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hawkytom
Seeker
USA
82 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Feb 2009 : 00:42:42
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-King Pinch
-War in Tethyr
-Escape from the Undermountain
-The Mage in the Iron Mask
-The Council of Blades
-The Simbul's Gift
Anybody have any recollection of their experiences when reading any of this series that you'd like to share? Planning on diving into this series after the superbowl and was wondering what everybody thought and what to expect(w/out spoilers of course).
I've read a lot about negative things about these books, but was wondering what current opinions you all have on these novels. Some of these novels were a pain for me to obtain, so I'm hoping they are good!
Thanks.
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Any Lone Wolf fans? Old school gamebooks from the 80's? They are being re-released/updated, and new books 29-32 being written: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/novels/lonewolfsolo.html
Forgotten Realms BOOKS owned: ALL of them! (ebooks?...NONE! ever) |
Edited by - hawkytom on 01 Feb 2009 00:43:55
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scererar
Master of Realmslore
USA
1618 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2009 : 00:55:15
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| I have King pinch and the simbul's gift. older realms novels of course, with a different style then today's realms novels. They were ok reads, nothing spectacular. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36877 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2009 : 01:38:15
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I've only read the first three, and it's been several years -- and the fact that it has been that long is an indication of how I think of them.
King Pinch was okay, though I was a little bugged by his "thieves guild" consisting of only a handful of people. That's a gang, not a guild.
Escape from the Undermountain I really didn't like, mostly because the way Undermountain was depicted was wildly different from the source material. The story wasn't all that hot, either.
War in Tethyr... Whew. There was a lot going on in this one that I didn't like... I had to work at it to get to page 100 -- and that's my make it or break it point for a novel. If I decide, partway into a book, that I don't like it, I get to page 100, just to see if it improves or continues to draw vacuum. This one, I had to work to get that far. And then I put the book down, and never picked it back up. That was back in '97 or '98.
The only reason I have these books now is because of completeness. I've decided not to replace a lot of the books I lost, but the FR series is one of two series that I'm replacing all of, despite not enjoying all of the books.
I do have to note, however, that I've not touched any of these books in years -- and there is at least one case on record of me not liking a book the first time I read it, but then quite enjoying it years later.
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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swifty
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
517 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2009 : 14:24:29
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| im like you wooly.i now own bout 145 novels and have read every one but some of them have been hard going.the nobles series were written during imo a really bad period and none of the novels are relly all that much. |
go back to sleep america.everything is under control.heres american gladiators.watch this.shuttup. BILL HICKS. |
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Dalmar Amad
Seeker
Germany
56 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2009 : 10:29:15
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Hello,
i've read them all and think except for Council of Blades and Escape from Undermountain they're ok. Not too good, but not really bad either. I enjoyed reading of regions that are not featured that often in novels, so these books held something good for me. |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2009 : 12:36:25
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| The Mage in the Iron Mask follows up on "Once Around the Realms" - which isn't necessarily required to read to enjoy this one, but is a nice bonus. |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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Jimbobx
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
109 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2009 : 15:45:29
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Being something of a collector myself I can understand why you'd want these novels...but as far as a reading experience goes I don't think they are worth the trouble. I remember seeing a mint King Pinch for sale for £30 (that used to be 60 US dollars before the backside fell out of the pound). That was too rich for my blood.
Saying that, I do get that old school nostalgia buzz when I leaf through 'War in Tethyr'.
mmm...nostalgia. |
Rilyetan's Retreat
Jimbob's Waterdeep Journal
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2009 : 16:20:44
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Didn't War in Thethyr feature Zaranda Star? Worth reading for that alone. And I think I enjoyed The Simbul's Gift.
I liked them all, loved none....but glad they are on my shelf filling out my collection of pre-4e Novels.....only need 2 or 3 more. |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2009 : 16:40:18
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quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
Didn't War in Thethyr feature Zaranda Star?
Yes (although I haven't read it). |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36877 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2009 : 16:51:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Jimbobx
I remember seeing a mint King Pinch for sale for £30 (that used to be 60 US dollars before the backside fell out of the pound).
There's a copy on eBay right now, Buy It Now for $1.
The most I've ever paid for a single paperback novel was $25 -- but that wasn't a Realms novel, it was the rather rare and quite obscure The Sword and the Dagger BattleTech novel.
My replacement copy of that novel was cheaper, as I recall. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2009 : 18:03:21
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| FYI, Council of Blades is a little different. |
Karsite Arcanar (Most Holy Servant of Karsus)
Anauria - Survivor State of Netheril as penned by me:
http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/172023 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2009 : 22:41:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Jimbobx
I remember seeing a mint King Pinch for sale for £30 (that used to be 60 US dollars before the backside fell out of the pound).
There's a copy on eBay right now, Buy It Now for $1.
The most I've ever paid for a single paperback novel was $25 -- but that wasn't a Realms novel, it was the rather rare and quite obscure The Sword and the Dagger BattleTech novel.
