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Tremaine
Seeker
United Kingdom
86 Posts |
 Posted - 10 May 2011 : 18:03:47
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hi all i've read mostly all the old realm novels and some of the newer ones but i'm not on top of the realm novels as I used to be, at the minute i'm reading simon R green the secret history featuring shaman bond haha which is bloody funny/exciting with a dash of intrigue thrown in
I'm looking for something humorous/amusing/funny like that i've read all of the Grubb/Moore stories and murder in cormyr
Ive already read the rosemary jones novel's and I loved them
not keen on ed greenwood humour through just not for me
Thanks all |
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skychrome
Senior Scribe
713 Posts |
Posted - 19 May 2011 : 02:29:14
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| Tremaine, reading the word "amusing/funny" just leaves me one answer: try to get City of Ravens. One of the best stand alone novels in FR and funny one too. |
"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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Seravin
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1288 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2011 : 02:16:30
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I don't think I'd recommend the Avatar trilogy as a starer book.
I'd pick a small area of the realms that is adequately and well described and then build the world up from there.
To me, that means something like "The Parched Sea"; "The Crystal Shard"; or "Darkwalker on Moonshae" as a starter. It need not be a trilogy to introduce a person to a setting.
Spellfire is AWESOME, I think I love it more than any other FR book...BUT it has way too many characters and doesn't do a good job of introducing everyone; if you know everyone already it's fantastic tho. Crown of fire is also very good, but Hand of Fire is a terrible novel. Sorry, but it is.
Azure Bonds is a great starter book too, the theme of it and the "mystery" of Alias and how Elminster asks her to never sing again are quite well done. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2011 : 02:51:49
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Or you can read any of the Realms of... anthologies. The stories in each anthology are set in different realms, so you will have a good feel of the setting. Not to mention the protagonists and villains featured in each are some of the Realms' most powerful and most renowned. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Thelonius
Senior Scribe
Spain
730 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jul 2011 : 13:28:29
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| I'm looking for some novel that somehow includes or gives info about the SpellPlague and all the casualties that happened. Could anyone give me some info about any if available? |
"If you are to truly understand, then you will need the contrast, not adherence to a single ideal." - Kreia
"I THINK I JUST HAD ANOTHER NEAR-RINCEWIND EXPERIENCE"- Discworld's Death frustrated after Rincewind scapes his grasp... again.
"I am death, come for thee" - Nimbul, from Baldur's Gate I just before being badly spanked
Sapientia sola libertas est |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jul 2011 : 06:21:59
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The details of the SP were never revealed in any novels, though some touch "lightly" on it, like:
Undead, Book 2 of the Haunted Lands trilogy by Richard Lee Byers. It had tremendous effects on the Zulkirs' War and of the characters diminished and/or augmented powers.
The Abolethic Sovereignty by Bruce Cordell. Rise of the aboleths with a few spellscarred beings.
The Empyrean Odyssey by Thomas Reid. Boring war of some gods.
Shadowrealm, Book 3 of the Twilight War saga by Paul S. Kemp. A glimpse into Shar and Mask's personalities after the SP.
Elminster Must Die by Ed Greenwood. The Chosen's struggles upon their goddess's absence. Just 3 of them left, btw. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Yoss
Learned Scribe
USA
259 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2011 : 12:20:58
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So, this seems to be the proper place...
First post here, and new to the Realms. I've been lurking here a couple months, and figured I'd actually register so I could thank you folks for all the recommendations in this thread (yeah, I read through pretty much all of it). Like I said, I'm new to FR as of only about 6 or 7 months ago, having only read Drizzt stuff/Cleric Quintet/Sellswords, a couple Elminster books, and a handful of the stories from the anthologies to date. I'm supposed to remind a buddy of mine (this would be the guy who got me into this world, who said once while at a bookstore looking for a particular Star Wars book, "Icewind Dale trilogy! It's good, you should read this." And I listened to him, because well, he knows stuff like that) to lend me the Harpers series, and the Finder's Stone books are en route to my mailbox, for starters. Based on what people have said in this thread, I compiled a list of stuff to obtain, and put it into some semblence of an order. There may be notes on which I will probably be (somewhat grudgingly so at first, because I am not entirely sold on the whole e-reader concept) acquiring via kindle vs leafing through sweet, delicious old-fashioned paperback. There may have been some kind of methodical system of notes, not necessarily assigning empirical-sort of weights to people's opinions or anything as OCD in my list-making as that, the OCD nature of which I probably should not be admitting so readily. Heh. Suffice to say it should keep me busy for quite sometime.
Anyway, enough about that. Well met, and much thanks. |
Edited by - Yoss on 21 Jul 2011 12:22:39 |
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Seabus Mythforger
Seeker
76 Posts |
Posted - 14 Sep 2011 : 21:12:39
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I'd personally recommend starting off the way I did. I started with:
R.A. Salvatore-
The Legend of Drizzt(leaving out Servant of the Shard)
--This is a good beginning point simply because Drizzt and friends do a good bit of traveling through the Silver Marches and it introduces you to a number of areas as well as giving you a good overview of the different types of creatures and their differences.
