Crown of Fire

Ed Greenwood has a style of writing that I just like to read; and he created the Forgotten Realms! The man needs to be inducted into the Fantasy Authors Hall of Fame just for that one act alone. This book picks up where the first book left off and continues the story of Shandril. It's pretty good writing, and Ed Greenwood writes about the swords and sorcery things I like to read about. I don't know how many other books, and movies for that matter, that over the years have fallen short just because they don't have enough magic in them. While the whole Shandril Saga has way more "spellfire" than magic, it's still interesting and fun to read. The characters are funny and interesting and I really wanted to find out what happened to them next. I felt like this book (#2 of 3) wasn't as good as the other two, but I can't really put my finger on it. I don't remember enough really to make any kind of detailed dissertation on it, but I remember it being a little slower-paced, and not quite as interesting as the other two were. All in all it was a definite must-read of course to get to the 3rd book (the best in the trilogy!). The Shandril's Saga trilogy is one of my favorite series, and I look forward to rereading them one day.

I am rather glad to see the sequel(s) to SpellFire coming out. I basically grew up playing AD & D in the Realms. These books allow me to read about some of the imaginary places and people I, or my character to be precise, met in those early days. They fill a void left behind when I grew up and have been unable to fit gaming into my schedule. To me, Greenwood's books read like an AD & D campaign with Greenwood serving as Dungeon Master. Who better to tell the stories of Toril than it's creator?

This series generally gets a bad rap from most reviewers. Mr Greenwood is not supposed to be a literary genius. This story fits well into the grand picture of the Realms. It works just as well as "Spellfire", it predecessor. The heros are believable, Shandril is rather irritating. I really like the villains. Manshoon is really evil, and his nefarious band of cohorts held my interest! The "Zhentish" organization created here is truely nasty. The bad guys and gals are more believable than the pompous, lusty(dirty minded) heros presented. Seriously, if these fools would clean up their act, maybe the evil could be overturned. I do not discredit Ed Greenwood in any way with how he handles the storyline. He did, after all create this fabulous world that so many people have loved or hated for nearly 20 years, beyond that for some. If it was so bad, why do so many novels and gaming supplement keep getting published annually? Why do so many people keep reading the books, whether they like them or not? This fantasy world is credible. Beautiful and horrible at the same time. I personally have spent days among this mysterious, and magical world that is absolutely thrilling. The architypes are there: dwarves, elves, wizards, dragons and mystical kingdoms that one can almost touch. Beholders! What a concept! Hilarious and monstrous at the same time. How can one resist? The Forgotten Realms are always going to be remembered because of Ed Greenwood's determinations. He can bring real magic alive. I have literally come of age with his world behind me. Wizards of the Coast suceed in keeping this show alive. There is obviously some sort of attraction here, as so many other worlds are but a distant memory. Crown of Fire is not great liturature, just a great story with lots of action and magic!

I thought this book was better than most other people judging by their reviews.It builds the characters back grounds & shows their maturing.I'm partial to the Harpers & Knights of Myth Drannor who keep popping up to save the day.Read SPELLFIRE first then this book,it will make more sense & together they present a good story.Others mention how weak Narm is as a magic user,in the first book he was in AD & D terms a first or 2nd level magic user,in this book he casts a lightning bolt spell,(that's a spell you can only cast at 5th level or higher)He's gained 2-3 levels since the first book,not to shabby... Not everyone can be Elminster or Khelben Blackstaff....

Yet another book from Ed that is well worth the read. So far, I have found all of his books to be very fun to read. While I wouldn't allow Spellfire in my game, I thikn it makes for interesting reading, and a good story. Keep up the good work.