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The Dark Elf Trilogy #1-3 omnibus
The Dark Elf Trilogy
Drizzt Do'Urden, the dark elf, confronts the underground civilization of the evil Drow elves, travels through an endless labyrinth, and battles to survive on the surface world
805 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
414 people are currently reading
12840 people want to read
About the author
R.A. Salvatore
606 books11.4k followersAs 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...
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...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 593 reviews
March 28, 2009
Love love love this character. This would be the best intro fantasy book I could give someone. Classic adventures, great storytelling, wonderful complex main character, interesting philosophy and moral core. I love it so much! I can't wait to get the next books as well. Drizzt is an epic character in an epic fantasy setting.
May 30, 2011
At first I berated myself for lumping the whole trilogy together before I would give my review; however, after finishing Sojourn, I am glad that I held my review until I got the perspective of all three books.
In a word: fantastic.
At first, I was unimpressed with Homeland, not liking the start. Once I got going with it, however, I realised that my problem was that I felt like the beginning (circumstances surrounding Drizzt's birth) was just plopped in the front. Once I started understanding the author's goal though, it started falling into place and I quickly fell in love, and despaired for Drizzt.
This was my first real knowledge of the Drow's way of life other than the terms "Underdark", "evil", and "Spider Queen", but as I started comprehending the complex politics surrounding a drow's life, I wanted to explain to Drizzt how screwed he really was. It seemed unbelievable to me that such an innocent could survive, and the book tantalizes you with the very thin line of survival regarding Drizzt's naiveity and Zak's protection.
Exile was by far the BEST book of the three, in my opinion. Wrapping up the links from Menzoberranzan and the hope for a better future, this book forces Drizzt to understand that evil is not everywhere. Belwar's forgiveness and comprehension that Drizzt actually saved Belwar's life was an wonderful story of friendship. Also Drizzt's futile but determined road to save Clacker keeps the reader hoping that by some miracle he can be saved, but inevitably, of course, that is impossible. After the clear heroism of Zak, Drizzt determines that he must do more than flee the drow city, but also the Underdark.
Sojourn is a book full of frustrating coincidences that seems to constantly screw Drizzt - mostly due to Drizzt's lack of knowledge of the surface cultures. However, the overall terribly sad story of Drizzt's struggle to maintain a life on the surface for seven years makes the stories of Mooshie and the moutain dwarves with Catti-brie so poignant and special, giving hope to Drizzt's future.
After all, Drizzt is still very young, despite all these experiences.
In a word: fantastic.
At first, I was unimpressed with Homeland, not liking the start. Once I got going with it, however, I realised that my problem was that I felt like the beginning (circumstances surrounding Drizzt's birth) was just plopped in the front. Once I started understanding the author's goal though, it started falling into place and I quickly fell in love, and despaired for Drizzt.
This was my first real knowledge of the Drow's way of life other than the terms "Underdark", "evil", and "Spider Queen", but as I started comprehending the complex politics surrounding a drow's life, I wanted to explain to Drizzt how screwed he really was. It seemed unbelievable to me that such an innocent could survive, and the book tantalizes you with the very thin line of survival regarding Drizzt's naiveity and Zak's protection.
Exile was by far the BEST book of the three, in my opinion. Wrapping up the links from Menzoberranzan and the hope for a better future, this book forces Drizzt to understand that evil is not everywhere. Belwar's forgiveness and comprehension that Drizzt actually saved Belwar's life was an wonderful story of friendship. Also Drizzt's futile but determined road to save Clacker keeps the reader hoping that by some miracle he can be saved, but inevitably, of course, that is impossible. After the clear heroism of Zak, Drizzt determines that he must do more than flee the drow city, but also the Underdark.
Sojourn is a book full of frustrating coincidences that seems to constantly screw Drizzt - mostly due to Drizzt's lack of knowledge of the surface cultures. However, the overall terribly sad story of Drizzt's struggle to maintain a life on the surface for seven years makes the stories of Mooshie and the moutain dwarves with Catti-brie so poignant and special, giving hope to Drizzt's future.
After all, Drizzt is still very young, despite all these experiences.
August 16, 2008
I was really looking forward to reading these books because several people I know positively raved about R.A. Salvatore.
Remind me to hunt those people down later and beat them to death with a chunk of moldy cheese.
These were some of the worst books I've ever read. I'm not sure how it's possible to make fearsome battles and magic swords and dark elves so boring and annoying but Mr. Salvatore managed to do both. I haven't seen such a whiney protaganist since Luke Skywalker (and I love Star Wars, don't get me wrong.) Note to you Mr. Salvatore, leave the martyred saints to religion - don't make them your main characters.
Remind me to hunt those people down later and beat them to death with a chunk of moldy cheese.
These were some of the worst books I've ever read. I'm not sure how it's possible to make fearsome battles and magic swords and dark elves so boring and annoying but Mr. Salvatore managed to do both. I haven't seen such a whiney protaganist since Luke Skywalker (and I love Star Wars, don't get me wrong.) Note to you Mr. Salvatore, leave the martyred saints to religion - don't make them your main characters.
