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Sojourn

(The Legend of Drizzt #3)

R.A. Salvatore

4.22 · Rating details · 53,957 ratings · 787 reviews

Now in paperback, the third installment in the classic tales of the Legend of Drizzt. When a lone drow emerges from the Underdark into the blinding light of day, the Forgotten Realms world will be changed forever. "From the Paperback edition."

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Hardcover, 335 pages

Published December 1st 2004 by Wizards of the Coast (first published May 1991)

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Average rating 4.22 ·

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· 53,957 ratings · 787 reviews

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Start your review of Sojourn (Forgotten Realms: Dark Elf Trilogy, #3; Legend of Drizzt, #3)

Apr 09, 2015 Evgeny rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Drizzt the Dark Elf comes to the surface world and tries to find his place in there. Nobody wants a dark elf living among people (wood elves, dwarves, etc.) due to firm belief dark elves are up to no good. There, I just gave you away the plot of the whole book, all 300 pages of it. Does it sound boring? If it does it is because the book is boring; the most boring one of the trilogy.

When I started on this one I was excited. I hoped to see interesting interactions between Drizzt and the surface ...more

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Jul 28, 2018 Markus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, fantasy, dungeons-and-dragons, forgotten-realms

Drizzt Do'Urden attempts to find himself on the surface; arguably a more fascinating journey of self-exploration than all the young and rich Westerners who go to find themselves in Thailand or India (no offense to Thailand or India).

Anyway, Sojourn is another enjoyable instalment in the saga of Drizzt. This one wraps up the trilogy neatly, takes it into more interesting territories of storytelling, and sets everything up for where Salvatore's story all began: Icewind Dale.

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Mar 30, 2015 Gavin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This final book in the Dark Elf trilogy got off to a flying start for the first third of the book and then rather disappointingly stagnated.

I thought Drizzt hitting the surface world would be a ton of fun, and the early stages were promising with a few hilarious interactions and plenty of drama. The story arc involving the farm family Drizzt encounters was excellent. Unfortunately it was all downhill after that with Drizzt just aimlessly plodding around fighting random monsters. Which was ...more

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Apr 08, 2015 Kaora rated it liked it · review of another edition

I didn't like this as much as the other two.

I believe the first in this trilogy was my favorite, and then it slowly started going down hill from there.

Drizzt Do'Urden has travelled out of the caves into the surface world. He struggles to find his place in a world where dark elves are feared, and where very few can get past the color of his skin.

This book was very slow moving to me. As Drizzt works hard in order to overcome prejudices, there was a lot of down time. He spent the majority of this ...more

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Nov 06, 2018 Connor rated it liked it

Shelves: high-fantasy

So I definitely don't recommend reading the epilogue because now I feel like I've been spoiled for the next trilogy in the world. I decided to read these in chronological order, so don't read that epilogue if you're doing the same as I am. Other than that last little bit, I really enjoyed Sojourn. These books are nothing crazy deep, but they're really fun, enjoyable reads packed with a lot of fighting and action scenes. Here, Drizzt has made it to the surface and is attempting to find a place ...more

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Jul 18, 2019 Patrick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2019-reading-challenge

Here ends the Dark Elf Trilogy and I couldn’t be more excited to start the next series! This was one wild ride—from the evil society of Menzoberranzan, to the grim tunnels of the Underdark, then finally to the surface!

In Sojourn, Drizzt still seeks out a place to call home. He leaves the Underdark and emerges on the surface where people flee before him believing him to be like his kin. He encounters creatures he’s never seen from gnolls (which are just disgusting hyena things) to dragons!!

I ...more

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Jul 21, 2018 Allison ☾ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

There was a lot going on in this one. Drizzt spends like 7 years on the surface through a series of tragic events and misunderstandings. He finds acceptance (though from afar) from one of his surface elf kin and a very old blind human ranger. He defeats an Orc leader and tricks a dragon along the way, all while getting chased by bounty hunter Roddy McGristle, a crazed and less imposing version of John Wick.

