Rating: 
Summary: A Standard Adventure, Popcorn Reading.
Review: "The Temple of Elemental Evil" is another of WoTC's revisits to the legendary dungeons of the early campaigning days of the AD&D world of Greyhawk. There is an undeniable amount of nostalgia for some readers, like myself, but this book reads like popcorn, it's light, it's filling, and it's ultimately no big deal.Decades have passed since I first visited the Temple of Elemental Evil and the Village of Hommlet. There is an undeniable amount of fun in revisiting places I once saw only through the imagination of my mind and that of my fellow gamers. The story: Shanhaevel, a young elven wizard is accompanying his aging master on a mysterious mission to the village of Hommlet, for reasons unkown to Shanhaevel. An ambush on the road results in the death of his master, and the burden of the mission falling to the elven wizard. His task: go with several adventurers to scout out the ruins of the Temple of Elemental Evil, a place of powerful evil (as the name implies, ^_^ ) and find out if the forces of the temple, which were defeated at great cost a decade ago, are on the rise. As often happens, things don't quite go as planned. Nostalgia aside, this is a fairly pedestrian book. Mr. Reid doesn't spend much time on character development, the group bonds far too fast, etc. The wit and verve of a writer like Paul Kidd, who has written 3 other of the Greyhawk dungeon novels is not apparent in Mr. Reid's style. So, this book is nothing special, but it doesn't commit any major offenses. The book reads sort of like a checklist: it appears that the author was told he needed to do certain things, which he did, but it still has almost an outline feel to it. The true rating of this book should be 2.5 stars, but I freely admit to being a tad biased by nostalgia, which is why I gave it 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: A Standard Adventure, Popcorn Reading.
Review: "The Temple of Elemental Evil" is another of WoTC's revisits to the legendary dungeons of the early campaigning days of the AD&D world of Greyhawk. There is an undeniable amount of nostalgia for some readers, like myself, but this book reads like popcorn, it's light, it's filling, and it's ultimately no big deal. Decades have passed since I first visited the Temple of Elemental Evil and the Village of Hommlet. There is an undeniable amount of fun in revisiting places I once saw only through the imagination of my mind and that of my fellow gamers. The story: Shanhaevel, a young elven wizard is accompanying his aging master on a mysterious mission to the village of Hommlet, for reasons unkown to Shanhaevel. An ambush on the road results in the death of his master, and the burden of the mission falling to the elven wizard. His task: go with several adventurers to scout out the ruins of the Temple of Elemental Evil, a place of powerful evil (as the name implies, ^_^ ) and find out if the forces of the temple, which were defeated at great cost a decade ago, are on the rise. As often happens, things don't quite go as planned. Nostalgia aside, this is a fairly pedestrian book. Mr. Reid doesn't spend much time on character development, the group bonds far too fast, etc. The wit and verve of a writer like Paul Kidd, who has written 3 other of the Greyhawk dungeon novels is not apparent in Mr. Reid's style. So, this book is nothing special, but it doesn't commit any major offenses. The book reads sort of like a checklist: it appears that the author was told he needed to do certain things, which he did, but it still has almost an outline feel to it. The true rating of this book should be 2.5 stars, but I freely admit to being a tad biased by nostalgia, which is why I gave it 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: "The dead priest's fingers still twitched, ...
Review: ...perhaps struggling even in death to finish the casting that could not be completed in life."
The Temple of Elemental Evil starts off incredibly well (i.e. with the twins!), but then all of a sudden there is a blunder; Iuz, the Demigod, communicates with his high priest through "a small bell sitting upon his writing desk" (???) pp 2. I did not know that deities used bells to inform their clerics that it was time for communication...
This is just an early example of the many mistakes made throughout the book.
In addition, the writing is rather poor and the dialogues could have been a lot better.
To start with, Lanithaine's death took place as if he were a novice, a first level character (!!!); one arrow (!!!) was enough to dispose of the veteran wizard? Hmmm... After serving with the original group that assaulted (and defeated) the forces of Evil ten years back, this was hardly the death this character deserved. Sacrificing himself against Lareth/Hedrack or to seal the portal to the demoness Zuggtmoy or to destroy her altogether would have been a much more likely and heroic death.
In the first third of the book, there is too much of Shanhaevel thinking to himself about everything and anything, over and over... It becomes tiring, not to mention annoying!
