Realms of Valor

Forgotten Realms: Anthologies #1

by James Lowder (Editor), Mark Anthony, Scott Ciencin

From the secret annals of Realms history come eleven never-before-published tales of valor, featuring the greatest heroes of that magical world -- Drizzt Do'Urden, Arilyn Moonblade, Adon, Elminster of Shadowdale, Jander Sunstar, and many others -- told by your favorite authors, including: Ed Greenwood, R.A. Salvatore, Douglas Niles, Troy Denning, Christie Golden, and others

Genres: Forgotten Realms, Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, Science Fiction Fantasy

342 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

aka Richard Awlinson, J D Lowder, Jim Lowder

James Lowder has worked extensively in fantasy and horror fiction on both sides of the editorial blotter. He's authored several best-selling dark fantasy novels, including Prince of Lies and Knight of the Black Rose, and has had short fiction appear in such anthologies as Shadows Over Baker Street and Genius Loci. He's penned comic book scripts for several companies and the city of Boston. His book and film reviews, feature articles, and role-playing game design work can be found in such diverse publications as Amazing Stories, Milwaukee Magazine, and The New England Journal of History. As an editor, he's directed lines or series for TSR, Green Knight Publishing, Chaosium, and CDS Books. He's helmed more than twenty anthologies, including Hobby Games: The 100 Best and Curse of the Full Moon. In the media, he is a regular contributor to the Public Radio show "Lake Effect" in Milwaukee, provided werewolf lore on the TV show Weird or What? and tabletop game industry lore for the documentary The Dreams in Gary's Basement, and served as a puppeteer on the indie film Misfit Heights.

Reviews

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realms of Valor edited by James Lowder was released in 1993 and it is now out of print today (2009). Comprised of 11 short stories by Douglas Niles, Ed Greenwood, Christie Golden, Elaine Cunningham, David Cook, Scott Ciencin, Mark Anthony, James Lowder, Jean Rabe, Troy Denning, and R.A. Salvatore. Some stories revolve around well-known Forgotten Realms characters; Drizzt Do'Urden, Arilyn Moonblade, Elminster, and Jander Sunstar to name a few.

Lord of Lowhill by Douglas Niles- This story follows two halflings, Pawldo and Stefanik, as they search for treasure in a dark, evil place. Pawldo is found in the Moonshae trilogy also written by Douglas Niles.
Negatives:
1) Cliché. The story just seemed like a cliché. Greed takes one adventurer to far and he realizes it to late. It just seemed cliché.
Positives:
1) Characters. I did like Pawldo and Stefanik. I'm not quite sure really. Like my theory on halflings says, halflings give people consciences. Dang halflings.
2) Fun read. It started out kind of boring and whatnot, but ended up being a pretty fun read.
Overall: 4/5
*If the story would have introduced something different, it could have really benefited.*

Elminster at the Magefair by Ed Greenwood- The story is about Elminster and Storm Silverhand going to a magefair to pick up a key. The key invites trouble from younger mages and an old friend.
Negatives:
1) Boring story. It's not a bad story by any means, it just wasn't all that exciting.
2)Confusing towards the end. There just was too much going on to really follow. Then of course, you have to sit and think about what happened and what was so important.
Positives:
1) The magefair. That was really the only interesting and fun thing in the story. The fireball toss contest was pretty funny and amusing.
2) Didn't overburden you with names. I've been told that Ed Greenwood likes to use a lot of names. This story was an exception and it worked pretty well.
Overall: 3/5
*If things were a little slower at times and sped up at others, this could have been a better story.*

One Last Drink by Christie Golden-This story is about Jander Sunstar, a gold elf vampire. The story's events are before Vampire of the Mists. It tells of how Jander escaped his vampire master.
Negatives:
None. Yeah, I have no complaints or annoyances with the story at all.
Positives:
1) Jander. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters and this story really shows why. I just can't help but feel sorry for him.
2) The set-up of what happens. I really did like what happens and how everything feel into place. The way Jander handled himself and broke his enslavement was just great.
3) Details and Descriptions. I like how Christie Golden describes everything. You can feel the malice and fear of everyone. The 'gory' (for lack of a better word) details she uses are superb.
Overall: 5/5
*I like Jander. But irregardless, the story telling was perfect*

