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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 06:44:12
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Similar to my Forgotten Realms products thread, what I'm interested in here are the top ten Forgotten Realms novels that really made an impact with you to help define how you saw the Realms and what you wanted to see more of. This isn't so much a favorites list (though it might have some of your favorites on it) so much as it is a list of the novels that defined the style, tone, and tenor of the Realms to you.
So, here's mine, to get the ball rolling:
1. Cormyr, A Novel--I love this book, but more than that, the skillful back and forth between historical content and the modern day, the plots of various power groups, and details on one of the biggest, most important nations in the setting, and a real feel of now just what, but how various power groups and power players work, it was just a great Realms novel, to my way of thinking.
2. Evermeet: Island of Elves--For all of the same reasons that the above made the list, and also because Elaine not only did a great job of evoking the feel of the Realms, but also of embracing lots of disparate lore, from the Moonshaes to Spelljammer. A clinic of how to write a good novel that weaves some oddball things into the narrative and makes them work.
3. Elfshadow--A book that not only went into the feel of elves in the Realms, but also created some lasting, meaningful characters, breathed life into some existing NPCs, and made Waterdeep come into sharp, living focus.
4. Azure Bonds--Power groups, adventurers, grandiose plans, and on top of all of that, a story that resolved but still left tons of hooks for future stories. An important story early on in that it established clashing power groups and an adventurer sub-culture in the Realms.
5. The Crystal Shard--I didn't realize it at first, but this book actually hits a lot of the early feel of the setting. You have an adventuring party, at least one power group, more if you count the barbarian tribes, and some over the top powerful artifacts. It was fun, it was swashbuckling, and on top of that, it introduced the Savage Frontier in novel form.
6. Prince of Lies--What's that you say? This one was about gods meddling on Faerun directly and the destruction of a major, important city. How is this integral to my image of the Realms? Because it actually seemed, at the time, to be attempting to close the door on some of the concepts visited in the Avatar Trilogy, until the door was opened back up again. Cyric no longer had three major portfolios, we got a more even tempered Death god, and it seemed like we could move on a bit from the godly soap opera. On its own, it was a novel I enjoyed, and I though was getting ahead of the trend of needing to have the gods acting directly in the setting. At one point Mystra seems to realize that the gods are their portfolios, so they don't have that much of a drive to engage in the soap opera, and that the longer the former mortals made gods are gods, the further away from the soap opera we would get. Or that was the theory.
7. Spellfire--There are Ed books I enjoyed more. There are Realms novels I enjoyed more. However, I completely "got" the point of the book. Barmaid finds out that power groups are interested in her for some reason, Barmaid becomes adventurer and tours the Realms, dodging every power group that has a clubhouse in the Heartlands. It showed some of the adventurer sub-culture and the interplay of power groups, right off the bat.
8. Spine of the World--Yeah, It's a personal favorite, but it's on the list for another reason. Wulfgar goes from main character, to sidekick, to back to life, and he gets a whole new set of supporting characters. It was interesting to see an important character taken out of his comfort zone, and still get a tour of Luskan to boot, and even get to see a power group meddling in all of it, in the form of Breagan D'earthe.
9. The Wyvern's Spur--This novel made an impact on me in that it wasn't so much "Book Two," but it was a continuation of some characters story, tying up some plot threads, while creating more. It's a classic Realms plot structure, i.e. close one door, open one or two more for next time.
10. Tangled Webs--Yup, I picked a middle book. But it really typifies the Realms. Adventurers, pirates, various cultures, travel, Skullport, and fun, developing characters to boot.
As I said, not so much a list of favorites, although many of them are for me, but a list of books that really defined what I looked for and expected in Realms novels. Looking forward to seeing more lists, if you are so moved.
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 12:50:20
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Similar to my Forgotten Realms products thread, what I'm interested in here are the top ten Forgotten Realms novels that really made an impact with you to help define how you saw the Realms and what you wanted to see more of. This isn't so much a favorites list (though it might have some of your favorites on it) so much as it is a list of the novels that defined the style, tone, and tenor of the Realms to you.
So, here's mine, to get the ball rolling:
1. Cormyr, A Novel--I love this book, but more than that, the skillful back and forth between historical content and the modern day, the plots of various power groups, and details on one of the biggest, most important nations in the setting, and a real feel of now just what, but how various power groups and power players work, it was just a great Realms novel, to my way of thinking.
