ELMINSTER IN HELL

By: James T. Voelpel
Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2001

Of all the billions of fantasy novels that permeate our society, the FORGOTTEN REALMS novels have the greatest edge in population. Although I have lost track, it is well over 150 books since they were first published in the 1980s. The creator of the FORGOTTEN REALMS is Ed Greenwood, a librarian from the Toronto area, who in the 1970s created the world in which to set his fiction he later set a DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS campaign in the same reality. Greenwood is now the author of over fifty books and supplements, most set in his very Tolkienesque world, such as his KINGLESS LAND series from Tor. Never the strongest fantasy writer, his novels are known for their juvenile plots and one-dimensional characters. He is not even the most well known author from his own fantasy world - that honor belongs to R.A. Salvatore.

In my mind, Greenwood's 1988 novel SPELLFIRE (to be re released in January 2002) is probably the worst thing I have ever read, certainly the worst fantasy novel I've encountered. In his newest book, Ed Greenwood moves back to his most famous character and alter ego, the Gandalf-like Elminster the Sage. Star of three previous novels, the Sage of Shadowdale now descends into the depths of hell in the appropriately named ELMINSTER IN HELL.

The novel follows Elminster while he attempts to seal a rift linking Avernus, the first layer of Hell, and Toril, which is the name of the FORGOTTEN REALMS. After successfully sealing it, the great sage is trapped in the dark dimension and is captured by the great fiend Nergal. This powerful devil wishes to use Elminster's great magics for himself and begins to slowly siphon his memories away. Nergal hopes that within Elminster's mind will be the keys to his magic. The Sage begins reliving memories from the many centuries he has lived while battling the forces of darkness. As the memories pass they are lost to him and become the propery of the mad devil. Elminster attempts to keep his sanity as he seems lost to the Realms that need him.


This novel was quite surprising, as Greenwood has actually made Elminster into an almost three-dimensional character. As the story moves along, you feel for him and the memories he is losing. When Nergal first captures and severely tortures him, you can't help but be disturbed. While Elminster's character is excellently fleshed out, the plot suffers from its "best of" aspects. Elminster relives many memories, all of which are taken from previous Ed Greenwood FORGOTTEN REALMS novels. This has the tendency to lose first-time readers. The story would have better served to limit these trips down memory lane and focus on a more original plotline, perhaps with more of the make-up of Hell's dimension. All in all though, this is by far Greenwood's best novel. It shows that even an old dog can learn new tricks - like character development for instance. Maybe when the re-release of SPELLFIRE comes around in early 2002, it will be a rewrite instead.

ELMINSTER IN HELL

Grade: B-

Author(s): Ed Greenwood

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Price: $24.95