February 6, 2017
Sublime world-building and a very very angry culture of backstabbing and self-aggrandizement make atypical dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden the D&D legend that he is under Salvatore's masterful touch. Fraught with visceral combat and plenty of politics, it is the kill or be killed cauldron of morality that makes Drizzt's exciting character study and adventures so good. Excellent trilogy for fans of dark fantasy.
January 20, 2017
I LOVE THIS SERIES AND DRIZZZZZZZZZT!!!! <3
*MEGA HUGE FANGIRL SCREAM*
*MEGA HUGE FANGIRL SCREAM*
November 6, 2012
It's hard for me to find a book that's crappier that "Twilight", with even paler characters and more predictable outcomes.
Well, this is one of those.
This book should be a school example of how NOT to write.
Speaking of the main character, Drizzt, I see him as Twilight's Edward, only instead of 12 year old girls, he is here to sparkle the imagination of 12 year old boys.
(12 here stands for any age before discovery of sex life)
Both Edward and Drizzt are heroes without a flaw, strong, brave, smart, talented, charismatic, boring, boring, boring Mary Sue characters that make my brain bleed. Those unfamiliar with term "Mary Sue character", check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue
Plus, both Edward and Drizzt come from "evil background", one is a sparkling vampire, the other is BDSM femdom dark elf, but they overcome their legacy to be jolly good fellas.
And even sparkle is a common trait. Edward sparkles, and Drizzt has a sword named "sparkle". Horrible.
Besides having Drizzt for his hero, Salvatore writes his books as a RPG session transcripts, where hero can walk around the caves, find the magic ring just lying there, put it on the finger and suddenly "feel more nimble" or something stupid like that.
And so on, and on, and on. I believe that books like these make the fantasy genre look trashy and unworthy.
Please, don't judge the entire genre by these books, there are good and serious writers here.
Well, this is one of those.
This book should be a school example of how NOT to write.
Speaking of the main character, Drizzt, I see him as Twilight's Edward, only instead of 12 year old girls, he is here to sparkle the imagination of 12 year old boys.
(12 here stands for any age before discovery of sex life)
Both Edward and Drizzt are heroes without a flaw, strong, brave, smart, talented, charismatic, boring, boring, boring Mary Sue characters that make my brain bleed. Those unfamiliar with term "Mary Sue character", check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue
Plus, both Edward and Drizzt come from "evil background", one is a sparkling vampire, the other is BDSM femdom dark elf, but they overcome their legacy to be jolly good fellas.
And even sparkle is a common trait. Edward sparkles, and Drizzt has a sword named "sparkle". Horrible.
Besides having Drizzt for his hero, Salvatore writes his books as a RPG session transcripts, where hero can walk around the caves, find the magic ring just lying there, put it on the finger and suddenly "feel more nimble" or something stupid like that.
And so on, and on, and on. I believe that books like these make the fantasy genre look trashy and unworthy.
Please, don't judge the entire genre by these books, there are good and serious writers here.
Want to read
March 12, 2017I managed to find a heaaaaap of hardcover novels from this series at a charity book sale - annoyingly enough, books 1-6 were not there, so I've ordered this bindup of the first trilogy to get myself started.
I adored the Neverwinter Nights games when I was younger, so I'm hoping I enjoy this series as well. :")
I adored the Neverwinter Nights games when I was younger, so I'm hoping I enjoy this series as well. :")
July 28, 2019
I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! Drizzt is definitely a beloved character and his story tells of good and evil in a world that he is just trying to find peace and companionship in. The friendships in this book are absolutely amazing. I'm so glad I have plenty more of these books to dive into!
July 29, 2008
This is a compilation book that includes Salvatore's entire Dark Elf Trilogy. Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn are chronologically the first adventures of the endearing forgotten realms hero Drizzt Do'Urden. The books deal with the themes of personal integrity in the face of adversity, friendship, and being true to one's self. Many readers who are not drawn to fantasy books will despise the first book; Homeland, but it is the most important one and I found it to be the most interesting.
In Homeland, Drizzt has to grow up in a society possessed with greed and hatred. As he grows into a adult he sees how much hate is spread through his family and the dark elf society. His mentor and instructional sword-master, Zaknafien is the only one speaks to Drizzt about integrity and righteous actions, in the face of incredible adversity and hate. As the plot unfolds, betrayals are commonplace in drow society and Drizzt decides he can no longer live in a culture of hate. He ventures out into the underdark (the great cavern systems that lie beneath the surface of the earth's crust) to find something greater than he could ever expect to live towards in the great drow city of Mezzoberanzan. Exile begins right after he leaves the safety of the drow city, and records his ventures in the underdark.
The adventures of Drizzt continue through many books, all written by Salvatore, and recurring themes are those of struggling against adversity, and finding one's true calling. I highly recommend reading the Dark Elf Trilogy for a good dose of imaginative storytelling and incredible adventures in a colorful fantasy world.
