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The Chronicles of Ynis Aielle #1
Echoes of the Fourth Magic
The extraordinary beginning of an epic series brimming with the unbridled action, adventure, and imagination that have made the name R. A. Salvatore synonymous with the best in fantasy!
Jeff "Del" DelGuidice was proud of his assignment to the research submarine The Unicorn. But his mission had barely begun when the vessel was sucked into a mysterious underseas void where time stood still, before propelling it forward, through the centuries. The crew surfaced in a strange, magical world changed forever by nuclear holocaust. Here a race of angelic beings had taken pity on the remnants of humankind, offering a chosen few a precious second chance.
Thus the Isle of Hope was raised from the poisoned seas and set like a jewel in Earth's ravaged crown. But the jewel had a flaw, a dark vein of evil. For a sinister expert of the mystical arts had embraced the forbidden third magic, the most deadly sorcery of all. Only Del could defeat it--a hero sworn to peace and fated to wield the dazzling power of the fourth magic. . .
Jeff "Del" DelGuidice was proud of his assignment to the research submarine The Unicorn. But his mission had barely begun when the vessel was sucked into a mysterious underseas void where time stood still, before propelling it forward, through the centuries. The crew surfaced in a strange, magical world changed forever by nuclear holocaust. Here a race of angelic beings had taken pity on the remnants of humankind, offering a chosen few a precious second chance.
Thus the Isle of Hope was raised from the poisoned seas and set like a jewel in Earth's ravaged crown. But the jewel had a flaw, a dark vein of evil. For a sinister expert of the mystical arts had embraced the forbidden third magic, the most deadly sorcery of all. Only Del could defeat it--a hero sworn to peace and fated to wield the dazzling power of the fourth magic. . .
329 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
106 people are currently reading
1122 people want to read
About the author
R.A. Salvatore
560 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 41 reviews
March 15, 2020
This was the first book ever written by Salvatore (although not the first published) and for a story what we've got is a submarine crew in present day that pops through a time wave into the far distant future after the world has been destroyed by a war/bombs/etc. and magic has taken over.
We've got some decent characters and a decent plot but it reads like the cliff notes version of a novel - you get the high points but none of the depth that make a great novel great. I don't hold it against him as he has written some of my favorite books of all time and he has turned into an amazing writer BUT this is his first and it shows.
I'm glad I read it and will at some point finish the series (I am a completionist after all) but would only recommend this for people who want to say they've read everything by him because there are much better series by Salvatore that you should really read first.
We've got some decent characters and a decent plot but it reads like the cliff notes version of a novel - you get the high points but none of the depth that make a great novel great. I don't hold it against him as he has written some of my favorite books of all time and he has turned into an amazing writer BUT this is his first and it shows.
I'm glad I read it and will at some point finish the series (I am a completionist after all) but would only recommend this for people who want to say they've read everything by him because there are much better series by Salvatore that you should really read first.
May 6, 2010
This is Salvatore's first novel, which he wrote long hand in 1982, but which was not published until 1990 (I know this because my copy is signed by the author).
Salvatore has gone on to have a lot of huge hits with his Drizzt series, but even in this early novel, one can see his flair for fantasy, in that seeming archtype story of modern man who becomes a hero in a fantasy world.
Salvatore has gone on to have a lot of huge hits with his Drizzt series, but even in this early novel, one can see his flair for fantasy, in that seeming archtype story of modern man who becomes a hero in a fantasy world.
June 29, 2023
A little left to the imagination and a little just left, but another world I enjoy. Not a bad first book.
February 8, 2017
First in Salavtore's Ynis Aielle trilogy, one of his earlier works, and a fantastic read!
At first I was skeptical of it, seemed a little too sci-fi for my tastes, but wound up really good.
A submarine team going through the Bermuda Triangle gets sucked into a pocket of suspended time, and when they re emerge, they find that twelve centuries have past.
World War 3 has come and gone, changing the face of the landscape they once knew. Humanity had essentially been wiped out and had been slowly rebuilding themselves alongside two 'mutated' human races that had cropped up in the passage of time: Goblins and Elves essentially.
Four wizards arose from the first generation of survivors, charged by a higher power you never quite understand to keep the peace and help guide the new fledgling race of man. Of course over the years one of them goes rogue and instead of protecting the world, seeks to destroy it.
Enter our submarine team. Apparently there is a prophecy kicking around and the team is the key to it, the key to saving or dooming the new world.
Beautifully written, wonderfully paced, a fantastic read from start to finish. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
At first I was skeptical of it, seemed a little too sci-fi for my tastes, but wound up really good.