Moreover, though adopted by a human at a young age, Shanhaevel, is not very elf-like; the way he carries himself, the way he thinks and acts. A human would be more suited for the role. Why did Shanhaevel have to be an elf if he was not going to be anything like an elf?
Also, did his master not have his spellbook with him when he died, for Shanhaevel to take after his death? What about magical items? His master had ventured into the Temple ten years ago and he doesn't have as much as a ring to show for it? Just his horse???
In addition, the conversation/dialogue that follows Melias' fall is laden with romance and drama better suited to a lame soap opera and not the novelization of one of the best modules of all time! The elf, who is behaving more "irrationally" than a human, and has close to no elven personality traits is acting/behaving like a love struck teenager who cannot tell when it is time for romance and when it is time for business/ serious work, not to mention that he is way too insecure and eager to "make friends," as if he were "special..."
On page 130, the paladin says "I like the idea of waiting" rather than exploring the barn house and seeking out a possible secret passage into the Temple! That was the PALADIN talking, ... when those are words expected from the thief!
Moreover, on the same page the party of six is divided in half with ALL the warriors inside the barn house, and the spellcasters with the thief located outside, as if they were morons; the first rule of adventuring is ALWAYS to provide your spellcasters with defensive muscle.
Furthermore, "In his estimation, there were possibly a hundred or more, plus maybe a total of dozen ogres, trolls, and even what looked like a giant." pp151-152
By the time the six companions were done with them (!!!) with regular arrows, one fireball, one sleep spell, one stinking cloud and one lightning bolt, "the few left alive were fleeing into the woods" (???) pp160 Is there something wrong with the picture here?
The chances of a human priest (Lareth) worshipping Lolth are slim indeed, as for the Spider Queen herself accepting a MALE and a HUMAN are way less than slim!
As for the romance it just did not feel right; it was rather forced.
On page 247 there is the cherry on the cake: Shirral and Shanhaevel making out in the midst of battle with skeletons and ogres all about! Mercy...
Furthermore, as other readers have also pointed out, the characters have "bonded" way too soon.
On the positive side, what with the AMAZING cover art and the bedroom scene with the twins, the book opens with a bang, immediately catching the reader's interest and attention.
Thomas M. Reid has done a FANTASTIC job of keeping a balance between what is suitable to young readers and what to adults! Subtle, and not so subtle, hints is exactly what many of us fans out there who are now in our 30's would like to see more of-something a bit more spicy than the usual. In short, Mika and Astelle steal the show!
Moreover, there is great use of familiar spells throughout the book, thus boosting interest, while the thief's humor is refreshing.
In conclusion, there is the great quote on page 252 "Our sorrow at committing even the lesser evil is what separates us from evil."
Though the potential for a great book was definitely there it fails to take off. A shame really... Nevertheless, Thomas M. Reid does a FANTASTIC job of establishing a cliffhanger for a sequel.
In a nutshell, it's an ok book, and that's about it; it lacks that extra something to put it over the top. No masterpiece here...
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading, even if you never played the game...
Review: An interesting story with some interesting characters but more detail into their lives and thoughts would have made this a better book. That being said, I think it is clearly the second-best of the Grayhawk series, behind the ever-popular Justicar books by Paul Kidd. The journey of the central character Shanhaevel from self-absorbed scholar to boon companion is rather well-done, and the supporting characters display just enough individualism to remain interesting. The storyline will be familar to old-time D&Ders, but I think that Reid did a reasonably good job of transferring a role-playing game into a novel, and those who are not familar with the game or that module will still enjoy reading this book. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep readers interested in the last page, and a tag at the last of the book insinuates that there may be another novel in the future dealing with these same characters, which I would welcome.
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading, even if you never played the game...
