Rating: 
Summary: Salvatore impresses once more!
Review: "What?" I thought to myself "Five books about acleric? How good could that be?" But because it was Salvatore Iread and, boy, am I glad I did. Cadderly is one of the best characters I have ever read about. He fancies himself a scholar a priest who is not adept at the clerical magic of his faith...or is he? ...There are complaints about the ending, and I too must admit that it is not the most heartwarming in the world in was necessary for the transfer into the next book, just as Cadderly's Year Quest was for transition to this book. If you are a fan of Drizzt and Salvatore's books then you will this book and series very ingrossing (I read the first three books in a day, I couldn't help myself) and extremely intertaining. ...Don't be dissapointed that everyone's favorite dark elf ranger is not in this series, Cadderly is every bit as intriguing. IF you did not read this series because Drizzt is not in it then I beg you to reconsider you will not regret your decision.
Rating:
Summary: Salvatore impresses once more!
Review: "What?" I thought to myself "Five books about acleric? How good could that be?" But because it was Salvatore Iread and, boy, am I glad I did. Cadderly is one of the best characters I have ever read about. He fancies himself a scholar a priest who is not adept at the clerical magic of his faith...or is he? ...There are complaints about the ending, and I too must admit that it is not the most heartwarming in the world in was necessary for the transfer into the next book, just as Cadderly's Year Quest was for transition to this book. If you are a fan of Drizzt and Salvatore's books then you will this book and series very ingrossing (I read the first three books in a day, I couldn't help myself) and extremely intertaining. ...Don't be dissapointed that everyone's favorite dark elf ranger is not in this series, Cadderly is every bit as intriguing. IF you did not read this series because Drizzt is not in it then I beg you to reconsider you will not regret your decision.
Rating:
Summary: Very well done.
Review: I don't usually give high marks for many novels, but this is as good (don't get me wrong) as a night at the movies of a very gripping action picture. Though I,ve been told this second book in the series was "trash" by one reader, forget about it. This novel for all its weaknesses raptures you in a full on war in the Sylvan' forest. The Characters Ivan & Pikel, (the dwarves) are sometimes downright hillarious, while other times will fill you with a bloodlust that will make you want to pick up a sword and join in the fray. As exciting and powerful a book as you'll ever read. Outnumbered and sure to die slowly as the enemy moves in on them, mysticism and myth mix together and make you cheer for the heroes. The elves defend their heritage while Cadderly and his band stands with them. The battles are so well described, that you will actually be able to see from several different perspectives in the forest, at the same time while many different heroes struggle to just to survive, all the time they are fatigued and about to drop, yet they must fight on or die. Salvatore puts you in a meatgrinder that will have reading until your eyes burn from lack of moisture, and you have to relieve yourself because you have'nt gone to the restroom for six hours. All the while you can't sleep because the story has charged up like a two year old on dimetapp, but your exhausted like the heroes with adrenaline pumping in you, to keep you awake. Salvatore simply, gives you what you want. Once you read this, every other novel will be judged by the standard of action contained in this one book. I also recemmend any of the Ice Wind Dale books in another series by Salvatore, which is defintely a series that will have you seriously questioning other authors' talent in the fantasy-adventure genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book.......not so great ending
Review: I finished this book a few days ago. I loved it except for the ending. I almost hated the ending. In fact the ending was so bad that I almost didin't start to read Night Masks. I am glad I did read it tough. I could tolerate a terrible eding like this because I knew there were 3 more books. Well Bye. and do read this book
Rating:
Summary: Salvatore is the best
Review: I think this set is awesome. Salvatore never ceases to amaze me. If you like this you will love the Avatar Trilogy and the IceWind Dale Trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Needed to be better
Review: I tried really hard to like this book. But ultimatly it is merely an ok read. I know people that compare every fantasy book to Lord of the Rings and while I consider LOTR to be the father of modern fantasy in many ways. I try to not compare them.
However every now and again a book comes along that has a LOTR feel. I thought this one did. Shalmistra the Elven forest seemed alot like Lothlorien, the Elves themselves seemed to be a copy and sterotypical.
I found that disappointing as R.A Salvatore is quite a good author. I have enjoyed many of his other books, but this one just seemed to miss the mark.
There were some nice ideas. A scholar who was not an adventure as the main character is a cool concept and something I have not often come across in fantasy novels. In the first book of the series Cadderly show a reluctence to kill. This was refreshing compared to so many books I have read where death is handed out like candy at Halloween. When he had killed he had very mixed emotions about it. This was also good character development. But he agonises over so much to become tiresome. He spends much of the second book killing Orcs and Orges and then whining about it. It just gets old after 2 books.
