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Entromancer
Senior Scribe
USA
388 Posts |
 Posted - 09 May 2014 : 13:36:14
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I read the sample chapter of The Herald. Sounds intriguing. I've read the first two Elminster novels. I really enjoyed The Making of Mage, but struggled through Elminter in Myth Drannor. With that in mind, which Elminster titles would you recommend?
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"...the will is everything. The will to act."--Ra's Al Ghul
"Suffering builds character."--Talia Al Ghul |
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DragonReader
Senior Scribe
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2014 : 15:08:56
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| On a related question, are there any I should definitely read before The Herald? I have not previously read any of Ed's Elminster books. |
Edited by - DragonReader on 09 May 2014 15:09:20 |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2014 : 15:26:16
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DragonReader, I echo what THO said in her review (which is right here in this forum, along with an interview she did with Ed about the Herald): read the Sage of Shadowdale trilogy:
ELMINSTER MUST DIE!
and then
BURY ELMINSTER DEEP
and then
THE SWORD NEVER SLEEPS
which introduce two of the main supporting characters who are in THE HERALD, and explain the presence of two more.
Entromancer, I'm guessing as to your preferences, but I'd probably, if I were you, skip over TEMPTATION and read ELMINSTER IN HELL and then ELMINSTER'S DAUGHTER and then the Sage trilogy I listed for DragonReader, above...
Hope this helps, gents.
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Tanthalas
Senior Scribe
Portugal
508 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2014 : 19:03:33
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I think Blueblade meant Elminster Enraged and not The Sword Never Sleeps.
According to THO reading the Sage of Shadowdale trilogy isn't needed to appreciate The Herald, but if you have the time why not? |
Sir Markham pointed out, drinking another brandy. "A chap who can point at you and say 'die' has the distinct advantage". |
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Blueblade
Senior Scribe
USA
804 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2014 : 22:02:05
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OoopS! You think right, Tanthalas. I meant El Enraged and not The Sword Never Sleeps. My eye fell on the cover of the latter book as I was typing my post, and my brain went ahead and out that wrong title in...
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DragonReader
Senior Scribe
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2014 : 18:42:26
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| Thanks Blueblade and Tanthalas. Let's see how much time I have between now and The Herald... |
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Neo2151
Learned Scribe
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - 24 May 2014 : 15:13:07
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Hm, personally I didn't really enjoy Elminster Must Die. It felt a little too choppy and didn't flow well (like Ed wrote a book twice as long and the editors cut it down to WotC-size, or something...)
It's made me very hesitant to purchase Bury Elminster Deep. =(
•Making of a Mage is probably the best. I think anyone would have a hard time arguing otherwise.
•Elminster in Myth Drannor and Temptation of Elminster are about equal (I enjoyed them, but they are indeed a bit slower than their predecessor).
•Elminster in Hell was kind of a weird read; You're taken through parts of El's memories that you are unsure whether you just haven't read that book yet, or if it's totally unique to El in Hell. (First book in the "series" to feel like more of a stand-alone story.)
•Elminster's Daughter doesn't even really feel like an "Elminster Book," even though the Sage is (obviously) a main part of it. (Also feels like a "stand-alone" instead of part of a larger series.) |
"Come looking for me, and I will blast you to dust, and then lay waste to all your descendants, ancestors, and the realm you came from, every last tree and stone of it. Why? Well, it's what I usually do."
-Baerendra Riverhand on The Story of Spellfire |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 24 May 2014 : 16:35:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Neo2151
•Making of a Mage is probably the best. I think anyone would have a hard time arguing otherwise.
•Elminster in Myth Drannor and Temptation of Elminster are about equal (I enjoyed them, but they are indeed a bit slower than their predecessor).
•Elminster in Hell was kind of a weird read; You're taken through parts of El's memories that you are unsure whether you just haven't read that book yet, or if it's totally unique to El in Hell. (First book in the "series" to feel like more of a stand-alone story.)
•Elminster's Daughter doesn't even really feel like an "Elminster Book," even though the Sage is (obviously) a main part of it. (Also feels like a "stand-alone" instead of part of a larger series.)
Of the ones you list, Elminster's Daughter was the only one I actively enjoyed. The rest were meh, at best. |
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Recommend Elminster Novels
