The Temple of Elemental Evil: Amazon.ca: Thomas M. Reid: Books

Product Description

A sinister force, long thought destroyed, stirs in the land. As a she-demon bent on wreaking worldwide havoc struggles to escape her prison and a foul demigod plots to bend her to his will, a band of desperate heroes must infiltrate the very heart of darkness in a daring attempt to stop them both.

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First Sentence
Ragged clouds hung low among the easternmost Kron Hills, drifting damply and obscuring the tree-lined ridges like the hoary, tattered wisps of Rao's beard, as the though the god of peace were passing there. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

17 Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

Average Customer Review

2.9 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars I liked it, but it wasn't the best book I've ever read, Sep 19 2003

By	K Cole (Rockford, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

I picked up this book after having played the game more times than I can count (mostly running it). There are several things I really enjoyed about the book, but others that made me feel a little disappointed.

The good:

1: It was great getting a refresher in the structure of the temple, and it brought back a lot of memories. It also gave me some interesting ideas.

2: It was not written in the typical preteen fashion that many books derivative of the games are.

3: It was entertaining.

The Bad:

1: Not the greatest character development -- it seemed a bit rushed.

2: Anyone who's played the game will recognize that this went entirely too easy and quickly to even compare.

3: A bit too many stereotypical elements.

All in all, if you love the game, you will enjoy the book. If you are just looking for a good fantasy novel, try Tolkein or Alexander.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Story So-So Writing, Jul 24 2003

By	mfritzlen (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews

I remember playing the Temple of Elemental Evil module as a kid and spotted this book in the fantasy section of the local bookstore. Many of the locations found throughout the book such as Hommlet, the Moat House and the Temple itself brought back a tinge of nostalgia as I read through the book.

The book outlines the struggles of a tiny hamlett and its battle with an ever increasing evil force lurking just outside its perimeter. It tells a tale of a group of adventurers brought together for different reasons but united in a common goal of investigating and subsequently eliminating the threat posed by the Temples residents.

The story itself was interesting and engaging but is not on the same level of writing prowess as some of the other WotC novels written by R.A. Salvatore and others who allow you to closely relate and identify with the characters in their novel. Personally, I found character interaction a little forced and dialogue spoken to be a little out of character at times. Mr. Reid may have been trying to add a bit of levity to his characters but I just found it out of place. Fortunately, it doesnt prevent the reader from enjoying the story as a whole and was a decent read.

If this was a movie I was reviewing, I would say dont pay $9 to see it in a theatre but wait until it comes out on DvD ;)

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3.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading, even if you never played the game..., May 19 2003

By	Steven Sammons (Auburn University, AL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An interesting story with some interesting characters but more detail into their lives and thoughts would have made this a better book. That being said, I think it is clearly the second-best of the Grayhawk series, behind the ever-popular Justicar books by Paul Kidd. The journey of the central character Shanhaevel from self-absorbed scholar to boon companion is rather well-done, and the supporting characters display just enough individualism to remain interesting. The storyline will be familar to old-time D&Ders, but I think that Reid did a reasonably good job of transferring a role-playing game into a novel, and those who are not familar with the game or that module will still enjoy reading this book. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep readers interested in the last page, and a tag at the last of the book insinuates that there may be another novel in the future dealing with these same characters, which I would welcome.

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Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Dull D&D Adventure Novel
There were elements of this novel that could have made a good story but on the whole it was very dry and boring. The prologue was too short. Read more

Published on Jan 14 2003 by Brandon M Kennedy

3.0 out of 5 stars good, but nothing spectacular
It was a good read, but nothing spectacular. It kept my interest enough that i wanted to finish reading the entire book. Read more

Published on Jan 10 2003 by Eric Roufs

1.0 out of 5 stars The Temple of Elemental Evil
WOW! I have read some some bad books folks but this takes the cake. The plot is the most stereotypical I have ever seen. Read more

Published on Nov 1 2002 by Raistlin Majere

1.0 out of 5 stars Any other book. Not this one.
When I finished this book, a four hour read, I was really happy with myself. Happy that I stuck it out and finished it, and didn't throw it or destroy it. Read more

Published on Jul 19 2002 by Clint Howarth