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preiman790's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting but overall poorly done. The character is a realms icon though, so i guess i will read the next one. I truly hope that one is better
kokoro's review against another edition
3.0
Fue interesante leer un inicio como este, pues anteriormente el futuro mago o hechicero ya poseía poderes desde la infancia, esto cambia con Elminster cuya motivación inicial para recorrer mundo fue la venganza y no la búsqueda o refinamiento de su poder. Sin embargo, esto decae pues la novela cae en el estereotipo de “el elegido”, oh sí, Elminster tú eres el afortunado ganador.
Si bien el sistema de magia no se explica al cien por ciento, me parece es similar al utilizado en Dragonlance, el cual es memorizar un conjuro, y en el caso de clérigos el poder es otorgado por el dios o diosa a quien sirven.
Quitando lo del spoiler, tiene algunas cosas interesantes.
Superación, es bueno tener un maestro que te enseñé y guie en tus inicios, pero si permaneces a su lado debido a que hacen buena mancuerna nunca se podrá seguir avanzando pues otras personas u objetos (libros, pergaminos, etc) tiene algo que ofrecer.
Paciencia, hay que poseerla para no precipitarse en las acciones y todo acabe en fracaso debido a la impulsividad y falta de conocimiento o experiencia.
Saber renunciar a las ataduras que evitan la persona alcance el mayor potencial, aun cuando dicha acción parezca la mayor estupidez posible a los demás.
Elminster me cae bien como personaje, aún le falta madurar y desarrollarse. Sera entretenido continuar con sus aventuras. Por último, gracias a esta novela he leído una de las escenas más absurdas que envuelven a dos bandos de ladrones, unos recién casados y objetos dando tumbos por ahí. Fue muy WTH XD.
“Señora, confieso que estoy impresionado —dijo, muy despacio—. Pero si te sirvo... preferiría hacerlo con los ojos abiertos” Elminster.
Si bien el sistema de magia no se explica al cien por ciento, me parece es similar al utilizado en Dragonlance, el cual es memorizar un conjuro, y en el caso de clérigos el poder es otorgado por el dios o diosa a quien sirven.
Spoiler
Y aquí viene algo que no entiendo, si la diosa Mystra sabía de todo lo que los hechiceros hacían porque no se manifestó antes en su ayuda, dudo mucho no le rezaban (o algún otro dios o diosa pidiendo ayuda), pero noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, solo se manifestó cuando entro en escena Elminster y cayó medio enamorada de él, siguiéndole, protegiéndole, enseñándole, sexo y más.Quitando lo del spoiler, tiene algunas cosas interesantes.
Superación, es bueno tener un maestro que te enseñé y guie en tus inicios, pero si permaneces a su lado debido a que hacen buena mancuerna nunca se podrá seguir avanzando pues otras personas u objetos (libros, pergaminos, etc) tiene algo que ofrecer.
Paciencia, hay que poseerla para no precipitarse en las acciones y todo acabe en fracaso debido a la impulsividad y falta de conocimiento o experiencia.
Saber renunciar a las ataduras que evitan la persona alcance el mayor potencial, aun cuando dicha acción parezca la mayor estupidez posible a los demás.
Elminster me cae bien como personaje, aún le falta madurar y desarrollarse. Sera entretenido continuar con sus aventuras. Por último, gracias a esta novela he leído una de las escenas más absurdas que envuelven a dos bandos de ladrones, unos recién casados y objetos dando tumbos por ahí. Fue muy WTH XD.
“Señora, confieso que estoy impresionado —dijo, muy despacio—. Pero si te sirvo... preferiría hacerlo con los ojos abiertos” Elminster.
garfunkleha345's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
anhonorableleech's review against another edition
3.0
My first Elminster book. Pretty solid. I'm not the biggest fan of Greenwood's writing style. He tends to finish characters off rather unceremoniously. Of all the Magelords, the shapeshifter had the best characterization, and he only got a handful of pages. I couldn't get a feeling for any of the others. Best character moment was between the two snotty nobles and a guy we had barely just met who happened to be a friend of Helm's.
Best part of the book was Elmara.
Best part of the book was Elmara.
priam_agrivar's review against another edition
1.0
Perhaps the worst book in the entire Forgotten Realms canon which is sad considering it was written by the person who created the Forgotten Realms. Great creative mind and world builder. Writer, at least at that point in his career, not so much.
dark_reader's review against another edition
2.0
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. You know, because women are just naturally more emotional and in tune with natural flows and stuff, so it will help him get a "feel" for magic. (S)he wastes no time in getting all weepy, as apparently Greenwood thinks women invariably do.
