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Elminster series by Ed Greenwood

Discussion in 'Booktalk' started by The Great Snook, Aug 7, 2010.

  1. The Great Snook Gems: 31/31
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    I was considering giving this series a shot, but I saw a fair amount of 1 star reviews. Of course then the 5 star reviews all said they couldn't understand what the problem the 1 star reviewers had.

    I'm curious as to what people here think. Are they a good read?
     
    The Great Snook, Aug 7, 2010
    #1
  2. Gothmog

    Gothmog Man, a curious beast indeed! ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    It's been a while since i've read them, so i don't recall why, but in all that time i haven't had the urge to reread them once - i usually go through books i own several times in the first year.

    So, no. Not worth the time with so many better books around. Even in FR setting there's hefty stack of better ones to go through first.
     
    Gothmog, Aug 7, 2010
    #2
  3. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Up to Elminster in Hell, they're OK in an awfully cheesy, popcorn, Elminster-gets-in-the-sack-with-every-female-he-encounters kind of way. For the FR backstory alone, they're worth reading. But El in Hell is so awful nobody in their right mind should go near it. I haven't read El's Daughter yet so I can't comment on that one.
     
    Taluntain, Aug 7, 2010
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  4. Rawgrim Gems: 21/31
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    I am with Tal on this one. I stopped halfway through El in Hell too. It was downright horrible. The rest were ok. Greenwood is a better world builder than a storyteller, thats for sure. Anyway. Cheap fun. I never regretted reding them.
     
    Rawgrim, Aug 7, 2010
    #4
  5. Morgoroth

    Morgoroth Just because I happen to have tentacles, it doesn'

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    I found the books horribly dry and boring. I only managed to read elminster in myth drannor and never even considered reading anything else from Greenwood after that. In my opinion he is just an awful writer.
     
    Morgoroth, Aug 8, 2010
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  6. Merlanni

    Merlanni Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    El Daughter is ok. It is one great avalanche of fights that start with the girl but shift to Vangerdahastst. The Knight of Myth Drannor are nicer.

    The pace of the books is high.

    Pulled the plug on Elminster in Hell too.
     
    Merlanni, Aug 8, 2010
    #6
  7. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Read 'em all. As a big FR fan, I enjoyed the backstory, as it fills in some history on El, FR's biggest hero, IMO. El in Hell was the weakest read of all, but I still pushed through it. Won't read it again though. EL's daughter was ok. I liked the earlier books better.

    With that siad, if you're a FR fan, I would say read them, they are better than some of the FR trilogies that have been written
     
    Blades of Vanatar, Aug 8, 2010
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  8. The Great Snook Gems: 31/31
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    I think I'm convinced. I think the only FR books I've ever read and I'm not sure they are even FR books were the old Gord books written by Gary Gygax himself. I think I'm going to pass on Elminster and try something else.
     
    The Great Snook, Aug 9, 2010
    #8
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