The fourth Elminster novel, Elminster in Hell, was released in 2001. We are in contemporary Forgotten Realms this time, unlike the first three novels (Making of a Mage, Elminster in Myth Drannor, and The Temptation of Elminster). I read this March 2024. If you would like to listen to my thoughts, do so here.
The year is 1372 DR, however, there are several flashbacks/memories intermixed with in the present story which take place at various times. There is a section at the start of the book called Realms Lore that tells us the date of these.
Alassra opens our tale, about her lover, Elminster. She is of course the Storm Queen of Aglarond, she is commonly called The Simbul.
This tale is about Elminster in the Hells, surprise! The story starts with him going through a rift to Avernus. He quickly faces Abishai when he tries to escape, he doesn’t want to be there. He quickly encounters an erinyes and something great and draconic.
Nergal has kept him here. He is an archdevil exiled to Avernus, having no actual ruler-ship in the Hells. He gets the drop on the archmage, the Chosen of Mystra, after he is exhausted closing the rift.
As this is a long story of torture, the raping of memory to steal them and make Elminster impotent and take his Silver Fire really highlights the story as it gives what is otherwise fiery and hellish flavor. And it has a variety: many of the memories are not even Elminster’s, but those of other mages received from Mystra. These include the common appearances in Greenwood novels: The Blackstaff, Seven Sisters, Obarskyrs and those close to them, Mirt the Moneylender, and Knights of Myth Drannor. Some of these are also in the present as they aim to rescue the Old Mage.
There is quite a bit of high emotions, which Greenwood often does quite well. It starts with the immolation of his favorite pipe and gets much more personal and interpersonal.
My favorite part is the Myth Drannor connection, but otherwise, this is my least favorite Elminster novel. It’s not bad, but I like the first three more. Regardless of that, Greenwood does manage to get the emotional response he usually manages (while few other authors do) and so I deem the book Good.
