| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Ingrid the Invid |
Posted - 11 May 2006 : 15:56:26
I'm new to the Forgotten Realms and a little overwhelmed at the number of novel available. Where should I start reading to get a good grasp of what's going on? Who are the best writers.
PS. I did read the Dark Elf Trilogy and didn't care for it. So I'm looking for something else. |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Sage |
Posted - 31 May 2006 : 04:25:47
Yes, there is.
'Tis here:- http://www.wizards.com/forgottenrealms/fr_timeline.asp
Though note it is only relevant up to 1371 DR.
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| Varl |
Posted - 31 May 2006 : 03:54:13
As a side question to this topic, anyone know if a chronological listing of Realms novels exists? Thanks. |
| mavericace |
Posted - 27 May 2006 : 23:07:39
well if you dont have black wolf i will suggest waldens books. i walked right in and was able to order it for 6.99. |
| scererar |
Posted - 26 May 2006 : 14:43:30
I have never purchased a realms novel or source book for more than it's asking price (I still do not have black wolf though) My advise would be to hold out and keep checking out local used stores and the internet. You will find them my friend, just takes awhile. An example is the finders stone trilogy, took me forever, but eventually I found book 2 while on vacation at the beach. |
| mavericace |
Posted - 26 May 2006 : 07:30:03
Can someone tell me what books I may have a hard time finding (or finding at a decent price)? I have picked up Thornhold, a book that I have noticed sells for like 25 bucks for only 12 so if anyone would be so kind as to tell me what books i could have trouble finding then I may be able look for a while untill I find them at a good price.
By the way I know that Black Wolf is a tough one I cant find it for less than 18 dollars from amazon in canada. |
| mavericace |
Posted - 20 May 2006 : 00:41:40
Well I managed to find the 1st edition campaign setting on Ebay for 8 bucks (including shipping) so I placed the order, I also purchased a set of 14 other Forgotten Realms books for about 18 bucks the only bad thing is they are mostly like book 2 and 3 out of a bunch of diffrent series lol so I will have to pick up the first book before I read them. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 19 May 2006 : 11:09:36
quote:
Originally posted by scererar
check out the WoTC site for all of the free downloads first
And here's a link to that site: the Wizards downloads page. |
| scererar |
Posted - 19 May 2006 : 06:06:12
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
Maybe i should get a 2nd job to pay for my new habbit lol. Thanks for the help guys its good to know that people are so helpfull to someone like myself who is 20 years behind. im sure i will have plenty more questions lol maybe after i read a few more books i will be able to have some of the nice discusion that seams to take place on this forum.
2nd jobs do come in handy for this sort of thing  check out the WoTC site for all of the free downloads first, then chack out places like piazzo and rpgnow for inexpensive pdf's. this should cut down some of those costs for you and keep you from working yourself to the bone, just to catch up with forgotten realms material  |
| mavericace |
Posted - 19 May 2006 : 06:03:04
Maybe i should get a 2nd job to pay for my new habbit lol. Thanks for the help guys its good to know that people are so helpfull to someone like myself who is 20 years behind. im sure i will have plenty more questions lol maybe after i read a few more books i will be able to have some of the nice discusion that seams to take place on this forum. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 19 May 2006 : 01:21:12
quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
Since im not going to be using the Campaign setting to play D&D is it important to get the latest edition? i have no idea what is diffrent between the editions and if a older one has the same type of info i could most likly get it for less money.
This is hard to answer but my answer would be to get the 1e campaign box set, the 2e campaign box set, and the FRCS for 3e since each of them contains different lore and you can get some ideas on what has changed in the last 20 in game years ever since the setting was first published in 1987...
Agreed.
Alternatively, you could try picking up just the 1e boxed set first... finding out about what parts of the Realms you're really interested in and then deciding on whether you'd like to learn more about future developments for those parts. Then, you'll likely want to pick up both the 2e FR boxed set and the 3e FRCS to see how the regions you like have developed over the last 19 years.
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| Dremvek |
Posted - 18 May 2006 : 21:40:23
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
Since im not going to be using the Campaign setting to play D&D is it important to get the latest edition? i have no idea what is diffrent between the editions and if a older one has the same type of info i could most likly get it for less money.
The Forgotten Realms timeline is always moving forward. Most books published today deal with how the FR are in the current FR year. Books published 20 years ago deal with how the FR was at that time. Like our world, lots of stuff happens in the Realms over a period of 20, 50, or hundreds of years as the case may be.
