The Pirate King: Transitions, Book II [Hardcover]

The Pirate King by R.A. Salvatore is the second book in the Transitions Trilogy set in the Forgotten Realms. The first book in the trilogy is titled The Orc King: Transitions, Book I (Transitions) with the third book being titled The Ghost King (scheduled for release in October, 2009). 2008 marks the 20th Anniversary of the iconic character, Drizzt Do'Urden, on top of that the title of the latest trilogy - Transitions - is just that. A transition from the current rule set of the Forgotten Realms to the new 4th Edition. There are many differences in the new 4th Edition, some positive and some I will wait to make a definite opinion on. As an aside, if you have not read The Stowaway: Stone of Tymora, Book I (Stone of Tymora) by R.A. and Geno Salvatore you may want to do so before reading this book. One of the characters from that book plays a prominent role in this novel. This trilogy appears to be a way to get Drizzt to the `new' Realms and tell how he came to where he is. Here are my thoughts on the novel.

The plot of this book is, for all intended purposes, dived up into three distinct sections. The first focusing on Captain Deudermont and a mission he agrees to be apart of. This mission is unlike anything he has ever done before and will certainly tax him to his limits. As always, he surrounds himself with powerful friends, but there are equally as powerful (if not more powerful) enemies as well. The second section of the novel focuses on a journey Drizzt undertakes to finally, after four years, find out the fate of one of his dear friends. The third section focuses on the consequences of the choices that Captain Deudermont made previously and how that affects not only him but the city of Luskan as well. This book is a little different from past Drizzt novels, in that it focuses on other characters than just the Companions of the Hall. Also, the reader is able to get a really good sense of the conditions of Luskan. I really feel that Mr. Salvatore really shined in this book in his ability to allow the reader to see Luskan. Drizzt is not as introspective in this book as in previous books, but that does not diminish the plot in anyway. It is a gritty novel with much suffering and death. The overall feel of the book is one that I would anticipate fourth edition novels to be like.

Many of the characters in this novel and old hat for many readers. Characters such as Drizzt, Regis, Deudermont, and Robillard. However, there is the addition of several new characters as well such as; the five Luskan captains, the Crow, and Arklem Greeth to name a few. While there are certainly a lot of characters in this book, it never feels like there are too many. Each characters seems to serve a purpose, and none are written in merely as fluff. One thing I lightly complained about in The Orc King was that there is only so much that can be written about certain characters before they become stagnant. I would be remiss if I did not say that the characterization in this novel is very well done. We get to see new sides of several characters. Some characters make choices that I would not have guessed they would have made, but the circumstances they are under force those decisions. The character development is also some of the best of the recent novels as well. I would love to say more about it, but I do not want to spoil anything for anyone. I will say that I was able to connect with each and every character and rarely can I say that about any novel.

A couple minor criticisms about this novel:

1 - It seems pretty evident, that Mr. Salvatore is being forced to do some things with the story that he otherwise would not have done. This appears to be coming from the push to the 4th edition and making everything congruent. While I think Mr. Salvatore did the best he could, it does, at times, create moments of the story feeling forced.

2 - The, for lack of a better way to describe it, middle `section' of the book didn't seem to flow with the rest of the story. It seemed really out of context and almost as though it was a short story put into the middle of a novel. With how the rest of the novel felt, and flowed, the middle just seemed out of place.

Some things I liked about this novel:

1 - The overall grittiness of the novel. It felt much like some of Mr. Salvatore's Demon Wars work. It didn't have that happy-go-lucky, everything will be okay in the end, type feel. I rather enjoyed not knowing until the end how each character would fare.

2 - As I mentioned above, the characterization and character development was really done well. None of the characters followed the traditional lines that we would expect them to follow. When characters begin to make decisions that are unexpected, it creates a sense of newness and makes you want to keep reading. That is how I felt with this novel.

Overall I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. The middle section seemed to bog down a little bit, but once everything worked itself out and the story was back in Luskan it really picked up and flowed smoothly. The ending leaves me clamoring for the next book to see how things play out. Fans of Salvatore and the Forgotten Realms will certainly want to pick this book up and see the changes that are happening. Some of those changes surprised me quite a bit, so I can really only guess what will happen in the next book. Transitions is an apt title to call this trilogy, I can not think of a more appropriate word. This is a book that I whole-heartedly recommend to those who are this far along in the series. Only time will tell what is in store for Drizzt and the Forgotten Realms.

