Ascendance

by R.A. Salvatore

Book Overview

Much to the seething dismay of his long time mistress, King Danube has asked Jilseponie Wyndon to become his queen. But she is torn. How can she love any man as completely as she did the Ranger... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345430433
• ISBN13: 9780345430434
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Salvatore Brings It!!

Ascendence is the first book of the second Demonwars Saga by R. A. Salvatore, and I must say that Salvatore knows what he is doing. It seems as if he has planned all of this from the beginning, but you can't even tell from the earlier novels, until it begins to fall together. This is very well written, easy to understand ( if you have read the others ). The new characters are well fleshed out before they become `important'. Everytime I pick up a Salvatore book, I have no doubt that I will enjoy it. Salvatore has brought these characters through a lot, and he is definatly not finished. When reading the book before this (Mortalis) the reader can certainly tell that there is more to the story then they are getting, or to better word that - they know there is a future that must be written about after this tale. The Legacy of Two of our heros, and a HUGE mistake by the Elves is unfolding throughout Ascendence. Darkness is slowly creeping over the kingdom and its King, but no one truly knows the deepness that that darkness has - and even the reader is begging for what is occuring - not to occur. I hate to give away anything in a book ,as well the ones before it, and that is why this review is vague, but have no doubt - these are Salvatore's best! If you have not already - go and pick them up and get started as soon as you can!

Deliciously disturbing

Though previous reviewers have expressed dissatisfaction over the triumphs evildoers enjoy in this series, and especially in this book.. I find it a refreshing change from the godlike Drizzt, who prevails against impossible things no matter what. Plot style is akin in this series to George RR Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series in the sense that no one is safe, and anyone can die at the turn of any page. Holds suspense and does away with the more juvenile and hopeful ambience of the Forgotten Realm's Drizzt story, though I love those for their attributes as well.Overall, I finish this book with a heavy heart for the characters that I grew to root for and their unimaginable pain and losses.. and a smirk for the villans who enjoy victories not often seen in this genre.

Another installment in a captivating series.

First off, this is the fifth book in a series despite the fact that it is book 1 of a trilogy. Though Mr Salvatore always makes his books complete stories, I highly recommend starting with The Demon Awakens. I actually waited almost a year to read this one (I usually try to wait for the whole trilogy to be out before starting a series), but caved last month in a weak moment. Like the rest of the series, this book was great reading. One of the fun things about RAS's writing, is that he always shows what's going on from the POV of 'good guys' and the 'bad guys'. And guess what, the bad guys aren't running around maniacally laughing and stroking their gen-Xer goatees either. They're compelling to follow and you're reminded that good and evil is all a matter of personal perception. But, since most of the readers (we hope) are of the camp that good guys don't do dastardly things (such as murdering people and manipulating entire populations - oh wait, this counts most politicians out of our good guy category =P), we are left wondering who is going to 'save the day' in the next books. What do I mean, you ask? Guess you will have to read the series!

Highly recommended

This book by Salvatore is one of his best. I was a fan of the original series and believe this one may even beat that! I highly recommend it for readers of the past series as well as new readers to Salvatore.

A triumph for Salvatore.

Sometimes, authors of multi-volume book series fall into ruts. The plot plods endlessly forward, the characters become caricatures of themselves, and the reader eventually loses any interest in the characters or the story. R.A. Salvatore is not one of these authors. In recent years, rather than declining, Salvatore's writing has become richer and deeper. From "The Spine of the World", with its alcoholic, despairing protagonist, to "Mortalis" with its considerations on human mortality, Salvatore's writing has risen several notches above common sword and sorcery tales. This trend continues undaunted in the newest addition of his Demonwars saga, "Ascendance". The book's plot continues many of the untied threads from the previous work, "Mortalis", while weaving them with several new developments. Aydrian Wyndon, son of heroes Jilseponie and Elbryan from previous books, chafes against the restrictions placed on him by his haughty elven tutors. Meanwhile, Jilseponie, now Baroness of Palmaris, contemplates marriage to King Danube. Unbeknowst to both Aydrain and Jilseponie, Marcalo De'Unnero, Elbryan's killer (and one of the few characters to survive through all four of the series' previous books) remains at large and a threat to the peace of Church and Kingdom. And behind the events of the kingdom remains the shadowy presence of Bestesbulizbar, the demon dactyl. One of Salvatore's strengths in recent years has been his blurring of the traditional fantasy views of good and evil, accompanied by the humanization of his villains (Artemis Entreri in "Servant of the Shard" is a good example). In "Ascendance", Salvatore shows his readers the human side of De'Unnero, accompanied by some surprising activities for a former monk. In the same vein, the ugly racism of the elves is brought to better light, particularly in the haughtiness of Lady Dasslerond, whose callous arrogance towards Aydrian will hold dire consequences for the future of the elves and the humans. This reviewer found "Ascendance" to be an enjoyable read, and recommends it to the reading public. While "Ascendance" is capable of standing on its own, knowledge of the previous books will greatly improve enjoyment. Five stars.