Ed Greenwood-
Elminster: The Making of a Mage
Elminster in Myth Drannor
The Temptation of Elminster
--As stated, Elminster is one of the most important characters in the Realms. It also allows you to see some of the events in the vast history of Faerun and how Elminster has effected the history of the Realms.
Elaine Cunningham-
Evermeet: Island of the Elves
--Elven bible. Enough said. Also gives fans of the drow an insight into how the dark elves were driven into the Underdark and why there is such hatred between them and the surface elves. Not to mention the book spans the period of four centuries giving a good look into how and why the elves differentiate themselves.
Though being a beginner myself, I haven't gotten around to the Avatar trilogy or some of the others that are listed here. This was just the way I found into the Realms and it's all it took. I'm hooked for life now and there's not much I can (or want to) do about it. :)
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~Seabus Mythforger,
Renegade Mage |
Edited by - Seabus Mythforger on 14 Sep 2011 21:15:15 |
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Andriella
Acolyte
1 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2011 : 23:05:59
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Hi there,
I'm new to this forum, but definitely not new to The Realms. I've been reading for well over ten years now (on and off), and I have probably between 70 and 100 books now. (Took a couple of years off, or I probably would have had even more.) Always buy my stuff at Amazon, because it's the cheapest way to get them, since I don't have a store nearby, that sells them. For that reason I have made my own website now with my own recommendations and reviews and with links directly to Amazon.com for those interested.
http://fearun.shopfromhomemall.com/home.html
Feel free to browse.  It's not really up to date yet, since I just made it, but I got a couple of reviews and recommendations for the beginner to The Realms - look under the "Reviews" tab. (It was the way I began reading anyway, and it sure did keep me buying and reading.)  |
http://fearun.shopfromhomemall.com/home.html - online reviews, recommendations and bookstore for The Realms... |
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HardKano
Learned Scribe
Canada
158 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2011 : 14:17:33
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For myself I started (I consider myself a beginner with a 40 novels read lol) with Drizzt complete saga (I wait the 3rd exit of the Neverwinter series, next year to read the serie). The way Salvatore writes is quite impressive because it links you well for "beginners" to the characters.
After I went with Greenwood novels (Elminster, Cormyr, Shandril's (I'm there now) and will continue with Silverfall, Knight of Myth Drannor, etc.) because I want to know how the author see his Realms.
There is different type of views from each others as said earlier, and I think the better view is our instinct to discover it by ourselves. There is so much to read that you need to start with the novels that attract you much to continue far as possible, depend on each reader. My personnal goal is to read them all ... but i know i'm surely not the first to say so. If i'm able or got the time to, fine! If not, i'll do my best !
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There is only one thing that will never change : Evolution |
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Tarloc
Acolyte
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2011 : 06:51:26
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| where do you find the out of print novels? |
"hey, you just rolled two natural twenties!"
"is that a touchdown?" |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2011 : 07:06:49
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Used book stores, usually. Online, there's amazon and eBay. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2011 : 07:35:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Tarloc
where do you find the out of print novels?
You'll often find reasonably priced second-hand copies available, at times, on nobleknight.com. |
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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HardKano
Learned Scribe
Canada
158 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2011 : 13:14:34
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| You can also Look at betterworldbooks.com ... I found some there but havent buy yet. Maybe in the next months |
There is only one thing that will never change : Evolution |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2011 : 14:22:04
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I heard AbeBooks is also a good source of out of print books. Though I haven't ordered from them...yet. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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HardKano
Learned Scribe
Canada
158 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2011 : 14:49:37
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| Abebooks is a "central places" for peoples who sell for themselves. I contacted a member few months ago, but i didn't bought because the books was not smoke free. I was happy for his honesty however. It could be another good alternative |
There is only one thing that will never change : Evolution |
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Entromancer
Senior Scribe
USA
388 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2011 : 23:51:58
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I have been reading the Elminster series. The last one was Elminster in Myth Drannor. The blurb for the Temptation of Elminster mentions him being retaught magic. Does this come across as a retread of his learning from The Making of a Mage? One review I read mentioned that the book looked at how his actions affected other mortal folk around him, which sounds like a great premise. That one part about relearning magic just leaves me a little unsure of the novel.
I do want to get to the point that I can get into the post-Spellplague Elminster novels. Some of the things I have read in this BED review thread sound very intriguing! |
"...the will is everything. The will to act."--Ra's Al Ghul
"Suffering builds character."--Talia Al Ghul |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2011 : 07:44:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Entromancer
That one part about relearning magic just leaves me a little unsure of the novel.
