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Forgotten Realms: Pools #4
Pool of Radiance by Carrie A Bebris
A malevolent pool.A diabolical cult.A horrific plan.A dracolich and his sorcerous queen have seized control of the Mythal, the ancient magic that once protected the war-ravaged elven capital. Once the elven ruin is completely in their thrall, the cult intends to expand its domination one city -- and one soul -- at a time.The fate of all Faerûn lies with four reluctant heroes.
Paperback
First published November 1, 2000
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402 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Bebris
18 books237 followersCarrie began her career in publishing after previous roles as a newspaper reporter and college English teacher.
As an editor for fantasy publisher TSR, Inc., she developed supplements for the Dungeons & Dragons® roleplaying game before striking out on her own as a freelance writer and editor. She wrote two fantasy novels, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (2001) and Shadowborn (1998, with William W. Connors), before making her mystery debut in 2004 with Pride and Prescience.
In addition to fiction, Carrie pens remodeling articles for Better Homes and Gardens® Special Interest Publications and writes other nonfiction. She has also edited such books as Tea with Jane Austen (by Kim Wilson) and Walking with
William Shakespeare (by Anne-Marie Edwards). She is on the faculty of the
Antioch Writers' Workshop and speaks frequently about writing and publishing.
Carrie holds a master’s degree in English literature with an emphasis on 19th-century authors and studied Austen on the graduate level with one of today’s most respected Austen scholars. She is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and travels to England to enhance her understanding of Austen’s life and work.
Originally from Wisconsin, Carrie now lives in Ohio. When not writing, she likes to travel, watch costume dramas that send her husband fleeing the house, and indulge in her love of all things British. She is currently working on her next novel, based on Persuasion.
As an editor for fantasy publisher TSR, Inc., she developed supplements for the Dungeons & Dragons® roleplaying game before striking out on her own as a freelance writer and editor. She wrote two fantasy novels, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (2001) and Shadowborn (1998, with William W. Connors), before making her mystery debut in 2004 with Pride and Prescience.
In addition to fiction, Carrie pens remodeling articles for Better Homes and Gardens® Special Interest Publications and writes other nonfiction. She has also edited such books as Tea with Jane Austen (by Kim Wilson) and Walking with
William Shakespeare (by Anne-Marie Edwards). She is on the faculty of the
Antioch Writers' Workshop and speaks frequently about writing and publishing.
Carrie holds a master’s degree in English literature with an emphasis on 19th-century authors and studied Austen on the graduate level with one of today’s most respected Austen scholars. She is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and travels to England to enhance her understanding of Austen’s life and work.
Originally from Wisconsin, Carrie now lives in Ohio. When not writing, she likes to travel, watch costume dramas that send her husband fleeing the house, and indulge in her love of all things British. She is currently working on her next novel, based on Persuasion.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 26, 2018
4,5*
Obozavam svet Myth Drannora! 💖💖💖
Obozavam svet Myth Drannora! 💖💖💖
May 15, 2013
WOW! I love this book. Hoping for more books on these characters....Elminsters volunteer adventurers. The best in 'sword & sorcerey' that I have read, not a boring page in the book.....love it.
February 12, 2024
I chose this book, because I thought the fact I'm playing Baldur's Gate III right now will make me accept the various absurds of a DnD novel more. On some level this approach worked. The book wasn't terrible. A character or two even had a personality and it did provide a nice example of a rogue and paladin setting aside their differences for the common good.
The combat was a mixed bag. On one hand it did good job of staying faithful to the rules and mechanics of the game, including various class abilities, without calling them by their names and instead describing them in a way that would be understandable even to someone not familiar with the setting. On the other hand you could see the round-by-round combat and rolls being done in the background, aliong with the typical absurdity of being stabbed in the heart multiple times and these being just "flesh wounds".
The biggest problem, however, was the plot. While I do believe that it is possible to make a good plot set in Forgotten Realms or another DnD universe, describing a dungeon crawl is not the best approach. And adding pointless backtracking, fetch sidequests, looking for keyes, characters that appear just to be killed off, completely underdeveloped villains (seriously, how do you waste a dracolich?!), pointless lies... yeah, the story just isn't that great, even if one doesn't look at the usual RPG shennanigans.
Pity.
The combat was a mixed bag. On one hand it did good job of staying faithful to the rules and mechanics of the game, including various class abilities, without calling them by their names and instead describing them in a way that would be understandable even to someone not familiar with the setting. On the other hand you could see the round-by-round combat and rolls being done in the background, aliong with the typical absurdity of being stabbed in the heart multiple times and these being just "flesh wounds".
