Road of the Patriarch

Last updated
Road of the Patriarch
RoadofthePatriarch.jpg
Author R. A. Salvatore
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series The Sellswords
Genre Fantasy
Publisher Wizards of the Coast
Publication date
2006
Media typePrint
Preceded by Promise of the Witch-King  

Road of the Patriarch is the third book in The Sellswords trilogy from the Forgotten Realms fantasy novel collection written by R. A. Salvatore.

Contents

In the final episode of this series, Jarlaxle and Entreri find themselves having to answer for their actions at Zhengyi's construct. Both the Spysong Dynasty and the Citadel of Assassins have lost associates at the castle and search for an honest account of the events that took place.

Readers are finally told the dark truth behind both Entreri and Jarlaxle's childhoods, as well as a glimpse into the past of their dwarf associate Athrogate. As Entreri's past is revealed and he becomes further involved with the passionate Calihye, a different side of the mysterious assassin is finally shown.

Plot summary

In the final episode of this series, Jarlaxle and Entreri find themselves having to answer for their actions at Zhengyi's construct. Both the Spysong network and the Citadel of Assassins have lost associates at the castle and search for a hero.

Artemis Entreri finds himself uncharacteristically falling in love with the half-elf Calihye, the result of a magical flute given to him by Jarlaxle which forces the owner into a heightened emotional state. Entreri is betrayed by Calihye who still blames him for the death of Parissus. She attempts to stab him in the heart with a dagger while making love to him but is foiled by a kinetic barrier conjured by Kimmuriel.

Jarlaxle seizes control of Castle Perilous and is summarily attacked by an army led by King Gareth himself. He immediately surrenders and confesses that he made an open bid for power against the king in order to unite the people of Palishchuk under Gareth's banner, willingly playing the part of a common enemy. Despite the queen's insistence that Entreri and Jarlaxle be executed for treason, they are permitted, along with Athrogate, to leave the city with his life with the promise that they will never again enter the kingdom.

The trio head for Memnon, Entreri finally deciding to face his inner demons and confront the city of his birth. Entreri soon discovers that the city is in the iron grip of a corrupt high priest who impoverishes the people through fear demanding they pay indulgences in exchange for the promise that their dead children will go to a pleasant afterlife. Entreri learns that the high priest knew his mother intimately and might even be his biological father. Disgusted by the obscene luxury of the priest's palace and the resulting destitution of the city's non-clerical inhabitants, Entreri kills the high priest and orders the palace's second-in-command, on penalty of a similar fate as his superior, to redistribute the acquired riches among those who need it.

In the end, Jarlaxle admits that he gave Entreri the flute in the hope that, in embracing emotions he'd suppressed since his traumatic childhood, he would rediscover his heart and find a purpose in life other than power. The story ends with Jarlaxle and Entreri parting ways, the latter saying he wants nothing to do with him ever again.

Reception

A reviewer from Publishers Weekly called this a "bloody, brooding sequel" to Salvatore's Promise of the Witch-King . [1]

The audio recording of Road of the Patriarch received a favorable review from California Bookwatch, which praised all aspects of the novel, including the plot, the action, and the narration by David Colacci. [2]

Road of the Patriarch reached 13 on The New York Times Best Seller list on November 12, 2006. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond of Poitiers</span> Prince of Antioch from 1136 to 1149

Raymond of Poitiers was Prince of Antioch from 1136 to 1149. He was the younger son of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, and his wife Philippa, Countess of Toulouse, born in the very year that his father the Duke began his infamous liaison with Dangereuse de Chatelherault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drizzt Do'Urden</span> Fictional character from Dungeons & Dragons

Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character appearing in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed him to replace one of the characters in an early version of the first book, The Crystal Shard. Drizzt has since become a popular heroic character of the Forgotten Realms setting, and has been featured as the main character of a long series of books, starting chronologically with The Dark Elf Trilogy. As an atypical drow, Drizzt has forsaken both the evil ways of his people and their home in the Underdark, in the drow city of Menzoberranzan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menzoberranzan</span> Fictional setting in Dungeons & Dragons

Menzoberranzan, the "City of Spiders", is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. The city is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills. It is famed as the birthplace of Drizzt Do'Urden, the protagonist of several series of best-selling novels by noted fantasy author R. A. Salvatore. Menzoberranzan has been developed into a video game and a tabletop RPG setting. Menzoberranzan has been described as "a perfect unjust state" and compared to Glaucon's vision of a state that is held together only by the fear of retribution.

<i>A Feast for Crows</i> Novel by George R. R. Martin

A Feast for Crows is the fourth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin. The novel was first published on October 17, 2005, in the United Kingdom, with a United States edition following on November 8, 2005.

