Finder's Bane (Forgotten Realms Lost Gods)

This is a great book leading into the life of young Joel, priest of Finder. Novak and Grubb do a good job showing his tourmoil for turing his back on all bards by worshipping the god "of wreckless fools" and his future triumph in the planes.

Oh, poor Bane, did you misplace your essence again? =) No, But this book is wonderful! The troubled cleric, unsure that he would be good, meets his god! Finder, the God of Reckless Fools, =) is a stunning performance! Never again will I say no to Forgotten Realms! I'm currently a 12th Wizard, 4th sorceror, 4th bard, 3rd D & D, for you who understand that...

While on a pilgrimage to the Lost Vale, Finder's young priest stumbles upon a plot that could return one of the all time villains to the realms: Bane. Ten years ago Bane battled Torm and lost his unholy life over the city of Tantras during the godswar (see "Tantras" by Richard Awlinson), now dark forces seek his resurrection. Joel, a master bard who turned his back on the establishment to take up the banner of the Nameless Bard, Finder Wyvernspur, finds himself thrust into a great adventure that may affect all of Toril.I truly enjoyed this title; it did a marvelous job of seamlessly tying the lands of Abeir-Toril to those of the Multiverse. Without presumption and overly philosophical overtones, the story introduces fans of Forgotten Realms fiction to the basis of faith and the relationship of deity and worshipper. I also enjoyed the reprisal of the Banite clergy, and how the authors showed the mindset of one who would worship such a tyrant. Throw into the mix, a god of the old guard-Lathander-and watch the diversity of how deities interact with their faithful. Further, I loved seeing the tie-ins for other products without the explicate stating of the facts: see the Giants Craw scene, and then look to "The Sword of the Dales" module trilogy by Jim Butler. The authors also managed to handle the widely varying locations very well, from the rugged Daggerdale, the elusive Lost Vale, the ruinous desert of old Netheril (Anauroch), to the varying degrees of the planes, including: the astral plane, the Outlands, and the infamous city of doors, Sigil. Finally, the best part about this novel is the fact that while the previous titles (The Finder's Stone trilogy) would help to flesh out Finder; they are in no way necessary to read and enjoy this tale. This book is definitely worth the read.

Man, this is a great addition to the forgotten realms series! I never got into the whole Finders Stone Trilogy so I didnt know what to expect from this book. I was really, really surprised to find that even if you never read any of the other books in the series you will enjoy this one from the beginnning to the end. The characters in the book are interesting and the inclusion of the gods really helped out. The only down side is that if you were looking forward to the bad guys to win you will be dissapointed. I recommend to all Forgotten Realms fans.

This is an excellent addition to the Finder's Stone Trillogy. It is a wonderful glimse into the planes, and especially Sigil. I highly recomend it.