The Dame (Saga of the First King) [Hardcover]

R. A. Salvatore (Author)

Book Description

Series: Saga of the First King | Publication Date: August 18, 2009

The vast road network of Honce, completed a decade before, had brought great optimism to the people of the land. Commerce could travel more freely and so could armies, and those armies, it was hoped, would rid the land at long last of the vicious, bloody cap dwarfs and goblins. For the first time, the many individual kingdoms, the holdings of Honce, would be brought closer together, perhaps even united.  For the last few years, those promises had become a nightmare to the folk, as two powerful lairds fought for supremacy of a hoped-for united kingdom.

Bransen Garibond, the Highwayman, held little real interest in that fight. To him the warring lairds were two sides of the same coin. Whichever side won, the outcome for the people of Honce would be the same, Bransen believed. A journey north, however, taught Bransen that his views were simplistic at best, and that some things--like honor and true friendship-- might truly matter. 

In The Dame, Bransen’s road becomes a quest for the truth, of Honce and of himself, a quest to put right over wrong. That path is fraught with confusion and fraud, and a purposeful blurring of morality by those who would seek to use the Highwayman’s extraordinary battle skills and popularity among the commonfolk for their own nefarious ends.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This middling follow-up to 2008's The Ancient plods through a familiar fantasy quest formula. With the land of Honce torn between clashing lairds, Bransen Garibond and his five human and dwarf companions have brought the head of the evil Ancient Badden to Dame Gwydre of Vanguard, the embodiment of regal responsibility. For reward, Bransen wants only to return to his wife and their home in Pryd Town, but when he gets in the middle of strife between religious and political factions, he's falsely accused of treachery and forced to choose between imprisonment and the inevitable perilous trek. Peppered with inventive religious lore, mysterious mystic warriors and the martyr's death of a boon companion, and spiked with the genre's requisite gory hand-to-hand combat scenes, this predictable tale will neither advance the saga's plot nor entertain its readers. (Aug.)
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Review

Praise for The Ancient

“Salvatore explores the interaction between politics and religion with depth, insight, and ambition. His characters are an intriguing mix of social and class differences. Entertaining.”--Romantic Times BOOKreviews

“A worthy addition to the lore of Salvatore’s invented world.”--Kirkus Reviews

"Imposing"--Publishers Weekly

“Fans of martial fantasy should enjoy his vivid depictions of combat.”--Library Journal

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (August 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765317907
• ISBN-13: 978-0765317902
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

R.A. Salvatore has spent so many years winding himself into fantasy worlds that he's still trying to figure out how to unwind. He is the author of more than forty novels and more than a dozen New York Times best sellers, including The Two Swords, which debuted at or near the top of many best seller lists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow for the 1st half, but a great read after that!, March 8, 2010

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dame (Saga of the First King) (Hardcover)

In this, the third book in the Saga of the First King series, we meet up with Bransen Garibond "The Highwayman" right after his defeat of Ancient Badden. Bransen dreams of returning to the land of his youth, but Honce is a changed land. The Lairds are locked in a life and death struggle, each one seeking to become king of the entire land. But, there are many players in this game, each with his or her own agenda, and some of them...too many of them want the Highwayman dead. There are great changes in store for the world, and great changes for those who liver within it!

First off, I must admit that I had put this book down halfway through, figuring I was done with it. The entire first half of the book is very slowing moving, providing little joy for the reader. After that, however, the story and the action start to really pick up. By the end of the book, I was really enjoying the story, and now I can't wait for the next book in the series.

That's right, I enjoyed this book, and am glad that I read it. I just wish that they could have done something to get the story moving earlier in the book. I wouldn't recommend skipping the first half of the book, but do try to read it quickly, so that you can get to the better second half as quickly as possible. If you do that, you will find this to be an interesting and enjoyable read!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Yawn., November 11, 2009

By 

J. Bennett "Rhythm Rascal" (Riverside, ca United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dame (Saga of the First King) (Hardcover)

I love Salvatore. Always have. I started reading this book and found myself BORED for the first third of the book. It felt a little empty. It wasn't till Bransen set back out on the road that it caught my interest. The first third spent far too much time with politics and game of throne type drivel. The supporting characters in this aren't carrying their own weight. Not like the misfits in the Silver Shard series etc. I'm looking forward to finishing the book now that it's turned back toward developing Bransen in a setting familiar to readers of Salvatore.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swashbuckling Action with a Kung Fu Twist, August 31, 2009

By 

Scott Masterton (Blaine, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dame (Saga of the First King) (Hardcover)

"The Dame" Bob Salvatore's third novel featuring the enigmatic Highwayman is great fun.

This one starts out right where "The Ancient" left off. The Highwayman and his group are pardoned and offered free passage thoughout Honce by Dame Gwydre (the only worthwhile royal in the novel). Bransen wants to return home with his wife and mother-in-law, but is unsure if the treacherous warring nobles will fully accept the writ of safe passage issued by the Dame. He returns home with his new friend Jameston Sequin in an attempt to insure the safety of his family, and this is where things begin to twist: Laird Delaval is assassinated by a group of mystic warriors whose abilities genesis could only be the Jhest warriors. The Highwayman learns of the killing (by being accused of the murder), but more intriguing to him is the chance to connect with his mother's people and to delve more deeply into the abilities that he has developed and possibly even to find a Jhest teacher that might free him from his dependence on the gemstones.

I love historical fiction, but one of the wonderful things about fantasy is that there are no boundaries. In the Highwayman adventures, Bob Salvatore combines Robin Hood, Zorro, magic and the Kung Fu fun of the Iron Monkey into a rousing good tale of good versus evil. This is not Tolstoy, destined to go down as great literature with deep meanings. This is Salvatore, which is another name for great, escapist fun and adventure. This book takes all my favorite genre's and combines them into a great yarn. As always I'm looking forward to the next chapter in the Highwayman's carreer. Until that comes out, I just might re-read the whole series.

Great Fun!