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Seriously Z...I don't know about you, after reading that printed toilet paper that was Elminster in Hell, I've just about given up on Ed Greenwood. know I've written essays on him here in the past but it comes down to 2 things in the end: 1) he has the WORST prose and writing style ever; and 2) he can't create a plot for shit.
Elminster in Hell - is this guy for REAL?? [img]graemlins/wow.gif[/img] So much promising material undelivered - it's like getting mad at yourself because you bought a Yugo which you know was a piece of crap but you bought it anyway and true enough it was a piece of crap!
With Elminster In Hell, Ed creates basically what is a series of UNCONNECTED short stories (don't worry, there aren't any spoilers since there isn't any plot to spoil) randomly interspersed with some lame BS about Elminster being dragged into Hell and captured by a devil who tortures the living bejesus out of him and ends up revealing his sexual secrets with all these random events that took place in Ed's - oops, I meant El's - life.
SURELY Ed Greenwood was taking the piss out of everyone when he was writing this (taking the piss is an Australian euphemism - the closest translation could be "poking people with a stick to piss them off"). He should put somewhere on the back cover a statement saying that the book is a collection of short vignettes about Elminster's sex life which has SFA to do with being in Hell. In one fell swoop he DESTROYED my image of the Lords of the Nine and the archdevils - not to mention the Simbul. [img]graemlins/madhell.gif[/img] After reading that rubbish I had to immediately reread Lynn Abbey's "The Simbul's Gift" to reorient my brain to perceiving the Simbul the way I want to perceive her - the way Abbey perceived her.
It took me over a year to finish this book - I was seriously concerned that it might give me a lobotomy - and the only reason I finished it (it was the biggest piece of garbage I have EVER read from him and I have tried to block it from my mind) was because I was on an airline flight and didn't have anything to read!!!
Having said that, Gary Gygax's Ubermunchkin Bible novel "Dance of Demons" was probably worse than this. [img]graemlins/wow.gif[/img]
Damn, I have to go take a Valium now... [img]graemlins/rant.gif[/img]
Sorry Z...I guess I'm not the best person to ask about Shadow of the Avatar.
I think Larry's suffered through it, he may be able to help... [img]redface.gif[/img]
[ 01-20-2003, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]