This was an opportunity to tell an epic story about the roots of greatness and mastery of magic, but little Elminster is mostly just a boring kid driven by revenge. After his parents and village are summarily destroyed by a dragon-riding magelord while Elminster is off tending sheep or whatever, the revenge-fuelled boy falls in with some good and noble rebels, then drifts off to be a good and noble thief in the big city, then goes off to learn the flow of magic and eventually how to become an unstoppable killing magic machine. There is a faint plotline of restoring freedom to the people who are kept oppressed by the vicious magelords behind the throne to which Elminster has a legitimate claim, but repeatedly Elminster's primary goal of personal revenge is made clear. He says stuff like "I am so tired of killing", then shoots a fireball down a guy's throat to explode him into tiny bits. Of course he wins the day with his one-dimensional good guy friends and the one-dimensional bad guys are all mercilessly murdered, because that's how you get to be the premier mage of the Realms.
I'm still not sure in just what way the story got better after those first 100 pages, but it was sufficiently tolerable to plow through the book without active dislike, but it remained dull throughout. As I read the Forgotten Realms books in publication order, I have a whole trilogy penned by Greenwood coming up shortly, and I sincerely hope that this minor improvement in his writing will sustain me through those next books.
This was an opportunity to tell an epic story about the roots of greatness and mastery of magic, but little Elminster is mostly just a boring kid driven by revenge. After his parents and village are summarily destroyed by a dragon-riding magelord while Elminster is off tending sheep or whatever, the revenge-fuelled boy falls in with some good and noble rebels, then drifts off to be a good and noble thief in the big city, then goes off to learn the flow of magic and eventually how to become an unstoppable killing magic machine. There is a faint plotline of restoring freedom to the people who are kept oppressed by the vicious magelords behind the throne to which Elminster has a legitimate claim, but repeatedly Elminster's primary goal of personal revenge is made clear. He says stuff like "I am so tired of killing", then shoots a fireball down a guy's throat to explode him into tiny bits. Of course he wins the day with his one-dimensional good guy friends and the one-dimensional bad guys are all mercilessly murdered, because that's how you get to be the premier mage of the Realms.
I'm still not sure in just what way the story got better after those first 100 pages, but it was sufficiently tolerable to plow through the book without active dislike, but it remained dull throughout. As I read the Forgotten Realms books in publication order, I have a whole trilogy penned by Greenwood coming up shortly, and I sincerely hope that this minor improvement in his writing will sustain me through those next books.
mlindner's review against another edition
4.0
DPL ILL
Clearly I have read this before. Not sure when; perhaps was before I started using GR.
Clearly I have read this before. Not sure when; perhaps was before I started using GR.
todomal's review against another edition
1.0
Although I consider myself a geek, and I played table-RPG heavily for years never had an interest in reading novels set in the worlds of D&D. Something told me that there could be no good literature on these endless series of books. I was right.
hopesmash42's review against another edition
2.0
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 using every trope known to man. It also felt like I was reading a DND campaign, and I have learned I would much rather be playing through one. I have also learned that high fantasy really isn't my thing. Give me urban fantasy any day. So maybe it's not the books fault, it's just not my cup of tea. I might try to come back to this genre in the future, but I'll give it some breathing room first.
felyn's review against another edition
4.0
It's a very interesting origin story for one of the most well-known characters in the Forgotten Realms universe. That being said, it's slow to start and only really picks up after about the mid-way mark. If you can make it through to there, you're golden.
It's ultimately a tale of growth as we follow Elminster from childhood peasantry to adult magehood, with adventures as a rural brigand, urban thief, a woman, and finally, a bringer of revenge. It cuts off there, leaving the reader to pick up the adventure with the next book, "Elminster In Myth Drannor".
I look forward to seeing Elminster continue to grow into his powers.
It's ultimately a tale of growth as we follow Elminster from childhood peasantry to adult magehood, with adventures as a rural brigand, urban thief, a woman, and finally, a bringer of revenge. It cuts off there, leaving the reader to pick up the adventure with the next book, "Elminster In Myth Drannor".
I look forward to seeing Elminster continue to grow into his powers.