It's nothing new, really. Same thing happened to him in The Shadow of the Avatar. I'm an Elminster fan, but the new series is not something I can recommend. My judgment may change, though---depending on what happens in the third and succeeding books... |
Every beginning has an end. |
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HardKano
Learned Scribe
Canada
158 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2011 : 13:12:57
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| I'll wait a while before reading post-Spellplagues novels ... i wan to be more in touch with the realms before and don't throw myself anywhere before and after ;D |
There is only one thing that will never change : Evolution |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2011 : 14:07:31
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quote:
Originally posted by HardKano
I'll wait a while before reading post-Spellplagues novels ... i wan to be more in touch with the realms before and don't throw myself anywhere before and after ;D
That maybe wise. Though I must note that there are a couple of 4E novels which have the feel of the old editions. The Spellplague didn't exactly ruin everything. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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HardKano
Learned Scribe
Canada
158 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2011 : 21:46:15
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| Sweeeet !!!! :D |
There is only one thing that will never change : Evolution |
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Wolflord08
Acolyte
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2012 : 09:01:48
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| Well I'd have to say that the best place to start is at the beginning. Find a list of all the novels in order of their dates published and just dig in. Some books are amazing and witty and funny and exciting, others...not so much, but they all have the same magic. Anyone new to Forgotten Realms, welcome and enjoy. The past 27 years has been enriched by these books in unmeasurable ways! |
Wolfie |
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HardKano
Learned Scribe
Canada
158 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2012 : 12:50:51
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quote:
Originally posted by HardKano
You can also Look at betterworldbooks.com ... I found some there but havent buy yet. Maybe in the next months
I have bought 20 books from that place in the begining of the year and was disapointed. They have a chart of "book quality" and i studied each books with their chart and half does'nt respect it. Pratically all was called "good" and in reallity it was "acceptable" for not to say "poor" ... unfortunately. Fortunately, 1 book was "very good" instead of "good". The others was reliable with the description. Pratically all books come from cities's library and have their stickers, so can't remove it. I put a "report" on the site but didn't get any answer yet (2 weeks now). I'm ok to live with old books not like new, but their is a limit to sell books with not the right description of quality.
If you buy there, i recommend look for "very good" one, these were as described for my experience. The other will be good to read and preserve my collection. Everything have a good side ! |
There is only one thing that will never change : Evolution |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2012 : 00:01:09
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It really depends, I suppose. Some used books in eBay, for instance, described as in good quality with a picture of them, turned out to be quite poor. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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HardKano
Learned Scribe
Canada
158 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2012 : 12:52:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
It really depends, I suppose. Some used books in eBay, for instance, described as in good quality with a picture of them, turned out to be quite poor.
Yes, i Know. As i said, half was poor (described good), 7-8 as described and 1 or 2 better than described.
I was talking about my experience with Betterworldbooks. I recommend to look for "very good" ones to be sure to get ones with quality. Beceause "good" ones is like flipping a Penny. And they didn't answer my complaint yet... i am a little bit disappointed |
There is only one thing that will never change : Evolution |
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Arivia
Great Reader
Canada
2965 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2012 : 06:49:08
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Someone pick for me:
-Crown of Fire
-Swords of Eveningstar
-Waterdeep: A Novel
-and Elminster Must Die!
NONE of which I've read before. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2012 : 11:01:14
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quote:
Originally posted by Arivia
Someone pick for me:
-Crown of Fire
-Swords of Eveningstar
-Waterdeep: A Novel
-and Elminster Must Die!
NONE of which I've read before.
Given those choices, and my own thoughts on Ed's fiction (which aren't in line with the thoughts of a lot of other Realms fans), I'd say Waterdeep: A Novel. |
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!  |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 06 Feb 2012 11:01:49 |
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HardKano
Learned Scribe
Canada
158 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2012 : 12:40:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Arivia
Someone pick for me:
-Crown of Fire
-Swords of Eveningstar
-Waterdeep: A Novel
-and Elminster Must Die!
NONE of which I've read before.
Swords of Eveningstar is great, a fabulous first novel of a trilogy around Knights of Myth Drannor |
There is only one thing that will never change : Evolution |
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Seravin
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1288 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2012 : 14:58:00
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And...I liked Crown of Fire. 3 responses all different!
Swords of Eveningstar is the best of that trilogy but it was kind of a mess of a trilogy for me. Crown of Fire was a fun read and had lots of great battles (including Elminster and Storm versus Manshoon, among others).
Elminster Must Die! has it's moments but it's set in the depressing future and totally different setting (to me). Not recommended. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2012 : 15:08:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Arivia
Someone pick for me:
-Crown of Fire
-Swords of Eveningstar
-Waterdeep: A Novel
-and Elminster Must Die!
NONE of which I've read before.
The only one which i have read is Crown of Fire and it was enjoyable. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Experienced help for recommending FR Novels.
