First off, I should let you guys know that my first experience in D&D fantasy novels was when I inherited much of the the Dragonlance series. I enjoyed it at first but as the story progressed I got less and less interested until it got to the point where I just didn't want to read anymore. What really killed the series for me was the fact that the writers seemed to enjoy skipping the actual events, or playing them down as much as possible, in favor of expanding the downtime between.
For example I read one book where an entire chapter was used detailing the night before an army invaded a city. The very next chapter started after the battle was over, detailing how the army was cleaning up and getting ready to move on to the next city. The entire battle was cut out. Other times the novel would build up to a tremendous event, usually a showdown with the bad guy, only in the final chapter to skip straight to the climax (there was no buildup, just *POOF* bad guys are face to face with good guys) and the encounter lasted for some short dialog and after a single stroke a battle that never began hand ended.
Now, I'm not saying that I think these kinds of novels should focus more on who kills more soldiers but I would like to at least know how the battle carries out. Even in The Lord of the Rings and related novels we'd at least be given an idea as to the course of the battle, and sometimes even detailed strategies and sudden arrivals of reinforcements that were carried out.
Anyway the question I've been building up to is that I'm wondering if this writing pattern is also popular in forgotten realms fiction, or if you guys might know some authors that go into more depth with the action and events that take place rather then rushing through major plot points to spend more time on dialog between the protagonists during downtime? I picked up The Twilight War trilogy just yesterday (because it was the only complete forgotten realms trilogy the store had) and so far Paul Kemp hasn't done any more for me then Margaret Weiss and the Dragonlance authors did, of course I'm still very early on in Shadowbred (chapter two). Does it get better or should I look for another author? Thanks in advance.
Anyway the question I've been building up to is that I'm wondering if this writing pattern is also popular in forgotten realms fiction
Not really, and I've read 160+ Realms novels. There might be a few exceptions, but for the most part, even small details and minor events are given plenty of focus.
I picked up The Twilight War trilogy just yesterday (because it was the only complete forgotten realms trilogy the store had) and so far Paul Kemp hasn't done any more for me then Margaret Weiss and the Dragonlance authors did, of course I'm still very early on in Shadowbred (chapter two). Does it get better or should I look for another author? Thanks in advance.
You've barely scratched the surface if you're only two chapters into the first book of the trilogy. Suffice it to say, it's too early to have a solid impression. Keep reading, and see what happens; Shadowbred was the slowest of the three, but it sets the crucial foundation for the main event to come. The Twilight War is one of the better-written FR trilogies out there, IMO, but Paul Kemp is just one of many authors. Even if his style isn't to your liking, there's other fish in the sea, so to speak.
You should take a look at the WotC author book club, I think its up your alley with the amount of novels you've read...To the OP; leaving out crucial events, battles or magical clashes and other juicy events can be really nervewracking indeed. I recognise the complaint you make. I ask you to consider the mediums limitations; a book can only be read at the pace the reader is comfortable with, and to decellerate a story to describe a battle in detail might be stylistically so jarring that it won't make it past the outlining stage of a novel. Add editors that fiendishly cajole the writer to limit their words and lots of 'cop-outs' have to be made.
Some FR authors are gifted with the ability to describe dramatic and visceral battles (Salvatore, DeBie, Cordell), others are better setting up mystique or intrige and describing tense conversations or scenes (Kemp, Davis, Greenwood, Schendt & Cunningham). FR novels about warfare could be the material you're looking for; try tracking down the Realms of War anthology, the Empires Trilogy (especially Cook's the Horselords), Byers' the Haunted Lands series (starts with Unclean), Denning's Return of the Archwizards trilogy (starts with the Summoning) or Baker's the Last Mythal (Forsaken House is the first book) series.