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Spearwielder's Tale #1
The Woods Out Back
A factory worker is kidnapped to help an elf reforge a broken spear, in this trilogy opener by the bestselling author of the Legend of Drizzt series.
Gary Leger is desperate for adventure. Daydreaming is all that keeps him from going nuts while working a dead-end job in a plastics factory. The next best thing is burying himself in a good fantasy novel, and he spends much of his free time reading in the woods behind his house. That’s when adventure finds him. Or rather, that’s when he’s hit with a tranquilizer arrow . . .
When Gary comes to, he’s still in the woods—but in a world inhabited by creatures from his favorite novels, like a pixie and a leprechaun. There’s also an elf on a dangerous life-quest who requires Gary’s assistance. As soon as Gary finishes helping him, he can go home. He simply needs to complete the task . . . while surviving encounters with trolls, an ice-hag, a dragon, and a sorceress bent on stopping them at all costs.
This first novel in the Spearwielder’s Tale trilogy is a great choice for fans of Alan Dean Foster’s Spellsinger books and Terry Brooks’s Shannara series.
Praise for The Woods Out Back
“Written as a light-hearted adventure, the book works because the reader sees the world of Faerie through Gary’s eyes and Faerie is just as new to him as it is to the reader. . . . The book’s fast-paced, good-humored nature draws the reader in and makes the world of Faerie a fine place to visit—good thing there are two more installments!” —SF Site
Gary Leger is desperate for adventure. Daydreaming is all that keeps him from going nuts while working a dead-end job in a plastics factory. The next best thing is burying himself in a good fantasy novel, and he spends much of his free time reading in the woods behind his house. That’s when adventure finds him. Or rather, that’s when he’s hit with a tranquilizer arrow . . .
When Gary comes to, he’s still in the woods—but in a world inhabited by creatures from his favorite novels, like a pixie and a leprechaun. There’s also an elf on a dangerous life-quest who requires Gary’s assistance. As soon as Gary finishes helping him, he can go home. He simply needs to complete the task . . . while surviving encounters with trolls, an ice-hag, a dragon, and a sorceress bent on stopping them at all costs.
This first novel in the Spearwielder’s Tale trilogy is a great choice for fans of Alan Dean Foster’s Spellsinger books and Terry Brooks’s Shannara series.
Praise for The Woods Out Back
“Written as a light-hearted adventure, the book works because the reader sees the world of Faerie through Gary’s eyes and Faerie is just as new to him as it is to the reader. . . . The book’s fast-paced, good-humored nature draws the reader in and makes the world of Faerie a fine place to visit—good thing there are two more installments!” —SF Site
Audio CD
First published January 1, 1993
204 people are currently reading
1394 people want to read
About the author
R.A. Salvatore
607 books11.3k followersAs one of the fantasy genre’s most successful authors, R.A. Salvatore enjoys an ever-expanding and tremendously loyal following. His books regularly appear on The New York Times best-seller lists and have sold more than 10,000,000 copies. Salvatore’s original hardcover, The Two Swords, Book III of The Hunter’s Blade Trilogy (October 2004) debuted at # 1 on The Wall Street Journal best-seller list and at # 4 on The New York Times best-seller list. His books have been translated into numerous foreign languages including German, Italian, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Turkish, Croatian, Bulgarian, Yiddish, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Portuguese, Czech, and French.
Salvatore’s first published novel, The Crystal Shard from TSR in 1988, became the first volume of the acclaimed Icewind Dale Trilogy and introduced an enormously popular character, the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden. Since that time, Salvatore has published numerous novels for each of his signature multi-volume series including The Dark Elf Trilogy, Paths of Darkness, The Hunter’s Blades Trilogy, and The Cleric Quintet.
His love affair with fantasy, and with literature in general, began during his sophomore year of college when he was given a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as a Christmas gift. He promptly changed his major from computerscience to journalism. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications from Fitchburg State College in 1981, then returned for the degree he always cherished, the Bachelor of Arts in English. He began writing seriously in 1982, penning the manuscript that would become Echoes of the Fourth Magic. Salvatore held many jobs during those first years as a writer, finally settling in (much to our delight) to write full time in 1990.
The R.A. Salvatore Collection has been established at his alma mater, Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, containing the writer’s letters, manuscripts, and other professional papers. He is in good company, as The Salvatore Collection is situated alongside The Robert Cormier Library, which celebrates the writing career of the co-alum and esteemed author of young adult books.
Salvatore is an active member of his community and is on the board of trustees at the local library in Leominster, Massachusetts. He has participated in several American Library Association regional conferences, giving talks on themes including “Adventure fantasy” and “Why young adults read fantasy.” Salvatore himself enjoys a broad range of literary writers including James Joyce, Mark Twain, Geoffrey Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dante, and Sartre. He counts among his favorite genre literary influences Ian Fleming, Arthur Conan Doyle, Fritz Leiber, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Born in 1959, Salvatore is a native of Massachusetts and resides there with his wife Diane, and their three children, Bryan, Geno, and Caitlin. The family pets include three Japanese Chins, Oliver, Artemis and Ivan, and four cats including Guenhwyvar.
When he isn't writing, Salvatore chases after his three Japanese Chins, takes long walks, hits the gym, and coaches/plays on a fun-league softball team that includes most of his family. His gaming group still meets on Sundays to play.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rasalv...
Salvatore’s first published novel, The Crystal Shard from TSR in 1988, became the first volume of the acclaimed Icewind Dale Trilogy and introduced an enormously popular character, the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden. Since that time, Salvatore has published numerous novels for each of his signature multi-volume series including The Dark Elf Trilogy, Paths of Darkness, The Hunter’s Blades Trilogy, and The Cleric Quintet.
His love affair with fantasy, and with literature in general, began during his sophomore year of college when he was given a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as a Christmas gift. He promptly changed his major from computerscience to journalism. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications from Fitchburg State College in 1981, then returned for the degree he always cherished, the Bachelor of Arts in English. He began writing seriously in 1982, penning the manuscript that would become Echoes of the Fourth Magic. Salvatore held many jobs during those first years as a writer, finally settling in (much to our delight) to write full time in 1990.
The R.A. Salvatore Collection has been established at his alma mater, Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, containing the writer’s letters, manuscripts, and other professional papers. He is in good company, as The Salvatore Collection is situated alongside The Robert Cormier Library, which celebrates the writing career of the co-alum and esteemed author of young adult books.
Salvatore is an active member of his community and is on the board of trustees at the local library in Leominster, Massachusetts. He has participated in several American Library Association regional conferences, giving talks on themes including “Adventure fantasy” and “Why young adults read fantasy.” Salvatore himself enjoys a broad range of literary writers including James Joyce, Mark Twain, Geoffrey Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dante, and Sartre. He counts among his favorite genre literary influences Ian Fleming, Arthur Conan Doyle, Fritz Leiber, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Born in 1959, Salvatore is a native of Massachusetts and resides there with his wife Diane, and their three children, Bryan, Geno, and Caitlin. The family pets include three Japanese Chins, Oliver, Artemis and Ivan, and four cats including Guenhwyvar.