The Bargain by Elaine Cunningham- About Arilyn Moonblade and Danilo Thann and their attempt to warn the Pasha of Tethyr of an assassination. Along the way, they encounter an assassin, Hasheth, who is trying to kill Arilyn. Bargains are made and deals are struck. Arilyn and Danilo appears in a few of Elaine Cunningham's books.
Negative:
1) “Brawl” scene. The scene was when Arilyn and a 'thug' were outside a bar fighting. The only problem seemed to be how it ended. It ends a little confusing with the clink of metal. Not a really big negative, but I had to reread that paragraph to understand about the 'daggers'.
Positives:
1) Characters. Arilyn, Danilo, and even Hasheth were good characters. I like Arilyn because of her demeanor and temper at times. Danilo for his humor. Hasheth for his single-mindedness and naiveté.
2) Plot. I liked how everything fit together and how it ended up. I didn't really expect that so and so was really the target. It ended in a way I thought was fitting.
3) Bonus funny positive... Two camels.
Overall: 5/5
*One of the best short stories I've read.*

Patronage by David Cook- Follows Koja, a lama from the Red Mountain. Koja is a scribe that wrote down a history of a group of people called the Tuigan. Koja wants his book to be able to be read by many people, so he seeks out a printer, whom is to expensive. Koja then goes to the Duke of Procampur to ask for the money for the book to be printed. But it isn't the duke that grants Koja his wish, rather someone more powerful.
Negatives:
1) First Person point of view. While I was glad for something new and different in a Forgotten Realm story, the viewpoint seemed to be lacking a lot of details.
2) Predictable. The story was one were you knew something was going to happen. I didn't expect the person, but I just knew something like that was going to let Koja print his book.
Positives:
1) Different Style. Along with the viewpoint, I thought it was interesting that Koja wasn't a hero. He didn't fight any monsters or evil people, just stood for what he believed in. That made the story different and fresh.
2) Koja. He was interesting character because of what I mentioned above. He wasn't high and mighty, he was a normal person wanting to better the world with knowledge.
Overall: 3/5
*Better details could have made this story better*

A Virtue By Reflection by Scott Ciencin- The story is a murder mystery. The ruler of the city Arabel, Myrmeen Lhal, tries to solve the murder of Penn Othmann, a merchant. Myrmeen encounters a race called cat lords, which holds the key to the mystery along with a young girl.
Negatives:
1) Boring. I hate to say it, but this was a boring story. It never really interested me.
2) Cat lords. What are they? There really wasn't a good explanation other than they are half cat/ half human, with the ability to shift into a cat. It just seemed like someone was looking at too many Japanese cartoons when they were writing this. But seriously, I didn't really understand the race, and honestly didn't know about the race at all. I liked it better that way.
Positives:
1) Good Mystery. I can't give too much away but I thought the premise of the story was a good idea. The execution was poorly done. How it was all explained was well done in my opinion.
2) Zaehlas Alandovos Zacharious or Zaz. I did like the leader of the car lords though. He did have a cool demeanor and a self of humor that made him likable.
Overall: 2.5/5
*What held this back was how this story just dull and unexciting.*

King's Tear by Mark Anthony- The story is about Tyveris, a former sell-sword turned monk, and his mission to recover a stolen item, called King's Tear, from a necromancer named Kelshara. Along the way, Tyveris learns that not everything can end with a weapon.
Negatives:
1) Predictable. You knew what was going to happen. You knew what 'weapon' was going to stop Kelshara.
2) Underdeveloped Characters. The characters didn't really seem to grow and weren't very interesting. Kelshara is the best example. She started the story, yet she didn't really seem like a true villain, even though it's obvious she was. She didn't really come off as truly evil.
Positives:
1) Fun read. It was a really quick exciting read. There wasn't any real dull parts. It really seemed that every scene set up the follow scene. It really kept me wanting to read.
2) Just desserts. The ending I thought was really good. Sure, a little cliché, but I really thought it was worth it. Not to mention, it was very well written.
Overall: 3.5/5
*The characters are what really brought this story down.*

The Family Business by James Lowder- The story is about a father-son highwayman duo. Artus Cimber is learning the tricks of the trade from his father, the Shadowhawk. During the 'training,' Prince Azoun inexplicably shows up with a trailing trio of groundlings, transformed dwarf Zhentatium assassins. Artus and Azoun team up and tries to wait out the attack. However, things don't work out the way they should have and Artus had to make a tough decision.
Negatives:
1) The Shadowhawk. I was really annoyed by Artus' father. His attitude really bothered me. But it's not a major problem.
Positives:
1) The story. The story was really solid. I couldn't find a big problem with the story at all.
2) Characters. Everyone was a well thought out and interesting. The interactions between each character, father-son and Artus and Azoun, were perfect.
Overall: 4.5/5
*Another really good story. Fun all around.*

