Twelve authors gather to write separate, but conjoined stories based on one world. That world is that of the Forgotten Realms - the result is Realms of War.
Each story, by authors such as Forgotten Realms writers Richard Lee Bryers, Jess Lebow and Lisa Smeadman; New York Times best-sellers R. A. Salvatore and Paul S. Kemp; and other professional novelists like Mel Odom, Susan J. Morris and Mark Sehestedt, highlights a different part of the Forgotten Realms world, incorporating interesting characters and plots into the overall good-versus-evil plot. Though someone unfamiliar with the series (like myself) may at first have a bit of a question mark lurking over their head, each short tale gives a further understanding of the Lord of the Rings-reminiscent world and its many rivalries and battles.
Each author's different approach to the series is the most interesting element of the anthology, with some authors (Kemp, Lebow, Bryers, Bruce R. Cordell, Jaleigh Johnson) focusing on the war and conflict of the world, while others use cunning (Smeadman, Odom) and insight (Salvatore, Elaine Cunningham) to show their side of the world. Think of it as twelve different perspectives of a universe not yet known to the fullest extent.
Some of the stories really hold the reader's interest (Smeadman's character Weasel is a favorite, and Odom's Rytagir is immensely interesting), while others fall flat (Morris' "The Last Paladin of Ilmater" doesn't stay in the memory, and Cordell's and Greenwood's shorts aren't very impacting). But as a whole, Realms of War is something to look into if you're a Dungeons and Dragons kind of reader.
Each story, by authors such as Forgotten Realms writers Richard Lee Bryers, Jess Lebow and Lisa Smeadman; New York Times best-sellers R. A. Salvatore and Paul S. Kemp; and other professional novelists like Mel Odom, Susan J. Morris and Mark Sehestedt, highlights a different part of the Forgotten Realms world, incorporating interesting characters and plots into the overall good-versus-evil plot. Though someone unfamiliar with the series (like myself) may at first have a bit of a question mark lurking over their head, each short tale gives a further understanding of the Lord of the Rings-reminiscent world and its many rivalries and battles.
Each author's different approach to the series is the most interesting element of the anthology, with some authors (Kemp, Lebow, Bryers, Bruce R. Cordell, Jaleigh Johnson) focusing on the war and conflict of the world, while others use cunning (Smeadman, Odom) and insight (Salvatore, Elaine Cunningham) to show their side of the world. Think of it as twelve different perspectives of a universe not yet known to the fullest extent.
Some of the stories really hold the reader's interest (Smeadman's character Weasel is a favorite, and Odom's Rytagir is immensely interesting), while others fall flat (Morris' "The Last Paladin of Ilmater" doesn't stay in the memory, and Cordell's and Greenwood's shorts aren't very impacting). But as a whole, Realms of War is something to look into if you're a Dungeons and Dragons kind of reader.
