Greenwood, Ed Books - Page 2

Expedition to Undermountain (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Adventure)

Eric L. Boyd, Ed Greenwood, Christopher Lindsay, Sean K. Reynolds

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Weak product. 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The editor should be hung by the thumbs, that said: This is a truly pathetic product which does not at all capture the flavor of Undermountain. This product was rushed to the shelves without any care for D&D players and DM's whatsoever. The flow is cumbersome, the story lines weak, the writing poor, and no one with an education above 7th grade checked this product before mass producing it. Way to go wotc.

Editorial Review:

Faerun's deadliest dungeon beckons!

Expedition to Undermountain is a Dugeons & Dragons super-adventure that revisits the greatest dungeon in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Located beneath the city of Waterdeep, Undermountain has lured countless heroes to their doom.

Like other adventures in the "Expedition" series, this product takes a classic D&D location, updates it for D&D v.3.5, and features many new surprises. Rich with source material for players and a new combat encounter format designed to make the Dungeon Master's job easier, as well as information to help Dungeon Masters adapt the adventure to serve their home campaigns.

Death of the Dragon (The Cormyr Saga)

Ed Greenwood, Troy Denning

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Excellent! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The most realistic look at war and rulership that can be found in any Forgotten Realms book. If you're looking for lighthearted fare where all the good guys live, look elsewhere.

If you're looking for an excellent story with characters you can care about, look here.

I've read entire stories where an author has failed to do what Greenwood and Denning manage to do in only a few sentences: Make an individual character, even a short lived one, come alive. And that makes their ends all the more tragic. The soldiers dying in the field aren't generic redshirted security officers being beamed down to die like fodder. They're good hearted, often humorous lads, who you hate to see go.

So good. One of the best FR books I've read. A must read.

Editorial Review:

Azoun IV, in the twilight of his years, is still a shining hero to most of his subjects, and to all but the eldest, the only king they've ever known. He's led them capably out of dark doom before.

Yet Cormyr has never faced so many mighty and mysterious foes at once. Demonic ghazneths, ancient curses, weird trees of foul magic, goblins and their kin on the rise in the northern wilderlands, a blight upon the land, rebellious mutterings, dying war wizards...and a dragon the likes of which no living eyes on Faerun have ever seen.

The Purple Throne doesn't seem so unassailable now. It could well shatter under the weight of a gigantic dragon--or the secrets and follies of the last of the Obarskyrs.

Hand of Fire: Shandril's Saga, Book III (Forgotten Realms: Shandril's Saga)

Ed Greenwood

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

Throw this story into the fire 1 out of 5 stars.
7 of 11 people found this review helpful.

I like forgotten realms books in general so its funny that the one author I typically don't like is Ed Greenwood. The dialogue of the characters is generally silly. The fight scenes are so obscure they are barely understandble.

I read the first two books and generally didn't like them. For some reason, I decided to finish out the trilogy. Needless to say I couldn't finish the book. I was too bored, so I went to the next RA Salvatore book.

The low point of Shandril's Saga if not the FR- Setting 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful.

When I started reading fantasy novels many years ago, "Spellfire" was one of the first books that fell into my hands. I really liked it though whether that was due to not having read much else to reference it to, I can't say...
I really liked the Shandril character, too and most (female)chars I play in RPGs are named after her.
Since then I read almost every Forgotten Realms novel there is and I eagerly awaited "Crown of Fire" and though it was a major letdown I also decided to give Hand of Fire a chance.
Now I wish I didn't do that.
First off some might consider Greenwoods writing style a bit difficult to read. Some sentences go on and on for four to five lines or more and when you get to the end you have to start over to remember how it started. Having read Tolkiens Silmarillion I don't particularly mind this, but I think it should be mentioned...
What really sucks about Hand of Fire ist the story - or lack thereof. First the premise of the story is Shandril trying to get to Silverymoon - on a trade caravan! Having wizards like Elminster and Vangerdahast on her side, nobody can tell me it wouldn't have been easier to simply whisk her there with a spell, but then this book wouldn't have been possible... Pity...
OK, most of the rest of the book is evil wizards and priest making plans to attack the caravan for many chapters only to get fried by spellfire or run through by a blade as soon as they make their move (In one case even twice because of some contingency magic!)
There is one assassin who is shadowing Shandril all through the novel and who seems extremely competent, but as soon as he makes his move he is fried in an instant.
Many will see the end coming, will even know it before starting to read this book, but the last chapter was one of the worst things I ever read. The worst being the Epilogue.
All this said, I think this will be the last book by Greenwood that I have read. I really like his characters, like Elminster and the knights, but his books are nothing but spellbattles from beginning to end, people dieing in many imaginative ways and little to none character interaction or development.
Like M. McBride I will look forward to the next books of Mr. Salvatore or Mrs. Cunningham...