Grandfather's Toys by Jean Rabe- A child is missing! Her grandfather, Drollo, enlists the aid of a druid, Galvin, to help find her. Drollo's tower however, is full of nooks and crannies where a little girl could hide. Filled with junk, the duo, along with the aid of a weasel named Elias, search the cluttered tower. However, the search goes farther than expected.
Negatives:
1) Rushed. The whole story was badly rushed. Everything was happening so fast that it was hard to really follow.
2) Boring. Another story that fell flat on its face. Even though it was a fast read, it just was a story I kept setting down.
3) Undeveloped characters. The characters seemed like a joke. Drollo was constantly worrying and was all around useless. Galvin was interesting, but wasn't fully developed enough.
Positives:
1) Good idea. The story seemed like a good idea. Something pretty much different from the other stories. However it just wasn't executed very well.
2) The ending. The happy ending was well done pretty good. Also, what Galvin gets as a reward was a great idea.
Overall: 2/5
*I'm being very nice about this grade.*

The Curse of Tegea by Troy Denning- A horrible curse has fallen upon the village of Tegea and the villagers only hopes lay with two clerics of Mystra. The clerics, Adon and Corene, have to show the people of the village what truly lies beneath the villages exterior. Adon is a main character in The Avatar series.
Negatives:
1) The beginning. It started out kind of rough, but it picked up after a few pages.
Positives:
1) The story. The plot, the action, and the descriptions were near perfect. The plot was well thought out and executed perfectly. The ending was, I thought, done the way it should have been. The action scenes were superbly done. The descriptions really made you picture the deformities.
2) Characters. The characters in the story were great. I like Adon and he put everything upon his shoulders. Corene was really only a minor character, but she really felt like she was more of a central character at times. That sounds bad, but it worked fine. The tavern keeper's daughter, Sarafina, eluded a sense of pride even when faced with the hatred of the village. I liked how she stood for herself.
3) The villain. The way the duke of Tegea acted made you just want to hate him. That's probably the first villain that I truly hated.
Overall: 4.9/5
*Near perfect short story. Just wish that the beginning could have been a little more clearer*

Dark Mirror by R. A. Salvatore- Drizzt Do'Urden helps a group of farmers track down some captives from a small farming village, Pengallen. Among the captives, Drizzt learns about ways that people view things and that not everything is evil from an unlikely source. Drizzt Do'Urden is one of the most recognizable characters in the Forgotten Realms and his story continues in The Legend of Drizzt saga.
Negatives:
None. It was a well written story that combined life issues and some philosophy into it.
Positives:
1) First Person. I did like the viewpoint. The execution was better in this story than with the previous story, Patronage. You actually get into the mind of one of the best known Forgotten Realms heroes.
2) Philosophical, psychological, and sociological. The whole talk between Drizzt and Nojheim carries many things in philosophy, psychology and sociology. The certain views people have towards things and other's and how they stay the same and change was wonderfully done.
3) Drizzt. If you ever read any story featuring him, you would understand why he is a positive.
Overall: 5/5
*Wonderfully story with actually meaning you can take with you.*

Afterward by Jeff Grubb- Basically tells of the minds behind the Forgotten Realms. Enjoyable if you want to learn about the 'secret' history of the Realms.

OVERALL ANTHOLOGY: 4/5

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series of shorts is a lot of fun for those fans of Forrgotten Realms. Each story involoves a character that has stared in another series or book. I think this is one of the first compilations of short stories within the forgotten realms world.

The first story, "The Lord of Lowhill", by Douglas Niles, takes place on the Moonshae Isles and involves a halfling character, Pwaldo, that was introduced in his "Moonshae Trilogy". While Pwaldo was a fairly minor character in the trilogy, his staring role in this short reminds us of Niles's Celtic based Isles.

The next one, "Elminster at The Magefair", by none other than Ed Greenwood (and what would a forgotten realms book be without a visit from Greenwood), brings back the legendary character Elminster. Interestingly enough, it also features Storm Silverhand as a young ranger on one of her first assingments. The story is typical of Greenwood's style; over the top, flamboyant, and humorous. I don't know what else I expected...

