Luthien's Gamble

R. A. Salvatore

Jun 2019 · The Crimson Shadow Book 2 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

The second adventure in the New York Times–bestselling fantasy trilogy from the legendary million-selling author and creator of Drizzt Do’Urden.
 
Luthien Bedwyr vowed to free his beleaguered land of Eriador from its demonic ruler, Wizard-King Greensparrow. Cloaked in a scarlet cape that renders him invisible and wielding a magical sword, Luthien is known to Eriador’s oppressed as the Crimson Shadow. With the rallying support of enslaved humans, defiant peasants, and Fairborn elves, he has forged a path for liberation—raid by insurgent raid.
 
Even with a mighty battle-ready band of stalwart comrades—including halfling thief Oliver deBurrows; fierce elf warrior Katerin O’Hale; and the ancient and mysterious mage, Brind’Amour—the rebels are fighting an uphill battle against the vile despot’s escalating and bloodthirsty army of cyclopean soldiers. Then, Greensparrow makes an unexpected bid for peace. But why would a wizard so cunning and so evil suddenly concede?
 
Though Eriador’s slaves see the compromise as cause for celebration, Luthien and Brind’Amour recognize it as a calculated trap. The Crimson Shadow knows in his heart that the war for freedom has only just begun.
 
Return to a rousing, magical quest in book two of a trilogy hailed by Terry Brooks as a “fine adventure filled with memorable characters and compelling action.”

Ratings and reviews

I bought this trilogy in September of 2020, and I still haven't been able to make myself finish the second book, much less start the third. I pray that they get better but I don't see any sign of it. Possibly the most frustrating part about these books for me is that I have and do love so much of what RA Salvatore has written. But these books feel painfully bad to me. I've actually yet to finish this one, it feels so bad to me. At least the first book had a few things I remember as interesting. Maybe I've just become used to different styles of writing, but if I ever do finish this book, much less this trilogy, it probably won't be for a good long time to come. It surprises me that R. A. Salvatore's name is on the cover.

Simple but page turning.

About the author

R. A. Salvatore’s first book, The Crystal Shard, was published in 1988; in 1990 his third novel, The Halfling’s Gem, hit the New York Times bestseller list. Since then he has written more than sixty novels, which have sold more than thirty million copies worldwide. In addition, Salvatore has numerous game credits, making him one of the most important figures in modern epic fantasy. Among his books are numerous titles in the saga of dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden, the Coven series, the Crimson Shadow trilogy, and many more.
 
Salvatore spends a good deal of time speaking to schools and library groups, encouraging people, particularly young people, to read. He enjoys a broad range of literary writers, from James Joyce to Dante and Chaucer, and counts among his favorite genre literary influences Ian Fleming, Arthur Conan Doyle, Fritz Leiber, and J. R. R. Tolkien. Salvatore makes his home in Massachusetts, with his wife, Diane, and their dogs. His gaming group still meets on Sunday nights.
 
He is currently working on more novels set in the Demonwars and Dark Elf series.