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Book Cover |
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Excerpt |
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I
turned and ran.
I hoped my small size
would help me. I was able to navigate through tight spaces of the hold
easily, as the hulking thing surely could not. I realized my error as
the first few boxes went soaring over my head.
"Come out. tasssty
snack," the thing gurgled. Its voice was something between a roaring
bear and a drowning cat, every bit as ugly as the monster itself.
I picked my way through
the familiar cask maze, toward the hatch to the deck, to anywhere the
beast was not. But the ship's sharp turn and the crash had tossed the
contents of the hold, and I could barely keep my footing. The troll
tossed another barrel at my head, and it crashed among several casks of
water, one of which burst open. Other crates and boxes tumbled about.
One of the crates, full
of dried and salted meat, landed directly on me, knocking me down and
blasting the breath from my lungs. The troll ripped through the last
stack of barrels right behind me.
"Oh-ho! Cannot hide!"
the brute shouted in delight. Then it stopped abruptly, and when I dared
to glance back, it stood staring at me.
It stared at my chest,
where my shirt had been torn open. Stared at the sash holding the black
stone.
"Ohhh, the demon
wantsss it, don't it be?" Its voice was a shrill whisper, like a nail
pulled across glass. "'E'll pay me well, won't 'e, then?"
I snapped my wrist out,
extending the magical blade, and swung as hard as I could. But the
creature was quicker than I thought, and it stepped out of my reach.
"Eet hasss bite, eet
does!" snarled the troll in a strange half-laugh. "But so does I!"
It lunged forward.
I dodged to my left and
cut a quick backhand with my saber, aiming to hit the creature in the
ear, or at least force it back.
But the beast caught my
arm in its hand. |
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Synopsis |
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When Maimum was born,
his entire village was killed by the demon Asbeel. Found by Perrault, he
delivered the baby to Elbeth, a skilled healer that lived in a cave in
the High Forest. At the age of six years old, Maimum was again found by
Asbeel. After the death of Elbeth, Perrault again finds the child and
raises him until he is twelve years old. He has taught Maimum how to
read while they travel the Sword Coast living off the land.
Maimum has
never been in a city and is excited when Perrault informs him that they
will be visiting Baldur's Gate. there, Perrault visits Jaide who gives
him a black stone that swirls with colors. Upon returning to the inn
where Alviss, a dwarf who runs a local tavern, is watching Maimum,
Perrault gives the stone to Maimum, who will wear it around his chest so
that the stone is close to his heart. Upon trying to leave Baldur's
Gate, Asbeel finds Maimum again and Perrault and the demon battle on a
pier over the water.
After injuring the demon, and being injured
himself, Perrault and Maimum escape over the water on Perrault's horse,
Haze. They are taken about a ship and Perrault convinces Captain Smythe
to take them to Waterdeep, The Jewel of the North, after they visit
Luskan to sell their goods. On the ship, Maimum meets a young girl named
Joen whose job is to keep a look out in the crow's nest.
They are
attacked by pirates and the entire crew is taken prisoner, except for
Perrault and Maimum. It seems that Captain Baram of the pirate ship was
looking for Perrault and promises to get him to Waterdeep in four days.
But the injury to Perault is serious and he soon lapses into
unconsciousness. Riding Haze back to Baldur's Gate, Asbeel finds Maimum
again and he has to stowaway about a ship, Sea Sprite, to get
away.
The ship, commanded by Captain Deudermont, has some passengers.
They are Drizzt Do'Urden, Wulfgar, Catt-brie, and Bruenor. After pirates
attack and Maimum defeats a troll, the captain hires the young boy to
work on the ship as the captain's cabin boy. When the ship arrives in
port city of Memnon, a captive pirate breaks free, grabs Maimum, fall
into the sea, and sink to the bottom. After escaping the pirate, and
realizing that Asbeel will stop at nothing to obtain him, Maimum sets
out on his own. He is determined that no one else will get hurt because
of him.
The Stowaway
is a young reader fantasy novel written by R.A. & Geno Salvatore. It
is the first volume in the Stone of Tymora series. This
book takes place in the Forgotten Realms world. This book is intended for young readers 9 and up.
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Review |
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R.A. Salvatore is one
of my favorite fantasy writers. Drizzt Do'Urden is one of my favorite
fantasy characters. Geno Salvatore is R.A.'s son and
The Stowaway is his first published fantasy novel. Although he
did most of the writing, his father helped with the pacing of the story
and some of the writing.
At first I was disappointed by how little
Drizzt was in the story, but them came to realize that most of this
story takes place in the past, before Maimum meets Drizzt. After
finishing the book, I have great hopes that Drizzt and his fellow
adventurers will be in the story more in future books. On the other
hand, to tell the truth, the cameo if Drizzt wasn't really needed if you
ask me. The story stands on its own two feet and proclaims in a loud
voice, "Forgotten Realms books don't have to include Driizt to work!"
So, I would have been just as happy if Drizzt never showed up in this
book.
I really liked the main character of Maimum and all the things he
has gone through in his life. That darned demon Asbeel is always hunting
him, trying to get the stone, which turns out to give the person who
posses it and extraordinary amount of luck. As a young reader book,
The Stowaway is a excellent tale of one boys struggle to find his
place in the world. Yes, there is some violence, but not a lot of gore
or anything like that. It is a really great fantasy novel that kept me
reading it until I polished off the entire book in one day. I just
couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next and, therefore,
could not stop reading.
So, if you are looking for a wonderful fantasy
book to read, pick up a copy of
The Stowaway. I look forward to finding out what happens next in
volume two of the Stone of Tymora series entitled
The Shadowmask.
I rated this book a 9 out of 10. |
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