In Homeland, Drizzt has to grow up in a society possessed with greed and hatred. As he grows into a adult he sees how much hate is spread through his family and the dark elf society. His mentor and instructional sword-master, Zaknafien is the only one speaks to Drizzt about integrity and righteous actions, in the face of incredible adversity and hate. As the plot unfolds, betrayals are commonplace in drow society and Drizzt decides he can no longer live in a culture of hate. He ventures out into the underdark (the great cavern systems that lie beneath the surface of the earth's crust) to find something greater than he could ever expect to live towards in the great drow city of Mezzoberanzan. Exile begins right after he leaves the safety of the drow city, and records his ventures in the underdark.
The adventures of Drizzt continue through many books, all written by Salvatore, and recurring themes are those of struggling against adversity, and finding one's true calling. I highly recommend reading the Dark Elf Trilogy for a good dose of imaginative storytelling and incredible adventures in a colorful fantasy world.
August 14, 2023
I have a love-hate relationship with this series: I love the character Drizzt, but I don't like Salvatore's writing style or quality in many areas. Overuse/misuse of some words/phrases (found myself mentally editing as I read), a little over-melodramatic in places, and with the RPG setting, sometimes you can almost hear the dice rolling. Book 3 is the best, but that's not saying a whole lot. But dammit, there's just something about Drizzt that keeps drawing me back.
Big problems:
1- *Why* does Drizzt, born and raised among nasty evil drow, miraculously have a sense of ethics, fairness, live-and-let-live principles that no-one else has? Where did he learn or develop this? Nowhere, that's where--it dropped out of the sky (or dripped off the stalagmites?) and you're just supposed to accept it. ("Oh, but his dad-!" Okay, same question for him.) It would have greatly improved the story if he'd grown into these things over time.
2- How many times can you refer to your protagonist's eyes as 'violet orbs' or 'purple orbs'? Let's just say you could probably start a drinking game on this and similar over-uses of certain words and phrases.
3- Sappy melodrama. Lots of it.
4- Despite the many writing flaws, every so often you do get a shiny little piece of quartz in all that messy gravel, which gets me feeling for the main character (who's actually pretty smart, otherwise I couldn't stand him), so that purple-eyed hang-dog bastard is gonna keep me coming back picking at these books like a scab.
Big problems:
1- *Why* does Drizzt, born and raised among nasty evil drow, miraculously have a sense of ethics, fairness, live-and-let-live principles that no-one else has? Where did he learn or develop this? Nowhere, that's where--it dropped out of the sky (or dripped off the stalagmites?) and you're just supposed to accept it. ("Oh, but his dad-!" Okay, same question for him.) It would have greatly improved the story if he'd grown into these things over time.
2- How many times can you refer to your protagonist's eyes as 'violet orbs' or 'purple orbs'? Let's just say you could probably start a drinking game on this and similar over-uses of certain words and phrases.
3- Sappy melodrama. Lots of it.
4- Despite the many writing flaws, every so often you do get a shiny little piece of quartz in all that messy gravel, which gets me feeling for the main character (who's actually pretty smart, otherwise I couldn't stand him), so that purple-eyed hang-dog bastard is gonna keep me coming back picking at these books like a scab.
July 5, 2009
I have to admit that I read this. I am, thusly, admitting that I have a problem. I've read books that were hard to put down, but this trilogy was basically impossible to put out of my head - to eat, to sleep, anything. It scared me how powerfully it had hold of my consciousness. I felt, and still rather feel, like the author was using some kind of painful trickery on me, and I don't really appreciate it. At the same time, I suppose it might be a good set of books, as I remember details from it perfectly after years of not touching it. On the other hand, it could just be because it's one of the only books of its type - hard-core action fantasy - that I've read. I also remember details perfectly from the one western I read halfway through at the age of twelve, and it was TERRIBLE.
May 29, 2020
This book is one of the best I’ve read!
November 4, 2009
Very, very page-turning. As a former (and recurring) D&D fanatic, I can say these books are straight up my alley. My familiarity with the fantasy setting of the Forgotten Realms, and the world of the underdark, are the foremost reasons I can't put these books down. But I'll try to look past that and assess its more accessible qualities.
Salvatore's characters are very real. Reading the adventures of Drizzt and his companions, and the exploits of his evil family and other denizens of the underdark, make me feel like such individuals actually exist somewhere, and the book is describing real, historically verifiable events. Of course this is quite a feat considering none of the species actual exist. Salvatore also gives the reader a glimpse of the (sometimes alien) mindset of these fantasy races - after a few chapters of the first book I began to think like a devious, power-hungry drow.
The author also describes the world in vivid detail, sometimes painting brilliant scenes. His descriptions of the characters' sight in the infrared spectrum make the underdark a colourful place to be - body heat radiating a bright red glow against the dark blues and blacks of cold background stone. He really squeezes a lot of life from a cold, dark, and empty wasteland, too, describing underground lakes of acid, glowing spore-spitting fungi, forests of mushrooms and moss, great cities carved from stalagmites. The monsters and other beings lurking in the tunnels are a treat, and Salvatore never goes too long without rewarding his readers with a chance encounter, a fierce battle.
