Book Review – The Highwayman

Author: R.A. Salvatore
Cover Artist: Todd Lockwood
Publisher: CDS Books
Binding: Hardcover
Publication Date: 2004

The Highwayman, the first Solo book written by R.A. Salvatore. Though certainly one the best of what he has written. We are back into the world of Corona, although the book does take place Pre-Demon War. It’s a very dramatic book about Romance, Love, and never giving up. Of coarse, Salvatore had to add his magic of writing battles and included quite a bit of fighting scenes in the book. It’s a story about a character that finds the truth about himself, and then looks into helping others.

The story starts of with the priest from the church of Abelle along with his wife a Jhesta Tu monk. Brother Bran Dynard was spending his time on the mountains writing a book of Jhesta Tu. Meanwhile, Sen Wi was crafting her own masterwork sword that she poured his blood, soul and days of hard work into. Soon after both accomplished their work they decided to head Pryd. On their way they notice a naked female tied to a pool with a series of small bites on her skin. Bran and Sen both notice that this female was poisoned and was left outside to die, so they both quickly worked on healing the female. Bran used his magical stones while Sen used her Jhesta Tu healing talents by moving the poison inside of her and defeating it inside her body. Of coarse then Sen was Pregnant with a child. Pretty much they got the woman healed and continue on their way to Pryd.

Once they reach Pryd Bran heads to the Abellian church with his wife, in which they the brothers and priests of the church of Abelle rejected Sen as an outsider. Bran tried to convince them but it went into deaf ears, so he had to take his pregnant wife to his friend Garibond while the priest of Abelle kept the book. While Sen way was in Garibond’s house with a swelled up belly, Bran was to face Judgment in Pryd’s Chapel. On his journey there Bran was murdered by a group of Powries. Sen Wi soon gave birth to a baby boy but he wasn’t breathing when he came out. Sen realized that the boy’s line of Chi was distorted and hurries to fix it up. The only way possible is to sacrifice her life, in which she does and dies soon after healing the child. Garibond takes responsibility of the child and finds out after a year or two that the child is handicapped. When Garibond is to old and incapable of taking care of the child which he named Brensan, he hands him to the priests of Abelle to take care of. The priests agree only because as long as they care for the child they keep the sword and the book. Brensan, nicknamed Stork by others, finds a lot of trouble cooperating with others especially with his handicap. Having hard time to move or speak, but he can think clearly.

One day when Brensan was wounded by group of bullies, he got his broken nose tended by a priest using the soul stone. As soon as the soul stone touched Brensan his line of Chi went a straight and full of energy. Though that was short-lived, Brensan realized that he lost his entire handicap when the soul stone contacted his skin. He tried his best to steal one and as soon as he dead he was full of energy. He was able to move freely, talk freely, and practice Jhesta Tu from the book of his father. When he realizes for the first time what’s happening to the poor of Pryd, he decides to take care of it by himself. Disguised in a costume (that’s to me resembles a bit of Zorro, but without the hate or cape) he steals money from the guards and rich and gives it to the poor (kind like a Robin Hood). While he falls in love with a girl named Cadayle. The king is not to happy about what is going on and decides to take the matter in his own hands and tries to get rid of the highwayman. Does he survive?

Personally, I loved the book. I found it very interesting to read. It was a changed from the super-hero characters like Drizzt Do’Urden, and a bit more of a hapless young man with a lot of trouble in his life. We see quite a reality in characters, of how they interact and live with each other. The characters in the highwayman came out so real and alive more than any Drizzt Do’Urden books combined together. I would certainly put this book one of the top books I read by R.A. Salvatore. Definitely it is a book that is worth reading. Very well developed characters, and wonderfully romantic scenes (which is unusual from R. A. Salvatore). Though there were some unoriginal stuffs as the hero wearing a costume that resembled Zorro and acted like Robin hood. Story wise I have to admit it was captivating and flowed like a movie.

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