When he isn't writing, Salvatore chases after his three Japanese Chins, takes long walks, hits the gym, and coaches/plays on a fun-league softball team that includes most of his family. His gaming group still meets on Sundays to play.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rasalv...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
May 5, 2017
Loved it when I read it as a kid, loved it when I read it to MY kid.
January 20, 2015
I always "feel" that I should like R.A.Salvatore's work more. I've never really been able to really get into his D&D themed books. As I've always enjoyed D&D greatly that has always seemed odd to me.
I saw this and I picked it up...only realizing I'd read it years ago after I started it.
Look this book (for me of course) only barely gets 4 stars. it's a fun read. I don't grade it as "just 4" because we've all seen the "person from our world find's him/her self in fantasy world theme. I tend to enjoy books built around this theme and just because it's been done before is no big deal. It's always "how it's handled".
Here Gary ends up being pulled over into the realm of "Faerie" or "Fairy" because he happens to "fit the armor" of a legendary hero who's magic spear the Elf "Kelsey" (not his full name but it's what Micky MacMicky the Leprechaun calls him) has made a life vow to have reforged. BUT they need someone who can wear the armor....
The book isn't bad, as a matter of fact as I said it's sort of fun. We get a book that bounces back and forth between humor and action and doesn't do a bad job.
However...
It has 2 problems that wore on me to the point of complete annoyance. One is a continuing joke that gets completely "run into the ground" (as my dad would have said...he was always saying when something got over used or we'd continued to ask about something over and over, "you're running that into the ground!") I'll put it under a spoiler warning in case you don't want to know it before you go in:
Secondly...why do writers continue to write characters who are supposed to be bright but act like idiots? Gary is supposed to have done well in school, he's supposed to be a long time reader of fantasy...yet he's incredibly slow on the uptake and does things that no fan of fantasy would ever do. he misses things no fan of fantasy would ever miss.
It drove me crazy....
Oh well. i get the next from the library as when I read this book I never went on with the next. We'll see how it goes. The library has the next 2. Who knows, maybe I'll try some more of Salvatore's work...from the library of course.
Not a bad book. recommended with the above caveats.
I saw this and I picked it up...only realizing I'd read it years ago after I started it.
Look this book (for me of course) only barely gets 4 stars. it's a fun read. I don't grade it as "just 4" because we've all seen the "person from our world find's him/her self in fantasy world theme. I tend to enjoy books built around this theme and just because it's been done before is no big deal. It's always "how it's handled".
Here Gary ends up being pulled over into the realm of "Faerie" or "Fairy" because he happens to "fit the armor" of a legendary hero who's magic spear the Elf "Kelsey" (not his full name but it's what Micky MacMicky the Leprechaun calls him) has made a life vow to have reforged. BUT they need someone who can wear the armor....
The book isn't bad, as a matter of fact as I said it's sort of fun. We get a book that bounces back and forth between humor and action and doesn't do a bad job.
However...
It has 2 problems that wore on me to the point of complete annoyance. One is a continuing joke that gets completely "run into the ground" (as my dad would have said...he was always saying when something got over used or we'd continued to ask about something over and over, "you're running that into the ground!") I'll put it under a spoiler warning in case you don't want to know it before you go in:
Secondly...why do writers continue to write characters who are supposed to be bright but act like idiots? Gary is supposed to have done well in school, he's supposed to be a long time reader of fantasy...yet he's incredibly slow on the uptake and does things that no fan of fantasy would ever do. he misses things no fan of fantasy would ever miss.
It drove me crazy....
Oh well. i get the next from the library as when I read this book I never went on with the next. We'll see how it goes. The library has the next 2. Who knows, maybe I'll try some more of Salvatore's work...from the library of course.
Not a bad book. recommended with the above caveats.
November 1, 2017
This is one of Salvatore's earliest works and one of his first forays into fantasy not set in the Realms. If you know about Salvatore and his life and what got him into writing then it's pretty obvious that he based Gary on his own early life.
Gary is a bored, broken down, factory worker who happens to love Tolkien. He winds up in the Fairie land because he's the only one who can wear the armor of a long lost hero in order to complete the life quest of an elf who happened to capture a leprechaun. He must capture a dwarf to reforge the lance after beating a dragon in combat to use his fire. Yep - that's the book.
Some of it is quite charming but it's just totally obvious that this is the work of an author who is just learning the craft.
Only recommended for hard core Salvatore fans.
Tom Deitz does takes like this much better with his David Sullivan series of books.
Gary is a bored, broken down, factory worker who happens to love Tolkien. He winds up in the Fairie land because he's the only one who can wear the armor of a long lost hero in order to complete the life quest of an elf who happened to capture a leprechaun. He must capture a dwarf to reforge the lance after beating a dragon in combat to use his fire. Yep - that's the book.
Some of it is quite charming but it's just totally obvious that this is the work of an author who is just learning the craft.
Only recommended for hard core Salvatore fans.
Tom Deitz does takes like this much better with his David Sullivan series of books.
April 23, 2020
Salvatore has written so many fantasy series, that I have missed this one. I discovered it thanks to dumb luck and decided to give it a chance - after all, I love the Drizzt adventures and admire the original Demon Wars trilogy.
I was not disappointed.
This book is the story of a young man, fan of Tolkien, who is suddenly transported to the land of Faerie, where old tales are true. Garry is there not by chance, but because he is kdnapped by a leprechaun, captured by a powerful Elven lord, who dreams of fulfilling his lifequest - reforging an ancient spear. To do that, he needs a spearwielder - a man, who can borrow the ancient armory of the original spearwielder, a mighty hero known as Cedric. Garry is the guy for the job and so he, the leprechaun, who is called Mickey McMickey and the Elven lord who has such a complicated name, that he is called Kelsey by all, begin a mad, mad adventure in which they must capture a dwarf, defeat a fire-breathing dragon and evade a powerful witch, who hates the spear and the threat which it is to her dark power.
Written clearly as a homage to "The Hobbit", "The Woods Out Black" is quite simply a marvellous fantasy book and one in which the author reveals himself to the reader very honestly - it is quite obvious that Garry is modeled on himself. Told with wit and in a brisk pace, this book brought to me the sweet memories of the good old days of fantasy, when heroes were valiant and villains were truly evil and the reader witnessed long and hard journeys trough marvellous lands, met wondrous creatures and awesome monsters and witnessed feats of courage and bonds of unbreakabla friendship. Lovable, lovable book, which reminded my why I had became a fan of R. A. Salvatore many years ago.
I was not disappointed.
This book is the story of a young man, fan of Tolkien, who is suddenly transported to the land of Faerie, where old tales are true. Garry is there not by chance, but because he is kdnapped by a leprechaun, captured by a powerful Elven lord, who dreams of fulfilling his lifequest - reforging an ancient spear. To do that, he needs a spearwielder - a man, who can borrow the ancient armory of the original spearwielder, a mighty hero known as Cedric. Garry is the guy for the job and so he, the leprechaun, who is called Mickey McMickey and the Elven lord who has such a complicated name, that he is called Kelsey by all, begin a mad, mad adventure in which they must capture a dwarf, defeat a fire-breathing dragon and evade a powerful witch, who hates the spear and the threat which it is to her dark power.
