The Griffin or the Agate

    Hey, if it works, it doesn't need fixing. That's no doubt the thinking at Wizards of the Coast with regard to R.A. Salvatore's writings. If he's going to crack the New York Times Best-Seller List then there's nothing wrong at all. Stay the course. Pump more of those books out. Keep the readers happy.
    Salvatore also adheres to this line of thought. He has no qualms about working within the world of WotC's Forgotten Realms, a popular branch of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons line. And he knows what works, sticking with the same uncommon race as he has in the past – the Dark Elf. Before it was Drizzt Do'Urden, the ranger who proved not all of the underground dwellers were evil. Salvatore's newer avatar, the unfortunately named Jarlaxle, is a bit more ambitious and shady. His erstwhile partner is Entreri, a human assassin with lacking direction in life. The mismatched pair – Jarlaxle cheerful and charming, his companion brooding and sour – set out through their trials equipped with a plethora of items designed to have AD&D players reaching for the gaming manuals that deal with treasure.
    The plot, such as it is, is designed to not get in the way of the action, which reads much like what a transcript of an AD&D session would, albeit with some backstabbing and casual romance tossed in for flavor. The Witch-king is gone, but his thing have been left behind and are starting to cause some havoc. One in particular, a book, has the nasty habit of creating lichs, powerful undead spellcasters. After an initial tower crawl of their own Jarlaxle and Entreri join up with a group of heroes (but aren't paid for it, which makes the title of the series a bit confusing) to try to save the nearby town and put the Witch-king's evil to rest for once and all.
    The buildup to the final battle feels like a trip through a difficult AD&D module, with the stakes rising and the monsters getting more powerful as they near their goal. One can almost hear the dice rattling as a trip over the countryside produces some ill-tempered flying snakes – the Dungeonmaster rolled a 6, that means a random encounter! Magic usage rigidly adheres to the game's rules, and so do most of the character types – the loud, cantankerous dwarf fighter, the noble ranger, and so on.
    This is not to say that Salvatore is not capable of delivering a well-written story. Media book or not, he seems a solid, serviceable storyteller, one who knows what his audience wants and, more importantly, how to give it to them. Promise of the Witch-King moves along at a steady clip, embracing cliches rather than stepping around them – for instance, are there any women in the book who aren't beautiful? Of course not. Salvatore knows his readers, knows what they're looking for, and knows how to make it happen. Promise of the Witch-King should keep his followers very happy.   §

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