The Ghost King Fiction Review
Posted on October 9, 2009 by teampreston
Available at Amazon.com
Also available at DriveThruFantasy.com
The Ghost King: Transitions Book III, By R.A. Salvatore
(Advance Reader Copy)
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (October 6, 2009)
When the Spellplague ravages Faerûn, Drizzt and his companions are caught in the chaos. Seeking out the help of the priest Cadderly–the hero of the recently reissued series The Cleric Quintet–Drizzt finds himself facing his most powerful and elusive foe, the twisted Crenshinibon, the demonic crystal shard he believed had been destroyed years ago.
I think one of the coolest parts of writing reviews is not only getting to read a lot of material, but to really get in to the nuts and bolts of how that material is “assembled”. In this case I have been fortunate to read a LOT of Forgotten Realms novel by R.A. Salvatore as well as others such as Paul Kemp. Having read all the “Drizzt Novels” to date, I can say with certainty that the author has improved his craft greatly over the years.
R.A. Salvatore, like any writer clearly has a deep relationship with many of his characters. While some writers are able to outline and crank out material in a mechanical fashion more often then not they go through a sort of adventure of their own; discovering the world and characters as they write. It’s like a journey for the characters as well as the writer. In doing so the author learns to love and hate characters and tries to share it with us…the readers.
I think it is a measure of success when the author is able to manipulate the heart-strings of the reader, and R.A. Salvatore has done a masterful job at this over the years. Some times more than others, I admit it. I don’t expect a baseball player to hit a home run every time at the plate. I don’t expect a writer to write “the perfect novel” every time either. Stephen King is a good example of this.
R.A. Salvatore has been building up steam throughout this whole series. Transitions. In the Transitions series we are seeing the tale of how Faerun is going through some massive changes. Much of the face of The Forgotten Realms will be different afterward. At the heart of this are changes in direction and flavor of D&D 4th Edition and the 4e Forgotten Realms setting.
Like it or not, love it or hate it, Wizards of the Coast owns D&D and the setting that these novels reside in, and they have mandated change.
Our intrepid author is responsible for writing novels explaining how we get from the Forgotten Realms we have all known for the past 25 years…to this new setting.
What does that mean for the author? It means that in the jump in time that occurs the vast majority of humans and short-lived races will have died and left some sort of legacy (or not). Many of the characters which have been so lovingly crafted will die. That means core protagonists (and antagonists) will be no more.
R.A. Salvatore in this series has been building this up, and I have to say, he has most certainly delivered.
Without spoiling the story for you, I’ll say that all the protagonists and antagonists have a rough ride through the story. The Spellplague is up-close and personal in this novel. Actually, previous to this novel I thought the Spellplague to be a little trite. A game designer’s tool to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. Salvatore put a “human” face on it, made it personal. Now I get it. Now I understand it and accept it and in the process understand how we can leave the previous edition’s Faerun for the new future.
I can’t help to feel sorry for the author in this. You can certainly feel the pain. You know something is coming. It’s like watching a train wreck…you just can’t look away. This is a book of heroism in the face of impossible odds. Acceptance of fate as well as stoic denial of it. It’s about loss…and hope.
There is only so much I can say about it. Usually I can drone on and on about this or that in a novel. Not this time. You have to read it for yourself. It’s good. Seriously. Probably R.A. Salvatore’s best work. I cried like a baby. It took several tries to get through the last dozen pages.
Review by Jeff Preston
Related posts:
- The Pirate King Fiction Review
- Promise of the Witch King Review
- Orc King by R.A. Salvatore Review
- Worlds of Their Own Fiction Review
- Shield of Weeping Ghosts Fiction Review
Tags | forgotten-realms, ra salavatore, wotc
Wait a second… OMG is this the last book he’s writing?!? WHY!?!
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no he is writing a new series of drizzt novels
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Michael Reply:
July 27th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
I totally disagree with the review. I thought it was one of his worst novels to date. Someone falls down a thousand foot drop off the side of a mountain and survives by pushing off the rocks to slow their decent? A log swings into a huge monster followed by another log acting as a shotgun shell, filled with impact oil, moments later and luckily the first log is in the exact right place while hanging from the side of a huge monster to be connected perfectly by the log filled with impact oil. The entire novel seemed like a slap in the face to a reader who started reading his novels when they first went on the shelf right as I was graduating from school.
It wasn’t all bad there were several parts I liked but it seemed very rushed, like he just wanted to get it over with. To tell the truth….. so did I.
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Mboo Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Michael, I personally think you need to re-read the scenes in the novels, and familiarize yourself with the world of Faerun and Dungeons and Dragons a bit more.
First of all, since second edition (AD&D), Monks have been able to climb and slow their descent from great heights. High level monks, like Danica, have been known to fall off the backs of flying dragons and survive–its part of being a Monk. Having a wall there to slow her descent is actually not even required in 4th edition as it was required in earlier editions. In 4th, monks can actually fly for short periods of time using their psionic powers (See Monk Utility, level 22, Wind Walker).
As for the scene with the “huge monster” with the “shotgun” like effect, if you read closely, you will see that the first log pinned him into place (as was the plan) and the second forces the log through him further. It’s still in the same location because the beast has a tree sticking him into the wall.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel, but I do agree with the rushed feeling. The loss of characters we have loved for over 20 years simply didn’t have the conclusions that I would have wanted… the Companions of the Hall didn’t even all get to say their goodbyes. I look forward to what the future brings, but with trepidation. I definitely DON’T want to see another Weis and Hickman tragedy where you just throw their children in as their replacements.
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