A submarine team going through the Bermuda Triangle gets sucked into a pocket of suspended time, and when they re emerge, they find that twelve centuries have past.
World War 3 has come and gone, changing the face of the landscape they once knew. Humanity had essentially been wiped out and had been slowly rebuilding themselves alongside two 'mutated' human races that had cropped up in the passage of time: Goblins and Elves essentially.
Four wizards arose from the first generation of survivors, charged by a higher power you never quite understand to keep the peace and help guide the new fledgling race of man. Of course over the years one of them goes rogue and instead of protecting the world, seeks to destroy it.
Enter our submarine team. Apparently there is a prophecy kicking around and the team is the key to it, the key to saving or dooming the new world.
Beautifully written, wonderfully paced, a fantastic read from start to finish. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
October 3, 2021
not as great as Spearwilder Series.
July 16, 2024
R.A. Salvatore is one my all-time favorite authors, nostalgically speaking. He had a significant impact on my love of fantasy growing up with his Drizzt series. This novel does not do him justice.
Even though it wasn't published first, this is the first book Salvatore ever wrote. Unfortunately, it shows. It started out as a moderately interesting narrative where a submarine crew gets transported in time to a fantasy world that evolved after a global holocaust on earth. Initially I was pretty hooked, but the story quickly deteriorated the more it progressed. Its flaws are many, and I was overwhelmingly annoyed at the end to find any redeeming value.
The characters are cartoonishly one-dimensional. Everyone's thoughts and motivations are laid completely out on the surface as paragraph after paragraph will constantly switch perspectives so the reader knows exactly what everyone is thinking at any given time. The plot confusedly meanders forward as events mostly happen to the characters rather than them affecting the environment, and when they are proactive, it's confined to the very limited characterization.
Clunky writing, senseless story, dull characters. Skip.
Even though it wasn't published first, this is the first book Salvatore ever wrote. Unfortunately, it shows. It started out as a moderately interesting narrative where a submarine crew gets transported in time to a fantasy world that evolved after a global holocaust on earth. Initially I was pretty hooked, but the story quickly deteriorated the more it progressed. Its flaws are many, and I was overwhelmingly annoyed at the end to find any redeeming value.
The characters are cartoonishly one-dimensional. Everyone's thoughts and motivations are laid completely out on the surface as paragraph after paragraph will constantly switch perspectives so the reader knows exactly what everyone is thinking at any given time. The plot confusedly meanders forward as events mostly happen to the characters rather than them affecting the environment, and when they are proactive, it's confined to the very limited characterization.
Clunky writing, senseless story, dull characters. Skip.
January 20, 2019
Salvatore's first novel, and it's an unpolished, unfocused mess with storytelling that veers from wildly all over the place to hitting too many of the expected, well-established notes. While I like the unexpected, extended prologue which brought us into the tale in an unexpected way, the "another world" aspect is suddenly info dumped on us before our characters even have a chance to explore and sort things out for themselves. And once the stage is set, it then leads to a very typical mix of politics, wars, wizards, and characters who are as one note as a case of tinnitus.
That said, it's still a mostly entertaining, escapist read. It's very juvenile, but not offensively so. Salvatore already shows the pulpy hand he'd later hone, with exciting action sequences, a good eye for details and setpieces, and while it's a typical story, it works well enough to get by.
I don't recommend it, but it wasn't a painful slog, and does have interest for those who want to see how Rob's grown over the course of his career.
That said, it's still a mostly entertaining, escapist read. It's very juvenile, but not offensively so. Salvatore already shows the pulpy hand he'd later hone, with exciting action sequences, a good eye for details and setpieces, and while it's a typical story, it works well enough to get by.
I don't recommend it, but it wasn't a painful slog, and does have interest for those who want to see how Rob's grown over the course of his career.
March 9, 2020
Summary: Many aspects of this book did not work for me, I didn't like the writing, I didn't like characters and I especially didn't like the premise, and was glad to get to the end. I will not be seeking book 2.
Plotline: The plot was reasonably thought out but revolved around the unreal characters and weak premise.
Premise: Just no. It felt poorly thought out and inconsistent and updated on a whim.
Writing: I didn't get on with the style and really disliked all the characters who never came to life for me
Ending: I managed to reach it !!
Pace: Never a dull moment!
Plotline: The plot was reasonably thought out but revolved around the unreal characters and weak premise.
Premise: Just no. It felt poorly thought out and inconsistent and updated on a whim.
Writing: I didn't get on with the style and really disliked all the characters who never came to life for me
Ending: I managed to reach it !!
Pace: Never a dull moment!
