Review of PROMISE OF THE WITCH-KING by R.A. Salvatore (see his website)

THE SELLSWORDS BOOK II

Wizards of the Coast, October 2005

Human assassin Artemis Entreri and dark-elf Jarlaxle have raided one tower built on the magic of the killed but not totally defeated witch-king Zhengyi. Following Jarlaxle's urgings, the two head away from civilization to the borders of Zhengyi's old lands--a place where monsters are common and, at least according to Jarlaxle, reputations can be made. It doesn't take long before the two become known as top bounty-hunters and, when rumors of another Zhengyi construct rising in the troubled hills, Entreri and Jarlaxle are drafted into a company of heroes sent to investigate.

The company may consist of heroes, but several are pursuing their own agendas--and at least some of those agendas include elimination of the assassin and the drow. Fighting the undead monsters in the huge castle that errant magic has created is tough enough. Fighting the monsters while being stabbed in the back by supposed friends is likely to be deadly. Worse, Entreri seems to be under some sort of magical compulsion to save the half-orc sorceress who created the castle--even if it means his own destruction.

Author R. A. Salvatore (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Salvatore) continues the story of Entreri and Jarlaxel begun in SERVANT OF THE SHARD (see our review) in a superior story. Although Salvatore bases his plot on the familiar 'Dungeons and Dragons' scenario of wandering through dungeons and fighting monsters, he gives the characters a bit of a slant--pure heroes are short-lived in Salvatore's universe--increasing reader interest.

If you're looking for some pure excitement of the sword and sorcery type, you will definitely want to get your hands on PROMISE OF TE WITCH-KING.

Three Stars

Reviewed 11/27/05

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