The Elminster Series Review (2024)

Ed Greenwood

The books that you are about to see in our Elminster series review are written by author Ed Greenwood and will tell the story of a character from the vast Forgotten Realms Saga known as Elminster Aumar.

He is a very powerful wizard and is also known as the Sage of Shadowdale. The Elminster series has a total of nine books so be prepared for another thrilling fantasy story from the Forgotten Realms world.

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The Elminster Book Series

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Elminster: The Making of a Mage

 

Famous Elminster

This is the first book in our Elminster series reading order and it’s the story in which you get to read about the famous Elminster and his early days as a boy who is thrilled to experience a life full of adventure and heroics.

You get to read of a place called the Heartlands and at the time when Elminster is just a young boy, this land is filled with dangerous barbarians and merciless dragons who roam the skies.

Everything Changes

Elminster leads a pretty normal and dull life there up until a point when everything changes in one instant. This point is when a magelord sweeps down on his dragon and sets a certain series of events into motion that results in Elminster getting involved in a life of harsh realities, evil rulers, and all the magic and adventure he can wish for.

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Elminster in Myth Drannor

 

Cormanthor

The story in the second novel of amazing Elminster books takes you straight to a great Elven city called Cormanthor. This is a city that doesn’t exactly allow just anyone to get in as the Elves trust no one but their own kind as they fear that the power struggles and desire for riches of the other races threatens their civilization.

Bending the Magic

Anyway, he is allowed into this city where he spends quite a lot of years studying how to bend magic to his own will and other tips and tricks that will send him on the path to becoming one of the most powerful and famous wizards in the Forgotten Realms world.

Powerful Character

The Elminster books will be exciting to read if you have met Elminster in another book from the Forgotten Realms Saga as you get to watch this powerful character grow and learn more about him.

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The Temptation of Elminster

 

Mystra

In this thrilling third book of the Elminster novels, you get to read a very interesting story that takes the timeline a few centuries in the future. The events continue directly after the second book in the wonderful Elminster series and you get to find out that Elminster is just now getting out of an old tomb where he has been trapped in statis for a few years.

The fun part of this book is that Elminster has been instructed by the powerful Mystra not to use his powers and magic because he needs to learn to survive with his wits and skills.

True Temptation

An even more thrilling part of Elminster books approaches as a new character presents herself, one who will show Elminster what true temptation looks like as she will try to tempt him away from the teachings and training of Mystra and use Elminster for her own selfish reasons.

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Elminster in Hell

 

Nine Hells

Elminster in Hell is the next book of the amazing Elminster series, you get to read a story that sends Elminster to one of the most unpleasant and frightening places in the Forgotten Realms, the Nine Hells. The reason why he finds himself trapped there is because a certain evil character is torturing him for his wisdom and unique powers.

Useless Magic

Another very bad thing about this place is that his powers and magic are totally useless in a place like this so the story will be nothing but exciting as you get to watch him figure out a way to escape this hell and try to return to his own world. We won’t spoil how all of that turns out but you can easily find out for yourself as you get to this book of Greenwood’s Elminster series.

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Elminster’s Daughter

 

Waterdeep

The fifth book in the Elminster series is going to introduce you to a new and very exciting character, Narnra of Waterdeep. She is the long lost daughter of the most dangerous man in all of Faerûn, Elminster himself.

Narnra

Narnra has always wondered who her father might be as she has never met him as Elminster abandoned her and her mother so long ago. When she discovers that her father is the most powerful man she has ever heard about, her anger manages to rise and rise without any limits.

No Other Choice

A certain series of dangerous events will make Narnra trust and love again as she will have no other choice after she finally meets her father. The real thrill of this story is finally going to arrive when these two exciting characters finally meet face-to-face and the rest is up to you to find out as we don’t want to ruin the excitement by spoiling it.

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Elminster Must Die

 

Shattered World

The sixth book in our Elminster books reading order holds a tale about what happens after the murder of the great goddess of magic. It is also a part of the Sage of Shadowdale series. You can imagine how shattered Elminster’s world will be after hearing this tragic news for himself.

However, instead of only worrying about this tragic news, Elminster will soon discover that he will have a few more things to worry about after some very bad news comes headed his way.

Getting Old

Elminster discovers that something is leading his enemies right to him and although is still a very powerful character, he is getting old and he is not immortal like the immortal goddess that just died. Knowing that a powerful goddess can be so easily murdered has Elminster worried and uncertain about how the events that are coming will play out. 

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Bury Elminster Deep

 

Lord Manshoon

In this book of Greenwood’s Elminster series and Sage of Shadowdale trilogy, it is believed that someone has finally destroyed and killed the most powerful wizard in all of Faerûn and this killing has been done by his very own archenemy, the vampiric Lord Manshoon.

Magic Ash

But, it’s not that easy to get rid of Elminster as he is not dead yet due to a trick he pulled at the last minute. Elminster survives by taking a form of a magic ash that just barely leaves him alive and gives him one more chance to destroy his enemy once and for all.

Thrilling

How the rest plays out is, once again, up to you to find out as we don’t want to spoil all of the excitement from that by telling you the ending of this very thrilling book. Just know that it’s the most exciting part of Elminster books and you will be glad we left it to you to discover.

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Elminster Enraged

 

Silver Fire

This is the next to last book in our review and the story in this Elminster book talks about a strange event that causes Elminster to feel the silver fire of the fallen goddess known as Mystra. This feeling makes him feel a lot stronger and maybe even younger.

Surprising

But this only happens when another chosen of Mystra has fallen as they release the silver fire into the Realms and Elminster is determined to go and find out who this is. The surprise at the ending will definitely be worth all the wait as the author has done an outstanding job in writing the thrilling events that happen in this mysterious and very suspenseful Elminster novel.

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Spellstorm

 

Powerful Artifact

Spellstorm is the last novel in our article about astonishing Elminster books and it’s a very exciting one that tells the story of a mythical and powerful object known as the Lost Spell. Rumors begin to spread around the land of Cormyr that this long lost object created by the presumed dead god of spells is not going to be auctioned and sold to the highest bidder.

Lost Spell

Archmages of all-around start gathering and before they know it, they are all trapped by a serious spell that renders their powers useless and some wicked things begin scaring everyone. Elminster himself is there too as he says that he is only there to decide who gets the Lost Spell but you will find out that that is not the case at all after you finally get to the juicy parts of one of the very exciting Elminster books.

Enjoy!

That’s it for our review of Elminster series as these are the books in which you get to find out most about the great and powerful Mage of the Shadowdale, Elminster. This is a character who you get to see in many Elminster books in all of the Forgotten Realms stories so it’s best that you know him well.

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