Which brings me to the fight scenes. The more action going on, the more finely the author details, and combat is where he uncaps his thinnest sharpie. Every second of battle is painstakingly drawn to perfection, each enemy's dispatching painted starkly in the reader's mind. One gets the feeling of watching the fight play out in one's head, watching the whirling, thrusting blades and the flailing, soaring, crumpling bodies as they pummel and hack each other, gritty and raw, for survival.
And then the book has its tender parts too. I won't go into detail because I'm running out of steam, but parts made me cry, and more parts made me shout at my book, in joy, or hatred, or encouragement.
The book isn't perfect. The pace it sets is so universally action-packed, with fight scenes stretched out to entire chapters and (literal) years of uneventful wandering left to a few sentences, that the book seems unbalanced, disproportional, at times. It can be hard to conjure a mental picture of some of the locations and battle movements; there will always be some ambiguity when the writer doesn't care to bore his audience with an instruction booklet play-by-play. Readers without a fair knowledge of swordfighting technique will sometimes wonder what they just read; I occasionally find myself substituting his precisely choreographed combat with a pre-recorded generic fight scene in my mind's eye. Finally, the editing could use some work - run-on sentences and sentence fragments litter the books.
All that aside, a stunning and marvelous body of work from R.A. Salvatore. I look forward to reading the rest of his works set in the Forgotten Realms.
Salvatore's characters are very real. Reading the adventures of Drizzt and his companions, and the exploits of his evil family and other denizens of the underdark, make me feel like such individuals actually exist somewhere, and the book is describing real, historically verifiable events. Of course this is quite a feat considering none of the species actual exist. Salvatore also gives the reader a glimpse of the (sometimes alien) mindset of these fantasy races - after a few chapters of the first book I began to think like a devious, power-hungry drow.
The author also describes the world in vivid detail, sometimes painting brilliant scenes. His descriptions of the characters' sight in the infrared spectrum make the underdark a colourful place to be - body heat radiating a bright red glow against the dark blues and blacks of cold background stone. He really squeezes a lot of life from a cold, dark, and empty wasteland, too, describing underground lakes of acid, glowing spore-spitting fungi, forests of mushrooms and moss, great cities carved from stalagmites. The monsters and other beings lurking in the tunnels are a treat, and Salvatore never goes too long without rewarding his readers with a chance encounter, a fierce battle.
Which brings me to the fight scenes. The more action going on, the more finely the author details, and combat is where he uncaps his thinnest sharpie. Every second of battle is painstakingly drawn to perfection, each enemy's dispatching painted starkly in the reader's mind. One gets the feeling of watching the fight play out in one's head, watching the whirling, thrusting blades and the flailing, soaring, crumpling bodies as they pummel and hack each other, gritty and raw, for survival.
And then the book has its tender parts too. I won't go into detail because I'm running out of steam, but parts made me cry, and more parts made me shout at my book, in joy, or hatred, or encouragement.
The book isn't perfect. The pace it sets is so universally action-packed, with fight scenes stretched out to entire chapters and (literal) years of uneventful wandering left to a few sentences, that the book seems unbalanced, disproportional, at times. It can be hard to conjure a mental picture of some of the locations and battle movements; there will always be some ambiguity when the writer doesn't care to bore his audience with an instruction booklet play-by-play. Readers without a fair knowledge of swordfighting technique will sometimes wonder what they just read; I occasionally find myself substituting his precisely choreographed combat with a pre-recorded generic fight scene in my mind's eye. Finally, the editing could use some work - run-on sentences and sentence fragments litter the books.
All that aside, a stunning and marvelous body of work from R.A. Salvatore. I look forward to reading the rest of his works set in the Forgotten Realms.
February 11, 2008
I believe that R.A. Salvatore is one of my favorite authors. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed the fight scenes until I read other fantasy and felt like the battles were lacking in depth and detail. I've read almost everything Forgotten Realms except the very recent, and would recommend it to any fantasy lover. Also, if you are new to fantasy, this would be a great starting place! These books are very black/white, good/evil. It's a fun read and easy to fall in love with the characters.
In this series you meet Drizzt Do'Urden and learn about the wicked ways of the Dark Elves. He's what you'd call the "white sheep" of dark elven society and is restless in Menzobaranzen. You can't help but grow to love the guy!
After you finish this series, I'd recommend the Icewind Dale Trilogy.
In this series you meet Drizzt Do'Urden and learn about the wicked ways of the Dark Elves. He's what you'd call the "white sheep" of dark elven society and is restless in Menzobaranzen. You can't help but grow to love the guy!
After you finish this series, I'd recommend the Icewind Dale Trilogy.
July 19, 2018
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January 28, 2012
I have to agree with the reviewers who give this a "mediocre" rating. The funny thing is, it's not really mediocre. It has some really good parts and some REALLY awful parts, which average out to mediocre. I wish I could give it a 2.5 star rating - halfway between "I liked it" and "it was okay."
