The Darkwood Mask: The Inquisitives | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeff Lasala
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy New: $3.33
You Save: $3.66 (52%)
New (22) from $3.33
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 530360
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0786949708
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780786949700
ASIN: 0786949708
Publication Date: March 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: GREAT BUY!Brand New From US Distributor! WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER with OVER 3,500,000 BOOKS SOLD!!! OVER ~ 600,000 FEEDBACKS ~ POSTED!!!
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Product Description
The Inquisitives are the "private eyes" of the Eberron world, solving murders with magic and steel.
A diplomat has been murdered and an innocent man has been accused. An up-and-coming young Inquisitive is brought in to solve this high-profile case, but corruption, money, and power stand in her way.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 THIS MOST BE MY FAVORITE INQUISITIVE BOOK July 14, 2008
GREAT STORY IS BOOK IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOK I READ FROM THIS SERIES... THE CHARACTER AND PLOT WAS AWESOME. I GIVE THIS ONE 5 OUT OF 5.. MUST READ BOOK.. FOR WHOM WHO LIKES MURDER/FANTASY/HEROES... I HOPE THEY DO DO ANOTHER PART OF THIS STORY OR MORE STORIES FOR THIS SERIES
Debut book transcends the genre May 29, 2008
I don't normally read game-based books these days. It's not that I have anything against them as a rule (I used to read them in high school), but since I'm long past my RPG-playing days, I feel a bit too out of touch. But I read this one.
Brilliant debut, I'd say. The story is excellently plotted and the characters are vivid. There are a few surprises I didn't see coming, even if the plot is fairly conventional. Conventional, but not tired. It feels fresh and new. The characters feel realistically motivated. Events unfold in a believable but not necessarily predictable way.
I wish the editing had been at the same level of quality as the writing. Whoever edited this book really blew off their duties and should be ashamed. There are so many obvious editing gaffes that it gets annoying. Thankfully, the story itself is strong enough that it pulls you right back in and you learn to just ignore them.
I don't want to dwell on the negative, though. I'd recommend this book even to people who wouldn't normally read an RPG world-based book.
Accessible and Intricate May 28, 2008
I've just finished my second reading of The Darkwood Mask. I'm not an avid WotC reader, but have read every book in The Inquisitives cycle, and have been thoroughly impressed by the stories and storytelling within the series. Despite an ignorance to much of the specifics and rules in the Eberron setting, I had no problem getting into the stories (in fact, I noticed that there are a few elements of cross-over between several of The Inquisitives books even though they were not written as a connected series. They are subtle touches.)
In particular, Jeff LaSala manages to write in an exciting, accessible way. He has filled his story with a variety of creatures, D&D races, and cultures, and has crafted well-rounded characters; even the least significant characters have distinct personalities.
In a fantasy/action book, I find two things very important: dialogue and action scenes. If either of these are not up to snuff, it is hard to become emotionally involved in the story. I'm happy to say that The Darkwood Mask excels at both of these. The dialogue is clever, realistic, and carries emotional weight. The fight scenes are properly paced and contain just the right amount of description to allow the reader to imagine each scene in their own way.
After the second reading, I marveled at how much story LaSala managed to pack into this book. The mystery takes many twists and turns, sending Soneste and Tallis down intertwined paths toward a conclusion I had not expected. I imagine that writing a mystery would be difficult... the balance of keeping the truth from the characters while giving the reader hints and clues must be tough to achieve. Jeff has struck this balance, as everything seems to unravel at exactly the right pace for both the characters and the reader.
I won't go into detail about the ending, but I will say that I enjoyed it immensely. I'm never satisfied when a book ends with your typical Hollywood "well, that's all wrapped up, then" closing scene. The Darkwood Mask answers the major questions while asking a few more in the final pages. The reader is left to imagine what the future brings for these characters, which is something I quite enjoy.
I definitely recommend The Darkwood Mask, as well as the rest of The Inquisitves series. Heck, the cover art alone is worth picking up all four!
Friggin Awesome. May 10, 2008
I was up til 3 in the morning finishing this book. I've very impressed that this is Mr. LaSalad's first published novel. That other dude is right, the dialogue is really good, the characters are well developed and the whole twisty, turny mystery thing was amazingly well handled for a "new guy." Can't wait for his next one.
 I...hate...changlings...(spoilers contained) April 29, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Overall this was a very well written book, but I have my gripes about it.
First off, for all the grandeur and depth the plot accumulated through the book, the ending was quite disappointing. Not only do we not see what happens to Tallis at the end, but the ends of the construct's plot don't stack up the means he used to create them. The main villain was portrayed as a very cunning, wise, and exceptionally resourceful and crafty antagonist, yet his ultimate goal was simply to breath life into his old creator? Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill!
Second, I hate changlings. I don't mean I hate their characters or what they do(actually I really do, but that's not he worst of it), but I hate how every Eberron author opts to use them as the easy means to make a formidable opponent. Not only are they the easy way to make a sneaky and well concealed bad guy, but they are becoming increasingly more common and cliche. Is it impossible to make a formidable or well hidden spy in the eberron universe without resorting to using this retarded race? The only book I can recall the absence of a main plot changling in is Night of the Long Shadows by Paul Crilley, and I enjoyed that book immensely.
Even in spite of it's gaping flaws I did enjoy reading this book, but the ending was disappointing enough that I won't enjoy reading it a second time.
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