Rating: 
Summary: Good for the FR/D&D player; so-so for the casual reader
Review: I mainly read this book because I play D&D in the Forgotten Realms system, and the history of Forgotten Realms fascinates me. In that sense, the plot and story of the book are quite creative and enjoyable. However, I found the writing style that related this plot and story to be cumbersome and undeveloped. "Awlinson" (which is actually a pseudonym for about 4 authors that wrote this series) barely gives any descriptive or sensory information, especially when you meet new people. The dialog too often leaves the reader out. The writing is too "fantasy typical," in that many situations are overexplained, beat to death, and characters are all too emotionally unstable to accomplish anything. If I hadn't enjoyed the stories themselves so well, especially as background for the campaign, I'd have given these books 2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Best in the trilogy but still no masterpiece
Review: I read this trilogy ages ago when I was a kid and the fact that I remember so little shows that it was nothing special. Many others have said that the writing style is very ordinary and this is true in that it did not stand out at all. There was some interest in the plot, especially in this third book, because I remember that there was actually some organic action in terms of the resolution of the trilogy, as well as characterisation which seemed to have been better than the previous two books.
If you are a Forgotten Realms fan (which I'm not, I was given the books) then the added interest of this as a background story as well as connections to the world of the Realms will probably outweight the negative aspects of the book such that it may be worth reading. Otherwise, it's fairly pointless to read the trilogy. If this book was stand-alone, it would have been quite good but the trilogy as a whole is less than spectacular.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfactory conclusion to the Avatar Trilogy
Review: I really loved my first Forgotten Realms series and thanked my husband profusely for introducing me to Kelemvor, Cyric, Midnight and Adon. Shadowdale was definitely my favorite, not only for the indepth description of the characters but the balance of battle and plot. Tantras seemed to be all war and no characters. And Waterdeep meandered along without much direction. I knew what the goal of the heroes was: to recover both Tablets of Fate and return them to Helm. But it seemed like the heroes themselves had less direction than I did. In the end, however, everything wrapped up nicely. Great conclusion, and I look forward to following up with Prince of Lies next!
Rating:
Summary: A decent conclusion to a better than average trilogy.
Review: I remember reading this back in my grade school days right after it came out. At that time I read all three books in quick succesion and loved them. Thinking about all the fond memories I had about the books, I decided to reread the series and see how they fared on a second perusal.My opinion of Waterdeep is that it is not as good as Shadowdale, but significantly better than Tantras. Its a solid conclusion to the book, and if no one has ruined it for you, the ending will blow you away. I was completely wowed when I read the book for the first time about ten years ago, but this time much of the effect had been lost. Like Tantras, there's really no character development in this book. Everyone pretty much follows the path that was set for them in the first two books. There are some nice moments, and some great battles. And an annoying and pointless scene involving Kelemvor and a crow. If you got past Tantras, you owe it to yourself to read this one. Its a solid conclusion to the trilogy, and the best part is that you get to read Prince of Lies, a much better book, next.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read fo those who enjoy the Forgotten realms
Review: If you like the Forgotten Realms setting this is definatly a must read.This is one of those books you can't put down. I've read this series 3 times. The book hooks you at the biging and keeps you till the end
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!!
Review: Let me start by saying I read Waterdeep before Shadowdale and Tantras. This was a great book! I loved the fights with the avatars. The fight with Bhaal's avatar in High Horn was great (I loved the description of Bhaal), but I liked the fight with Myrkul on Khelben's tower better. Can anyone say Meteor Swarm, Elminster can!! The suprises in the end were great. Bottom line; Buy WATERDEEP!
