#115 Promise of the Witch King by RA Salvatore (Sellswords 2)
Read 14/2/21 to 17/2/21
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And I read Wickless in the Nether from Realms of the Dragons before starting this one, as instructed.
Well... I liked it, for a variety of reasons- but let me just add I'm not turning cartwheels or anything. I think the thing I liked the most was at the end the ones that were left standing were... mostly the guys that had come through the ranks, that had started at the bottom and got to their present position not because of their name, or the family they were born to. Don't get me wrong, it's not a socialist utopia, it is more of a meritocracy however, or at least a little- and plenty in comparison to the output of other authors here.
I think Salvatore just does this kind of schtick really well, your anti-heroes are suitably convoluted- capable (probably) of terrible things alongside (more often then they care to admit) acts of true kindness. Salvatore is not the best writer in this gang, but he has a turn of phrase, and clearly an ability to craft standout anti-heroes. It doesn't seem to matter which side of the law/ethical what-not/alignment they walk- they're all fairly 3D, and charismatic (in one way or another) and therefore more likely to tell you what they're thinking, and to justify it later, and often sound all the more convincing for doing so.
Suitably introverted, suitably enigmatic, suitably outside of the ordinary. Interesting, the kind of characters that players would like to be in their games. I have some experience with this- one of my present players is a dual scimitar wielding Wood Elf Rogue/Fighter with a Duergar Skeleton consort/girlfriend called Gwen.
That's legacy.
Even the two-bit punks, Bwahaha are easy to like here, I'd read another novel with the mad dwarf Athrogate in it- he can even play lead if you like. Also a town full of half-orcs, and those that are displayed for our delight are clearly unencumbered by the racial heritage, they're good folk- at least from what we see and hear.
I obviously also like the fact that lots of folk got to die here, and plenty of them had hubris on their side, and titles, and power, and hardly ever a thought of losing.
The first half of the novel- the journey to the Bloodstone Lands and the repro Castle Perilous was... okay, perhaps a little underwhelming, but obviously that was Salvatore just setting things up. I enjoyed the fact that the author had invested in a few of the characters for/with us, and then took delight in either killing them early on, or else just cutting them lose.
You try to guess, as a reader, who is wearing the red shirt- I like it that Salvatore started cutting before we even got to the castle, and that the Rover died, and Ellery, and... odd isn't it, but you root for some of these folk to get their comeuppance. Satisfying when it plays out- he's a crowd-pleaser that Mr. Salvatore.
Vaasa is not a place I/we have been before in the novels (from memory) but there wasn't an awful lot of it to see. I think the place, save for the brief glimpse at the half-orc enclave- Palischuk, was a bit underwhelming, I didn't really get a sense of it.
That said from the point the party of squabbling adventurers got to the repro Castle Perilous then we were back to the action adventure and smart arse lines from Jarlaxle (and Entreri). They truly are the married couple/full on bromance now. Don't get me wrong Entreri would still deny it, but... it just seems like Jarlaxle is trying to teach the assassin the meaning of love/trust. Kinda.
There's an action movie in almost every one of these (Salvatore novels) even/especially the ones headlined by the would-be villains here. They all have heart, but again- and louder, this one lacked place, for me.
Also the Arrayan/Tigerwillies grated a little bit, and the return of Calihye at the end a little too predictable, but that's okay- this isn't the kind of novel that goes places you hadn't already thought of. Again, that's not really Salvatore's schtick, he's just figured out that if you can invent plausible (within the mythos) (anti-)heroes, and give them a little chatter or cod-philosophy, and thus add depth, well.. you can get away with murder.
Again, and again- no doubt.
Read, easy to do so- mostly enjoyable, it's Robert Downey Jr (in bald cap with sombrero) and Jude Law (with a sneer) in Sherlock. Them two are really one, that kind of thing.
Take it easy and stay safe.
Cheers goonalan.