Very briefly: This trilogy is the first three books about Drizzt, a drow or dark elf. The drow are inherently evil but Drizzt (inexplicably) has a moral code and escapes the underworld to live on the surface, where he is misjudged by people who know that all dark elves are evil.
What's good about it: The whole idea of the story is good. I really like Drizzt as a hero and I also like the general plot of the story.
What's not so great: The pacing of the writing is off and drags a lot, even in areas that should be thrilling. The writing is fairly juvenile and full of brightly mistaken adverbs (kind of like that one there). And by the third book I *already know* that when Drizzt drops a globe of darkness, he is calling upon his innate magical abilities. You don't have to mention his innate magical abilities every time he uses his innate magical abilities. Really.
And in several places it just doesn't make sense, darn it. For instance:
- WHY is Drizzt born with a pure heart that stays unstained by drow morals? Better if he grew into it, or if his father had taught him a moral code more explicitly.
- WHY do his powers of levitation slowly decay when he is living on the surface, but not his other innate magical abilities? (You do remember that he has innate magical abilities, right?) He can still use fairy fire and globes of darkness, but not levitation. Huh?
- I got seriously annoyed with the last half of the third book. His only friend Mooshie dies, and Drizzt goes out to travel the world for SIX years without being hunted down by humans who think he murdered the family in Maldobar, or befriended by the Rangers and elves who know he didn't do it. WHY didn't Mooshie, who knew he was dying, put Drizzt in touch with the Rangers ... since he was training Drizzt to be a Ranger? WHY did the band of elves who came to help Mooshie and Drizzt when they were attacked by orcs dash off afterward without meeting the person they came to help? HOW does Drizzt travel the world for SIX years, showing people he is a dark elf with purple eyes, without becoming the subject of a manhunt by people who think he is a murderer?
- And darn it all, WHY does he have purple eyes? Never explained, and never really exploited well. I kept waiting for him to run into the little elf girl - the one he didn't kill when he was supposed to - who would recognize him by his purple orbs. Never happened. What was the point of the too-often-mentioned purple orbs?
Bottom line: the interesting storyline and hero kept me reading through the juvenile writing style. I think with the great main character and storyline, this could actually break the mold and be a better movie than book, given the right director. (I'm thinking Peter Jackson!)
Very briefly: This trilogy is the first three books about Drizzt, a drow or dark elf. The drow are inherently evil but Drizzt (inexplicably) has a moral code and escapes the underworld to live on the surface, where he is misjudged by people who know that all dark elves are evil.
What's good about it: The whole idea of the story is good. I really like Drizzt as a hero and I also like the general plot of the story.
What's not so great: The pacing of the writing is off and drags a lot, even in areas that should be thrilling. The writing is fairly juvenile and full of brightly mistaken adverbs (kind of like that one there). And by the third book I *already know* that when Drizzt drops a globe of darkness, he is calling upon his innate magical abilities. You don't have to mention his innate magical abilities every time he uses his innate magical abilities. Really.
And in several places it just doesn't make sense, darn it. For instance:
- WHY is Drizzt born with a pure heart that stays unstained by drow morals? Better if he grew into it, or if his father had taught him a moral code more explicitly.
- WHY do his powers of levitation slowly decay when he is living on the surface, but not his other innate magical abilities? (You do remember that he has innate magical abilities, right?) He can still use fairy fire and globes of darkness, but not levitation. Huh?
- I got seriously annoyed with the last half of the third book. His only friend Mooshie dies, and Drizzt goes out to travel the world for SIX years without being hunted down by humans who think he murdered the family in Maldobar, or befriended by the Rangers and elves who know he didn't do it. WHY didn't Mooshie, who knew he was dying, put Drizzt in touch with the Rangers ... since he was training Drizzt to be a Ranger? WHY did the band of elves who came to help Mooshie and Drizzt when they were attacked by orcs dash off afterward without meeting the person they came to help? HOW does Drizzt travel the world for SIX years, showing people he is a dark elf with purple eyes, without becoming the subject of a manhunt by people who think he is a murderer?
- And darn it all, WHY does he have purple eyes? Never explained, and never really exploited well. I kept waiting for him to run into the little elf girl - the one he didn't kill when he was supposed to - who would recognize him by his purple orbs. Never happened. What was the point of the too-often-mentioned purple orbs?
Bottom line: the interesting storyline and hero kept me reading through the juvenile writing style. I think with the great main character and storyline, this could actually break the mold and be a better movie than book, given the right director. (I'm thinking Peter Jackson!)
November 23, 2008
The Dark Elf Trilogy is the first three books of Salvatore's Forgotten Realms series. It includes the books Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn. It is in the style of "Dungeons and Dragons," which makes it very familiar as far as the type of abilities, items, and races you might expect to see. Being a huge fan of Fantasy, I really enjoyed this novel. It included everything you would expect from a "Dungeons and Dragons" fantasy book…sword fights, dragons, good and evil, yet it starts in a rather unexpected way.
