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Are there any novels about the Baldur's Gate series?

I just finished Durlag's Tower and I really enjoyed the plot and background story of Durlag: the kind of intricate and complex storylines that games nowadays are lacking (i.e. Diablo 3, etc.).

Therefore, I was wondering if there are any novels or stories out there (besides the in-game books) that provide a full and comprehensive story of the world of Baldur's gate? I would love to get my hands on one of them.

P.S. Apparently, the one novel entitled 'Baldur's Gate: A Novelization' by Philip Athans is horribly rated. Are there better ones out there?
kcwiseBladeDancerlolien
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Comments

  • YupImMadBroYupImMadBro Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 347
    I highly recommend The Legend of Drizzt series
    kcwisebooinyoureyesSciobthaThacoBell
  • JoshBGJoshBG Member Posts: 91
    You can also read "The Avatar" series, to get in the mood.

    Although, the first book is depressingly flat, but things improve in the second and third books.
    kcwisedeltago
  • joluvjoluv Member Posts: 2,137

    Abdel Adrian rapes/tortures/murders anyone he disapproves and hits on married woman right in front of her husband.

    That's some juxtaposition.
    kcwise
  • kcwisekcwise Member Posts: 2,287
    https://dnd.wizards.com/dungeons-and-dragons/what-is-dd/forgotten-realms

    and

    http://www.candlekeep.com/

    are good sources of information about the Forgotten Realms.

    As for novels, in addition to R.A. Salvatore I'd suggest Elaine Cunningham, Paul S. Kemp, Richard Lee Byers, and Erin Evans. They have all produced some very interesting characters and stories.
    JuliusBorisovlolienMusigny
  • MhamzaMhamza Member Posts: 228
    edited April 2015
    To quote TV Tropes, there is a novelization (of Baldur's Gate), but we prefer not to speak of it. That said, if you're looking for an FR novel, you can't go wrong with Paul S. Kemp (loved The Godborn) or Erin Evans. Byers is a good choice as well, though the only work from him I've read is The Reaver.
    kcwise
  • MichailMichail Member Posts: 196
    Well, if you ARE going to read forgotten realms novels, read the drizzt stories by R.A. Salvatore, at least the early ones, and see if you like it. They are pretty well written.
    kcwiseYupImMadBroSciobthaDJKajuru
  • lroumenlroumen Member Posts: 2,508
    in book 1-3 you get to read reflections on past events by the old drizzt and it clearly states he never went back to the underdark after the first time he left it. Then in book 4 (?) he goes back..... . But then some of the cool evil drow are killed... darned. :$
    kcwise
  • BladeDancerBladeDancer Member Posts: 477
    I should have known... I feel ashamed now...
    kcwisejackjack
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520

    I should have known... I feel ashamed now...

    *pats shoulder* No worries. All is forgiven. ;)
    kcwiseBladeDancerJuliusBorisov
  • BladeDancerBladeDancer Member Posts: 477

    I should have known... I feel ashamed now...

    *pats shoulder* No worries. All is forgiven. ;)
    Thank You! :smiley:
    kcwiseNonnahswriterJuliusBorisov
  • Flyting_SkaldFlyting_Skald Member Posts: 11
    edited April 2015
    lroumen said:

    For drizzt I would stick to the first 3, maybe a few more.

    at some tpoint he starts to kill off protagonists left and right which was not fun to me at all.


    The first three and the homeland trilogy are really good. I think the "Hunter's Blades" is alright too, but then I start to lose track.

    The others are alright at best. If you need to read them wait for a sale on amazon.

    Didn't he start killing off characters because he was literally tired of writing the stories? I know he tried to retire drizzt for some time but WotC wouldn't let him.
    kcwise
  • DreadKhanDreadKhan Member Posts: 3,857
    He wrote stuff other than Drizzt, but I wouldn't be surprised if WotC had some manner of contractual obligations worked out to keep Drizzt a thing. I'd say he pushed past Elminster in 3rd edition quite thoroughly in terms of popularity, including all the various Elminster sidekick types, which amounts to most of the other high-power FR folks. No other character has quite 'clicked' as well yet, but everyone on this forum no doubt dreams of the day when everyone talks about the Bhaalspawn in the same way, or at least as a properly famous character, not a footnote in the Official Timeline of the Realms.

    The novels didn't have too much appeal to the community, and probably even less to the larger readership of FR novels. Pools of Radiance was a decent novel I know.
    kcwise
  • lroumenlroumen Member Posts: 2,508
    When 4th edition was announced by wotc to the writers, Salvatore and Greenwood planned ahead on what to do with their characters and they had come up with feasible stories for them on how to survive the change and when 4th came out they were ready for it.
    There was an interview with RA somewhere linked in this forum in which he explains it all. If anyone can link that...
    MichailkcwiselolienFinnTheHuman
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    JoshBG said:

    You can also read "The Avatar" series, to get in the mood.

    Although, the first book is depressingly flat, but things improve in the second and third books.

    I second that! Avatar series and their continuation are interesting reads! They shed much insight to how gods work in Forgotten Realms, and the books get more and more interesting. Definitely a prequel to Baldur's Gate series, any avid BG fan should read about how Cyric backstabbed and killed Bhaal.

    BG novels are bad, though. If you like cheesy B-movie titles, it may be an interesting read to see how they butcher and destroy every npc and character from the series. Fun to see how horrible it gets. Spoiler:Jaheira is a weak girl who screams for help at every opportunity, Minsc is a red haired bartender, Imoen sleeps with the drow woman and is murdered viciously later on. Actually, nearly all characters suffer horrible, excruciating deaths in full detail, further making the novels more alike b-movies.
    BladeDancerkcwise
  • johntyljohntyl Member Posts: 397
    it's a shame how such a great game was ruined by a horrible novelisation of it. I wonder why the creators of Baldur's Gate even allow it.
    BladeDancerGrumkcwiseQuartz
  • scriverscriver Member Posts: 2,072
    Iirc, it was rather that when they found out what 4th Edition would do to the setting they started planning ahead for how they would be able to re-change those changes and make it more like the old setting again. I can't find the exact link you are thinking off but here is a similar statement from an interview about the launch of 5th Ed and the accompanying "the Sundering" series:

    " R.A. Salvatore: I knew from the moment I left the meeting where Wizards told me about Fourth Edition and the changes to the Realms that we would, in the not-too-distant-future, be scrambling to revert the world to the freshness and feel of Ed Greenwood’s creation. I left that meeting plotting out how I was going to play my role in that rebirth of the Realms, and so did Ed. I didn’t realize it would happen so quickly! " (source: http://whatculture.com/offbeat/interview-with-r-a-salvatore-author-of-the-companions.php)

    I apologise for the crappy editing, I'm on my phone and don't really feel like wrestlig with that right now.
    MichaillroumenkcwiseJuliusBorisov
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