R. A. Salvatore - Demon Wars II 03 - Immortalis
In this extraordinary third and final work in the Second DemonWars Saga, R. A. Salvatore weaves a diverse tapestry of characters and events from all the novels of the DemonWars Saga into an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Casting his inimitable spell of the human and supernatural, love and war, faith and faithlessness, Salvatore’s crowning work is centered on a dark young king, driven by a quest to remake humankind.
In Honce-the-Bear, King Aydrian Boudabras wakes in a cold sweat, his conscience haunted by those he has killed to garner power, including the rightful king before him, Danube, his mother’s husband. Now Aydrian is preparing his armies for war, forging loyalties, playing one adversary against the other, and giving those around him barely a glimpse of his remarkable powers. Even Adyrian does not fully understand what drives his ambition, the guiding voices he first heard from the shadow of Oracle, or the truth of his birth in the elven land—before it was stained and mortally threatened by the demon dactyl.
R. A. Salvatore - Demon Wars II 01 - Ascendance
Fans of bestseller Salvatore (The Demon Awakens, etc.) will welcome the chance to follow favorite characters through yet another epic saga of good versus evil in this start to a new trilogy, in which good-hearted Jilseponie "Pony" Wyndon and her dreaded enemy, cleric-turned-weretiger De'Unnero, are caught up in fresh intrigues that tear at the civil and religious heart of the land called Honce-the-Bear. Pony, now wise to "the truth of God, of spirituality, of living beyond this mortal coil," rules as well-liked Baroness of Palmaris during an age of unprecedented peace and prosperity. Unknown to her, however, scheming elf Lady Dasslerond has taken Pony's "unborn" son, Aydrian, whom Pony thought she lost in battle during the first DemonWars trilogy, to raise in secret. Grown into young manhood, talented Aydrian chaffs against lessons in rangering and gemstone magic. He longs to make a name for himself even bigger than that of his famous father, Ranger Elbryan (aka "Nightbird"), killed by De'Unnero, and later runs away from his elven teachers and assumes the role of "Nighthawk." While Pony ponders an offer of marriage from good King Danube, De'Unnero comes out of hiding to manipulate Aydrian into destroying Pony and helping him take control of the kingdom. The many plot twists are clumsy and all too convenient, while the book concludes predictably with Aydrian gaining the upper hand over his mother and her allies.
Setting aside his wildly popular Forgotten Realms books for the moment, Bob Salvatore continues to wade into his character-development-heavy Demon Wars saga with this meaty kickoff to the latest DW series. If you're familiar with the series (and if you're not, start with The Demon Awakens), you know that this ain't Icewind Dale. The generously developed characters take center stage, and they--much to our initial dismay, perhaps--are far from invincible. (More than a few hearts were broken when Elbryan the Nightbird, Touel'alfar-trained ranger extraordinaire, bit the dust in the last book, Demon Apostle.)
R. A. Salvatore - Demon Wars 02 - The Demon Spirit
unabridged audiobook + text
The Demon trilogy by R.A. Salvatore began with The Demon Awakens and continues with The Demon Spirit. Corona is a fantasy world regularly menaced by the "demon dactyl" who organizes the usual suspects--goblins, dwarfs, giants--in hope of wiping out humanity. Having been comprehensively blown up in book one, the now bodiless demon resorts to corrupting the soul of the abbot who is Corona's chief religious leader. It's an easy task, since despite a few good monks the church is already a murderous, hypocritical outfit.
R. A. Salvatore - Demon Wars 01 - The Demon Awakens
unabridged audiobook + text
Bulky new fantasy from the author The Dragon King (1996). As happens every so often, the demon dactyl--we learn eventually that his name is Bestesbulzibar--returns to life and, as demons do, schemes to conquer the world with his allies the goblins, fomorians (giants), and powries (evil dwarves). Young Elbryan Wyndon survives a goblin raid on the village Dundalis, while his girlfriend Pony Ault loses her memory and vanishes. Elbryan, adopted by the elves Tuntun and Juraviel, trains to be a ranger; Pony, after various adventures, joins the army. Meantime, pious young monk Avelyn Desbris--he has prodigious magic skills and powers--must collect magical stones as they plummet from the sky onto a remote island; returning, he finds that the abbot has ordered that he and his companions be killed to preserve the secret of the stones, so he flees with his haul--among them a huge amethyst of unknown powers. Eventually, Elbryan, Pony (she gets her memory back), Avelyn, and the elves will join the ancient centaur Bradwarden to plan an assault on the dactyl's volcanic cavern.
