The Cleric Quintet
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The Cleric Quintet is a series of five fantasy novels by American writer R. A. Salvatore, set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. They follow the story of Cadderly Bonaduce, a scholar-cleric, as he attempts to stop the "Chaos Curse" unleashed upon the world. It is also a spiritual journey for Cadderly, where he begins to see things in a new light and becomes closer to his god.
Recurring characters in this series include Cadderly Bonaduce, Danica Maupoissant, the dwarven brothers Ivan and Pikel Bouldershoulder, and Shayleigh, an elf maiden of Shilmista Forest.
Novels
[edit]| Title | Fictional date | Original publishing | Current publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canticle | 1361 DR | October 1991 | Wizards of the Coast |
| In Sylvan Shadows | 1361 DR | April 1992 | Wizards of the Coast |
| Night Masks | 1361 DR | August 1992 | Wizards of the Coast |
| The Fallen Fortress | 1361–1362 DR | June 1993 | Wizards of the Coast |
| The Chaos Curse | 1362 DR | June 1994 | Wizards of the Coast |
Plot summary
[edit]The evil wizard Aballister has spent two years collecting and brewing a potion of power, as told to him by the imp, Druzil, sent by the Goddess of Poison, Talona. When he reveals it to his evil fellowship at the hidden stronghold Castle Trinity, the priest Barjin takes control of it and sets off to the major stronghold of the Snowflake Mountains — the Edificant Library. He finds an innocent, intelligent, and young, low-ranking priest, to open the potion, the Chaos Curse, which makes all who breathe it lose self-control. Cadderly must fight a memory-blocking spell in order to lift the curse and save the Library.
Creation
[edit]The character of Cadderly was created specially for the Cleric Quintet, after six Drizzt books were completed – as Salvatore wrote in his introduction, "We were done with Drizzt. Or at least, we thought we were". The new protagonist was originally planned to be a monk, but it got rejected due to changes in Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, where the class of monks was absent. Mary Kirchoff proposed that the protagonist should be a cleric. Salvatore invented a concept of spiritual journey for his character, who initially treats his religion as just a lifestyle, but gradually becomes more tied to his god, Deneir.[1]
Reception
[edit]The Cleric Quintet appeared on the 2024 Game Rant "31 Best Dungeons & Dragons Novels, Ranked" list at #24.[2]
The Cleric's Quintet appeared on the 2025 Screen Rant "10 Best Forgotten Realms Book Series, Ranked" list at #4.[3]
Reviews
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Foreword from the Collectors Edition
- ↑ Taguiam, Rhenn (2023-04-03). "31 Best Dungeons & Dragons Novels, Ranked". Game Rant. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
- ↑ Trujillo, Cristina (2025-03-31). "10 Best Forgotten Realms Book Series, Ranked". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
- ↑ "Science Fiction Chronicle August-September 1999: Vol 20 Iss 6". DNA Publications. August 1999.