Dark Elf Drizzt Do'Urden and his halfling friend Regis leave the dwarf kingdom and its evolving, uncomfortable, alliance with the new Orc kingdom behind them to visit friends in the north. First, they come across a family of wizards who are using magic to convert troublemakers to rabbits. The morality of this harsh judgment bothers both Regis and Drizzt. Yet, the new bunnies were real troublemakers. Would the world be better off if Drizzt fought the wizards and freed them?

In the trade city of Luskan, the Arcane Brotherhood, led by the undead wizard Arklem Greeth, has taken unofficial control, sanctioning pirates, and taxing the captains in official control of that city. Drizzt's pirate-hunter friend Captain Deudermont, decides to confront piracy it it's head rather than simply hunt individiual pirates. He invades, gathering the citizens of Luskan as well as Drizzt and Regis to help him. Still, with the result a bloodbath, hundreds killed, and hunder stalking the 'freed' city, Drizzt again has to wonder about the ethics of his involvement. Do actions to right a wrong always lead to a better world? The facts don't seem to support that theory.

In the far north, Regis and Drizzt attempt to track down Wulfgar--their friend and also the who loved Drizzt's wife, Catti-brie. Wulfgar returned to his homeland in the north, but seems to have vanished.

Author R. A. Salvatore often plays with fantasy conventions. His decision to make an Orc a major protagonist and create a situation where an alliance between Orcs and dwarves is essential represents a thoughtful and intriguing turn in a genre where Orcs seem designed to be killed without any moral qualms because they aren't fully human. In THE PIRATE KING, Salvatore continues his moral/ethical quest, putting Drizzt, his central character in a number of his fantasies, into situations where no clear path to victory can be seen.

Salvatore combines intriguing ethical considerations with wonderful descriptions of battles and individual combat, drawing the reader into the story.

I would have liked to spend more time in the character of Kensidad, the Luskan captain who seeks to turn the disruption to his own advantage. Certainly he is the change agent in this story, always one step ahead of the others, both creating events and responding to them. Like Obould, Kensidad is far from noble, but he is interesting. Unlike Obould, however, Kensidad doesn't seem especially concerned about anyone besides himself (and maybe his father). Also unlike Obould, Kensidad doesn't seem to be his own man.

THE PIRATE KING is engaging and offers some interesting ethical issues that are relevant to today's world situation as well as to the world of Dark Elves, Dwarves and wizards. I would have preferred that Salvatore be a bit more subtle in his approach, but THE PIRATE KING still is an enjoyable read.

Short Version:
This book is sadly not what I was expecting. It is a departure from the Drizzt of old, who never gave up and fought till the death. The new Drizzt is lame, more concerned with saving criminals than defeating real villains.

Long Version:
This book was a sad dissapointment for me. I truly loved the Legend of Drizzt series, but after reading "The Pirate King" I am unlikely to buy the "Ghost King," and infact this may have been the last book I read by RA Salvatore.

I was unpleasantly surprised to find that although Drizzt makes a good number of "guest appearances" he is far from the main character and even farther from the hero who triumphs against all odds.

He is barely able to fight off a couple of random street thugs. Furthermore, he loses EVERY major battle he engages in against the main villains, and he can barely defeat minor characters. Drizzt just seems weak and none of the courage or bravery he displayed in previous books is there. At the end of the book, he loses some of his best friends and the villains claim victory. What does Drizzt do? He walks away and the story ends. WHAT HAPPEND TO THE DRIZZT THAT HAD SOME BALLS, WHO FOUGHT AND NEVER GAVE UP?

Drizzt seems weak and far too cautious to be a real hero. His constant "moral" questions are really just silly distractions from the storyline. He just sways back and forth constantly confused about this or that moral issue. Where's the nail-biting intrigue of previous stories? Where are the TRUE moral issues of previous books, not some silliness about turning criminals into rabbits (which isn't even funny, it's just boring).