The Demon Awakens by R. A. Salvatore is the first book in his Demonwars saga. It focuses on three young, soon-to-be, heroes. Elbryan, his close friend Jilseponie, and Avelyn who is unfamiliar to the other two when the story starts. Elbryan and Jilseponie are both from the small village of Dundalis and are barely into their teens when their village is attacked by a group of goblins. They are the sole survivors though neither one knows the other survived. Elbryan is taken in by the elves and trained to be a ranger who will protect the area where Dundalis was. Jilseponie finds her way to the nearby city of Palmaris where she struggles to find her way and deal with her memory loss after the attack. Avelyn is slightly older than them and is an apprentice monk at a distant monastery where he is given the task to collect and prepare the sacred stones that contain magical power. When he discovers corruption in the monastery he escapes with the stones. As their stories intertwine they realize there may be more going on than any of them were aware and they decide that they will do whatever is needed to protect the people around them.
R. A. Salvatore has definitely impressed me with his first book in the Demonwars saga. With characters that he seems to make both larger-than-life but at the same time down to earth and relatable. The ranger Elbryan may have been trained by the elves but by showing his struggles to relate to them and his alienation from them and later from his fellow humans after he rejoins their society it shows that even fictional heroes have the same struggles that everyday people do. This concept is also shown in the other characters when Jilseponie feels drawn between going back to save people and escaping to warn others or when Avelyn is torn between whether leaving with the stones was the right thing to do or a mistake. On top of that, the world which these characters inhabit is incredibly fleshed out and detailed. It allows the reader to easily visualize where these events take place and where the characters are at given point in time. While reading this I really felt like I was able to visualize what the characters were doing throughout the story. In large part because of these factors I greatly enjoyed the story and would probably read it again. As such I am giving it four out of five stars.
Having said all that, it is time for the big question. Yes, I would definitely recommend this book to others. This book is, quite obviously, a fantasy novel that is highly reminiscent of D&D. While I genuinely think most avid readers would enjoy this I also recognize that not everyone enjoys fantasy. If you happen to be the kind of person that does than I wholeheartedly would recommend reading this book. The struggles of the characters as they attempt to figure out who they are while fighting the war against the forces of the demon dactyl is extremely fascinating. I found myself connecting with the characters as they fought, both the enemies and themselves. So much so, that I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. If anyone else has read this series or is familiar with it feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. I look forward to seeing what everyone else thinks.