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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
 Posted - 03 Jun 2005 : 15:17:40
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Here’s an origins-of-the-stories breakdown, for those trying to decide if the book is worth buying.
As I said earlier, everything has been at least “lightly rewritten” by Ed, and every tale (unless there was a real disaster in the editing) comes with a short intro that dates it in Realmstime, says a bit about writing it, and usually slips in a nice relevant Realmsian “quotable quote.”
Here we go:
"Not the Most Successful of Feasts"
An unused chapter from ELMINSTER: THE MAKING OF A MAGE
"Dark Talons Forbear Thee"
A new story
"The Whispering Crown"
From REALMS OF THE ARCANE
"So High a Price"
From REALMS OF INFAMY
"One Comes, Unheralded, to Zirta"
The ‘very first’ Realms story, handed out as a chapbook at GenCons and a few other conventions, and (I believe) briefly posted on the WotC website
"A Dance in Storm's Garden"
A story seen only by a fan (and whomever she’s shared it with), the WotC folks, some of we Knights, Ed, and Ed’s agent
"A Slow Day in Skullport"
From REALMS OF THE UNDERDARK
"Bloodbound"
A new story
"How Wisdom Came to the Maimed Wizard"
A story written for, and (still) posted on, the WotC website
"The Eye of the Dragon"
From REALMS OF MAGIC
"Nothing but Trouble"
From DRAGON Magazine
"The Grinning Ghost of Taverton Hall"
From REALMS OF MYSTERY
"The Place Where Guards Snore at their Posts"
From REALMS OF THE DEEP
"Living Forever"
Greatly expanded from the published intro piece in UbiSoft’s computer game POOL OF RADIANCE/Ruins of Myth Drannor
"The Long Road Home"
A new story
(There should also be the Alaundo in-character intro to the Realms, from the long-ago advertising Prospectus handout, if it’s survived the editing.)
Are these fifteen tales all of Ed’s best stories? By no means, but they are a nice variety of entertaining, readable (and RE-readable) tales, and three of them are brand-new, while another two will be new to all but a handful of people. Two more will only be accessible to those with time and money who go a-hunting them, and newer Realms fans may well have missed three or even more of the rest of the tales.
So that’s a third of the book new material to all but about a dozen people, and perhaps a second third fresh to most, with everything tweaked a bit. Not bad.
Myself, I want WotC to let Ed do at least two more short-story collections of this size. Not all of the REALMS OF tales are in it, and at least three of the Spin A Yarn tales are worthy of print publication (I WISH the 2004 one would leap out of whatever mysterious limbo has swallowed it). Ed has a LOT of unseen Realms stories in his files that he could dust off and share with us all, and I deeply hope he gets the chance.
love to all,
THO
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2005 : 15:31:30
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
Myself, I want WotC to let Ed do at least two more short-story collections of this size. Not all of the REALMS OF tales are in it, and at least three of the Spin A Yarn tales are worthy of print publication (I WISH the 2004 one would leap out of whatever mysterious limbo has swallowed it). Ed has a LOT of unseen Realms stories in his files that he could dust off and share with us all, and I deeply hope he gets the chance.
love to all,
THO
We can only hope...  .
I certainly wouldn't mind seeing Ed's other unseen tales receive publication status -- there's probably enough to full many volumes of "Best of Eddie" novels. And as for the "Spin A Yarn" tales... why is WotC keeping the 2004 write-up under lock and key???
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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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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5696 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2005 : 16:53:39
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Well met
Splendid. Many thanks Hooded One for providing this information. A great selection of new tales and older tales from various anthologies and Dragon magazines. I was also very happy to see Zirta included in this list, it adds a feeling of extra completeness for me personally
Only now i'm even more excited about this tome 
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Alaundo
Candlekeep Forums Head Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
An Introduction to Candlekeep - by Ed Greenwood
The Candlekeep Compendium - Tomes of Realmslore penned by Scribes of Candlekeep
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36860 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2005 : 17:17:47
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Thank you indeed for this info, my Lady Hooded One! You sure know how to whet our appetites!  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 02:31:23
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'Tis the sharp tongue that does it: I can both "whet" and "wet" any scribe's rising appetite. 
