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Xysma
Master of Realmslore
USA
1089 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 04:41:47
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| I finally got around to the rest of Halls of Stormweather, I read the Erevis Cale story a good while ago, but just now read the rest. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Once I got past the werewolf named Talbot (the name of the werewolf in The Wolf Man for those who don't understand my reasoning) I found that I love the character, the supporting characters and the story as a whole. So, now I have also finished The Black Wolf and enjoyed it as well. This may be attributed to my penchant for lycanthropes, but I liked the way the People were portrayed and also the conflict between them and the fringe elements of the church of Selune. |
War to slay, not to fight long and glorious.
Aermhar of the Tangletrees
Year of the Hooded Falcon
Xysma's Gallery
Guide to the Tomes and Tales of the Realms download from Candlekeep
Anthologies and Tales Overviews
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Ranin
Seeker
88 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 18:55:14
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)Spoilers Warning
I have to say that I have been lax with my reading  I started with the Icewind Dale trilogy because the cover looke cool. Then I read the Dark Elf trilogy where Drizzt is born and leaves the Underdark. Then I read the trilogy I can remember the name now where Wulfgar goes to the Abyss and the Drow invade Mithral Hall.
THeeeeenn I read Path of Darkness triology and after I'm done with Sea of Swords I plan to get into the trilogy where Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle team up. |
Listen to the silence of the wilds, in there lies the wisdom of ages. |
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Ranin
Seeker
88 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 18:55:57
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| I have also read Black Wolf |
Listen to the silence of the wilds, in there lies the wisdom of ages. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2007 : 00:53:04
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| Hooray, I just picked up Swords of Eveningstar and Screams of Stone to put in my Sack of Completeness. (Sorry Wooly, I just couldn't help it) |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jun 2007 : 23:58:06
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Hooray, I just picked up Swords of Eveningstar and Screams of Stone to put in my Sack of Completeness. (Sorry Wooly, I just couldn't help it)
I just started reading Scream of Stone, myself. 
As for Swords of Eveningstar...ooooh, I hope you enjoy 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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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2007 : 01:06:55
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| Just finished reading Scream of Stone (not very impressed, by the way), and tomorrow I will begin reading Midnight's Mask. |
"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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Lauzoril
Seeker
Finland
71 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jun 2007 : 10:28:28
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Just started Scream of Stone here.
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"Death to the enemies of Bane."
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jun 2007 : 01:49:13
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| I'm reading Shadowbred now, and it's fantastic. |
"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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Xysma
Master of Realmslore
USA
1089 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jul 2007 : 04:30:02
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| I finished Heirs of Prophecy, Scream of Stone, and Red Magic and now I'm on to The Ring of Winter. In a nutshell, Heirs was pretty good, if a bit silly at times, Scream of Stone was the best of the trilogy IMO, and Red Magic was quite good, although Szass Tam was not as suave and aloof as he is often represented, which is one of my favorite things about him. |
War to slay, not to fight long and glorious.
Aermhar of the Tangletrees
Year of the Hooded Falcon
Xysma's Gallery
Guide to the Tomes and Tales of the Realms download from Candlekeep
Anthologies and Tales Overviews
Check out my custom action figures, hand-painted miniatures, gaming products, and other stuff on eBay.
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jul 2007 : 23:38:08
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| Reading Beyond the High Road right now. I'm finding it surprisingly readable (I hear mixed things about Troy Denning's work), although some of the combat-in-the-Stonelands scenes are boring. |
"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) |
Edited by - Rinonalyrna Fathomlin on 06 Jul 2007 23:38:24 |
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J D Dunsany
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
180 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2007 : 12:44:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Reading Beyond the High Road right now. I'm finding it surprisingly readable (I hear mixed things about Troy Denning's work), although some of the combat-in-the-Stonelands scenes are boring.
That whole trilogy is incredible, imho. Real edge-of-your-seat high action stuff. I think Denning does a good job of keeping the story (and tension) going. Trilogies sometimes 'sag' a little in the middle, but I think 'Beyond the High Road' sets up 'The Death of the Dragon' really well. Speaking of which, that book blew my socks off! (I'm still looking for them now, as it happens...)
All the best!