Written clearly as a homage to "The Hobbit", "The Woods Out Black" is quite simply a marvellous fantasy book and one in which the author reveals himself to the reader very honestly - it is quite obvious that Garry is modeled on himself. Told with wit and in a brisk pace, this book brought to me the sweet memories of the good old days of fantasy, when heroes were valiant and villains were truly evil and the reader witnessed long and hard journeys trough marvellous lands, met wondrous creatures and awesome monsters and witnessed feats of courage and bonds of unbreakabla friendship. Lovable, lovable book, which reminded my why I had became a fan of R. A. Salvatore many years ago.
September 17, 2014
I vaguely recall reading a book of his ages ago, but I don't remember what it was. I've had this feeling that his work wasn't anything that excited me, but I've run across several references to how good Salvatore is, so I thought I'd give him another shot. Maybe I wasn't remembering correctly & was unfair. Nope.
There wasn't a damsel in distress, but otherwise I don't think I've read a more typical fantasy. It had just about every trope known to the genre. Not bad, but certainly not exciting. In a word, "obvious". The reader was pretty good. I have 2 more in this trilogy & the next one's plot is already obvious.
There wasn't a damsel in distress, but otherwise I don't think I've read a more typical fantasy. It had just about every trope known to the genre. Not bad, but certainly not exciting. In a word, "obvious". The reader was pretty good. I have 2 more in this trilogy & the next one's plot is already obvious.
November 22, 2024
It's like Salvatore spun together Tolkien and Lewis and sprinkled his own magic in it and bam, we are going on an adventure.
March 10, 2025
A fantasy catered to the youthful blue collar and dreamer, so much to the point that the end reflection should have been so obvious, but still came at a surprise. It's meta, magical, and heavily dips into that 80s dark fantasy aesthetic.
February 4, 2021
I will start off with admitting this was a bit hard to pull through as I was past the first quarter and up to the last quarter of the book. It was by no means "bad" - the storytelling was a bit too quick and less descriptive than I have grown used to from others.
I note this as being a Fantasy Author's love letter of Fantasy. It's the classic story of a normal everyday person swept into a fantasy world and going through fantastical things. Done over and over and over, but I liked the turning of some of those things. In light of that - the notations from the Mickey on Tolkien's "The Hobbit" were humorous and fun. A serious plot and goal to root for and be surprised about.
I was sitting on a three star review for most of the book, but the ending and character development really knocked it up to the four. I am looking forward to reading the next in this series
I note this as being a Fantasy Author's love letter of Fantasy. It's the classic story of a normal everyday person swept into a fantasy world and going through fantastical things. Done over and over and over, but I liked the turning of some of those things. In light of that - the notations from the Mickey on Tolkien's "The Hobbit" were humorous and fun. A serious plot and goal to root for and be surprised about.
I was sitting on a three star review for most of the book, but the ending and character development really knocked it up to the four. I am looking forward to reading the next in this series
March 9, 2009
A great little book that is written to tug at the day dreams of fantasy fans everywhere. The book pulls you in and only really lets you go when you are finished.
February 21, 2014
Yet another excellent adventure from the fantasy master author. I love love all the Tolkien references to The Hobbit.
November 29, 2017
Notes of Interest:
I am a huge R.A. Salvatore fan via his Forgotten Realms books with Drizzt Do’Urden. But I never heard of this series until I came across it by accident. I was surprised to find it’s quite old: 1993. But it was on discount, so I decided to see what he would write outside of a familiar setting.
For me, this book brought up the controversial topic of author “brands”. A “brand” for an author or other creative professional is when fans come to expect something specific from the products offered. It’s controversial because marketing gurus say the best way to sell your work is by having a niche. A narrow scope of expertise tells the audience what it can expect from you, and niche fans are more likely to return. Case in point: I’ve read many of Salvatore’s D&D novels in the Forgotten Realms setting, so the reason I purchased this book was because I loved those books.
But creative professionals sometimes feel caged by “branding” their work because it limits their creative expression. The niche market becomes a trap, so that they can’t do anything else because experimental projects in different genres (or whatever) might not fit expectations of established fans.
Anne Rice became famous for writing about vampires. But she has also written about angels, Jesus, and (under a pen name) erotica. She is perhaps unique in that each of her niches has a wide following, depending on which books led that particular subset of readers to become fans. Somehow she manages to handle the broad scope of differing (often opposing) opinions well. But I for one will only ever be interested in her vampire books. I can’t really explain why. It’s not like I have anything against her writing other types of literature. I feel authors should be free to write about whatever they please. But from that spectrum, vampires are the only topic and style that suit me. So that is where my expectations, or reader bias, exists.
J.K. Rowling was a huge success with her Harry Potter series. But her other works have not measured up to the same success, not because the other books aren’t good, but because fans expect more of the same. The world of Harry Potter is Rowling’s brand.
So, this quickly became my dilemma with The Woods Out Back. When R.A. Salvatore is mentioned, the book that comes to mind is Homecoming. It’s one of my all-time favourites, therefore I have come to expect more like that from him. I tried not to let my expectations get in the way of my impressions while reading something completely different, but they intruded anyway. I couldn’t help it.
In the review that follows, I acknowledge my bias and will try to work around it as much as possible. Opinion pieces, which is what all reviews are, will always have a measure of bias shaping those opinions. In this case, I admit brand reared its ugly head, but I am 100% supportive of authors and artists having the freedom to explore different venues with their works. Moving away from a brand might not win over loyal readers from one subset to another, but doing something different can win a whole new subset of readers. And there’s no good reason why an author shouldn’t be allowed to do that, as long as they understand brand expectations can work against new, experimental projects.
What could have made it better for me:
The story starts off well enough with Gary, an average Joe at work in a modern setting, then turns into a portal story. I love portal stories. But because I was expecting characters like Drizzt Do’Urden to come to life in a D&D-type setting, the introduction of a leprechaun, complete with Irish accent and snarky attitude, felt … cartoonish. A more typical D&D-type elf showed up after that. So, of course, I loved him. But then there was a goblin who was a typical “grunt” laboring to please his queen in all the wrong ways. The evil queen dressed in black with her shape-shifting skills, spies, and minions made me think of Snow White’s wicked step-mother. And there was a dumb giant who had a vocabulary of “duh” in between dialog of a little more substance. In other words, what came to mind was every major stereotype for every fantasy archetype.
I do have a good sense of humor, so it’s not a matter of taking the story too seriously. But I think I was expecting a little more in terms of unique character development versus tongue-in-cheek placeholders for archetypes. For example, I loved the idea of a dragon named Robert! How could you not love a dragon with such a mundane moniker following in the footsteps of dragons with such legendary, exotic names like Smaug, Falcor, Draco, and Paarthurnax? But in the end, Robert was a typical, blustery dragon who hates to lose and hoards treasure. Robert had such potential to be something utterly unexpected, but even he was predictable. But it seems that was the goal for this tale: writing about magical creatures using the typical archetypes the way everyone expects them to be.
I think I could have found iconic mascots coming together for a tongue-in-cheek tale like this more enjoyable had I not been expecting the more individual depth and persona that is a given in settings like Forgotten Realms.