2. Evermeet: Island of Elves--For all of the same reasons that the above made the list, and also because Elaine not only did a great job of evoking the feel of the Realms, but also of embracing lots of disparate lore, from the Moonshaes to Spelljammer. A clinic of how to write a good novel that weaves some oddball things into the narrative and makes them work.
3. Elfshadow--A book that not only went into the feel of elves in the Realms, but also created some lasting, meaningful characters, breathed life into some existing NPCs, and made Waterdeep come into sharp, living focus.
4. Azure Bonds--Power groups, adventurers, grandiose plans, and on top of all of that, a story that resolved but still left tons of hooks for future stories. An important story early on in that it established clashing power groups and an adventurer sub-culture in the Realms.
5. The Crystal Shard--I didn't realize it at first, but this book actually hits a lot of the early feel of the setting. You have an adventuring party, at least one power group, more if you count the barbarian tribes, and some over the top powerful artifacts. It was fun, it was swashbuckling, and on top of that, it introduced the Savage Frontier in novel form.
6. Prince of Lies--What's that you say? This one was about gods meddling on Faerun directly and the destruction of a major, important city. How is this integral to my image of the Realms? Because it actually seemed, at the time, to be attempting to close the door on some of the concepts visited in the Avatar Trilogy, until the door was opened back up again. Cyric no longer had three major portfolios, we got a more even tempered Death god, and it seemed like we could move on a bit from the godly soap opera. On its own, it was a novel I enjoyed, and I though was getting ahead of the trend of needing to have the gods acting directly in the setting. At one point Mystra seems to realize that the gods are their portfolios, so they don't have that much of a drive to engage in the soap opera, and that the longer the former mortals made gods are gods, the further away from the soap opera we would get. Or that was the theory.
7. Spellfire--There are Ed books I enjoyed more. There are Realms novels I enjoyed more. However, I completely "got" the point of the book. Barmaid finds out that power groups are interested in her for some reason, Barmaid becomes adventurer and tours the Realms, dodging every power group that has a clubhouse in the Heartlands. It showed some of the adventurer sub-culture and the interplay of power groups, right off the bat.
8. Spine of the World--Yeah, It's a personal favorite, but it's on the list for another reason. Wulfgar goes from main character, to sidekick, to back to life, and he gets a whole new set of supporting characters. It was interesting to see an important character taken out of his comfort zone, and still get a tour of Luskan to boot, and even get to see a power group meddling in all of it, in the form of Breagan D'earthe.
9. The Wyvern's Spur--This novel made an impact on me in that it wasn't so much "Book Two," but it was a continuation of some characters story, tying up some plot threads, while creating more. It's a classic Realms plot structure, i.e. close one door, open one or two more for next time.
10. Tangled Webs--Yup, I picked a middle book. But it really typifies the Realms. Adventurers, pirates, various cultures, travel, Skullport, and fun, developing characters to boot.
As I said, not so much a list of favorites, although many of them are for me, but a list of books that really defined what I looked for and expected in Realms novels. Looking forward to seeing more lists, if you are so moved.
1. Darkwalker on Moonshae - first realms novel I bought.....would I have ever found the realms without it? Maybe.....but this one had enough "realms flavor" to keep me coming back. A prince with his faithful dog(I love the three or so novels with dogs ...this, ones with Riven and his dogs and Crypt of the Moaning Diamond with Mumchance and his mutts), Druids, the earthmother, leviathan, the wolves, lady knights.....dark wizards.....abit of everything!
2. The Magehound (the entire Councilors and Kings trilogy for that matter)- all I need to say is Elaine breathes life into Halruaa....a corner of the realms that before then was a thing of mystery and not much thought about. After she worked her magic, it became one of my most cherished corners of the realms. It gives a good understanding on what the nation is, was and how it got there. As always Elaine's impeccable character development helps you fall in love ith any area she writes in, just like you do with her characters.
3. Elfshadow - Elaine at her best (when isn't she?) besides the best character to ever walk the realms, Danilo Thann , we get a taste of so many
places and people....you start with King Zoar's assassination on Evermeet.....whisk across Faerun to Evereska.....hop into Waterdeep and beyond. A dash of Harper intrigue....King of the Elves, Khelbu Arunsun, Danilo and Arilyn .....this one is full of goodness.
