Swords of Eveningstar

Forgotten Realms: Knights of Myth Drannor #1

by Ed Greenwood

After they saved his life, the king grants Florin and his friends what they've always dreamed of: an adventure! But the "adventure" proves a little more difficult then the newly named Swords of Eveningstar had thought it would be. Scions of evil from across the Realms manipulate the Swords like pawn, and it's all the Swords can do just to stay alive!

Genres: Forgotten Realms, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, High Fantasy, Ebooks

533 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Ed Greenwood is the creator of the Forgotten Realms fantasy world, which became the setting for his home D&D game in 1975. Play still continues in this long-running campaign, and Ed also keeps busy producing Realmslore for various TSR publications.

Ed has published over two hundred articles in Dragon magazine and Polyhedron newszine, is a lifetime charter member of the Role Playing Game Associaton (RPGA) network, has written over thirty books and modules for TSR, and been Gen Con Game Fair guest of honor several times.

In addition to all these activities, Ed works as a library clerk and has edited over a dozen small press magazines.

Invented the character Elminster from the popular Forgotten Realms RPG series. Currently resides in an old farmhouse in the countryside of Ontario, Canada.

Reviews

[Jesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

So….
I don’t know exactly how to put this…
Because I just keep reading Greenwood….
But I do not enjoy it.
This is another in a long line of Forgotten Realms books that I have made the commitment to read. I’ve tried to read them in chronological order within the realms, so not necessarily by publishing date (and I am sore to find out that they are publishing new novels that took place in the past, so I read them ahead of other, perhaps more exciting, novels). I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it here again, Greenwood is not a good writer. He is incredibly creative, he has a fun use of language (often juxtaposed with the events that the language is describing), and built an amazing world that I love to visit.
But I just don’t like his writing style. It is difficult to follow; masses of bizarrely named characters, multiple plot lines start and finish randomly, loose ends quickly snipped with the suddenness of a pulp magazine. It’s just not great to read.
….and yet, you will see at least two more reviews of this author’s work by me…because I have to…I have to get through them.
Alas….

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Swords of Eveningstar is quite a fractured book. On the one hand, we have the story of the Swords, which itself is divided into three major parts. In one part we have their 0-level exploits in their home town, which do a good job of establishing their characters. Simultaneously, we have the story of the ranger Florin and how he tricks a young noble into becoming a better person. (That's probably the best part of the book, even if the sexual politics are troublesome at times.) And then we they all unite we have a big 'ole dungeon crawl, which is quite deftly detailed thanks to a very episodic storytelling method.

But, Swords of Eveningstar is also the story of ... a bunch of other stuff. There are wizards and more wizards and mind worms and liches and ghosts and ... to be honest, I got totally lost in it. These tiny little asides covered so much ground that the characters blurred together, and worse, they derail the main narrative. And worser, some of those powerful NPCs shape much of the finale.

So, I liked the story of Swords (soon to be the Knights of Myth Drannor) when we got to see it, but there was just too much else here.

[Brenda Cothern · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note this review is for all three books (Swords of Eveningstar, Swords of Dragonfire, The Sword Never Sleeps)in the series.


Ed Greenwood is not only the creator of the Forgotten Realms, in 1975, but a legendary giant in the word of fantasy. Mostly known for his Elminster books in the Realms, Greenwood has written hundreds of books, articles, and fantasy games. Greenwood’s books are full of detail, sometimes to the point of being confusing for readers, and can not be read lightly or considered “light reading.” Greenwood frequently includes cameos of his famous Realm characters in every book, from Elminster and Blackstaff to the Seven Sisters but this does not distract from the primary tale.

