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OMeGA_FReaKY_7
Acolyte
Canada
7 Posts |
 Posted - 28 Jan 2007 : 23:58:50
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Coming from a Dragonlance community, I've gotten used to the idea of core novels, where unless you read these novels, you'll pretty much be lost in the world of Dragonlance. Is Forgotten Realms like this? I'm just about to hop on board the FR train, and I've read the threads about where to start in FR, but are there any 'core' novels that will prevent someone from sort of getting lost in FR?
I got some Forgotten Realms books as gifts, and was hoping that I could jump right in. I got the first 3 book box set of War of the Spider Queen and the first 3 novels in the reprint of R.A. Salvotre's Drizzt books. I was thinking of starting off with the R.A's books.
R.A's books...a good place to start? And then after that, is it pretty much up to my tastes?
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Victor_ograygor
Master of Realmslore
Denmark
1075 Posts |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 00:11:53
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Honestly, there aren't really any "core" books like in the DragonLance setting, where a given set of book sets up the overriding theme of the whole setting. Different areas of the Realms have different power groups and churches, different nations and attitudes that don't always follow an overarching theme.
So I would definately go with what you feel like reading. There are a few trilogies that should likely be read before other trilogies, if you go down one path or another, but overall, find an area or theme you want to read about and go with it.
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 00:31:32
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| No core books in the Dragonlance sense, but you'll obviously get the deepest and most authentic sense of the Realms -- and early impressions can be hard to shift -- from the works of its creator. |
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 00:39:47
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| Said creator being Ed Greenwood, OF7, just in case you weren't aware. |
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mavericace
Seeker
USA
84 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 01:25:41
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I agree that the Avatar books are most likly some of the most important books in FR but I do not know if I would start with them since IMO they were not some of my favorite to read. I certainly wouldnt read more than a series or two before reading them though since they are at least a minor part of almost every FR book out there.
Many people start with the Drizzt books and I think they do give a good (although small) glimpse into the Realms. Also another book that really helped myself was the FR Campaign setting 3rd ED. It really isnt a book you would read straight through but it is a big help when one of the books talks about a place, person or event that you dont know about. I think they should just call it the Realms Encylopedia lol. |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 02:16:57
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| I've read most FR novels so far, yet I actually haven't gotten to the Avatar series yet, so I certainly wouldn't argue that reading those novels early on is essential. They are not on the level of "core novels", anyway. As long as you know the basics of what happened during the Time of Troubles, that should be sufficient. |
"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 29 Jan 2007 02:18:09 |
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scererar
Master of Realmslore
USA
1618 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 03:19:25
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| The avatar trilogy has it's importance in published realmslore. I do believe it was the first RSE in novels, and is an actual pivot point. Also remember they are also novels from the beginnings of realms novels. lots have changed since then, I feel that core novels in the realms are not important and would actually take away from the "shared world" experience. Dragonlance however, was the opposite. the entire "feel" came from these core novels, and just about eveything Dragonlance can be traced back to the core trilogy |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 03:25:47
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| A problem with most of the Realms novels published before about 1990 is that most of the authors, except Ed of course and Jeff Grubb, just hadn't had time to get a good sense of the setting. The Avatar trilogy is also a dubious introduction because it shows the Realms at an exceptional time when things weren't working as they usually do! They're important in that they set the pattern for Realms-Shaking Events, and depict something that PCs would remember and which affected future developments, but I read them once and rarely refer to them again. I feel that later sources like the Shadow of the Avatar novels Realmsified the Avatar Crisis in the same way FA2 Halls of the High King did the Moonshaes and Lost Empires of Faerūn did slade's Netheril. |
Edited by - Faraer on 29 Jan 2007 03:27:17 |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 03:35:16
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There are no core novels in the Dragonlance sense, but I would recommend the following books to get a grounding in the breadth of FR fiction:
Ed Greenwood: Spellfire, Elminster: The Making Of A Mage, Elminster's Daughter, Swords of Eveningstar
Ed Greenwood & Jeff Grubb: Cormyr A Novel
Ed Greenwood & Elaine Cunningham: City of Splendors
Jeff Grubb & Kate Novak: Azure Bonds
Elaine Cunningham: Elfshadow, Evermeet
Bob (R.A.) Salvatore: Homeland
lots o' folks: Halls of Stormweather
Then I'd stop, take a breather, and consider Paul Kemp's Erevis Cale trilogy and Blackstaff by Steven Schend. Then back to Elaine . . .