What I liked about it:
Since I am a fan of many kinds of fantasy, I don’t dismiss fantasy intended to be taken less seriously. Therefore, in spite of what I said above, seeing a blatantly stereotypical group pursuing a very typical quest actually turned out to be something different. The whole thing had a very tongue-in-cheek approach that made me think of Terry Pratchett’s books, but with more action/adventure and a more subtle humour. Salvatore is a master of writing fight scenes, so the writing itself was bold, vivid, and moved at a good pace through each chapter along the quest.
Gary—the average Joe protagonist—felt very real. His down-to-earth personality becomes spasmastic in a way most people could relate with after having been transported through a fairy portal … being funny, frustrated, frightened, and courageous in all the appropriate places. In my opinion, he was the best developed character of the bunch. And because he is new to magic and myth, his naivety is something I don’t usually get to see in Salvatore’s writings. That would be the major difference between a portal story and a story in which the characters are already expert swordsmen and mages; so it was interesting to see how he handled that difference, and he handled it well.
Technically, the book is a clean and easy read. The plot’s objective and action is straightforward and classic, rather than intentionally complicated with deep, controversial themes or gritty ambiguity. Because of that, it does not have a lot of the dark matter some of his other books do. So, it makes for a lighter read, too. I love both dark, deep literature and fun, light literature, depending on my mood. So, this balanced out the darker, more serious nature of the other book I’m currently reading. Variety is good.
Recommendation:
If you are a fan of Salvatore’s more serious works, go into this one knowing it’s meant to poke fun at fantasy stereotypes. Don’t compare it to his D&D works if at all possible; it should be enjoyed as something completely different. I have not yet decided whether I will be purchasing the rest of the series. I enjoyed it enough that I might return to it. My expectations will be different for the second book after reading the first, so that should help. It’s a good book for anyone wanting a light read about a portal story or a classic hero’s quest.
I am a huge R.A. Salvatore fan via his Forgotten Realms books with Drizzt Do’Urden. But I never heard of this series until I came across it by accident. I was surprised to find it’s quite old: 1993. But it was on discount, so I decided to see what he would write outside of a familiar setting.
For me, this book brought up the controversial topic of author “brands”. A “brand” for an author or other creative professional is when fans come to expect something specific from the products offered. It’s controversial because marketing gurus say the best way to sell your work is by having a niche. A narrow scope of expertise tells the audience what it can expect from you, and niche fans are more likely to return. Case in point: I’ve read many of Salvatore’s D&D novels in the Forgotten Realms setting, so the reason I purchased this book was because I loved those books.
But creative professionals sometimes feel caged by “branding” their work because it limits their creative expression. The niche market becomes a trap, so that they can’t do anything else because experimental projects in different genres (or whatever) might not fit expectations of established fans.
Anne Rice became famous for writing about vampires. But she has also written about angels, Jesus, and (under a pen name) erotica. She is perhaps unique in that each of her niches has a wide following, depending on which books led that particular subset of readers to become fans. Somehow she manages to handle the broad scope of differing (often opposing) opinions well. But I for one will only ever be interested in her vampire books. I can’t really explain why. It’s not like I have anything against her writing other types of literature. I feel authors should be free to write about whatever they please. But from that spectrum, vampires are the only topic and style that suit me. So that is where my expectations, or reader bias, exists.
J.K. Rowling was a huge success with her Harry Potter series. But her other works have not measured up to the same success, not because the other books aren’t good, but because fans expect more of the same. The world of Harry Potter is Rowling’s brand.
So, this quickly became my dilemma with The Woods Out Back. When R.A. Salvatore is mentioned, the book that comes to mind is Homecoming. It’s one of my all-time favourites, therefore I have come to expect more like that from him. I tried not to let my expectations get in the way of my impressions while reading something completely different, but they intruded anyway. I couldn’t help it.
In the review that follows, I acknowledge my bias and will try to work around it as much as possible. Opinion pieces, which is what all reviews are, will always have a measure of bias shaping those opinions. In this case, I admit brand reared its ugly head, but I am 100% supportive of authors and artists having the freedom to explore different venues with their works. Moving away from a brand might not win over loyal readers from one subset to another, but doing something different can win a whole new subset of readers. And there’s no good reason why an author shouldn’t be allowed to do that, as long as they understand brand expectations can work against new, experimental projects.
What could have made it better for me:
The story starts off well enough with Gary, an average Joe at work in a modern setting, then turns into a portal story. I love portal stories. But because I was expecting characters like Drizzt Do’Urden to come to life in a D&D-type setting, the introduction of a leprechaun, complete with Irish accent and snarky attitude, felt … cartoonish. A more typical D&D-type elf showed up after that. So, of course, I loved him. But then there was a goblin who was a typical “grunt” laboring to please his queen in all the wrong ways. The evil queen dressed in black with her shape-shifting skills, spies, and minions made me think of Snow White’s wicked step-mother. And there was a dumb giant who had a vocabulary of “duh” in between dialog of a little more substance. In other words, what came to mind was every major stereotype for every fantasy archetype.
I do have a good sense of humor, so it’s not a matter of taking the story too seriously. But I think I was expecting a little more in terms of unique character development versus tongue-in-cheek placeholders for archetypes. For example, I loved the idea of a dragon named Robert! How could you not love a dragon with such a mundane moniker following in the footsteps of dragons with such legendary, exotic names like Smaug, Falcor, Draco, and Paarthurnax? But in the end, Robert was a typical, blustery dragon who hates to lose and hoards treasure. Robert had such potential to be something utterly unexpected, but even he was predictable. But it seems that was the goal for this tale: writing about magical creatures using the typical archetypes the way everyone expects them to be.
I think I could have found iconic mascots coming together for a tongue-in-cheek tale like this more enjoyable had I not been expecting the more individual depth and persona that is a given in settings like Forgotten Realms.
What I liked about it:
Since I am a fan of many kinds of fantasy, I don’t dismiss fantasy intended to be taken less seriously. Therefore, in spite of what I said above, seeing a blatantly stereotypical group pursuing a very typical quest actually turned out to be something different. The whole thing had a very tongue-in-cheek approach that made me think of Terry Pratchett’s books, but with more action/adventure and a more subtle humour. Salvatore is a master of writing fight scenes, so the writing itself was bold, vivid, and moved at a good pace through each chapter along the quest.
Gary—the average Joe protagonist—felt very real. His down-to-earth personality becomes spasmastic in a way most people could relate with after having been transported through a fairy portal … being funny, frustrated, frightened, and courageous in all the appropriate places. In my opinion, he was the best developed character of the bunch. And because he is new to magic and myth, his naivety is something I don’t usually get to see in Salvatore’s writings. That would be the major difference between a portal story and a story in which the characters are already expert swordsmen and mages; so it was interesting to see how he handled that difference, and he handled it well.
Technically, the book is a clean and easy read. The plot’s objective and action is straightforward and classic, rather than intentionally complicated with deep, controversial themes or gritty ambiguity. Because of that, it does not have a lot of the dark matter some of his other books do. So, it makes for a lighter read, too. I love both dark, deep literature and fun, light literature, depending on my mood. So, this balanced out the darker, more serious nature of the other book I’m currently reading. Variety is good.
