I want him and The Simbul to have a child, though; and train their son to continue what they always do...in the name of their goddess, for the people they cherish, for the Realms! Wait, that last bit sounds like a battle cry! Guess like I have to sleep now, before my blabbering gets worse.
Would you want their twins to be Chosen as well? I'm not sure if I would. I'd like them to follow most of their parents' footsteps, but at the same time I want them to forge a destiny of their own. They can attain immortality and be of service to the Realms through multiple wish spells, like what Halaster used. And I still want them to enjoy special favors from Mystra, like Larloch does, without being Chosen. And for a dose of irony, I'd like the girl to inherit El's sense of humor and relative patience, and the boy to inherit their mother's 'wild nature.'
No, I wouldn't expect them to be Chosen of anyone, though mages, most likely. A couple of spell-blade types might be interesting. Sort of like the FR equivalent to Jedi Knights, maybe. And I'd definitely see their kids having BOTH El's humor and her wildness- real "wild cards", if you will.
Oh, sure, I want and expect them to be wizards. It'd be way too strange if they wouldn't be, considering their parents are two of the greatest wizards in Toril.
Ruling Aglarond as king and queen doesn't sound bad, either.
Oh, sure, I want and expect them to be wizards. It'd be way too strange if they wouldn't be, considering their parents are two of the greatest wizards in Toril.
Ruling Aglarond as king and queen doesn't sound bad, either.
Pug has had a couple of sons that weren't wizards, and it still worked...
You'll note he was a bit 'edgier' in Elminster's Daughter. I have not read the more recent series (I wait until the entire series is published before I start it), but he specifically tells Vangerdehast that he is getting 'old and tired' (in reference to Vangy's own inner turmoil). I'm sure the Spellplague changed that, though (he was ready to throw in the towel then).
I don't just "think this", I KNOW this - Ed's writing is VERY good at letting you see into a character's heart. Elminster's finds it harder to reign in his temper (and believe me, he has one - he just doesn't let most folks see it, because then he will become 'the monster'). Elminster is NOT a 'sweet old codger', he is a wiley old snake, quite capable of ripping out someone's heart (when the situation calls for it), and is troubled by everything he has lived through... all the death and destruction... but he plods on, simply because he IS Mystra's Chosen. His loyalty is his most important personality quirk.
He swore that so long as he lives, he will serve her faithfully (even though she, herself, has perished... TWICE). Deep down he has a good heart, but he is tired of caring, and that is starting to bubble to the surface in El's Daughter (the novel, not the character). When you are that old, and that wise (for wisdom comes with age), you can't help but feel derision when you've seen the ten-thousanth 'young pup' make the exact same mistakes the other 9,999 did. When you see the umpteenth 'tyrant' try to rule the world - it gets old.
He has lived TOO long - he has become Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day. Events just keep playing-out over and over again, in much the same way, so his once much-vaunted patience is starting to look a little ragged around the edges.
Don't ever think he is depressed - that's not at all what I mean by 'sad'. Nor is he the happy-go-lucky skirt-chaser he pretends to be (that's an act, if you haven't figured it out). He is alive, but he no longer 'lives' - he just goes through the motions. For him, being alive has become a job (literally), and even though he may love his job (and I'm sure some small part of him still does), like anyone that's given the better part of their life to a job, he just wants to retire.
And being a 'Chosen' is like being in the Mafia, or working for the CIA... the only way you ever truly 'retire' is when they stick you in a box. Just because someone begins to look at death like an old friend, doesn't mean their depressed; it just means they think their job is done. Elminster has earned his happy ending... I just hope WotC lets Ed give it to him.
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
BEAUTIFULLY put, Markustay. You "get" Elminster perfectly. Be sure to read the new series when you think the time is right (the contract is for six books, but I'm not sure if there'll be a logical "break" after the first three). Ed hasn't tipped his hand as to El's eventual fate, but has promised me there'll be some surprises: the obvious road for plot won't necessarily be followed very faithfully. love, THO
Oh, sure, I want and expect them to be wizards. It'd be way too strange if they wouldn't be, considering their parents are two of the greatest wizards in Toril.
Being a great wizard doesn't automatically translate into one day producing wizard-capable spawn. Alustriel's many children are proof enough of that.
One of the stories that really made me cry and will never ever forget is the simple yet philosophical work by Exupery, The Little Prince. Can anyone recall a Realms character whose innocence and purity of heart is akin to that of The Little Prince ---who made you cry when he/she trusted someone and was betrayed in the worst fashion?
None of the numerous FR books I have read have had me crying. Getting choked up is a different story though!
The latest is from Gauntlygrym, and to avoid spoilers, I will just say, "me king...".
Sturm and Flint's deaths were very poignant. The characters were built up in a way that made you care about them. Even though Sturm's death was physically violent, the scene it was depicted in didn't feel that way. For Sturm it was a fulfillment of his duty and a rigid adherence to his code. This made the death much stronger emotionally. Flint's death was just heartbreaking. He was like the beloved grandfather that everyone says will still be around in 30 years, but is suddenly taken from you.