Oh yeah and Moonblades......who doesn't love those?
4. Spellfire- pure fun. Manshoons roasting on an open fire, what's better than that? cult of the Dragon and Dracoliches.....a good glimpse at the Zhents. Elminster pops up, but doesn't dominate the tale.
5. Evermeet - need to understand the elves of faerun.....read this. Think this shows Elaine could fold anything into a good read. If you think too hard about some of the stuff in here and how well it fits(when it seems it might not) you just scratch your head a wonder how the hell she did it.
6. Ghostwalker - a small tale that doesn't shatter worlds, but introduced for me, a well needed streak of darkness to realms fiction that threads through many current novels.
My favorite realms stand alone novel, hands down. It cam along at a time I was in a realms funk and reignited my love for it.
7. Reclamation/ the Serpent's Daughter.......even though we may never get to read these.....they both were planned and announced at perfect times for me, my enthusiasm for them kept me checking back in on realms fiction at two times I considering leaving for good.
8. The Crystal Shard - dual wielding...wtf?! That's freakin cool! at the time without having read the Elric books and a few other things, I thought this was about the most original and inventive book I had ever read. Now I can't decide if D is Elric light or a dark John Carter....but I still love reading about him. After taking a few books off then plunging back in,,he still holds your attention.
But the book had Red Wizards, an uber artifact, one of the best dwarves ever written, and a host of other things that made Icewind Dale unforgettable.
9. Elminster in Myth Drannor - this one got me hooked on the realms past....what an interesting place Myth Drannor was and I would gladly revisit it's glory days anytime.
10. Sword Play (Netheril Trilogy) - I read this after Shade's return. It kinda make me wish that either shade didn't return or ideally when they did, another "brighter" part of Netheril (as in not reliant on shar, not good guys per sey), to balance the shade craze...I thought Halruaa could do that, but oh well. I really liked delving into what Netheril was and how their hubris grew to cost them. |
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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Edited by - The Red Walker on 21 Oct 2012 13:34:40 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 19:18:57
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My list often changes over time... |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 21:03:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
My list often changes over time...
...like your avatar pic  |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 20 Oct 2012 : 21:23:37
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Indeed. Though I suppose it's a good thing. It means novels are getting better and better each year. Or maybe it's just my tastes that change a lot. [I'll try to make a list later.]
The Summoning by Troy Denning
The Siege by Troy Denning
The Sorcerer by Troy Denning
Unholy by Richard Lee Byers
Shadowstorm by Paul S. Kemp
Shadowrealm by Paul S. Kemp
The Shield of Weeping Ghosts by James P. Davis
The Making of a Mage by Ed Greenwood
Wizardwar by Elaine Cunningham
Undead by Richard Lee Byers
[Later, if I feel a little less lazy, I'll try to list them in order, and provide a few comments/thoughts on each.] |
Every beginning has an end. |
Edited by - Dennis on 23 Oct 2012 01:17:12 |
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Seravin
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1304 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2012 : 01:43:29
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Crystal Shard
Darkwalker on Moonshae
Shadowdale
Tantras
Waterdeep
Spellfire
Azure Bonds
Pool of Radiance
Red Magic
Elfshadow
Each of those books opened up a new part of the Realms for me (even though I don't think the avatar trilogy is well written, it does go all around the realms)!
My favorite Realms novel is The Wyvern's Spur, btw. But it only opened up Immersea :p |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2012 : 10:07:55
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| I completely agree with the OP's post, at least the first three. |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Derulbaskul
Senior Scribe
Singapore
408 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2012 : 13:46:43
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1. Spellfire. I remember reading the description of Zhent assassins and, in that brief moment, the world came alive for me.
2. The Crystal Shard. I loved the way this showed you a diverse group of adventurers in action. I wasn't enamoured with the angst-y crap or dual-wielding scimitars (Robert E Vardeman and Victor Milan wrote a much better dual-wielder of scimitars in The War of Powers double trilogy nearly a decade earlier) but the book really brought the idea of the adventuring party alive for me.
3 Cormyr. I was stunned when I read this. The history of Cormyr - and the depth of the history of the Realms - came alive for me.
