Realms of Valor (A Collection of Short Stories) [Mass Market Paperback]

R. A. Salvatore (Author), James Lowder (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 1993

From the secret annals of Realms history come eleven never-before-published tales of valor, featuring the greatest heroes of that magical world -- Drizzt Do'Urden, Arilyn Moonblade, Adon, Elminster of Shadowdale, Jander Sunstar, and many others -- told by your favorite authors, including:Ed Greenwood, R.A. Salvatore, Douglas Niles, Troy Denning, Christie Golden, and others

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (January 26, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560765577
• ISBN-13: 978-1560765578
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,148,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Lowder has worked extensively on both sides of the editorial blotter. His credits include the bestselling novels Prince of Lies and Knight of the Black Rose, short fiction for such anthologies as Truth Until Paradox and Shadows Over Baker Street, and comic book scripts for DC, Devil's Due, Moonstone, and the city of Boston's First Night celebration. His work has been translated into more than ten languages, including Hungarian, Yiddish, and Russian. He's written hundreds of feature articles and book, film, and game reviews for such diverse publications as Dragon, Amazing Stories, Sci-Fi Universe, Milwaukee Magazine, and The New England Journal of History, and published role-playing game material for Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, Marvel Super Heroes, and various other systems. As an editor, he's directed book lines or series for TSR, Green Knight, and CDS Books, and has helmed a dozen critically acclaimed anthologies, including The Book of All Flesh, Hobby Games: The 100 Best, and Worlds of Their Own. He's been a finalist for the International Horror Guild Award and the Stoker Award, and has won five Origins Awards and a silver ENnie Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short stories to make you think., November 26, 2000

By 

"lancer101" (FULTON, MS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Realms of Valor (A Collection of Short Stories) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Oldies, but Goodies," still hold true today. I re-dug this book out of the boxes of Forgotten Realms books and read it again for the first time. Valor isn't just a word, it's an idea. Take a spin and read this book, as you put yourself in each main character's shoes, and see if you think you might have Valor. I highly recommend this book to those who think deeply and have an open mind to different opinions in Valor.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Realms of Valor edited by James Lowder, July 6, 2009

By 

Travis Eisenbrandt "Read Between the Lines" (Somewhere in Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Realms of Valor (A Collection of Short Stories) (Mass Market Paperback)

Realms of Valor edited by James Lowder was released in 1993 and it is currently out of print today (2009). Comprised of 11 short stories by Douglas Niles, Ed Greenwood, Christie Golden, Elaine Cunningham, David Cook, Scott Ciencin, Mark Anthony, James Lowder, Jean Rabe, Troy Denning, and R.A. Salvatore. Some stories revolve around well known Forgotten Realms characters; Drizzt Do'Urden, Arilyn Moonblade, Elminster, and Jander Sunstar to name a few. Plus there is an Afterword by Jeff Grubb that tells of the "secret" history of the Realms


Lord of Lowhill by Douglas Niles- This story follows two halflings, Pawldo and Stefanik, as they search for treasure in a dark, evil place. Pawldo is found in the Moonshae Trilogy.
Negatives:
1. Cliché. The story just seemed like a cliché. Greed takes one adventurer to far and he realizes it to late. It just seemed cliché.
Positives:
1. Characters. I did like Pawldo and Stefanik. I'm not quite sure really. Like my theory on halflings says, halflings give people consciences. Dang halflings.
2. Fun read. It started out kind of boring and whatnot, but ended up being a pretty fun read.
Overall: 4/5
*If the story would have introduced something different, it could have really benefited.*


