Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
A review by John Irvin
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“He looked at Bransen for a long, long time, then barely believed his own words as he said, ‘Get out of Pryd.’”—The Highwayman, First Heroes
This specific volume actually includes the first two books of a tetrology set in R.A. Salvatore’s land of Corona: The Highwayman and The Ancient. Starting off as a despised cripple who slaves for a group of priests, the Highwayman discovers magical stones that aide him in straightening his body, giving him superhuman abilities.
Battle for the lands are two opposing religions, various monsters like goblins and powries who love human flesh, and a subtle hope that maybe tyranny would be vanquished.
With his new powers and a sword at his side, the Highwayman is on a quest. Is it for justice or vengeance? He must look inside himself to discover his true reasons and his purpose in the world.
During his travels, Bransen Garibond—the Highwayman—is tricked to take a journey across the Gulf of Corona to a vile land called Vanguard. Will he survive?
I enjoyed these first two installments in the Saga of the First King and would recommend them to any high fantasy readers. I felt like I was taken along on an adventure, being gifted with tours of these new realms. The hero also jumped out at me. The fact that he did not start off as some invulnerable, unflawed character was refreshing. Then to have him discover the powers and go on to use them for good was impressive.
The writing is deep, but not slow as some older works are. If you’ve ever seen Princess Bride and know how amazing that film is, you will definitely enjoy this book—it’s even deeper than ROUSs and a swordsman out for vengeance against a six-fingered man. Click this link to go buy: DEMONWARS: SAGA OF THE FIRST KING.
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