"He killed my dog!" Roddy growled.
"Don't look dead to me," Bruenor quipped, drawing ...more

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Jun 09, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own

www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com

Only the third book in and I'm still loving Drizzt Do'Urden!

In this book Drizzt is trying to live in the real world now and no longer in the Underdark. He is trying to learn how to live in the sunlight without going blind so to speak and traverse this strange new world. He still has his wonderful black panther friend, Guenhwyvar. Together they have to find a place they can call home while fighting off giants, orcs, bad humans, etc.

Drizzt finds some good ...more

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Jan 26, 2017 Jarek "the Mistborn" Dąbrowski rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2017, dark-elf-trilogy-read, legend-of-drizzt-read

Awesome conclusion to the first trilogy. Just what you would expect from this kind of novel. Quick, easy with enough action and world/character building to keep you interested, leaving room for the many books that come after. 4 stars

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Apr 07, 2018 daisy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

20.1.19: Rating lowered.

RTC!

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Mar 13, 2018 Kells Next Read rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Actual Ratings: 4.75

RTC

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Apr 03, 2009 Carmen rated it it was amazing

Of the Drizzt “origins” trilogy this one moved me the most, and contained the most surprises. You can tell Salvatore in this book is relieved to get out of the underdark. He fills the book with lush descriptions of the woods, streams, the loneliness and beauty of the wild places. He also describes the pioneer spirit of a community on the outskirts of civilization. He brings Drizzt agonizingly close to becoming accepted by a real family, only to in complete shocker and his best plot surprise to Of the Drizzt “origins” trilogy this one moved me the most, and contained the most surprises. You can tell Salvatore in this book is relieved to get out of the underdark. He fills the book with lush descriptions of the woods, streams, the loneliness and beauty of the wild places. He also describes the pioneer spirit of a community on the outskirts of civilization. He brings Drizzt agonizingly close to becoming accepted by a real family, only to in complete shocker and his best plot surprise to date, have them murdered in cold blood. Reading the book felt like I was watching a western where the natives wipe out a border family.
Several characters in the book leap from the pages as being if not original, then freshly described. Roddy McGristle is every redneck bully I have ever met. He lives in my town and can be seen at a local bar on Friday and Saturday nights or walking his hunting dogs down the street and daring people not to get out of his way. He schemes for his financial gain all in the name of protecting and serving his community. He uses Drizzt’s people, not his person, as an excuse to hunt him down (for a handsome reward). In the end he gets his comeuppance but not before he causes damage. He makes things hard for an outsider because that is the only way he can ever be accepted.
Another description is the mountain man Montolio who befriends Drizzt and with whom Drizzt serves the apprenticeship as a Ranger. In a twist Montolio is blind as a bad from a battle, and old, around seventy. To make him believable with his disablity was feat I didn’t think Salvatore could pull of but to my surprise he did. This was his sixth published Drizzt book and you can see him developing as writer. The best way to describe the characters movement from isolation to acceptance, and the way salvatore describes it, is to show him getting close to building a relationship with people only to lose it time and again. Sometimes through fate, other times through the sheer maliciousness of others. When the family that Drizzt observes is wiped out you can feel your heart dropped because you sensed an opportunity for acceptance. You are also kind of surprised at the way Salvatore doesn’t pull punches and kills of characters he was at pains to describe. That has to be hard for a novelist. Invest so much time and energy into a character and then have to wipe them out in the service of a plot. Ouch.
And there are the comic scenes too. The pranks the young boy plays on Drizzt, the tricks montolio plays. The farm family’s games with each other. By this book he has learned how to alternate such scenes for comic effect.
I also was moved by the way Drizzt serves his apprenticeship and learns to become useful. And then he becomes useful to the townspeople of the Ten Towns as a Ranger guardian. In so many ways Drizzt grows. He gains trust and friendship andlearns to give back in return without too much expectation. He’s not a fool, but he knows how to give help. Im not that certain that he knows how to receive help.
Other characters and situations from the books that stand out: the sprite who is every thirteen year old know it all Ive ever had to work with. Cattie Brie who is so tender and just a girl in this book trying to understand the world around her. It moves me the way she takes to Drizzt. And Bruenor’s acceptance of him. That was a surprise.

