A Reader's Guide to R.A. Salvatore's The Legend of Drizzt

by Philip Athans

Celebrate Twenty Years of Drizzt!

Drizzt Do'Urden fought his way out of the monster-infested Underdark and carved a life for himself on the no less unforgiving surface world. The Legend of Drizzt follows the tale of a hero born to a race of evil, who struggles with his inner demons and the prejudices of others to become one of the greatest heroes the fantasy genre has ever known.

This premier, hardcover, richly illustrated guide to The Legend of Drizzt(TM)celebrates twenty years of the most popular character in fantasy. This book will captivate new readers and established fans alike with its in-depth exploration of Drizzt and full-color illustrations by renowned artist Todd Lockwood. Don't miss out on the phenomenon!

Genres: Fantasy, Forgotten Realms, Dungeons and Dragons, Reference, Fiction, Art, Epic

160 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2008

About the author

I 100% support AUTHORS AGAINST BOOK BANS
https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com

I give every book 5 stars in protest against the concept of star ratings in general and the ever-unfolding algorithm dystopia!

Philip Athans, an anti-AI, anti-book bans liberal, is the founding partner of Athans & Associates Creative Consulting (www.athansassociates.com), and the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation and more than a dozen other fantasy and horror books including The Best of Fantasy Authors Handbook Vol. I 2009-2013, The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Writing Monsters. Born in Rochester, New York he grew up in suburban Chicago, where he published the literary magazine Alternative Fiction & Poetry. His blog, Fantasy Author’s Handbook, is updated every Tuesday (https://fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com), less regularly on the FAH YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@FantasyAutho...), and you can follow him on Twitter @PhilAthans. He makes his home in the foothills of the Washington Cascades, east of Seattle.

Reviews

[Wes Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not necessarily a book I'd pick up to just read, but well worth having around if you plan on sticking with The Legend of Drizzt for the long haul. The maps alone are worth the purchase, they're beautiful and give you a great idea of the scope of Faerun and where different cities sit in relation to the other cities.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking for a good recap of the Legend of Drizzt novels? Look no further, A Reader's Guide to the Legend of Drizzt serves as a companion book to the series. Complete with book summaries, character information, a bestiary, and even detailed maps, this compendium of Drizzt information is a great reference guide for any Drizzt reader. Keep in mind that much of the information in this book falls in a timeline somewhere after Sea of Swords and before The Pirate King in the Drizzt timeline.

The recap of the first 13 books is very helpful for any reader who wants to get back in to the Drizzt novels; however, there seems to be a few inconsistencies. Jarlaxle has a limp? Wulfgar is more than twice the height of Drizzt? I understand compiling this was a painstaking task for the author, but these are major details!

The art of Todd Lockwood is 5 star, and much of the art is taken from the new Legend of Drizzt covers, but after the art outlining the book summaries, the inconsistent art that follows is very noticeable. There were over 65 artists who contributed to this book. While most of the art is superb, some of it is downright shoddy.

The detailed maps are the best part about this book. Too bad the maps weren't in the original books! They would have been helpful. Included are detailed maps of Ten Towns, Cities of the Sword Coast, Mithral Hall, Menzoberranzan, and more.

Athans also writes information about the forgotten realms world that is otherwise not found in the Drizzt's books themselves, which gives additional insight into the setting of Salvatore's Drizzt tales.

Recommended to Drizzt's fans who are just starting the series, or to readers that are coming back to the series after a long break.

