Thornhold starts off incredibly well and continues so, up until chapter 16, about 40 pages before the end. I am not going to go to town on Elaine Cunningham or her book, since I am a big fan of hers and this is the only book that I, and from what I can tell many others, seem to a have a problem with. The plot as a whole is not bad at all; to the contrary it's a great story! It's just that the more one reads, the more "vicious" the attacks on the paladins get!
At first I thought it wasn't a case of Harpers vs Paladins, but a matter of Law vs Chaos, thus giving the author, without second thought, the benefit of the doubt.
As the book progresses, the feelings change: Law and Good (LG) vs Balance and Good (NG); understood. Similarly, the book portrays the rift between Cyric's and Bane's followers which has erupted into full scale war; also understood.
Nevertheless, there are clearly "favorites" in this book, and paladins are not included among them. I am not one to come streaming to their defense, but it is evident that paladins are made to look like complete fools, morons, verging dangerously close on idiocy.
Plain and simple: Paladins and Zhentarim are presented as the "bad guys", which is very difficult indeed for the average D&D enthusiast to swallow.
There are, however, many truths included as well; the difficulty or impossibility of having a paladin in a party that does not exclusively consist of paladins (that's why they are rare, loners and tend to have a very short lifespan). That does not take away from their "goodness". As the previous reviewer (from Ohio) very correctly pointed out, the paladins are portrayed much more as Lawful Neutral than Lawful Good.
The example of paladins giving chase to a band of orcs who run into the forest and are met by the forest's elves only to be slaughtered once the paladins hear that they will not be allowed to further pursue their enemies could be a possibility. However, it is much more likely that elves and paladins would join forces to smite evil together.
My main question is how was Sir Gareth, a "fallen paladin", NOT discovered in 30 years (!!!), by his fellow paladins? All the magical protections/amulets could not keep his secret hidden. Moreover, Sir Gareth is not supposed to be evil, yet why does he accept service in the ranks of the Zhentarim and Cyric, who are blatantly evil? Is "I am pledged to honor the children of Samular's bloodline", enough for a fallen paladin to become a Zhentarim operative? Or is helping his brother and owner of Zhentarim houses of ill repute worth becoming a fallen paladin in the first place, especially when they are portrayed as being so loyal to their cause, that they end up being more Lawful than Good.
In addition, towards the end, when the Gladestone elven/half-elven settlement is attacked by orcs, one of the inhabitants, a half-elf woman, accuses the paladins for indirectly inciting the attack (!!!), and Important guilty of killing an Orc Dwarf! Previous Fujiki Algorid Sheng Qi Wen and his Orcs to attack the city's fault, I also question the enemy Orcs! Oak is not the Dark Elves, Orcs are not bad in terms of Drizzt Do'Urden Oak evil orcs just a book. Neutral, or God, I hate Chelsea Eilistraee Oak, Gruumsh and the snow is what to expect.next, a LG red dragon or an orc paladin? What we do get though is Ebenezer the Dwarf, having pity and mercy for Orcish females and children, giving them advice and toys and sending them on their way???
After all that's said and done, the question that automatically comes to mind is what alignment is Bronwyn, when she doesn't return Thornhold to the Order of Samular, which is not only an order set up to fight Evil, but the order that HER OWN ancestor set up, and decides instead to hold on to it for herself and her niece Cara. Yes, it is her right to do so, the deed is in her name after all, but that is something a neutral character would do, not a Harper. Who in their right mind would deny paladins their base of operations? And who would put a knife (!!!) to a paladin's throat to save their father's murderer who also happens to be a high ranking priest of Cyric, a high level member of the Zhentarim, and a top commander of the Zhentilar fortress of Darkhold, even when that is her brother who is clearly using his own daughter to further his own selfish needs in pursuit of wealth and power? She could compromise with the paladin and have her brother face trial in Waterdeep in a secular court and have him locked away.
One final question: if Bronwyn feels so restricted and oppressed by Those Who Harp why doesn't she just quit and leave the organization altogether!
On the positive side, the book is action packed, the characters for the most part are great, the overall plot is very good, and there is plenty of conflict to go around. Hopefully, a sequel will be written setting things straight by shedding light as to what comes next.
In conclusion, it is my belief that the book for the most part deserves 5 stars for being so well written and presented (the usual Elaine Cunningham top quality). After chapter 16, though, the book falls to 3 stars, for the reasons mentioned above, for a total of 4 stars. It falls short of 5 stars for creating a sense Point of confusion for readers of the article is not an obvious right to be the main target of many beautiful courses you can!

THORNHOLD (Forgotten Realms: The Harpers, #16) Overview

All is not well in the City of Splendors. A new Zhentarim threat lurkes in the shadows of Waterdeep.

Roguish Harper Bronwyn is sent by Archmage Khelben Arunsun on a mission to meet her long-lost father and reclaim her bloodline's dangerous heritage. She uncovers a family secret that threatens to destroy not only Bronwyn, but the Harpers themselves!




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