Having said all that the series isn't all bad and some good backup characters make the series workth reading.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books.
Review: I'de like to start this review by explaining the whole plot of The Cleric Quintet. It's about a young man (Cadderly) who is going through a emotional hurricane which develops into a spiritual journey, and in the end he makes the ultimate yet necesary sacrifice for his god Deneir. That's why I'de like to say the Cleric Quintet is perhaps the MOST original fantasy book I've ever read. Let's start with Shilmista. Shilmista, some say, is a copy of the elven forest in LOTR, but isn't everything else...~.^? Shilmista, the elven forest, is being destroyed by a huge goblinoid force, and the way they solve this problem is astonishing. And I always thought elves where just a tree-hugging race of humanoids. It seems that term has worn itself out... well, you'll see. But I was surprised at there skills in battle as well. Next for the characters. The characters are well writen, there history very clear and there attitudes well developed (Ivan the tough dwarf, but careing on the inside; Pikel the shy yet kind dwarf; Danica the strong but wise monk; etc.) I also adore the pure love Danica and Cadderly feel for eachother. What realy got me was how unlucky poor Rufo was. He didn't realy do anything wrong, he was in a hostage situation the book, but he gets his revenge later on... wayyy later on. In this book Cadderly, the main character, seems to be going through a magical transformation. But what I realy liked about this book was Daome Teague Feer. It's a ritual that takes place in the book. It shows how spiritualy intuned with the forest the elves realy are and gives a whole new meaning to Elf. It is realy sad how Cadderly foolishly sits aside instead of taking a part, but ofcourse this is for the sake of the plot. This is my review. Notice how I only hinted certain events.... you got to read for yourself. Anyway, this book including Canticle, Night masks and Fallen Fortress all seem like just a history for the ultimate and main event of the series: The Chaos Curse. Read it and find out!
Rating:
Summary: A battle in book form; some character development
Review: In comparing this novel with the previous one in the series, "Canticle," this strikes me as a book-length battle with little else. Though I recognize that this was necessary for the story that Salvatore is trying to tell, it was not my preference. The interesting parts of the novel are Cadderly's (the main character) struggle with violence; he struggles with every battle compared to his more worldly friends (Cadderly has lived his whole life in the monastery-like Edificant Library). In addition, the relationship among the villains (the operate as a triumvirate; priests, wizards and fighters) is more thoroughly fleshed out. The novel takes place in an Elven forest that has been invaded by goblins, ogres, giants etc.. The elves of the forest had many parallels to Tolkien's elves. For example, Tolkien's and Salvatore's elves are in the decline and they have few warriors to combat the increasing threats of the world. There is also the antagonism between dwarves and elves, which seems lifted from Tolkien's work. Also, readers of Tolkien will recognize the concept of the ents in this novel. Salvatore's writing of battle is quite appropriate to a fantasy setting; there is some use of magic, but most of the battles are won on the basis of cunning and technique rather than wizardry. Some of the other characters developed in this novel caught my interest. There is a developing love interest between Cadderly and Danica (a monk whose discipline has allowed hear to become a formidable warrior), which is something different from the traditional prince and princess concept. There are also the two Dwarves (Ivan and Pikel) who provide a measure of comic relief. The brothers were the cooks of the Edificant Library but once summoned back to adventuring, they prove a considerable asset. This novel was something of a mild disappointment after the interesting, fresh story that the first novel began with. The third novel in the series "Night Masks" appears more promising but I wonder how the series will play out.
Rating: 
Summary: Now here's a pretty good book. . .
Review: In Sylvan Shadows, Book 2 of the Cleric Quintet - R. A. Salvatore
A Review I began to read this book with low expectations. Canticle, the first one in the series, I enjoyed to a very minor degree, unamused and bored by the characters' antics throughout the whole novel. It was the first Salvatore book I read, and I was considerably unimpressed with his supposedly great, but (I think!) overrated writing talent. Canticle did not introduce me to any new fantasy elements, ideas, or creations. Even the characters were quite unsophisticated and boring. Nonetheless, I purchased the rest of the series, more out of obligation than anything else. (You have one book in the series, you have to have them all!)
Undoubtedly, I can say that I enjoyed the second more than the first. It is placed recently after where Canticle ends, and tells about the heroes going in to save Shilmista, the elven lands, which are under attack by Castle Trinity, the main oppressor in nearly the whole series. A new character is introduced, a female elf warrior named Shayleigh, and although I enjoyed reading more about this character than the default characaters from the first novel, this one seemed to have little more complexity or depth than the rest of the heroes. Romance is hinted at, between her and one of the main dwarf characters, but, like all elf-dwarven relationships, is not elaborated on and is of little interest to the reader.
