Shadowdale (Forgotten Realms: Avatar Trilogy, Book One)

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Summary: Interesting
Review: ...I found Kelemvor Lyonsbane to be one of the more interesting characters in the Forgotten Realms, and would LOVE to have read about his quest for the ring of winter. I should mention here that the actual Forgotten Realms novel by the same name "Ring of Winter" has absolutely nothing to do with Kelemvor, he isn't even mentioned. That said, I have to agree that the Avatar trilogy is found lacking in the developement of Cyric's character and sorely lacking in letting the reader in on his motivation. I decided to take it at face value, that being Cyric simply snaps. Goes insane. This does in fact and unfortunately really happen to people, and it can happen without any warning or reason. For anyone playing in a Forgotten Realms Campaign, I think the Avatar trilogy is a must read. Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed. Not many books of the genre can truly stand up to the likes of Tolkein. You won't find the next Conan, Elric, Bilbo, or Thomas Covenant hiding within the pages of a book with "Forgotten Realms" stamped across the top. Consider the target audience, and the fact that the entire line of Forgotten Realms novels, when you get right down to it, are based on a game. If you are looking for a masterpiece of high adventure, look elsewhere.

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Summary: I'm a new Forgotten Realms Fan!
Review: After convincing me to play the Icewind Dale multi-player game, my husband also convinced me to read the Shadowdale series by Richard Awlinson. I had never read fantasy novels before, and I'll admit to being hesitant to even start. But within a chapter or two, I was hooked. Kelemvor, Midnight, Adon and Cyric are all strong characters that kept me reading. The evil Lord Bane gave me someone to love to hate, and I eagerly picked up Tantras during my next trip to the library. Shadowdale keeps a great balance of battle, relationships and plot and will definitely appeal to a wide variety of readers.

Rating:
Summary: I loved the series
Review: After reading Shadowdale for the 2nd time I loved it. The series is just as good as the 1st time and Kelemvor,Cyric,Adon,Midnight, and Lord Bane are all good strong charactors and the story of the Gods triying to return to Godhood is a good story. I like Cyric alot he is a interesting character along with Midnight. I felt sorry Kelemvor and his family curse. You know he wants to do good and help people with out a reward but because of the curse he can't. all in all a good book.

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Summary: Oh Dear God !(Or Gods for that matter...)
Review: As a 15 year veteran of the D&D world, the novels are one aspect which I grade harshly. After years of putting it off, I bought the whole Avatar trilogy. To my dismay, I discovered I could have put it off a little longer. My main gripe is that the plot, and character developments respectively, are sort of wishy-washy, and well, not very well developed. For example, they (Richard Awlinson is a Pseudonym for various authors) have a hard time focusing on character traits for Cyric (The thief). One minute he's a caring guy trying to do good. The next, were supposed to believe he's a bloodthirsty killer because Midnight spurns his love (and a very under-developed and unclear love infatuation at that). He even kills the thief who raised him like a son for no better reason than the fact He (the older thief) wanted him back in the guild. They don't even bother to so much as hint that maybe they hated each other, or the older thief might have been abusive. Or that Cyric didn't take his medication that day (HEHEHEH!) NOTHING!. As for Adon and Kelemvor, its sometimes hard to figure out just why those two were hanging out together, other than their quickly mentioned past on some mission. Kelemvor is chosen by Mystra because he is an "Honest" guy. But then he is cursed to be motivated only by money, so her choice is questionable. And if Adon and Kelemvor ARE friends, they never try to go deep into it. Midnight is probably the more consistent character, but that barely helps. As for the Gods themselves, Mystra is probably the more interesting one, the others, especially Bane, are so poorly characterized, that you don't really care WHAT he does. In the end, its probably good background for the Forgotten Realms setting, and also good for explaining the whole "Dark Times" thing that is mentioned in other books. Well, thats it. Don't even get me started on the second book. That whole trial thing was just laughable. IT MADE NO SENSE!
Read the Dark Elf Trilogy instead. Now THAT'S A+ work!

Rating:
Summary: Hmmm -
Review: As the first book in the trilogy Shadowdale doesn't reach out and grab you especially at the beginning. I found the first 30-40 pages a touch slow but began to enjoy this book more and more.. The characters seem to take a little while to get going but again - they improve with time. The first book is full of strange events, forests materialising out of thin air about the characters and the like... this is a little unsettling, especially the first time it occurs. So why - I hear you all ask - did I give this book 3/5? Well, it really does get much better and I was really enjoying it as it drew to a close. Books number II and III are much better :) It's worth the pain.