...more

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Sep 03, 2010 Dancce rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Liked less because the Underdark suddenly went somewhere, and - a blind goodly ranger with a whole heap of animal friends? Come on. AND a major thing. Drizzt has always seemed to be a fighter as far as I'm concerned. No ranger-thing there. It's just weird. He rarely shows any ranger skills at all, except for sneaking around - and that's something any light-weight rogue/fencer can do. Plus, he's a drow, for goodness's sake. He could never have grasped the scope of the Surface's fauna and flora ...more

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Aug 12, 2012 David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, forgotten-realms

"Sojourn" is the last book in the Dark Elf Trilogy, and what an epic conclusion it is! This book has a much different tone than the first two. Whereas the first two books took place in underground worlds, this book brings Drizzt Do'Urden to the surface. R. A. Salvatore does a magnificent job portraying Drizzt in a sympathetic light as the dark elf tries desperately to assimilate into his new home. From his bumbling attempts to befriend a family of farmers, to his fear while experiencing his very ...more

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Sep 24, 2007 Doug Winenger rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So many writers regurgitate the same themes, ideas, and characters in their books that the lack of original ideas or thoughts is often disappointing.

The Dark Elf Trilogy uncovers the previously unveiled world known as "The Underdark". While many creatures in this realm are fierce, barbaric, or evil, none compare to the race known as "Dark Elves". The depth of their savagery, brutality, and cunning is inspired by generations of purely evil practices.

In the Underdark, you either kill or be So many writers regurgitate the same themes, ideas, and characters in their books that the lack of original ideas or thoughts is often disappointing.

The Dark Elf Trilogy uncovers the previously unveiled world known as "The Underdark". While many creatures in this realm are fierce, barbaric, or evil, none compare to the race known as "Dark Elves". The depth of their savagery, brutality, and cunning is inspired by generations of purely evil practices.

In the Underdark, you either kill or be killed, you watch your own back because no one else will, and your worst enemy might just be a member of your own family.

Insert into this environment, Drizzt, a character with an inner sense of morality, justice, and and even a concept of love, mostly due to a recognition of its absence. Drizzt is a dark elf born into the most unusual of circumstances. While he cannot put name to the traits he finds so lacking around him, he knows that the dark elf race is evil, and he eventually discovers that he doesn't belong.

This trilogy is the story of Drizzt's journey as he grows through his early years, trains in the weapons and tactics of his race, and learns ultimately that he can not live among them for fear of compromising or losing altogether his sense of good and his recognition of evil.

He leaves everything he knows and ventures into the Underdark where he discovers another challenge to his identity. While Drizzt, at this point in his life, is an unparalleled fighter and master of weaponry, the primal creature he is forced to become to remain alive in the underdark is no better than what he believed he would have become living amongst his race.

Finally, Drizzt finds his way to the surface in an effort to escape his past and build some semblance of a life based on the ideals he inherently senses. But, instead of escaping his dark elf heritage, he is forced to combat their stereotypes at every turn.

As a voracious reader of several hundred fantasy and science fiction books, I find the original environment introduced in Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy enchanting while his twist on the age-old good vs. evil theme enticing. This trilogy remains one of my favorites since the first time I read it over 10 years ago.

...more

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Mar 18, 2018 Wanda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: public-library, speculative-fiction, fantasy, read-in-2018, 1990s, reading-project

Third volume of back-story for Drizzt Do’Urden, drow fighter extraordinaire. This is the volume that connects to the Icewind Dale novels which Salvatore wrote before the Dark Elf Trilogy.