With some amount of trepidation I can say that In Sylvan Shadows is better than Canticle, but some may argue that point, and it is actually a matter of perspective. Like the first book, there is no character development whatsoever, save the growing magical talents of the main Mary Sue figure, Cadderly. A female wizard of Castle Trinity leads the attack on Shilmista, but she herself is only semi-powerful and unremarkable to read about.
The battle sequences, though, are quite redeeming and well written, but that by itself is a very minor part in the whole novel. As one can expect, the good guys (Cadderly, his gang, and the elves) prove to be the victors in the end, a stereotypical fashion that is used in almost all fantasy novels. But what good would it be if the heroes failed, one asks? Perhaps, a writer with superior talent such as Salvatore would be able to write something where the reader has difficulty discerning the good guys from the bad guys. Although that idea sounds unattractive, it is actually a effectively original and surprisingly limitless concept. What I mean by limitless, is that there are many different styles and schemes one can write their book upon.
Anyhow, that is not what this book is about. This book is strictly mediocre, despite what alot of people say, and is, in my opinion, not worth reading, especially in light of all the other better fantasy books out there. In fact, I feel that this book isn't even worth writing a review on, and so I shall stop now. Note: Okay, so maybe I was a little harsh, but I really didn't enjoy this book, nor the previous one, very much at all! Just look at my review of The Canticle and you'll see why, if you don't know already. The series is really nothing spectacular, and, by writing reviews on it, that's what I'm trying to make people see. Despite all this, it's still OK, and is pretty action-packed and fast paced too. True, I enjoyed In Sylvan Shadows more than The Canticle, which I gave 4 stars, but this one isn't much good enough to award it 5/5 rather than a 4/5.
Rating:
Summary: Now here's a pretty good book. . .
Review: In Sylvan Shadows, Book 2 of the Cleric Quintet - R. A. Salvatore
A Review I began to read this book with low expectations. Canticle, the first one in the series, I enjoyed to a very minor degree, unamused and bored by the characters' antics throughout the whole novel. It was the first Salvatore book I read, and I was considerably unimpressed with his supposedly great, but (I think!) overrated writing talent. Canticle did not introduce me to any new fantasy elements, ideas, or creations. Even the characters were quite unsophisticated and boring. Nonetheless, I purchased the rest of the series, more out of obligation than anything else. (You have one book in the series, you have to have them all!)
Undoubtedly, I can say that I enjoyed the second more than the first. It is placed recently after where Canticle ends, and tells about the heroes going in to save Shilmista, the elven lands, which are under attack by Castle Trinity, the main oppressor in nearly the whole series. A new character is introduced, a female elf warrior named Shayleigh, and although I enjoyed reading more about this character than the default characaters from the first novel, this one seemed to have little more complexity or depth than the rest of the heroes. Romance is hinted at, between her and one of the main dwarf characters, but, like all elf-dwarven relationships, is not elaborated on and is of little interest to the reader.
With some amount of trepidation I can say that In Sylvan Shadows is better than Canticle, but some may argue that point, and it is actually a matter of perspective. Like the first book, there is no character development whatsoever, save the growing magical talents of the main Mary Sue figure, Cadderly. A female wizard of Castle Trinity leads the attack on Shilmista, but she herself is only semi-powerful and unremarkable to read about.
The battle sequences, though, are quite redeeming and well written, but that by itself is a very minor part in the whole novel. As one can expect, the good guys (Cadderly, his gang, and the elves) prove to be the victors in the end, a stereotypical fashion that is used in almost all fantasy novels. But what good would it be if the heroes failed, one asks? Perhaps, a writer with superior talent such as Salvatore would be able to write something where the reader has difficulty discerning the good guys from the bad guys. Although that idea sounds unattractive, it is actually a effectively original and surprisingly limitless concept. What I mean by limitless, is that there are many different styles and schemes one can write their book upon.
Anyhow, that is not what this book is about. This book is strictly mediocre, despite what alot of people say, and is, in my opinion, not worth reading, especially in light of all the other better fantasy books out there. In fact, I feel that this book isn't even worth writing a review on, and so I shall stop now. Note: Okay, so maybe I was a little harsh, but I really didn't enjoy this book, nor the previous one, very much at all! Just look at my review of The Canticle and you'll see why, if you don't know already. The series is really nothing spectacular, and, by writing reviews on it, that's what I'm trying to make people see. Despite all this, it's still OK, and is pretty action-packed and fast paced too. True, I enjoyed In Sylvan Shadows more than The Canticle, which I gave 4 stars, but this one isn't much good enough to award it 5/5 rather than a 4/5.
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