The Elminster Series

The Elminster Series is a series of fantasy novels by author Ed Greenwood. The novels are set in the Forgotten Realms setting created by Greenwood for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The series focuses on the titular character Elminster who was a key figure in several of Greenwood's other novels set in the Forgotten Realms setting. Elminster was known as a powerful wizard or mage in previous books. This series seeks to present the backstory of Elminster's life as well as provide a history of other events in this particular fantasy setting.

Works included

• Elminster: The Making of a Mage (1994); ISBN 0786902035
• Elminster In Myth Drannor (1997); ISBN 0786911905
• The Temptation of Elminster (1998); ISBN 0786914270
• Elminster In Hell (2001); ISBN 0786927461
• Elminster's Daughter (2004); ISBN 0786937688
• The Annotated Elminster (2007) - An anthology of the first three books in the series.
• Elminster Must Die (2010) - The debut 4th Edition appearance of one of the Forgotten Realms world’s most iconic characters. ISBN 0786957999
• Bury Elminster Deep (2011) ISBN 0786960248
• Elminster Enraged (2012) ISBN 0786963638

Plot summary

Elminster: The Making of a Mage

Main article: Elminster – The Making of a Mage

As a young boy, Elminster has his first encounter with magic. After a tragic childhood, he takes up thievery. Eventually Elminster sneaks into a temple of Mystra, leading to a face-to-face confrontation with the goddess. Mystra instructs Elminster in the ways of magic and he becomes a powerful mage. Mystra offers him the choice to become one of Mystra's chosen, and he accepts her request.

Elminster Must Die

When the goddess of magic was murdered, Elminster’s world shattered. Once the most powerful wizard in the world, immortal, beloved of the goddess of magic, and the bane of villainy, he is now a tired old man. He is powerful but mortal, and with all the enemies a man who makes a habit of saving the world tends to accumulate.

To make matters worse, Elminster has needs—feeding powerful magic items to the Simbul, his lover, is the only thing that keeps her sane—but their increasingly risky collection leads his enemies right to him.

Reception

Bury Elminster Deep received a positive review from California Bookwatch, which called it "a top pick for any fantasy collection".