The main character, Drizzt comes from a rather backwards society. Evil and hatred are the norm in his city of Menzoberranzan. As the third male child of a noble family, his destiny was to be sacrificed upon birth. In the female dominated Dark Elf society, men's lives are of very little worth. A twist of fate changes his course and he is allowed to live.
Drizzt's childhood experiences challenge his thinking. Should he dawn the evil mantle of his society? His father, Zaknafien, teaches Drizzt swordplay and he becomes perhaps the greatest warrior in his city. However, Zaknafien also plants the seeds of doubt in Drizzt's mind about the morality of their culture. As Drizzt struggles with his conscience and the challenges of his society, it comes down to a culminating moment where he must decide between submitting himself to the will of his people or saving a young elf child. He inevitably chooses to save the elf child and his life is turned upside down. He becomes outcast from his people and later hunted. The other races shun and fear him because of the reputation his people have earned. Drizzt's only friend for much of his journeys is Guenhwyvar, a black panther from another plane of existence. Even Guenhwyvar is able to spend little time with Drizzt, needing to return often to its own plane for sustenance. Drizzt struggles to do what he believes to be right while facing searing loneliness and despair.
What I enjoyed most about these books was the look at the great beauty that emerged from such a dark society. It is so easy to blame our actions on our circumstances. Drizzt is a true underdog, yet rose above and allowed his integrity to set his course. Despite the pain it costs him, he never once looks back on his decision with regret... only sorrow. I also enjoyed the amazing picture of the underdark, particularly the city Menzoberranzen. I think perhaps the most beautiful moments in the book were the rare moments when Drizzt felt loved. The only thing I didn’t really like was the overly detailed sword fights. I am not a big fan of strategy and maneuvers so I usually skimmed past these parts, but in spite of that, I found it an excellent book, well worth the read.
The main character, Drizzt comes from a rather backwards society. Evil and hatred are the norm in his city of Menzoberranzan. As the third male child of a noble family, his destiny was to be sacrificed upon birth. In the female dominated Dark Elf society, men's lives are of very little worth. A twist of fate changes his course and he is allowed to live.
Drizzt's childhood experiences challenge his thinking. Should he dawn the evil mantle of his society? His father, Zaknafien, teaches Drizzt swordplay and he becomes perhaps the greatest warrior in his city. However, Zaknafien also plants the seeds of doubt in Drizzt's mind about the morality of their culture. As Drizzt struggles with his conscience and the challenges of his society, it comes down to a culminating moment where he must decide between submitting himself to the will of his people or saving a young elf child. He inevitably chooses to save the elf child and his life is turned upside down. He becomes outcast from his people and later hunted. The other races shun and fear him because of the reputation his people have earned. Drizzt's only friend for much of his journeys is Guenhwyvar, a black panther from another plane of existence. Even Guenhwyvar is able to spend little time with Drizzt, needing to return often to its own plane for sustenance. Drizzt struggles to do what he believes to be right while facing searing loneliness and despair.
What I enjoyed most about these books was the look at the great beauty that emerged from such a dark society. It is so easy to blame our actions on our circumstances. Drizzt is a true underdog, yet rose above and allowed his integrity to set his course. Despite the pain it costs him, he never once looks back on his decision with regret... only sorrow. I also enjoyed the amazing picture of the underdark, particularly the city Menzoberranzen. I think perhaps the most beautiful moments in the book were the rare moments when Drizzt felt loved. The only thing I didn’t really like was the overly detailed sword fights. I am not a big fan of strategy and maneuvers so I usually skimmed past these parts, but in spite of that, I found it an excellent book, well worth the read.
February 23, 2018
This was an omnibus of the the first three Drizzt novels: Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn. They contain the adventures of a young drow elf who rejects his violent homeland for exile and eventual adventures on the surface world. The first novel paints a dreadful picture of his homeland and city of Menxoberranzan. The second deals with his misadventures escaping it. Sojourn is concerned with his exploits making his way on the surface world.
Drizzt is a fighter. However, he is versed in magic. The tell is told in third person and then interspersed with first person narrative. The first omnibus took a while to read. However, it's recommended as good fantasy writing by R.A. Salvatore.
Drizzt is a fighter. However, he is versed in magic. The tell is told in third person and then interspersed with first person narrative. The first omnibus took a while to read. However, it's recommended as good fantasy writing by R.A. Salvatore.
April 15, 2021
It is a book that tells a compelling narrative true to D&D, though at times it is transparent to the underlying rules of the game it is based on. While sometimes a bit cliche and difficult to continue, it tells a story of self-discovery, personal growth, and remaining above all honest with yourself. Had I read this book in high school, perhaps my young adult years would have been different. Everyone can take a lesson from Drizzt Do’Urden, whether it’s a personal story, or how to engage with the Forgotten Realms setting, or how to tell a compelling story for your players.
January 10, 2013
Drizzt's origins ...
