I'm trying to learn about Forgotten Realms, and I am reading the Campaign guide and I'm playing LFR. But I'm trying to find a good novel to start off with so I can get the basics down. I know there's a history, with the spellplague and all, so I'm not sure.
I've been to bookstores that have so many FR books, it's really difficult for me to choose. I would love to read a novel that would be about the Patheons, or deities when things were starting.
But all in all, I would appreciate if anyone would point me to the right direction, if anyone can tell me which novel is good to start with.
Thank you.
Hi there,
I'm trying to learn about Forgotten Realms, and I am reading the Campaign guide and I'm playing LFR. But I'm trying to find a good novel to start off with so I can get the basics down. I know there's a history, with the spellplague and all, so I'm not sure.
I've been to bookstores that have so many FR books, it's really difficult for me to choose. I would love to read a novel that would be about the Patheons, or deities when things were starting.
But all in all, I would appreciate if anyone would point me to the right direction, if anyone can tell me which novel is good to start with.
Thank you.
First off, welcome.
The novels I would recommend depend on exactly how far back in history you want to go. If you're only concerned with the 4E world (Spellplague to 1479 DR), then there really aren't that many to read. If, however, you wish to learn more about the Realms in its entire history, well, you have quite a few more on your plate. Honestly, if you're focusing on the Spellplague and beyond, then there isn't much/anything in the way of mandatory reading, save perhaps the Empyrean Odyssey.
You should also keep in mind that the novels which feature gods as characters are, by and large, not considered to be especially well-written by most, but if you're more interested in the lore than you are the quality of writing, then this should not be a huge problem.
I'll focus on the former for now. I'll list them off in their entirety with descriptions, to give you a glimpse of what's offered.
1) The Twilight War Trilogy (Shadowborn, Shadowstorm, Shadowrealm) - This wonderfully written trilogy highlights the road to rebirth for the long-dead empire of Netheril, as the leaders of Shade Enclave begin to manipulate the land of Sembia and spread their influence. It also focuses on the deities Shar, goddess of Loss, and Mask, god of Thieves. Shar wishes to reduce the world to nothingness in accordance with her nihilistic dogma of destruction, and Mask wishes to see her downfall. Their desires are mostly carried out through their mortal servants, Rivalen Tanthul, Erevis Cale, and Drasek Riven. Note that this trilogy, as amazing as it is, is best appreciated after reading the other Erevis books by Paul Kemp.
2) The Empyrean Odyssey (The Gossamer Plain, The Fractured Sky, The Crystal Mountain) - If the Pantheon is what you're after, this is the trilogy to read. It focuses entirely on the planar realms, especially the divine homeplanes. Particular attention is paid to the affairs of the deities Cyric, Shar, Mystra, Torm, Azuth, Tyr, and Helm.
3) The Lady Penitent Trilogy (Sacrifice of the Widow, Storm of the Dead, Ascendancy of the Last) - This one focuses on the drow pantheon, or more to the point, its destruction. The main focus is between the malevolent Lolth and her daughter Eilistraee, but also involves the rest of the drow gods (Kiaransalee, the necromancer goddess, Vhaeraun, the shadow god and brother of Eilistraee, Ghaunadaur, the abomination, and Selvetarm, Lolth's grandson and champion). It also deals with the struggles between their churches. The biggest complaint with this series is that it really turns a blind eye to past lore, but since you're a newcomer, that shouldn't be such a big deal.
4) The Haunted Lands Trilogy (Unclean, Undead, Unholy) - This series isn't really geared towards the divine, but explains the transformation of the nation of Thay and the rise of Szass Tam to sole supremacy. If you're a fan of undead, you'll love this one. Also, the Tyrant God Bane and the God/Primordial of Fire, Kossuth, play a somewhat significant role in this trilogy.
5) The Blade of the Moonseas Trilogy (Swordmage, Corsair, Avenger) - The gods don't really come into play in this one, but you do get to see the faithful in their day-to-day lives. The main plot follows the warrior Geran Hulmaster and his struggle to protect his home from threats both external and internal. It also reveals the landscape of the Moonsea region in the new age. It has a fantastic storyline, and even if you're dead-set on reading about the gods, this one should entertain.
6) The Wilds Series (The Fanged Crown, The Restless Shore, The Edge of Chaos, Wrath of the Blue Lady) - The plots of these books are not connected save by theme. The first one describes the status of the island nation of Chult and also reveals the state of Tethyr, a monarchy in the West. The second one focuses on the Unapproachable East, specifically Akanul, and the struggle to avoid the expanding reach of the Abolethic Sovereignty, a terrifying order of aberrations from another world. The third book describes the Plaguewrought Lands and the Order of Blue Fire, an organization that promises charity and benevolence, but secretly strives for transcendence through destruction. I have yet to read the fourth book, sadly.