[Michael Batko · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Legend of DrizztThe past two months I got stuck reading The Legend of Drizzt series and didn’t realise it was a 36 (!) book series! I devoured 13 of the books but had to call it quits to not go down the vortex for the rest of the year.The reason I loved it so much is that it (1) describes a completely new world — the Underdark and (2) it hinges on a protagonist with unshakeable principles and character.1 paragraph summary:The Legend of Drizzt, follows the story of a dark elf who is born in the Underdark. It paints a world of dark elves living in pitch blackness and constant fear of betrayal and death. The books build on Drizzt’s journey throughout the world looking for purpose and a home. It’s a gripping story with character development, action and strong principles.1) Homeland2) Exile3) Sojourn4) Crystal ShardThe meekest of animals will fight bravely when it is backed against a wall, for it has nothing left to lose. A poor man is more deadly than a rich man because he puts less value on his own life. And a man stranded homeless on the frozen steppes with the first winds of winter already beginning to blow is a formidable enemy indeed!5) Streams of Silver6) Halfling’s GemLuck is simply the advantage a true warrior gains in executing the correct course of action.Nowhere might you learn more than in a land unlike your own.Are you more trapped by the way the world sees ye or by the way ye see the world seein’ ye?7) Legacy8) Starless NightI rarely pray. I prefer to speak to my goddess through my daily actions, and through my honest emotions. I need not gloss over what has occurred with petty words, twisting them to show myself most favorably. If Mielikki is with me, then she knows the truth, knows how I act and how I feel.Courageous people do not surrender hope.9) Siege of DarknessTo any intelligent being, there is no emotion more important than hope. Individually or collectively, we must hope that the future will be better than the past, that our offspring, and theirs after them, will be a bit closer tho an ideal society, whatever our perception of that might be.10) Passage of DawnI walk the road with friends, and so I have my home.We are the center. In each of our minds — some may call it arrogance, or selfishness — we are the center, and all the world moves about us, and for us, and because of us. This is the paradox of community, the one and the whole, the desires of the one often in direct conflict with the needs of the whole. Who among us has not wondered if all the world is no more than a personal dream?For what is a rational being if not a choice? And there can be no evil, nor any good, without intent.That was the danger of nostalgia, Drizzt realised. One often remembered the good of the past while forgetting the troubles.11) Silent BladeWhat manner of joy might we find in our lives if we cannot understand the joys and pains of those around us, if we cannot share in a greater community?Without purpose, we will find no satisfaction. Without satisfaction, he will find no contentment, and without contentment, he will find no joy.—For respect is the guiding principle of friendship, the lighthouse beacon that directs the course of any true friendship. And respect demands trust.12) Spine of the WorldFirst, they blur the past, erasing memories pleasant and unpleasant, and second, they eliminate any thoughts of the future. Intoxicants lock the imbiber in the present, the here and now, without regard for the future, without consideration of the past.That is the trap, a defeatist perspective that allows for attempted satiation of physical pleasures wantonly, recklessly. An intoxicated person will attempt even foolhardy dares because that inner guidance, even to the point of survival instinct itself, can be so impaired.That is the trap, the defeatist perspective, that I cannot tolerate.13) Sea of SwordsWe are all dying, every moment that passes of every day. That is the inescapable truth of this existence. It is a truth that can paralyse us with fear, or one that can energise us with impatience, with the desire to explore and experience, with the hope — nay, the iron will! — to find a memory in every action.“If only I could go back to that age, knowing what I now know!” Those words amuse me profoundly, for in truth, the lament should be, “If only I could reclaim the lust and the joy I knew then!”We need to be reminded sometimes that a sunrise lasts but a few minutes. But its beauty can burn in our hearts eternally.Hardship begets achievement, achievement begets joy — true joy, and the sense of accomplishment that defines who we are as thinking beings.The path to joy is paved in a sense of confidence and self-worth, a feeling that we have made the world a little bit better, perhaps, or that we fought on for our beliefs despite adversity.👇

[Meredith Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming reference to everything -- and I do mean everything -- that appears in the first 13 books of the Legend of Drizzt series (up to Sea of Swords). It's not got a lot of new material, but there were a few things that surprised me -- did we always know Jarlaxle walks with a limp? -- and its strength isn't in the new materials but in the devotion to the old ones. There is a picture for *literally* every named character who has ever crossed the pages of this series. And while in some cases I felt this was going overboard (did we need illustrations for a guard who appears for one page before getting killed) the fact that they did this means that SO many characters have more material for them. There's art that I'm pretty sure exists nowhere else in this book, and in a lot of cases it did help fill out some images for me. I had no idea Robillard looked like that! And so on.