Elminster at the Magefair by Ed Greenwood- The story is about Elminster and Storm Silverhand going to a magefair to pick up a key. The key invites trouble from younger mages and an old friend.
Negatives:
1. Boring story. It's not a bad story by any means, it just wasn't all that exciting.
2. Confusing towards the end. There just was to much going on to really follow. Then of course, you have to sit and think about what happened and what was so important.
Positives:
1. The magefair. That was really the only interesting and fun thing in the story. The fireball toss contest was pretty funny and amusing.
2. Didn't overburden you with names. I've been told that Ed Greenwood likes to use a lot of names. This story was an exception and it worked pretty well.
Overall: 3/5
*If things were slowed down at times and sped up at others, this could have been a better story.*


One Last Drink by Christie Golden-This story is about Jander Sunstar, a gold elf vampire. The story's events are before Vampire of the Mists. It tells of how Jander escaped his vampire master.
Negatives:
None. Yeah, I have no complaints or annoyances with the story at all.
Positives:
1. Jander. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters (along with Drizzt Do'Urden, Erevis Cale, Aliisza and Kaanyr Vhok for example) and this story really shows why. I just can't help but feel sorry for him...
2. The set-up of what happens. I really did like what happens and how everything feel into place. The way Jander handled himself and broke his enslavement was just great.
3. Details and Descriptions. I like how Christie Golden describes everything. You can feel the malice and fear of everyone. The 'gory' (for lack of a better word) details she uses are superb.
Overall: 5/5
*I like Jander. But irregardless, the story telling was perfect*


The Bargain by Elaine Cunningham- About Arilyn Moonblade and Danilo Thann and their attempt to warn the Pasha of Tethyr of an assassination. Along the way, they encounter an assassin, Hasheth, who is trying to kill Arilyn. Bargains are made and deals are struck. Arilyn and Danilo appears in a few of Elaine Cunningham's books.
Negative:
1. "Brawl" scene. The scene was when Arilyn and a 'thug' were outside a bar fighting. The only problem I had was how it ended. It ends a little confusing with the clink of metal. Not a really big negative, but I had to reread that paragraph to understand about the 'daggers'.
Positives:
1. Characters. Arilyn, Danilo, and even Hasheth were good characters. I like Arilyn because of her demeanor and temper at times. Danilo (I've read a few scenes in the Liriel Beanre series he was in and I liked him then) for his humor. Hasheth for his single mindedness and naiveté.
2. Plot. I liked how everything fit together and how it ended up. I didn't really expect that so and so was really the target. It ended in a way I thought was fitting.
3. Bonus funny positive... Two camels.
Overall: 5/5
*One of the best short stories I've read.*


Patronage by David Cook- Follows Koja, a lama from the Red Mountain. Koja is a scribe that wrote down a history of a group of people called the Tuigan. Koja wants his book to be able to be read by many people, so he seeks out a printer, whom is to expensive. Koja then goes to the Duke of Procampur to ask for the money for the book to be printed. But it isn't the duke that grants Koja his wish, rather someone more powerful.
Negatives:
1. First Person point of view. While I was glad for something new and different in a Forgotten Realm story, the view point seemed to be lacking a lot of details.
2. Predictable. The story was one were you knew something was going to happen. I didn't except the person, but I just knew something like that was going to let Koja print his book.
Positives:
1. Different Style. Along with the viewpoint, I thought it was interesting that Koja wasn't in essence a hero. He didn't fight any monsters or evil people, just stood for what he believed in. That made the story different and fresh.
2. Koja. He was interesting character because of what I mentioned above. He wasn't high and mighty, he was a normal person wanting to better the world with knowledge.
Overall: 3/5
*Better details could have made this story much better*


A Virtue By Reflection by Scott Ciencin- The story is a murder mystery. The ruler of the city Arabel, Myrmeen Lhal, tries to solve the murder of Penn Othmann, a merchant. Myrmeen encounters a race called cat lords, which holds the key to the mystery along with a young girl.
Negatives:
1. Boring. I hate to say it, but this was a boring story. It never really interested me.
2. Cat lords. What are they? There really wasn't a good explanation other than they are half cat/ half human, with the ability to shift into a cat. It just seemed like someone was looking at too much Japanese cartoon when they were writing this. But seriously, I didn't really understand the whole race, and honestly didn't know about the race at all. I liked it better that way.
Positives:
1. Good Mystery. I can't give to much away but I thought the premise of the story was a good idea. The execution was done wrong. How it was all explained was done well I thought.
2. Zaehlas Alandovos Zacharious or Zaz. I did like the leader of the cat lords though. He did have a cool demeanor and a self of humor that made him likable.
Overall: 2.5/5
*What held this back was the execution of the story. Just dull and unexciting.*


