The Stowaway: The Stone of Tymora volume I is a collaboration between R.A. Salvatore and his son, Geno Salvatore. At a mere 287 pages, it is published with the young adult reader in mind by Wizards of the Coast. For the average person it should be a quick read as it is printed in double-space type format with a lot of white space. Average read time was just over two hours.

The story revolves around young Maimun who is being held captive aboard a pirate ship. He slowly tells the tale of his life to the pirate captain (and to us) about how he came to be in the pickle that he is in. In slow increments we learn of his becoming an orphan and being raised by a druid and then later mentored by a man named Perrault, who becomes a father figure in young Maimun’s life. Tragically, it seems that everyone whom the boy grows close to dies at the hands of a demon named Asbeel, who wants the boy and the treasure he is entrusted to keep for reasons unknown. This leads our 12-year old child to be constantly on the run for his life.

Readers of R.A. Salvatore’s previous books will recognize the Sea Sprite and its crew along with the adventuring company of Drizzt, Wulfgar, Catti-brie, and Bruenor. It’s not until near the end of the book that you learn that these events take place during the journey to save Regis in The Halfling’s Gem. Drizzt bonds with young Maimun and as usual, imparts great wisdom upon the boy, as only the dark elf can.

The story is fast paced and makes you wonder where it is heading as the boy keeps telling his pirate captor, “There’s more.” But the book ends at a cliffhanger and simply tells you to wait for the second book to find out what happens next. Overall, it is not a terrible book, but it is not the quality that one would expect of an R.A. Salvatore book. It should prove to be quite enjoyable for the 12 to 13-year old reader, but it comes up a bit lacking for an adult.

All in all, we give The Stowaway;

3 gleaming scimitars out of 5

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