3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very worthwhile conclusion to excellent series., September 17, 2000
This review is from: Waterdeep (Forgotten Realms: Avatar Trilogy, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the final installment in the Avatar Trilogy (the previous two being "Shadowdale" and "Tantras.") There's nothing I hate more in a novel (and especially a series of novels) than unresolved questions at the end. This book resolves the issues of the series in a believable and interesting way, which also opens the door to future adventures involving the same characters.
If you've read "Shadowdale" and "Tantras," then you owe it to yourself to finish out the trilogy. If you haven't, then read them first, because the actions of the characters will be much clearer with the background provided by the first two books.
All in all, a fine ending to an outstanding series and some truly unforgetable characters (my personal "favorite" is Cyric, since he's hands-down the most interesting and layered character in the series.) Prepare to be hooked (I last read these books over 5 years ago, and I still find the characters and stories compelling.) if you get started.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Satisfying Conclusion, May 18, 2003
This review is from: Waterdeep (Forgotten Realms: Avatar Trilogy, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)
The Avatar trilogy is one of those series that starts out pretty bland and gets better as it goes. That said, Waterdeep- the "sort of" conclusion to this tale, is a great story. It's largely assumed you are familiar with the characters, and unlike the previous novels the author (this time 'Awlinson' is Troy Denning) does not try to summarize everything that happened before.
This is fortunate, as it leaves more room for fun stuff. To sum up the gist of the tale, the quest continues to recover the second Tablet of Fate and return order to the Realms. Midnight, Kelemvor, and Adon- the heroes of the story- travel to the City of Splendors in search of the missing artifact. The title is somewhat misleading, as they actually don't spend much time in Waterdeep itself. Most of the time is spent journeying there and dealing with all manner of enemies, including the baddest mortal villain currently in the Realms- Cyric.
A few things go unanswered, and the story's finale leaves a lot unwritten, but this is because the saga doesn't actually end here despite it being the third book in a trilogy. If you were disappointed in the characterization in earlier books, Waterdeep does little to improve upon it. The strength of this story is its plot, and those who aren't familiar with Forgotten Realms household names like Elminster and Khelben will be wondering who these guys are, and why everyone seems to recognize them. Little enough explanation is given for why Cyric spirals down to the bottom end of the alignment spectrum, though I suppose one could just say the guy is nuts.
I won't say anything more about the story, but suffice to say it is good. I wasn't very pleased with Shadowdale, but the authors have clearly gotten things straightened out since writing that first novel. If you've started the series already, it would be a shame to not read Waterdeep as this is where much of the trilogy's value is maintained.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gigantic Book, July 21, 2006
Troy Denning wrote a really good series, containing really good information and a realms shaking event. Wonderful
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