King's Tear by Mark Anthony- The story is about Tyveris, a former sell-sword turned monk, and his mission to recover a stolen item, called King's Tear, from a necromancer named Kelshara. Along the way, Tyveris learns that not everything is stopped with a weapon.
Negatives:
1. Predictable. You knew what was going to happen. You knew what 'weapon' was going to stop Kelshara.
2. Underdeveloped Characters. The characters didn't really seem to grow and weren't very interesting. Kelshara is the best example. She started the story, yet she didn't really seem like a true villain, even though it's obvious she was. She really came off as just too evil.
Positives:
1. Fun read. It was a really quick exciting read. There wasn't any real dull parts. It really seemed that every scene set up the follow scene. It really kept me wanting to read.
2. Just desserts. The ending I thought was really good. Sure, a little cliché, but I really thought it was worth it. Not to mention, it was written very well.
Overall: 3.5/5
*The Characters are what really brought this story down.*


The Family Business by James Lowder- The story is about a father-son highwayman duo. Artus Cimber is learning the tricks of the trade from his father, the Shadowhawk. During the 'training,' Prince Azoun inexplicably shows up with a trailing trio of groundlings, transformed dwarf Zhentatium assassins. Artus and Azoun team up and tries to wait out the attack. However, things don't work out the way they are supposed to and Artus had to make a tough decision.
Negatives:
1. The Shadowhawk. I was really annoyed by Artus' father. His attitude really bothered me. But it's not a major problem.
Positives:
1. The story. The story was really solid. I couldn't find a big problem with the story at all.
2. Characters. Everyone was a well thought out and interesting. The interactions between each character, father-son and Artus and Azoun, were perfect.
Overall: 4.5/5
*Another really good story. Fun all around.*


Grandfather's Toys by Jean Rabe- A child is missing! Her grandfather, Drollo, enlists the aid of a druid, Galvin, to help find her. Drollo's tower however, is full of nooks and crannies where a little girl could hide. Filled with junk, the duo, along with the aid of a weasel named Elias, search the cluttered tower. However, the search goes farther than expected.
Negatives:
1. Rushed. The whole story was badly rushed. Everything was happening so fast that it was hard to really follow.
2. Boring. Another story that fell flat on it's face. Even though it was a fast read, it just was a story I kept setting down.
3. Undeveloped characters. The... Read more ›

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Revisiting the heroes., March 20, 2002

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Realms of Valor (A Collection of Short Stories) (Mass Market Paperback)

James Lowder, ed., Realms of Valor (TSR, 1993)

Realms of Valor was the first short story collection to showcase the continuing adventures of various well-known personages in the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons world of the Forgotten Realms (a second, Realms of Infamy, appeared later). Each of the stories is written by someone who was instrumental in the creation of the original characters, e.g. Scott Ciencin, who wrote parts of the Avatar Trilogy under the name Richard Awlinson, gives us a tale about Adon, the priest from the adventuring party in those books, and Robert Salvatore brings back Drizzt Do'Urden, who's spent time on the New York Times bestseller list on quite a few occasions over the past decade.

The book's probably not a starting point for reading about the Realms, but for those who have a few series' worth under their belts, it's great to see one's old friends again. The stories, in general, live up to the novels that introduced the various characters within. They do so well enough, in fact, that some characters with which the reader might not yet be familiar may inspire the more industrious reader to go looking for the books that the characters came from. Very good stuff. *** ½