TEMPTATION OF ELMINSTER, THE (Forgotton Realms) [Hardcover]

Ed Greenwood (Author)

Book Description

Series: Forgotton Realms | Publication Date: December 1, 1998

How do you tempt an archmage who has everything?

From a dark and dusty tomb, Elminster emerges, seeking the guidance of Mystra, and finds only silence. He is drawn into the clutches of the mysterious and sinister Lady of Shadows. The path he takes will lead to a Realms-shaking confrontation where Elminster has to make the most important choice of his long life.

Whatever he decides, the Realms will be forever changed . . .

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 345 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; First Edition edition (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786911891
• ISBN-13: 978-0786911899
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,320,541 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 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars To enjoy this book like I did..., May 14, 2001

By 

Ikcelaks (Bridgman, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Temptation of Elminster: The Elminster Series (Mass Market Paperback)

You must take the appropriate prospective. This book is NOT a valiant tale of Elminster performing a harrowing task to save all the Realms; nor is it a story of a great struggle between the Sage and a dreadful, tangible enemy. Instead, Ed Greenwood has written a book that focuses on the great effect that Elminster has on the people and places of Faerun by simply being Elminster. As a result, the primary plot of Elminster (his "temptation" if you will) does not take full precedence. In fact, much of the book delves off on sub-plots featuring a multitude of third-party characters with few clear connections to Elminster's storyline. However, to declare these divergences pointless baggage would be premature. All of these alternate lines are related in that they portray people on whom Elminster has had or is having a strong effect. In the end, we are left with great sense of how someone with as much power and grace as Elminster can change the lives those around him, for both the good and the bad. In that, I felt that I learned a lot about Greenwood's perception of not only Elminster, but also the collective peoples of the Forgotten Realms. Much like R.A. Salvatore's "Spine of the World", this book "rounds out" our knowledge of the world by detailing people who aren't heroes or villains but are intriguing none-the-less. Of course, as the title suggests, Elminster himself also has a bit to play himself in the novel, but I'll leave the details to the book. Coming in, I, like most people, expected this to be a book of the continuing life and deeds of Elminster. While that isn't what I got, I felt that this look at the "other" people was very worthwhile and, surprisingly, gave me the insight into Elminster's effect on the Forgotten Realms for which I had been looking. Given this, I must reiterate my warning; this is not book of epic adventure like Tolkien's tales. Neither is it in actuality a hard and fast biography of Elminster himself as was Greenwoods first Elminster book: "Elminster: The Making of a Mage". It is instead a book of Elminster's interactions with his world and their effects. So, if you understand this going in, then I truly believe that you will enjoy this book for what it is instead of being disappointed by what it isn't.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Temptation?, February 3, 2000

By 

Jason M. Smith "mustangman03gt" (Tyler, Tx) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Temptation of Elminster: The Elminster Series (Mass Market Paperback)

It was an excellent book, and one of the better Forgotten Realms Novels that I have read. I would suggest it if you like fantasy books at all. The only things that I didn't like about were that the title is a bit misleading, as the only "temptation" of Elminster's that happens is somewhere near the end, and even that's debatable. Also, it seemed like Ed Greenwood couldn't find a thesauraus, for he kept using "motes of light" in the book. Repeatedly repetitive is how it seemed. Then again, maybe it's just me, since I prefer the books I read to have a variety of different words.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hurry up and take notes!, October 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: TEMPTATION OF ELMINSTER, THE (Forgotton Realms) (Hardcover)

Fast-paced storyline that, as much as I hate to admit it, got a little scattered and confusing. Towards the end of the book I began to think that I would be enjoying it more if I had taken notes, thereby enabling me to keep up with the myriad characters, some suddenly resurgent from earlier parts of the book. It's almost as if Greenwood sacrificed depth of character in favor of quanity of characters. All in all a good read anyway, if you don't mind investing quite a bit of concentration in the plot -- not a terribly difficult task if you are a big fan of the Forgotten Realms/Elminster (can there be one without the other?). Tips for reading this book: 1)Once you start, don't put it down, and 2)Read fast.