The biggest problem, however, was the plot. While I do believe that it is possible to make a good plot set in Forgotten Realms or another DnD universe, describing a dungeon crawl is not the best approach. And adding pointless backtracking, fetch sidequests, looking for keyes, characters that appear just to be killed off, completely underdeveloped villains (seriously, how do you waste a dracolich?!), pointless lies... yeah, the story just isn't that great, even if one doesn't look at the usual RPG shennanigans.
Pity.
February 18, 2015
It was okay. It gets points for being a fast read and skipping a lot of detritus, in a book like this she was spot on in how she moved the story along. Also, for those gamers, it showed a path for rogue and a paladin to both be themselves (dishonest cut purse and ultra honorable do-gooder) and to manage being in a team without coming to blows. It did a good job in showing there could have been a group melt-down (which happens in many games....) but how the mission itself took priority. Myself, sitting in the DM seat, wonder why that's not the case more often.
Anyways, gamer politics aside, the novel was so-so. Maybe I'd like it more if I didn't know the story already? I've never been a huge fan of Forgotten realms. The author did a fine job with the materials and the writing was okay. None of the parts really jumped out at me, there was some blatant typos (not misspellings) but, that happens in a first edition copy.
Anyways -- needed to take a mindless break from reading the entirety of Classical Japanese literature...
Anyways, gamer politics aside, the novel was so-so. Maybe I'd like it more if I didn't know the story already? I've never been a huge fan of Forgotten realms. The author did a fine job with the materials and the writing was okay. None of the parts really jumped out at me, there was some blatant typos (not misspellings) but, that happens in a first edition copy.
Anyways -- needed to take a mindless break from reading the entirety of Classical Japanese literature...
June 20, 2015
One thing I like these AD&D based fantasy books, because they are simple, and they remind me of the times when I actively played AD&D.
As books and stories go, this is not the shining gem of literature, but if you like this kind of fantasy, it will give you an easy, relaxing 1 or 2 hours.
The 4 stars reflect this - the book delivers what it promises. Swords, mad magicians, wizardry and battle.
As books and stories go, this is not the shining gem of literature, but if you like this kind of fantasy, it will give you an easy, relaxing 1 or 2 hours.
The 4 stars reflect this - the book delivers what it promises. Swords, mad magicians, wizardry and battle.
Read
November 14, 2025This novel, like the others in the "Pools" series, is based on a Forgotten Realms video game. While I haven't played the game and can't attest to how closely this novel matches the game, I can say that I found it an enjoyable read. It clearly reads as a dungeon crawler RPG was translated to novel, with quest giving NPCs, a shifting party roster, and items required to progress. Still, it reads like a non-stop action adventure fantasy novel, and that's fine with me.
note: This novel should not be confused with the FR novel "Pool of Radiance," which is a completely different book. I don't know why they chose to name one of the books in the "Pools" series after another with a random subtitle.
note: This novel should not be confused with the FR novel "Pool of Radiance," which is a completely different book. I don't know why they chose to name one of the books in the "Pools" series after another with a random subtitle.
September 23, 2022
I enjoyed this one, but it did feel a bit like the plot was forced. This would make sense if it was fallowing a video game storyline. Even so, the story was fine with some good twists and turns. The relationship of the thief and the paladin was very fun, and anyone that has played D&D with a lawful good paladin will enjoy it.
February 4, 2019
It followed the game play too closely, and the characters all remained flat.
January 13, 2020
Straightforward and nice, a quick relaxing read, but also rather forgettable.
May 30, 2020
I liked the simple adventure. It is fun quick read but it is really obvious that this book was inspired by video game
December 1, 2013
A very lackluster effort. There were cliches galore and some really glaring flaws given the fact that the author worked for TSR/WoTC. Her depiction of drow bordered on cartoonish and frankly canonically inaccurate. Of course I did not expect much given that this was a tie-in novel to a much-maligned pc game.
October 21, 2014
This is my brother's favorite book, so I read it when he offered it to me. Not my normal jam, but a fun little romp. It definitely surprised me and I didn't know where it was going, so that's a mega-plus.
July 1, 2018
I read this a while ago - just updating my library. This book is pretty much like the rest of the Forgotten Realms books - popcorn, lightweight and great fun. And it's a better book than the video game it's based on, which is the obverse situation of the first two novels in this instalment.
November 9, 2007
I bought the Pool of Radiance computer game at a flea market, and it included this book. The game was full of bugs and lame, but the book was great. I like any book written from the POV of a thief.
sold
February 23, 2012Sold to Lewis White on eBay on 7-Jun-11:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI....
Read
May 13, 2011very good book the forgotten realms franchise is a very popular book thing
April 12, 2013
Amazingly well written, a wonderful novelization of a classic D&D dungeon crawl. Highly recommend.
February 26, 2015
I cannot find words to express my utter disgust and hatred for this book. It is a blemish on the face of fantasy.
January 29, 2017
Reminded me a lot of campaigning back in the day.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews