Customer Reviews

Evermeet: Island of Elves (Forgotten Realms)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the few of author Elaine Cunningham's novels that does not feature one of her trademark characters. The story does mention some of them (Danilo and Arilyn) and is supposedly a result of the former's research into elven lore. Instead of focusing on familiar heroes and heroines, Evermeet is a story of elves both familiar and not. It can be seen as a continuation of the saga started with 'Elfshadow,' and fans of that series will find it an interesting read.

Without giving too much away, Evermeet: Isle of the Elves starts at the present day for a rather alarming prologue that is only settled at the very end. That is to say, the island is under heavy assault, and the reader knows little of how this came about or how it will turn out. The rest of the book explains just that- starting way back when the elves first came to Toril. Included is an intriguing portrayal of the Seldarine and its nemeses: Lloth, Malar, and Grummsh. Also included are interesting points about the primeval Forgotten Realms and its occupants, and a good deal of narrative on the early history of the drow.

The novel, of course, is largely focused on the last refuge of the elves- the isle of Evermeet. Its history is laid out from the beginning, and the author has plenty of compelling and wondrous tales of its founders, occupants, and defenders. Essentially a collection of short stories within a looming overall plot (that of Amlaruil, the present leader of Evermeet), Cunningham has proven herself as much a master of the brief tale as the multi-volume scheme.

For those who have read and enjoyed Elaine Cunningham's other works, and also for those merely interested in the Realms and their elven inhabitants, this is by far the most exciting and brilliantly composed work on them. The intricate weave of a plot that spans thousands of years (but just generations for elves) is something that must truly be experienced.

This was one of the first books I read in FR and I didn't understand what the h@ll was going on. I reread it after two years of reading FR and it made sense. Not perfect sense but sense. I personally think Elaine Cunningham is the best active fantasy writer so take this into consideration when reading on.

This book details the history of Evermeet from its inception to present day. Unfortunately the history is co-mingled with the present-day plot to destroy the monarchy of the "gray" elves. This is setup like "Cormyr" but it isn't as clear as Cormyr in its layout.

The plot against the moon elves illustrates something I really liked, which is how Cunningham delves into the elf against elf plots. Most the time (in other books) elves seem to stick together against the human encroachment, which gives the impression that the elves of Faerun are a cohesive unit - almost what human idealists yearn for (Drows aside). This book shatters that notion by showing the racial divides within the elves (green/moon/gold) and the petty power-grabbing and intrigue that even elves are capable of.

Overall this book helps you understand the history of elves on Faerun and the elvish culture. While not breath-taking, it is a good solid book.

Along the lines of JRR Tolkien's classic, the Silmarillion, and with a slight touch of Spelljammer and Planescape, comes Elaine Cunningham's Forgotten Realms novel, Evermeet: Island of Elves.
It deals with the Elves and their long journey through the eons up until the present (as far as the Forgotten Realms world is concerned).
It does bring to mind Ed Greenwood's and Jeff Grubb's Cormyr, and one could easily claim that Evermeet deals with the Elves in a similar way that Cormyr presents the history of the Cormyreans, or Cormytes as is more common within the Kingdom.
The book is so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another universe and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. Elaine Cunnigham has truly outdone herself once again and has presented us with a masterpiece of literature the likes of which we have seen only in JRR Tolkien's work, RA Salvatore's The Dark Elf and Icewind Dale trilogies and in authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies.
She has done a FANTASTIC job of both acquiring vast knowledge relevant to the People as well as presenting this material relating to the customs, the religion and the history of the Elves, efficiently and successfully! Her solid grasp of factual detail makes her very capable of providing the necessary background needed to carry out the difficult task of writing Forgotten Realms novels, especially one as complex as this, which is something often missing from the work of many Fantasy authors. Do keep in mind though, that Evermeet is not a book for the light-hearted, instead it is more tuned to the needs/taste of the Forgotten Realms die-hards (like myself...)
Gods, Elves, Dragons, Magic, Honor, Love and swordfights are all about. Elaine Cunningham's Elfshadow, Elfsong, and Silver Shadows make up for a great trilogy and are a "must read" together with Evermeet, especially for all those who have a soft spot for everything Elven!

"Evermeet: Island of Elves" was an excellent read and hard to put down, but I am biased because I am a big fan of elven lore in the Forgotten Relams. The book filled many holes in elven history that I could not find elsewhere or where my own creativity fell short while role-playing.

The ending of the book was a bit abrupt and the way the story jumps around in time took some effort to follow. Many people will be turned off by this. On the other hand, jumping around kept the overall suspense going and is a key reason I couldn't put the book down.

