The Orc King: Transitions, Book I

Most of RA salvatore's books in this series leave much to be desired. Maybe it is that they feel barren and formulaic, too much like the preceding novels with not enough substance of their own. For whatever reason, this one has that thing that the other books lack - a certain je ne c'est quoi - it is a breath of fresh air the aforementioned series badly needed, especially after reading so many of its vaguely disappointing or repetitive prequels. In my opinion, this is the best book in the series (up to its point - i haven't yet read those that follow it) since Sojourn. Longtime fans of the series will find enough of the things they loved about the previous books to enjoy this installment, and i'd argue that they'll find enough in the way of newer, fresher themes to keep them hooked in ways the immediately preceding books failed to do.if i could have given the book a 4.5, i would have. It is by no means perfect - many of the most interesting plot lines suggested by the novel are abandoned part-way through. However, i am at least glad that those plot lines were presented in the first place; I would never have thought to see them in the previous books. ultimately, i give the book a high rating not because it is perfect, but because it so exceeded the low expectations i have come to ask of the series and the genre. I left the book satisfied and unmistakably impressed, despite my initial expectation to dislike it.

This is a pretty good novel. They take something that's been a given throughout the entire series, that an orc is inherently evil, and make the characters deal with the fact that it might not be the case.Of course this isn't unique. It's been done over and over in other genres. It's a not at all subtle substitute about racism and tolerance. What makes it different is you don't see a ton of it in fantasy books. They tend to be more black and white. Even if the characters have issues, it's usually easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys.I think this book does a pretty good job of making you look at these characters and yourself in a different light. You've been going on all this time, cheering when the good guys killed a 'monster' and now you have to reassess. Granted that it's not that hard as, up until this point, the author has been writing them as pure monsters. It's worth a read for anyone, and especially fans of the series.

First off, the book opens with a scene from a future that is a good leap ahead of the prior storyline. From that brief glimpse, a great deal of the bulk of the book is rendered dull since the suspense is gone. (I look at this the same as with various prequel movies. There is no suspense since we know who lives into the later movies, so a great deal of the drama is muted.)Picking up where the prior novel left off, along with the tidbit in a short story in a recent anthology, Salvatore furthers the development of the orc kingdom growing outside Mithral Hall. I was pleased that there is actually some storyline resolution from prior books, though they are such a minor part of this book that they could have been omitted. These include the path that Wulfgar chooses even before setting off to recover his adopted daughter. If the reader had not read Spine of the World, then the details of Wulfgar's story might seem a bit confusing, but a decent enough job is done of filling in that blank.We see Catti-Brie dealing with the severe injury she suffered in the last book, and perhaps choosing a completely new path as he abilities as a warrior are impacted perhaps beyond recovery. It's strange to think of her in the role that Salvatore seems to have chosen for her, though.Drizzt and Bruenor get some actual development in this book, which is a nice thing to see from such well-established characters. Rather than allow them to coast, he again delivers significant challenges to them, both in terms of their philosophies and their opponents in combat.Salvatore delivers his typically-detailed and well-written battle scenes, which despite my earlier complaint about knowing the outcome in advance, still kept me turning the pages without pause.I liked this book, but I am hoping that the next in the series does a better job of moving things forward without having so many peripheral bits tacked on here and there. I think that his previous book (with Entreri and Jarlaxle) was a better read than this one, but I had no regrets in this one.

Being a fan of Salvatore's novels, I must confess I became real tired to know that Drizzt's adventures never have an ending. As a result, I was tentative to read the Transitions series. However, The Orc King flips the plot by fooling the audience that not all creatures are vile by their reputation. Obould Many-Arrows is a truly well developed character - one that would challenge the audience to make difficult moral choices regarding his leadership style. He resembles a lot of great conquerors in the past who eventually gets respected from the side he colonized.Definitely a must in reading The Orc King. Salvatore continues to do an excellent job by presenting a different perspective to fantasy fans regarding orcs. All of his stories so far, reflect on real-life situations, and challenges the reader to be in a position to decide whether they can renounce their decision for vengeance for greater good. I am eager to find out how The Pirate King would end. Like the many other reviewers here, it is a good idea to skip the prelude because it has nothing with the plot!