A non-death tear jerker was the end of the Mistborn Series for me (not FR, but darn good books!!). For those who have read it, yes, someone dies, but that wasn't the part that really hit me. The revelations that are brought to light and the realization of how much foreshadowing went into the books was, for lack of another expression, awe-inspiring. "Watching" the character experiencing these realizations was a pretty big part of it too.
Pavel's ultimate sacrifice in The Ruin is also poignant. He knew how little his chance of succeeding in destroying Sammaster's phylactery, and how big was the possibility that he'd die if he failed; yet try he still did.
Another non-Realms book that got me a bit choked up: Prince of the Blood, by Raymond E Feist. There's a scene early in the book where the Princes are talking to an elderly Kulgan. He makes a reference to his friend and debating partner, the priest Tully. He then pauses for a minute, waiting for a response from Tully, but Tully was long since dead... Which brought Kulgan down -- he paused out of habit, forgetting that Tully wasn't around to snap back at him.
After reading a trilogy that had Kulgan and Tully arguing frequently, seeing a now-elderly Kulgan missing his late friend like that was rather much an "aww, damn..." moment.
That, to me, is the kind of thing that makes a death scene more poignant. As with the death of Flint, the death was hard enough, but seeing the effects on those close to the deceased is what really brought it home.
Agreed. Deaths are painful to behold, but 'tis more poignant to see the friends, family, and everyone else who cared about them miss them so much, and at times still think them alive ---only to remember that they were long gone...
Hmmm, not a realms book, but- I'd say that one of the most poingiant deaths I've come across was Masterharper Robinton of the Pern series. After nearly a dozen books, and a very long, eventful life, he died alone, after finally having seen the dream of a world without the threat of Thread come true. Not just the death scene itself, but the fact that no one was even aware of it for some time, and then when he was found- it was all very touching. I cried through that entire section of the book. To see the most well-known and loved person on an entire planet finally die- it was just sad.
Hmmm, not a realms book, but- I'd say that one of the most poingiant deaths I've come across was Masterharper Robinton of the Pern series. After nearly a dozen books, and a very long, eventful life, he died alone, after finally having seen the dream of a world without the threat of Thread come true. Not just the death scene itself, but the fact that no one was even aware of it for some time, and then when he was found- it was all very touching. I cried through that entire section of the book. To see the most well-known and loved person on an entire planet finally die- it was just sad.
He was talking to Aivas, as I recall. Maybe not a person, but he was still interacting with someone -- so I can't consider him to have died alone.
I liked the bittersweet ending of Ghostwalker myself. A great selfless sacrifice in the name of love, redemption and vengeance. -gets a lump in his throat-
Indeed he was, Wooly, but I just found it sad that he spent his last moments talking to a machine.... That's what I meant by dying alone. And the fact that Aivas shut down at the same time made it even more touching.
I tend to get a little too emotional when reading, but Paul Kemp caused me to spend the entire last three or four chapters of Midnight's Mask bawling like an infant to the point that I had to walk away from the book for a moment. I feel sad admitting it, but that's truth.
Elden's treatment in Shadowstorm got to me as well, and the waterworks renewed in full during the entire ending of Shadowrealm. ...I may as well just state that I spent a good chunk of the Erevis Cale Chronicles weeping in a corner.
Bran thought about it. "Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?"
"That is the only time a man can be brave," his father told him.
I often like how Paul gives personalities to this characters. It's like a magic that makes you feel what they feel and see what they see as vivid like in RL. However, he sometimes tends to "emo-tized" certain characters, making them some 'walking manifestations' of gloom.
I think one of the first to bring a lump to my throat was Zaknafein's death at the end of Homeland. And even more so when he "died" again in Exile. The poor guy bought it TWICE. And both times it was for the love of his son. Touching.
I almost cried while reading the excruciating crucible of Bernie Kosar, John’s dog which is a shapeshifter, in the 409th page of I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. Here’s the scene:
quote: Bernie Kosar is being bitten and choked, about to die, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it. I won’t be far behind. I would sacrifice my own life for his. I scream out. Bernie Kosar twists his head around and looks at me, his face scrunched tightly in pain and agony and the oncoming death he must feel.
“We have to go!” the voice behind me yells, the hand pulling me up from off the forest floor.
Bernie Kosar’s eyes stay fixed on mine. Go, he says to me. Get out of here, now, while you can. There isn’t much time.
I was affected because it reminded me of our dog, who died just recently.
I think one of the first to bring a lump to my throat was Zaknafein's death at the end of Homeland. And even more so when he "died" again in Exile. The poor guy bought it TWICE. And both times it was for the love of his son. Touching.
As far as the main topic goes, i will second Alystra here. Homeland was the first realms novel i read, back in 94 or so. And it was the first FR novel that had me tearing up. I found it very powerful when Zak died. Both in Homeland and in Exile in fact. There has been several other FR novels after that which have had me tearing up a bit. One in particular that stands out is the very last sentence in Midnight's Mask. Riven has a heart... sort of. Who knew?
The Fantasy Novel That Made You Cry *Spoilers*
Posted - 05 Nov 2010 : 20:41:16
Guess like I have to sleep now, before my blabbering gets worse.
