Adult fantasy writer R. A. Salvatore—popular for novelizing the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting of the Forgotten Realms—teams up with his son, Geno, to offer this first entry in the Stone of Tymora series, the first Forgotten Realms fantasy to be aimed specifically at young readers. Of course, many of those readers will be well versed in the adventure-ready world and appreciate the cameo from the much-beloved character Drizzt Do’Urden. The focus of this tale is on Maimum, a young orphan boy who has been bequeathed a stone imbued with mysterious powers. Most of the book takes place on various ships at sea, as the boy and his protector fend off pirates, beasties, and a maniacal demon. A few slightly moralistic messages pop up, but are light enough to blow away when the swords start swinging. This will be a hit with readers more concerned with character classes (dark elves, pirate trolls) than character developmet; the lucidly described action and swift pace will keep the pages turning and anticipation of further adventures simmering. Grades 5-8. --Ian Chipman
R.A. SALVATORE is the author of forty novels and more than a dozen New York Times best sellers, including The Two Swords which debuted at #4 on the New York Times best seller list.
GENO SALVATORE has collaborated on several R.A. Salvatore projects including Fast Forward Games R.A. Salvatore's The DemonWars Campaign Setting and R.A. Salvatore's The DemonWars Player's Guide. He co-authored R.A. Salvatore's DemonWars Prologue, a DemonWars short story that appeared in the comic book published by Devil's Due Publishing. He is a recent graduate of Boston University and lives in Massachusetts.
From the Hardcover edition.
