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Shadowdale (Forgotten Realms: Avatar Trilogy, Book One) Mass Market Paperback – June 17, 1989

by Richard Awlinson (Author), Jeff Easley (Illustrator)
3.5 out of 5 stars 65 customer reviews
Book 1 of 5 in the Avatar Series
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Product Details

  • Series: Forgotten Realms: The Avatar (Book 1)
  • Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; New edition edition (June 17, 1989)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0880387300
  • ISBN-13: 978-0880387309
  • Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,109,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 starsDecent Plot Elements, Weak Execution
By Philip Ledgerwood on March 24, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
The book has plot elements of a very interesting story, but the execution is pretty shaky. It's as though the author were given a D&D module and told, "Make a novel out of this."

The novel is very driven by the plot, and by that I mean it has a series of plot points that it has to hit and everything revolves around getting to the next plot point. It doesn't matter if getting to the next plot point is realistic, feasible, interesting, or well-described. Some group of people (fighter, wizard, cleric, thief) does this, then they do this, then they do this, then done.

Characters are pretty flat. Everyone sounds exactly the same, and you are typically given one or two descriptors that become the "hook" to reference that character. For some reason, the author does not like to use the character names or pronouns, but instead refers to them with the "hook." Kelemvor is "the fighter," and 90% of the time, he is referred to as "the fighter." The fighter did this. The fighter did that. The fighter replied. Every character is treated this way. This fighter has reddish skin, so even though you know his name right off the bat, he's "the red-skinned fighter" in every sentence. There's one scene that I think is supposed to be mysterious and foreboding, but it's hard to get into the spirit of it when the main character in that scene is "the bald man," and the bald man enters a dark area, and the bald man does this, and the bald man does that, and the bald man's party steps in to support the bald man, and the bald man balds the bald man bald man bald man.

The main group is generally referred to as "the heroes" despite containing very few actual heroes.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsAMAZING TRILOGY!!!
By L Gontzes on June 4, 2004
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Definitely a great fantasy epic and one of my personal favorites, The Avatar Trilogy- Shadowdale, Tantras, and Waterdeep, is about the Time of Troubles when the Gods walked the Earth (in this case Toril). The books are so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another plane of existence and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. The authors have truly outdone themselves and have presented us with a masterpiece of literature the likes of which we have seen only in JRR Tolkien?s work, RA Salvatore's The Dark Elf and Icewind Dale trilogies, and in authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies. Love, honor, bravery, magic, and heroes are all about. In conclusion, it's what Fantasy reading SHOULD be. A GREAT trilogy indeed and a must read along with James Lowder's Prince of Lies and Troy Denning's Crucible: The Trial of Cyric! DON'T MISS IT!!!
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2.0 out of 5 starsToo obviously written by a dungeon master to become an immersive read
By Jin-roh on October 23, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I love Dungeons and Dragons. I love Forgotten Realms. This book had a strong enough set up to keep me reading it.

Nonetheless, little things in the book screamed "I was written by a dungeon master!" and yanked me out of the story and setting, such as using character classes as pronouns (e.g. "The cleric" instead of "him"). Third person omniscient narration did not help either.

I rage-quit reading this book after the line, "The sunlight was absorbed by elegant strands of SPANISH moss..."
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2.0 out of 5 starsFails to capitalize on its potential.
By Kindle Customer on March 15, 2005
Format: Mass Market Paperback
*Note: This review is based on the first 2 books in the series--Shadowdale, and Tantras*

I've been an avid reader most of my life, especially fantasy, and lately fantasy set in the Forgotten Realms universe. For those unfamiliar with it, it started as a setting for the Dungeons and Dragons table-top game, and now is a place where many authors have the opportunity to weave their own tales within a world that readers can grow accustomed to. Basically, it allows the world and its people to come alive through the infusion of multiple ideas coming from many different minds.

That being said, this series of books covers one of the most momentous happenings in the history of Faerun, the world in which the Forgotten Realms stories takes place. The event to which I refer is the "Time of Troubles" or the "Arrival" or a multitude of other names penned for it. Without giving too much away, it's the time when there's a shifting in the Pantheon of gods--someone has stolen the Tablets of Fate. As punishment, the power above the gods themselves has cast them out of their otherworldly abode and into the mortal realm, forcing the gods to take on mortal avatars to house their immortal essence. Due to this occurence, magic itself is unstable, causing chaos when it is used, and also creating havoc with the world itself--earthquakes, moving mountains, and random explosions and the like. The story focuses on a group of adventurers, who through chance or fate, have been thrust into the plight of the gods. Sounds like a great start, a wonderful beginning to an epic story, right? WRONG.

The first two books are plagued by grossly undercharacterized and overly-cliched heroes. We've got the fighter, Kelemvor, struggling with a secret he dare not reveal to his friends.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsThe Lord of the Rings is arguably the greatest fantasy epic of all...

The Lord of the Rings is arguably the greatest fantasy epic of all time. The Dragonlance Chronicles is a close 2nd on my list. Read more

Published 9 days ago by Melas Chasm
3.0 out of 5 starsGood for developing the history of the world. But not very satisfying...

It was decent but the story line between Kelemvor being the strong silent type and the mage trying to get him to open up got old after the 50th time. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Tom S.
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

great work. I first read it in my teens and I loved it.

Published 7 months ago by lovelessno9
1.0 out of 5 starsYikes and Yuck!

I have been reading books set in the Forgotten Realms for awhile and lately I have become interested in the major happenings that have often been alluded to in other books. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Luis
1.0 out of 5 starsNot a Pivotal Novel of the Realms.

Not a pivotal novel of the Realms, and I should have expected as much from this hyperbolic claim. This book is obviously trying to be some sort of religious epic, but borrows from... Read more

Published 12 months ago by AzureTiger81
3.0 out of 5 starsMy first time reading this authors work.

This was recommended by my husband as one of his favorites, it had a slow start but a thick plot. It was good by my standard and I do plan on reading the next in the series.

Published 13 months ago by trinityknt7
2.0 out of 5 starsChoppy

The story line was good but the individual events seemed random and confusing. Characters were hard to figure out and the dialogue often did not seem to fit the situation.

Published 17 months ago by Andy
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

A Forgotten Realms classic.

Published 18 months ago by Jason D Jones
2.0 out of 5 starsClunky and Cliche

There was little flow to the book and I felt minimal attachment to the characters. Yes overall it did have the feeling of a D&D Adventure, but the actual writing was rather... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Sabrina Forbes
4.0 out of 5 starsLiked it enough to get the second

Entertaining read. Liked it enough to get the second book

Published 21 months ago by William Elliott

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