"One Last Drink", by Christie Golden was one of two stories that had no conection to other books. Still, an interesting tale about vampires.

"The Bargain", by Elain Cunningham, brings back her most famous character, Arilyn Moonblade and her flamboyant companion Danilo. This story had very little plot to it. But, as always, the characters are great.

"Patronage", by David Cook stared the Kaziri Lama, Koja. A major character in the first Empires book. He is a historian from Kara Tur trying to get his story of the Tuigan Crusade published.

"Virtue by Reflection", by Scott Ciencin involved Myrmeen from Arabel. this character stared in "The Night Parade". In this story, Arabel is under attack by strange cat-people.

"King's Tears", by Mark Anthony shows the humble beginings of a Chultan Monk. He is a great brute from the south who looks for sanctuary and a life less violent in a monestary in the north. Of course, he must prove himself. Tyveris was introduced in the novel "The Shadow King".

'Family Bussiness", by James Lowder introduces Cimbar, the star of "The Ring of Winter" as a young boy learning the trade of a thief and saving a young King Azoun!

"Grandfather's Toys", by Jean Rabe is the other story that has no conections to other books...but I just started "Red Magic", and the monk might be the same in that story.

"The Curse of Tegea", by Troy Denning brings back characters from the Avatar series. I really liked this story about a twisted duke and his strange curse over the land.

"Dark Mirror" by R.A. Salvatore writes about the realms famous Drizzt. The story touches on one of Salvatore most favorite themes; that we are often mislead my stereotypes, that the "good" are not always good, and the "evil" are not always bad.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nifty anthology featuring numerous Forgotten Realms heroes written by the major TSR writers at the time in snap shot type stories spanning the world of Faerun.

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first Forgotten Realms short story collection and TSR's first publication from that line in 1993. These anthologies became a more or less annual event thereafter, each with a different theme. Here we find tales of heroes, most of them established in the few dozen novels (approximately ten trilogies and a handful of others) already published. Overall it is an adequate collection, best suited for exisitng fans of these titles, since most of the heroes were established elsewhere, I think the reader will get more enjoyment from the stories if they are already familiar with the main characters, but in most cases it is not strictly necessary. The afterword is welcome as it provides a glimpse into the work that all of TSR's staff put into making and keeping the Forgotten Realms as a vital, living place to adventure, and provides a concise history of the creation and publication of the Realms for those who are not already well-versed.

Tale by tale comments, in order as presented in the book:

The Lord of Lowhill by Douglas Niles: This story features the halfling Pawldo from the author's Moonshae trilogy, enjoying a side adventure in quest of treasure, with typical halfling avarice barely restrained. The sinister setting of Ketheryll's Palace of Skuls is referenced again in another story in this collection. It's a serviceable but inconsequential story.

Elminster at the Magefair by Ed Greenwood: He created the Forgotten Realms, but I strongly dislike his stories in this setting so far. As such, I approached this story with bias. True to form, Elminster comported himself with his usual undefeatable bluster and unnecessary mystery. Surprisingly, by the end of the story, he has a vulnerable moment. Untimately, I was left wondering, why on earth would a wizard wield a 10- or 12-foot staff? How do you even enter a room with such a thing?

One Last Drink by Christie Golden: I thought at first that this was an original creation, but the reluctant elven vampire Jander Sunstar had appeared in the Ravenloft series of novels already. Regardless, it was a good introduction to this character, who despite his lamentable lot in life is much less whiny than a certain dark elf. One of the more enjoyable stories in this collection.

The Bargain by Elaine Cunningham: Arilyn Moonblade and Danilo Thann were introduced to us in Elfshadow and will be seen again soon (in publication order) in Elfsong and presumably in later books of hers as well. Enjoyment of this story benefits from knowing the characters, I think.

Patronage by David Zeb Cook: This fine story shows us a little of the fate of Koja, the narrator of the excellent Horselords by David Cook, the first part of the Empires trilogy and one of the most literary of all of the Forgotten Realms books (not that that is a high bar, but that book really did strike out of nowhere). If your memory needs a jog, Koja was the pet cleric and scribe taken in by the Tuigan (steppe barbarian) emperor Yamun Khahan, who was ultimately slain at the end of the trilogy (only the first part of which was written by Cook) by King Azoun's forces. It is a comparably engrossing story, notably so given its lack of action, monsters or magic. This was a nice treat to read.

