R.A. or Ed?

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which author do u think is better? R.A. Salvatore, or Ed Greenwood?

 

You mean which one is worse?
Bob is better no question. He overdoes it a lot in my opinion, but at least he has some talent. Wheras Ed couldn't write to save his life.

 

RAS is much better. Greenwood is unpredictable. Sometimes he does good stuff, other times it just sucks

 

I like to read Salvatore, because his language flows so smooth , but Greenwood's novels are more complex, and I love them too

Elminster Trilogy covered a rather enormous timespan . 20 instances wouldnt seem that much, considering the number of years through which those instances occured .



[This message has been edited by ayecapitan (edited June 28, 2001).]

 

ayecaptan has a point in that the elminster trilogy does cover a huge timspan and those instances in wich he gets laid are compartively rair

to be on topic I would have to say I like R.A. better.

 

If just looking at strictly D&D books Salvatore is much better and more consistent the Greenwood. However, some of Salvatore's other works leave much to be desired.

 

if we are just talking about the books then i think that Salvatore is better but i relly liked that Ed invented the FR setting (which is very cool by the way) and without him, Salvaore wouldnt be writing about Drizzt in Icewind Dale, because it wouldnt exist.

 

Realism my ass! He was humping a goddess, for crying out loud!

 

Realism? You forget what you're speaking about here, heh.
Elminster trilogy is something I've read just for the lore (I was seriously bored by it in some places, dont even know should I read "El in Hell" or not...). But Cormyr saga (its not comletely by Ed, though) is probably the best FR series I've read, and Drizztology looks like something very insignificant. Though Cleric Quintet was really good too, with a nice conflict and some good action.

 

The Cormyr saga was too long and the second book was crap. Salvatore's FR books are all better then that.

 

Yeah, Ed Greenwood does write er.. strangely sometimes, but for some reason I like him more than Salvatore, probably because of his Elminster series, because it is my fav Forgotten Realms series of books. And as for freud, I have no clue

 

Aw come on? Cormyr saga was long? 3 books, by the gods! Beyond The High road was good, even though it was not written by Ed. Now Drizztology was long - what, 13 books of neverending whirling scimitars? (well, not in The Spine of The World or Servant of The Shard, but in the rest of them)
I just think that the two writers specialize in different styles, and are not to be compared.Every book will most likely find its reader (well, except for Athans' scribbles maybe)

 

The reason Salvatore could write 13 books on Drizzt is because they were all good.

 

Personally my favorite of the 13 was Servant of the Shard. It was best of all when it goes to the plot, and it had no Drizzt at all. No Drizzt!

[edit] Just a though here, the books' being good can in no way be a reason why R.A. wrote them. Usually the writer creates the book first and then has readers' opinions.

[This message has been edited by Skedaddle (edited October 02, 2001).]

 

I guess that if my only choice was these two, it would definetly be Sal.

 

Salvatore for me is the better storyteller. HOWEVER, I got a copy of three other R.A. Salvatore books though, the Demon Wars series featuring Elbyran Wyndon, "the Nightbird" (isn't that a song by Kalapana?), and he seems to me a Drizzt wannabe. R.A. just loves rangers (whom he turns into ultimate fighting machines), elves, and starting his chapters with reflections of his protagonists. I was surprised he tackled the Cleric Quintet. Few, if any, write combat scenes better than him though...

Greenwood is a fountain of lore though. In terms of modules and game accessories, I pick Greenwood (duh! He made the Realms). R.A.'s accessory about the Bloodstone Lands was like his books, dramatic. Something that isn't really necessary in game accessories.

 

Gee, can't say either is that great. It just annoys me to read about heroes that are the best of the best of the best of the best, and whatever they do they excel in it.

Elminster was one of the leading thieves in some ancient city, he was also a very good warrior, and his wizard skills are nearly unmatched. But still he did do some miscalculations and messed up a few times, so he's not infallible. Drizzt on the other hand....
Have any of you ever read about Drizzt being less than great at anything? Whatever he puts his hands on, he's a master of it. Swordcraft (or is that scimitarcraft?), tumbling, animal empathy, diplomacy, even magic the little he used it during his childhood. How's that for realism?
Still, I enjoyed the books, but I've read better.

Something that I really didn't enjoy though, has anyone read "Realms of the Underdark"? There's a short story in it about Drizzt in his childhood, written not by Salvatore but Mark Anthony. If you haven't read it and are Drizzt fans, don't read it. It messes up one detail after another, makes Matron Malice look like a lovestruck fool and presents Zaknafein as a drow freedom fighter... yuck! Why can't authors leave each others' characters alone?

Sorry for ranting, I just finished reading that story and I'm still upset. On to more constructive writing.

I think all FR writers have their ups and downs, and there are a few that are really good when they're at their best.
R.A. Salvatore started at the very bottom, "The Crystal Shard" has to be one of the very worst FR novels ever published. On the other hand "The Spine of the World" and possibly the Cleric Quintet IMO qualify as some of the best.
Of Greenwood's novels I really enjoyed "Spellfire" and the "Shadow of the Avatar" trilogy, though none of them are top notch, whereas "The Simbul's Gift" was a big disappoinment. I've only read the first of the Elminster novels, and I'd place it somewhere in the middle.

One of my favorite FR authors is (I never thought I'd say this) Troy Denning.
I started by reading the Prism Pentad (Dark Sun), and I never even finished it. I read "Waterdeep", the third of the Avatar trilogy, and asked myself why they wouldn't let Scott Ciensin finish the series. I read "The Parched Sea" and didn't like it. At that point I was ready to throw Denning away totally, but just this summer I decided to read "The Trial of Cyric the Mad" and found myself actually enjoying the different, narrative style of writing presented therein. And just last week I read "Faces of Deception" and consider it one of the best FR novels I've ever read.
So now I'm reformed and I think I'm going to reread at least "The Parched Sea" and the Prism Pentad, to sea if they were really as bad as I thought.

I really recommend "Faces of Deception", as well as the other books of the "Lost Empires" series, "The Lost Library of Cormanthyr" by Mel Odom and "Star of Cursrah" by Clayton Emery.
I hope the high standard of these newer novels signify that WotC will no longer let anything through (though Athens' BG novels condradict that) like they did a while back. Hopefully more writers have grown as authors, like Salvatore and Denning, and actually produce fantasy that can compete with "real" writers...

[EDIT] Oh my, did I write all that? Sorry bout that, hope you enjoyed it despite the length.
And I warn you, don't discuss FR literature again 'cause I'll be sure to jump right in!

PS: I never noticed how many smileys there are, I just had to try some out. Bear with me...

[This message has been edited by Vanadin (edited October 06, 2001).]