Rating: 
Summary: Satisfying Conclusion
Review: The Avatar trilogy is one of those series that starts out pretty bland and gets better as it goes. That said, Waterdeep- the "sort of" conclusion to this tale, is a great story. It's largely assumed you are familiar with the characters, and unlike the previous novels the author (this time 'Awlinson' is Troy Denning) does not try to summarize everything that happened before. This is fortunate, as it leaves more room for fun stuff. To sum up the gist of the tale, the quest continues to recover the second Tablet of Fate and return order to the Realms. Midnight, Kelemvor, and Adon- the heroes of the story- travel to the City of Splendors in search of the missing artifact. The title is somewhat misleading, as they actually don't spend much time in Waterdeep itself. Most of the time is spent journeying there and dealing with all manner of enemies, including the baddest mortal villain currently in the Realms- Cyric. A few things go unanswered, and the story's finale leaves a lot unwritten, but this is because the saga doesn't actually end here despite it being the third book in a trilogy. If you were disappointed in the characterization in earlier books, Waterdeep does little to improve upon it. The strength of this story is its plot, and those who aren't familiar with Forgotten Realms household names like Elminster and Khelben will be wondering who these guys are, and why everyone seems to recognize them. Little enough explanation is given for why Cyric spirals down to the bottom end of the alignment spectrum, though I suppose one could just say the guy is nuts. I won't say anything more about the story, but suffice to say it is good. I wasn't very pleased with Shadowdale, but the authors have clearly gotten things straightened out since writing that first novel. If you've started the series already, it would be a shame to not read Waterdeep as this is where much of the trilogy's value is maintained.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfying Conclusion
Review: The Avatar trilogy is one of those series that starts out pretty bland and gets better as it goes. That said, Waterdeep- the "sort of" conclusion to this tale, is a great story. It's largely assumed you are familiar with the characters, and unlike the previous novels the author (this time 'Awlinson' is Troy Denning) does not try to summarize everything that happened before. This is fortunate, as it leaves more room for fun stuff. To sum up the gist of the tale, the quest continues to recover the second Tablet of Fate and return order to the Realms. Midnight, Kelemvor, and Adon- the heroes of the story- travel to the City of Splendors in search of the missing artifact. The title is somewhat misleading, as they actually don't spend much time in Waterdeep itself. Most of the time is spent journeying there and dealing with all manner of enemies, including the baddest mortal villain currently in the Realms- Cyric. A few things go unanswered, and the story's finale leaves a lot unwritten, but this is because the saga doesn't actually end here despite it being the third book in a trilogy. If you were disappointed in the characterization in earlier books, Waterdeep does little to improve upon it. The strength of this story is its plot, and those who aren't familiar with Forgotten Realms household names like Elminster and Khelben will be wondering who these guys are, and why everyone seems to recognize them. Little enough explanation is given for why Cyric spirals down to the bottom end of the alignment spectrum, though I suppose one could just say the guy is nuts. I won't say anything more about the story, but suffice to say it is good. I wasn't very pleased with Shadowdale, but the authors have clearly gotten things straightened out since writing that first novel. If you've started the series already, it would be a shame to not read Waterdeep as this is where much of the trilogy's value is maintained.
Rating:
Summary: ...and she's buying a stairway...to heaven
Review: The stage has been set; the players are en route, only the curtain remains to be drawn. In this, the epic conclusion to the Realms shattering Avatar trilogy we follow Kelemvor, Cyric, Adon, and Midnight toward their fated climax. If you have not yet had the conclusion spoiled for you, plug your ears and eyes, read no more until you have read this closing chapter to the core trilogy. Driven by their quest to return the Tablets of Fate to the lord of Guardians, Helm, ending the strife that ravages Toril, our heroes trek toward Waterdeep, the city of splendors. However, not everyone wants them to arrive with their prize, and those individuals will stop at nothing to make sure their ends are accomplished. I have read this title twice, and I have to say, the second did not hold the same punch, mainly because I knew about the epic conclusion. Regardless, I believe this novel well written, and I enjoyed the action that led toward the final showdown. If you read and enjoy this title, continue reading about the struggles of these heroes in: "Prince of Lies" by James Lowder and "Crucible: Trial of Cyric the Mad" by troy Denning.
Rating:
Summary: ahh, the end
Review: Third review for this series is the same...read it if you really like the Forgotten Realms, otherwise you can find better books in the series. This is the conclusion (I find myself think "finally") to the trilogy--a trilogy that could probably have been a single book. These are books that I'm glad I read, but I didn't really enjoy reading (meaning I like knowing what went on, but the process was too dull). I'm not sure I can handle this group of characters enough to read the other books dealing with them (Cyric the Mad and Prince of Lies). Others liked it better than I did, but for me this wasn't nearly as much fun to read as half of the other Forgotten Realms novels I've read (a bunch, trust me).
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