Greenwood’s series, The Knights of Myth Drannor, introduces readers to Florin Falconhand, a ranger, Jhessail Silvertree, a mageling, Islif Lurelake, a warrior, Doust Sulwood, acolyte of Tymora, and Semoor Wolftooth, acolyte of Lathander are a young, inexperienced, group of kids from Espar who dream of a life of adventure. Adventure is what they get when Florin saved King Azoun’s life and grants them a royal charter to become a legal adventuring band in Cormyr, called The Swords of Eveningstar. King Azoun sends the Swords to the Haunted Halls, in book one, to prove them selves and gain experience. Before setting out on their adventure, the Knights add for more to their group: Agnnor Wildsilver and Bey Freemantle, fighters, Alura ‘Pennae’ Durshavin, a rogue, and Martress Ilmra, a sorceress. Additionally, Lady Narantha Crowsilver, who is smitten with Florin after he rescued her, takes along as an unchartered member of the group. As the adventurers begin the task set by King Azoun, unbeknownst to them, several mages and wizards are watching and intent on using the Swords to their own advantage. Horaundoon, a Zhentarim Red Wizard in hiding, Old Ghost, a Zhentarim spirit, Taltar “Dauntless”Dahauntul, Ornrion of Arabel, and Vangerdahast, the Mage Royal to King Azoun, all are playing close attention to the Swords. By the end of book one, the Swords of Eveningstar are anointed by Queen Fifaeril as the Knights of Myth Drannor and sent on their next quest.

Book one, The Swords of Eveningstar, introduces many characters and their individual plots which can be confusing to inattentive readers. The characters themselves are well fleshed out and the plots very detailed. There is a lot for readers to absorb in book one, and it should not be read lightly. The story picks up in book two, The Swords of Dragonfire, where several plots that began in book one, come to fruition and the inexperience and too trusting ways of the Knights continue to throw them into disastrous situations. In book three, The Sword Never Sleeps, the Knights again find themselves the target of suspicion from Vangerdahast and just can’t seem to get themselves to Shadowdale without finding more trouble.

Eventually, the Knights do arrive in Shadowdale as the trilogy comes to an end. However, the story abruptly ends with their arrival and fans of the realms will be well aware that there is more to the tale of the Knights as they appear is other Greenwood books, later in the FR time. The story of how Florin, Jhessail and additional new Knights become the guardians to keep wayward adventurers out of the ruined and haunted city of Myth Drannor or the details of Doust becoming the Lord of Shadowdale are not addressed in this series, even though fans are given this information in Greenwood’s book Spellfire. The Knights become classic Greenwood characters who will frequently make cameos in other Greenwood tales around the Realms. The Knights of Myth Drannor trilogy provides the history behind this loyal band of heroes who are dedicated to protecting the Realms.

Fans of the Forgotten Realms must read Greenwood’s books because not to do so, they will miss out on much of the lore that makes the Realms the incredible fantasy word that is has become.

[Ariane Morin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Man- I’ve read my share of Forgotten Realms books- I don’t do so expecting high literature or any life-changing content. It’s simple, wholesome and passes the time in a universe I enjoy.

But good god, this was a slog. There is absolutely no rhythm, no flow to the story. There is a wild amount of characters being introduced in a really disjointed, disconnected way. It was trying to be some version of A Game of Thrones without the grimdarkness or the action. This novel wavered between romance, action, adventure, intrigue, murder mystery and failed at all of them.

I recognize there are two more books in the series, but there really isn’t any kind of satisfactory ending to this story at all and ends even more confusingly than it started.

I struggle a lot with Ed Greenwood. He creates compelling characters but then doesn’t seem to know what to do with them and ends up pulling them in a thousand different directions. This is no different.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

The following link http://beezermn.laethyn.com/is highly recommended for its review of this and other fantasy authors.

This book was like learning to drive a standard vehicle while trying to eat something and mess with your cell phone. It would jump fast and stop at break neck speeds and so much was going on it was too difficult to concentrate on any one thing.

-dimndbangr

[Adon Coya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first on a trilogy, but I do not intend to read the other two parts. It read very much like the diary of an RPG campaign, but lots of things will only make sense to the experienced Forgotten Realms fan, because no explanation or information is provided e.g. Harpers, Zhentarim, Khelben, Dove, Elminster, etc. I propose this only to RPG Forgotten Realms FANs.

[Trollhoer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel, more than any other novel I've read from Ed, highlights what makes him such an excellent storyteller, game world creator and (I can only imagine) great Dungeon Master. If you are, like I am, a passionate role-player who sees the intriguing beauty of adventure role-play, then this novel (and most likely the entire series) is for you. However, I would also recommend this novel for anyone just starting out with The Forgotten Realms as it could serve as fine introduction, not only because it is written by its creator.