So, the most recent editions will be most in tune with the novels that are coming out right now, where as a 1st Ed or 2nd Ed book will be more closely in line with the novels published at the same time as those. Granted, much of it, like maps and history, isn't going to change much, but the contemporary NPCs, the rulers of realms, high priests, etc. might have some more change associated with them. Plus there's that much more history to add to the newer books that has happened since the older books were published. |
| Kuje |
Posted - 18 May 2006 : 21:26:04
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
Since im not going to be using the Campaign setting to play D&D is it important to get the latest edition? i have no idea what is diffrent between the editions and if a older one has the same type of info i could most likly get it for less money.
This is hard to answer but my answer would be to get the 1e campaign box set, the 2e campaign box set, and the FRCS for 3e since each of them contains different lore and you can get some ideas on what has changed in the last 20 in game years ever since the setting was first published in 1987... |
| mavericace |
Posted - 18 May 2006 : 21:22:49
Since im not going to be using the Campaign setting to play D&D is it important to get the latest edition? i have no idea what is diffrent between the editions and if a older one has the same type of info i could most likly get it for less money. |
| Kuje |
Posted - 18 May 2006 : 21:07:53
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
Other than Ebay and Amazon is there any good place to pick up this stuff used? i dont exactly live in a area with tons of used bookstores so just wondering if there is like a D&D/Forgotten realms used online store or something like that.
Nobleknight.com or dragonstrove. Aaron at Nobleknight has gotten way to much of my money over the years but he's never screwed me. :) |
| mavericace |
Posted - 18 May 2006 : 21:01:04
Other than Ebay and Amazon is there any good place to pick up this stuff used? i dont exactly live in a area with tons of used bookstores so just wondering if there is like a D&D/Forgotten realms used online store or something like that. |
| Dremvek |
Posted - 18 May 2006 : 15:54:56
I would buy them - if you can find them used. There's a lot of information in there that will be of little use to you, and might not justify a $40 hardcover. However, if you can find it for around $20 or so, it's certainly a worthwhile pickup. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 18 May 2006 : 13:00:56
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
Would it be worth it to pick up a Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book? I am not planing on playing D&D but from what i understand it has a good map a list of the gods and other stuff that help me understand what the heck is going on. just wondering if it would be worth the 25 bucks.
I'd say so. The FRCS gives a great overview of the setting. It doesn't get into a huge amount of detail, because of how much it covers, but it does give enough info to answer a lot of questions about the setting, particularly those arising from reading the novels.
I'd also add the Player's Guide to Faerun to Wooly's suggestion... as it adds a few more tidbits to the general status of the campaign and brings the FR setting into 3.5e (the FRCS was 3.0e). As well, the "Campaign Journal" section of the tome notes events of those novels published after the FRCS was released up to the point the PGtF was published.
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| Shadovar |
Posted - 18 May 2006 : 11:04:56
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
Would it be worth it to pick up a Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book? I am not planing on playing D&D but from what i understand it has a good map a list of the gods and other stuff that help me understand what the heck is going on. just wondering if it would be worth the 25 bucks.
It is a worthy buy anyway, it provides a general feel of the realms as well as a general history of the realms. I would recommend the Lost Empires of Faerun as well, as many novels were based on ideas from the histories and pasts of Faerun so it would help get a better, detailed idea of the going ons on the past and present. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 18 May 2006 : 10:35:15
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
Would it be worth it to pick up a Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book? I am not planing on playing D&D but from what i understand it has a good map a list of the gods and other stuff that help me understand what the heck is going on. just wondering if it would be worth the 25 bucks.
I'd say so. The FRCS gives a great overview of the setting. It doesn't get into a huge amount of detail, because of how much it covers, but it does give enough info to answer a lot of questions about the setting, particularly those arising from reading the novels. |
| mavericace |
Posted - 18 May 2006 : 08:30:33
Would it be worth it to pick up a Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book? I am not planing on playing D&D but from what i understand it has a good map a list of the gods and other stuff that help me understand what the heck is going on. just wondering if it would be worth the 25 bucks. |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 16 May 2006 : 07:30:12
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
where do the Realms of.... books fit in? are they just short stories or what? thanks guys.
