| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| creyzi4zb12 |
Posted - 23 Aug 2009 : 02:59:06
I've begun reading ghostwalker book...It's pretty good...actually I think it's very well made...Great plot, great characters....Only one thing concerns me...
I'm not very particular with FR settings, so I'm unable to completely picture out how the setting looks like...about how the characters look like in their..I know it's one of rangers, druids, ghostwalkers in the forest, knights...But about their setting...
Do they look something like, oriental? Asian? Medieval?
Where is the story set? |
| 21 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 21 Nov 2009 : 17:43:39
If you're looking for more realmslore, I might recommend the 3.0 Campaign Setting (a tremendous source of lore) or the Forgotten Realms wiki: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
If you want to learn about the 4e FR (set a hundred years later), you might be best put to reading the novels. The Campaign Guide contains a good bit of lore, but I view it mostly as a toolbox for running games set in the 4e FR (the dominant design paradigm being to free the DM's hands with respect to lore, so they keep a lot of things open for the DM to fill in).
Cheers |
| creyzi4zb12 |
Posted - 21 Nov 2009 : 05:25:19
Cool, I liked Arya a lot as well...Never knew she had a long history in the Realms tho'.....I could picture it out as something like, her presence popping out in an adventure that has something to do with Silverymoon here and there. Maybe a guide, or a helping hand, a general sent by Alustriel to help you fight an army. I think her saga continues after ghostwalker...
On a side note...I don't get adventure settings access that much...but love to read Realmslore sometimes, and it seems that novels are my only source of it. I think I'm missing a lot of things by scratching out adventure settings or news (Don't know where to get that tho') in my Realmslore quest..zzz.
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| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 21 Nov 2009 : 00:55:48
!!!POTENTIAL GHOSTWALKER SPOILERS ALERT!!!
There *is* actually an in-world saga of the ghostwalker (though no one outside the Realms has actually written it down, to my knowledge) entitled "The Nightingale's Song," composed in part (the second of three parts) by Arya herself, and later added to by the famous mad bard called Calatan (who wrote the first and third thirds as a sort of frame around Arya's own relatively short masterpiece). The whole saga details the tale of the ghostwalker from his first appearance (far before the events of the novel) until the climactic events depicted; at the same time, woven in with the story of the ghostwalker, it also follows Arya's life, from rebellious girl to knight errant to becoming a famous and powerful general of Silverymoon before the Spellplague and then during the Wailing Years.
!!!END SPOILERS!!!
The ballad/saga was so popular that it became (over the intervening century) the basis of a fairy tale called "The Ghost and the Maiden," which focuses on the second part especially (essentially the events of the novel). In the way of fairy tales, the story varies from place to place, and generally alters a number of the details: Arya (who often has no name but "maiden") might be a young princess or a headstrong tomboy and her companions Bars and Derst might be her brothers or even a talking dog and cat respectively. The theme (young/impossible love and being true to yourself) and the characterization of the Ghost (though he might be alive, dead, or undead depending on the storyteller) remain pretty much constant, however. Most people in the Realms have heard at least some variation of the story, and it is a favorite game among young boys and girls.
And there's your dose of Realmslore for the day. 
Cheers |
| creyzi4zb12 |
Posted - 20 Nov 2009 : 18:35:08
Every thought of making a saga of somebody before? Like Drizzt, Cale (sad to say that we won't be reading much of him again..he was my favorite), Elminster.
I kinda like the way you balance things....and the character development is good too. I really liked the way how Walker was portrayed...But his life-quest seems to be a bit limited in my opinion for a saga. :D |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 01 Oct 2009 : 18:38:45
quote:
Originally posted by Tyrant
Out of curiosity, does anything (such as fan mail) actually help (or hinder I suppose) the choice as to which authors WotC asks to write their future products?
That's a really good question, one to which I'm not entirely certain I have an answer. I *suspect* that the powers that be at WotC do indeed appreciate that feedback, and a positive, "this is what I want" sort of letter might be helpful even if it just puts the author(s) in the back of the editor/book department head's mind.
If you feel really strongly about one author or another, why not give it a try?
Also, reviews online (such as on Amazon or at Wizards' messageboards) help, too.
quote:
Also, Downshadow was a pretty good book. It is probably the book I enjoyed the most of the newest Waterdeep series. I am sure I am not alone in wanting to see some of those characters again.
I'm glad you enjoyed, and I hope to bring them back one day.
Cheers
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| Tyrant |
Posted - 01 Oct 2009 : 00:23:47
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
So am I, actually.
Other than a short story in Realms of the Dead (January), I don't have anything in the WotC pipeline at the moment (I keep dreaming that they'll one day get lots of letters demanding they give me a trilogy).
Out of curiosity, does anything (such as fan mail) actually help (or hinder I suppose) the choice as to which authors WotC asks to write their future products?
Also, Downshadow was a pretty good book. It is probably the book I enjoyed the most of the newest Waterdeep series. I am sure I am not alone in wanting to see some of those characters again. |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 30 Sep 2009 : 23:29:15
Yeah, I suspect you'll find that moral ambiguity is sort of a theme in my work.
I do my best to make my heroes flawed and my villains sympathetic. It's a page I took from Martin's work: everyone, hero or villain, protagonist or antagonist, is the hero of his or her own story. Everyone has reasons for what he or she does--it's how they reach their goals that makes the difference.
