Ed Greenwood
Ed Greenwood was born in 1959 and grew up in North York, Ontario. He holds a
Ryerson Polytechnic University Bachelor of Applied Arts degree
(Honours: Journalism), and lives on a farm near Cobourg, Ontario.
He is the creator of The Forgotten Realms world of gaming and fiction from TSR. From
their first appearance in a Dragon Magazine article entitled "The Curst," way back in issue #30,
Forgotten Realms have grown into TSR's best-selling product line, with copy sales in the
tens of millions.
About the series, Ed Greenwood says:
"Some people explore caves (I was one of them, when thinner), some folks
invent things (me, perhaps, when/if I ever get it back together again), and
some people create worlds. I'm one of those, and mine are always vaguely
medieval (swords, armour, castles) fantasy (magic works) worlds. For some
years now, TSR, Inc. (now Wizards of the Coast) has been publishing novels
and game products about one of my first worlds, the Forgotten Realms, and
it's grown in the telling, into what's now the most detailed world going.
It's been an honour, down those years, to be part of a creative team, and to
detail this and that in answer to a gamer's or fantasy reader's desires to
know more... but I've also wanted to craft other worlds, and tell more
intimate tales, on my own. The Kingless Land gives readers a first look at
the world of Darsar, and one riven land in particular: Aglirta. Take a
liberal handful of dastardly barons, too many grasping wizards, a few
reluctant heroes who haven't time to stop and smell a tenth of the flowers
that catch their eyes as they hurtle through the realm trying to save it and
their own skins, and you have The Kingless Land. I wanted to slow down the
action, tell thrice the parallel tales (of Flaeros, for example, and the
doings of all of the barons, and more of the bickering and treacheries among
the Dark Three), but that would have meant a book at least four times as
long and, well, more boring... and in the interests of selling tomes and
therefore getting more chances to tell tales of Darsar, this one is
'wahoo!-action-time.' So sit back somewhere comfy and quiet, get your
favourite comfort food and beverage, and settle into an (I hope)
old-fashioned 'charge ahead to save the realm!' tale.
"Gamers might like to
know that the magical powers of the Dwaer are all worked out, the
priesthoods of the Three stand fully detailed, and the lineages of the
ruling baronial families back three centuries are fairly complete... but the
book is light, fast, fun action. Oh, the pathos and philosophy and depth is
under there, and if you want more of it and ask for it, you may see more of
it in later books -- and there WILL be later books; the second one will
probably be called The Recrowned King, though things can always
change -- but for now, it's fun time. I really had fun writing The Kingless Land, and I hope you do, too, reading it. Enjoy!"
ISFDB Bibliography
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A review by Lisa DuMond
RPG fans are either jumping about hysterically right now or they're weeping hysterically. (Hysteria being a common state
to the diehard gamer.) Should you be glad to see the creator of Forgotten Realms branching off into a novel
series? Maybe you want to keep Greenwood strictly in the gaming arena, not wasting his time on something besides creating
new role-playing worlds? Judging by The Kingless Land, you are going to have to get used to sharing him.
The Band of Four series is going to keep Greenwood in demand in the novel category for some time. It's out of
our hands, now.
Aglirta, a land studded with feuding baronies, lethal mages, travelling bards, and -- as you may have guessed from the
title -- no king to unite the country. There is a king, but he has been sleeping for some one thousand years now; only
those wielding a mighty magic and legendary relics can awaken him.
Magic is in no short supply in this world. Lady Embra Silvertree, daughter of the most powerful and most ruthless baron of
all, is a sorceress in her own right. Until she is liberated by a pair of reluctant rescuers, she is destined to become the
lifeforce of his castle. Add one reclusive healer to the mix and you have a motley crew heading out to save Aglirta.
The odds are not really in their favour. At times, the battlefield becomes so crowded with warriors, mages, and
voyagers that you can't tell the players without a scorecard. The combination makes for some frenzied, intense combat scenes,
and some battles from which it appears no one will emerge unharmed.
Greenwood has set up an impressive backdrop for his new series, packed with adventure, danger, mystery, magic, and
romance. Characters destroyed have a nasty habit of reappearing to continue the fight. Few can be believed and even fewer
can be relied on. Even within the Band of Four, trust is a hard-won treasure.
The Kingless Land is story in constant motion, there is precious little time for the characters or the
reader to catch their breath. Relaxation is a thing of the past.
In fact, there is a minor test of the reader before jumping wholeheartedly into the story. Greenwood's sentence structure
can take a bit of getting used to. Some passages will require a second, more careful, read to get the precise meaning. It's
perfectly acceptable, just something that will take slightly more concentration than usual.
The extra work is worth it, though. Greenwood's cast are people we come to care about, or loath. The quest to awaken the
Sleeping King before total anarchy overtakes Aglirta is one readers will become immersed in, even as the combatants become
immersed in blood, time after time.
True, the epilogue comes as a jolting leap over a much anticipated climax, leaving the reader feeling let-down and somewhat
cheated of the magnificent reunion. On the other hand, we have seen enough magic at that point to have conjured up the "missing"
scene in our minds -- Greenwood is just smart enough to leave it to our imaginations.
A new series, a new land, and a band of adventurers we can root for -- it's got everything a fantasy fan could ask for and
more. Much more.
Copyright © 2000 Lisa DuMond
In between reviews and interviews, Lisa DuMond writes science fiction and humour. DARKERS, her latest novel,
will be published in early 2000 by Hard Shell Word Factory. She has also written for BOOKPAGE and
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. Her articles and short stories are all over the map. You can check out Lisa and her
work at her website hikeeba!.
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