The other big strength of this is a lot of topographical maps of the cities of the Sword Coast and the North. Obviously, it's from a few hundred years before the current Forgotten Realms time and some things have changed since then, but it built lot a good sense of how far things were, what kind of hike it would be to walk through this city (hilly) vs that one (not) and things that I can bring forward into current games.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice supplement, and fun to have around for new players of the LoD board game.

[Becka Ramaglia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great reference!

[J.V. Hilliard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Athans is immersed in Drizzt like no one else can, save for Salvatore himself. A must read for anyone that's a fan of the classic series.

[Michael Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly recently I decided that I was going to try to get caught up on the Drizzt books. For some reason I had stopped reading them, despite enjoying them quite a bit. I finally got through the Paths of Darkness series, and that gave me leave to read this, since that's what it covers up to. This book is great for anyone that's a fan of the Drizzt series. It gives a brief synopsis of the first 13 books, and is loaded with art and information. It has details about nearly every character major and minor. Information on monsters, demons, maps of all the towns and cities. It is just loaded with stuff. A great companion to the series.

[Juan Bárcenas Cuellar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un profundo acercamiento a la leyenda de uno de los personajes más populares del universo de Reinos Olvidados con magníficas ilustraciones de Todd Lockwood.
Hace ya 20 años un héroe desconocido surgió de la más profunda oscuridad… ¡Descubre su pasado! ¡Prepárate para lo que está por venir! Este libro atrapará a los lectores nuevos que se acerquen a sus páginas y hará las delicias de los habituales de la serie.
Excelente recopilación gráfica de los primeros trece libros de la leyenda de Drizzt, el elfo oscuro que abandonó las profundidades de la tierra para encontrarse con su destino. Para verdaderos fanáticos.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent a cozy afternoon on the couch poring through this book today. Truly a comprehensive collection of information pertaining to Drizzt and his world - his companions and foes, geographic landmarks, town maps and local lore. I found myself smiling over and again as I appreciated a detail here and lavish artwork there. Though many artists contributed, Todd Lockwood, who brings Drizzt to life like no other, has outdone himself in this volume.

A must for fans of Drizzt - it has inspired me to read the books all over again...

[Keith Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have read all of the books up until the most recent then it is a good book to have to refresh your memory of what happened earlier in the series. Also it has nice detailed maps of all the locations of his adventrues along with nice pictures of the characters. And if your new to the series it can help you learn more about the characters and their world. Along with actually following the paths that they take by looking at the maps if you wanted to go that far. Good Gift for a Drizzt fan.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great encyclopedia of R.A. Salvatore's famous series based on the legend Drizzt Do'Urden. This book contains a very nice collection of information on the characters, places, monsters, and more that are encountered in the novels. There are detailed maps of the cities and illustrations to accompany every creature and character mentioned. I would recommend this book to any fan of Salvatore's novels based in the Forgotten Realms setting. This also serves as a great reminder if I forget who a certain character was or the plot summary of a particular novel.

[Michael Beyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the books of R. A. Salvatore. This book is not by him. It is more of an illustrated encyclopedia of the characters, settings, events, and visual depictions of all the elements of his many fantasy novels containing the adventures of the Dark Elf, Drizzt Do'Urden. If you are as fond of these fantasy novels as I am, you will absolutely adore this book. It doesn't take the place of reading the novels, but it enhances everything about them.

[Pierre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great artwork helps visualize the Realms. Unfortunately, doesn't add anything new.

[Astri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great gift for any fan of the Legend of Drizzt series. Gorgeous illustrations.

[Kyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Descriptions, pictures, all of the information. Loved seeing all of these awesome characters.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a picture/trivia book. good only for biggest fans of drizzt.