Review: An interesting story with some interesting characters but more detail into their lives and thoughts would have made this a better book. That being said, I think it is clearly the second-best of the Grayhawk series, behind the ever-popular Justicar books by Paul Kidd. The journey of the central character Shanhaevel from self-absorbed scholar to boon companion is rather well-done, and the supporting characters display just enough individualism to remain interesting. The storyline will be familar to old-time D&Ders, but I think that Reid did a reasonably good job of transferring a role-playing game into a novel, and those who are not familar with the game or that module will still enjoy reading this book. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep readers interested in the last page, and a tag at the last of the book insinuates that there may be another novel in the future dealing with these same characters, which I would welcome.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm tired of this stuff
Review: I can't believe people gave this book a high rating. The characters are about as three dimensional as a sheet of paper. I mean after about 20 minutes together they seem like they have been life long friends. The dialogue is barbaric. Major bad guys seem to be easy to kill. I know that when the adventure was published in the 80's that there was a male cleric of Loth, but come on, since then more order has been given to the world. Take a little creative license, change that cleric to female since we all know Loth doesn't have male priests. I feel like all in all TSR/WotC has slaughtered this game world after Gygax left. I looks like they put there worst writers one the Greyhawk projects, with the exception of Paul Kidd. I hope his next novel in this series is as good as his first to. What is the saying? If you give 100 monkeys 100 typewriters and 100 years they will compose "The Great American Novel." Well, this book reads like they gave one monkey a copy of MS Word and 10 minutes. Maybe I should stick with Robert Jordan, Kate Elliott, and Laura Resnick. Now those are some good writers.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written. Good stuff!
Review: I have to admit that with most of the D&D related stuff I've been reading lately, I was beginning to think everything coming from the D&D genre was fluff. However, I picked this book up when I bought the new D&D 3E module "Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil", and I've been intrigued ever since. I found that the storyline is fluid and interesting. The characters are mysterious and enjoyable. I relate this one to my first reading of the Dragonlance Chronicles. Good stuff. I hope the newer novels are all like this one - might start a new trend to eradicate the fluff and market something with substance! I recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy in general, the greyhawk series, or D&D.
Rating:
Summary: I liked it, but it wasn't the best book I've ever read
Review: I picked up this book after having played the game more times than I can count (mostly running it). There are several things I really enjoyed about the book, but others that made me feel a little disappointed. The good: 1: It was great getting a refresher in the structure of the temple, and it brought back a lot of memories. It also gave me some interesting ideas. 2: It was not written in the typical preteen fashion that many books derivative of the games are. 3: It was entertaining. The Bad: 1: Not the greatest character development -- it seemed a bit rushed. 2: Anyone who's played the game will recognize that this went entirely too easy and quickly to even compare. 3: A bit too many stereotypical elements. All in all, if you love the game, you will enjoy the book. If you are just looking for a good fantasy novel, try Tolkein or Alexander.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Story So-So Writing
Review: I remember playing the Temple of Elemental Evil module as a kid and spotted this book in the fantasy section of the local bookstore. Many of the locations found throughout the book such as Hommlet, the Moat House and the Temple itself brought back a tinge of nostalgia as I read through the book. The book outlines the struggles of a tiny hamlett and its battle with an ever increasing evil force lurking just outside its perimeter. It tells a tale of a group of adventurers brought together for different reasons but united in a common goal of investigating and subsequently eliminating the threat posed by the Temples residents. The story itself was interesting and engaging but is not on the same level of writing prowess as some of the other WotC novels written by R.A. Salvatore and others who allow you to closely relate and identify with the characters in their novel. Personally, I found character interaction a little forced and dialogue spoken to be a little out of character at times. Mr. Reid may have been trying to add a bit of levity to his characters but I just found it out of place. Fortunately, it doesnt prevent the reader from enjoying the story as a whole and was a decent read. If this was a movie I was reviewing, I would say dont pay $9 to see it in a theatre but wait until it comes out on DvD ;)
Rating:
Summary: Decent Story So-So Writing
Review: I remember playing the Temple of Elemental Evil module as a kid and spotted this book in the fantasy section of the local bookstore. Many of the locations found throughout the book such as Hommlet, the Moat House and the Temple itself brought back a tinge of nostalgia as I read through the book. The book outlines the struggles of a tiny hamlett and its battle with an ever increasing evil force lurking just outside its perimeter. It tells a tale of a group of adventurers brought together for different reasons but united in a common goal of investigating and subsequently eliminating the threat posed by the Temples residents. The story itself was interesting and engaging but is not on the same level of writing prowess as some of the other WotC novels written by R.A. Salvatore and others who allow you to closely relate and identify with the characters in their novel. Personally, I found character interaction a little forced and dialogue spoken to be a little out of character at times. Mr. Reid may have been trying to add a bit of levity to his characters but I just found it out of place. Fortunately, it doesnt prevent the reader from enjoying the story as a whole and was a decent read. If this was a movie I was reviewing, I would say dont pay $9 to see it in a theatre but wait until it comes out on DvD ;)
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