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Summary: A unique perspective in Fantasy Literature
Review: Awlinson intrigued me, initially, with his unique examination of the idea of "Avatar"-ism. The interaction between mortals and immortals is one that poses a great deal of possible material. However, upon a first, involved reading, it seemed to be lacking somewhat in power, skill and general quality of stylistic development. Yet, the "new" perspective/angle used for these three books more than compensates for the rather weak writing. Certainly this is a series that deserves some attention, at least for its refreshing examination on "man/god" relationships and interaction. Where many RPGs and books merely hint at the gods (usually through curses spoken by the characters) this series tries to bring the two disparate realms together. And it does.

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Summary: AMAZING TRILOGY!!!
Review: Definitely a great fantasy epic and one of my personal favorites, The Avatar Trilogy- Shadowdale, Tantras, and Waterdeep, is about the Time of Troubles when the Gods walked the Earth (in this case Toril). The books are so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another plane of existence and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. The authors have truly outdone themselves and have presented us with a masterpiece of literature the likes of which we have seen only in JRR Tolkien's work, RA Salvatore's The Dark Elf and Icewind Dale trilogies, and in authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies. Love, honor, bravery, magic, and heroes are all about. In conclusion, it's what Fantasy reading SHOULD be. A GREAT trilogy indeed and a "must read" along with James Lowder's Prince of Lies and Troy Denning's Crucible: The Trial of Cyric! DON'T MISS IT!!!

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Summary: Awesome and stunning. This book shapes the world.
Review: Excellent book. Detailed and creative. The characters are colorfully outlined with personalities that most authors never see. This book begins the trilogy that shapes the very foundation Forgotten Realms is based upon.

Rating:
Summary: some good, some not so
Review: For the good...this is the start of a series that lays a foundation for a lot of what happens in the other FR books. There is frequent mention of the time of troubles, or some such, when magic goes awry, and this is the series that explains what all of that is about. As it relates to so many other FR books, and the world of Faerun in general, this is a good book that all FR fans should read (as well as the rest of the series). For the bad...well, the plot isn't exactly original. It seems VERY similar (IMO) to David Eddings' Malloreon and Belgariad series. Evil god comes to "earth," fights, gets hurt, spends time in twisted, dark palace gaining strength, then gets his followers together and attacks the good people to the west. Evil god falls, thanks to some help from another god and a powerful magical item. The difference is that this happens in one book (Shadowdale) as opposed to the ten that Eddings uses (well, there is obviously more to it, and it isn't exactly the same, but the two sentence summary I just gave is generally the same). I would say that if the plot is interesting (the plot of this one book, not the series), then read the aforementioned Eddings books. But, as a piece to the series that is essential reading for the Forgotten Realms, this book does its job. 3 stars for originality, 5 stars for what it offers those that like FR.

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Summary: Stream of conscious fantasy writing?
Review: I agree with one reviewer who says that the author must have played the module that this book is based on, and then wrote about the adventure. It a shame too, because the premise had some real potential. A pantheon of gods are cast down by their head honcho for being selfish, neglecting thier duties and most importantly, allowing the sacred tablets to be stolen. They must work their way back to the heavens and redeem themselves. Enter the band of adventurers who get caught in the middle. Just when I was thanking my stars that this was a not one of the countless "boy savior" stories, the author writes a mediocre tale with a scattered narrative. Giving no back story to characters or explaining arbitrary actions. They literally hop from one battle to the other. Do you know those "Choose your own Adventure" stories? Imagine reading one that someone has already done and just left their choices in the book. There is no through line, characterization, even the exposition is shoddy. Maybe I'm overanalyizing this, but these are basics in telling a story. The descriptive writing however, is very good. The author has a knack for conjuring up some great monsters and locales.
This is a very juvenile style of writing. Great images with no real substance. Anyone who has had exposure to the likes of Brooks, Jordan, Hickman & Weiss should stick to them. Ironic, because the latter mentioned wrote the amazing and highly recommended "Dragonlance" series also produced by TSR. It really too bad, because I was hoping for something along that level. But it's enough to give Salvatore's take on this world a shot.