Item - The Kingdoms of Terror

This seems to me a rather minor entry in the series, but at the same time a milestone. It's minor in that its plot, despite involving an ancient artifact of great power, lacks much significance to the overall storyline of the series and features few memorable creatures, characters or encounters. It's a milestone, though, because it marks the beginning of the Magnakai series and introduces a couple of new rules features: the use of a bow and "Lore Circles," sets of disciplines that, when all attained, increase your Combat Skill and/or Endurance -- a nice touch, as it adds a further dimension to choosing abilities. This isn't a bad book, but it's my least favorite in the series so far. There are some nice touches in the forms of tricky ways to die (you really have to pay attention to certain details to avoid falling stupidly into traps) and recurring characters, but the mission consists mostly of wandering grim, mercenary-filled streets, and it gets tiresome fairly quickly. I'm glad to have this quest behind me and am ready to move on to the next adventure.

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