Abyssal Warriors (Planescape: Blood Wars Trilogy #2) (Blood Wars)

These books are like poetry in a strange way, even though they are product line fantasy novels. The author has a way of making you care about the characters even in the little time you spend with them.

The memory flashbacks play an important part, and were an ingenious device, just as they were in the last one. In this book, we are treated to the madness of two lands: The Abyss, where chaos and evil join, and the Beastlands, where Heaven is a place where wild things can grow without attacks from civilization.

Though he alters the basics of the Planescape setting, he does so in a way that truly invigorates it with a new flavor and new ideas. Even with all the strange reality levels of giant flies and crystal fruit-bearing plants, the book stays grounded in the story of love and betrayal. It may be a retelling of old stories, but it does so in a backdrop of worms that are homes, a universe of dead gods, and much more insanity.

As I've mentioned in my review of the first book, if you have kids who are hyperactive readers of fantasy, this is a wonderful book to open their minds to depths and beauty of imagination.


Good Story, Evil Ending   April 18, 1999
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

The "Blood Wars" books were my first exposure to the Planescape scenario, which I think rocks. Too bad "Blood Hostages", the first book of the trilogy, didn't get close to the potential of the scenario at all.

This second one, however, is captivating. It has been the first book in a while that I read in one sitting, dropping into bed at half past two. The story is compelling, and the characters are drawn much better than in "Blood Hostages". I agree with the other reviewers that it's especially the mad Nina, a powerful female character like you don't encounter in the Fantasy literature very often, that makes the book stand out. Finally, without giving anything away, the end of the book is brilliant and really evil, and I can't wait to read the final book so the characters can finally get out of this ugly situation. (I hope they will, at any rate.)

The reason why I'm not giving the book five stars is that it lets opportunities pass. After a third of the book, we are told about a special and unique power of the two main characters; but while one might think it should be, this power is never a driving force behind the storyline, it just comes in handy in some situations.

About the first book: I'd recommend to buy and read it before reading "Abyssal Warriors", even if it's substandard. You'll be much more able to appreciate this one afterwards (and not just because of the contrast in quality).


This is the best book of the trilogy.   March 17, 1998
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

There is an interesting twist in this, the second book of the trilogy. The heroine of the first book has gone mad. Because she has not changed that much, I found myself still rooting for her, although she is now the "bad guy". Another aspect of the book I liked was the character Phaeton, who is basically an angel. Through Phaeton, we see how sometimes beings of "pure good" can sometimes do evil, and how "right" can sometimes be wrong. Overall, this book was a welcome and refreshing change from the formulaic "action movie" first book.