Anyway, only three for me with the key phrase in each comment being "came alive" or similar: the ones that had the most impact on me made the Realms, particularly as a world in which to set D&D, come alive. |
Cheers
D
NB: Please remember: A cannon is a big gun. Canon is what we discuss here. |
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Thauranil
Master of Realmslore
India
1591 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 12:44:31
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1. Shadow storm
2. Crystal Shard
3. Elminister in Myth Drannor
4. Prince of Lies
5. Unclean
6. The Ruin
7. Insurrection
8. Tangled Webs
9. Fall of Highwatch
10. Bladesinger
These are not all my favorite realms novels but the ones that were had the most impact on my impression of the realms as such many of them are novels that I read many years ago and were what introduced me to the realms.
Yes , I know my list is not chronological but in the old days I would just read whatever FR books i could get my hand on so it was pretty chaotic. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2012 : 19:41:46
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*in no particular order
Streams of Silver
Homeland
Prince of Lies
Spellfire
Darkwalker on Moonshae
Horselords
Iron Helm
Red Magic
Shadowdale
The Legacy |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
Edited by - Artemas Entreri on 22 Oct 2012 19:44:03 |
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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2012 : 03:10:07
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Ok, for me it's in terms of impact, (not necessarily favorite):
1) The Wyvern's Spur: Realms fantasy at it's best. The mother of all classics.
2) Crucible: The trial of Cyric the Mad: Epic realms
3) Elfshadow: oldschool Realms fantasy at it's best
4) The Magehound: exceptional and very particular. Show's a side of the realms unlike anything I have seen elsewhere in realms novels. The setting is just great.
5) Dawn of Night: the middle book and epic dark realms.
6) Shadowstorm: like 5) reloaded
7) Extinction: remember the Ship of Chaos? Yes, that's just one reason why. The whole series is a total must.
8) The Halls of Stormweather: brilliant introduction to Sembia from different perspectives
9) Storm of the Dead: another epic one. The first two books had great impact on me.
10) The Alabaster Staff: there may be better novels, but in terms of flair and background for the realms, it deserves to be on the list. |
"You make an intriguing offer, one that is very tempting. It would seem that I have little alternative than to answer thusly: DISINTEGRATE!" Vaarsuvius, Order of the Stick 625 |
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IamWeasel
Acolyte
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2012 : 02:33:11
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Wow! 10 only...
Shadowdale
Tantras
Waterdeep
Homeland
Exile
Sojourn
Twilight Falling
Dawn of Midnight
Midnights Mask
Elfsong
Guess I sound like a homer for the epic stuff...and I am.
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That must be wondeful; I have no idea what it means. -Moliere |
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Entromancer
Senior Scribe
USA
388 Posts |
Posted - 25 Oct 2012 : 00:24:12
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The Orc King: King Obould is my favorite villain from Salvatore's Realms novels; this novel gave him some nice development. The situation facing Drizzt and Bruenor was more intriguing than all the fighting in The Hunters' Blades.
The Thousand Orcs: This is the first novel where I felt as if Drizzt and the Companions were in mortal danger.
The Pirate King: The fallout from Drizzt and Deudermont "saving" Luskan from the Hosttower of the Arcane is my favorite event from all the Realms novels I've read.
Unholy: I loved the set-up for this story; the whole villain wins the big war while the protagonists get a...pyrrhic relief...was excellent. I loved the twisted show one of the Zulkirs was holding in their manor. I think it was a Zulkir; Bareris had snuck in; it was basically a free-for-all party for humans and all manner of ungodly beasties.
The Captive Flame: Tchazzar's descent into insanity was a thrill to read. I enjoyed the genasi here as well as the dragonborn mythology sprinkled throughout the first two books.
Road of the Patriarch: The payoff from the action-romp of Promise of the Witch-King made this one a pageturner. I liked how Salvatore wasn't afraid to show the ugly side of people in power once he returned Entreri and Jarlaxle to Calimport. The ending between Entreri and Jarlaxle was also well done and felt pretty realistic, all things considered.
Siege of Darkness: Only for the way Salvatore combined swordplay and spellslinging in the drow invasion. This is one of his best action pieces to date.
The Crystal Shard: The first time I read it, I wished Drizzt were in it more. The second time I read it, I wished Salvatore had been allowed to use Wulfgar as his main protagonist. Wulfgar's parts were the best here.
