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The Spine of the World (Forgotten Realms:  Paths of Darkness, Book 2)

The Spine of the World (Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness, Book 2)

List Price: $7.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A Forgettable Tale in the Forgotten Realms
Review: Salvatore did it again, which is both a good and a bad thing. He kept the Drizzt series alive (good), but he focused on Wulfgar (bad). He dealt with the real life issue of alcohol dependency (good), but resolved the issue with characters that are two dimensional (bad).

My major gripe with this book (aside from the pointless court intrigue) was how there was no suprise on how the book would turn out. In the Drizzt series, Salvatore has a habit of letting the heroes live. All the time. With not a wound on them. Heck, even Bruenor's eye healed! Anyway, to get back to the point, Wulfgar (gasp!) manages to beat his addiction and, as an added bonus, saves the reputation of the royalty (getting a child and girlfriend in the process, no doubt so the Drizzt/Catti-brie angle can be explored).

Throughout all of this we get another of Salvatore's moral brow beatings. Usually he dwells on racism due to Drizzt's nature, and sometimes the corruption of the church (which is perhaps Salvatore's strongest area), but in Spine of the World he merely states that alcoholism isn't easy and that it's a disease. Of course, he repeats this so often, both metaphorically and explicitly, in the book so it becomes a mantra of sorts. The quality of the message is lost because of the number of times he brings it up.

Subtlety has never been Salvatore's strong point, and in Spine of the World he's the antithesis of subtlety. Wulfgar's addiction is overdone throughout the entire book, making it almost seem comical. Wulfgar's not the kind of drunk that sneaks in a sip every now or then, rather he's loud and rude. Part of the problem is that Wulfgar is just not an interesting character. He's the definition of a fantasy barbarian: wise, stoic, proud, strong, and brave. He's nothing special, thus his plight is not interesting. And since Salvatore is not the kind of writer to explore the darker reprecussions of the heroes actions and habits (like I stated before, Wulfgar beats the addiction), Spine of the World serves as 300+ pages of kindling.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Boring beginning, but great ending
Review: I was very excited about the prospect of a book about Wulfgar and his tormented spirits, but the first half was extremely boring. Wulfgar just predictably dropped lower and lower until he hit bottom. It was interesting to see how he was a torn man, torn between the present and six years of torture. What made it so boring, however, was the whole love story about Meralda and Lord Feringal. If I wanted to read stupid love stories, I'd pick up a smutty romance novel. Salvatore could have at least found some way to either cut down on that side story or make it more interesting. The only thing that kept me reading is the knowledge that I loved all of Salvatore's previous books and I kept wondering how he would tie the two stories together. That brings me to the ending. I don't want to spoil the ending, but I found it very satisfying. Morik turned out to be a great character and Wulfgar finally rebounds from his horrible slump. If you start to read the book and get bored, just keep going since the payoff is well worth it. I'm only wondering what will happen when Wulfgar meets up with Catti-Brie again...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not Salvatore's best work.
Review: I was disappointed w/ this book. Salvatore has set such high expectations in his other books that I expected this story to flow much more smoothly, and overall be more entertaining. The book meanders through a dark and gloomy Luskan setting, then bounces to an equally uninteresting love story between new characters. I found myself not caring in the least for the love-stricken Meralda or her peasant family. Overall, Salvatore's description of battle scenes is still elaborate and vivid, but the action in this book is few and far between. If you can get past the mostly dark and non-dynamic story line, then following Wulfgar's tortured spiritual and mental journey is somewhat entertaining. Though I feel like this story was somewhat forced and less engaging than most of his books, I would still recommend it to Salvatore's fans. (but don't set expectations too high)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: ...(It's bad) to be you Salvatore.The book really ...(stinks)!!!!
Review: THIS BOOK CAN`T BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY MAN, IT ...(STINKS) BIG TIME. WARNING TO ALL WHO ENJOY SALVATORE`S BOOKS: KEEP YOUR MONEY OUT OF THIS ONE, I LEARNED THE HARD WAY, YOU STILL GOT TIME, RUN AND BUY ANY OTHER EPIC NOVEL. MAN I ALMOST KILLED MYSELF AFTER READING IT, SPARE YOURSELVES, THE PLOT IS SOOO BORING, I FINALLY FINISHED READING IT OUT OF RESPECT FOR R.A`S PREVIOUS WORKS.

JUST SKIP THIS ONE, SERVANT OF THE SHARD IS COOL. IN MY EYES SALVATORE YOU HAVE ATTONED, BUT I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS ...(BAD)BOOK

DIE wulfgar DIE

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I hate it!
Review: I like Salvatore stories, so I ran and bought this piece of romantic crap. Ok, the psicological problems of Wulfgar is a very interesting plot, but the romantic crap of lord Auckney is sooooo boring and the plot is soooooo slow. The good thing, Wulfgar loses Aegis-fang, the bad thing the stupid pink novel that salvatore wanted to share!!!. Better to save your money and ask for borrow it!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: OK, but not his best...
Review: This book was merely OK, from an author we all know can write so well. One big problem is that Salvatore left out the character we all love - the one and only Drizzt Do'Urden! He has instead reverted to writing about a big, bulky, drunken brute ~ Wulfgar! I won't ruini the story for you, as it is worth a read, but though the focus on Wulfgar is important to the series, I don't much like it. Don't get me wrong, it was necessary for the plot of the books, and nobody could've done it like Salvatore! It's just ~ not Drizzt... If you've read The Silent Blade, however, you're going to want to get this book to continue the series!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great like all of Salvatores work
Review: This was a very moving book.When I first learned it was all about Wulfgar I was sort of disapointed, but after afew pages I was hooked. I never really was a fan of Wulfgar but after reading this I changed my tune. I hope that R. A. Salvatore will pick up where he left wulfgar soon. Even a series all to his own would be nice. This is a must read.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A romantic crap
Review: I am a great fan of Salvatore.I mean,he is the guy who created Drizzt Do Urden and the writer of many of my favorite novels.So i ran and bought Spine of the World the same day it got out.Howevwer i was totally dissapointed by this foolish book.It has absolutely no action,the half of it being a silly romantic story(the poor girl who loves the poor boy but has to marry the rich nobleman) and the other half a thorough description of Wulfgar and his psychologic problems.I definetely don's recommend this to anyone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What a great book!
Review: I think this is a great book and would recommend it to everyone! I love the story of Wulfar. I haven't read any other books by R.A. Salvatore yet and I hear they're really good. I am starting to read the Crystal Shard and it is great so far. Please read these books! They are great!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good book despite the abscense of Drizzt
Review: This book starts off with wulfgar having to overcome his problems from the Abyss. If you had a question about Wulfgar at the end of the silent blade, it will probably be addressed in this one. This book starts off a bit slow but it is well worth it at the end. Youll probably be wanting to read the servant of the shard. I know I do. So overall its a great read if you're a fan of the series and even if youre not you'll grow to love the charecters.


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