Book 1: Home
I never thought I'd see the day when I read a book based off of the D&D worlds (instead of books the D&D worlds are based off of) and enjoy it. That's what I did with RA Salvatore's Drizzt novel. Setting up lots of fun adventures with a Good Drow (lent to me because I'm playing a Drow Paladin in a campaign), it's a great adventure story that plays out like a younger, sillier Dune with the plans within plans. Still very D&D-esque (one can almost see the dice that were rolled, and exactly HOW MANY natural 20's does Drizzt get?) but very enjoyable fantasy fun.
Book 2: Exile
The rule of three. Present a repetition of ideas, of themes, of phrases and you must include three. It is always good for the third to be just a little different, though. In this case, all three have their own specific realm. Of course we have Drizzt - hunter versus his principles - who leads the trio off. Then we have Zaknefein - Zak versus the Zin-Carla undead spell that brought him back - chasing Drizzt around. Finally we have Clacker - his old Pech self versus the new polymorphed Hook Horror self - to round it out. It's interesting to see how all three relate and how their slight differences (one doomed to failure, one bound to succeed and one in the balance ... much like a certain Darth named Vader in more ways than one) work to create an interesting story. How does change work? Is it really worth the sacrifice and exactly what is being sacrificed? Can there ever be a true balance? I will say, though, that the writing itself in this book did take a little step down towards the noticeably poorer side of things. Just at certain times, but still, enough to give me pause. Of course, the awakening DM in me sees lots of cool ideas to work with from this novel also. Overall, I'm still enjoying the fantasy and fun, especially as Salvatore works at making this trilogy slightly deeper and more meaningful than just an origins epic. I like that.
Book 3: Sojourn
Is there an issue with the termination of a trilogy? Even those that were not meant as such (Titus Alone, I'm looking at you), the third can be a mess as it tries to do too much in too short a time. Oh, if only the story could have been focused a little more, would this have been a fitting end to what was otherwise a nice origins piece. Lacking the interesting themes from the second book, lacking the overall better writing of the first ... Sojourn plays out too weak for the great characters it introduces. Too bad, too.
Overall
First, you have to enjoy the Fantasy Genre. If you don't, then this set of stories is going to be of only passing interest at best. Better to look for other books to hold your attention. Second, realizing that this is forming a part of the lore of D&D is helpful, even if not necessary. It makes the numerous encounters and different creatures dealt with a little more palatable (even Tolkien knew to keep the number of creatures in Lord of the Rings to a smallish number). Third, though this is a book that has survived three decades already, know that it will not (nor was meant to be) a classic. This is just something for fun.
Keep those three things in mind ... yeah, you'll like this. It's interesting to read about those creatures that constantly fight against their nature (werewolves! Jekyll/Hyde!) and even more interesting to find those that win. That's what we get here. Obviously this is a thematic strand that links Drizzt to numerous other characters, but don't be fooled into thinking this is some sort of lost literature masterpiece. It's just a Fantasy exploration of the idea. Entertaining and interesting.
And very helpful if you are trying to play a Good Aligned Drow in a campaign.
Book 1: Home
I never thought I'd see the day when I read a book based off of the D&D worlds (instead of books the D&D worlds are based off of) and enjoy it. That's what I did with RA Salvatore's Drizzt novel. Setting up lots of fun adventures with a Good Drow (lent to me because I'm playing a Drow Paladin in a campaign), it's a great adventure story that plays out like a younger, sillier Dune with the plans within plans. Still very D&D-esque (one can almost see the dice that were rolled, and exactly HOW MANY natural 20's does Drizzt get?) but very enjoyable fantasy fun.
Book 2: Exile
The rule of three. Present a repetition of ideas, of themes, of phrases and you must include three. It is always good for the third to be just a little different, though. In this case, all three have their own specific realm. Of course we have Drizzt - hunter versus his principles - who leads the trio off. Then we have Zaknefein - Zak versus the Zin-Carla undead spell that brought him back - chasing Drizzt around. Finally we have Clacker - his old Pech self versus the new polymorphed Hook Horror self - to round it out. It's interesting to see how all three relate and how their slight differences (one doomed to failure, one bound to succeed and one in the balance ... much like a certain Darth named Vader in more ways than one) work to create an interesting story. How does change work? Is it really worth the sacrifice and exactly what is being sacrificed? Can there ever be a true balance? I will say, though, that the writing itself in this book did take a little step down towards the noticeably poorer side of things. Just at certain times, but still, enough to give me pause. Of course, the awakening DM in me sees lots of cool ideas to work with from this novel also. Overall, I'm still enjoying the fantasy and fun, especially as Salvatore works at making this trilogy slightly deeper and more meaningful than just an origins epic. I like that.
Book 3: Sojourn
Is there an issue with the termination of a trilogy? Even those that were not meant as such (Titus Alone, I'm looking at you), the third can be a mess as it tries to do too much in too short a time. Oh, if only the story could have been focused a little more, would this have been a fitting end to what was otherwise a nice origins piece. Lacking the interesting themes from the second book, lacking the overall better writing of the first ... Sojourn plays out too weak for the great characters it introduces. Too bad, too.
