Elminster Enraged

The final volume of The Sage of Shadowdale trilogy, Elminster Enraged, continues with the same theme and style as the previous ones. Again there are dozens of characters and sideplots, and the story jumps all over the place. I found the book alright, but I'm still almost hoping that in his next novel, Ed Greenwood would try something different.

This time Elminster takes over the body of an unfortunate drow priestess who just had her mind eaten by some giant worm from another plane of existence. I found it amusing how he refers to himself as she while in the drow's body -- which the mage manages to keep intact surprisingly long, I must add.

The book's name comes from how Elminster is getting angry and frustrated at how he can't save the good people who keep dying all around him thanks to Manshoon and some other unknown threat. Elminster's rage peaks at the end when the now sane Alassra aka The Simbul -- who has been gathering the blueflame items and closing rifts around the Realms to restore the Weave -- gives Elminster back his own body and fills him with the magic she's been gathering.

This also apparently ends her existence but at least the old mage is back in business now. Elminster then simply teleports to all the bad guys and mercilessly blasts them dead. Even Manshoon, although the mage points out that he can't slay the vampire permanently, that it would take a god or two to do that. I think the same applies to Elminster as well.

Finally, Elminster uses the blueflame stored in him to bring Mystra back. And everything is back to normal in the Realms, I guess. I'm quite happy with that. The fourth edition hasn't been good for the setting.

Of the novel's sideplots, I found Mirt's escapades rather funny. He's just a fat moneylender but has so much experience with dealing with stuff that he has no trouble dispatching the various thugs coming after the tax collector lady he decides to save. I wonder if we will see him in future.

The adventures of Elminster & co. will continue this summer in The Herald, which is a part of The Sundering "series". I guess I'll read that eventually. I think I'll have to check out the rest of the set as well. Good authors in there.