My replacement copy of that novel was cheaper, as I recall.
Whoa! I actually paid over $50AUS to replace my heavily damaged copy of The Sword and the Dagger. And even then, the replacement copy was kinda worn and easily classified as second-hand. *sigh* |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36877 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2009 : 23:37:51
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Jimbobx
I remember seeing a mint King Pinch for sale for £30 (that used to be 60 US dollars before the backside fell out of the pound).
There's a copy on eBay right now, Buy It Now for $1.
The most I've ever paid for a single paperback novel was $25 -- but that wasn't a Realms novel, it was the rather rare and quite obscure The Sword and the Dagger BattleTech novel.
My replacement copy of that novel was cheaper, as I recall.
Whoa! I actually paid over $50AUS to replace my heavily damaged copy of The Sword and the Dagger. And even then, the replacement copy was kinda worn and easily classified as second-hand. *sigh*
My copy is worn, but not too badly. It's actually in quite good shape, considering the age. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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khorne
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1073 Posts |
Posted - 07 Feb 2009 : 07:25:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
War in Tethyr... Whew. There was a lot going on in this one that I didn't like... I had to work at it to get to page 100 -- and that's my make it or break it point for a novel. If I decide, partway into a book, that I don't like it, I get to page 100, just to see if it improves or continues to draw vacuum. This one, I had to work to get that far. And then I put the book down, and never picked it back up. That was back in '97 or '98.
War in Tethyr was the first realms book I ever read.
And I enjoyed the Simbul's gift the most out of the series. |
If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy |
Edited by - khorne on 07 Feb 2009 07:26:35 |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 07 Feb 2009 : 12:45:30
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| Not the best of series in my opinion, but War in Tethyr was OK as far as I remember. |
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Marc
Senior Scribe
662 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2009 : 10:07:57
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one of the worst series imho
I liked some parts of War in Tethyr (is that the one with the faerie dragon? probably that's why) and King Pinch
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2450 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2009 : 17:47:33
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There have been a couple of threads on this series in the past, and feeling how I didn't feel like thinking too hard about a bunch of mediocre-at-best books (Simbul's Gift notwithstanding), I hunted one down. Here's a link to one from 2005, and I've pasted my comments from that thread below.
http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4143
* *
I was non-plussed with a lot of the nobles books.
King Pinch I had a hard time getting into. None of the characters really grabbed me.
I kinda liked parts of Escape from Undermountain, and other parts really irked me (the oft-mentioned Halaster scene. I've actually DM'ed Halaster in the Stardock adventure, and, personally, I think I did a much better job).
War in Tethyr just confuses me. I read it and then later read Lands of Intrigue, and now I can't figure out which parts are in the book and which are in the box set. AND there's a bunch of roving characters and other things that just sort of pop up out of nowhere.
Council of Blades is just a *weird* setting. But I looked it up and it really is out in the middle of nowhere between several larger powers. And, as far as I can tell, never covered again. Which is probably a good thing, since it's not the Realms at all, but rather Renaissance Italy dumped into Toril, complete with stupid striped pants. Plus, that equally-stupid inventor practically reinvents warfare by the end. I did like the firebird and his hippogriff lover, though.
Mage in the Iron Mask was ok, I just was annoyed that as far as all the game info on Mulmaster is concerned, it never happened. All the hints set up in the book about how the twin might take a different path is completely ignored.
The only one of the series I really liked, and have since reread, was Simbul's Gift. The setting wasn't unknown, the characters were more believable, and enough but not too many fireworks flew. I also found myself really liking Lauzoril, especially how he relates to his daughter, and the scene between him and the Simbul at the very end is really nice. I kind of wonder if anything else ever happens between them.
So, anyway, there's my view of them.
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Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2009 : 23:05:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Hoondatha
Council of Blades is just a *weird* setting. But I looked it up and it really is out in the middle of nowhere between several larger powers. And, as far as I can tell, never covered again. Which is probably a good thing, since it's not the Realms at all, but rather Renaissance Italy dumped into Toril, complete with stupid striped pants. Plus, that equally-stupid inventor practically reinvents warfare by the end. I did like the firebird and his hippogriff lover, though.
'Tis the Blade Kingdoms. It's definitely an area of the Realms that needs some serious overhaul. As it is, the Blade Kingdoms are wedged between Chessenta and Chondath, and yet the entire region has little cultural resemblance to any of its neighbours which only serves to further make it evident to us how the realm actually "does not belong there."
I think it would be neat to see the conflicted lands of the Blade Kingdoms, Chessenta, Threskel, and Unther get some treatment in the new material... an update to straighten out many of the inconsistencies.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2450 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2009 : 23:14:46
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Here's another thread I found during my search earlier today, this one specifically about reworking the Blade Kingdoms. I still like the idea of them being a Jhaamdathan survivor state, though I personally haven't done anything with it.
http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6422
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Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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The Nobles Series
