Death Masks

Forgotten Realms: Elminster, Book 7

By: Ed Greenwood

Narrated by: John Pruden

Ed Greenwood, who is synonymous with the Forgotten Realms, leads listeners through a story that combines the rollicking fantasy adventure for which he is famous with a murder mystery-thriller.

That's what, four lords dead?

Revealed in death to have been Masked Lords, three more citizens had been murdered over the preceding day and night: the Sembian wine seller and collector Oszbur Malankar; the half-elf sorceress and artisan Dathanscza Meiril; and the moneylender, landlord, and investor Ammasker Gwelt.

All of Waterdeep now knew someone was killing the Lords of Waterdeep one by one. Yet that was about where truth ended and speculation - however plausible - began. The broadsheets were full of wild conjecture. Who was behind this? The ousted Lord Neverember? The Zhentarim, the Cult of the Dragon, or some other Outland Power? The Xanathar? Some cabal of guilds or nobles planning a coup?

The rumors would rage on whether the Open Lord Laeral Silverhand did something or not. That was the trouble with rumors: Once loosed, they roamed free like snarling, untamed beasts, with no simple way of stopping them. And all rumors aside, Waterdeep has become...

A city of murderers!

©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC. (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Good, but has it's flaws

while it may be a great story and I understand there is a longer running story. I feel like this book could have taken it a little better to introduce characters.

the reader does have a handful of voices. but to often the important characters overlapped so it became confusing.
The chance of perspective changes at the drop of a hat, which if you arent dedicated 99% of your attention you'll miss who the story is focusing on. only made more of an issue when the voices sound so similar.

It's good, I just wish it was better at making clear when a scene ends or have a reader with a larger range of characters for a book with so many.

Excellent

Ed Greenwood had so many intricate details you - an excellent story with a great voice performance

A few gema buried inside a messy story

The tone of this story is all over the place. Actually funny jokes are mixed with lots of juvenile humor, punctuated by rather intense violence and casual murder.

The intrigue is extremely basic, mystery thin like a gauze, and the only thing allowing the plot to happen is the utter incompetence of everyone supposed to keep order in Waterdeep.

I liked some of the scenes and characters, but overall this book is a mess.

Automatic Classic

Great book with classic Greenwood flare. Truly re galvanized Waterdeep in the realms. Voice actor makes this an easy listen.

Exciting chaos in The Deep

There is great fun to be had with this book, experiencing so many character is varying layers of panic.

The occasional nods to the Adventures of 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons are also quite enjoyable.

I am personally not fan of the direction the state of the Chosen a Weave is going in, but that is hardly a fault with story itself or the storytelling.