Reviews for The Mage in the Iron Mask

The average rating for The Mage in the Iron Mask based on 2 reviews is 1.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-03-19 00:00:00 Ted Ray This was, once again, kind of a let down. But, honestly, I'm coming to terms with the fact that all "Forgotten Realms" books written in the 90's (outside of Salvatore...and even Cunningham) are pretty well below par. I must add that this book actually had a fairly large amount of 'history of the realms' in it, which is why I started reading these books in the first place. I chock it up to one of the main characters being a 'travel writer' and he's sposs to know a lot about a lot of things. Secondly, for the most part, the writing was fairly decent. However, I feel like this statement may be misleading. The plot was pretty flacid, even without the huge Alexander Dumas ripoffs (which the author states he is doing right in the dedications, so I can't really hold that against him). There is very little resolution, the climax is very ANTI-climactic, and the set up to the story is choppy and too long. But what I ment to say about the writing, is that Thomsen is not completely inept at using the English language. With that said, there were at least 2 HUGE blunders in the writing that I have never seen before in a book, not even a lowly "Forgotten Realms" book. Fisrt, Thomsen has painstakingly told us that the iron mask is completely (magically) form fitted. But the character with in can "wipe the persperation from his brow". What? And in the very next chapter he says that a blind man "watched the perpelexed looks on his companion's faces". I must say that my own look was perplexed at this screw up. Anyways, I shouldn't just talk shit. I mean, I did read the whole book. The characters were pretty interesting, even though there seemed like there was too many for the length of the book. The point is, I got another one finished!

Review # 2 was written on 2012-09-09 00:00:00 Matt Sepinuck On the one hand, the idea of adapting Alexandre Dumas to the Forgotten Realms is kind of appealing. On the other hand, Thomsen's inability to keep dropping literary allusions, or anachronistic puns, into the book was so constantly jarring, I hurled this sucker aside more than once in annoyance, wishing the author were nearby so I could hit him with the book.