Our hero makes the shift from living as an exile in the Underdark to an existence in the unfamiliar world above ground. While he wasn’t accepted in his birth society because of his sense of morality, he is now judged according to his racial background by those who he meets along the way. Can he find people who ...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Micheal rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fantasy junkies not of a critical nature

More rhetoric.

So I got to the Drizzt story I really wanted to read in the first place, and this series has lost momentum for me. The Crystal Shard (the next book in the series) sits unread on my ipad and I don't know if i'll get to it or not.

Sojourn had its intriguing segments; Im still interested in the fundamental concept of Drizzt. But once again, I was put off by Salvatores style and presentation. Ultimately unsatisfying.

Im left to wonder at the state of fantasy literature (using that term ...more

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Jan 20, 2009 Stephen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dungeons-dragons-and-dark-elves, sorcerous-swords, fantasy, 1990-1999, kings-of-badassia, quests

3.0 stars. Good, solid sword and sorcery novel set in the Forgotten Realms. The part I really liked about this novel is the plethora of interesting characters and races including the Barghest whelps (Goblin werewolves) and the winter wolves (larger wolves with human-like intelligence) were very cool. Unfortunately, I did not find the plot as interesting as I would have liked and didn't think the background of interesting creatures (strengths/weaknesses, etc) were explored enough to make them ...more

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Nov 24, 2018 Alex Janzon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I didn't expect anything from this trilogy and I started reading it without really knowing anything about the book or the world, but I must say I was surprised by how good it was! I am really excited for book four!

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Oct 09, 2017 Basia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Well, I read the first 3 books in this series in just under 2 weeks, I think. And that was effortless, as these books just WANT to be consumed! I cannot believe there are 11 more to read!

This book, like the 2 before it, was fun to read, did a great job of continuing the story, and had such a colorful cast of characters (referring to the species that appeared throughout this book, AND the series so far, as well as how they were portrayed). That was one of the coolest points about the reading ...more

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Sep 02, 2017 Amber rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2017, series-finished, fantasy

I'm really enjoying the world.

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May 22, 2019 Bradley Woodall rated it really liked it

Good book, much less action then the previous and with a bit of angst drizzled throughout. This author sure knows how to make a villain hate worthy though, that damn quickling and bounty hunter had me getting angry at a book. Another strong title if albiet not quite as strong as the previous two

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Sep 24, 2018 Bookteafull (Danny) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Definitely an improvement from the last novel.

Was it spectacular? No, at least not in terms of plot. This is very much a character driven novel were the sole purpose is for Drizzt to come into his own and find a place he can call home. That's it. That's the entirety of the novel but it was written extremely well.

Sojourn showcases the difficulties of navigating a world that, for the most part, is against you. Dark elves are evil and commit atrocities on a daily bases, so it's no surprise that ...more

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Nov 29, 2016 F.T. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I love these books. Sojourn makes an interesting contrast to Book 2, Exile. In that one, Drizzt is prowling around the vast Underdark in survival mode, a force unto himself, fighting a fantastic array of monsters and fiends while being stalked by Matron Malice and her spirit wraith. It was gloomy, creepy, and his loneliness and isolation are heartbreaking. If not for a brighter foray with the gnomes, he'd have fallen into something purely instinctual and predatory.

In Exile, he goes above into ...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Traci rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Honestly. Eh, kind of meh. I started this set of Drizzt books thinking they were favorites but I find myself looking more forward to stuff that is coming up. Homeland was great fun and gave good insight into the Drow....well homeland. Exile was okay but mainly for the ongoing struggles of the Do'Urden clan. The whole purpose of the book to get Drizzt to finally leave the underdark. And again this book, Sojourn, all lead up to the last fifty pages or so. To the meeting of the two most important ...more

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Jun 10, 2017 Patrick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Enjoyed this more than the first two - probably due to the setting, after all those subterranean passages of the first two, nice to finally get above ground!!

Not a great deal of story as such, but a nice easy and enjoyable read (I read it in a day!)

