Dragonslayer's Return

by R.A. Salvatore

Book Overview

The threat of war looms over the realm of Faerie, as an evil king brutally supresses his subjects, and a powerful witch wages a campaign of destruction. The peaceful folk of Faerie summon Gary Leger,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441002285
• ISBN13: 9780441002283
• Release Date: August 1995
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

An interesting book

In this sequel to The Dragon's Dagger, Gary Leger is desperate to return to the land of Faerie. With his father dead, he hopes that somehow the difference in the way time passes in Faerie will allow him to return and meet his father just once more. But, there is terrible trouble in Faerie. King Kinnemore is on the march, seeking to bring all of Faerie under his heel, so that he can present it to the newly released witch Ceridwen. And now Gary, and his new wife Diane must help the inhabitants of Faerie fight for their very survival. Can they save Faerie? Indeed, can they even save themselves? Overall, I found this to be a better book than the other two in the trilogy. Like them, it starts out excruciatingly slow, as you follow Gary and Diane on their peregrinations, looking for a bridge to Faerie. However, unlike the others, the story is much more serious, and the action more interesting. There are a number of great fight scenes, and the obligatory "outnumbered army facing a horde of bad guys." Admittedly, after the defeat of the enemy, the couple's exit from Faerie does seem somewhat rushed and perfunctory, which is a disappointment. But, that said, it is an interesting book, with lots of great action and magic and monsters.

A great conclusion to a great series

The Dragonslayer's Return starts with Gary looking for a way back to the land of Faerie and the land of Faerie looking at an evil king bent on destroying those who oppose him. Gary's wife, Diane (he got married after The Dragon's Dagger), makes a splash onto the scene by being a decent fighter and a great puzzle-solver. While she was upset with Gary for ruining their vacation to England, she finally realizes he wasn't just telling tall tales about Faerie. She makes a wonderful companion for Gary as the battle for the safety of Faerie continues to wreak havoc. Meanwhile, the evil King Kinnemore is trying to rule the land with an iron fist. It's always been known that he was a puppet of Ceridwen the witch, but we finally learn the truth of the relationship. Ceridwen is due to be released from her terms of banishment set by Gary in The Woods Out Back, so her minions of evil are massing to take over the peaceful populace. While this is the final installment of the series, R. A. Salvatore once again leaves you wanting more. Gary's original companions (Geno, Mickey, Kelsey, Gerbil, and Tommy) don't play as big a role in this book when compared to the first two. Gary and Diane dominate the storyline with their perfect combination of brains and brawn. Enjoy R. A. Salvatore's Spearwielder's Trilogy and remember this little secret. Gary Leger is Bob Salvatore.

Not The Best From Salvatore

This entire Series is a little juvenile. I read this book and the other tow in the trilogy (The Woods Out Back and The Dragons Dagger) and they were all good. This is an easy read which is part of the reason that I don't think that this is Salvatore's best work. I got the feeling that this might have been one of his earlier attempts before he found his real writing niche. I love all of Salvatore's boooks and am now about 4 books from reading them all. This Particular book and series has great characters. I liked the Leprechan especially. There was a lot of good comedy and there were several fights but these weren't as Dynamic as, say, the Dark Elf books by Salvatore. All in all though this book has a good story, be it predictable at times. I did enjoy this book because the basic premice of the books was good. Somewhat like the Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay who is also a very good writer. This book and this series (Becuase you might as well read the whole series) are worth the time and this would be a good one to read to your kids at night. I hope this helps.