JDD
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"How content that young woman looks, don't you think? How content, and yet how flammable." - Lemony Snicket, The Unauthorized Autobiography |
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The Wanderer
Learned Scribe
USA
132 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2007 : 16:21:46
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| Troy Denning is one of those authors which you either really, really like, or really dislike. I belong to the former camp; I've enjoyed his works tremendously (High Road, Archwizards Trilogy), including those having to do with a ... uh.... much more "parched" world. |
The Wanderer |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jul 2007 : 16:50:29
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| I generally like Denning as an author, even though I agree that his books can at times be a bit apart from standard Realmslore. I am talking about the older books I should add, The Archwizards books I have steered clear of after seeing the general opinions |
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The Wanderer
Learned Scribe
USA
132 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2007 : 02:31:46
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| Well, it's been a while since I've read some of his older novels. I believe you've just enticed me to break them out and read them again :-) |
The Wanderer |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2007 : 07:24:49
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quote:
Originally posted by The Wanderer
Troy Denning is one of those authors which you either really, really like, or really dislike. I belong to the former camp; I've enjoyed his works tremendously (High Road, Archwizards Trilogy), including those having to do with a ... uh.... much more "parched" world.
I'm neutral on him. I've quite enjoyed some of his stuff. And some of his other stuff, I've despised. So I can't say I like or dislike him. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2007 : 22:52:21
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I'm in the middle of BtHR right now. So far, I'm enjoying it, but it does seem like the main characters are traipsing around in the Stonelands with not too much going on, and I'm a little...iffy on how some characters are portrayed. Vangey has much more disdain for clerics than I would have expected of someone of his experience, gleefully calling them "spell-beggars" just like his underlings. Tanalasta is not portrayed as especially thoughtful and intelligent, even though she is supposed to be a smart and thoughtful lady. In this book, it's very easy to forget that she is just a few years shy of 40 years old, and not a naive, petulant, starry-eyed teenager. Her dialogue with Vangey often makes me cringe: one minute, she tells him not to try to contact her magically because the baddie following them is attracted to it, the next minute, she asks why he hasn't tried to contact her sister magically. Much of their interaction is in that vein.
I do agree that these Cormyr books are generally very good though. I was lucky--I got BtHR in one book store I go to because one of the clerks remembered my searching for it, and he quickly got it for me. But Death of the Dragon, I'll probably have to order online (used, most likely). |
"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) |
Edited by - Rinonalyrna Fathomlin on 08 Jul 2007 23:00:00 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 02:54:21
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Vangey has much more disdain for clerics than I would have expected of someone of his experience, gleefully calling them "spell-beggars" just like his underlings.
I really liked the Cormyr books, and would more or less recommend them to anyone getting into the Realms, but at the same time, I was a bit, well, less than thrilled because at least in the last two books the feeling seemed to be that most of the characters viewed clerics as either useful but annoying to mindless slack jawed devotees to their gods, which would have been more of a problem for it if it weren't for the fact that the few clerics that do get "screen time" don't come across that way at all. As it stands, it felt like an incongruent oddity in something that was overall very good. Just my thoughts on it though . . .  |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 02:59:16
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
I really liked the Cormyr books, and would more or less recommend them to anyone getting into the Realms, but at the same time, I was a bit, well, less than thrilled because at least in the last two books the feeling seemed to be that most of the characters viewed clerics as either useful but annoying to mindless slack jawed devotees to their gods, which would have been more of a problem for it if it weren't for the fact that the few clerics that do get "screen time" don't come across that way at all. As it stands, it felt like an incongruent oddity in something that was overall very good. Just my thoughts on it though . . .
Well, I have to say that I've gotten much the same impression as you have. But yeah, otherwise the novel is entertaining and readable, even though it does drag at times (I've never been fond of travel-combat-travel type scenes, at least when it feels like with all that traveling, they aren't really getting anywhere). |
"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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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2007 : 15:53:45
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KnightErrantJr, I know Ed was trying to do two things in DotD with the clerics: show how the War Wizards' and Cormyrean commoners' attitudes rather negative towards priests (the commoners' born from the War Wizards, relayed via retiring Purple Dragons the wizards worked with daily) are wrong at the "average priest" level, and damaging to the realm - - but true and confirmed at the very highest level (when Azoun lies near death, the "top" Cormyrean priests are squabbling with each other and everyone else for power, not working with each other or with "mere" wizards and soldiers and commoners of Cormyr. Ed did write some more scenes underscoring the sacrifices and loyalty of the priests fighting on the ground in the battles, but these had to be edited out (except for the seen-at-long-range death of the female priestess leading that doomed charge).
There was SO much going on in that third book, and Ed was worried that Rowan and Tana might not receive enough face time with the reader. As it was, Rowan just sort of . . . disappears. Sigh.