A Virtue by Reflection by Scott Ciencin: Less of a treat was this story by my other least-favorite author in the Forgotten Realms line to date. Myrmeen Lhal, ruler of Arabel, also starred in his terrible novel The Night Parade, so I was expecting the worst. I was mildly surprised then when most of the story was decent, although I don't know about these charismatic Cat Lords. Unfortunately, the ending spoiled any good will. It was convoluted and dependent on the most minor passing characters. Learn some plot structure, man!

King's Tear by Mark Anthony: Finally, an original story, and one of the most enjoyable. This author had a Forgotten Realms novel in the release pipeline for later that year.

The Family Business by James Lowder: Lowder had written two unrelated, Forgotten Realms books at this point, and he mashed together the two main characters from those (Artus Cimber from The Ring of Winter and King Azoun from Crusade (the third part of the Empires trilogy) in this original story by going back to their youths for a chance meeting on the road. The antagonists, magic-twisted dwarf/badgers, were an odd choice but allowed for creative problem-solving and were fitting in this RPG fantasy setting.

Grandfather's Toys by Jean Rabe: Featuring a character that NO ONE was clambering to see more of, Gavin the Surly Druid from Rabe's very so-so Red Magic. After reading this story, I am 95% certain that the author has a parent who is or was a hoarder.

The Curse of Tegea by Troy Denning: This follows up on the Avatar trilogy and fortunately is helmed by the author of the least objectionable part of that series (see Scott Ciencin, above, who penned the rest of it). It was weird, and depended on a specific type of relationship between the gods of the Realms and mortals, which is not consistent seen across the books in this publishing line.

Dark Mirror by R.A. Salvatore: Of course they saved their most popular author for last; it's more likely that his fans will be exposed to more authors before getting to this Drizzt story. If there's one thing that Drizzt needed at this point, it was another reason to be more tortured and brooding. I wonder if Guenhwyvar ever gets a solo story. That would be something I would like to read.

So, this was the first Forgotten Realms book published in 1993, the last book that I finished in 2018 (10:00 PM on December 31st, family was finally all settled down for the night, and I had 70 pages left to go), and my first review posted for 2019. I guess that puts me only 26 years behind schedule.
Have a great year, everybody!

[Nicole (bookwyrm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember all of the short stories, but I enjoyed the ones I remember.

[Alekzander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a proper “review” but I will list some thoughts I had on each of the stories as I read through each individual one.

The Lord of Lowhill by Douglas Niles

Intellectually I know he wrote this about his own character, from his own novels, but it honestly felt like a fan-fiction love letter to Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The similarities were very glaring. I’m not saying that in a bad way, mind you, I think it’s a nice story with good structure and good pacing, atmospheric, and exciting. It just felt as if the inspiration of it was a bit too on the nose.

Overall I definitely enjoyed it. The antagonist felt substantial and the plot twist was a bit unexpected, although sad.

Elminster at the Magefair by Ed Greenwood

I'm pleasantly surprised that I actually liked this story. I liked Elminster's and Storm’s dynamic and how they played off of each other. The story itself didn't feel cluttered and the pacing was steady and fluid.

I somewhat wish, however, that the characters were introduced properly, and not feel like I should already know who these are. But that is a minor gripe I have with these types of stories. Overall it was a nicely paced story.

One Last Drink by Christie Golden

I was looking forward to reading this one as I really enjoyed reading "Blood Sport"

The slow, meticulous revelation of the truth was really satisfying. Jander continues to be very compelling despite the atrocities he commits. Sometimes willingly and other times unwillingly. Truly a tragic figure.

I really liked Rhynn as a character as well, her trying to understand and empathize despite everything that's happened struck a chord with me. The slow progression into the events of "Blood Sport" were gut-wrenching

I can't wait to read more of Golden! This is probably one of my favorite stories from this anthology.

The Bargain by Elaine Cunningham

Elaine continues to be a prolific writer, I can’t stress this enough. Her characters and writing style are very easy to get into. I haven't read her Songs & Swords series but this short story is making me want to, just for Arilyn and Danilo's banter and dynamic. This story felt very self-contained and well paced, though I somewhat wish it was longer and didn't end on the note that it did.

