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Charon's Claw (2012)

by R.A. Salvatore(Favorite Author)

4.21 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0786962232 (ISBN13: 9780786962235)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Wizards of the Coast

series

Neverwinter

review 1: I'm going to go right ahead and say it.Salvatore did not write this book.At least, not in it's entirety.And what evidence do I have? Well, I've read every single one of his books about the Companions. I've read The Cleric Quintet, The Crimson Shadow, and The Demon Wars Series.There is a reason I've read these books. I LOVE THIS AUTHOR, and for many reasons. Above all, he writes GREAT STORIES. It's simple.I played D&D for around 15 years, through multiple editions. So it's no wonder I came across this amazing author. I've been reading his books for nearly a third of my lifetime.But not once - NOT ONCE - did I ever feel like any of his novels were a rehash of a night of gaming. Sure, he used elements of the system I played for all those years, but it never felt like he was w... moreriting just for a D&D audience.But Charon's Claw felt different, like he was doing just that. Which makes me believe there was someone else at the helm.Sure, parts of it felt like the author I know. Drizzt's musings at the beginning of each part of the story felt real.But when I read that Drizzt had stepped on a twig, and Entreri had stopped to catch his breath, and noticed the numerous times where the author used three periods in succession...It didn't feel right.Sure, we've jumped ahead a century in the forgotten realm. Things are different. I understand that.But I still hated the part of the story that had to do with Tiago and Co. There was never any real threat, no feeling of, "Oh my god, who's next?" If there is one thing Salvatore can do right, it's write a good story about the dangerous drow and their devilish culture. In fact, ALL of the threats felt empty and the parts with the drow felt stilted. I never felt any real danger for ANY character, which is an element of Salvatore's stories that he ALWAYS gets right, ESPECIALLY when he writes about the drow.No, the novel felt like it was written by a fan-boy. An experienced gamer.There were too many cliches and aphorisms for me to believe that Salvatore was responsible for every page. Plus, he's starting to release the Drizzt series of books much quicker (traditionally it's been about 1 per year, now it seems one is pushed out every 6-10 months), which might mean he has less time to write them, and therefore less time to polish them.All in all, it was so disappointing that I am seriously considering putting the series down for good and reading what happens on Wikipedia.What happened, Salvatore?Were your hands tied?Did you not have enough time?Has the Spellplague taken your magic?
review 2: I have been a fan of R. A. Salvatore's since his first Forgotten Realms book. I may be a little biased due to this. I will try not to be.I think this book is very well written. The book is packed full of action and a little romance. The fight scenes are fast paced. The description is so excellent that you can picture yourself right there with the characters. Some books I have read have slow spots and make me want to just put the book down and read something else. Not so, however, with Charon's Claw. I couldn't put the book down. When I finally finished the book I couldn't wait for the next book in the series. less

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