[Book Review] Condemnation by Richard Baker

The third book in the War of the Spider Queen series, the question now really isn’t whether it’s good or bad, but whether it remains consistent and lives up to the plot that’s been established in the previous books. I think I should point out that it’s already mid-way into the series and if you didn’t enjoy the previous books, I don’t think you really shouldn’t expect this book (or this book review) to convert you.

It’s been pretty formulaic and there’s really nothing new to be said about this novel that I didn’t already mention in the previous reviews. The only things that have varied is again, the writer, in this case Baker, favors taking the perspective of certain characters more than others (whether this was subjectivity on his part or really part of the story flow, we’ll never know). If there’s a good reason to buy this book, it’s the advancement of the plot as our protagonists are in the Abyss and finally confronts the evil goddess they’ve been worshipping.

My complaints for the book though was that the finale was a bit too quick. If I didn’t know the events that would happen prior to reading this book, I might have glossed the important details near the end of the novel. Aside from that, everything that went well for the preceding books applies to Condemnation. There’s also closure at the end, but as previously stated, it’s also more of a cliffhanger, especially with all the revelations that’s been uncovered.

More of the same yet like a book by David Eddings, it’s really addicting and enjoyable despite the formulaic approach it follows. A page-turner at the very least if you’re a fan of the series, but otherwise, newbie readers might shirk at this novel.