The Woods out Back (The Spearwielder's Tale) [Paperback]

R. A. Salvatore (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Spearwielder's Tale | Publication Date: October 1, 1993

The first in the Spearwielder fantasy adventure series--from the author of the New York Times bestseller The Legacy. In a magical spot in a forest, Gary falls asleep . . . and wakes up in a dangerous realm of elves and dwarves, witches and dragons. There he discovers he is the only one who can wear the armor of the land's lost hero--and wield a magical spear.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Napping after a dreary day in his dead-end job, Gary Leger wakes to find he has been kidnapped into "the world of the Faerie." Mickey McMickey, a leprechaun, has brought him to join the quest of Kelsey Gil-Ravadry, an elf who hopes that by following "the legends" he can repair a spear that belonged to an ancient king; the spear has great powers and is able to communicate with its possessor. Gary's reluctance to go questing is overcome by Kelsey's simple argument: help me or I'll kill you. As the trio ventures forth to corral a dwarf blacksmith (to reforge the spear) and a dragon (to supply the fire needed), they find themselves thwarted by the evil sorceress Ceridwen, who sends trolls and goblins to attack them, among other impediments. In this story, which initiates the Spearwielder's Tale series, Salvatore ( The Legacy ) does not adequately explain for what purposes Kelsey wants the spear or why Ceridwen opposes him. Also, it is discouraging to see Gary working for cooperation among various male creatures--human, elf, leprechaun, dwarf and giant--while the tale offers few female characters, all unappealing and all of whom endanger the quest.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The author of the best-selling "Dark Elf" series turns his hand to a cross-world fantasy in this first volume of "The Spearwielder's Tale," a projected trilogy.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ace (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441908721
• ISBN-13: 978-0441908721
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,240 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:

3.0 out of 5 stars Salvatore vs Anderson, February 29, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Woods out Back (The Spearwielder's Tale) (Paperback)

Read Poul Anderson's "Three Hearts and Three Lions." Then, as soon as you're done, read R.A. Salvatore's "The Woods Out Back." They are essentially the same story. A mundane figure from `our world' finds himself in an alternate world (both involve the myth of Faerie), where he is chosen to wear the armor and guise of an old hero, and take up that hero's weapon - which, in both cases, is essentially a spear, or lance. The `stranger in a strange land' then becomes embroiled in a plot to save the world, confronts witches and trolls, befriends strange-accented little people (Hugi and Mickey are nearly the same character!), and ultimately tries to use his modern logic to win the day in a world that defies logic in all its forms. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Salvatore flatters Anderson in the same manner he often flatters Tolkien. If a novel's quality is gauged by its originality, then "The Woods Out Back," as you can tell, comes up short. Even so, it's a fast-paced read, and colorful enough that it differentiates itself a little from Anderson's likewise compelling (but superior) novel. Still, there's something to be said for borrowing concepts so blatantly from other writers. For goodness' sake, the lead characters in both "WOB" and "THaTL" are even similiar PHYSICALLY! I liked Salvatore's take on this kind of story, if only moderately, but I can't resist being the one to point out the glaring parallels between his work and Anderson's. Keep it in mind.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unoriginal and unbelievable, June 17, 2005

By 

Leslie A Munday "deny everything baldrick" (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Woods out Back (The Spearwielder's Tale) (Paperback)

Ok so it's a fantasy .. so how can it be believable you may ask! It like reading a story about the A-Team in fantasy land. Endless encounters with foes that the party genarally escapes from unscratched. That is until the end .. which I will save until the last paragraph in case you still want to read the book after this review.

I just finished reading this as the first part of the series, the Spear Wielders Tale. So we know from page one of chapter one that it's going to be about someone from the US transported to a magic land, but the way he gets there is nothing original. Why have a US citizen be transported? Why not just find a character from their own land to wear the armour. It's not like it fits Gary properly anyway?

Gary, who is a young man magically transported to fairy land by Pixies to meet a Leprechaun. The leprechaun was in the debt of an elf. The elf has superhuman ( or should that be superelf) powers. There is nothing this elf can't do. Capture Leprecauns, kill trolls with his sword, enslave dwarves, shot ropes from a 100 yards with his bow and arrow, fight dragons .. he makes the A-team members look like amateur police cadets.

As for Gary .. yes he is a bit of a loser, but he somehow manages to perform remarkable feats of endurance in a suit of armour with which he is totally unfamiliar.

Gary comes up with this 'brilliant' escape plan from an island which involves a giant. How stupid are we supposed to believe these characters are, that none of the others could envision the same obvious escape plan.

Finally the battle .. (stop reading now if you still want to read this book) .. with the dragon. An elf armed only with a sword and shield is fighting a dragon. The shield stops the dragons breath from harming him, even though the rocks around him are bubbling from the heat. When the dragon finally gets astrike on the elf, the leprechaun conjures an illusion that not only fools the dragon into believing the elf has won, but also this illusion can somehow pick up a shield and hold the dragons mouth open with it.

On the up side, it is a light and very fast read (you don't want to spend time goiing over every detail because you'll find they just don't add up).

Finally I would like to give the book an extra half star just the attempt at humour, but I just can't bring myself to find 2 stars.

I am going to persevere with the two sequals just because they just can't get any worse.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "This Tolkien fellow really shouldn't spread false rumors", August 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Woods out Back (The Spearwielder's Tale) (Paperback)

I loved this book. In some ways, it's my favorite of Salvatore's books. Very humorous with some really interesting characters. Antagonist was a bit lacking, but wasn't bad. The supporting characters were wonderful!

I won't give it five stars, however. Not because it has any major faults, but because it still doesn't surpass Tolkien as my favorite. (Though they're really not that comparible)