Forgotten Realms Novels....where do I start?

[Fishybugs]

I've recently started playing D&D again...cuz, you know...4th ed is finally gone (that's a topic for a whole different thread). I want to read some of the Forgotten Realms books to get caught up on lore. For those of you who have read them, where would you recommend I start?

[Lethologica]

Might as well start with Drizz't (i.e. Crystal Shard or the Dark Elf trilogy), Elminster (i.e. Making of a Mage), and Cadderly (i.e. Canticle), because it's no good trying to ignore the elephant(s) in the room. You'll probably find some characters there that you want to know more about, and odds are there's a series of books about them, or several.

[BWR]

For all the **** heaped on Drizzt, "The Crystal Shard" and "Homeland" are pretty decent. Not spectacular but good enough reads. Sojourn is ok. The rest of the books start an unfortunate downward spiral (yes yes, I know the chronology and publishing dates don't quite match up with that statement). I gave up a couple trilogies ago by which time even I had realized it was unsalvageable.

The first Elminster book is ok, but they quickly get worse. "Elminster in Hell" is some of the worst **** I've ever read. I've had 40 degree fever hallucinations that were more entertaining than that book.

I recommend just about anything by Elaine Cunningham. Start with "Daughter of the Drow", first of the Starlight and Shadows trilogy, if you want a Drizzt type story of a drow on the surface with a non-emo and more entertaining protagonist (as well as a much better love story.

[Winter_Wolf]

Realms of Infamy and to a lesser extent Realms of Valor both contain several short stories ostensibly set in the Realms. They may or may not be really old and irrelevant to post 1E era FR. I've lost literally my entire library except for five books due to moving too many times. I'll stand by recommending the Maztica trilogy even though people love to hate on the setting. It's still "in th Realms" insofar as it's set on Toril and has a faction hailing from Amn in a foreign land.

[BiblioRook]

The first Elminster book is ok, but they quickly get worse. "Elminster in Hell" is some of the worst **** I've ever read. I've had 40 degree fever hallucinations that were more entertaining than that book.

I recommend just about anything by Elaine Cunningham. Start with "Daughter of the Drow", first of the Starlight and Shadows trilogy, if you want a Drizzt type story of a drow on the surface with a non-emo and more entertaining protagonist (as well as a much better love story.

Yeah. For all the Forgotten Realms owe Ed Greenwood for his world building and putting together the setting... he's really not particularly great as an author. All the more the shame because as a concept Elminster is pretty awesome.

Also throwing my support in for Elaine Cunningham. For all I enjoyed the Starlight and Shadows series I actually have yet to get around to her earlier series starting with Elfshadow but people seem to speak favorably to it.

Honestly Drizzt is worth reading even if only to lead up into the Sellswords series.

As far as other personal recommendations I also would suggest the Finder's Stone trilogy (starting with Azure Bonds).

[Winter_Wolf]

Ah, haha. Can you even find Azure Bonds anymore? My copy has been read so many times the spine is toast and I have pages that I have loose pages I have to keep track of because it's been read essentially to death. Well whatever passes for death when talking about paperbacks. Oh, tack on Masquerades as the sequel to the trilogy. It's like book ten or eleven in the Harper's series, picks up about a decade after Song of the Saurials. Excellent read to get a sense of Westgate and its seedy side (i.e. The entirety of Westgate).

Edit: ugh too many bad grammar, sleep must needs.

[BiblioRook]

Used book stores are often a goldmine for the '2nd edition era' Forgotten Realm books and I'm lucky to have access to a few where I am.

[Fishybugs]

Thanks. I appreciate the suggestions. I'll look at each of them.

I have a few good used book stores around me, so I'll take a look. I played Curse of the Azure Bonds computer game on my Commodore 64 (yeah, I'm THAT old). Is that the same storyline as the book?

[Keltest]

Thanks. I appreciate the suggestions. I'll look at each of them.

I have a few good used book stores around me, so I'll take a look. I played Curse of the Azure Bonds computer game on my Commodore 64 (yeah, I'm THAT old). Is that the same storyline as the book?

Similar, but not identical. But its close enough that the game does spoil the twist near the end.

[Winter_Wolf]

Thanks. I appreciate the suggestions. I'll look at each of them.

I have a few good used book stores around me, so I'll take a look. I played Curse of the Azure Bonds computer game on my Commodore 64 (yeah, I'm THAT old). Is that the same storyline as the book?

Vaguely similar. I'd have said "read the book first" but that ship has sailed. There are enough differences that you're still going to get a new experience out of the book. Frankly I think the book is better than the game on multiple levels.