Most of the book is like a series of great short stories interconnected by family lines throughout elven history, culminating in a characterization of the entire elven race. Don't expect a lot of individual character development in this book. There just isn't enough time in a short story to really develop a character. Instead, look forward to the portrayal and evolution of elven character as a whole. Also, some of the jumping around may be confusing if you have not at least touched on some of the elven history of the Forgotten Realms in other books and AD&D modules. Cunningham dives deep into some concepts such as the elven moonblades (a very compelling aspect of this book) while leaving some other well known events (the fall of Myth Drannor) to be explained in other Forgotten Realms books. This may be frustrating to someone that knows nothing about these events, but very appropriate as I'm sure Cunningham was trying to avoid re-writing stories from other books.

"Evermeet..." is a love story, a story about finding a homeland and keeping it, a story about petty politics of both the gods and the elves and a story of honor, bravery and sacrifice. Cunningham seems to have an amazing grasp of events in the Forgotten Realms, understanding the "big picture" of this world of imagination. I enjoyed the book simply because it covered so much time (tens of thousands of years) while keeping it all connected throughout.

I couldn't put it down. I wouldn't recommend it to a first time reader. I love the way it bounces back and forth to keep me on my toes. The layout reminds me a lot of the book, Cormyr, in the way it moves back and forth. I really enjoyed finally understanding the character of Alustriel. The ending left me hanging for a sequel. I can't wait for the story to continue!

This book is the prime example of why books for fantasy games should be written. Sure about 90% are complete crap, but every so often an author with talent comes along. Elaine Cunningham is one of these gifted authors. Her book takes a look at elven history in the Forgotten Realms fantasy world, and also some of the lost history of elves is uncovered. It begins with the history of the elven gods, with the fight of Corellon Larethian, and Grummish One-Eye. And ends very well considering the size and scope of the book. Many thousands of years go by in this book. The first date in the book comes almost at the end, and it is -9000 DR, 10,000+ years before the current Forgotten Realms year. I loved this book, and cannot say enough about it.

After Reading through Daughter of the Drow I dove head first into this book to find out more to boost my knowledge of the Realms Elves and their deep history.
I must admit there where times when the story jumped and I found myself flitting back through pages to work out what was happening (though I am pretty new to the Realms books so maybe that's just me)
But just like Elaine's other book I mentioned I found myself thrown into the story and after a short while found myself enjoying the who's related to whom and how side of the book.
The story itself is wonderful if you can keep up with its speed. The characters are a bit of a mixed bag but most are well very written and wish there was more story written of them.
If you were interested in looking into the history of the elves of the Forgotten Realms, I'd say you need not look anywhere else.

I really enjoyed the novel, particulary the multiple plots running concurrently. At times, the elves seemed, as one reviewer put it, too perfect. I agree, but on a certain level that "perfection" added to the story of how the elves devolved. My main complaint is with the printer. There were numerous typos, the worst of which was the use of a wrong word to start a chapter. Not only did I have to reread the sentence several times, but the initial letter of the incorrect word was illuminated. If not for the printer's errors, this book would have scored higher.

BY FAR the best Forgotten Realms book out there, source book or novel. EC takes her previous characters (you may want to read those first) and weaves them lightly through the myths, legends, and truths of the Elven peoples.

The novel begins with the story of the Seldarine and Araushnee's trechery. This sets the tone for the wars to come among the elves of Faerun. The novel brings elves of Faerie to the northern edges of the Sword Coast back in the Time of Dragons, describes the mentality of certain Southern Dark elves in power, and leads through the Crown Wars, the creation and claiming of the Moonblades, and the founding, life, and near-destruction of Evermeet in compelling prose.

Because of SO much lore packed into one book, if may be confusing to people new to Faerun's elven lore. (...)

One odd note... I didn't get a copy of this until after September 11. The description of the two towers of the Sun and Moon being shattered touched me in a way that EC never could have predicted.

As a general rule, I've truly enjoyed everything that Elaine Cunningham has written in the Forgotten Realms setting, and this novel is no exception. This book is actually more impressive than the others, simply because it's obvious how much time and effort went in to getting all the details on elven history right--not to mention somehow managing to make it all so interesting. The best part of the book is learning about the elven gods--a subject largely neglected in other novels. I especially liked the tales describing the separation of the dark elf gods from the surface elves.' The only reason this book didn't receive a perfect score is because it isn't quite as much fun to read as the series involving Arilyn/Danilo or Liriel Baenre. This is a book I would suggest for people who have already read her other novels, not for first-time readers. Still, an extremely enlightening and impressive novel.