The Sword of Bedwyr

Bestselling Salvatore (Starless Night) returns with a pleasant fantasy novel, notable mainly for its attention to detail. Salvatore describes and choreographs battle scenes better than any other contemporary fantasist, as this first tale of the adventures of Luthien Bedwyr amply demonstrates. The naive Luthien plunges into a series of events, beginning with a self-imposed exile from his father's kingdom of Bedwyr, which has fallen ``under the iron rule of King Greensparrow of Avon,'' that test his mettle and increase the political stakes for which he must fight. As Salvatore carefully and exquisitely builds his narrative, Luthien, along with the charming Oliver de Burrows--self-described thief with the obligatory heart of gold--finds his actions becoming more consequential, especially in his Robin Hood-like guise as the ``Crimson Shadow.'' The tale is satisfactorily resolved, but with enough matters left hanging to suggest that readers looking forward to a sequel may well be rewarded. (Jan.)