Luthien's Gamble

Description

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.' 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.

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.