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

~ R. A. Salvatore (Author) "Whrrrr! The noise was deafening, a twenty-horsepower motor spinning eight heavy blades..." (more)
Key Phrases: lava newts, yer own world, sentient spear, Gary Leger, Tylwyth Teg, Cedric Donigarten (more...)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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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.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Ace; First Thus edition (October 1, 1993)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0441908721
  • ISBN-13: 978-0441908721
  • Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #458,160 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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R. A. Salvatore
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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Whrrrr! The noise was deafening, a twenty-horsepower motor spinning eight heavy blades. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
lava newts, yer own world, sentient spear, grubby dwarf, woods out back, dwarf roared, dwarf growled, two trolls, mountain trolls, blueberry patch, lower trails, heavy shield, stone giant
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Gary Leger, Tylwyth Teg, Cedric Donigarten, Baron Pwyll, Prince Geldion, Ynis Gwydrin, Geno Hammerthrower, King Kinnemore, Firth of Buldre, Tommy One-Thumb, Dilnamarra Keep, Kelsenellenelvial Gil-Ravadry, Blue Hag, Cailleac Bheur, Did Lady, Robert the Wretched, World Series, Cowtangle Wood, King Cedric, Loch Devenshere
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Sojourn by R. A. Salvatore
 

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This book (and the 2 after it) are VERY cool!!!, July 16, 1996
By A Customer
Salvatore has written a jewel. It brings up alot of the problems of humanity while still delivering an humors adventure. I would most definitly recomend this book to anyone who likes salvatore's work, even if you don't this is a good book to get you into his writting.

Lord Theasa
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Salvatore vs Anderson, February 29, 2004
By A Customer
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.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Unoriginal and unbelievable, June 17, 2005
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Light, but highly-entertaining
Life is certainly not turning out for Gary Leger the way he had hoped that it would - trapped in a factory job filled with mindless repetition, broken only by the wandering of... Read more
Published on October 5, 2007 by Kurt A. Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars Salvatore at his Best (yes, even better than Drizzt)
I know I'm not following the popular belief that R. A. Salvatore's (RAS) best work is Drizzt. Or even Demon Wars. Read more
Published on November 3, 2004 by Neil Richard

2.0 out of 5 stars Gary, the Ultimate Loser
Our main character, Gary, is magically transported to a "Fairy World". He asks little or no questions what so ever (It's just a dream, so enjoy it, RIGHT!). Read more
Published on June 10, 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Not great, but still enjoyable
Unfortunately for books like this, they are always compared to Salvatore's Drizzt novels. In my mind, it's tough to compare to the Drizzt novels, this book is not that good, but I... Read more
Published on April 10, 2003 by Matthew Merkes

3.0 out of 5 stars Salvatore's Best (Drizzt Notwithstanding)
R.A. Salvatore, creator of the beloved drow warrior, Drizzt Do'Urden, from the D&D Forgotten Realms universe, is at once a fantasy powerhouse and a symbol of what is wrong with... Read more
Published on April 4, 2003 by --

3.0 out of 5 stars the woods out back. . .
'the woods out back' by drizzt do'urden creator r.a. salvatore is a light-hearted adventure with salvatore's custimarily colorful characters. Read more
Published on April 1, 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Kelsenelenvial
I wanted to note that this book was the ultimate book for taking my imagination on a run of what could be. Read more
Published on July 1, 2002 by M. Freyn

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fabulous
I'm not normally a fan of fantasy writing, but I couldn't put this book down!! Same goes for the following two books. Read more
Published on May 27, 2002 by A. D.

5.0 out of 5 stars Dragons Dagger
I though this book was excellent. it kept you on your toes from cover to cover and it was very exciting
Published on January 25, 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!!!
This book is exciting and intresting. R.A. Salvatore, as usual, makes you love his characters. This book is a great start to a wonderful trilogy. You have to read this GREAT book
Published on August 10, 1998

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