Patronage by David Cook

From the author of "Gallow's Day" that I read previously. The first thing that comes to mind is how different it is, reading something from the first-person perspective. It isn’t something I’ve seen done very often, but it’s also interesting because of how directly it connects to the character at hand. However, something about this story just doesn’t sit right with me, I can’t put my finger on it though. For the most part, it was just boring and slow, granted this is about publishing a book, and I can’t imagine how anyone can make it *that* interesting. It is different from your typical heroic fantasy story, but I can’t say if it’s for the better. Sure, it’s following a simple story of a scribe, but I can’t say if it would be of interest to anyone outside of this anthology collection.

I am not saying this out of frustration or anger, but it honestly just makes me sad that I found it so dull and boring. I wanted to like it more.

The story picked up towards the end with a twist, but then again, after the twist, I kind of lost my suspension of disbelief. I don’t think a recounting of a history book warrants a literal god showing up. Magic book? Sure, a vile book that holds some arcane secret? Sure. This? This just doesn’t make sense to me.

Does this god show up with every struggling scribe trying to publish any sort of historical book for others? I don’t believe he does. The author tells us nothing of how important this book is if it is important at all (outside of simply preserving that knowledge and letting others read it)

The only reason the events happen in the first place is that it’s the literal plot, it doesn’t feel like a natural progression of a story, but a setup. I think if this was longer, and more details were provided stating the importance of this book, it would have made for a more pleasant read.

An attempt was made to make this interesting and I think that's commendable.

A Virtue by Reflection by Scott Ciencin

This was a pretty good story that went to places I didn't expect it to go. The sensitive topics were handled very well, I have no issue or deeper thoughts about it, aside from it being a solid story.

I do have somewhat of a fondness for reading about ranger characters. (My favorite class to play)

Looking forward to reading more of this author.

King's Tear by Mark Anthony

Oh man, having read: "The Walls of Midnight" and "The Fires of Narbondel" I am looking forward to reading this.

The first thing that jumped at me was the imagery and metaphors. Sometimes I found them to be perfectly placed and other times they came off contradictory. It did not lessen my enjoyment but I found them to be strange choices.

The Family Business by James Lowder

I definitely remember reading "Laughter in the Flames" which did not impress me, but I can't say I didn't enjoy parts of it.

Having finished the story I really liked it. There is something really nice about reading a story about canon forgotten realms characters having adventures as children.The pacing was good and Artus' clever manipulation was a really enjoyable twist.

Grandfather's Toys by Jean Rabe

I don't recall reading anything by this author so this will be a nice surprise hopefully.

I can't say this story was not entertaining but I also did not enjoy the Druid's personality much.
He was a bit too reluctant for my taste. The longer I read the more unlikable this character became. I'm not sure if that was the intent, but the constant "oh this skill is useless here" only for this very skill to be used and useful moments later was more than a bit frustrating.

Perhaps if he wasn't so quick to dismiss his own skill set and didn't have such a negative attitude it would have been a far more enjoyable read.

I loved the little weasel tho!

The Curse of Tegea by Troy Denning

I remember reading "Twilight" by him which I enjoyed. I hope I enjoy this story as well.

Well I didn't expect so much body horror but the descriptions were evocative and effective. It became a bit campy towards the end but overall had a good message and ended on a happy note. I am looking forward to reading more of this author's work.

Dark Mirror by R.A. Salvatore

I have read this previously as part of R.A.Salvatore Drizzt short story collection.

I definitely have mixed feelings about Drizzt Do'Goblin here or any type of story with "X is the only good Y" type narrative because of how (even in fiction/fantasy) it is statistically impossible

Overall however I enjoyed this one in terms of writing and technique. At the very least this incident stayed with the titular character as a reminder to not make base assumptions

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Lowder, ed., Realms of Valor (TSR, 1993)

Realms of Valor was the first short story collection to showcase the continuing adventures of various well-known personages in the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons world of the Forgotten Realms (a second, Realms of Infamy, appeared later). Each of the stories is written by someone who was instrumental in the creation of the original characters, e.g. Scott Ciencin, who wrote parts of the Avatar Trilogy under the name Richard Awlinson, gives us a tale about Adon, the priest from the adventuring party in those books, and Robert Salvatore brings back Drizzt Do'Urden, who's spent time on the New York Times bestseller list on quite a few occasions over the past decade.