Then I'd take stock of who I liked, of the above titles, and go from there in reading their other works, each series in order of course (we scribes can help).
The first list was one Ed used to get a new Canadian publicist (a young lass who hadn't read much fantasy at all) "up to speed" on the Realms, and she later thanked him profusely (it was fun to watch  ), so it must have, ahem, done the trick.
love,
THO |
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scererar
Master of Realmslore
USA
1618 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 03:36:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
A problem with most of the Realms novels published before about 1990 is that most of the authors, except Ed of course and Jeff Grubb, just hadn't had time to get a good sense of the setting. The Avatar trilogy is also a dubious introduction because it shows the Realms at an exceptional time when things weren't working as they usually do! They're important in that they set the pattern for Realms-Shaking Events, and depict something that PCs would remember and which affected future developments, but I read them once and rarely refer to them again. I feel that later sources like the Shadow of the Avatar novels Realmsified the Avatar Crisis in the same way FA2 Halls of the High King did the Moonshaes and Lost Empires of Faerūn did slade's Netheril.
That is because it was fairly new setting at that time, published-wise anyways.  Additionally, I don't think the authors at that time were worried about continuity or looking ahead to worry about a bunch of FR fans holding them accountable for keeping true to past or future lore.
my own observations and 2 coppers. being one of those FR fans, since the beginning of published realms. |
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Zaknafein
Seeker
USA
77 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 04:39:10
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i think there are 3 very important series that are easy to get you started.
The Elminster series
The Avatar series
The Dark Elf/Icewind Dale trilogy
All show very important characters of the Forgotten Realms and introduce you to different parts of Faerun, they are also fun to read! |
Zaknafein Do'Urden: mentor, teacher, friend....To Zak, the one who inspired my courage. -Drizzt Do'Urden
Full plate and packing steel. |
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Brenigin
Learned Scribe
New Zealand
117 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 08:56:44
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| I might get shot for this, but I've always felt that the Drizzt books are pretty disconnected from my vision of the Realms. The Finders Stone trilogy, Elaine's books, the Avatar trilogy and the Sembia/Erevis Cale series are much more rooted in the Realms for me. |
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mavericace
Seeker
USA
84 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 21:57:42
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| I do agree with you Brenigin. For that reason I think that the Drizzt books are a good intro to the Realms since if you go full into the Realms it can be kind of confusing IMO. If you ease into it with the Drizzt books I think you could get a small intro without some of the confusion. |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 22:39:56
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| Truth be told, I started with the Drizzt books myself, but I can't argue that the Drizzt novels make the best introduction to the setting, and they are also not "core novels". Drizzt is popular as a character, but the Realms don't revolve around him, and I haven't ever felt that those books give a good sense of the setting itself. |
"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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chance87
Seeker
50 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2007 : 00:25:46
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| Also, if you can get your hands on them, read all dozen of the Harpers series...they give you a pretty good sense of how geographically diverse the Realms is. |
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scererar
Master of Realmslore
USA
1618 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2007 : 01:24:55
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| there were 16 harper series novels, with several spin offs. and yes read them. some of the best stories told about the realms are within. |
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boddynock
Learned Scribe
Belgium
258 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2007 : 06:46:08
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Like most people (I think) I stard with the underdark trilogy followed by Icewinddale trilogy and the books about the invasion of Mithral Hall by the forces of the first house Baenre (Wulfgar in the abbyss etc...). Later I read the novels prince of lies & the trial of cyric the mad. The last novel I read was Shadowdale, the first book about the times of troubles.
In my opinion, you can play FR without reading the novels, but the novels can give you extra inspiration/information about the realms. Like I mentioned before, a few years ago I played (as a player) a drow campaign and my DM and myself had read the underdark trilogy. I can tell you that the novels give him a lot of inspiration for the mood & rules in a drow city. I really enjoyed the sessions :-)
The books about Cyric the mad is also very good. I began to get a feeling of sympathy for the god of strife. (no guys I'm not intented to become one of his followers) :) |
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mavericace
Seeker
USA
84 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2007 : 02:10:18
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Well the reading order of the Drizzt books is somewhat up in air. Some people think you should read them in the order they were written and others think that you should read them in the order they take place. I read the Icewind dale books before i went into Drizzt's past and i think it was just as well that way.
IMO the Realms books are good by themselves i have never played D&D but i still love to read the books. |
Edited by - mavericace on 01 Feb 2007 07:38:12 |
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'Core' Importance?