Well met
Indeed, this are anthologies of short stories which occur during various periods of the Realms timeline. The trend lately is to release an anthology relating to the current Realms-shaking event (RSE) and novel trilogy. For example, the latest "Realms of.." is entitled Realms of the Elves and is tied to Richard Baker's Last Mythal Trilogy. Next up is Realms of War, for Paul S Kemp's The Twilight War Trilogy. |
| mavericace |
Posted - 16 May 2006 : 07:12:13
where do the Realms of.... books fit in? are they just short stories or what? thanks guys. |
| Beezy |
Posted - 14 May 2006 : 07:41:52
I have read all of the released ones minus City of Splendors which i am currently reading, the Last mythal I and II which are my next two books on my plate, and Whisperer of Waves.
I would recommend for "newbies" some of the following, in no order.
Dark Elf trilogy + Icewind Dale trilogy (Everyone seems to love Drizzt and these are the best of the Drzzt novels)
Spellfire (Tis where I began my FR reading)
The Finders Stone Trilogy (My personal favorite)
Songs and Sword series (A great series)
Sembia Series (Get a taste of a few authors and its a good starting place)
Cale trilogy (Kemp is an amazing author and this is great trilogy)
Any Anthology could be a good beginning to get a taste of the realms
I realize I gave a lot of options but I think any of those would be a good place to start. After I finish my sumemr classes I am going to read the Finders stone trilogy again first thing |
| mavericace |
Posted - 14 May 2006 : 07:20:33
well with all the R.A.Salvatore books done i have read like 24 books so only like 160 odd books left lol. i think after i read these 3 i will try to pick up some of the following in no order.
the Cormyr 3 books
the Sembia 7 books- although book 4 may be a problem
the Avatar 5 books
the Harper 16 books- i think 1 or two may be hard to find cheap
i guess after i have read them i can read about all the rest in any order?
By the way for whoever was talking about the book Masquerades amazon.com has copies for like 2 bucks if that helps. |
| Dremvek |
Posted - 14 May 2006 : 05:17:14
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
wow what have i gotten myself into lol. looks like i will be reading for years just to catch up. lets hope i continue to have good luck when finding these books lol.
Well, there have been approximately 180 Forgotten Realms novels published so far to date, and another 30+ books that have been announced so far, so you've got a bit of catching up to do!
As do I - only about 45 read so far by me......
As for the original topic, I'd go for Salvatore's or the Sembia series followed by Erevis Cale. The Drizzt series is very popular among the more casual readers of the Realms, so it gives you a good talking point with a greater audience (though they aren't mentioned much on here).
The Sembia series is nice because it gives you a taste of several different authors, with many of these authors having other realms books in case you really like their style. Erevis Cale takes place after the Sembia series with some of the same characters, and are just darn good books. |
| scererar |
Posted - 14 May 2006 : 00:21:07
quote:
Originally posted by mavericace
wow what have i gotten myself into lol. looks like i will be reading for years just to catch up. lets hope i continue to have good luck when finding these books lol.
that's about right  I have been going at it since 1988 and still have not read everyone. No worries though, some are worth skipping over. follow the advise of the sages here and they will steer you in the right direction and get you to the best of them, which should cut down the reading time a little. Additionally, a copy of the forgotten realms atlas could serve really well for you, as an overview of the first 3 or 4 trilogies. |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 14 May 2006 : 00:17:47
I think the finding part will be difficult indeed...I can sing a song of that myself |
| mavericace |
Posted - 13 May 2006 : 23:17:04
wow what have i gotten myself into lol. looks like i will be reading for years just to catch up. lets hope i continue to have good luck when finding these books lol. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 13 May 2006 : 23:05:10
quote:
Originally posted by Kaladorm
Bugger bugger bugger, halfway through Finder Bane at the moment and I can't find a copy of Masquerades. So much for trying to read things in order
No worries. Masquerades is a new tale of Alias and Dragonbait. It has little bearing on Finder's Bane and Tymora's Luck. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 13 May 2006 : 23:02:43
quote:
Originally posted by scererar
Wooly, was "dragginglance" an intentional pun 
Though it was the first TSR setting I was exposed to, I'm not that great a fan of the setting any more. I didn't come up with that nickname for it, but, at the time that I first heard it, absolutely nothing new was happening in the setting. The Legends trilogy was over and done with, and rather than go forward, most authors simply went sideways or backwards -- exploring the past of this nation or writing a not-overly-good tale of what Hero of the Lance X did sometime before the War of the Lance. The setting was, in short, dragging, and so the name was appropriate. I've used that name ever since.
So, yes, it was deliberate. |
