Author Allen M Werner

I’ve been neglecting writing book reviews even though I tend to read a lot of books. Sometimes I simply don’t take any notes and move onto the next book (if I’m not already reading two or three others at the same time), without doing due diligence and writing a review. I think writing reviews is important, especially to authors and anyone who creates art.
So here is my honest review of The Woods Out Back by R.A. Salvatore.
The Woods Out Back is a good but not great book.
I’m a big fan of R.A. Salvatore and love his Forbidden Realms tales. Drizzt is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.
I didn’t find the same satisfaction reading The Woods Out Back.
The first book in the Spearwielders Trilogy, The Woods Out Back reads more like a book for young adults just beginning their journey into companion-style, fantasy-quest stories.
I hadn’t actually heard about this trilogy until recently and decided to give the first book a read. I found it a simple, uncomplicated read that has the protagonist Gary Leger (I did get tired of Mr. Salvatore constantly using the characters whole name instead of a simple ‘Gary’ throughout) leaves the real world to enter the world of Faerie where he goes from place to place to place with his companions (an elf, leprechaun and dwarf chiefly, who chose him and kidnapped him) to complete a quest Gary has no understanding of in a world he is completely unfamiliar with. They fight some battles which Gary is completely untrained for an unprepared for but manages to survive while donning enchanted armor because the other characters say he must wear it – the armor once belonged to a great warrior long gone. And they must forge a spear that has long been broken.
The book lacks any real grittiness or puzzles to solve. It’s very straightforward and doesn’t end spectacularly or unexpectedly. All the characters have pretty simple names, almost too simple names which makes it lack some realism. I’ll spare you the name of the dreaded dragon.
I’m not saying the book is not entertaining, but it is entertaining on a certain simple level, the way a young adult book is entertaining. It’s a good book for someone not yet accustomed to reading fantasy fiction with quests and companions and doesn’t want to think a lot about the bigger picture. There is no bigger picture.
The book was good enough for me to finish reading and I even found a few parts amusing.
I may eventually get around to reading the next book in the series, but for now I won’t be rushing to do that. Three Stars.

Allen M Werner is the author of the epic dark fantasy series
The Crystal Crux
as well as the Greek Mythology novella
Ares In Chains