Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
I'm reading the Forgotten Realms Novels- #202 The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson (Dungeons 2)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 9026815" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p><strong>#191 Swords of Eveningstar by Ed Greenwood (Knights Myth Drannor 1) </strong></p><p><strong>Read 15/5/23 to 20/5/23</strong></p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]285610[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Always fearful of a bit of Ed Greenwood, he has his foibles.</p><p></p><p>That said, I liked this one- or at least the most of it, the thing that's great here is that the story is travelled pretty much straight as an arrow although in truth the action skips from place to place, from person to person, from moment to moment. Each chapter is so beautifully constructed that we can continue to chase the plot while visiting a dozen different people in a dozen different places- the adventurers in the Haunted Halls, who are being observed by evil fellow #1, who in turn is visited by evil fellow#2, who then reports to evil fellow #3, who is an agent of good person #1, who will then refer to the ventures of good person #2, who is worried about one or more of the adventurers and and hey-ho, we are back in the Haunted Halls, and the next climax is just around the corner.</p><p></p><p>The structure is lush- all of these people sound exactly as you would want them to, in your game. The places they inhabit- samey-same. It's all very well done- and the emotion is being spread around, and all of these balls in the air- and all of them spinning furiously.</p><p></p><p>You've got to admire it.</p><p></p><p>Also, at the heart of this is a simple adventuring party, lead by the honourable and perfect Florin, who when we meet him is being a bastard to Narantha Crownsilver, who may or may not deserve her punishment. Probably not, there are other- safer ways, of achieving enlightenment, but hey-ho, this is the territory. </p><p></p><p>There's much to admire here to... although, for every tick in the box I'm as often left scratching my chin.</p><p></p><p>The Royal Charter adventurers consist of neophytes in their various trades- the Priests have no healing, or else very little, and not much of anything else. The wizards have a magic missile and an unseen servant between the two of them.</p><p></p><p>However, Florin and the other fighter-ish types are already semi-kick-ass.</p><p></p><p>While Pennae, the rogue, is around 12th level already, a one woman crime wave, and as sharp as a knife.</p><p></p><p>Also, how come this rag-tag bunch of sellswords just on their way to their first dungeon have King Azoun, Vangey, a clutch of Zhentarim Wizards, and another half-dozen wannabe villains or heroes that are already paying attention to them.</p><p></p><p>Either the adventurers have been plucked from anonymity, or else... it is their DENSITY!</p><p></p><p>This book, like many other Ed Greenwood novels, has a cast of thousands, and the big names are already popping in to say their part- usually something eminently quotable and yet pithy, before scarpering off again to save the world some more, including, of course, Elminster.</p><p></p><p>And again- that's also part of the problem.</p><p></p><p>There are a cast of thousands- Florin, Eggnog, Mattress, Bey, Doust, Oust, Jhessail, Agannor, Islef, Laspeera, Irlgar, Beyard, Hezom, Buzom, Elgaskur, Delbossan, Horaundoon, and all of those folk (I may have added a couple of my own) in the course of maybe 10 pages. There are lots and lots more.</p><p></p><p>It's a fairly simple central plot, but with 33 sub/semi/nano-plots pilled on top- with villain after villain- all out to kill/thwart the adventurers and, of course- and more importantly, to slay/thwart each other. Then there are Mindworms- no, I don't really know what they are; the Hargaunt, WTF- it communicates with chimes and sits on a Zhent/War Wizard's face for much of the action. There are a myriad of layers to this- every bit of this, it's always wheels-within-wheels.</p><p></p><p>And at the end of it I can report that-</p><p></p><p>The Mindworms are all destroyed.</p><p></p><p>I think.</p><p></p><p>The big bad guy- the fellow with the Unicorn horn ring is dead- done!</p><p></p><p>Most likely.</p><p></p><p>The Hargaunt is gone.</p><p></p><p>I'm almost certain.</p><p></p><p>Maybe.</p><p></p><p>The rest of it I'm less sure of.</p><p></p><p>At times it feels like a good editor wouldn't have gone amiss.