After finishing Elminster in Hell, the fourth book in the Sage of Shadowdale series about Elminster Aumar, I figured I would take a little bit of a break from reading books by Ed Greenwood, the creator of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Not that I did not enjoy the four books I have read that were written by Ed Greenwood, but his writing style is, unique? I think that is a good way of putting it. It is a little hard to describe, let alone to write about. The first Elminster book, Elminster, the Making of a Mage was, so far, probably the easiest read of the books I have read by Ed Greenwood. It also had, from what I recall, probably the fewest number of characters that I needed to keep track of, likely because Elminster was not the centuries-old mage and just a "simple" boy who was looking to avenge the death of his family by taking on the corrupt magelords of Athalantar. In subsequent books, after Elminster had become an Avatar of Mystra and began wandering/exploring the world, his stories became more and more complex, sometimes jumping to brand new characters with next to no introduction who would only go on to interact with Elminster a third of the book later.
The jumps between books were at times also a little jarring. Between books two and three (Elminster in Myth Drannor, and The Temptation of Elminster) there was a gap of 498 years with very little explanation as to what happened during those years that last saw Elminster assisting with the fortifications of Myth Drannor after opening it up to the potential of other non-Elven races (so much more happened, but this was where the book ended). In The Temptation of Elminster, 495 years have passed and Elminster is woken up from having fallen prey to a trap while in a dungeon, and is later revealed that at some point before the book started, Myth Drannor fell and is now a corrupt place inhabited by demons. In the fourth book, Elminster in Hell, there is again a 613-year jump to comprehend, along with what happened to the seven orphaned girls that he takes it upon himself to care for, likely from a not-so-subtle hint from Mystra, all of which seemed rather important. On top of that, Elminster is already in the Forgotten Realms' iteration of Hell and that story jumps all around between memories from Elminster, memories that may not have been Elminster's, and character plots involving previously unintroduced characters throughout different points in history as well as the present.
But! Because of course, there is a but. In all of these books, by the end, I had a significantly better grasp of the story as a whole and had a very favorable opinion of them all. Elminster in Myth Drannor showed more of Elminster's sense of humor while coming to terms with what it meant to be an Avatar of Mystra. In The Temptation of Elminster, there was an amazing scene of him placing magical objects in a ruined tower enticing future adventuring parties in the exploration and research of magic as well as an incredibly sweet scene between him and the undead inhabitant of said tower. In Elminster in Hell, there was more humanizing of the old mage, all the while coming to terms with his own mortality and the question of how memories affect us and to what extent memories make up us as individuals. There were also some great and truly disgusting descriptions of what Devils are capable of and the absurdities of the Nine Hells.
So it is with a little trepidation that I now start a new trilogy by Ed Greenwood that all take place in the same year, although this one does not involve Elminster, but a group of adventurers known as the Knights of Myth Drannor. Yeah, I too have some questions. I know that Myth Drannor fell sometime between 261 DR and 759 DR, but maybe the city was reclaimed in this book, or prior to 1348 DR when Swords of Eveningstar takes place. Swords of Eveningstar is the first in the Knights of Myth Drannor series and for whatever reason, all three books take place in 1348, which is eight years after the last book I finished, Pool of Radiance; although there are several books like the Moonshae Trilogy and Sojourn that occur between 1340 and 1348 (as well as several short stories that I do not have access to yet) and I do not plan on rereading the Moonshae Trilogy to start this new trilogy. And then there is The Lost Library of Cormanthyr (Cormanthyr being the original name of the Elven city before it was changed to Myth Drannor), which starts in 714 DR, but the book ends in 1368 DR, so I might wait to read that once I reach other books that take place 1368.
I am hoping that with Ed Greenwood now focusing on a group of adventurers and not a single person, the story might be a little more focused, but at the same time, fully expect the story to go off rails in a way that makes sense in the end. Also, because this trilogy takes place over the course of just one year, I am almost tempted to say that the story itself cannot be too convoluted, but I know if I actually make that declaration, I am going to be in for a bad time. And that too, that this is a back-to-back-to-back series by Ed Greenwood, with no other authors in between as a palette cleanser that has me just a little bit anxious, that I am going to be reading this trilogy for the next six months. But! (there it is again) I know that when I finish this trilogy, I will likely love the time I spent with these new characters and want to know more about them, assuming that they do not all die off one-by-one.
And Occasionally a Strawberry yoo-hoo
P.S. Although, Escape from Undermountain does have a bit of Halaster Blackcloak, the creator of Undermountain as he did have a couple scenes in Elminster in Hell that made me go, "Awww, buddy." And it does take place in 1325 DR, so maybe I will read that before this next trilogy?
P.P.S. Sometimes I love and hate that my brain works this way.
P.P.P.S. Between starting this article, finishing this article, and posting this article, I have decided to start the Knights of Myth Drannor series, but I will read Escape from Undermountain between books 1 and 2, and then maybe read Blackstaff between 2 and 3. Or maybe I'll start the Netheril Trilogy, which takes place around -700 DR so that I can know more about the lost kingdom of Netheril.
P.P.P.P.S. Sometimes I love and hate that my brain works this way.
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