The Demon Spirit (The DemonWars Trilogy, Book 2) [Hardcover]

R.A. Salvatore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 1998 | Series: The Demonwars Saga

In The Demon Awakens, New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore created a dazzling new world of fantasy adventure and striking drama. Beset by danger, the elf-trained hero Elbryan Wynden championed the cause of good and confronted the daunting powers of darkness. Now with The Demon Spirit, Salvatore takes us deeper into the twisted heart of evil that lies at the core of this epic masterwork.

After believing the tide of darkness has receded from their beloved homeland, Pony and the Ranger Elbryan--soulmates from childhood--together discover the terrifying truth: the power of the demon dactyl was never entirely vanquished by the reverent monk Avelyn Desbris' sacrifice. Now, armed with the mighty magic of the gemstones that are Avelyn's legacy, they must battle a darkness that has infiltrated the most sacred of places--as a once-admired spiritual leader rededicates his life to the most vicious, most insidious revenge against the forces of good. And with the gemstones within grasp, there may be no stopping the spread of the malignant evil . . .

Epic in scope and spellbinding in its portrayal of the clash between innocence and unspeakable malevolence, R. A. Salvatore's The Demon Spirit is a fantasy tour de force that leaves the reader in breathless anticipation of this extraordinary trilogy's stunning conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Demon trilogy by R.A. Salvatore began with The Demon Awakens and continues with The Demon Spirit. Corona is a fantasy world regularly menaced by the "demon dactyl" who organizes the usual suspects--goblins, dwarfs, giants--in hope of wiping out humanity. Having been comprehensively blown up in book one, the now bodiless demon resorts to corrupting the soul of the abbot who is Corona's chief religious leader. It's an easy task, since despite a few good monks the church is already a murderous, hypocritical outfit.

On the other side, Elbryan the elf-trained warrior and his magic-wielding lady are busy cleaning up the increasingly disorganized remnants of the demon's armies, with skilled assistance from elf and thief companions. The magic comes from stones and jewels with various interesting powers, liberated from the church by a renegade monk in book one. This annoys the Abbot no end, and his "Brother Justice" assassins are hot on the stones' trail, bumping off rival clerics and innocent bystanders en route.

There's plenty of slick incidental adventure and skirmishing, and even an exciting raid on the torture chambers of the biggest and best-defended abbey. Meanwhile the battle lines are being rearranged: the fight is no longer against the demon but the now demon-influenced church, with the final clash scheduled for the concluding volume The Demon Apostle. Fast-moving commercial fantasy that delivers action rather than misty enchantment. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

A slain demon lives on in spirit.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 465 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (March 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345391519
• ISBN-13: 978-0345391513
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,280,187 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent sequel to an excellent book, February 24, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Demon Spirit (The DemonWars Trilogy, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

I just literally finished reading The Demon Spirit about two minutes ago. While I was expecting a good read, I wasn't expecting one quite of this calibre.

The description of this book sounded something like that of the first one. The Goblins/Powries are still rampaging, Elbryan & Pony are still fighting, and Markwart (I don't feel right giving him the title of Abbot) is still scheming to get those stones back, and has made not one, but two Brothers Justice.

But this book takes entirely different turns from the first one. And it was even darker, which in itself is quite astonishing. (Though not so much so that you are left without hope, even at the end)

About the only real complaints I have with this one is the battles. They are well written, in the usual Bob style, but I felt that there were too many, particularly near the beginning of the book. But this is very much a minor complaint in what is otherwise an excellent novel.

Arguably, this was the best book thus far in Salvatore's career. (Though I really liked Homeland)

And to think that the next book is due out any day now...

Congratulations, Bob! Should you return to Vancouver for another booksigning, I shall certainly be there to congratulate you in person.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the first, June 21, 2001

By 

Joseph Mackay (Placerville, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Demon Spirit (The DemonWars Trilogy, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

While this one was not as good as the first, many of the excellent characters and character development are still factors in why this book is good. One thing I like about this series is that Salvatore isn't afraid to eliminate a "hero" or villian no matter how good they are. Which is a problem I have with some of the Forgotten realms and Dragon lance books, those characters are immortal. Could you imagine those heroes just dying? Nope! Anyway, The Demon Spirit is a good sequel to Awakens. I recommend it highly.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great, Fast Paced Continuation of an Intrgiuing Series, March 13, 2004

By 

H. Alan Rosenberg "dolphins34" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Demon Spirit (The DemonWars Trilogy, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

While not as great as I expected, this was a very entertaining and fast paced continuation of an exploration into the world of Corona. Salvatore, as always, kept my attention and focus and I truly enjoyed turning the pages. My only complaint is that after the victory over Dactyl (maybe/maybe not?) the story begins to focus more and more on the Abellican monks. At times I found this boring and lacking of slow. Once the goblins and powries left the stage the story began to grind to a slower pace. Although I did eventually get into the new direction of the story, it did take some getting used to.

Overall I'd recommend you pursue the continuation of the First Demon War Saga and pick up this novel. I look forward to reading the Demon Apostle.