Recommendation:
If you are a fan of Salvatore’s more serious works, go into this one knowing it’s meant to poke fun at fantasy stereotypes. Don’t compare it to his D&D works if at all possible; it should be enjoyed as something completely different. I have not yet decided whether I will be purchasing the rest of the series. I enjoyed it enough that I might return to it. My expectations will be different for the second book after reading the first, so that should help. It’s a good book for anyone wanting a light read about a portal story or a classic hero’s quest.
July 20, 2022
Solid, Pure, Somewhat Predictable
This book has lots of the classic fantasy elements, Elves, Faeries, Dwarves, Giants, Castles, Witches, Magic weapons, etc. They are well assembled with a few surprises. The reluctant hero is drawn into this world by a magical process he has no control over, selected purely because he has the physique to fit in a legendary suit of armor. He is pulled out of a dreary sad existence into a magical realm.
There is an overarching quest driven by an elf with an overlong and flowery name. There is an illusionist leprechaun who provides some comic relief, and is sometimes surprisingly effective. One of their first tasks is to recruit a dwarf who is surly of course, but also has surprising talents and develops loyalty to the group over time.
The visit the human ruler, obviously corrupted somehow. They use trickery to gain the broken magic spear, and suit of armor that goes along with it. This seems almost too easy, but maybe it is not that important.
The get captured by a witch, allowing them to befriend a giant, who. helps them escape and joins their party. Throughout the human slowly develops his confidence and shows some value although he isn't the great fighter the elf is. His empathy towards the giant is key to their ongoing success.
They journey together to a mountain hideaway, sneak in, and use trickery to convince or compel and ueber-powerful dragon into aiding them, using his fiery breath to reforge the spear. They battle numerous enemies and are sometimes down but never out.
The human recruit Gary Leger is surprisingly willing to return to his normal existence, and is sent back.
This book has lots of the classic fantasy elements, Elves, Faeries, Dwarves, Giants, Castles, Witches, Magic weapons, etc. They are well assembled with a few surprises. The reluctant hero is drawn into this world by a magical process he has no control over, selected purely because he has the physique to fit in a legendary suit of armor. He is pulled out of a dreary sad existence into a magical realm.
There is an overarching quest driven by an elf with an overlong and flowery name. There is an illusionist leprechaun who provides some comic relief, and is sometimes surprisingly effective. One of their first tasks is to recruit a dwarf who is surly of course, but also has surprising talents and develops loyalty to the group over time.
The visit the human ruler, obviously corrupted somehow. They use trickery to gain the broken magic spear, and suit of armor that goes along with it. This seems almost too easy, but maybe it is not that important.
The get captured by a witch, allowing them to befriend a giant, who. helps them escape and joins their party. Throughout the human slowly develops his confidence and shows some value although he isn't the great fighter the elf is. His empathy towards the giant is key to their ongoing success.
They journey together to a mountain hideaway, sneak in, and use trickery to convince or compel and ueber-powerful dragon into aiding them, using his fiery breath to reforge the spear. They battle numerous enemies and are sometimes down but never out.
The human recruit Gary Leger is surprisingly willing to return to his normal existence, and is sent back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2016
The Woods Out Back is a beautifully told fantasy novel, and the first in a trilogy by R. A. Salvatore which follows the story of Gary Leger, a normal guy from our reality who has a dead-end job and is basically watching his life pass him by. That is, until he walks into the woods behind his house one day and finds himself travelling to a land called Faerie, where sword and sorcery rules the day. The only problem is, they need Gary’s help, and if he’s not successful in his mission, he can’t go back.
Throughout the book, we see the consequences of this – Gary isn’t exactly a skinny guy, and he does have a bit of muscle, but he doesn’t have any of the technique that you need to survive a real battle. Luckily, he’s joined by a bunch of friends along the way, including a leprechaun and an elf with a name that I can’t spell.
I first discovered this book as a kid – it was part of my dad’s collection. I re-read it over and over again, and I loved it – it might not be for everyone, but for a straight-out piece of fantasy escapism, you can’t fault it. It might not ask any big questions, but it does make you feel as though this is something that could happen to you. Perhaps you should take long walks through the woods, just in case you find yourself in Faerie. And the coolest thing of all is that even if you’re gone for several months, relatively little time will have passed by the time you get back.
Throughout the book, we see the consequences of this – Gary isn’t exactly a skinny guy, and he does have a bit of muscle, but he doesn’t have any of the technique that you need to survive a real battle. Luckily, he’s joined by a bunch of friends along the way, including a leprechaun and an elf with a name that I can’t spell.
I first discovered this book as a kid – it was part of my dad’s collection. I re-read it over and over again, and I loved it – it might not be for everyone, but for a straight-out piece of fantasy escapism, you can’t fault it. It might not ask any big questions, but it does make you feel as though this is something that could happen to you. Perhaps you should take long walks through the woods, just in case you find yourself in Faerie. And the coolest thing of all is that even if you’re gone for several months, relatively little time will have passed by the time you get back.
April 1, 2012
First off, Great Book! However, it was a bit hard to read in places. Some of the sentences seemed overly long and tried to describe too many things at one time. There were also quite a few spelling errors in my copy, (The combined Trilogy, 'Spearweilder's Tale'), and in a few places it was obvious they had used the wrong word entirely. (Ex. It read, "They dropped open their MONTHS," as opposed to, "They dropped open their MOUTHS,") though I find that not the fault of Mr. Salvatore, but a fault in the final editing process. Those small details aside, I LOVE the book. Original storyline, characters, and rituals. Spectacular fight scenes and humorous dialogue. R.A. Salvatore has put a new twist on the well loved Medieval Fantasy genre, and given me a new favorite author. Thanks to the smooth cliffhanger at the end of 'The Woods Out Back', I will begin reading it's sequel, 'The Dragon's Dagger' in haste. Well done Mr. Salvatore, keeping the genre alive and thriving.
May 4, 2011
This is not the first Salvatore novel that I read, but it remains one of my all-time favorites. Although it did become a trilogy (some of which was hard to find in print, but worth the efforts) it does work exceptionally well as a stand-alone book. There is a built-in reference to The Hobbit (the favorite book of the main character) and it is not a bad comparison. A fantasy adventure story that touches on many of the tried and true motifs. This is a story of coming to terms with who you are. With realizing potential. With becoming one with yourself and your world. There is action, friendship, heroics, and villany. It is a fun read. It is a quick read. And it is a story I revisit again and again. I would recommend this story to anyone.
February 28, 2009
This is one of the earlier works of Salvatore and was a really good read. I could see all of the influences of Salvatore in this book and imagine that he modeled the main character, Gary Leger, after himself. Tolkein's "The Hobbit" is mentioned throughout the book and accompanies Gary on his journey. Salvatore has said that "The Hobbit" is his favorite book. Anyways, a very enjoyable and quick read.
January 15, 2018
This book is great. Salvatore is a great story teller. The influence of Tolkien is evident in this book with our hero reading The Hobbit and sharing it with someone that turns into a companion along the way. I recommend this book to anyone that is a fan of Tolkien.
October 31, 2018
Lost book found
I have been searching for this book for years! It stuck in my head, but i am not good with names and I could not remember the name or who wrote it. I am thrilled i finally found it and that it lived up to my memories!
I have been searching for this book for years! It stuck in my head, but i am not good with names and I could not remember the name or who wrote it. I am thrilled i finally found it and that it lived up to my memories!
May 25, 2019
A little light hearted
Light and fast paced but it is different then the Realm series I love so much The younger set will like this as it is a lot easier to follow The lead”Gary’ is no Drizzet but is believable in this series
Light and fast paced but it is different then the Realm series I love so much The younger set will like this as it is a lot easier to follow The lead”Gary’ is no Drizzet but is believable in this series
July 2, 2022
A quick and light hearted tale
A quick and light hearted tale.
It reminded me of the lion the witch and the wardrobe. I can't wait to see what shenanigans the group get themselves into!
A quick and light hearted tale.
It reminded me of the lion the witch and the wardrobe. I can't wait to see what shenanigans the group get themselves into!
July 15, 2012
Crawl in this book & live there
September 26, 2018
Excellent
A captivating adventure full of action, humor, and characters you love. Everything I expect out of this author. Can’t wait to read the next book.
A captivating adventure full of action, humor, and characters you love. Everything I expect out of this author. Can’t wait to read the next book.
January 20, 2021
An amazing effort from Mr. Salvatore.
I had read the 2nd book and was already hooked and now that I've read the 1st book it set the hook deeper.
I had read the 2nd book and was already hooked and now that I've read the 1st book it set the hook deeper.
May 25, 2022
Always a Pleasure
Mr Salvatore never ever dissappoints ! Always great things from a master! Thank you for this awesome piece of wonderfulness.
Mr Salvatore never ever dissappoints ! Always great things from a master! Thank you for this awesome piece of wonderfulness.
November 28, 2022
Worth 5 stars for the characters of Mickey and Tommy alone. Delightful tale.
June 21, 2023
Outstanding!
July 15, 2022
It’s been a while since I’ve read any RA Salvatore. I devoured at least the first dozen or so Drizzt novels back in high school, as well as another dozen spinoffs and books set in his own worlds. And I had a lot of fun rereading the first Drizzt trilogy back in high school. In other words, I remember him being pretty good. But unfortunately The Woods Out Back isn’t.
It’s got a good premise. Gary is a recent college grad who’s working in a plastic factory grinding up scraps as a way to make ends meet. He’s trying to figure out what to do with his life, something I definitely find relatable, and the same is true of his love of fantasy fiction - though I definitely prefer Lord of the Rings over The Hobbit. One evening he’s reading in the stand of woods near his house when he gets kidnapped by faeries and taken to a fantasy world.
In a nice subversion, though, Gary isn’t exactly a prophesied hero or anything. He’s not here to save the world. No, he’s just the first guy they could find who’s the right size to wear the armor of the real legendary hero who died 300 years ago, because somebody needs to wear that armor as part of the process of reforging the hero’s magical spear. The faeries who took him were operating on the orders of a leprechaun who just wanted the job done so he could get out of a debt, hence going with the first guy they could find.
But once Gary gets into the fantasy world, things turn into a pretty standard quest narrative. He meets the leprechaun with the slightly silly name Mickey McMickey, along with the elf who’s actually running the quest. Along the way they manage to pick up a dwarf and a giant, but Mickey is the highlight of the protagonists. He’s got the most personality, the most interesting abilities with his illusion magic, and how often do you see a leprechaun in a bog standard fantasy quest?
The actual quest is a pretty straightforward gather some equipment and people and then beat up a dragon so they can use his flame to reforge the spear type of deal. It’s not bad so much as worn out. There’s not too much that’s new here, and there are some old things that bug me. Elves and dwarves of course don’t get along, and the goblins are there just to be mowed down when they’re not providing light comic relief. And the only woman in the quest is the villain. She’s sort of interesting, but it’s disappointing that a fantasy novel published in the early 90s can’t manage to have even one heroine. I also found the setting to be kind of a let down. It’s developed just enough for the plot to work, but the presence of things like leprechauns and the mentions of fairy tales coming from people who’ve visited this world before lead me to think there’d be more of a fairy tale bent rather than a straightforward generic fantasy. Sadly, it’s just pretty generic fantasy.
This is definitely one of Salvatore’s weaker books, and while on the one hand it did come relatively early in his career, the Drizzt stuff was his first published works and I enjoyed those. Of course, I read them half a lifetime ago so it’s hard to know if they hold up (though I may well do a reread one of these days). I will finish this trilogy, partly because I’ve got it in omnibus form, and partly because I don’t mind generic fantasy - I just wish this had been better quality generic fantasy.
It’s got a good premise. Gary is a recent college grad who’s working in a plastic factory grinding up scraps as a way to make ends meet. He’s trying to figure out what to do with his life, something I definitely find relatable, and the same is true of his love of fantasy fiction - though I definitely prefer Lord of the Rings over The Hobbit. One evening he’s reading in the stand of woods near his house when he gets kidnapped by faeries and taken to a fantasy world.
In a nice subversion, though, Gary isn’t exactly a prophesied hero or anything. He’s not here to save the world. No, he’s just the first guy they could find who’s the right size to wear the armor of the real legendary hero who died 300 years ago, because somebody needs to wear that armor as part of the process of reforging the hero’s magical spear. The faeries who took him were operating on the orders of a leprechaun who just wanted the job done so he could get out of a debt, hence going with the first guy they could find.
But once Gary gets into the fantasy world, things turn into a pretty standard quest narrative. He meets the leprechaun with the slightly silly name Mickey McMickey, along with the elf who’s actually running the quest. Along the way they manage to pick up a dwarf and a giant, but Mickey is the highlight of the protagonists. He’s got the most personality, the most interesting abilities with his illusion magic, and how often do you see a leprechaun in a bog standard fantasy quest?
The actual quest is a pretty straightforward gather some equipment and people and then beat up a dragon so they can use his flame to reforge the spear type of deal. It’s not bad so much as worn out. There’s not too much that’s new here, and there are some old things that bug me. Elves and dwarves of course don’t get along, and the goblins are there just to be mowed down when they’re not providing light comic relief. And the only woman in the quest is the villain. She’s sort of interesting, but it’s disappointing that a fantasy novel published in the early 90s can’t manage to have even one heroine. I also found the setting to be kind of a let down. It’s developed just enough for the plot to work, but the presence of things like leprechauns and the mentions of fairy tales coming from people who’ve visited this world before lead me to think there’d be more of a fairy tale bent rather than a straightforward generic fantasy. Sadly, it’s just pretty generic fantasy.
This is definitely one of Salvatore’s weaker books, and while on the one hand it did come relatively early in his career, the Drizzt stuff was his first published works and I enjoyed those. Of course, I read them half a lifetime ago so it’s hard to know if they hold up (though I may well do a reread one of these days). I will finish this trilogy, partly because I’ve got it in omnibus form, and partly because I don’t mind generic fantasy - I just wish this had been better quality generic fantasy.
November 3, 2016
Short Summation
Gary’s a factory worker with a college degree. It’s the bad economy, you see? In the world of Faerie, meanwhile, they need a dude that fits this historical armor. (Guess what size Gary is.) Gotta have such a person so he can hold the old dead king’s broken spear while a dragon breaths on it. This is how you fix an old dead king’s magical spear when it’s been broken for many a year, according to prophecy.
Dude, I don’t even know. I mean, I read it in a day, which is a tad outlandish for me with a book of this length, so that’s saying something. It got me to thinking, though, that here is a man that has found his niche.
Once the leprechaun (yes, the leprechaun) gets Gary over to Faerie (yes, Faerie), the elf comes to collect him. This quest to re-forge this spear is the elf’s “life quest” so he’s rather serious about it. I think that’s why I like him so much. You have this serious elf in charge, with a tricksy leprechaun he’s trapped into service to the cause and Gary, who’s still trying to wake up.
I like that the elf's name is Kelsenellenelvial, yet we get to admit that’s completely absurd because Salvatore calls him Kelsey in the text—a name Mickey the leprechaun gives him that the elf does not appreciate, but tolerates. I can imagine him seething at the fact that his name is shortened in the whole text, yet having to admit it's the best way for readers. (And just to show how sad my affection for the elf is, I didn't have to look up the spelling of his full name up there.)
This is so straight fantasy “we have a quest and it has steps and there’s an enemy putting obstacles in our way the whole time” that it’s not even funny. The highlights are the character interactions, for me. I mean, Mickey and Kelsey don’t get along—Kelsey had to catch Mickey in order to get him to help. Gary and Kelsey don’t get along, since it’s Kelsey’s doing that Gary’s here and because well, Kelsey’s pretty much a snot the whole time. (Can’t help it—I like snotty good guy characters.) Gary and Mickey get on pretty well, though. Hey, it’d get boring fast if nobody liked one another.
They set off with armor and broken spear to snag themselves a dwarf to do the forging once they get everything to the dragon. The dwarf adds another element to the group that glues my eyes to the text. By all accounts, this foursome should all hate one another, but you can see them becoming friends as they go along. I’m such a sucker for that sort of thing.
I suppose I should mention that the land is on the downward slope to hell—everybody’s poor and the current king is a puppet of this evil “raven-haired (honestly, why?)” witch. That witch, by the way is the one that keeps trying to stop them. And that’s because having this armor and spear back in action brings up thoughts of that long dead king that wore them. Apparently, he’s an avatar of hope since his reign brought all manner of creatures together in alliance.
There, got all that? Now, let’s talk about all the reasons I shouldn’t have liked this book.
Okay, first off, they’re on this long journey, but I have no idea how these people feed themselves. They take pretty much nothing in the way of supplies and they never get to stop in a town anywhere. At one point, they’re even stuck on this island and I really have no idea how they didn’t starve or die of thirst. (The water was as acid to them, as per witchy woman’s spell.)
Next, Gary constantly sleeps in this armor. For real, yo. Can you really get used to sleeping in armor? I think not, though I admit, I’ve never tried. Heh. Suddenly I have an urge to do it, though. Anybody got a set of armor?
The dead king’s helmet is too big for Gary. It constantly twirls around his head so that the eye slits are off-kilter and Gary can’t see. Now, the spear is sentient and gives Gary some subconscious fighting lessons so that Gary can use the mundane spear he carries along with the broken magical one. Yeah, it’s a tad cheesy, but it’d be boring if Gary didn’t get to have any skills at all and had to spend every fight crying like a little girl and ducking under the nearest rock.
Oh, but I was griping about the helmet. Just sitting here, I can think of at least three ways to keep a damn helmet tight around my head—and my life doesn’t depend on it. I mean, wrap a towel around your head, Gary. And, is there no chinstrap or freakin’ anything in that helmet? Stupid.
As for the writing, Salvatore makes me cringe with his affinity for exclamation points. They take a perfectly fine line and make it cheesy! He also uses parenthesis a lot for “by the way” remarks. Hush about my parenthesis in this review. Here’s an example that shows both of Salvatore's tricks:
The behemoth, by the way, is a giant that joins the tale as well.
Now that I’ve gone through all that, let me say that I actually did enjoy the spear talking to Gary now and then. I did enjoy the stereotypical aloof elf, bumbling human, trickster leprechaun, surly dwarf and dumb-but-loveable giant as a party. Yeah, I hate myself for saying it. But damn it, I liked it.
I don’t know, this all got me to really thinking about revises and such whatnot. I mean, Salvatore would have gotten all kinds of reviews telling him he needed to clear up the “Where the hell does their food come from?” question. But I can tell you right now, had he went into that, Mike and his friends would have thought it was boring and would have asked, “Who cares about that shit? Get to the fight scenes!”
What I’m going to say next, I’m going to make short in the hopes of avoiding a rant. Yes, it sounds like Salvatore “knows his audience.” Really, though, I think it’s more that he writes this way and lucked out that there was a group of people out there that really goes for his style.
All right, so I did enjoy this book despite the template fantasy plot and the cheesy writing here and there. It’s all about the character interaction for me. I will be reading the other two books, but I can tell you right now I’m already disappointed in the first sixty or so pages of the next one. Maybe it’ll get better. Or maybe I’ll take a break from it to read the second Harry Potty book or one of the other three loaned books I have in my possession.
Gary’s a factory worker with a college degree. It’s the bad economy, you see? In the world of Faerie, meanwhile, they need a dude that fits this historical armor. (Guess what size Gary is.) Gotta have such a person so he can hold the old dead king’s broken spear while a dragon breaths on it. This is how you fix an old dead king’s magical spear when it’s been broken for many a year, according to prophecy.
Dude, I don’t even know. I mean, I read it in a day, which is a tad outlandish for me with a book of this length, so that’s saying something. It got me to thinking, though, that here is a man that has found his niche.
Once the leprechaun (yes, the leprechaun) gets Gary over to Faerie (yes, Faerie), the elf comes to collect him. This quest to re-forge this spear is the elf’s “life quest” so he’s rather serious about it. I think that’s why I like him so much. You have this serious elf in charge, with a tricksy leprechaun he’s trapped into service to the cause and Gary, who’s still trying to wake up.
I like that the elf's name is Kelsenellenelvial, yet we get to admit that’s completely absurd because Salvatore calls him Kelsey in the text—a name Mickey the leprechaun gives him that the elf does not appreciate, but tolerates. I can imagine him seething at the fact that his name is shortened in the whole text, yet having to admit it's the best way for readers. (And just to show how sad my affection for the elf is, I didn't have to look up the spelling of his full name up there.)
This is so straight fantasy “we have a quest and it has steps and there’s an enemy putting obstacles in our way the whole time” that it’s not even funny. The highlights are the character interactions, for me. I mean, Mickey and Kelsey don’t get along—Kelsey had to catch Mickey in order to get him to help. Gary and Kelsey don’t get along, since it’s Kelsey’s doing that Gary’s here and because well, Kelsey’s pretty much a snot the whole time. (Can’t help it—I like snotty good guy characters.) Gary and Mickey get on pretty well, though. Hey, it’d get boring fast if nobody liked one another.
They set off with armor and broken spear to snag themselves a dwarf to do the forging once they get everything to the dragon. The dwarf adds another element to the group that glues my eyes to the text. By all accounts, this foursome should all hate one another, but you can see them becoming friends as they go along. I’m such a sucker for that sort of thing.