Ahem. What?
Why aren't you buying my best innocent look?
love,
THO |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 03:26:30
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| Building? I think its been built, fortified, and deeply entreanched by this point . . . |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 04:46:44
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Because you're slowly building a reputation here my Lady...  
Echoes this. :) |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 15:34:45
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Gentlesirs, thy duty is clear: storm my fortifications!
Or, if an alternative style doth suit ye, sneak in through my moat.
To turn this back to sober Realmsian scholarship: Ed has written three Castlemorn short stories (not yet published, of course), and three novelettes we’ll probably never see, that were charity-auctioned at Pentacon (a great gaming convention held every fall in Fort Wayne, Indiana): the winners provided their characters and some indication of plot elements or what sort of story they wanted to see, and Ed wrote it just for them (handing them copyright, too). For legal reasons, none of those tales are officially Realms stories, but two of them are “thinly disguised” FR stories, because the characters came from Realms campaigns and Realms locales (with Ed adroitly avoiding blatantly naming them) are used.
Also, as a longtime friend of Ed, I’ve read at least twenty Realms stories that have never even been hinted at in print thus far. Ed picked up a very good idea from Roger Zelazny (about which he’ll have a surprise to reveal in the forthcoming last issue of Amberzine): to ‘nail down’ the characters of important Realms NPCs, he wrote short “coming of age” tales about most of them, so any DM running them (and the player of any PC closely befriending them) could read said story and ‘get the character right.’
I’d love to see all of these stories published, for interested Realms scholars if no one else. Some of them are very lightweight or even ‘episode fragments’ (like a single-situation guffawed over in a bar), but some of them are VERY good, solid tales that can stand beside anything one reads in BLACK GATE or REALMS OF FANTASY. In my (professional editor’s) personal opinion, of course.
love to all,
THO
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jun 2005 : 18:23:02
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| Well then, our duty is clear. We have to drag everyone we know to the bookstore for weeks and make sure Realms of Eddie is always sold out. |
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 - 05 Jun 2005 : 02:40:59
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quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
To turn this back to sober Realmsian scholarship: Ed has written three Castlemorn short stories (not yet published, of course), and three novelettes we’ll probably never see...
If they don't see publication as Realms stories, is there any chance that the events of the novels could be represented in the Castlemorn source material?
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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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Paec_djinn
Learned Scribe
173 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jun 2005 : 14:37:29
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I must say I'm very fortunate (in this case) to have my first anthology be Realms of Shadow. That's because if I buy these book, which I deeply intend to, I'll be reading 100% new material as I've never read the other stories. So this should be a good read for me.
I'm also rather interested in the way the book is being presented (as THO has detailed). The "behind-the-scenes" part was a section I loved to read while in a book shop reading the previous Best of the Realms and it should be kinda nice mix to the book.
All in all, I'm REALLY looking forward to this book. |
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Xysma
Master of Realmslore
USA
1089 Posts |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2005 : 07:20:30
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One of the Castlemorn stories, "The Night of Three Strangers", can be found here.
O Hooded One, what are Storm and the Simbul's faces like really?
I devoured Jeff Grubb's afterword to Realms of Valor, and similar editorial pieces from Ed in City of Splendors, the 1993 TSR Master Catalog, etc., before I was online and such stuff became much easier to get. They let me in to the process of making the Realms, rather than just its filtered, polished published works. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36860 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2005 : 16:10:57
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Xysma
Every story should have its placement in Realmstime clearly defined. It's so frustrating to not know when something takes place.
You mean, like this:- http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/fr/fictionlist
That list is a great resource, but it's in serious need of being updated.
Mayhaps we scribes should make that a communal project, to be hosted here? |
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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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jun 2005 : 18:24:26
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Wow, what a great story! Thanks for the link, Faraer.