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Feb 12, 2018 Beste rated it liked it · review of another edition

Uhm.. This felt like a filler book.

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Feb 20, 2019 BooksInPhotos rated it really liked it · review of another edition

On to Icewind Dale

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Mar 09, 2017 CR rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Easily some of the most enjoyable high fantasy I've ever read.

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Jul 14, 2019 Nicolae-Gheorghe Cojocaru rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The last book in the Dark Elf trilogy is not a disappointment. A new stage in Drizzt life, the surface world is a place of wonder seen through the lavender eyes of the elf, every new day a new mistery to unravel. The book starts as a "tabula rasa" of sorts, him content to his lone life, until one by one, events unfold and start him on the path of the ranger. Going from a self imposed hermit to a protector of the realm is a journey of discovery for him, but also us, being presented the geography, ...more

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About R.A. Salvatore

R.A. Salvatore

8,089 followers

As one of the fantasy genre’s most successful authors, R.A. Salvatore enjoys an ever-expanding and tremendously loyal following. His books regularly appear on The New York Times best-seller lists and have sold more than 10,000,000 copies. Salvatore’s original hardcover, The Two Swords, Book III of The Hunter’s Blade Trilogy (October 2004) debuted at # 1 on The Wall Street Journal best-seller list As one of the fantasy genre’s most successful authors, R.A. Salvatore enjoys an ever-expanding and tremendously loyal following. His books regularly appear on The New York Times best-seller lists and have sold more than 10,000,000 copies. Salvatore’s original hardcover, The Two Swords, Book III of The Hunter’s Blade Trilogy (October 2004) debuted at # 1 on The Wall Street Journal best-seller list and at # 4 on The New York Times best-seller list. His books have been translated into numerous foreign languages including German, Italian, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Turkish, Croatian, Bulgarian, Yiddish, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Portuguese, Czech, and French.

Salvatore’s first published novel, The Crystal Shard from TSR in 1988, became the first volume of the acclaimed Icewind Dale Trilogy and introduced an enormously popular character, the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden. Since that time, Salvatore has published numerous novels for each of his signature multi-volume series including The Dark Elf Trilogy, Paths of Darkness, The Hunter’s Blades Trilogy, and The Cleric Quintet.

His love affair with fantasy, and with literature in general, began during his sophomore year of college when he was given a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as a Christmas gift. He promptly changed his major from computerscience to journalism. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications from Fitchburg State College in 1981, then returned for the degree he always cherished, the Bachelor of Arts in English. He began writing seriously in 1982, penning the manuscript that would become Echoes of the Fourth Magic. Salvatore held many jobs during those first years as a writer, finally settling in (much to our delight) to write full time in 1990.

The R.A. Salvatore Collection has been established at his alma mater, Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, containing the writer’s letters, manuscripts, and other professional papers. He is in good company, as The Salvatore Collection is situated alongside The Robert Cormier Library, which celebrates the writing career of the co-alum and esteemed author of young adult books.

Salvatore is an active member of his community and is on the board of trustees at the local library in Leominster, Massachusetts. He has participated in several American Library Association regional conferences, giving talks on themes including “Adventure fantasy” and “Why young adults read fantasy.” Salvatore himself enjoys a broad range of literary writers including James Joyce, Mark Twain, Geoffrey Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dante, and Sartre. He counts among his favorite genre literary influences Ian Fleming, Arthur Conan Doyle, Fritz Leiber, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien.

Born in 1959, Salvatore is a native of Massachusetts and resides there with his wife Diane, and their three children, Bryan, Geno, and Caitlin. The family pets include three Japanese Chins, Oliver, Artemis and Ivan, and four cats including Guenhwyvar.

When he isn't writing, Salvatore chases after his three Japanese Chins, takes long walks, hits the gym, and coaches/plays on a fun-league softball team that includes most of his family. His gaming group still meets on Sundays to play.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/rasalv... ...more