guest blog- the ghost king

After just a little poking, I convinced Blair to come back and do another guest review for me. Secretly, I think he was excited to be asked. After a little bit of discussion, he chose one of his favorite authors. He are his thoughts:

It is guest blog time again. Today I'll be reviewing The Ghost King by R.A. Salvatore.

First line: "The dragon issued a low growl and flexed his claws in close, curling himself into a defensive crouch.

Summary: Taken from author's website - "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."

Review: What to say. I have been a Drizzt fan for a while now and devour each new book when it comes out. This one was different, I guess I should have expected that from a book that's the final book in a trilogy called Transitions. I still wasn't entirely convinced when I read the author's note and was told he had to go to a 'dark' place to write this novel. I continued on, oblivious to just how deeply this book would affect me.

As I read it seemed all my favourite characters were going to play a part in this. Drizzt and his companions Bruenor, Regis, and Cattie Brie were present. Also Cadderly, Danica, Ivan, and Pickel (a personal favourite and mood lightener) were there, along with Jarlaxle and Athrogate. Add to this mix Danica and Cadderly's almost grown children as well as the return of past villains and there is a lot of characters to juggle. Salvatore does a great job of this and with only a few exceptions, each is given their due.

Turning the pages, the ominous tone became stronger and I began to accept that not all of my friends were going to make it past the last page. Yet, I couldn't put it down. When the undead dragon Hephaestus stomped on poor Ivan my heart nearly stopped. I felt he couldn't go out like that. Even expecting more tragedy (well the reality is Ivan wasn't lost at that point of the story) I couldn't prepare myself for what was coming. This book was so well written, probably the best of the Drizzt books in my opinion, that I can forgive Salvatore for what happens. The endings for the characters that don't make it are appropriate and give you that bitter sweet feeling of closure. I'm not afraid to say I did have tears in my eyes by the end and I can't think of another book that actually did that to me. If you've read any of the rest of Drizzt or are a fantasy lover I'd highly recommend this, though if you haven't read any other Drizzt you may need to start a little sooner to be invested in these characters.

Let me know what you think. If you read this tell me your opinion. If you have another suggestion let me know. Until the next time it's time for guest blog, see you around.