The Spine of the World: Again, for Wulfgar. I like the arc Salvatore brought Wulfgar through after his resurrection.
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"...the will is everything. The will to act."--Ra's Al Ghul
"Suffering builds character."--Talia Al Ghul |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 25 Oct 2012 : 04:18:50
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Some of the "impactful" novels people have listed are on my to-read list. My list here is actually going to be labelled by series, not by individual book. In no particular order:
Evermeet: Island of Elves
Return of the Archwizards
War of the Spider Queen
Lady Penitent
Empyrean Odyssey
Haunted Lands
Avatar series
Erevis Cale
Twilight Wars
Icewind Dale
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Sweet water and light laughter |
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IamWeasel
Acolyte
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 25 Oct 2012 : 13:04:36
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quote:
Originally posted by CorellonsDevout
Some of the "impactful" novels people have listed are on my to-read list. My list here is actually going to be labelled by series, not by individual book. In no particular order:
Evermeet: Island of Elves
Return of the Archwizards
War of the Spider Queen
Lady Penitent
Empyrean Odyssey
Haunted Lands
Avatar series
Erevis Cale
Twilight Wars
Icewind Dale
That's what I wanted to do! |
That must be wondeful; I have no idea what it means. -Moliere |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 25 Oct 2012 : 18:21:23
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| Haha well I know KNJR was asking for individual books, but at least IMO, unless the novel is itself a stand-alone (such as Evermeet), I think it takes the whole series to cover the "impactful". I mean, yes, each novel will have it's own individual impact, but a series covers the event(s), so if you want to get the most out of the impact, it takes the whole series. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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Firestorm
Senior Scribe
Canada
826 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2013 : 00:46:30
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quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Similar to my Forgotten Realms products thread, what I'm
1. Cormyr, A Novel--I love this book, but more than that, the skillful back and forth between historical content and the modern day, the plots of various power groups, and details on one of the biggest, most important nations in the setting, and a real feel of now just what, but how various power groups and power players work, it was just a great Realms novel, to my way of thinking.
4. Azure Bonds--Power groups, adventurers, grandiose plans, and on top of all of that, a story that resolved but still left tons of hooks for future stories. An important story early on in that it established clashing power groups and an adventurer sub-culture in the Realms.
9. The Wyvern's Spur--This novel made an impact on me in that it wasn't so much "Book Two," but it was a continuation of some characters story, tying up some plot threads, while creating more. It's a classic Realms plot structure, i.e. close one door, open one or two more for next time.
1. Darkwalker on Moonshae - first realms novel I bought.....would I have ever found the realms without it? Maybe.....but this one had enough "realms flavor" to keep me coming back. A prince with his faithful dog(I love the three or so novels with dogs ...this, ones with Riven and his dogs and Crypt of the Moaning Diamond with Mumchance and his mutts), Druids, the earthmother, leviathan, the wolves, lady knights.....dark wizards.....abit of everything!
Does anyone know why Grubb and Novak stopped writing for Forgotten realms? Some of their novels are classic amazing novels. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2013 : 01:22:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Firestorm
quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Similar to my Forgotten Realms products thread, what I'm
1. Cormyr, A Novel--I love this book, but more than that, the skillful back and forth between historical content and the modern day, the plots of various power groups, and details on one of the biggest, most important nations in the setting, and a real feel of now just what, but how various power groups and power players work, it was just a great Realms novel, to my way of thinking.
4. Azure Bonds--Power groups, adventurers, grandiose plans, and on top of all of that, a story that resolved but still left tons of hooks for future stories. An important story early on in that it established clashing power groups and an adventurer sub-culture in the Realms.
9. The Wyvern's Spur--This novel made an impact on me in that it wasn't so much "Book Two," but it was a continuation of some characters story, tying up some plot threads, while creating more. It's a classic Realms plot structure, i.e. close one door, open one or two more for next time.
1. Darkwalker on Moonshae - first realms novel I bought.....would I have ever found the realms without it? Maybe.....but this one had enough "realms flavor" to keep me coming back. A prince with his faithful dog(I love the three or so novels with dogs ...this, ones with Riven and his dogs and Crypt of the Moaning Diamond with Mumchance and his mutts), Druids, the earthmother, leviathan, the wolves, lady knights.....dark wizards.....abit of everything!
