The Dame

In this, the third book in the Saga of the First King series, we meet up with Bransen Garibond "The Highwayman" right after his defeat of Ancient Badden. Bransen dreams of returning to the land of his youth, but Honce is a changed land. The Lairds are locked in a life and death struggle, each one seeking to become king of the entire land. But, there are many players in this game, each with his or her own agenda, and some of them...too many of them want the Highwayman dead. There are great changes in store for the world, and great changes for those who liver within it! First off, I must admit that I had put this book down halfway through, figuring I was done with it. The entire first half of the book is very slowing moving, providing little joy for the reader. After that, however, the story and the action start to really pick up. By the end of the book, I was really enjoying the story, and now I can't wait for the next book in the series. That's right, I enjoyed this book, and am glad that I read it. I just wish that they could have done something to get the story moving earlier in the book. I wouldn't recommend skipping the first half of the book, but do try to read it quickly, so that you can get to the better second half as quickly as possible. If you do that, you will find this to be an interesting and enjoyable read!

Jumping into a series with established characters is always difficult. Having read the Ancient, there was a marginal familiarity, and now "The Dame" reinforces that. In "The Saga of the First King", two powerful lairds are fighting for supremacy, and the disinterested Highwayman, Bransen Garibond ignores it. He finds he must become involved as the common folk, the fighting men, and those who look up to him are directly affected. Calling on his vast support mechanism, Bransen searches for the truth amidst the power mongers. What he finds may not be exactly to his liking. Ahh, R.A. Salvatore is one talented writer. This book flows extremely well, and once you have the lay of the land and the characters straight, it's full bore adventure and fantasy. I love the Highwayman character, and recognize classic elements of Robin Hood, Zorro, and even the Lone Ranger. A hero is a hero, is a hero. As usual, I look forward to the next book that features the Highwayman in 2010. Tim Lasiuta

If Salvatore writes it, you know that it's probably going to be good. What else can you say?!

"The Dame" Bob Salvatore's third novel featuring the enigmatic Highwayman is great fun. This one starts out right where "The Ancient" left off. The Highwayman and his group are pardoned and offered free passage thoughout Honce by Dame Gwydre (the only worthwhile royal in the novel). Bransen wants to return home with his wife and mother-in-law, but is unsure if the treacherous warring nobles will fully accept the writ of safe passage issued by the Dame. He returns home with his new friend Jameston Sequin in an attempt to insure the safety of his family, and this is where things begin to twist: Laird Delaval is assassinated by a group of mystic warriors whose abilities genesis could only be the Jhest warriors. The Highwayman learns of the killing (by being accused of the murder), but more intriguing to him is the chance to connect with his mother's people and to delve more deeply into the abilities that he has developed and possibly even to find a Jhest teacher that might free him from his dependence on the gemstones. I love historical fiction, but one of the wonderful things about fantasy is that there are no boundaries. In the Highwayman adventures, Bob Salvatore combines Robin Hood, Zorro, magic and the Kung Fu fun of the Iron Monkey into a rousing good tale of good versus evil. This is not Tolstoy, destined to go down as great literature with deep meanings. This is Salvatore, which is another name for great, escapist fun and adventure. This book takes all my favorite genre's and combines them into a great yarn. As always I'm looking forward to the next chapter in the Highwayman's carreer. Until that comes out, I just might re-read the whole series. Great Fun!

In Honce, after beheading the evil Ancient Badden, Bransen Garibond and his five cohorts bring the dead head to Dame Gwydre of Vanguard as proof they did the deed. Bransen hopes the aristocrat lets him go home as all he wants is to spend time with his wife in Pryd Town. However, instead of trekking home, Bransen is accused of assassinating King Delval and other seditious acts against the state. Although the charges are false and those who bring them smirk as they are aware of that, he is offered a choice between jail and another deadly quest. Outraged over the unfairness of being punished for the success of bringing the evil one's head and caught between fighting blocs, a volunteered Bransen, accompanied by scout Jameston Sequin begins another undesired mission with the added incentive of proving his innocence. The sequel to THE ANCIENT is an entertaining fantasy as Bransen is once again forced on a quest he not only does not want to do, but is not his issue except the powers make it his. Thus he is not just a reluctant hero; he is an angry antihero. His escapades and that of his cronies are typical of the quest subgenre and his adventures fail to nudge the overarching theme forward; still readers who enjoy a fine quest fantasy will want to join Bransen and his teammates on their deadly mission. Harriet Klausner