Editorial Review:

The third book in Ed Greenwood's first Forgotten Realms trilogy.

Author Ed Greenwood concludes the story of Shandril of Highmoon in this second volume of the Shandril's Saga trilogy. This mass market edition of the trade paperback features new cover art by John Sullivan.

Elminster in Myth Drannor (Forgotten Realms: Elminster)

Ed Greenwood

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Loved it... 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This was a very good book. Unfortunately the writer has made a habit... very short endings. I do say though that this book is much better that the first. I hope the next is just a good if not better.

Better than Making of a Mage... 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

To all who have read "Elminster:The Making of a Mage" and felt disappointed, fear not. The second story of Elminster is much better than the previous. Whereas in the first book the characters seemed more like unfinished portraits, in this novel they have a tad more life with Elminster foremost. Much more so than in the first Elminster book, I found myself caring more about what happened to him and could relate much more with what the author was trying to say overall. The first few chapters were slow, but the book picked up pace quickly from there and I could hardly put it down until I finished it. The main appeal of the book, is how Elminster will fair in a city wholly of elves with prejudices against humans. What is more, the elves are fighting amongst themselves which sends Elminster in the middle of the conflict. While someone who did not read the first Elminster novel, "Elminster:The Making of a Mage", could still enjoy this book, I would recommend that they read the first novel beforehand to get the most out of this book.

Editorial Review:

It is the time of the great elven city of Cormanthor, when the Heartlands are home to barbarians, wicked dragons rule the skies, and the elven people trust no one. Wizards and warriors alike threaten their civilization in vain, arrogant, and ignorant quests for glory.

Thus it was that Elminster was guided to Cormanthor, the Towers of Song, where Eltargrim was Coronal. There he dwelt for twelve summers and more, studying with many mighty mages, learning to feel magic and know how it could be bent and directed to his will . . . . It is recorded that when the Mythal was laid, and Cormanthor became Myth Drannor, Elminster was among those who devised and spun that mighty magic.

Dark Warrior Rising: A Novel of Niflheim (A Novel of Nifheim)

Ed Greenwood

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

exciting stand alone fantasy 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful.

When Orivon Firefist was six years old the Niflghar (dark elves) abducted humans as slaves from his village Ashenuld. He was taken through tunnels leading to the vast caves where their castles lie. At that time he was unaware that there are two rival groups of dark elves. One worships the Ever Ice which gives them mastery over magic, treats their slaves reasonably well; the other revere the goddess Oline who tortures their slaves in order to insure their master or mistress remains perfectly beautiful.

Orivon had the misfortune to become the slave of cruel Taerune of the powerful house of Everdoom. She tortured him until she thought she broke him. Instead he knows he will only have one chance to escape so he patiently waits for the proper moment. That occurs when the rival House of Ouhlor breeches the magical wards and fierce fighting ignites. While in battle Taerune loses with her only chance for redemption being suicide. However the freed Orivon has other plans for his former mistress; as he needs her to guide him to the surface in return he will let her seek protection from other Nameless deities.

In this exciting stand alone fantasy, Ed Greenwood explores the culture, social mores and customs and strengths and weakness of the Dark Elves in their life underground. The dark elves believe the humans are unintelligent animals with a primitive culture that fails to neither appreciate beauty nor understand magic. Orivon and Taerune are diametric opposites who believe the other's civilization is totally barbaric. He has loathed her for a long time for hurting him, but needs her as they share the same enemies. They reach a truce and he comes to see she is not evil by nature but a product of her environment. DARK WARRIOR RISING is a magical treat that will please fantasy purists.

Harriet Klausner

Editorial Review:

Orivon Firefist was captured as a six-year-old child by the Nilfghar—the dark elves—who attacked his village by night on one of their surface raids.

