CRUCIBLE: The Trial of Cyric the Mad (Forgotten Realms, Sequel to Prince of Lies) [Mass Market Paperback]

Troy Denning (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 24, 1998

This title is the final in a series of recovers of the popular Avatar series. At the time of its original release, this series presented key events that impacted the entire Forgotten Realms world, and the effects of those events are still felt in current novels. This re-released series features a cohesive cover design and all-new art and was written by New York Times best-selling author Troy Denning.

Cyric the Mad

Who betrayed his friends Midnight and Kelemvor and sought to destroy them.

Who ascended to godhood and now spreads his lies and intrigues into every corner of Faerun.

Who is the Lord of Murder, the Prince of Lies--and insane.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Troy Denning is the author of many novels set in the Forgotten Realms world, including his recent Return of the Archwizards series. He has also written Death of the Dragon with Ed Greenwood and The Prism Pentad, set in the Dark Sun¨ world. He recently penned the New York Times best-selling Star Wars¨ novel Star by Star for Del Rey.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (February 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078690724X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786907243
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,081,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Troy Denning is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Tatooine Ghost and Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Star by Star, as well as Waterdeep, Pages of Pain, Beyond the High Road, The Summoning, and many other novels. His most recent Star Wars novel is Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Vortex. A former game designer and editor, he lives in western Wisconsin with his wife, Andria.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knights in Shining Armor Need Not Apply., April 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: CRUCIBLE: The Trial of Cyric the Mad (Forgotten Realms, Sequel to Prince of Lies) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you're looking for the brave, valiant knight that leads the forces of good to victory over unholy evil then look elsewhere. The story is told from the perspective of Malik, a follower of Cyric, the evil God of Strife, Lies and Murder. Malik is an unlikely anti-hero who possesses traits more of a merchant and part-time rogue than a warrior who brandishes steel to combat his enemies directly. Malik is comical and sometimes clumsy. However its' his unwavering devotion to his god that gets him through a grueling fanatical life, which all makes him a very distinctive, unconventional, and enjoyable character.

The book fleshes out how Kelemvor and Mystra/Midnight came to terms with their new role as gods, and their transition from mortality to the responsibility of immortality and the worshipers and portfolio that came with it. On the other side of the coin, it also deals with Cyric's self-delusions caused by the Cyrinshad debacle, which drove him insane.

You'll also read of interactions between the newly crowned gods and the established personalities within the Faerunian Pantheon. Much intrigue occurs, particularly between Mask and Cyric, which I found highly amusing.

If you feel very strongly for the forces of good from the books in the Avatar Trilogy and Prince of Lies, then Crucible will probably leave a bitter taste in your mouth. If you abhor Cyric or similar evil Gods, then you'll be disappointed. If you've got an open mind about how mortals deal with their new existence and responsibilities that come with attaining godhood, as Troy Denning spells out here, then I think it's an excellent read.

Troy Denning, one of my favorite authors, has written an unconventional book that isn't your standard fair FR novel. This is how I'd describe Crucible in one statement: "Attaining power is easy, understanding it is difficult, and keeping it is extremely hard."

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Unorthodox from the Bad Guy's POV, April 1, 2003

By 

davidinbrookfield "Dave" (Brookfield, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CRUCIBLE: The Trial of Cyric the Mad (Forgotten Realms, Sequel to Prince of Lies) (Mass Market Paperback)

But unlike the Cyrinishad, this will not make you into a Follower of the One. Yes, Midnight, Kelemvor, Adon, and Cyric (and even Fzoul) are back again, albeit somewhat changed. But our hero, and narrator, is Malik, a merchant turned spy, devoted faithful of the mad god Cyric, riding forth on his not-really-that-faithful bone-crunching steed Halah (named after his not-really-that-faithful prince-dallying wife). With his Inspector Clouseau like antics, his god-given inability to suffer harm, and his "Liar Liar" like inability to say anything but the truth (even to his god), he provides us with a presumably accurate, sometimes touching, often gruesome, and occasionally humorous account of the time of Cyric's madness. Of course Midnight is now known as the Harlot, Kelemvor is the Ursurper, etc. etc. but their dialogue and actions are still familiar to those of us who have known them since Shadowdale. Mystra's love and devotion to Kelemvor, Adon, and her followers stands out, as do her frustrations in being reprimanded by the gods for her lack of objectivity or neutrality concerning good and evil. The story of the gods is interwoven with Malik's story of his quest to cure his god's madness while being pursued by the veiled Harper witch, Ruha, from Troy Denning's "The Parched Sea." We don't see enough of Adon (who's been getting the short end of the stick time-wise since his scarring in the Avatar Trilogy), and Rinda and Gwydion deserved more screen time. But Denning's prose and imagination really shine in this story -- here's hoping this isn't the last! And if you (like me) have a secret crush on Mystra, then you've got to get this book dude.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book, July 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: CRUCIBLE: The Trial of Cyric the Mad (Forgotten Realms, Sequel to Prince of Lies) (Mass Market Paperback)

A worthy finale to the Avatar series. A certain couple's cheap death really annoyed me but overall the book is... "addictive". When I realized what Lord Death had sacrificed to restore a certain priest's faith in his deity I almost wept. A good read well worth your time.