7) The Abolethic Sovereignty (Plague of Spells, City of Torment, Book 3 not yet released) - A tale of the Abolethic Sovereignty's rise to power, and the efforts of mortals to prevent such a disaster. One of the main characters, a warlock named Japtheth, provides great insight into the relationships between a soul-sworn spellcaster and his patron(s).
8) Fall of Highwatch - The first of the Chosen of Nendawen books, it's the tale of a young woman whose family and honor is brought to ruin by a treacherous knight and his cunning advisor. A great deal of the novel focuses on the fey, primal, and demonic, as these forces interact in the North. It should be noted that to fully appreciate this novel, you should read Frostfell, the predecessor novel of sorts.
9) The Last Mythal Trilogy - Though this one isn't really considered in the same vein as the others, its resolution does tie directly into the present day. It recounts the return of the Elves to mainland Faerun (specifically the Dalelands region), and their struggle against the fey'ri (half elf, half demon) of House Dlardrageth. It also describes the old elven cities and the advance of the crusaders to reclaim their ancient homes.
10) Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep (Blackstaff Tower, Mistshore, Downshadow, City of the Dead, The God Catcher) - Unsurprisingly, this series takes place in Waterdeep and references lore from a century ago. The first book focuses on the role of the Blackstaff, the highest-ranking mage in the city, and the struggle to possess that title. It offers plenty of lore, but as is the case with previous novels, it requires prior reading (in this case, the book Blackstaff) in order for the reader to gleam every reference. The second novel follows a spellscarred young woman who flees the twisted designs of a ghost of her past, and bands together with a motley crew in order to avoid the terrible fate he has in store. The third book revolves around the paladin/avenger Shadowbane and his quest to bring order and justice to the fouler side of Waterdeep. It incorporates a fantastic heresy which states three gods, two of which are considered dead by the masses, are really one great being, having escaped death by merging their souls and ideals. The fourth book describes the vast graveyard in Waterdeep, and pays special attention to the nobility and the fall and rise of Houses. I only bought the fifth book yesterday, so I'm not yet familiar with the plot.
11) Return of the Archwizards (The Summoning, The Siege, The Sorcerer) - Remember in 1 when I mentioned long-dead Netheril? That was about their return to dominating their corner of the Realms. This trilogy actually describes their return from the Plane of Shadows in the 1370s DR, and their conflict with the despoilers of magic and nature, the phaerimm. It also describes the reactions of the rest of the nearby Realms nations, and their struggle against both parties. It also helps introduce many of the Netherese characters that later appear in The Twilight War.
to me it reads like a mystery novel, which doesnt suite my cup of tea.
it wasnt bad, just not to my liking....
would I recomend it as a must read, no.
it is nothing more than an upstart trying to get his way into the uppers via dirty buisness , and being handed a load from an upper with even nastier dirty buisness.
it was a good read none the less, I'd say pick it up and read it in your free time, but the other LM mentioned would be the first ones I'd state.
Earlier Realms I would say Spellfire. 3E Realms I would say The Last Mythal Series, or Return of The Archwizards. 4E Realms I would say Swordmage.
You need to read Elaine Cunningham's Songs and Swords series and Evermeet at some point, regardless of anything else, simply because Arilyn and Danilo are awesome, and Evermeet is one of the most awesome books I've ever read. (And does have the gods featured somewhat, Lolth's betrayal of Corellon is covered in the novel.)
Note that Evermeet makes the most sense if you read it after at least some exposure to the Songs and Swords series, as it makes the frame story and some of the references make infinitely more sense, but I read it first and it was still awesome. (Actually, it was the first FR anything I'd ever read, and I still managed to make sense out of most of it and enjoy the hell out of it. I wound up picking it up because I was flipping through it at the bookstore and noticed that it had Corellon in it, and I am an unashamed little Corellon fanthing and also an elf fanthing.)
Just avoid the Lady Penitent trilogy like the plague if you value your sanity. Q'arlynd is awesome, but even he can't save it.
+1
Just avoid the Lady Penitent trilogy like the plague if you value your sanity. Q'arlynd is awesome, but even he can't save it.
Do you dislike the writing, or is it more that you disliked the outcomes? I'm just curious, not necessarily disagreeing with you. I've read the outcomes, but I'm just midway through the 1st book now and I think it's written pretty well and is entertaining for sure.
With stories that deal with the gods, Realms authors must adhere to scripted story requirements. Like the Empyrean Odyssey, they might get "Gods A and B must die in your novel, with X as a general theme." Although the details of how things happen can sometimes be the author's choice, the big themes and outcomes are often set in stone and not their choice.
Do you dislike the writing, or is it more that you disliked the outcomes? I'm just curious, not necessarily disagreeing with you. I've read the outcomes, but I'm just midway through the 1st book now and I think it's written pretty well and is entertaining for sure.
With stories that deal with the gods, Realms authors must adhere to scripted story requirements. Like the Empyrean Odyssey, they might get "Gods A and B must die in your novel, with X as a general theme." Although the details of how things happen can sometimes be the author's choice, the big themes and outcomes are often set in stone and not their choice.