The Swords of Eveningstar centers around Florin Falconhand, a young human ranger living in and around Espar in the land of Cormyr (on Faerûn). After foolishly embarking on a stumbling journey through the forest alongside the Lady Narantha Crownsilver, Florin ends up aiding the King of Cormyr himself fend off a group of brigands set on the immediate demise of the crown and, for his actions, is rewarded an adventure charter signed by the king for him and his friends. They are then charged to explore the Haunted Halls; a dark, most likely dangerous fortress outside the village of Eveningstar. This is very much a "classic" adventure of Dungeons & Dragons, but as always with Ed Greenwood it turns into far more than that. The Swords end up involved in the dealings of several groups and factions of various intents and purposes; whether used by the Zhentarim, aided by Harper agents (including a certain Dove) or chased by the Purple Dragon guards. The Swords find more than enough dangers when actually away from the Halls, as the city ofArabel ends up as the field of battle between Zhent assassins and city guards, all intent on making life miserable for a certain group of foolish adventurers. Not to mention that the greatest danger might come from within the group itself.

The first ten chapters of the novel is definitely the strongest part of the novel, and some of the best fiction I've read from Ed thus far. The forest walk and interactions between Florin and Narantha never fail to amuse and combined with the detailed account of the life and skills of a ranger, this is the part I enjoyed the most. As always, the strength of Ed's writing lies in the dialogues, as he has a knack for making even the most mundane conversations into extraordinary reading experiences, whether it is the spoken dialogue between two noblemen, or the inner dialogue of a plotting wizard, Ed immerses you into the world of Faerûn just by hearing the characters speak. I particularly like how he seems to want to highlight the flaws in each character, as if he wants them to look foolish from time to time, which is a rare find in fantasy literature. My complaints with R.A Salvatore are often centered on his seemingly undying affection for his characters. Ed certainly loves his character (I would think), but more so he seems to love putting them into bad situations, and most importantly: he is not afraid to have them fail, gravely at times and go down cursing the gods over the grand injustice of it all. Such is life on Faerûn.

I'd recommend anyone interested in fantasy literature or role-play to read this novel. For anyone looking to get into the world of Forgotten Realms this is as good of a starting point as you will find, as it introduces plenty of famous characters and infamous factions that make out what is generally agreed upon to be the most ambitious fantasy world ever created. However, the novel is not just for the fans of Forgotten Realms, but for anyone who is looking for a good story of action and adventure, where Ed Greenwood storytelling skills truly shine.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a jumbled mess of a book.

Right from the beginning, Swords of Eveningstar wastes so much time that you wonder if finishing it is even worth it. Florin's escapade in the beginning chapters of the book take such a long time to get through and offer practically nothing to the story.

Then, the story launches itself into what you would think is the main dish - the Haunted Halls of Eveningstar, after which the heroes, and book, got its name. But nope. They don't spend all that much time there, and the reason why they don't isn't quite clear, narratively. It felt like the author didn't know how to visualize this place or make it full of interesting encounters. If that wasn't the case, then why did they keep going back and forth between the Halls and Arabel?

Then, there are all the subplots that go nowhere. There is a subplot of a wizard plotting betrayal against all the other wizards. A subplot of a bunch of noble ladies plotting betrayal against the king. A subplot of a love-struck noble girl getting duped by a wizard into going husband-hunting. A completely random Elminster cameo that lasts for 2 pages. So many named wizards, so much irrelevant info, so many plots that get interrupted before anything interesting happens.

Then, there is all the weird sexual stuff that exists in this book. This book is HORNY - but in a bad way. There is an undercurrent of sexualization of almost every single female character, and it seems that almost every single one of them is intent on using that sexualized status they have to get what they want... but only SOME of the time. The rest of the time, they just sit around, being normal characters, even in scenarios that would warrant them using their sexuality to get what they want.

If we've established that all these characters are willing to do that in the first place, which is a very weird plot to have.

While we're on the point of the characters - there was exactly ONE good character in this story, and it was Pennae. Everyone else was either mediocre through underdevelopment (Doust, Florin, Jhessail) or flat-out one-dimensional (Horaundoon, the two fighter guys, most of the wizards, most of the Purple Dragon dudes).

Pennae is the true main character of this book, Florin just happens to be the guy we are introduced to. Pennae has the most cool scenes, she has the most agency - hell, Florin BARELY has any agency - and is the one whom I came to care the most for. Doust comes in at a VERY distant second, but man.

This book was, at almost every single page, not worth the time it was taking me to get through the page. It was jumbled, incoherent, shoddily paced and plotted out, and filled with very weird sexual tropes regarding the female characters that were kinda uncomfortable.

