Ok, I admit it. I love cheesy AD&D hack fiction. Come on! The Harpers? The Moonshaes? The Elfblade trilogy? They are all great novels! OK, so they aren't classic high fantasy, ala Amber, but they are still great reads. I hoard beaten up copies of old Forgotten Realms novels like they will one day turn into spun gold.

I was never a big fan of playing in any of the pre-made settings. I always preferred to create my own AD&D worlds. So needless to say, I rarely bought the actual gaming supplement that came out for Forgotten Realms. I preferred to read about the characters.

I starting reading the Realms series in perhaps 4th grade (otherwise known as 1991). There were only a few books out then. I watched this series grow, eagerly anticipating each new release. I watched my favorite characters develop over the course of years, with depth and purpose.

For those of you not familiar with the Realms, they are one sub-genre of AD&D fiction. They are set in a world called Faerun, a classic fantasy world filled with Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, and other creatures. The Realms expands greatly upon the typical fantasy world, creating a truly diverse universe. From the last elven homeland of Evermeet to the walls of the evil Zhentil Keep; the Realms takes fantasy clichés and plays with them. It has some of my all time favorite characters in any fantasy series. Arylin Moonblade, Danillo Thann, and Elaith Craulanober, all from the Elfblade trilogy, stand out in my mind. It is perhaps the most well developed and best supported world that TSR put out.

AD&D is now run by Wizards of the Coast, the same people that brought us Magic: the Gathering. You remember, the collectable card game that ate up all of my money in middle school? Yup, them. (You all mock me, but I love Magic!) People either love or hate the 3rd edition AD&D, much like people hate 3rd edition Vampire. However, Wizards of the Coast is still putting out fiction for Forgotten Realms, so they are okay by me. And 3rd edition rules make sense... totally unheard of!

 

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