After reading a piece of historical fiction, I thought I would give fantasy a chance, so I read R.A. Salvatore's The Highwayman.

The book begins with a world that has warring religions, warring kingdoms, and a vengeful hero in black. The premise seems promising, but once the stage is set, the scenes that follow are predictable and disappointing. Instead of giving us a new hero, the author gives us a recycled one - a hero that is part Robin Hood, part Zorro, and part Spider-man. In my head, I envisioned the Highwayman played by Toby Maguire sporting the mustache of Errol Flynn and the accent of Antonio Banderas.

Halfway through the story, I realized I wasn't reading a fantasy novel; I was reading a comic book striving (and failing) to be a fantasy novel. But even as a comic book, it still lacks that one vital ingredient that would compel me to buy the next issue and that is originality.