Stormlight (Forgotten Realms: The Harpers) [Mass Market Paperback]

Ed Greenwood (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stories of the Seven Sisters | Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Stormlight

Strange magic is on the loose in Firefall Keep -- magic that kills.

The mightiest War Wizards are baffled, and the shadow of destruction threatens valiant Harpers and nobles of the fair realm of Cormyr alike. With Harpers in jeopardy, it is up to the legendary Bard of Shadowdale, Storm Silverhand, to overcome this lethal and mysterious force.

"Whenever I think I can relax at last, someone hastens to brutally point out to me that I've fresh work to do. It's time to save the world again." -- Storm Silverhand

Stormlight is the fourteenth in an open-ended series of novels ofocusing on the Harpers, the secret organization for Good in the Forgotten Realms fantasy world.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786905204
• ISBN-13: 978-0786905201
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,055,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms setting, is the best-selling author of hundreds of novels, game products, and articles. His most recent novel for Wizards of the Coast is The City of Splendors, a collaboration with Elaine Cunningham. He is also the author of the Band of Four novels published by Tor Books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars flat and predictable, even for Greenwood, July 19, 2000

By 

mike b. (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stormlight (Forgotten Realms: The Harpers) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you are among those hoping that Ed Greenwood will develop his characters more as time goes on, Stormlight is sure to disappoint. In it, Storm Silverhand becomes involved in a scheme by a dead god to revive himself. (Those who have read TSR's Lost Gods offerings will find this a familiar theme, though Stormlight is not part of that series.) Despite several interesting moments, Stormlight falls short on at least two counts.

First, Greenwood's characters continue to develop in raw power without any concurrent personality development. Even though she is likely the least powerful of the Seven Sisters, Storm is revealed to be a near-god by the end of this novel: she has lived for centuries; she has allies among the kings and archwizards throughout the land (and drops their names liberally in her dialogue); and, though not a wizard, she exhibits practically undefeatable spell-like abilities. Meanwhile, her personality remains shallow and inconsistent, e.g. bemoaning the fate of a long lost love at times and flirting with various male characters at others. Sadly, we learn very little of her past, or her connection to Elminster, Mystra, or her sisters.

Second, the plot has roughly 75 pages worth of substance, but the author presses the formulaic battle-then-regroup button long enough to churn out the requisite 312 page TSR novel. A potentially interesting secondary villain is quickly introduced then defeated by characters only peripherally involved in this novel, leaving the reader to wonder if interesting subplots have been deliberately clipped out by a sadistic editor.

In short, I recommend Stormlight only to those desperate for a Forgotten Realms story.

4.0 out of 5 stars Another must-have for a Forgotten Realms reader, October 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Stormlight (Forgotten Realms: The Harpers) (Mass Market Paperback)

Action in its finest form, appealing plot twists, and a very human character. Human in the sense of her attitude, of course, as she's pretty resistant. The plot always made me want to know the next events, and I couldn't let it down. Again, a great work of Ed Greenwood.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Amusing yet confusing, May 11, 2000

By 

Kara S. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stormlight (Forgotten Realms: The Harpers) (Mass Market Paperback)

Not a good book to read your first time through the Realms, but quite amusing if you know anything about Storm or the Seven Sisters.

Ed Greenwood's writing is anything but stimulating here, but FR fans do get plenty of Storm's biting humor. However, there are frustrating plot-defects. Storm's habit of ending up nude distracts from the book and is plain annoying. I read "Spellfire" and "Crown of Fire" long before this book (found neither of them gripping) and there are mentions of Selune and the loss of Storm's lover which contradict everything in "Stormlight" from the appearence of Selune to everything else in Storm's life.

The only other thing that trips up this novel is the fact that being a Chosen of Mystra makes Storm next to invincible, killing any hint of suspense that could have existed here. So if you are a Seven Sister's fan and can straighten out those little life-plot inconsistencies and like to see snobby nobles getting an earful, then go check this one out at the library or borrow it before deciding to add it to your collection.