Rating: 
Summary: The journey of a young king's studying of a world just found
Review: Greenwood has certainly graced us with his talent this time. The young Elminster finds a path to glory while seeking revenge for his father and mother. An orphaned child, Elminster is set on a journey by a loyal member to the lost kingdom of his father's father. The skills he needs not only to defeat the magelords, but also to be a true king are taught to him by being thrust into the life of a warrior, rogue, and mage.
A finer author can't be found, and a keener book could only be imagined.
Rating:
Summary: Greenwood does it again
Review: Ed Greenwood has brought his knowledge of the realms and his overwhelming creativity together in writing this book. Greenwoods mastery in writing will make you feel like you're there. You'll be brought into the world of Elminster, and dragged through the triumph and tragedy that turned a lost prince into something much greater than a king. You've heard that fact is greater than fiction, well this fantasy adventure is hard to beat
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Summary: The Best of the Best
Review: Ed Greenwood has proved once again that he is a prodigy when it comes to writing Dungeons and Dragons novels. Elminster: The Making of a Mage takes you from when Elminster was born to when he was considered the preeminent magician in the Forgotten Realms. Intoxicating is a useful word to describe Greenwood's abilities. Like a good wine, once you pick up the book, you cannot put it back down: you always hunger for more. Read this masterpiece and learn of the greatest magician in the realms!
Rating: 
Summary: Great character poor writer
Review: Well, I must say that it was fascinating reading about the orgins of the most powerful wizard on Faerun. I must say that I dont like Ed Greenwoods writing style. I cant place it but its a little tedious to read books by him. I cant put my finger on it all I can tell you is that I like any other author's style better than his. I got through it though. Ed Greenwood created Forgotten Realms and thus writes about all the famous characters. Its sad though cause his writing is horrible. Read the book only if you want to get to the origins of the Archmage of Forgotten Realms. Like I said it was a chore to read so I was only reading so I could know about this important character in the Forgotten Realms setting. there is a good 4 or 5 more books. I just finished the 3rd and his style is not any better. but Im bearing with it
Rating: 
Summary: Bland character
Review: One would expect the creator of an entire fantasy world to be at least a decent storyteller. Not so.
Greenwood takes the ubiquitous Elminster and finally, or rather mistakenly, gives him a history. The character progresses from shepherd boy to unwitting bandit to mediocre theif to unwilling priest(ess) and then WHAM! He's an unstoppable, earth-rending powerhouse within a few scant pages. Shortly after discovering magic, Elminster not only confronts three beasts that would individually annihilate the typical low level character within seconds, he defeats them nearly simultaneously and single-handedly - and he's not even a mage by that point.
Personally, I prefer characters who EARN their hero status. As they say, work builds CHARACTER. Some of us like to see even the toughest warrior get his ass handed to him once in a while. Not Elminster. He's special, or rather, chosen. Whenever confronted with a truly dire situation, rather than think his way out of it (as you would expect a hyperintelligent soon-to-be archmage to do), he tucks tail and whimpers to his sugar momma goddess to save him. Give me a break.
Perhaps to counterbalance the poor class development, Elminster's actual character has redeeming qualities, right? His intelligence, wit and wierdness must provide for some interesting dialogue, right? Nope. He's a big snooze. At no point was I ever concerned for his well-being. At no point did I ever wonder "How will he react to this situation?" Truly, I didn't care. I'd say he's easily forgettable, except that his presence is thrown in your face throughout the forgotten realms literature.
If you like Elminster, or the IDEA of Elminster, spare yourself from trudging through this book. He's more interesting as a mystery than a misdeveloped, thundering yet somehow lackluster bore.
If you want a prime example of how the Forgetten Realms setting is over-magicked, read this book and its sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Some fantastic story elements and some terrible ones
Review: This review will contain a minor spoiler. I say minor because the spoiler is part of the flavor text on the back of the book and one of the main illustrations. Ed Greenwood is certainly on par with the great Salvatore, in that bost of their best characters are original, inventive, unique, and while some components of the characters feel a little cookie-cutter, the authors manage to potray or twist those particular values so that they are not readily apparent or the character works a new and inventive way around them. But Greenwoods kick-off book really gave me a shiver with some of the more.... disturbing aspects of the character Elminster.
Part way through the book, Elminster is turned into a woman, and renamed Elmara. This is done primarily to protect him/her from his/her pursuers, who obviously wish him/her dead. The somewhat sad and eerily disturbing point of Greenwoods first book is that not only does the character take the change without breaking stride, brushing it over nearly completely and giving it a somewhat rushed feel, he alludes to making a portion of the book into a near-imitation Harlequin novel, which nearly made me stop reading. Thankfully, blessedly, no such... interaction occurs. But it sort of tarnishes the tone of the middle portion of the book for most readers. Greenwood really dropped the ball on that one major ascept of Elminster, but thankfully, was able to catch it again.
Rating:
Summary: Great character poor writer
Review: Well, I must say that it was fascinating reading about the orgins of the most powerful wizard on Faerun. I must say that I dont like Ed Greenwoods writing style. I cant place it but its a little tedious to read books by him. I cant put my finger on it all I can tell you is that I like any other author's style better than his. I got through it though. Ed Greenwood created Forgotten Realms and thus writes about all the famous characters. Its sad though cause his writing is horrible. Read the book only if you want to get to the origins of the Archmage of Forgotten Realms. Like I said it was a chore to read so I was only reading so I could know about this important character in the Forgotten Realms setting. there is a good 4 or 5 more books. I just finished the 3rd and his style is not any better. but Im bearing with it
Rating: 
Summary: Fun for a light read
Review: While Ed Greenwoods style can be a touch confusing at times, this book is a must read for lovers of all things magical. It's a nice touch to see the roots of one of the greatest fictional wizards of all time. The book has a nice cadence to it, as it flows from chapter to chapter.
Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable
Review: As a fan of the Dragonlance realm, I was hesitant about starting a new "world". However I was recommended books by R.A.Salvatore, and my interest in the Realms was piqued. I figured I had better start with this novel to get really familiar with the Realms and Elminster, and I was surprised at the page turning ability this novel created. From his start as a prince, to a thief, to a woman priestess, to a man again and an apprentice, this novel had it all.
All I will say is enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable!
Review: In the first of the Elminster series, Ed Greenwood has done a great job with "The Making of a Mage". I found myself captivated and finished the book quickly. I am a first-time reader of Forgotten Realms. In picking out this book, I was afraid that I would be lost in the setting because I didn't know much about it, but that was not the case. I didn't feel the need for more background, so I believe the book can stand alone. If you're looking for a good start into the Forgotten Realms novels, I would definitely recommend starting here. I really enjoyed it, and will buy the next in the series.
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