 

Fifteen years later, he is a moon-pale, scarred, muscular giant of a man, who has spent his days at forgework for a dark elf family. He is also forced to use his great strength to shift furniture in the grand rooms of their castle. He has been trained (and flogged and ordered about) by the beautiful Tsarnarra, a lash-wielding matron who is icily cruel, but proud of the slaves that she has trained.

 

Through all of this, Orivon’s spirit has never been broken. He longs to return to the surface world, even if that means destroying the entire dark elf empire along the way!

The Best of the Realms, Book II: The Stories of Ed Greenwood (Forgotten Realms Anthology)

Ed Greenwood

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Truly Ed Greenwood, for better and for worse. 3 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

While Best of the Realms Book II contains some interesting tales, it is mostly for fans of both the Forgotten Realms and Ed Greenwood's writing. Where the stories themselves are intriguing, a casual reader may quickly and easily find themselves lost due to Realms concepts and terminologies which are not explained. This is compounded by Greenwood's writing style which is excessively fanciful, with adjectives and adverbs used recklessly with every turn of phrase. While Greenwood is far from a bad author, neither is he easy to digest.

Authoring aside, the short stories themselves differ greatly in theme and genre. This is refreshing and is exactly what I like in an anthology. Sadly, as is Greenwood's penchant, several stories seem written solely to spotlight the characters he created, most notably Elminster and Storm. Other than examples in character study, these particular tales fall deathly short on substance. Luckily, Ed Greenwood has the whole of the Realms to write about and this is where his stories truly shine.

The best reason of all to read this book is Ed Greenwood's new tale 'The Long Road Home' which gives us a glimpse at the rough times the kingdom of Cormyr went through after the fall of it's beloved King Azoun IV. As a fan of the Realms, I found the subject inticing and the story was one of the few I felt real satisfaction after having read. It is also one of the more accessible stories for readers fairly new to the Realms.

The Best of the Realms Book II contains both exhilerating and exasperating stories. While some felt as if they were drifting aimlessly (and at times very slowly) towards a lacklustre finish, several had me truly entwined in the telling until the end. I only wish every end was fulfilling.

Editorial Review:

A Forgotten Realms anthology featuring the best of Ed Greenwood's fiction. This anthology consists of fiction by Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms world. Greenwood has written hundreds of articles, novels, and game products set in the Realms, and his signature character, Elminster the Sage of Shadowdale, has become a staple of REALMS fiction and game play for millions of fans.

The Dragon's Doom (The Band of Four, Book 4)

Ed Greenwood

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

fun blood and sorcery tale 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Though now overdukes, sorceress Embra, warrior Hawkril, thief Craer, and sorceress Tshamarra along with ex-regent Ezendor Blackgult cannot rest on their laurels. To bring peace to the realm, the Overdukes must confront those who oppose their monarch. They must fight the priests of the Serpent and the wizard Ambelter as well as their supporters if they are to make Aglirta safe.

Currently the priests and their minions are posing the greatest threat. They are using a nasty form of a plague to send innocent people into a killing frenzy. Those who survive the berserker spree become mythical creatures enslaved by the priests to reuse again. With their work cut out to just avoid becoming victims of the bloody plague, let alone going on the offensive, the Band of Four still wield the Dwaer stones to embellish their counter spells in order to defeat their enemies. However, it looks bleak and hopeless.

The latest Band of Four adventure is not a cozy as this blood and sorcery tale flows red rather freely. Fans of the series will appreciate the gore that is cleverly interwoven into an exciting story. Besides a warning label to the anemic, the audience will know the quartet remains true to their respective essences so that the apparent series final, THE DRAGON'S DOOM, is a reader's joy.

Harriet Klausner

Editorial Review:

The death of the Dragon has brought down the villainous Serpent and restored order to the land of Aglirta but the surviving members of the Band of Four have no time to grieve for their lost comrade. An anarchic berserker plague is spreading like wildfire and insidious factions are poised to seize control and resurrect their unholy deity.

Can the Band dispel this threat or must a new Dragon be invoked and thus doom yet another of their number?

The Drow of the Underdark (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons : Forgotten Realms Accessory)

Ed Greenwood

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A must for all players and DMs of the Underdark 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

A detailed journey through the drow world. The Drow of the Underdark is perhaps the only book which will give you precise details and also a lot of aid in creating a drow PC or NPC. Going through everything from drow history to magical items, the Drow of the Underdark is a must for all players. It's adaptability is unmatched yet, and is useable by all players.