<i>The Dark Elf Trilogy</i> 1990–91 book trilogy by R. A. Salvatore

The Dark Elf Trilogy is a prequel to the Icewind Dale Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore. Drizzt Do'Urden, a drow, or dark elf, was originally written as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy to Wulfgar the barbarian. However, the author soon realized how popular the character was, and Drizzt became the main character. The final book Sojourn made the New York Times Best Seller list.

<i>Promise of the Witch-King</i>

Promise of the Witch-King is book 2 of the Forgotten Realms trilogy The Sellswords. Book 1 was originally part of the Drizzt line of novels and has now been re-released with some short stories making up for the gap in time.

<i>The Halflings Gem</i> 1990 novel by R. A. Salvatore

The Halfling's Gem is a 1990 fantasy novel by American writer by R. A. Salvatore, the third book in The Icewind Dale Trilogy.

Paths of Darkness is an epic fantasy series of novels chronicling adventures of the renegade drow elf character Drizzt Do'Urden written by R. A. Salvatore. It is the follow-up series to Legacy of the Drow and is followed up by The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, and also followed on from the Servant of the Shard in The Sellswords trilogy.

<i>Starless Night</i>

Starless Night is a 1993 fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. It is the second book in his Legacy of the Drow series.

<i>Servant of the Shard</i>

Servant of the Shard was originally the third book in R.A. Salvatore's Paths of Darkness book series. It was also made the first book of the trilogy The Sellswords. In this novel, Artemis Entreri acquires Charon's Claw.

<i>The Legacy</i> (Forgotten Realms novel)

The Legacy is a 1992 fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. It is the first book in his series Legacy of the Drow.

<i>The Silent Blade</i>

The Silent Blade is the first book of the Legend of Drizzt grouping Paths of Darkness. It is the eleventh book in the ever expanding Legend of Drizzt series and is followed by The Spine of the World which came out the next year. It was released in June 1998 from TSR and then later from Wizards of the Coast.

<i>The Orc King</i>

The Orc King is a fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore, the first book in the Transitions series.

<i>The Ghost King</i>

The Ghost King is the third book in the Transitions series, written by R. A. Salvatore.

The Sellswords is a trilogy of fantasy novels written by R. A. Salvatore, whose related works include The Legend of Drizzt series and The Hunter's Blades Trilogy. It contains three books, Servant of the Shard, Promise of the Witch-King, and Road of the Patriarch.

<i>Gauntlgrym</i> Forgotten Realms novel

Gauntlgrym is a fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting; it is the first book in the Neverwinter Saga. Released in October 2010, it follows the continued adventures of drow elf renegade, Drizzt Do'Urden. This story is set 24 years after the end of Transitions: The Ghost King.

<i>Neverwinter</i> (novel) Forgotten Realms novel by R. A. Salvatore

Neverwinter is a fantasy novel by American author R. A. Salvatore. Released in October 2011, it is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world. It is the second book in the Neverwinter Saga. It follows the continued adventures of drow elf renegade Drizzt Do'Urden. This story is set days after the events of Gauntlgrym and brings back both familiar and unfamiliar characters.

<i>Charons Claw</i> (novel)

Charon's Claw is a novel set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world by R. A. Salvatore released on August 7, 2012. This is the third book in the Neverwinter Saga and follows the adventure of Drizzt Do'Urden and Dahlia. The resurrected Artemis Entreri also joins the team. This story is set days after the events of Neverwinter and brings back returning characters while introducing new ones.

Neverwinter Saga is a saga written in the Forgotten Realms campaign world, a popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing setting, by fantasy and science fiction author R.A. Salvatore. The tetralogy begins with Gauntlgrym which is set twenty-four years after the events of The Ghost King. Gauntlgrym is also the twentieth book concerning one of Salvatore's famous characters, Drizzt Do'Urden. The saga contains Gauntlgrym, Neverwinter, Charon's Claw, and The Last Threshold. This tetralogy is preceded by The Transitions Series.

<i>The Last Threshold</i>

The Last Threshold is a novel by R. A. Salvatore set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and is the fourth book in the Neverwinter Saga. It was released on March 5, 2013.

References

  1. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: Road of the Patriarch by R. A. Salvatore, Author Wizards of the Coast $27.95 (346p) ISBN 978-0-7869-4075-2". Publishersweekly.com. 2006-10-01. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  2. ↑ "Brilliance Audio". California Bookwatch. December 1, 2006. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Best Sellers: Fiction : November 12, 2006". New York Times. November 12, 2006. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.