Spearwielder's Tale

I bought this as a Christmas/Birthday present for one of my best friends. I have the trilogy in separate books - and I've read them dozens of times. I was very impressed that the book looked so great - good art, great colors. I think I may need to purchase another copy - for myself this time, my books are getting a little ratty... For anyone not familiar with the book, it's a trilogy (now in one volume) about Gary Leger - a man from 'real earth' who is 'borrowed' to fulfill a LifeQuest in the realm of Faerie. Each book is the tale of his adventures on each visit - and they are great adventures. In the course of the story he meets and/or befriends all the characters we've come to know as 'mythological' starting with leprechauns and pixies all the way up to giants and dragons; some very honorable, some not so much - some flat out evil. It's a great adventure.

This book is the three books of R.A. Salvatore's Spearwielder trilogy, combined into one package. The three books follow Gary Leger as he makes three trips to the land of Faerie. There he joins the elfin lord Kelsenellenelvial Gil-Favadry (call him Kelsey, everyone else does), the mischievous leprechaun Mickey McMickey, the dwarf Geno Hammerthrower, and other interesting characters. Wrapped in the armor of Cedric Donigarten, Gary must see to the reforging of Cedric magical spear, and defeat the powerful and wicked people who would bring Faerie under their control. Overall, I found this trilogy to be a bit of a mixed bag. First of all, each of the books starts out excruciatingly slow. Also, within the story, Faerie is drawn rather narrowly, not giving the reader the feel of a real world, but seeming more like a stage for the character to perform on. And, to add insult, the author tries to use the story as a soapbox to preach from, but even that stays rather unfocused never connects. So, after pouring out that abuse, why do I give the book four stars? Well, in spite of its many flaws, I did enjoy this book's take on dwarves and leprechauns. Also, I found the storyline to be interesting, and I really enjoyed the action. So, if you are looking for another Lord of the Rings, you will be disappointed. But, if you want a highly-entertaining swords-and-sorcery, elves and dwarves type story, then this is the book for you. I highly recommend it.

I was first introduced to Salvatore through the Drizzt novels (Dark Elf Trilogy being my first Salvatore books). When I saw this book on the shelf Salvatore's name alone sold me this book. When I got home and finished reading it, what I found is an unusual tale with an unusual hero. How many fantasy books have you read where the hero doesn't want to be the hero? Where at times the hero bumbles and stumbles and more oftent han not needs to be saved by his friends? I have said it before and I'll say it again, I love heros who have flaws and aren't all powerful. The Spearwielder's Tale covers the story of three books all encased in one fantastic collection. I won't go into any spoilers here, but this is truly a book for all ages. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

If you've read Salvatore, you probably expect a lot of over-the-top acrobatics in the fight scenes, characters whom are developed through hundreds of pages, and a world that draws you in and never lets go. Spearwielder's Tale has all of these but not to the point of over-doing it so younger readers won't feel overwhelmed by the atmosphere or the depth at the beginning. However, by the end, there may just be another fantasy lover in the world! If you're expecting a hero as complex as Drizzt, then you're in for a surprise! Gary Ledger, the "Spearwielder," is an unintentional hero who is taken to the land of Faerie from a "gate" outside his home. There, he learns about his role in the world and learns about himself all while "saving the world!" His development is not nearly as deep as Drizzt but then again, he spends most of the books in a land he is unfamiliar with and has little time to develop his past, his full value structure, nor his plans for the future. But, throughout the story, there is enough development for any avid reader to not be asking themselves "why?" certain things are done by the character; a welcome departure from the Drizzt series, I must say. There is light humor throughout and it isn't distracting in the least as it comes at points in the story when there needs to be a bit of humor. Like Salvatore's Drizzt series, the book is not a laugh a minute by any means but it will keep you in good spirits and repeating the phrase "heeland coos" for a while! One small note of caution on language: There is a single word that some parents of younger children may not want them reading. It begins with an "S" and is only said twice if memory serves. Other than that, there are a few points that the characters start to curse but are stopped by various means (nothing overly vulgar). If any of these things bother you, you may want to preview the book for your children. But let me say that the context of these are all in a humorous fashion and do not detract in the least from the overall story and any child age 12 and up should have no problems reading this. And almost every "PG" movie has worse language and situations than Spearwielder! Overall, this is a great read. The Trilogy books each end at a great point but you will always want to keep reading so the "easy pace" you impose on yourself may not be able to be kept! A book per day is the pace I read it at and I could see having read it much faster if I'd had the time. Light? Yes. Worth the read? Very much so!

Good read. This book is not nearly as "deep" as the Dark Elf series (and not meant to be!)but provides an entertaining storyline with good character development. The book covers a wide range of fantasy races... much like other Salvatore releases. Spearwielder is a lighter read than the Dark Elf books and would hold younger readers' attention as well.