Better yet, it has a cover unlike many of the other Forgotten Realms expansions. A black paperback cover inlaid with gold.

excellent 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

AN EXCELLENT BOOK THAT GIVES SOMEONE THAT IS NEW A VERY GOOD UNDERSTANDING AND BACK GROUND OF THE DROW UNDERWORLD

Great book even if you don't play Underdark 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is the best D&D rules supplement I have ever purchased. It contains so much information about the drow (dark) elves. It talks about their religion, their language, and a sect of drow that are good aligned. If you have any interest in ever including drow in your campaign this is the book for you. I use the drow- english dictionary in it all the time. It makes interesting puzzles for my PCs. Even when I am not playing D&D I use this book; it has some cool drow names that I like to use as names for some of my MUD characters. Without a doubt this is the most useful D&D book I own short of the Monsters Manual.

Elminster: The Making of a Mage (Forgotten Realms: Elminster)

Ed Greenwood

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 65 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Could have been much better... 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This book, simply put, is boring. I would have thought that the creator of the entire Forgotten Realms universe could come up with great stories, it seems I was wrong. Overall, Greenwood's writing is dull, and rarely kept me interested in any aspect of the story.

Let's start with the characters. Firt off, you have Elminster, who, being the main character, you'd hope to be interesting or remarkable in some way. Sadly, he doesn't live up to any of these expectations, he is boring, the only remarkable aspect being his godly and unrealistic power, which he gains with little effort. Now that he's out of the way, you have every other minor character, which Greenwood fails to flesh out, as well. I must say, there's nothing more annoying than having to flip back 100 or so pages because the author expects you to remember a minor character, yet he/she wasn't interesting enough to care about in the first place. Unfortunately, this happens multiple times in the book.

The story, while hackneyed, is what gives this book 2 stars instead of 1. I believe that the story was boring, sadly, but had the potential to be better. We, as readers, could have done without the unbearable amount of clichés and points where it feels like chapters upon chapters of the book were torn out. On top of that, many scenes were dragged out, as if the author were frantically trying to think of what to wirter next, and letting whatever popped into his head flow from his fingers. I guess the main positive thing about the story was that it had some decent twists and turns, nothing, save for the overall fate of our main character, was all that predicatable.

I just don't know what to say... reading this book was not a fun experience, every chapter just seemed like another mountain to climb, yet there was no satisfaction when reaching the top. I just could not bring myself to like this book, and finishing it seemed like a chore, rather than a pleasure.

All in all, I would not recommend this book, and while it is not exactly *terrible*, it's just not worth your time to read.

Editorial Review:

In ancient days, sorcerers sought to learn the One True Spell that would give them power over all the world and understanding of all magic. . . .

The One True Spell was a woman, and her name was Mystra -- and her kisses were wonderful.

Priest Havilon Tharnstar

Tales Told to a Blind Wizard

It is the time before Myth Drannor, when the Heartlands are home to barbarians, and wicked dragons rule the skies. In these ancient days, Elminster is but a shepherd boy, dreaming of adventure and heroics. When a dragon-riding magelord sweeps down upon him, though, the boy is thrust into a world of harsh realities, corrupt rulers, and evil sorcerers.

With patience and grit, Elminster sets about to change all that. The result of his labors is a world reborn and a mage made.

A Dragon's Ascension (Band of Four)

Ed Greenwood

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A Dragon's Ascension - A Band of Four novel

Aglirta is known as the Kingless Land. Once a prosperous and peaceful river valley, it has fallen into lawlessness, and its feuding baronies are engaged in a constant state of war. But the land is kingless no more, for the Sleeping King of legend, King Kelgrael, has been reawakened by the efforts of the valiant Band of Four:
- Hawkril, a bold and brave warrior gifted with great strength and fortitude
- Craer, the crafty and clever thief
- Sarasper, the learned and wise healer and last but not least
- Lady Embra Silvertree, the mystical Lady of Jewels, a powerful sorceress

Yet peace has not returned. In The Kingless Land, high magic and wizard kings stood in the way, while in The Vacant Throne, civil wars and backstabbing barons resisted the restoration of order.

Now, a powerful warlord comes to the front to take control through military might, while the diabolic minions of the Serpent move into position for a climactic battle that will scar the Band of Four forever.