The Demon Spirit by R. A. Salvatore is the second book in the Demonwars Saga. It continues the story of Elbryan and Pony after the tragic loss of Avelyn, Bradwarden, and Tuntun at the end of the previous book. Elbryan and Pony are now continuing the general harassment of the enemy forces of powries, goblins, and giants. In order to become stronger and closer they start teaching each other their respective skills. Elbryan teaches Pony the sword dance and Pony teaches Elbryan how to use the magic stones. Interwoven with this we also have the story of Roger Lockless, a young rogue who is helping the refugees find food while fleeing the enemy forces, and Master Jojonah, the monk who was friends with Avelyn and has started investigating within the church to discover if he was right to leave. In doing so Jojonah comes to the attention of Master Abbot Markwart who is under the influence of the dactyl who killed Avelyn while dying. Markwart, determined to find the stones Avelyn stole, travels to the barbacan and finds Bradwarden still alive. Jojonah starts opposing Markwart while trying to influence the younger members of the church. As the four heroes stories intertwine they all discover that Markwart is now their enemy even if the enemy forces they were previously fighting have mostly dispersed.
Much like with the previous novel in this series I was fascinated by the detailed depiction of the characters and the struggles they face. Elbryan continued facing the dichotomy between being human but being trained by the elves while Pony faces the struggle between her past and her present. Jojonah has to come to terms with what is right and wrong and how to do the right thing, both for himself and for others as well as the wider world around him. Roger has perhaps the hardest struggle for someone of his relatively young age, coming to accept that the world does not revolve around him and that sometimes the right thing to do is not what would bring glory and accolades but that would bring the highest chance of living to see another day. Reading about these characters I genuinely felt like I was watching them as they go about their travels and challenges. I often felt like I was there with them as they struggled to do the right thing but also struggled with their emotions. It was this brilliant characterization and fully fleshed-out storytelling that really drew me in as I continued reading this series. This book deserves its four out of five stars.
Much like the first book in the series I would definitely recommend this book to others. Of course, I would also recommend that you read the first book before you read this book. I would also suggest that you keep in mind that this series as a whole can be a little on the heavy side emotionally and often times shows extremely difficult emotional and physical hardships for the characters. This is not to persuade you to not read the series but merely to warn you to be careful going in. Don’t read this if you are looking for something lighthearted to pass the time. If you don’t mind the more serious feel of the stories then I suggest you try them, especially if you happen to be a fan of fantasy. Even more so if the fantasy in question is set in a more medieval inspired world where everyone walks around with swords or bows, though Elbryan also has a quarterstaff. Keeping that in mind it also does contain various levels of violence so be prepared for that going in. Like I have already said the book was good and I do recommend it but I am also aware that some people like to be warned ahead of time about those kinds of things. If you happen to have read this book or are familiar with the series feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. I look forward to reading what everyone else thinks.