Ed has this knack of making everything seem real, even when magic’s splashing all over the place.
A simple story, but a great read.
(That description fits a lot of Greenwood short stories, I think.)
And this Best of Eddie collection looks to be an entire book full of them!
One seriously happy Realms fan. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jun 2005 : 03:09:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Xysma
Every story should have its placement in Realmstime clearly defined. It's so frustrating to not know when something takes place.
You mean, like this:- http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/fr/fictionlist
That list is a great resource, but it's in serious need of being updated.
Mayhaps we scribes should make that a communal project, to be hosted here?
I'll be in on that. In fact, Realmslore's A Grand History of the Realms has already allowed me to generate an unofficial listing of the most recent novels.
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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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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2005 : 12:31:33
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| Fans should know, Barnes and Nobles is listing this novel as ships within 2-3 days. |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jun 2005 : 15:26:29
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I found the library where Ed works the other day. He wasn't in, but the lady on the desk said he would be attending the annual ALA (American Library Association) con in Chicago next weekend.
THO, can you tell us if he's there for WotC?
Signing the Best of Eddie book, perhaps?
Inquiring minds want to know.  |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2005 : 15:18:08
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Yes, Ed will be at the WotC booth in the McCormick Center (on Sunday, I think, but perhaps Saturday), signing books (Best of Eddie, I presume) and meeting his favorite librarians for another year.
Last year, when the ALA Annual Conference was in Orlando, Ed attended it as a guest author of Tor Books, his other major publisher.
Which of course means he'll fall silent here for a few days (not feeding me any answers while he's off-line).
love to all,
THO |
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SirUrza
Master of Realmslore
USA
1283 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2005 : 03:26:22
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| Got it and I'm half way through it. Love it. :) |
"Evil prevails when good men fail to act."
The original and unapologetic Arilyn, Aribeth, Seoni Fanboy. |
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Proc
Acolyte
Canada
32 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2005 : 03:41:43
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I picked up a copy of it today. I had thought it wasn't going to be released until July, but the nearest book store here in Toronto had about 10 copies when I was there.
I've only read the first story and bit of the second, but I'm enjoying it so far! |
"May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house."
- George Carlin |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2005 : 04:12:16
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| As usual, I can't find it. I ran around late last week looking. Will wait a week or try later this one. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2005 : 05:29:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
As usual, I can't find it. I ran around late last week looking. Will wait a week or try later this one.
And I likely won't see it for a fortnight after that, since novel releases here in Australia are almost always a few weeks behind their release in the US.
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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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SirUrza
Master of Realmslore
USA
1283 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2005 : 17:44:37
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| I ordered mine via Amazon.Com. |
"Evil prevails when good men fail to act."
The original and unapologetic Arilyn, Aribeth, Seoni Fanboy. |
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Xysma
Master of Realmslore
USA
1089 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jun 2005 : 20:50:11
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Xysma
Every story should have its placement in Realmstime clearly defined. It's so frustrating to not know when something takes place.
You mean, like this:- http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/fr/fictionlist
Yeah, but that's full of errors and omissions. I meant they should all start with "26 Flamerule, Year of Wild Magic..." or something to that effect, to take the guesswork out of it. Right now, I've compiled a list of every existing novel and short story and I'm including the date, location, and major characters of each. I plan on going back to add a brief synopsis once I've finished this first portion, but the date is proving to be somewhat difficult for many entries. |
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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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jun 2005 : 02:18:57
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| I got my copy today. I have a growing pile of new Realms items to read through. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
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SirUrza
Master of Realmslore
USA
1283 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jun 2005 : 04:23:02
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| I loved Ed's introduction to each story, and the new stories were very enjoyable. :) |
"Evil prevails when good men fail to act."
The original and unapologetic Arilyn, Aribeth, Seoni Fanboy. |
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Best of the Realms: The Stories of Ed Greenwood