February 22, 2024
A bit boring, honestly. The idea is pretty unique for a fantasy story, but after the introduction the characters become caricatures of common tropes whose actions become incredibly easy to predict. The antagonists even get dialogue where it hard cuts to them doing evil laughs. Still, despite that the story was enjoyable enough.
March 6, 2025
I finally gave up on this. I thought its pacing would be a little closer to a Tarzan or Gor book, where we get a taste of the real world, but are quickly ensnared in the magical world. Instead, its pace is closer to Planet of the Apes. Which I don't mind, but not what I was in the mood for. Nothing terrible about it, just didn't grip me enough to surpass it not being what I was expecting.
November 25, 2017
it ok, im not a fan of the future/past earth trope, ie the protagonist is from the past a place of incredible technology and finds himself in the future a place of medieval technology and magics but this book was not to bad.
March 20, 2021
This fantasy novel/morality tale has some good moments, but most of the characters are one-dimensional and predictable; the plot needed some contrivances to prevent the book's moral from getting murdered; and the writing style was not good enough to mitigate the other weaknesses.
June 15, 2017
Smooth read through a 'blah' story. Characters have no development and remain static caricatures. Especially Mitchell. Character motivations are fuzzy forced by an untold exposition.
June 30, 2017
Interesting concept but very uneven story. It made it hard to get attached to any of the characters.
February 23, 2018
Found little to no sympathy with any of the characters. As a book a disappointment
September 27, 2018
Love Salvatore
I have been a fan for a long time(I am 67)I was not disappointed with this story and am going to get the second one asap(the witch's daughter..yeh
I have been a fan for a long time(I am 67)I was not disappointed with this story and am going to get the second one asap(the witch's daughter..yeh
August 19, 2021
This story has almost everything. It starts off with action and twists and turns, covering quite a number of topics to consider. A great story.
October 14, 2022
3.25 stars for me interesting first book written by Salvatore if your a fan of his work you may enjoy this too.
June 15, 2023
Total crap clearly not worth reading--actually the prose was so clunky it was painful to read.
September 21, 2023
Sure, it's fluff... but I think it's great fluff.
December 10, 2022
See my blog for my full review at:
https://sarahoverbooked.wordpress.com...
https://sarahoverbooked.wordpress.com...
November 16, 2018
I think it was well written, I love RA ‘s older books and this being one of his earlier works and one of the first series he wrote I had to read it. The blending of the old with the future fantasy realm so well done I forgot that the characters came from the real world. This book was a hard one to find in my hometown because it is a older book I could not get it at the library and when I did I could only do a interlibrary loan that’s for short time only. I was able to finally purchase my own copy and so worth it. The world the characters The mysticism of the elves ahhh so wonderful. Grab your copy and read it
July 3, 2014
I grabbed the audiobook version off the shelf of my local library when I saw Salvatore’s name on it. I remembered how much I enjoyed the early Drizzt Do'Urden books when I was a teen and was hoping to find another tale that grabbed me like those did. Unfortunately I found this story to be something I can’t recommend to anyone but the ardent Salvatore fan. Originally published in 1990 then reprinted in 1998, it’s one of Salvatore’s earliest works and suffers from several storytelling flaws (detailed below).
There is a distinct white hat / black hat (good / evil) dichotomy in the book. The villains are described by the omniscient narrator as evil while the heros are distinctly portrayed as good. Pure evil and good are so rare that I question their existence, so I find the portrayals to be one dimensional and uninteresting.
The foreshadowing was heavy handed. None of the “twists” brought surprise with them since all the clues were blatantly laid out well in advance.
The story was told from a third person omniscient perspective that did not give all the characters equal weight. Various characters' perspectives were used when it was convenient to advance the story. I found this bothersome since one person's thoughts would be included just enough to say, "Hey, here is another potentially interesting character" then they would be dropped from the story completely.
The dialogue was a duplicate of all of Salvatore's other works. Breunor the dwarf's brogue (from the Forgotten Realms series) is the accent of the rangers, a high English is used by the Illumina, a type of broken English or pidgin is used by the Goblins, etc. The only time I found the dialogue to be rewarding was listening to Ardas, who was portrayed as an absent minded wizard talking to himself. Otherwise I found it mostly irritating.
The whole concept of Ynis Aielle was unbelievable to me. If Man was being given a second chance, why put him through more trials by causing mutations in the children and seeing how Man responded? This makes it seem like this second shot at existence was a science experiment. I found this aspect to be annoying and insulting.
There is a distinct white hat / black hat (good / evil) dichotomy in the book. The villains are described by the omniscient narrator as evil while the heros are distinctly portrayed as good. Pure evil and good are so rare that I question their existence, so I find the portrayals to be one dimensional and uninteresting.