I suppose I should mention that the land is on the downward slope to hell—everybody’s poor and the current king is a puppet of this evil “raven-haired (honestly, why?)” witch. That witch, by the way is the one that keeps trying to stop them. And that’s because having this armor and spear back in action brings up thoughts of that long dead king that wore them. Apparently, he’s an avatar of hope since his reign brought all manner of creatures together in alliance.
There, got all that? Now, let’s talk about all the reasons I shouldn’t have liked this book.
Okay, first off, they’re on this long journey, but I have no idea how these people feed themselves. They take pretty much nothing in the way of supplies and they never get to stop in a town anywhere. At one point, they’re even stuck on this island and I really have no idea how they didn’t starve or die of thirst. (The water was as acid to them, as per witchy woman’s spell.)
Next, Gary constantly sleeps in this armor. For real, yo. Can you really get used to sleeping in armor? I think not, though I admit, I’ve never tried. Heh. Suddenly I have an urge to do it, though. Anybody got a set of armor?
The dead king’s helmet is too big for Gary. It constantly twirls around his head so that the eye slits are off-kilter and Gary can’t see. Now, the spear is sentient and gives Gary some subconscious fighting lessons so that Gary can use the mundane spear he carries along with the broken magical one. Yeah, it’s a tad cheesy, but it’d be boring if Gary didn’t get to have any skills at all and had to spend every fight crying like a little girl and ducking under the nearest rock.
Oh, but I was griping about the helmet. Just sitting here, I can think of at least three ways to keep a damn helmet tight around my head—and my life doesn’t depend on it. I mean, wrap a towel around your head, Gary. And, is there no chinstrap or freakin’ anything in that helmet? Stupid.
As for the writing, Salvatore makes me cringe with his affinity for exclamation points. They take a perfectly fine line and make it cheesy! He also uses parenthesis a lot for “by the way” remarks. Hush about my parenthesis in this review. Here’s an example that shows both of Salvatore's tricks:
He knew it was only a matter of time before the behemoth looked his way, and he felt naked indeed out on the rocks without his spear and armor (though he didn’t know what good the puny weapon, dwarven-forged or not, would do against the likes of this monster!).
The behemoth, by the way, is a giant that joins the tale as well.
Now that I’ve gone through all that, let me say that I actually did enjoy the spear talking to Gary now and then. I did enjoy the stereotypical aloof elf, bumbling human, trickster leprechaun, surly dwarf and dumb-but-loveable giant as a party. Yeah, I hate myself for saying it. But damn it, I liked it.
I don’t know, this all got me to really thinking about revises and such whatnot. I mean, Salvatore would have gotten all kinds of reviews telling him he needed to clear up the “Where the hell does their food come from?” question. But I can tell you right now, had he went into that, Mike and his friends would have thought it was boring and would have asked, “Who cares about that shit? Get to the fight scenes!”
What I’m going to say next, I’m going to make short in the hopes of avoiding a rant. Yes, it sounds like Salvatore “knows his audience.” Really, though, I think it’s more that he writes this way and lucked out that there was a group of people out there that really goes for his style.
All right, so I did enjoy this book despite the template fantasy plot and the cheesy writing here and there. It’s all about the character interaction for me. I will be reading the other two books, but I can tell you right now I’m already disappointed in the first sixty or so pages of the next one. Maybe it’ll get better. Or maybe I’ll take a break from it to read the second Harry Potty book or one of the other three loaned books I have in my possession.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2024
Good ol' adventure fantasy.
I know Salvatore is known for his Drizzt series, but I have not had the pleasure of reading that series aside from the 1st book. It was great, but it's a daunting series to start at this point. However, I read his Crimson Cloak series, and though that series also started out strong it became more of a fantasy military series focused on large scale wars, and revolution. Good, but not what I was expecting.
Here we have another of Salvatore's non-Drizzt series, and Its good. Simple, and straight forward; it's definitely a love letter of sorts to the old school fantasy like The Hobbit. We have the MC getting transported to a fantasy world, and sucked into a big quest to reforge a spear. We have good action scenes, but unlike some other authors the action does not feel like it's dominating the story to the point of annoyance. Lots of fantastical creatures, and settings with a steady build up to the final chapters.
I'm glad to know this is a trilogy, as the ending of this book almost feels like it could have worked as a standalone. However that feeling could also mean that the 2nd, and 3rd book might feel redundant, or not needed. I bought all 3 on sale, so I'm going to read the whole series anyways, but let's hope it keeps up the same formula [epic adventure], and does NOT follow the same path as the aforementioned Crimson Cloak series.
I know Salvatore is known for his Drizzt series, but I have not had the pleasure of reading that series aside from the 1st book. It was great, but it's a daunting series to start at this point. However, I read his Crimson Cloak series, and though that series also started out strong it became more of a fantasy military series focused on large scale wars, and revolution. Good, but not what I was expecting.
Here we have another of Salvatore's non-Drizzt series, and Its good. Simple, and straight forward; it's definitely a love letter of sorts to the old school fantasy like The Hobbit. We have the MC getting transported to a fantasy world, and sucked into a big quest to reforge a spear. We have good action scenes, but unlike some other authors the action does not feel like it's dominating the story to the point of annoyance. Lots of fantastical creatures, and settings with a steady build up to the final chapters.
I'm glad to know this is a trilogy, as the ending of this book almost feels like it could have worked as a standalone. However that feeling could also mean that the 2nd, and 3rd book might feel redundant, or not needed. I bought all 3 on sale, so I'm going to read the whole series anyways, but let's hope it keeps up the same formula [epic adventure], and does NOT follow the same path as the aforementioned Crimson Cloak series.
July 3, 2019
What do you get when a dwarf, an elf, a leprechaun, and a giant pull a man into an adventure to retrieve a magical spear an re-forge a mythical sword. Magic spear and sword in hand the dragon and the witch dispatched the fairies and the pixies celebrating You get a pretty fair beginning to a writing career.
R. A. Salvatore has always been on my radar of authors to read, his story focuses on a man who is stuck in a life it seems he is unhappy with. After being pulled as if in a dream into the woods outback he regains his lust for life and something to live for. Chiefly being to get home throughout the entire story only to change his mind at the end. At the end he would choose to stay in the woods with friend. But like all dreams some come true and some don't.
It does seem Salvatore left us with a coming adventure to retrieve treasure from a wicked worm.
I love this story it easily approachable to those not hardcore fantasy readers like myself. I would rate it higher but the were some parts I felt were unfocused. I would like to have more of who Gary really was. And to have his companions more developed. But then that would have made this a longer book and perhaps less approachable.
Either way read it for good times.
R. A. Salvatore has always been on my radar of authors to read, his story focuses on a man who is stuck in a life it seems he is unhappy with. After being pulled as if in a dream into the woods outback he regains his lust for life and something to live for. Chiefly being to get home throughout the entire story only to change his mind at the end. At the end he would choose to stay in the woods with friend. But like all dreams some come true and some don't.
It does seem Salvatore left us with a coming adventure to retrieve treasure from a wicked worm.
I love this story it easily approachable to those not hardcore fantasy readers like myself. I would rate it higher but the were some parts I felt were unfocused. I would like to have more of who Gary really was. And to have his companions more developed. But then that would have made this a longer book and perhaps less approachable.
Either way read it for good times.
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