The Stowaway by R.A. Salvatore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A friend of mine and I were having a conversation about fantasy novels and which I/he should read. When he dropped a mention about Drizzt and Baldur’s Gate I stopped him and asked where I’d heard that before. His expression was priceless.
I was then treated to a 20 minute lecture on how I needed to read R.A. Salvatore and how he couldn’t believe I’d gone this long without it. When I came home and checked the books I was waiting on from the library I finally figured out where I’d heard the names mentioned before and this book (and it’s sequel) were the reasons why. I’m happy to tell that friend now that I’ve read Salvatore and liked it!
This is not a story about Drizzt and Baldur’s Gate, however. And I’m glad that my introduction to Salvatore came from this story rather than the other way around – because instead of being disappointed by the few appearances made by Drizzt, I find myself becoming more curious and interested and, as a result, will be checking out the stories of Drizzt.
A few things about this book didn’t do it for me. It was written in the first person and came off a bit cheesy, as a result. There were moments when I was reading that I could definitely tell I was reading a novel designed to interest young boys and girls into reading fantasy. It’s not a bad thing at all though, just made me roll my eyes a few times.
The battle scenes were well done and the progression of the story was great. The cliffhanger ending was a bit of a cheap trick but, again, understandable as this is a book designed to keep kids reading.
Overall, a fun and quick read and interesting enough to get me to read the second book in the series.
