Realms of the dead

A rather nice collection of short stories but, although it's published as being related to the Haunted Lands trilogy, the connection is actually very weak. The stories are all over the place, with the only shared theme being that these stories are all about death, undeath, and/or life.

Pieces - Richard Lee Byers - 3/5 - A story about Bareris and Mirror on a side quest, when they were “off-screen” from the main trilogy, in search of rebels to go against Szass Tam.

Soul Steel - Lisa Smedman - 4/5 - An engaging dark tale of vengeance and redemption with strong characters. But I found the portrayal of the elves here to feel oddly out of what I'd expect of their usual behaviour or tendencies.

The Resurrection Agent - Erin M. Evans - 5/5 - A very specialised assassin is featured in this one. Loved the idea. Strong characters and a good plot.

Wandering Stones - Bruce R. Cordell - 2/5 - A story about a lost lineage with the power to control dragons. Didn't really enjoy this as I felt it's a story that should've been stretched out more. Some of the characters here are just dying to be fleshed out more.

The Bone Bird - Jaleigh Johnson - 3/5 - A cleric of Chauntea deals with a mysterious attacker in a village and finds a burst of faith through adversity.

Feast of the Moon - Christopher Rowe - 5/5 - I enjoyed this very much. The protagonist is a priest of Malar, on a hunt that pushed him to his very limits. A very flavourful rendition of the mindset of such a priest.

A Prayer for Brother Robert - Philip Athans - 5/5 - A haunted house, a damsel in distress, and a reluctant hero. It's almost a cliché ghost story, but I loved it.

The King in Copper - Richard Baker - 3/5 - Set in ruined Hulburg, an impoverished king fends off greedy mercenaries by leading them in search of a legend, but at what cost?

Dusty Bones - Rosemary Jones - 4/5 - A fun, almost wacky, romp in the City of the Dead in Waterdeep. Great characters.

The Many Murders of Manshoon - Ed Greenwood - 1/5 - Easily the worst of the lot. It follows a Manshoon clone as he goes on a boring murder spree that turned out to be completely pointless.

A Body in a Bag - Erik Scott de Bie - 2/5 - An unrequited love story that involves a ghoul, a lie, and a rather pathetic tiefling protagonist. It's humorous in a few portions, but it's just not quite there for me.

Iruladoon - R. A. Salvatore - 2/5 - Seems to be connected to the end of the Ghost King but I haven't read that one yet. But it's pretty easy to guess who the halfling and the girl is. On its own, it was short and too disjointed; it used too many perspectives to tell its story.