[Stefan Yates · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't read any Forgotten Realms books in years, so when I saw this one on the 50 cent cart I thought that I would give it a shot.

While it wasn't bad, I can definitely see why it was only 50 cents. I'll need to re-read some of the older Forgotten Realms novels before I pass judgement on the entire setting of novels, but if this is the track that the newer novels have gone, I'm not thrilled.

My biggest criticisms of the book are that instead of feeling like a novel, a lot of the time it just felt like a Dungeons & Dragons session. There were times throughout the book where I could just picture a group of friends sitting around the table and playing a rousing game. The characters were supposed to be novices just starting out on the path to adventure, yet from the beginning, they were just a bunch of bad-asses and never really struggled to succeed which would have made the book much more entertaining.

On the whole, I thought that this was an average novel which for me was a disappointment. I had higher hopes on my return to the Realm. I will be reading some of my old favorites again and will also give some of the newer offerings a chance. I would also like to look into some of Mr. Greenwood's other works as Spellfire is one that I remember as being a favorite in the Forgotten Realms cannon.

[Isabelrt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not in my personal list of "best fantasy". Not even in the "quite ok list"

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed several of Ed Greenwood's novels ever, and have been particularly interested in the Knights of Myth Drannor ever since I first picked up Spellfire as a kid in high school. I saw the knights of Myth Drannor trilogy while browzing through Powell's and thought it would be the perfect summer vacation read.

The first book lives up to my desire for mindless summer entertainment. It moves along fast, has entertaining characters, and it was interesting seeing realms shattering epic heroes back when they were level 1 adventurers trying not to die in every encounter.

As always Ed Greenwood writes as if he were a perpetually horny 13 year old writing fan fic, but he manages to avoid the worst of his bad habits in this book. (As you will see in my review of the second book it does not stay that way.)

I recommend this only for those who have enjoyed his other books, and have an interest in the Knights specifically. Its not his best but not his worst work. Okay for a diverting fun read.

[Charles Haworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is only OK

I love the FR books, and I have played the Knights of Myth Drannor so this should make me happy in all ways

I also understand Ed's books have lots of snarky characters, even the "good" are hard work sometimes to like and everyone is a letch and a fight first mentality means blades are always drawn. I can put up with this as I like the Realms, I like the descriptive journey, the society and the adventuring.

However this book just has too many threads and too little Knights - I want it just to be them and their adventures, not about hosts of war wizards, Zhent spies, the aristocracy and more. There is just too much going on which makes it a constant thread of snarky arguments and scrying followed by bad tempered arguments followed by secret plans, etc etc

I want the Knights just to be on an adventure

I will likely read the next one again however, if I can find it

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is somewhat slapdash, re-mindful of a hectic D&D gaming session (which is likely the genesis of the plot itself, as the characters are PCs formerly played by the author and his friends years before). Florin makes for a boring, bland lead character, you'll soon be wishing Semoor died early on (sadly, he doesn't) and most of the other party members are totally dispensable and contribute nothing to the story - with the notable exception of the thief Pennae (who completely steals the show). Cormyr's Royal Wizard Vandergast also makes for a witty and engaging read, despite or because of his police state antics. Not one of Greenwood's best books, but probably still required reading for anyone interested in the background of the Forgotten Realms' shard universe.

[Wini Fara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every, and I mean EVERY woman in this book is sexualized to death. It is also unfortunate that the main character, the "hero" of this tale, thinks that threatening a woman with SA is his idea of a "prank". Um, no sir. That's not a prank. That's just plain old SA. I don't care how rude she's being to her guards, that's not an acceptable reaction. This is just bad writing.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda disappointed by who the Knights of Myth Drannor turned out to be. It wasn't badly written, just off.

[Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

lento

[Anne Patkau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quest team forms plus others for mindworm parasites. Slow dungeon exploration. Multiple watchers and villain layers. Continues.
Typo:c25 p20 Penny is Pennae

[Cee Sturdy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read for completion's sake. I am starting to regret challenging myself to read all of these novels.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished it, but it was a struggle. Too many characters, too many storylines. For the vast majority of the book I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

[Paolo Calabrò · Rating 1 out of 5]

Skip entirely, not worth reading.

[Robert Ruppert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good adventure but confusing as hell.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025 Reread update: yep. got it right the first time below. book needed more focus on the Knights as people and less on the geopolitical machinations in the Realms. Greenwood is great at smaller stakes storytelling, too bad he didn't do that here.

