Sacrifice of the Widow

by Lisa Smedman

Book Overview

Goddesses vie for the soul of people... Halisstra Melarn, convert to the cause of the goddess Eilistraee, was sent to the deepest depths of the Outer Planes to kill the demon goddess she once... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786942509
• ISBN13: 9780786942503
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
• Length: 311 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Fabulitorious!

As stated previously, this is the 1st title in trilogy that picks up where the OUTSTANDING "War of the Spider Queen" left off. Her contribution to that must-have set of tomes, Extinction (Forgotten Realms: R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider, Book 4), piqued my interest in her ability as a novelist. I was overjoyed to find that she had begun work on her own trilogy and that it would continue the awesomeness of the Spider Queen series. I am just now finishing up the 3rd installment, Ascendancy of the Last (The Lady Penitent) (Bk. 3) and I am well pleased overall. I will say here that I am somewhat influenced by her choice of subject matter, as I've been a lover-of-Drow (Drow = a race within the DnD game) for over 2 decades. She delivers it well and adheres to the continuity of The Forgotten Realms lore and the Drow lore as set forth by Ed Greenwood, and R.A. Salvatore, among others. So...if you enjoy a good story overflowing with spell-slinging/enchanted sword-swinging dark elven priestesses (there are a few boys in the story too), and/or are a fan of The Forgotten Realms, etc., don't miss this. NOTE: This trilogy can stand on it's own, without a doubt. However, the story would be enriched to the Nth degree should the reader decide to dine on the delicious fare offered in The War of The Spider Queen series which begins with: Dissolution (Forgotten Realms: R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen, Book 1) Praise Lolth!

wonderful series starter

Both myself and my wife read this series. We both enjoyed it though my wife stalled on the last book for pure worry more bad things would happen to the followers of/and the masked lady. I highly recommend this series!

The Continuation Of The Spider Queen Series

I am an avid drow fan; I love everything drow!!! The series that preludes this book is War Of The Spider Queen. War Of The Spider Queen was notorious for having been writen by multiple authors who seemed to divert the character's personalities/ambitions with each new book. It was one of the most depressing series ever written, but then again it's focus was Lolth's Hell, which has no hope. This book, "Sacrifice Of The Widow," is well writen. There is no way to tell at this time if good or evil will win the day. There is one central character, Q'arlynd, who is the most interesting. He doesn't have the flashy personality of Drizzt or other drow we love but he is interesting enough to want to follow through to see his ultimate end in the universe. jemcrystaline.livejournal.com

Awesome sequel to the War of the Spider Queen series!!!

I have read the entire war of the spider queen series and it was great! I was excited to here that Lisa Smedman wrote a series to continue where the war left off. This book is really good. The only thing I would warn people about is to read the War of the Spider Queen series first. If you don't read those 6 books first you will be a bit lost in this book because it all refers to the events that happened during the WotSQ series. I can't wait to read the next book!!

The best Forgotten Realms or D

Reading the Forgotten Realms, Dragon Lance and random D & D books is something of a hobby of mine. Usually it is a guilty pleasure. Wizards if the Coast, the people who brought you MAGIC and (at one time) POKEMON trading card games publish these books. The Editor(s) over there at WotC have an unenviable task: to make these books digestible for thirteen year old boys men in there thirties and aging nerds in various stages of decay. This coupled with the fact that the writers subscribe to the `type as fast as you possibly can' school of authorship (brought in to prominence by a hopped up Steven King) often leads to a book which is barely readable. For example, these books sometimes end simply by killing all the characters off. Into this labyrinth of publishing enters the brave hearted Lisa Smedman. Now, anytime Lisa is penning a book you are in for something better then you have any right to expect. (check out her Venoms Kiss trilogy). With `Sacrifice of the Widow' Lisa has done something really Magical. She has `improved her game'. She has stepped it up, she is getting better and better at what she does! What a rarity! In this book Lisa infuses the Forgotten Realms lore with subtle references to Greek, Norse and African mythologies. For example, she hints in the epilogue at what Lolths place in the creation of the universe might have been before the fall. Speaking of which, there are many themes and devices, which, because they are executed well, lift this book onto the level of actual literature. The prologue and epilogue frame the action of the book as one or two moves in an extra-dimensional chess or `Sava' game, a battle between the warring dark elf goddesses. Also explored are sociological themes such as the impossibility of male bonding. I can only hope that in future books the dark elves evolve through union of the sexes rather then this ongoing idea that the sexes corrupt each other. But that is probably up to the editor rather then the author. The descriptions of action scenes are adequate and better then you deserve. The overall suspense and sense of plot are very well crafted indeed. Character development is very worthwhile and a welcome addition. I could go on and on but the point is you have to read this book to believe it. If you can't afford the $7 do yourself a favor and get to your local library. If they don't have it ask them to order it. Well I intended to do better at explaining what a gem this book really is but I am out of time. Drop me a line if you have any questions. Robert Corrina [...]