The City of Towers: Eberron: Dreaming Dark, Book 1

This is a unique pulp fiction tale set in the world of Eberron, a D&D campaign setting that was released back in the D&D 3.5 era. Eberron is a unique fantasy setting and this is an excellent intro novel to that world. The author is none other than the original creator of Eberron, Keith Baker. This was his first novel, but you wouldn't know it. Mr. Baker takes time to explain important elements of the worlds history, both recent and ancient woven into the threads of his tale set at the end of a terrible one hundred years long war.This setting turns the standard Tolkien style fantasy setting upside down. Its gritty noir fantasy set in a realm where magic is used in place of technology. I believe a good term for it would be "spellpunk". If you are looking for something a bit different in your fantasy, this is a great read, and it was hard to put down.

This is a pretty basic fantasy story at the core. A group of adventurers with a range of skill sets (Wizard, check, fighter, healer) survive a terrible war and return “home.” They are all looking for a new path in life when they get pulled into a web of political and cultural intrigue based on motivations unknown to us or our heroes.The characters have initial motivations, but while they start out mostly unknown they all get a few large steps forward throughout the book and by the end you feel like it all makes sense how they’ve grown/progressed but none of them are a totally out of the blue or wowing. The only “big reveal” is trying to figure “who is the bad guy” and given how many “main choices” it could be, it was hard to be shocked.What really shines in this story is the world building and more specifically the city of Sharn. Sharn is the star of the book, yes this city that has everything, it has more than you could imagine. And the intrigues of the different factions via houses, nations, cults, clans etc. is what takes this from a middling story to above average.If you “know Ebberon” via other means it may flesh out some more of you understanding but it won’t feel as grand. If you don’t know the setting then this is a good way to enter this vast/cool world.

The story itself was a very enjoyable read. It is a good introduction to the world of Eberron. However, it would be very daunting and confusing for someone who didn't at least know the basics of the setting beforehand. My only problem is with the ghastly amount of typos in the Kindle edition. I don't know how these things are digitized but someone fell asleep on the job with this one. It was quite distracting. The story itself is decent enough to push through the pain though. Just barely.

I bought this book to get a feel for the world of Eberron and the city of Sharn in particular as I am getting ready to DM a campaign in this world. Based on the reviews, I wasn't expecting much but my was i pleasantly surprised. The plot moved along nicely, the characters were likeable, he paints a very descriptive world, and there were only a few typos.I enjoyed it so much that I went ahead and ordered the other two books in the series.

If you are into D&D, the world set up is pretty impressive and you can easily see why it became a favorite realm for gamers. If you just want to read a fantasy adventure story, it may be hard to follow at first, but is very hard to put down at the end.

I gave this book 5 stars for a very good reason, it is well written. I play dungeons and dragons online and a guild mate told be about keith baker and what a wonderful story teller he is, his stories make you believe you are right there with the characters. I was captivated by this book and read the whole thing in one sitting. so if you are a dungeons and dragons fan, or simply like a great story than this book is for you.

Fantastic book! I couldn't wait to read it each day. Keith Baker did a good job of working enough descriptive notes into his book, about the D&D world of Eberron he created, without it reading too much like a textbook. I love the setting and the characters so much I couldn't wait to buy the next in the series, which so far has been equally as good!.

Keith Baker gives us a mediocre story but a fabulous "open house" for the city of Sharn. I was not intrigued by the intended-to-be-tantalizing peeks into the characters backgrounds. However, I was extremely happy with the first-class tour of the city at the hands of the person most qualified to lead it.If you'd like to know more about the Eberron setting and what makes it different, but you can't make it through a campaign setting reference book without dozing off, this is the book for you. The loving hand of the creator shows and tells much of what Sharn and Eberron have to offer, and you don't have to wade through a single stat block!If you're interested in Eberron fiction, Matt Forbeck's "Marked For Death" is probably the better read. But if you're at all interested in Eberron as a setting for your game play, pick up this book.

O custo benefício vale a pena.

Started reading this series as I will playing in this setting for the first time soon. Loved the characters and setting, well written and a fun read!

Ein sehr gelungenes Buch, muss ich sagen. Wer Dungeons & Dragons liebt, wird sich hier sofort wiederfinden, wer das Ebberon-Setting liebt, hat dieses Buch wahrscheinlich eh schon längst gekauft - wenn nicht, worauf wartest du noch?Das Buch gibt gut das Feeling wieder, das man hat, wenn man selbst D&D spielt. Aber auch für Fantasy-Liebhaber, die bisher noch nichts mit Dungeons & Dragons zu tun hatten, kann ich dieses Buch sehr ans Herz legen. Es ist ein bisschen in Tradition der Sword&Sorcery-Genres mit einer gut durchdachten Welt und interessanten Figuren. Wer D&D mag, Herr der Ringe, Conan und andere Sword and sorcery-Titel, dem wird dieses Buch gefallen - auch wenn der erste Teil der Trilogie hauptsächlich in einer Stadt spielt.Dieses Buch ist zudem der erste Teil in einer Trilogie, liest sich aber komplett eigenständig. Erst die beiden nachfolgenden Bücher müssen zusammen mit dem hier gelesen werden.

La narrazione non è malvagia e il setting di Eberron mi piace moltissimo, ma la trama è piuttosto scontata. Dopo un inizio scoppiettante, l'ho trovato piuttosto noioso. Sono arrivato a finirlo giusto per curiosità, ma non mi sentirei di consigliare questa lettura se non ai più appassionati ammiratori di Eberron.

This is the first novel I’ve read on Eberron and I can already say the setting will become my favorite soon enough. You may combine D&D and sci-fi genres in one single story - that’s amazing!