The foreshadowing was heavy handed. None of the “twists” brought surprise with them since all the clues were blatantly laid out well in advance.
The story was told from a third person omniscient perspective that did not give all the characters equal weight. Various characters' perspectives were used when it was convenient to advance the story. I found this bothersome since one person's thoughts would be included just enough to say, "Hey, here is another potentially interesting character" then they would be dropped from the story completely.
The dialogue was a duplicate of all of Salvatore's other works. Breunor the dwarf's brogue (from the Forgotten Realms series) is the accent of the rangers, a high English is used by the Illumina, a type of broken English or pidgin is used by the Goblins, etc. The only time I found the dialogue to be rewarding was listening to Ardas, who was portrayed as an absent minded wizard talking to himself. Otherwise I found it mostly irritating.
The whole concept of Ynis Aielle was unbelievable to me. If Man was being given a second chance, why put him through more trials by causing mutations in the children and seeing how Man responded? This makes it seem like this second shot at existence was a science experiment. I found this aspect to be annoying and insulting.
November 16, 2015
It has been almost a year and a half since I finished the great DemonWars Trilogy (see The Demon Awakens, The Demon Spirit and The Demon Apostle). I was so awed by that trilogy, I almost feared picking up another fantasy tale by R.A. Salvatore. But within the first 50 pages of the Echoes of the Fourth Magic, I found myself saying out loud, "Wow! I can't wait to find out what happens." I was not disappointed.
The first part of this book starts off as straight Sci Fi, while the remained is pure Fantasy. I quite enjoyed the characters and found my chest to be quite tense as the conflict between Mitchell and Del intensified. I really hated Mitchell and everything he stands for. I love it when an author can change my heart rate and increase my pulse with the written word. R.A. Salvatore is a master of this. His characterization is vivid and the characters practically leap off the page.
I really liked Echoes of the Fourth Magic and look forward to reading the next book in this series.
I rated this book an 8 out of 10.
The first part of this book starts off as straight Sci Fi, while the remained is pure Fantasy. I quite enjoyed the characters and found my chest to be quite tense as the conflict between Mitchell and Del intensified. I really hated Mitchell and everything he stands for. I love it when an author can change my heart rate and increase my pulse with the written word. R.A. Salvatore is a master of this. His characterization is vivid and the characters practically leap off the page.
I really liked Echoes of the Fourth Magic and look forward to reading the next book in this series.
I rated this book an 8 out of 10.
April 29, 2020
Annoyingly two-dimensional and formulaic. I've wanted to read a Salvatore book for some time and was excited at the prospect of doing so - I had heard lots of good things - but cannot say I was anything other than unimpressed. The premise was interesting enough, but the characterisation was tissue-thin and the characters were so shallow as to be see-through. Every character was personified by their hyperbole (Mitchel is always "furious", Dale "distraught") and all were completely implausible. Read it if you wish, but don't get your hopes up.
June 28, 2013
This one was not really what I was expecting after reading the Dark Elf books and I really enjoyed it. Since this is the first in the new series, I may end up changing my rating up a notch if the story progresses the way I suspect it might. So far, I really loved the characters and the swift pace of action in this one. The whole premise of being lost in the Burmuda Triangle and coming out in another time is great. Can't wait for book two.
February 15, 2013
Reminds me of the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is an early novel, part 1 of 4. By no means a literary classic, it did hold my interest, and presented some entertaining imagery. Somewhat exaggerated character development (especially Mitchell), yet has some clever plot twists. Looking forward to #2 in this series, The Witch's Daughter.
November 8, 2010
My first R.A. S. book. I wrote a poem about the bad guy from this book in high school once upon a time. It's a seriously awesome book. I couldn't get through the sequel though. I was like 10 pages from the end and lost interest. Too much politics.
But this one is awesome alone.
But this one is awesome alone.
September 10, 2011
Saw this in the school library back in highschool.
Read it because my brother loves R.A....but I read only this book and loved it.
Ended up asking my brother to buy me the other books.
Fantasy beautifully reflecting reality.
My kind of fantasy story!
Read it because my brother loves R.A....but I read only this book and loved it.
Ended up asking my brother to buy me the other books.
Fantasy beautifully reflecting reality.
My kind of fantasy story!
June 30, 2013
As soon as I finished this book (it has a great/cliffhanger ending), I immediately needed more and went to get the second in the series, "The Witch's Daughter". Salvatore is a master of words, his prose is lovely, and the plot of this book was great. I can't wait to read more of his books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews