Join me as I review The Golden Orb by Douglas Niles live! Share your thoughts on this second novel of Icewall Trilogy, released by Wizards of the Coast on January 1, 2002. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/4t0oPx4
About The Golden Orb
Brackenrock
Towering aloof and secure, the isolated fortress offers humankind a place to survive and flourish in the barren realm of Icereach. Even the elven Messenger Kerrick Fallabrine has made a home there, living among the humans and teaching them a multitude of skills. But the ogre enemies are always near, and they have developed a powerful weapon, a destructive magic encased within a sphere of solid gold. Its existence forces the humans to confront the threat of extinction that lurks outside their walls.
In the second book of this epic trilogy that began with The Messenger, Douglas Niles carries the reader into the heart of an unknown realm, where the world beneath the Icewall trembles with threats of war, slavery, and greed.
Review
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga review episode. It is Misham, Yurthgreen the 16th. My name is Adam and today I am going to give you my review of The Golden Orb by Douglas Niles. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members and Patreon patrons, and invite you to consider becoming a member or patron. You can even pick up Dragonlance media or get $10 by signing up to StartPlaying.Games using my affiliate links. This is my perspective only, and if you have any thoughts or disagree with mine, I invite you to share them in YouTube chat.
Review
It has been a number of years since the end of the first novel. Grimwar the new King of Suderhold has established his control over his fathers realm. His mother, the Dowager Queen was banished to Dracoheim, an island to the west where she has been building up her power. She has an Alchemist that works for her who has created black powder. It accidentally exploded, then they intentionally exploded it with a group of slaves who were troublemakers. It was so effective, she is going to send it to her son so they may retake the Axe of Gonnas that Kerrick took from Staris, the priestess of Gonnas and queen of Grimwar. Grimes however is busy having an affair with his late fathers second, much younger wife.
Stariz knows about it, and wants to punish her, in fact the Dowager Queen Hannareit wants her put to death. But Grimwar refuses and threatens his wife to not harm her. She insists they need to act quickly with this new weapon of his mothers to destroy the Arkenos in Brackenrock Citadel immediately and reclaim the axe. But Grimwar does not see the urgency. Even after his mother sent a message via a thanoi named Long-Swim Greatfin, who works with the Alchemist, Grimwar wants to wait till next year or later to strike. This infuriates Stariz and she asks that he speak to Gonnas, their god, during the next ceremony. Grimwar agrees and when he does, a lunar eclipse occurs, convincing the ogres they need to go to war. Though Grimwas suspects this to be a trick of Stariz’.
Moreen Bayguard, the chief woman of Brackenrock, has been building up the citadel and colonies have sprouted up on the shorelines of the bay. They have been learning from Kerrick how to build ships and sail, even blacksmith. Apparently every elf is also a blacksmith… And Moreen even has feelings she refuses to acknowledge for Kerrick. Kerrick is quite happy here. He has been making a fortune in gold helping out, and has a dream about the kender Coraltop netfisher. He suggests that Kerrick’s father may have returned to Silvanesti, and that Kerrick should go see. Kerrick really doesn’t believe it, but can’t get the idea out of his head. So he tells Moreen and prepares to leave.
He is given a fond farewell, and decides to map the shoreline to the west, then north to Tarsis, then east to Silvanesti. Returning with a detailed map of the southern sea along with all the gold he has accumulated will surely put him in the good graces of the Speaker. On his way he comes across a thanoi who is wounded. He was attacked by a shark. It turns out to be Long-Swim returning from Grimwar with a message to his mother. The thanoi claims to work for the Alchemist which means nothing to Kerrick. But it does make me think the unidentified Alchemist is Kerrick’s father. It would be a contrived convenience but I can’t shake the idea. Coraltop reappears and helps Kerrick sail back to Brackenrock to report the news about Grimwar’s coming attack to Moreen.
She is justifyingly concerned and needs Kerrick to take her to the Highlander KingStrongwind Whalebone to rally the clans and stand against the coming ogre invasion. Grimwar decided expediency was best and rallied his troops for battle, setting sail as quickly as they had the two explosive devices. One was a chalice, and one was a golden orb, both filled with the black powder. Moreen and Kerrick traveled to Strongwind Whalebone in Bearhearth citadel and told him of the news Kerrick learned from the thanoi. The king agreed to send three hundred warriors to aid Beackenrock, then once again, proposed to Moreen. She finds him attractive but she wants to marry for love not alliances, and so she refuses him again. After eight years since the attempted rape incident, apparently she has moved past his baser instincts and saw the light in him.
They travel back to Brackenrock and build up their defenses, waiting for the ogre invasion. The ogres sail into the bay and come across a massive barrier lying just under the surface of the water, meant to tear holes into ships passing over it. They decide to take their time and go around it. Once on shore, the ogres attack. They smuggle the chalice to the gate, moreen has a feeling it is an explosive and orders everyone off of the battlements. A berserker exits the citadel and diverts the chalice a bit, and it explodes, devastating one tower, weakening another and blowing a hole in the front of the wall. This is devastating, but only the first salvo. The humans rally and attack as the ogres defend themselves, preparing the catapult to throw the golden orb into the center of the citadel.
The humans rush out of the keep, into the ogres and Kerrick wears his ring of strength, cutting through ogre after ogre till he stabs Grimwar, the king, nearly killing him! He sees the catapult is ready to fire, and with his massive strength turns it around. It throws the orb into one of the ogres ships and explodes, destroying it and leaving a massive hole in the ground. Stariz quickly heals Grimwar and they retreat, heading back to Dracoheim to have the Alchemist make another Orb, and leave some ogres to raid the nearby farms, diverting the attention of the humans. THey are to meet in fifty days on the short to commence their assault.
The humans are ravaged by the initial explosion and ogre assault. The king sends men to stop the raiding ogres, but Kerrick and Moreen are truly hurt. Moreen loses sight in one eye and Kerrick recovers after weeks. The King returns with an ogre who led the raids. They defeated them, killing half, the other half running off. The ogre refuses to talk until the human shaman casts a spell to look like Grimwar and reveal his plan. This convinces Kerrick and Moreen to try to sneak into Dracoheim to stop them before they get another orb. This also seems to be leading directly into the reveal of The Alchemist being Kerrick’s father. Fingers crossed they don’t, as he was supposed to be a sailor, not an alchemist, but you never know.
In any case, Strongwind demands to go with Kerrick and Moreen and they plan to sail out. Grimwar and Stariz arrive at Dracoheim and are greeted by Hannareit. They immediately set the Alchemist to work, explaining others are inevitably following them. Apparently Stariz had a vision telling her the elf and woman are en route. They took their ship to stop them in the sea. Stariz cast a spell, stopping the wind, and as the ogre galleon was approaching, Moreen grabs a gift from their shaman and it raises a massive fog concealing them. They row out of the way of the ogres in the fog and the spell stopping the wind ends, and they shoot off around them to Dracoheim. However something runs into them, tearing a hole in the ship.
They all sink and a metal gnomish submersible surfaces and the gnome captain Pneumo, get it? Nemo? He let them come aboard. It is powered by gold that he gets from Dracoheim by the gully dwarves there. He has employed a couple of them on his submersible. They convince him to help them, as he did destroy their ship. He needs more gold, so he agrees. As they arrive at Dracoheim, so too does Grimwaar and Stariz. They immediately start a search for the elf and woman. Meanwhile the heroes sneak in with the help of Gully Dwarves who take them in and show them the way to the Alchemist. Strongwind and his berserker distract Grimwar, who chases them away from the castle as Kerrick and Moreen sneak inside.
They get to where the Alchemist is but he’s guarded by many ogres. Kerrick is exhausted and feels defeated but remembers his father’s ring. He puts it on and they fight through the ogres to burst into the Alchemist’s quarters which reveals the alchemist is exactly what I saw coming from the first act. He is Dimorian, Kerrick’s father. He tells him that he has become addicted to magic and his wife refused to help the ogres, but Dimorian decided to help them to get out of the dungeon. His wife died there. He is ashamed about who he is and has finished an even larger bomb for the ogres.
Back to Grimwar and Strongwind, they decide to stop running and turn to attack the ogres. They take down many of them, but are ultimately defeated, with Stariz coming to help her husband and king. They realise it was all a huge diversion and decide to rush to the castle. However in the castle Hannareit is trying to bash through the alchemist’s door as Kerrick and Moreen are talking with Dimorian. He tells them he had no idea it was built to be used against him and makes a choice to redeem himself. He gives a potion of gaseous form to Kerrick and Moreen, and they flee through the window. He lets off the bomb which completely destroys Dracoheim castle.
I can’t help but worry about the Gully Dwarves who lived below it. And Strongwind who was with Grimwar and Stariz, still alive, now a prisoner. As Kerrick and Moreen return to the submersible and decide to leave, ending the story. Look, I knew his father was the Alchemist, but I really appreciate him sacrificing himself for his son. I also like that we didn’t hear about the death of Strongwind, making me think he will be rescued in the final novel of the trilogy. With the sinking of Kerrick’s ship, and him losing all his money in the process, he is ostensibly trapped in icereach. It makes me wonder who will end up with Moreen, Strongwind or Kerrick.
Look, this was a solid second novel which is going to lead to the end of the trilogy. While the twist was expected, I still enjoyed the outcome. It is much more of a solid setup for the next novel than the first one was as well, making me want to dive right in. If you like barbarians, ogres or icewall, give this novel a read, you’ll probably enjoy it.
Outro
And that’s it for my review of The Golden Orb by Douglas Niles. What do you think of the Alchemist being Kerrick’s father? Did you like the Golden Orb mcguffin? And finally, who will end up with Moreen? Feel free to email me at info@dlsaga.com or leave a comment below.
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This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I hope you will join me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time Slàinte mhath (slan-ge-var).
