After reading this book and being myself a regular of this webcomic, I remembered Mr. Sohmer posting his disdain for last year's Drizzt book, The Pirate King. Like him, I also did not love the book. I actually felt the same way he did--it was definitely a crappy story and I honestly believed this book was the pits compared to the rest of the +10ish books of the series. Although he didn't feel the need to continue with Salvatore's Drizzt series, I gave it one more chance. If this last book of the trilogy sucked, no more Drizzt. I preordered it, got it signed, and dipped my feet in.

I have to say I believe Salvatore has definitely redeemed himself.

I've read every book of the series and even the Artemis Entreri trilogy that branched off from the Drizzt series. The Crystal Shard (Crenshinibon) was mentioned and done so many times during the course of both book lines that I felt that its reintroduction in The Ghost King was rather disappointing. However, I also realized that the introduction of new villains by Salvatore were usually not very well handled, like in The Pirate King and The Orc King (I still don't know why a gnome was chosen as a villain in that book). So when I read on that the Haphaestus the Red Dragon and Yharsaskrik the Illithid from the Entreri series and Crenshinibon from both series were introduced as one main villain in The Ghost King (not a spoiler), I was actually pretty impressed with the way Salvatore handled it throughout the course of the book. I really liked this "Ghost King." And then there comes Drizzt and the gang. There is no Wulfgar, barely any Catti-Brie, and close to nothing Regis in this book. I think Salvatore took a balls to the walls gamble with this book and decided to focus on only Drizzt and Bruenor. It worked out well, because Drizzt and Bruenor were probably the only two likeable characters of the Companions of the Hall (no offense to any differing opinions). Salvatore also focused on Cadderly, the priest from Spirit Soaring, and his family. I didn't care much for Cadderly (I never really got started on his own books) or his family. I still don't care much for his family (except for maybe his wife, she's a pretty awesome monk) and dwarves Ivan and Pikel. But Cadderly really shined in this book, especially during the final battles.

Salvatore still knows how to write his battles and the book is full of them. The pacing at the beginning of the book was somewhat slow, but from then on was very satisfactory. I actually didn't want to put the book down (but I had to since it was exam week) from the middle of the book to the end. The tone throughout the book was consistently morbid, sad, and ominous. Sure, there were some funny jokes thrown in, but this book, overall, is not for the faint of heart. It contains themes of moral choices, death, and religion (within the D&D world). The plot was well written and believable. I didn't feel cheated as I did in The Pirate King, where *spoiler* characters would die and I would ask, "why would you waste such a perfectly good character?" *end spoiler*. When things happened in the book, they made sense.

Each character's actions were believable and also unpredictable yet true to their character. Jarlaxle and Athrogate make a grand and significant reappearance, and I believe those two are the best characters that Salvatore had created. Drizzt is as emotional yet deadly as ever and Bruenor is just pretty damn awesome. Gutbuster Thibbledorf Pwent also makes a lively main cast. Pwent and Athrogate make the bulk of the humor here and rightly so, if you are up-to-date on the reading for both Drizzt and Entreri series. The ending is conclusive yet it also hints a possibility of more future Drizzt books. I'm not too sure. If I elaborated any further I would be spoiling it.

Overall, every side-plot (it's never a Salvatore book without attention to at least three different bands of characters) converges neatly into the main plot (although the one with Bregan D'aerthe felt rather insignificant and wasteful, though Salvatore was short and precise with them). The battles were fantasticly written. The ominous tone rang throughout the entire book. The characters were believable. The main characters were very likeable (especially with only Drizzt and Bruenor as the active Companions of the Hall) and the side-characters...not so much but acceptable. To Sohmer, if you read this far, give Drizzt and his companions (technically, just Bruenor), and the myriad of Salvatore's other almost equally cool characters just one more chance. To everyone else well versed in the Drizzt lore, if you were disappointed with The Pirate King, you don't have to hold your breath for The Ghost King because its absolutely amazing and satisfactory end to the trilogy. This is indeed an exciting read.

I will warn you that the tone of despair throughout the book does carry to the ending, so be prepared for one.

Did you make this or did you just copy it off a site ?

If you did make this yourself, than I applaud to you, sir.

Actually, I felt the need to review this book, wrote it here first, and then copied it to my blog, albeit adjusted (so yes I did write this).

Thank you for the compliment.

I haven't read it yet, waiting on paper back (is that out yet I fail at keeping on top of that type of stuff sometimes) your review has filled me with a bit of hope that the temptation to completely turn my back on Salvatore has dwindled some. I've read every dritz book, still I hold firmly that Cattie Brie just needs to die already and let it be done.

The hunters blade trilogy is where he started loosing me, I just go so tired of Dritz whining about EVERYTHING. I'm a girl and I couldn't handle that much QQ.

I'd say more on it, but honestly it'd probably just turn into a rant and it's still early and my coffee has yet to accomplish it's job of jarring me to wakefullness so I can do my job. Last thing we all need is incoherant ramblings from me, fraught with poor spelling and gramatical errors.

*sips coffee*

Again, Thanks for the review you've given me a small shred of hope.

Haven't read R.A. Salvatore's The Ghost King yet... In fact, The Pirate King just came out in my town last month in paperback.. Never did come out in hardback, or I would have bought it... So I'm expecting not to read it untill mid-October next year...

admittedly i really liked this book as well..it's a bit sad but <semi spoiler>at least i can stop making fun of salvatore for resurrecting the same main characters 500 times<end> ..but yeah..I almost gave up on this series after the last book..now I'm actually quite interested to see how it continues again.

I'm new here, and I have not ever read any of the R.A. Salvatore books.

My question is: Can The Ghost King be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone book? Or do I need to read other books in order to 'get it'?

Thanks,
Dan