The Sorcerer: Return of the Archwizards, Book III (The Return of the Archwizards) [Mass Market Paperback]

Troy Denning (Author)

Book Description

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

The exciting conclusion of the Return of the Archwizards trilogy.

The Sorcerer concludes the Return of the Archwizards trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Troy Denning. Events in this trilogy will have great impact on other Forgotten Realms novels to come, and this particular title introduces elements of change to Forgotten Realms readers.

In the blasted ruins of Tilverton, demons stalk the shadows.

In Evereska and Cormyr, alliances crumble.

In the sun-baked desert of Anauroch, an empire of darkness is established.

In the soul of a tortured elf, the future is decided.

From the author of The Summoning, The Siege, and Death of the Dragon (with Ed Greenwood), the Realms-shaking Return of the Archwizards series comes to a stunning conclusion!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Troy Denning recently penned a New York Times bestselling Star Wars (r) title for Del Rey Books entitled Star by Star. He also wrote the New York Times bestselling Waterdeep (under the pseudonym Richard Awlinson). His most recent titles include Beyond the High Road, Death of the Dragon (with Ed Greenwood), and the first two titles in the Return of the Archwizards series, The Summoning and The Siege.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; First Thus edition (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078692795X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786927951
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,107,844 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

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Could have been a masterpiece..., December 11, 2006

By 

Richard K. Kostoff "karmarich" (columbus, oh) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sorcerer: Return of the Archwizards, Book III (The Return of the Archwizards) (Mass Market Paperback)

Caution: Spoilers within my review, If you havent figured them out yourself, wise readers...

Ok, I liked the story. Given its scope, I should have loved it. I doubt if I ever read it again. Mystra's Chosen are too powerful and snotty for my taste! One, if not more of them should have died. Magical superheros belong in another setting. The formidable Shadowmages are easily defeated and quickly forgotten. What a shame...

At least the city of Shade was not totally destroyed. It wobbles in the desert twilight, precariously. The elves recover Evereska, predictably. Cormyr is left unharmed, and the Realms return to normal, right?! This is a classic case of boardroom writing with Troy Denning getting all the credit. He is not my favorite writer thus far. Perhaps he should try to take his time and write a good tale of the Forgotten Realms. I know he can!

I am not disappointed with the story. I think it could have been more carefully plotted and richer characterizations involved. I see Paul S. Kemp is resuming the tales of the Shadow magic. Perhaps he can do better. These fantasy novels are not a race for publication to see if they become best sellers. Let Troy Denning write Star wars novels, if he cannot handle the much loved Forgotten Realms!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Trilogy, June 24, 2003

By 

Harkius "harkius" (Laramie, WY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Sorcerer: Return of the Archwizards, Book III (The Return of the Archwizards) (Mass Market Paperback)

Finally, just before it is ending, Denning decides to actually use all of the characters and shows us the point of view of a phaerimm, the points of view of Vala and other characters (still not Aris, though!) etc. This book is by far the best of the three, and it was nice to see Galaeron finally stop whining about his shadow and what he did ot Evereska and all of Faerun.

The book's characterization was better than the rest of them too. The characters were more believable and had more individuality. The novel, in general, seemed better edited, less hasty, and more sure. The ending was not all that I'd hoped for, but I am interested in seeing what will finally become of Malik, after he gueststars in two different series.

Better than the other two, but is it worth reading all three? I would say no, unless you have a couple of days and twenty dollars to kill. A good book, though.
Harkius

4.0 out of 5 stars Choreography - Choreography - Choreography, January 24, 2008

By 

Tj (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sorcerer: Return of the Archwizards, Book III (The Return of the Archwizards) (Mass Market Paperback)

I am not going to dissect the plot because I don't see the point. I will say that the end is slightly underwhelming. But then, any FR novel not written (or co-written) by Ed tends to be (in my experience). Mostly because the world rides on his rails and goes where he wants. Main characters are never in any real peril, and the world is rarely in any real danger...

Keeping that in mind, the scope of the entire trilogy is plausible and exciting to read, as most of Troy's works are.

Now, for the main reason I am writing this review. Troy is without a doubt the best author I have come across at putting the choreography of the moment into words. What his writing lacks in depth of verbiage (waves at Ed sarcastically) it makes up for in flow... In other words, he makes what is usually most difficult for me to read by most authors (fast action combat) not only easy, but pleasant to read... As a matter of fact, it is the main reason I seek out and read his work...

Note: This may be why he has written so many Star Wars novels... Oh, and if you like this trilogy, I recommend checking out his Dark Sun works...(which are coming to re-print from the looks of it) Top notch stuff.

Tj.