I know this was directed at Nai, but since we're of a similar opinion on the quality of this trilogy, I figured I might as well say my own part. For me, it was both. I certainly don't begrudge LS for the plotline of those books; the story came from the higher-ups, and she couldn't tell them no. I don't lay the blame for the lousy turn of events at Lisa's feet. However, even so, I don't much care for the quality (or, in my opinion, lack thereof) of the writing. I'm familiar with Lisa's writing, having read some of her other FR works, both novels and short stories, and oddly enough, while I've enjoyed the short stories she's written for the anthologies, her novels tend to be disappointments. I guess one of my biggest gripes would be that her novels tend to lose momentum as they progress, whereas her short stories enjoy the benefit of no choppy transitions or hard-to-swallow resolutions (because even if her hands are tied in terms of writing about Event X and Outcome Y, she's still in control of how that event is reached and how things are described), but I'll say no more, lest it appear I'm bashing.
Suffice it to say that while I have yet to find a full-length novel of hers that I truly enjoyed, I would hope that she would continue to write for the Realms. Despite my criticisms, she is not without her strengths as a writer, and I'd be only too glad to find her next FR novel one of the best I've ever read.
I also really enjoyed Richard Baker's Swordmage and of course Salvatore's The Crystal Shard.
There are a ton of other good FR books out there, but those are the ones I would read FIRST.
Those are good, stand alone books that can bring you right into the Realms and provide plenty of ideas and inspiration for your own D&D Realms campaigns and adventures.
Netheril Trilogy history is very far-out in terms of the FR books nowadays...BUt it was pretty much very well written...the first book of the Netheril Trilogy will definitely make you interested in more FR novels to come...
The story starts off about a barbarian who is being played by 2 powerful wizards who are having a bet whether the barbarian will live or not...
The wizards, being very powerful hurl everything at him...so the novel might appear rushed....first you see him fighting a worm, some orcs, then suddenly a dragon comes into place, then a lich appears out of nowhere, then pretty women hired by the wizards will try to seduce him, and later the bigger bosses come into place...(yup, beings more powerful than the wizards, dragons and liches come in the first book.)
Pretty much almost anything cool in the Realms is in the first book of Netheril Triloogy....dragons, worms, liches, demons, archwizards, orcs, dwarves, elves, undead, armies, golems...zzzzz....I won't try to spoil everything
My highest level LFR character is a taclord with +18 to History who is actually from Waterdeep, so I love mentioning obscure details from the novels when I nail a History check.
I started with R.A. Salvatore, having heard about Drizzt over and over again from multiple sources:
The Icewind Dale trilogy
The Dark Elf trilogy (this was before Homeland was repackaged as novel #1 in the Drizzt series)
The Legacy of the Drow
At the time, Passage to Dawn was the latest Drizzt book, so I moved over to Greenwood:
Spellfire
Crown of Fire
Elminster: Making of a Mage
At this point, I decided to read some Realms anthologies to get a taste of other authors and characters:
Realms of Valor
Realms of Infamy
Realms of Magic
Realms of Mystery
Realms of the Underdark
From here I decided to read R.A. Salvatore's The Cleric Quintet, and it was during the reading of this series that I started my FR campaign in Shadowdale.
Twelve years later, there are so many incredible FR stories. Let me list the authors that I think should be sampled by anyone interested in good Realmslore:
Ed Greenwood (Elminster series, Shadow of the Avatar trilogy, Shandril Saga, Knights of Myth Drannor, Stormblade, etc.)
R.A. Salvatore (Drizzt, Cadderly, Entreri, Jarlaxle, etc.)
Elaine Cunningham (Elfshadow, Elfsong, Evermeet, etc.)
Douglas Niles (Moonshae trilogy and the Druidhome trilogy)
Troy Denning (Return of the Archwizards, the Avatar trilogy)
Steven Schend (Blackstaff and Blackstaff Tower)
Thomas M. Reid (Scions of Arabar trilogy)
Paul Kemp (One name: Erevis Cale)
Richard Lee Byers (Year of Rogue Dragons trilogy, Haunted Lands trilogy)
Richard Baker (Last Mythal trilogy, Blades of the Moonsea trilogy)
Eric Scott de Bie (Downshadow, Bladesinger, The Depths of Madness)
The general advice I always give to new FR readers is to pick an author and read in order of publication date. Whether it's Salvatore, Greenwood, Kemp, Byers, Cunningham, read their novels in the order that they were published. That might cut down on confusion later. Just a suggestion.
Check websites for lists of novels and their suggested order. If you're interested in reading the novels in chronological order by the Faerunian calendar, check this link: www.wizards.com/forgottenrealms/FR_Timel...
Crucible:the Trial of Cyric the Mad is a good one, how ever before you read that one you should start with the Avatar trilogy and Prince of Lies.