*************
I thought I'd read this one years ago, but I recalled basically nothing that couldn't be pulled from the back cover, so I'm betting I never got around to it?

Greenwood is a bit hit or miss for me with his Realms work; it's always really high-gun storytelling, despite now having all that epic a scope to it much of the time and that doesn't always work for me. But the Knights of Myth Drannor were an interesting group of characters from the earliest works on the Realms, so seeing how they went from rookie adventurers to powerful Knights and Lords is intriguing, especially since I'd already seen them make cameos in other novels.

The basic plot is pretty good, and Florin makes for a likable "first among equals" in the band, and somewhat centering the story loosely around him as the leader of the band is a fairly good choice. In fact, much of the party sounds a lot like an rpg adventuring group: bickering and laughing, striking out on their own to do what they want, etc. It works and the action is well illustrated.

The Realmslore is also spot-on, unsurprisingly since Ed created the whole of the place and has been crafting bits and pieces of lore for 30-odd years and that's definitely one of the highlights. Less successful is creating a few Realms-specific swearwords which manage to be annoying and not terribly believable. (a good reminder that language creation should be left to the experts) I don't love the interference and intersection of so many powerful forces surrounding the Knights; multiple archmages get involved, a Chosen of a goddess, and the King and Queen of a large and prosperous kingdom and all on a personal level. It's a bit overwrought.

Enjoyable for fans of the Forgotten Realms, but skippable for most others. I'm a fan of long standing, so I'll finish the trilogy.

[Michael Smith]

A very fun start to a series that begins with some low level characters that slowly progress. To me, it reads like a dungeons and dragons adventure campaign more than an actual book at times. I find it unique and an absolutely good change of pace from reading about higher level characters you'll find in RA Salvatore, Lisa Smedman, or Thomas M. Reid's novels most of the time.

The writing takes a short time to get used to, maybe a chapter or two, as Ed uses a good bit of realm dialect in not only the speech of characters, but in the sentences as a whole. Once you get past that, you'll breeze through the book.

For low level main characters, these certainly get into the mix of it with tons of higher level minor characters. How they've survived thus far can only be the work of the gods, namely Tymora and Lathander. Although the two priests certainly had very little to do with it ;)

[Librero Lacustre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Partida de rol maravillosamente bien adaptada a una novela. Me deja una gran sensación la pluma del sr. Ed Greenwood. Con ganas de leer más de él.
(Nota: esta edición tiene 410 páginas y no 348 como indica el update de Goodreads)

[Christopher]

A really brilliant introduction to the Knights of Myth Drannor who are often mentioned in the Forgotten Realms and seen as they are at present! :D

this is an origin which sees them initially questing for an adventuring charter and what happens after they have gained it! :D

The characters are portrayed in a very human manner with them many errors but at the same time coming through inn very heroic fashion when the time calls for it! :D

The pace moves along at a breakneck pace with locales changes almost on a page by page basis for some of the characters! :D There are plenty of character to love to hate as well as cheer for! :D

The book sets things up nicely for the next book with plenty of mysteries raised and more questions to be answered by new Knights! :D

Excellent and highly recommended! :D

[Holly Wells · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book on recommendation from a great source. I enjoyed the story of the adventurers but there was a lot of court intrigue, and other politics involved. The adventurers actual activity took up maybe a quarter of the book content. There was also a lot of detail on people, places, and things I'm unfamiliar with - that is to say, not only am I introduced to new characters, a new world, new gods, new money, but the story line changes back and forth regularly and not always back to the same people. There are so many characters I've lost who is who. Better story for someone with a better memory and a love of court intrigue.

[John Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, slow and slightly confusing what with the Realmspeak (and I am a Realms geeks who could probably find his way from Arabel to Mulmaster without a map) but the story gets good towards the end and I want to try the next installment but Greenwood builds a good world but isn't the best writer. Good paperback for the back pocket.

[Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ed Greenwood is one of my favourite authors. I can't wait for the second book. I read this one in one day.

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing depiction of aspiring, then fledgling adventurers who will one day go on to be iconic heroes of Faerun. If you appreciate the role playing aspect gaming as I do, this is a must read.

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had only 20 pages left and I couldn't finish. Too many characters, too much jumping around, not enough characterizations. I just couldn't take anymore.