The Highwayman: A Novel of Corona

Every book that I have read by Salvatore has been fantastic. To be clear, I have read nearly every book written by him. You won't go wrong with Bob. His books are filled with characters that capture you, intriguing plots, and detailed battle descriptions. I give this book 10 stars out of 5.

I'm a big fan of R.A. Salvatore. First I started out with the Crimson Shadow Series then I became entralled with tales of Drizzt and the rest of the Forgotten Realms crew. Finally I ended up diving right into his realm of Corona. The main isn't the type who you'd think of as a hero. In fact, due to his physical infirmities early on, you'd think it would be altogether impossible for this man to be the dashing, rogue that the highwayman turns out to be. I found myself sympathetic to the tale of Prince Prydae. Sure, he showed contempt for the common folk but that's to be expected in a realm based on serfdom. Later on he wasn't such a nice guy but I found myself wishing I could read more of the Prince and his hulking Champion. I'd definately read another book based on the Highwayman. However, after all the stretching of the Forgotten realms tales from book to book, it was certainly nice to read a book by Mr. Salvatore that I felt had a nice, tidy finality to it.

I mean we do start out with a Drizzt type fight, then go straight to a Cadderly/Danica style pair, and later we even meet a tall muscular Wulfgar clone. Having said that the book is quite unique and the world, an early version of what becomes the demonwar sagas later, is reminiscent of irish fairy tales and bloody battles take place in a brutal early iron age society. The overall tone of the book is dark, reminiscient of exile where Drizzt is traveling alone in the world above trying to find his way or the time when Wulfgar is caught by the demon lord. But the characters are deep and memorable and the unlikely hero is unique and surprising. Dwarves in this work are like Fairy folk in irish fairy tales, hateful of humanity and mysteriously magical in their thirst for blood. There's more far reaching elements too, when you look at the battle of religions, the oppression of peasants, the hatred for other cultures (even when they are actually more advanced). I would urge to look past the formulaic elements to a unique and exciting work by one of our favorite authors.

It never ceases to amaze me on how well Salvatore can develop his characters. My first impression of this "Highwayman" was an aloof cheesy expectation........I was dead wrong. To my chagrin, Bob has yet to disapoint, granted it is a very quick read, but non the less a very good book.***SideNote***If you are interested in obtaining a signed copy of any of Salvatores books, check out his website: www.rasalvatore.com. There is listed his book signings.

Having read the other books set in Corona, I was eagerly awaiting the release of this book, in order to see what new surprises R.A. Salvatore would bring us. I was not dissapointed in the last, since this book had everything I have come to love from Salvatore...everything from a great story, to great fights, to great characters. And to top that off, the main character in this book is somebody that you wouldn't really expect to be a hero, which just makes it all the better when he does. As others have said, you can definitely read this book without having read the DemonWars books, since this book takes place before them. However, if you haven't read the DemonWars novels, you should rush out and get them after reading this superb novel from a great author. The Highwayman is a welcome addition to the world of Corona and I, for one, can't wait to see what will come next.

Let me start by saying that I am not a complete Salvatore-o-phile. As much as I enjoyed his orginal Drizzt stories, the later ones have been done to death. There is nothing left to write that hasn't been written about the dark elf and I would recommend that Salvatore move on. Having said this, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the Highwayman. There is nothing new in this story, there are no deep revelations or Universe expanding messages. This book is just good, clean, swashbuckling fun. It follows the life of Bransen (the Highwayman) and his parents as they struggle with racial bigotry, bigotry towards the handicapped, and religious xenophobia. You will find no surprises in this novel, but you will cheer for a small handicapped boy as he learns to release the hero within, and see himself the way God sees him.I had a great time and can't wait until Salvatore dishes up another helping of the Highwayman!