And as you can see from El's Daughter (and the current Knights trilogy) Ed much prefers to write scenes of intrigue over "the fate of the realm hangs in the balance" huge battle scenes. He does those war scenes very well, but has always thought a reader can't fully appreciate the heroics and disaster if they don't get to see a lot of what life was like before (i.e. what is lost or threatened; what everyone is fighting to preserve).
love to all,
THO |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2007 : 01:52:59
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
KnightErrantJr, I know Ed was trying to do two things in DotD with the clerics: show how the War Wizards' and Cormyrean commoners' attitudes rather negative towards priests (the commoners' born from the War Wizards, relayed via retiring Purple Dragons the wizards worked with daily) are wrong at the "average priest" level, and damaging to the realm - - but true and confirmed at the very highest level (when Azoun lies near death, the "top" Cormyrean priests are squabbling with each other and everyone else for power, not working with each other or with "mere" wizards and soldiers and commoners of Cormyr. Ed did write some more scenes underscoring the sacrifices and loyalty of the priests fighting on the ground in the battles, but these had to be edited out (except for the seen-at-long-range death of the female priestess leading that doomed charge).
There was SO much going on in that third book, and Ed was worried that Rowan and Tana might not receive enough face time with the reader. As it was, Rowan just sort of . . . disappears. Sigh.
And as you can see from El's Daughter (and the current Knights trilogy) Ed much prefers to write scenes of intrigue over "the fate of the realm hangs in the balance" huge battle scenes. He does those war scenes very well, but has always thought a reader can't fully appreciate the heroics and disaster if they don't get to see a lot of what life was like before (i.e. what is lost or threatened; what everyone is fighting to preserve).
love to all,
THO
Thanks for the response. I probably overstated my comment about how clerics came across. On one hand, I just wanted some good, honest clerics to get some recognition in the books, but at the same time, when I think about it, most of the perspective characters are nobles, royals, War Wizards, or the like, so its understandable that there aren't as many sympathetic voices.
On the other hand, its not so much that the clerics themselves do come across well, as most of the Chaunteans come across rather well. On the other hand, the High Priests that you mentioned that were falling all over themselves to claim to be "the one to save the Crown" pretty much illustrated why Tanalasta's family was leery of her newfound devotion. It was actually rather well done.
As I said, I really liked the books, and I know I have at least one friend that was completely won over to the Realms by the Cormyr trilogy. |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2007 : 02:57:42
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
And as you can see from El's Daughter (and the current Knights trilogy) Ed much prefers to write scenes of intrigue over "the fate of the realm hangs in the balance" huge battle scenes.
That's just the way I like it.
As someone who believes, in real life, that religion should not be intertwined with the government, I can totally understand and agree with the royal family's (and Vangey's) reluctance to favor the priests of one religion over another, and their dislike of Tanalasta's "royal temple" idea. |
"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) |
Edited by - Rinonalyrna Fathomlin on 11 Jul 2007 02:58:27 |
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Xysma
Master of Realmslore
USA
1089 Posts |
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J D Dunsany
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
180 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 09:17:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
And as you can see from El's Daughter (and the current Knights trilogy) Ed much prefers to write scenes of intrigue over "the fate of the realm hangs in the balance" huge battle scenes.
That's just the way I like it.
As someone who believes, in real life, that religion should not be intertwined with the government, I can totally understand and agree with the royal family's (and Vangey's) reluctance to favor the priests of one religion over another, and their dislike of Tanalasta's "royal temple" idea.
Sorry. Late to the party again.
Erm, yes, I quite liked that too. There's nothing like a crisis for bringing out a nation's divisions... And the Cormyr trilogy's writers portray that really well. Tanalasta's conversion to Chauntea seems eminently plausible to me and the constitutional dangers it poses to the kingdom only add to the pleasing depth and complexity of the series. (That said, I really like epic battle scenes as well...  )
Thanks for your reply to KnightErrant's post, THO. While you're around, I wonder if you could answer a question for me... 'Cormyr: A novel' is written by Ed and Jeff Grubb. I thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the past-present structure of the novel as a very effective way of feeding the reader information that has direct relevance to the main story, while at the same time adding a much greater sense of the kingdom's history and permanence. (It also gives the reader a greater understanding of exactly what's at stake as the trilogy progresses.) I'm assuming that Jeff and Ed split the writing duties on the novel with Jeff writing the present stuff and Ed writing the past stuff. Would I be right in that assumption? Or did something more organic and less rigid take place? Apologies in advance if this has already been addressed elsewhere. (I'm one of those odd people who finds the process of writing just as interesting as the product.)
All the best!
JDD |
"How content that young woman looks, don't you think? How content, and yet how flammable." - Lemony Snicket, The Unauthorized Autobiography |
Edited by - J D Dunsany on 12 Jul 2007 09:20:15 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 15:40:22
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Certainly I'll have a stab at explaining.