The book's probably not a starting point for reading about the Realms, but for those who have a few series' worth under their belts, it's great to see one's old friends again. The stories, in general, live up to the novels that introduced the various characters within. They do so well enough, in fact, that some characters with which the reader might not yet be familiar may inspire the more industrious reader to go looking for the books that the characters came from. Very good stuff. *** ½

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of 11 short stories centered around the theme of "valor". Surprisingly, while I expected the majority of the stories to be borderline interesting, this one actually have more than half of them being very well-written. The high point is of course "Dark Mirror" by R. A. Salvatore, dealing with morality. Other really good ones include "The Curse of Tegea" by Troy Denning (dealing with two clerics of Mystra, one of them being Adon, in a cursed village), "One Last Drink" by Christie Golden (a wonderful tale about Jander Sunstar and vampirism), and "The Bargain" by Elaine Cunningham (tells of Arilyn Moonblade and Danilo Thann and their adventure in Tethyr). "Lord of Lowhill" by Douglas Niles, "Patronage" by David Cook, and "The Family Business" by James Lowder were good enough. The remaining 4 were borderline ok, with the worst 2 being "A Virtue By Reflection" by Scott Ciencin (poorly written and poorly explained murder mystery) and "Elminster at the Magefair" by Ed Greenwood (even though it featured Elmister and Storm Silverhand, it was kind of boring and lacked an actual story, much less "valor"). But overall, this collection is worth it for the good ones alone.

[Logan B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is my ratings for each individual story.
(Without spoilers)

Story 1, The Lord of Lowhill, by Douglas Niles 7/10

Story 2, Elminster at the Magefair, by Ed Greenwood, 7/10

Story 3, One Last Drink, by Christie Golden, 7/10

Story 4, The Bargain, by Elaine Cunningham, 7/10

Story 5, Patronage, by David Cool, 5/10 (definitely the worst story this book, you could skip this one)

Story 6, A Virtue by Reflection, by Scott Ciencin, 6/10

Story 7, King’s Tear, by Mark Anthony, 7/10

Story 8, The Family Business, by James Lowder, 6/10

Story 9, Grandfather’s Toys, by Jean Rabe, 6/10

Story 10, The Curse of Tegea, by Troy Denning, 6/10

Story 11, Dark Mirror, by R. A. Salvatore, 8/10 (Best story in this book)

Overall, I’d give this book a 7/10.
If you have not read this book and you are considering it, I would recommend this book to anyone who is into short fantasy stories, or Dungeons and dragons.

📚📖📕

[Greg Strandberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've got an idea. Let's get a lot of good authors that are busy with other stuff and make them write a story they don't really want to write, then put it in a book, slap a mishmash cover on it, and hope to hell we can trick people into buying it.

That's what Realms of Valor is.

[Cesare Bartolini · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a heterogeneous collection of stories by various Forgotten Realms authors. The stories differ widely in the setting (they are set in many places of the Realms, and some in places that are located only generically, or not located at all), in the time (most are set around 1350-1360 DR, in general sometime after, or in a few cases before, the books written by the corresponding author, but some are set several decades earlier, and in one case a few centuries earlier), and in tone (some are adventurous, some are somewhat humorous, some are introspective, and one is a wannabe horror story).

But mostly, they differ in quality.

All in all, I rather enjoyed most of the stories, with a few notable exceptions. The one by Scott Ciencin is pure rubbish. This is not surprising, because Scott Ciencin is a pathetic excuse for a writer, as one can easily discover in The Night Parade. Actually, the story doesn't start all that badly, but it soon precipitates to a hasty conclusion.

Also the story by Jean Rabe is quite bad. It doesn't make any sense at all. For example, the druid first says that his spells cannot help him find the girl, and way later uses a druidic spell to speak with the stones. Even the fact that Galvin suddenly understands where Isabelle is just by reading a sign on a box is pure idiocy. Fortunately, Jean Rabe, apart from Red Magic, hasn't been given the opportunity to stain the Realms with her touch, so not too much damage done there.

I also didn't partcularly like the story by Robert Anthony Salvatore, which is supposedly the highlight of the book. But personally I have come to like Salvatore less and less the more I read him.

The other stories are from decent to definitely good, with a special mention for the one by Troy Denning who confirms himself as the best Forgotten Realms author I've found so far, and the one by David Cook (ok, I am a bit partial to the character Koja of Khazari).

