Realms of Shadow (Forgotten Realms: Return of the Archwizard anthology) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lizz Baldwin (Editor)

Book Description

Series: The Return of the Archwizards | Publication Date: April 1, 2002

When Shade Enclave returns from thousands of years of exile in the Plane of Shadow, all of Faerûn is open to its dark designs.

When a tribe of kenku confront the archwizard who gave them magic but kept them as slaves, the skies rain death.

When a knight of Cormyr journeys to the ruins of Tilverton, he begins to understand the terrifying power of the archwizards.

When phaerimm roam the world, enslaving orc and human alike, the great powers of the world must depend on an ally as deadly as their enemy.

An anthology tied to the Realms-shaking Return of the Archwizards series featuring new stories by best-selling Forgotten Realms authors, including R.A. Salvatore, Troy Denning, Ed Greenwood, and Elaine Cunningham.

Contents
"Trial By Ordeal" by Lisa Smedman
"Assassin's Shadow" by Jess Lebow
"Too Long in the Dark" by Paul S. Kemp
"Darksword" by Troy Denning
"Liar's Game" by Jessica Beaven
"That Curious Sword" by R.A. Salvatore
"A Little Knowledge" by Elaine Cunningham
"Astride the Wind" by Philip Athans
"The Fallen Lands" by Murray J.D. Leeder
"When Shadows Come Seeking a Throne" by Ed Greenwood
"King Shadow" by Richard Lee Byers
"The Shifting Sands" by Peter Archer

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078692716X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786927166
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #462,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realms of Shadow, April 6, 2002

By 

RZ4 (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Realms of Shadow (Forgotten Realms: Return of the Archwizard anthology) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'll start off by saying that many people will buy this anthology merely for the R.A. Salvatore short story. The thing is, that's perfectly alright. When I first picked up this book, I looked at the table of contents and found the Salvatore story, "That Curious Sword." I promptly turned to the indicated page and read an incredible short tale involving two amazing characters: the cunning assassin Artemis Entreri and the pragmatic dark elf Jarlaxle. I, along with other FR fans have been looking forward to this piece of writing from the pen of RAS. This marks the first return to his popular duo since the book Servant of the Shard. Long story short, this nineteen page short story is worth the price of the book alone.

Alas, like I said many will buy the book for the Entreri & Jarlaxle story, but there are many more reasons why this book deserves a five star rating. There are tales delivered by Troy Denning(whose current trilogy is the backbone of this anthology), the creator of the Forgotten Realms Ed Greenwood, and last but not least an author that I have grown to enjoy just as much as RAS, Elaine Cunningham. Elaine Cunningham dishes out a great story that is connected to her recent Counselors & Kings Trilogy. So all in all, Realms of Shadow is truly a satisfying and enjoyable entry in the FR anthology line. Albeit, not quite as well rounded and long lasting as some of the former FR anthologies(Realms of Valor and Realms of Magic), but it obviously delivers the goods from the well-known FR authors and has more than a handful of good impressions made from some of the new talespinners that have made their first imprint on the Realms.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag, July 26, 2002

By 

ellisfan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Realms of Shadow (Forgotten Realms: Return of the Archwizard anthology) (Mass Market Paperback)

Unlike the other reviewers, I found this particular collection to range from truly awful to good; there is nothing spectacular here, though. Troy Denning, an FR author I usually enjoy quite a bit (and whose first two books in this particular series are excellent), delivers a plodding, predictable story that degenerates into standard fantasy fiction stereotypes without any significant characterisation. This is atypical for Denning, and for this reason I am likely more disappointed than I might have been had another author penned the tale. Salvatore and Cunningham, as usual, deliver satisfying tales with memorable characters. Jessica Beaven is, to me at least, a new contributor. In my opinion, this should be her last attempt. Her tale was disjointed, stylistically pretentious and without any storytelling merit whatsoever. While this may tide one over between "The Siege" and the forthcoming "The Sorcerer," it would be best to not bring too much hope for an overall satisfying FR experience with this particular anthology.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant anthology, May 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Realms of Shadow (Forgotten Realms: Return of the Archwizard anthology) (Mass Market Paperback)

From Lisa Smedman's Netherese mystery tale to Peter Archer's Indiana Jones-esque reprise of a character from Realms of Mystery, Realms of Shadow offers a nifty tie-in which stands effectively apart from the polarizing Return of the Archwizards trilogy (personally I like the trilogy a lot, but plenty of you don't -- do not let that discourage you from buying this anthology). I particularly like Paul Kemp's story (watching this guy. He's going to be Salvatore-big some day), Elaine Cunningham's comedy and Richard Lee Byers' adventure tale set in the ruins of Tilverton. Ed Greenwood's story sets some kind of "sets of villains in one story" record with four - phaerimm, malaugrym, shades and Bleth/Cormaeril renegade Cormyrians.