The Silent Blade (Paths of Darkness #1) - R. A. Salvatore

I thought it was time to start another Drizzt series. Originally, this series had four books in it, but Servant of the Shard was moved to the Sellswords trilogy.

In this one, Wulfgar is struggling with the memories of his time with the demon Errtu. He strikes Catti-brie and decides enough is enough. He needs to head out on his own and try to defeat his inner demons himself. Meanwhile, Drizzt, Catti-brie, Bruenor and Regis are taking the Crystal Shard to the wizard Cadderly to have it destroyed. It's not fond of that idea, though, and calls to creatures of all types to stop the group.

Jarlaxle and Artemis are also causing issues. Artemis is bored in Calimport and has a target on his back, but Jarlaxle provides a needed distraction. He also promises the only thing Artemis really wants: a rematch with Drizzt. He needs that final fight with no interference and no magic so he'll finally be able to learn who's the better fighter.

As usual, this book was great. I'm starting to root for Drizzt and Catti-brie, but that's probably a bad idea. I kind of want to look up if that's worth rooting for, but I'm not going to. Also, Catti-brie was engaged to Wulfgar, so it's tricky to lean in that direction. Artemis really needs to find a different hobby, and I have a soft spot for Jarlaxle and his super cool hat. Ready for the next one, The Spine of the World! Good Book!

Berserk #42 - Kentaro Miura

(The big jump in numbers comes from the fact that up to this point, I was reading from the deluxe versions that combined multiple episodes into a single volume.)

I was very interested to see what this first episode after the death of the creator would look like. Casca finally has her mind free, and I could see what would happen with her and Guts. 

Or not. Chaos ensues. Griffith pops up, linked with the Moonlight Boy in a way I didn't really understand until now. The entire island of Elfheim is destroyed, and all the magical creatures have to leave. And Casca is taken away. ARGH! Guts has lost hope, and I feel his pain. I was so disappointed and sad at the end of this volume.

I have no idea when the next one is coming out in English, but I'm keeping an eye out for it. One day, these people will get it together. I believe! It's still getting labeled Good Manga! Even though I'm struggling with patience, I absolutely love the story.

The Unlikely War Hero - Marc Leepson

The Hanoi Hilton was not a place you wanted to be during the Vietnam War. Doug Hegdahl fell off his ship and ended up a prisoner of war. While he was in the Hoa Lo Prison, he hid his intelligence from his captors, which earned him additional freedoms within the camp. This book tells his story.

It also tells a lot of other stories. The best way I could describe it is to say it reminded me of Dug from the movie Up. Every time a new place, ship, or person popped into the story, I took a side trip to explore everything about it. That trip would break the timeline, and many times, take the story far away from Doug himself.

When Doug was released, two others were with him. One of them immediately tried to vanish from the spotlight, and the other was very involved with trying to keep a spotlight on freeing POWs. Doug was in and out of it for years. Eventually, he faded away so that even his friends had a hard time getting in touch with him. It made me wonder if he'd be happy with a book about him.

Overall, it wasn't really what I was expecting. I was looking for a book focused on Doug, and it felt like he was a side character in his own book. It was disappointing for me, but I did learn a lot about other things!