</p><p></p><p>There's some other stuff that sticks in the craw here and there, but... it's alright- a nice enough tale almost, but not quite, swamped by a thousand other things going on in the background.</p><p></p><p>Read.</p><p></p><p>Stay safe and well you lovely people.</p><p></p><p>Cheers goonalan.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 9026815, member: 16069"] [B]#191 Swords of Eveningstar by Ed Greenwood (Knights Myth Drannor 1) Read 15/5/23 to 20/5/23[/B] [ATTACH type="full" width="183px"]285610[/ATTACH] Always fearful of a bit of Ed Greenwood, he has his foibles. That said, I liked this one- or at least the most of it, the thing that's great here is that the story is travelled pretty much straight as an arrow although in truth the action skips from place to place, from person to person, from moment to moment. Each chapter is so beautifully constructed that we can continue to chase the plot while visiting a dozen different people in a dozen different places- the adventurers in the Haunted Halls, who are being observed by evil fellow #1, who in turn is visited by evil fellow#2, who then reports to evil fellow #3, who is an agent of good person #1, who will then refer to the ventures of good person #2, who is worried about one or more of the adventurers and and hey-ho, we are back in the Haunted Halls, and the next climax is just around the corner. The structure is lush- all of these people sound exactly as you would want them to, in your game. The places they inhabit- samey-same. It's all very well done- and the emotion is being spread around, and all of these balls in the air- and all of them spinning furiously. You've got to admire it. Also, at the heart of this is a simple adventuring party, lead by the honourable and perfect Florin, who when we meet him is being a bastard to Narantha Crownsilver, who may or may not deserve her punishment. Probably not, there are other- safer ways, of achieving enlightenment, but hey-ho, this is the territory. There's much to admire here to... although, for every tick in the box I'm as often left scratching my chin. The Royal Charter adventurers consist of neophytes in their various trades- the Priests have no healing, or else very little, and not much of anything else. The wizards have a magic missile and an unseen servant between the two of them. However, Florin and the other fighter-ish types are already semi-kick-ass. While Pennae, the rogue, is around 12th level already, a one woman crime wave, and as sharp as a knife. Also, how come this rag-tag bunch of sellswords just on their way to their first dungeon have King Azoun, Vangey, a clutch of Zhentarim Wizards, and another half-dozen wannabe villains or heroes that are already paying attention to them. Either the adventurers have been plucked from anonymity, or else... it is their DENSITY! This book, like many other Ed Greenwood novels, has a cast of thousands, and the big names are already popping in to say their part- usually something eminently quotable and yet pithy, before scarpering off again to save the world some more, including, of course, Elminster. And again- that's also part of the problem. There are a cast of thousands- Florin, Eggnog, Mattress, Bey, Doust, Oust, Jhessail, Agannor, Islef, Laspeera, Irlgar, Beyard, Hezom, Buzom, Elgaskur, Delbossan, Horaundoon, and all of those folk (I may have added a couple of my own) in the course of maybe 10 pages. There are lots and lots more. It's a fairly simple central plot, but with 33 sub/semi/nano-plots pilled on top- with villain after villain- all out to kill/thwart the adventurers and, of course- and more importantly, to slay/thwart each other. Then there are Mindworms- no, I don't really know what they are; the Hargaunt, WTF- it communicates with chimes and sits on a Zhent/War Wizard's face for much of the action. There are a myriad of layers to this- every bit of this, it's always wheels-within-wheels. And at the end of it I can report that- The Mindworms are all destroyed. I think. The big bad guy- the fellow with the Unicorn horn ring is dead- done! Most likely. The Hargaunt is gone. I'm almost certain. Maybe. The rest of it I'm less sure of. At times it feels like a good editor wouldn't have gone amiss. There's some other stuff that sticks in the craw here and there, but... it's alright- a nice enough tale almost, but not quite, swamped by a thousand other things going on in the background. Read. Stay safe and well you lovely people. Cheers goonalan. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
I'm reading the Forgotten Realms Novels- #202 The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson (Dungeons 2)
Top