Does anyone know why Grubb and Novak stopped writing for Forgotten realms? Some of their novels are classic amazing novels.
I think it was just a case of moving on to other things. |
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Madpig
Learned Scribe
Finland
148 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2013 : 08:34:38
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[/quote]
Does anyone know why Grubb and Novak stopped writing for Forgotten realms? Some of their novels are classic amazing novels.
[/quote]
If my memory serves me correctly those guys concentrated to Dragonlance. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2013 : 11:38:50
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Not sure about the “concentrated” part. Jeff also wrote for other shared-world settings like Magic the Gathering, Ravenloft, StarCraft, and Warcraft. His MtG books are some of the best in that novel line. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Renin
Learned Scribe
USA
290 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2013 : 17:09:29
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I agree with every other post out there; any books from the Dark Elf Trilogy, from the Crystal Shard trio, the Azure Bonds groupings, Song & Swords, Prince of Lies, Cormyr, anything Elaine Cunningham, Erevis Cale Trilogy, and many others, but what was only also mentioned once:
Pool of Radiance.
While yes, based before(after? I don't even remember anymore) on the game, and perhaps not very good, this book, for this youngster, was just out there. The characters were so singularly different from each other, the city of Phlan was so odd, all the factions vying for control, the great, ancient evil-
-corny as it was, this kind of book led me to play the FR setting over Greyhawk, over Dragonlance, over anything else. I mean, it's the original Gold Box game!
I also have not tried to reread it in the last 20 years. Rather afraid to see what I'd find. ;) |
Edited by - Renin on 31 Aug 2013 17:10:28 |
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Firestorm
Senior Scribe
Canada
826 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2013 : 00:26:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Not sure about the “concentrated” part. Jeff also wrote for other shared-world settings like Magic the Gathering, Ravenloft, StarCraft, and Warcraft. His MtG books are some of the best in that novel line.
I liked his Magic TG book "the brothers war" and did not mind the ice Age series. But the ice age series was not quite as good as some of the best from that novel line. The brothers war on the other hand was a very solid read. Not quite as good as J Robert King(Who was probably my favorite magic author), but better than many of the others.
Can't even remember who wrote "Arena" lol. that book is easily the best Magic book ever written and was not even part of the main storyline. I just remember I never saw the author again. But he had a great idea for how to write a book.
I started playing that game when it first came out and quit right around the time they Killed yawgmoth. I also ended up quitting the books. The game became too much of a money grab. They put sets out Waaaaaaay too often and made it so that if you were not willing to spend, you had a hard time competing.
Incidentally, I sold 44 cards for $1350 on ebay 9 years ago, only to look today and find out I could have gotten twice/three times as much :(
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Firestorm
Senior Scribe
Canada
826 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2013 : 00:32:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Renin
I agree with every other post out there; any books from the Dark Elf Trilogy, from the Crystal Shard trio, the Azure Bonds groupings, Song & Swords, Prince of Lies, Cormyr, anything Elaine Cunningham, Erevis Cale Trilogy, and many others, but what was only also mentioned once:
Pool of Radiance.
While yes, based before(after? I don't even remember anymore) on the game, and perhaps not very good, this book, for this youngster, was just out there. The characters were so singularly different from each other, the city of Phlan was so odd, all the factions vying for control, the great, ancient evil-
-corny as it was, this kind of book led me to play the FR setting over Greyhawk, over Dragonlance, over anything else. I mean, it's the original Gold Box game!
I also have not tried to reread it in the last 20 years. Rather afraid to see what I'd find. ;)
Heh. I never got into greyhawk. Dragonlance I did get into, but the problem with that was, other than the main books in dragonlance, they were all meh. Weis and Hickman were great(In the original 2 trilogies, as well as a few others like soulforged). other than those, I read around 20 Dragonlance books and did not enjoy any of them except "the legend of Huma" which was merely "ok"
The realms appealed to me a heck of a lot more once I realized everyone in Dragonlance is writing only about Weis/Hickman's characters most of the time. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2013 : 05:15:28
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quote:
Originally posted by Firestorm
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Not sure about the “concentrated” part. Jeff also wrote for other shared-world settings like Magic the Gathering, Ravenloft, StarCraft, and Warcraft. His MtG books are some of the best in that novel line.
