Seriously, why did I ever read this rubbish?17 May 2012 You have seriously got to be kidding, a bad novelist has turned a bad novel about a seriously annoying character into a franchise. When I ran a search for this book on Goodreads I discovered that there is a whole series of books about this Elminster character, including: Elminster in Hell, Elminster's Daughter (what, he actually got laid, I though this mighty super magician was above love), Elminster Must Die (and I bet you he doesn't) amon...

Ho there, wanderer, stay thy course a moment to indulge an old man.These were the first words of Elminster, the very first time I've met him in "Baldur's Gate". Despite buying that game roughly 20 yers ago, I remember that moment as if it happened... well, no, not yesterday, but just a couple of years ago. I've got my curiousity peaked instantly, as Elminster had a very unique appearence and had a thorough voiceover - a feat that had been quite rare in the games produced in 1998. Lots of time ha...

Disappointing isn't quite the word. I think anti-climatic is more appropriate, but only if you are familar with Elminster from other Realms novels. It is my understanding that Greenwood was under tight deadlines for this book, and sadly it shows. Here was have the origins of one of the most powerful spellcasters in all the realms, and page after page I was sitting there wondering what was going on, and what I was continuing to read. Alas, I am a dedicated Realms fan and wanted to know more about...

This one took a lot longer than I thought. The letters in my edition of the book were tiny and even though there was only 330ish pages, my reading was very slow.The book definitely was not what I expected it to be plot wise.The humble upbringing of a young wizard apprentice I thought this would be was definitely a lot more action packed and not humble at all. And that was not a bad thing!I liked how the book was organized in smaller chapters and had even some illustrations before each more meani...

Honestly I enjoyed Elminster. I've been curious about the character since I played Baldur's Gate back when that PC game first came out and the character showed up but I never made the time to read his books. I enjoyed about 75% of the book. Every part of the book was strong but by the end I felt as though the story was dragging a bit and I was more than happy to reach the ending. The journey was great but I felt that some parts were quickly rushed through while others were given a lot of time. I...

This was an OK action-fantasy story. The plot revolves around a young man whose village and family are destroyed by a mage riding a dragon. Shortly after the youth, Elminster, is urged by a knight to become an outlaw and a thief. The knight's reasoning was this lifestyle would make Elminster a good sword handler, give him the ability to fight and defend himself, and give him the ability to be smart in split-second decision making. The story is a revenge story as Elminster is determined to destro...

5/10/11: UPDATE: Despite having nothing other than Elminster and SkyMall magazine to read during takeoff and landing I officially, disgustedly, completely gave up on Elminster on page 133; wherein Elminster gets turned into a girl and is SO totally diggin' the boobs, man. I wanted to puke. Fortunately, SkyMall offers a variety of products to help with that. 5/09/11: Sixty pages into this book, my darling, dear, precious, sweet husband asked me, "Why are you reading a D&D book**?"::blink, blink::...

I've always liked a good origin story. Give me a famous and powerful character that I like, then tell me that in this book I get to see how they came up the way they did, and I'm usually well on board. This one tells the tale of probably the most famous character of one of my favourite roleplaying settings.The early parts work the best for me, where Elminster tries his best to manage as a bandit and then a thief, but funnily enough the story starts to fall a little flat once all the magic comes

Behold, Elminster. One of the greatest mages in all of Faerun. Watch as he repeatedly pleads, "Mystra, aid me..." as he eats shit before looses consciousness.

Elminster is the legend of a young man whose village is asundered and parents killed by ruthless magelords. He begins a quest for revenge, but the more he learns on his travels as he grows, the more he realizes that his quest might just be what the land of Athalantar needs: emancipation from power-hungry overlords. But will El, one with sworn hatred of sorcery, have what it takes to bring down those who can raze an entire village with but a few words?Along the way, El finds himself humbled yet o...

Not the greatest novel to finish off 2019 with, but at least it was a step above Greenwood's prior books. A very small step, that is. The first 100 pages were exceedingly painful, with Greenwood's trademark unnecessarily wordy prose, characters so flat they may as well have been crushed by bulletin boards, and action scenes that are, quite simply, a mess. The story became marginally interesting once Elminster finally set off to learn magic and pursue his destiny, oddly transformed into a woman.

Ed Greenwood has done it again.Flat characters, uninspired dialogue, unbelievably boring plot. It doesn't help that the hero is the greatest Gary Stu in the Forgotten Realms universe, who will make it unscathed in the end. There's no tension - or anything else worth speaking of, really.Plot summary: Elminster goes from place to place, gains levels and... that's it.D&D fiction at its worst. Pass!

Finally finished. Took me long enough.It has been a fleeting debate wether I should rate this book 2 or 3 stars. Although I found moments in this story enjoyable, it was riddled with confusing descriptions of scenes that I just didn't feel like going over again. The drive to finish this book and get it over with was just too strong. I've played D&D in the Realms a long long time ago, but as a new player, it was the same to me as any other setting would have been. So, possibly my unfamiliarity wi...

You never expect a D&D novel to be high literature, but this is bad even by their standards.Follows Elminster as he starts on his path to being the greatest mage in the whole Forgotten Realms, and that is where it lets itself down. For all of the danger he finds himself in, you KNOW he's going to come out of it.Any sense of suspense is non-existent as he goes from one quest to the next (usually with someone helping him along - on his own he's pretty useless).The dialogue is pretty dire and chara...

I first read this book several years ago and liked it. Now, older and maybe more cynical, I didn't enjoy it quite as much. Some of it has to do with the writing style where I feel like I'm missing out on information. I've always liked Elminster even if he is the ultimate Gary-Stu. I liked the look into his formative years as it helps to understand the mystery that is Elminster, and yet I think he's better as a side character. One who's mysterious and powerful, who pops in when he's needed.

Elminster is Ed Greenwood's D&D character, and it shows. He can do no wrong and is absolutely pure of heart and every god or goddess favors him and delights in the goodness of his soul. First, this blessed immortal-to-be becomes the finest warrior ever seen, then the best thief, then the most devout cleric, moving finally to become the supreme mage in all the land and Mystra's Chosen. Naturally enough, he's also the king of the land, but his great humility requires he give it up to pursue his cr...

A definitive piece of Forgotten Realms literature, and the wondrous beginnings of one of the greatest characters the realms have ever produced.

This was an interesting, if somewhat disjointedly and hastily written, edited and thought out book. It could be a lot better and the author admits as much: He had a very tight deadline, and the publisher wanted the character to advance through a number of character classes (fighter, thief, cleric, and mage) so he could be the ultimate polymath. The author thought that the demands were over the top, so he said, well, why not have him be a woman as well!The book is plagued by continuity, logical,

Made at least three attempts before DNF. Tellathon, lacking tension, or any story spine I could cling to. Starts too early in Elminster's timeline. Overly interested in world building and not enough attention to a story goal. This is strike three plus, so ED and I part ways, at least in the fiction department.

I gave this book the good old college try, but I couldn't finish it. I got about half way and then skimmed the rest. First off I found the names to be a bit much, like they were ripped out of a fantasy name generator. The writing was full of unnecessary descriptive words in some sections, and not enough description in others. Then El was turned into a woman and I kind of lost it. I tried to push past it but only read a few more chapters before I began to skim. At times I felt like the author was...