).
- Alias
- A female warrior and the protagonist of the novel. At the onset of the story she is portrayed as an archetypal adventurer, being a seasoned traveler and veteran hired baby-sit. She is depicted on the encompass artwork in chainmail with an archetypal "cleavage window", explained away as "ceremonial" armor[ citation needed ].
- Dragonbait
- Dragonbait is the starting time of the companions encountered by Alias. He has the most unusual appearance of the party and physically resembles a light-green, lizardman-similar beast. Incapable of normal speech, his early beliefs is often clownish and servile but obedient. It is somewhen learned that he is in fact a highly accomplished member of his race that are known equally saurials. His name is really an caused nickname courtesy of Allonym.
- Akabar Bel Akash
- A native from the southern lands of Turmish — a region of the Forgotten Realms roughly comparable in style and culture to the medieval Eye East. Initially, Akabar is conducting his affairs equally a merchant but he also has grooming as a mage and inwardly yearns to show himself equally an adventurer.
- Olive Ruskettle
- Olive is a female person halfling and the final fellow member of the political party to be encountered. She is a cocky-styled bard but displays the duplicity and skill at thievery and pilfering characteristically associated with halflings; in the class of the volume, it is revealed that she has won the identity of a truthful bard, one Olav Ruskettle, and feminized his given name for her purposes.
Reception [edit]
- In Upshot #25 of OtherRealms (winner of the 1989 Hugo for Best Fanzine) a reviewer stated that Azure Bonds was written to have a broader entreatment to those not familiar with the AD&D game. The reviewer besides noted that although it has practiced characterization, several cardinal scenes felt glossed over, but concluded by giving the book a rating of 3 stars.[3]
- Brett Franklin from Candlekeep.com gave a positive review, praising the label and the fixed linear storyline whilst another reviewer from Candlekeep.com stated the catastrophe was not equally succinct equally he would have liked.[4]
- Reviewer Merric Blackman chosen the book "an unqualified success... a book that manages to combine a compelling plot with memorable and engaging characters, while not skimping on the world-building". He concluded: "If you want to see how to write good D&D fiction, become no further than Azure Bonds. It'due south more than good gaming fiction – it's damn good storytelling, total cease".[5]
- Reviewer Dan Ruffolo thought the story arc of the volume resembled a office-playing adventure, simply didn't think that was a bad affair, given the book'due south audience of function-players. He noted the presence of a potent female person hero, unusual for the time, pointing out that "information technology is an early case of fantasy that has a strong female protagonist who solves her own bug and don't have no crap from no ane". He concluded that the book was "an excellent story".[vi]
- On RPGNet, this book was ranked 391 out of 461 compared to other Gaming Fiction with a rating of 6.51.[seven]
In the Io9 series revisiting older Dungeons & Dragons novels, Rob Bricken commented that "Azure Bonds rolls an eight on its 1d20, making it more than twice equally practiced as The Crystal Shard, but withal with a lot of room for comeback".[viii]
Reviews [edit]
- Review by Steve Jones (1989) in Disquisitional Wave, #12[ix]
Other media [edit]
Game module [edit]
A game module Curse of the Azure Bonds has besides been released in April 1989 nether Forgotten Realms Module FRC2. The module was written past Jeff Grubb and George MacDonald.[10] The adventure module ties in with the Azure Bonds novel.[eleven] The module follows the main character Alias in the story where the characters awaken with mysterious bluish sigils.
Computer game [edit]
In 1989, SSI published a computer game titled Expletive of the Azure Bonds. The game's plot follows a similar premise to the novel but is fix former after the events of the novel instead of being a direct adaptation. The game had a favorable reception achieving a score of 90% from Amiga Mag Rack. The reviewer Paul Rigby describes it an improvement over its predecessor Puddle of Radiance and it has "a expert storyline and excellent graphics. CAB is recommended whatsoever version you accept".[12]
Come across also [edit]
- The Wyvern's Spur - 2nd Book in Finders Stone Trilogy
- Song of the Saurials - third Volume in Finders Stone Trilogy
References [edit]
- ^ "Jeff Grubb". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 4 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22 .
- ^ Varney, Allen (May 1998). "Profiles: Jeff Grubb". Dragon. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Declension (#247): 120.
- ^ Depression, Danny. "Electronic OtherRealms #25". OtherRealms. Retrieved 2008-02-21 .
- ^ Franklin, Brett. "Azure Bonds". Candlekeep.com. Archived from the original on xviii Feb 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24 .
- ^ Blackman, Merric (2016-04-07). "Book Review: Azure Bonds". Merric'due south Musings . Retrieved 2019-12-03 .
- ^ Ruffolo, Dan (2013-07-01). "Azure Bonds". The Ranting Dragon . Retrieved 2019-12-03 .
- ^ "RPGNet Azure Bonds". RPGNET. Retrieved 2008-02-21 .
- ^ Bricken, Rob (July 28, 2020). "Dungeons & Dragons & Novels: Revisiting Azure Bonds". io9. Archived from the original on 2020-07-xxx. Retrieved 2020-12-28 .
- ^ "Title: Azure Bonds". www.isfdb.org.
- ^ Grubb, Jeff; MacDonald, George (Apr 1989). Curse of the Azure Bonds. ISBN0880386061.
- ^ Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 97. ISBN0-87975-653-5.
- ^ Rigby,Paul (Sep 1989), "Curse of the Azure Bonds review from The Games Automobile 22 (Sep 1989)", The Games Motorcar, EMAP
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azure_Bonds
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