Can't even remember who wrote "Arena" lol. that book is easily the best Magic book ever written and was not even part of the main storyline. I just remember I never saw the author again. But he had a great idea for how to write a book.
It is one of my favorites too, and it’s what I consider the best in the “old era.” Since it’s my fave, I don’t forget its author: William R. Forstchen. If you’re a fan of the Riftwar series, you may recall he did cowrite Honored Enemy with Ray. Not sure why he never wrote another MtG novel.
quote:
I started playing that game when it first came out and quit right around the time they Killed yawgmoth. I also ended up quitting the books.
Never played the game, but I loved the setting and most of the books, old and new. For the relatively new ones, you may want to try Agents of Artifice by Ari Marmell and Test of Metal by Matthew Stover. Great character development. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Entromancer
Senior Scribe
USA
388 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2013 : 19:48:07
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| I have to second Stover and Marmell's novels. |
"...the will is everything. The will to act."--Ra's Al Ghul
"Suffering builds character."--Talia Al Ghul |
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Yoss
Learned Scribe
USA
259 Posts |
Posted - 28 Sep 2013 : 13:53:59
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I've been trying to get through Masquerades intermittently (meaning I've read a half dozen other books since I got halfway through it), and have come to the realization that I just do not like Novak/Grubb novels.
Don't know if I can make a most impact full top ten. Honorable mention to Icewind Dale for getting me interested, top prize going to Dark Elf Trilogy for sucking me in entirely. Evermeet definitely, because that was really one of the first non-Drizzt Realms books I read which made me think yes, this is definitely a world I want to spend some time in (ironically being about elves and their xenophobic, separatist/isolationist attitudes). I didn't absolutely love every single novel in the Sembia series, but I thought the concept was cool--and there was really only one I truly disliked. And there are very, very few novels I've read by anyone where I got such a clear mental image of the story as it went on as I did reading Shadow's Witness (even if on the whole, the Erevis Cale trilogy trumps all). Blackstaff. |
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore
1632 Posts |
Posted - 28 Sep 2013 : 15:27:23
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1. Evermeet
2. Cormyr
3. Homeland
4. Pool of Radiance
5. Sembia Series (but I include all the offshot novels from that)
6. Return of the Archwizards
7. Avatar series
8. Griffonbrotherhood series
9. Brimstone Angels
10. The Sundering Series (only read two books so far, but its defining the setting going forward and its emotionally impactful)
Obviously some overlap between say Brimstone Angels and the Sundering. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 28 Sep 2013 : 15:46:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Yoss
I've been trying to get through Masquerades intermittently (meaning I've read a half dozen other books since I got halfway through it), and have come to the realization that I just do not like Novak/Grubb novels.
You know, I believe you're the first person I've seen here that disliked those novels. Why did they not work for you? |
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Yoss
Learned Scribe
USA
259 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2013 : 10:05:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Yoss
I've been trying to get through Masquerades intermittently (meaning I've read a half dozen other books since I got halfway through it), and have come to the realization that I just do not like Novak/Grubb novels.
You know, I believe you're the first person I've seen here that disliked those novels. Why did they not work for you?
That's very possible, there's really nothing awful about them. I just find them dull. They do everything ok: story is ok, painting of scenery is ok, characters are ok. There's just absolutely nothing in them that makes me go "wow, that was really cool," be it a single character that I really get invested in, or an amazing location description where I really get sucked into the world, or a crazy plot twist that I didn't see coming at all. Theyre very evenly written, there's no single thing I can point to, like "oh the characters are all incredibly one-dimensional," or "the story is overly predictable," because that's not actually the case. They're perfectly fine standard fantasy novels, but unfortunately to me that translates as generic and boring. I did enjoy the Wyvern's Spur, and Azure Bonds was okay, but Song of the Saurials and Masquerades took/are taking me forever when after 20 pages I realize I haven't been paying attention at all for the last 10, because I zoned out and just don't really care. I'd almost rather have a couple characters I really like, a couple I truly dislike, whereas with these particular books I'm just incredibly neutral on all of them. The story is serviceable, and the sum of all the parts equates to a paint by numbers fantasy novel that leaves me thinking about other things when I try to read it. I'm never saying "screw these books, they're bad," they just tend to put me to sleep. |
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Top Ten Impactful Forgotten Realms Novels