Bill Larson, a veteran (and long since retired) editor, was in the chair for that book, but the "Michener history of a place with alternating chapters" idea was almost certainly Jeff Grubb's. Jeff asked Ed if he'd be interested in co-writing such a book; Ed enthusiastically said yes. Jeff asked Ed to list some important past events that should be covered, to make Cormyr what it is today. Ed provided a detailed list, and starting from that Jeff worked up a detailed plot, adding several "missing" past events that are examples of significant "corrupt power" and other elements he wanted to examine. So the final detailed plot is Jeff's work, and specifically the early Obarskyr history (after the dragons dispossed by elves) and the present-day Abraxus threat are Jeff's ideas.
Then the two friends wrote alternating chapters and passed them back and forth to each other for light rewrites (a commonplace practice today, but rarer in those pre-Internet, mail-the-diskettes days). Ed was the "primary writer" for all of the PRESENT-DAY scenes, and Jeff the primary writer for all of the HISTORICAL scenes. They did the whole thing in about a month (plus another week for polishing-rewrites), and Bill Larson called the result "Not nearly as bad as what I'd been led to expect." :}
I think it's a masterful achievement, even while noticing things that were neglected due to wordcount limitations, and elements (such as the Witch Lords) that had to be too swiftly and briefly covered to enjoy the full, rich impact they should have had. CORMYR: A NOVEL could have been a great trilogy, and an even better eight- or nine-book series REALLY covering the history of the realm. Yet that wasn't in the cards, ever. I just wish Ed and Jeff's plans to give Waterdeep and Silverymoon both the same treatment had come to pass . . .
love,
THO |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 12 Jul 2007 15:49:05 |
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J D Dunsany
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
180 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 15:47:55
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Well, thank you very much, kind lady!
Looks like I was almost completely wrong in my assumption of who did what for the book, so I'm glad I checked and didn't continue in my ignorance!
And, you're right, of course. The novel is an outstanding achievement, although it sounds like an awful lot of material had to be left out at the planning stages. (Eight or nine books?  )
In any case, many thanks for your swift response.
All the best!
JDD |
"How content that young woman looks, don't you think? How content, and yet how flammable." - Lemony Snicket, The Unauthorized Autobiography |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2007 : 17:20:28
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| Wow, Ed and Jeff doing the same thing to Waterdeep? Oh, how I would have absolutely loved to read that! I like Silverymoon, too, so that would have also been great -- but Waterdeep has always been my greatest love, in the Realms. |
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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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Mortagon
Acolyte
Norway
33 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jul 2007 : 09:23:25
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| I'm currently reading Realms of dragons 2, having just finished Realms of dragons 1. Before that I read the year of rogue dragons series. I've also read all the Drizzt books, The avatar series, Finder's bane, Realms of infamy, The return of the Archwizards series, Elminster in hell, Realms of shadow and Dissolution (Still waiting to borrow the rest of this series). |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2007 : 00:38:31
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| Just finished Beyond the High Road, now I'm reading The Howling Delve. |
"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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J D Dunsany
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
180 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jul 2007 : 20:10:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Just finished Beyond the High Road, now I'm reading The Howling Delve.
Hmmm... sounds like you read like me. Breaking trilogies up with single novels. I thought I was being... well, odd. Maybe I'm not, after all...
Any idea when you'll be getting to 'Death of the Dragon'? I'll be interested to read what you think of all those epic action sequences!
Speaking of which, I'm about a third of the way through 'The Final Gate'. Far too early to make a judgment - other than that I'm enjoying it so far.
All the best!
JDD |
"How content that young woman looks, don't you think? How content, and yet how flammable." - Lemony Snicket, The Unauthorized Autobiography |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2007 : 02:21:43
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quote:
Originally posted by J D Dunsany
Hmmm... sounds like you read like me. Breaking trilogies up with single novels. I thought I was being... well, odd. Maybe I'm not, after all...
Nope.
quote:
Any idea when you'll be getting to 'Death of the Dragon'? I'll be interested to read what you think of all those epic action sequences!
I'll be sure to let you (and everyone else here) know what I think of DotD once I read it. There are tons of loose ends left over from BtHR, so I'm itching to read it as soon as possible. As for when I'll get it? I'll probably order it soon from Amazon--used copy, most likely. I hear it's out of print.
quote:
Speaking of which, I'm about a third of the way through 'The Final Gate'. Far too early to make a judgment - other than that I'm enjoying it so far.
All the best!
JDD
Same to you. Glad you're enjoying the book you're reading. |
"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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How up to date are you with reading FR novels?
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