The Shadow Stone

Forgotten Realms - Publication Order

by Richard Baker

Accosted by bullies on a forest trail, Aeron had no way of knowing that the confrontation would change his life forever. Accused of a crime for which he bears no blame, he is pursued deep into the forests of the Maerchwood.

First rescued, and then tutored, by the mysterious Storm Walker, he discovers a previously undreamed-of talent for magic, and his life is swept up in the study of the arcane arts, until the very principles of magic, and indeed the future of Faerûn, come under attack from the unspeakably evil influences of the Shadow Stone.

Genres: Forgotten Realms, Fantasy, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, Collections

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 14, 1998

About the author

A best-selling author and award-winning game designer, Richard Baker is known for his novels in the Forgotten Realms setting and his work on the Dungeons & Dragons game. His Realms novels include Condemnation (book 3 of the War of the Spider Queen), the Last Mythal trilogy, and the Blades of the Moonsea trilogy. He is currently working on a new military-themed science fiction series centered on the character Sikander North; Valiant Dust, the first book in the new series, debuts in November 2017 from Tor Books.

A native of Ocean City, New Jersey, Rich graduated from Virginia Tech in 1988 and went on to serve as a surface warfare officer in the United States Navy. When he's not writing fantasy or science fiction, he works in game publishing. He's the founder of Sasquatch Game Studio, a small game company based in Auburn, Washington.

Rich currently resides in the Seattle area with his wife, Kim, and their daughters Alex and Hannah. His interests include gaming (naturally), history, hiking, racquetball, and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Reviews

[Jason Kalinowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a story of a gifted half elf boy named Aeron who rose above adversity thanks to his natural talents but also his thirst for knowledge and to do what’s right. The story bounced between his homeland, the woods where he was mentored by a recluse elven mage, a wizards school and back again. His gifts made him desirable to a dark wizard and joining his cult to the Shadow Stone. Overall a nice read that had a good climax. I’m uncertain of the cover though as neither of them seem to match the character descriptions. I also wish the book had a map or two as a reference to where these places were in the realms. Ultimately it was well written.

[Charles Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

even though it was a stereotypical fantasy novel, I thoroughly enjoyed this one

[Plain Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOSTALGIA!

[Chris Di Vitto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so real

[Jessica Robot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very conventional, but I enjoyed the hell out of it as a kid. Maybe it's nostalgia but I've read this several times and I occasionally find myself wanting to re-read it.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good...I probably would have given it one more star if it had held my attention just a bit more.

I liked the smiggin of Realm's lore that was given about the Eastern region of Chessenta. The writing was fine...though I feel like I've read better things by this author.

There was a real "Harry Poter-esque" feel about a large portion of this book...but I guess any book that has a school of magic will seem like it's dipping in those waters. The story, itself, was repetitive at points, but also creative and imagnitive. The endding was somewhat abbrupt but deccent...a solid 3 stars.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable book by one of the better TSR/WOTC authors. This is the first novel that I know of that talks about shadow magic, the mysterious counterpart to the weave that was important to the Forgotten Realms history and D&D game mechanics during the 3rd edition of that game. Held my interest throughout the book, though I would have went with a different ending if I was the author. Not that it was a bad ending, but.... well, I will let you read and find out if you'd like.

[Laura Westbrook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, it was not a bad book. Entertaining at most points, but not something I think I'll read again. It tended to go on for a long period of time. I'm not sad I read it, but it's not one of my favorites.

[Fabio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the description of magic, but overall it's was a bit poor. A decent plot but shallow character development, and also the pacing could have used some work probably. It was ok, maybe 2.5 stars. I won't read it again.