Cheers
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| J D Dunsany |
Posted - 30 Sep 2009 : 22:20:08
Back to the topic - sort of. I haven't picked up 'Downshadow' yet. I will. I enjoyed 'Ghostwalker' and 'Depths of Madness' immensely - although, if I'm being strictly honest, I found the latter a more difficult read at times. Ed Greenwood's blurb for 'Downshadow' makes it sound just like my kind of thing. I'm quite intrigued by the fact that what seems to interest Erik as a writer is a certain moral ambiguity in his characters. Both Walker and Fox-at-Twilight are incredibly conflicted and, albeit in very different ways, tormented characters. I'm guessing that the paladin protagonist in 'Downshadow' isn't going to be your typical holier-than-thou pally. (Which probably doesn't actually occur all that often in FR fiction. The closest example of that kind of paladin is Adjantis in the first BG PC game.) I'm looking forward to it.
The thing about Walker in 'Ghostwalker' is that he's being pulled in so many different directions during the course of the novel, it's a miracle he chooses the path he does in the end.
Memorable stuff, Erik. Looking forward to more of the same...
JDD |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 30 Sep 2009 : 21:20:11
quote:
Originally posted by J D Dunsany
Castle Urquhart's always impressed me. Amazing view across Loch Ness from there.
Never got up that far, but I do plan to go back eventually.
Cheers |
| J D Dunsany |
Posted - 30 Sep 2009 : 09:37:49
Castle Urquhart's always impressed me. Amazing view across Loch Ness from there.
Of course, the British landscape has been a perennial inspiration for fantasy literature, but it is kind of nice to see the tradition continuing in FR novels, too.
All the best!
JDD |
| Delzounblood |
Posted - 30 Sep 2009 : 09:24:40
I often use Scotland and England as a back drop for the realms depending on where I'm currently adventuring.
NW Scotland and The Isle of Skye are great for The North or The Moonshaes, and The North York Moors are ideal for the Western Heartlands, but as Erik said
"Freedom to imagine is part of the wonder of fantasy fiction."
As for castles as I am a scot only scotland will do for me.....
My advise would be to let the setting develop in your mind from what you read, not to have any pre-conceptions.
Delz |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 15:37:50
There were a lot of them, really.
I was living in London at the time (so all the castles in and around the area), and took a two weeks "castle tour" of the U.K., starting with an overnight bus to Edinburgh and Stirling, then working my way south by train and bus until I made it back to London. The last one I visited on the trip was Durham cathedral and nearby ruins.
I recall really liking Tantallon and Dunstanburgh (what there were of those), Alnswick (made famous for partial filming of the Harry Potter films here), and Warkworth (mostly ruins, but fun to walk around, and the weather was particularly accurate that day).
Cheers |
| J D Dunsany |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 09:36:20
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
End of winter, beginning of spring (which is important thematically as well) . . . England has a tendency to be rainy and dreary a lot of the time, regardless of season.
I actually wrote certain segments of the book in pubs or castle ruins in England itself.
Cheers
Now, for some reason, that strikes me as really cool! (My comments a while ago about the links with 'Macbeth' seem even more valid now. *dons his Cloak of Smugness +3*) Which castles, just out of interest?
JDD |
| swifty |
Posted - 24 Aug 2009 : 22:51:16
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
End of winter, beginning of spring (which is important thematically as well) . . . England has a tendency to be rainy and dreary a lot of the time, regardless of season.
I actually wrote certain segments of the book in pubs or castle ruins in England itself.
Cheers
youre not wrong erik.especially in the north of england. |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 24 Aug 2009 : 16:52:28
quote:
Originally posted by creyzi4zb12
Yeah...tnx...looking forward to more books from you...
So am I, actually.
Other than a short story in Realms of the Dead (January), I don't have anything in the WotC pipeline at the moment (I keep dreaming that they'll one day get lots of letters demanding they give me a trilogy).
In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out my other books: Depths of Madness and Downshadow.
Cheers |
| creyzi4zb12 |
Posted - 24 Aug 2009 : 08:58:36
Yeah...tnx...looking forward to more books from you... |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 23 Aug 2009 : 20:17:02
End of winter, beginning of spring (which is important thematically as well) . . . England has a tendency to be rainy and dreary a lot of the time, regardless of season.
I actually wrote certain segments of the book in pubs or castle ruins in England itself.
Cheers |
| creyzi4zb12 |
Posted - 23 Aug 2009 : 13:03:44
Wow, the actual writer of the book gives me his description of how it looks like...THanks a lot...Actually I was also thinking of the setting as England, especially on winter season. |
| Erik Scott de Bie |
Posted - 23 Aug 2009 : 08:58:20
Valid question! FR as a setting is VERY vast, with all manner of landscapes from medieval Europe-esque to crusades-era Middle East to ancient China/Japan (personally I find the word "oriental" to be a little insulting, but that might just be me).
Medieval Europe is the image I had in my head--specifically a dreary forest frontier in England or Wales--when I wrote it, and I tried to put in enough detail to convey that image . . . but I am *not* in the business of forcing you to visualize it any particular way. Freedom to imagine is part of the wonder of fantasy fiction.
Cheers |
| Brimstone |
Posted - 23 Aug 2009 : 07:20:43
The story is set in the Forgotten Realms. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 23 Aug 2009 : 07:14:24
Medieval Europe is kinda the default look for most fantasy settings. |
