The Pirate King by R.A. Salvatore Review
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Binding: Hardcover
Publication Date: October 2008
Cover Artist: Todd Lockwood
Drizzt is one of the most well known characters in fantasy today and it seems most everyone knows what side of the fence they fall on when it comes to the hero and his cast of friends. I am a Drizzt fan, a Forgotten Realms fan, a monty haul gaming fan, so the appeal is there for me to enjoy the story every time Salvatore puts pen to paper and the name Drizzt appears. The Pirate King takes aim at a familiar territory for the current fantasy reader by injecting The Forgotten Realms with a tale of pirates, magic, politics, and morality. This adventure though focuses on Drizzt and Regis (and Guenhwyvar) in their quest to find out what has happened to Wulfgar after he returned to Icewind Dale. They get caught up in the larger adventure when they stop in Luskan on their way to Ten Towns. What we do not have are the strong supporting characters of Catti-brie and Bruenor Battlehammer as they are relegated to a few lines in the early chapters. Catti-brie’s transformation to magic user is really the intriguing story I want to hear, along with further Bruenor and Obould tales so hopefully Salvatore has this planned in the near future. One of the most interesting scenes is the battle that is fought in the beginning of the book, as Bruenor and Obould team up in their first common mission.
Salavatore brings back many characters that are familiar to those of us that have read books in The Forgotten Realms. Deudermont who we met earlier in the series is trying to save Luskan from the Hosttower which has Arklem Greeth, a lich, at its head. Deudermont is a pirate hunter, and with his right hand wizard Robillard, feels he can liberate the city of Luskan from the rule of the Hosttower and then put together a government that will benefit everyone. Greeth does rule the city, but uses the five pirate ship captains to maintain order in daily operations. So while evil is at play here, it is an evil that keeps chaos away from the city. This book then really becomes about Deudermont’s quest to free Luskan (hey, I thought this was a Drizzt book) and what happens because of that. Drizzt does do some fighting for and with Deudermont, but it seems that Drizzt’s full roll to play is only hinted at in the last few chapters. Drizzt does have a climactic battle with one of the figures, a dwarf named Athrogate, that is being used as muscle for the other factions that want Luskan for themselves. Salvatore does a good job at describing the fight between Drizzt and Athrogate, as this is Salvatore’s forte, but it seems too familiar. Take Athrogate and substitute it with Artemis and it plays out the same. Morik the rogue also finds a part in this book, as we have not seen him in some time as well. Having Robillard flesh out a bit more would have been enjoyable, as his character seems to be interesting. Drizzt and Regis do end up making their way to find Wulfgar, but it is nothing really more than a side note at this point. They find him, share some dinner, and then let him continue on his path of trying to fit back into his tribe by reclaiming the way of Icewind Dale.
The Pirate King is part of a larger story arc so for fans of Drizzt this is a must read. The book only picks up in the end, but is overshadowed by Salvatore’s insistence to put his moral foot forward. Earlier books in the series we have introspection in the form of Drizzt writing letters to the reader where he talks about his inner thoughts. This book has the same, but we also have the same moral thoughts strewn throughout the story to smack us in the face if we skipped the letters. As an example we can refer to an interlude that is shown (at least for now) to only give Drizzt and Regis a chance to talk morals. Our wizardly friends the Harpells (who are quite entertaining usually) are punishing some priests in warring factions to put an end to the fighting. Salvatore has Drizzt and Regis debate if this is right or wrong as they come upon the scene. It is then also used again later in the book by the pair in discussion of the city of Luskan. It is just too much for me, I already have my own moral grounding, it borders on preaching.
While I am not a huge DnD gamer, the change to the 4th Edition ruleset did not seem to be a detriment to the story. A t times Salvatore did go into a little more depth with certain actions which seemed to make me more aware of the mechanics behind the book. As always though it is not required that you be a DnD gamer to enjoy the books in the Forgotten Realm line of books, or any line of books from WoTC that I have read.
This is a setup book, and hopefully the setup is worth the payout as the story moves on, as we do not get any answers I thought would be in this book. Salvatore can and has done much better to the Drizzt stories previously so hopefully he can get back on track. Catti-brie and Drizzt, Bruenor and Obould, these are the stories I am looking for, so let us hope that is what is coming. The fighting is entertaining as always, and a twist at the end, even if the average reader figures it out long before the characters in the book do, promises an interesting future for Drizzt and his companions. Some enemies will follow Drizzt all over the realms it seems.
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