The real added value in this book is the afterword by Jeff Grubb, which highlights some background on the origins of the Forgotten Realms, with some nifty details I didn't know.

[Bernardo Blue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book hoping for a collection of engaging short stories that would transport me to the world of Faerun, but unfortunately, that's not really what I got.

The biggest issue with this anthology, in my opinion, is that most of the stories feel one-directional and unengaging. I found myself struggling to connect with the characters or care about what was happening to them. It was all just kind of...meh.

Now, I will say that the Drizzt story is definitely the highlight of the collection. But even that fell short of my expectations. Don't get me wrong, I love Drizzt as much as the next Forgotten Realms fan (or do I?), but this story just didn't do it for me. It left something to be desired.

There were a few other stories that had interesting concepts, but the execution was lackluster. I found myself wishing that the authors had taken more risks or done something to really grab my attention. As it stands, "Realms of Valor" is a forgettable read that won't leave much of an impression.

[Nynke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this as i wanted to see what other forgotten releams writers get up to.  So far i had only read Salvatore.

Some great writing in here. Also some that enabled me to mark certain writers as 'don't bother with this one'. So for it perfectly serving the purpose i got it for, i give 5 stars. However i cannot deny that, besides some fun and engaging stories it also contains some rather dull ones and one that is really quite horrid. Therefore i cannot posibly go on record giving this full marks.

[Nynke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this as i wanted to see what other forgotten releams writers get up to.  So far i had only read Salvatore.

Some great writing in here. Also some that enabled me to mark certain writers as 'don't bother with this one'. So for it perfectly serving the purpose i got it for, i give 5 stars. However i cannot deny that, besides some fun and engaging stories it also contains some rather dull ones and one that is really quite horrid. Therefore i cannot posibly go on record giving this full marks.

[Stuart Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the short story phase of my readings, which will likely stay that way for several weeks until all of these are read. Good stories from terrific authors in this volume. Makes for easy light reading. Gonna skip to a sole author set of short stories (I have to) and then back to all the Realms novels

[Heath Doerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool set of stories. My biggest take away is that you get a wide variety of fantasy stories, with some main characters you don't always see like Clerics and Druids. Also, I'd always heard about but never read anything with Drizzt Do'Urden, and now I see why he's such a popular character. Highly recommended.

[Maranda Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing collection of fantasy stories that really give you a larger look at the world they are all set in. Only one story fell short for me, but the rest were amazing and have given me new authors to look into.

[Krzysiek Sobieraj · Rating 3 out of 5]

No wychodzi mniej więcej to, czego można było się spodziewać. Lekkie, poprcornowe fantasy. Niektóre opowiadania są lepsze, inne gorsze. Niektóre bardziej schematyczne, inne mniej. Tolkien to to nie jest. Prosta, niewymagająca rozrywka- ale właśnie o to mi chodziło, kiedy brałem do ręki tą książkę.

[Corvid · Rating 5 out of 5]

My five star rating may be slightly biased by the fact that this is one of the books that fundamentally changed my brain chemistry at like, 12 years old. Only slightly, though. Really good anthology.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and got a few ideas for some games.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I've discussed anthologies enough recently to have my opinion on record, and this is typical of them....some good, some bad, and some very dull.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short stories by Grade A authors. I enjoyed it very much. =)

[Ignacio Cordoba · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection, it does a great job describing the nature of the Forgotten Realms setting/universe. It is a great source of inspiration for aspiring and current DM's.

[Francesco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Commento troppo lungo, lo trovate qui: https://leggendoeguardando.blogspot.c...

[Joe Pickard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection very much; as with any anthology, it is a mixed bag, but very enjoyable.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Short Stories to explore the world of DND or just to read some great authors, like R.A. Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, Christie Golden, and James Lowder. These four excellent stories are mingled within this book of excellent sword and sorcery, if you like to play DND or just like to read awesome adventures in an active ever-changing world, this is the anthology for you.

[Austin Whipple · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good stories are good, and the bad stories are bad.

[Iain · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather lackluster bunch of tales. Not as good as later editions in this series of anthologies.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early short stories of the Forgotten Realms, featuring Elminster, Jander Sunstar, Arilyn Moonblade, Drizzt, Artus Cimber, Adon, and more. A fun time!

[South Away]

2nd copy - acceptable and no stickers