Overall
First, you have to enjoy the Fantasy Genre. If you don't, then this set of stories is going to be of only passing interest at best. Better to look for other books to hold your attention. Second, realizing that this is forming a part of the lore of D&D is helpful, even if not necessary. It makes the numerous encounters and different creatures dealt with a little more palatable (even Tolkien knew to keep the number of creatures in Lord of the Rings to a smallish number). Third, though this is a book that has survived three decades already, know that it will not (nor was meant to be) a classic. This is just something for fun.
Keep those three things in mind ... yeah, you'll like this. It's interesting to read about those creatures that constantly fight against their nature (werewolves! Jekyll/Hyde!) and even more interesting to find those that win. That's what we get here. Obviously this is a thematic strand that links Drizzt to numerous other characters, but don't be fooled into thinking this is some sort of lost literature masterpiece. It's just a Fantasy exploration of the idea. Entertaining and interesting.
And very helpful if you are trying to play a Good Aligned Drow in a campaign.
November 12, 2013
To be honest, this is my very first Salvatore book. I enjoyed it, but I can't say I was exactly impressed very often.
The world was solid and detailed. I liked the setup of the underground city of dark elves and the different Houses to which they belong. The idea of the Spider Queen was great, creepy, and threatening. Everything was very detailed and believable. However, I found myself getting a bit twitchy and wanting Drizzt to leave the dang place a lot sooner than he actually did, which brings me to the pacing.
The pacing was painfully slow. it dragged and dragged with unnecessary pile after pile of info dump before I even cared about the information I was being force fed. For instance, we don't begin with Drizzt, we begin before he was even born, then we get to sit through long and drawn out accounts of his entire childhood, all of which could have been summed up in but a few paragraphs.
Also, we come to know (in great detail) of all the horrors Drizzt went through as a child. All his life, he was surrounded by an entire civilization full of twisted morals and wickedness. So as you would expect, he turned out to be your typical good hearted hero full of justice, truth, and fairness for all.
Wait, what?
Sure, his father, Zak, held on to what's right and briefly encouraged it for a tiddly bit, but that's not enough. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Drizzt was keenly holding on to untaught and/or bluntly discouraged morals before Zak even got the chance to plant the seed of righteousness within his little dark elf brain.
Another pet peeve about this book was the random head hopping. At first it was like, "Yay, I'm a mind reader!" But then I was all like "Nooo make it stooop!" It's one thing to change POV's after a chapter, it's another to know what every single slightly sentiment creature was thinking at every given moment.
Okay, All I've done was complain about it, but there's some really cool stuff in here once you get past the initial info dumps. I wouldn't have been able to finish it otherwise. It had inventive creatures and a lot of moments I really enjoyed. (Like faking out a dragon.) And once Drizzt came across a few friends, they brought out aspects of his personality I wasn't aware of, which made Drizzt a little more complex. To be honest, as much as I gripe about him, he's one of my favorite book protagonists.
The action was great at times and, since I did care about the characters, it could get pretty tense.
I was satisfied with the ending and all in all I can't say I was disappointed. The Dark Elf Trilogy had some bad points, but it has a lot of good points too. The characters were usually two-dimensional at best, but, to be honest, that's better than most books I've been ending up with. So in my opinion it's a decent and pretty well rounded fantasy book.
The world was solid and detailed. I liked the setup of the underground city of dark elves and the different Houses to which they belong. The idea of the Spider Queen was great, creepy, and threatening. Everything was very detailed and believable. However, I found myself getting a bit twitchy and wanting Drizzt to leave the dang place a lot sooner than he actually did, which brings me to the pacing.
The pacing was painfully slow. it dragged and dragged with unnecessary pile after pile of info dump before I even cared about the information I was being force fed. For instance, we don't begin with Drizzt, we begin before he was even born, then we get to sit through long and drawn out accounts of his entire childhood, all of which could have been summed up in but a few paragraphs.
Also, we come to know (in great detail) of all the horrors Drizzt went through as a child. All his life, he was surrounded by an entire civilization full of twisted morals and wickedness. So as you would expect, he turned out to be your typical good hearted hero full of justice, truth, and fairness for all.
Wait, what?
Sure, his father, Zak, held on to what's right and briefly encouraged it for a tiddly bit, but that's not enough. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Drizzt was keenly holding on to untaught and/or bluntly discouraged morals before Zak even got the chance to plant the seed of righteousness within his little dark elf brain.
Another pet peeve about this book was the random head hopping. At first it was like, "Yay, I'm a mind reader!" But then I was all like "Nooo make it stooop!" It's one thing to change POV's after a chapter, it's another to know what every single slightly sentiment creature was thinking at every given moment.
Okay, All I've done was complain about it, but there's some really cool stuff in here once you get past the initial info dumps. I wouldn't have been able to finish it otherwise. It had inventive creatures and a lot of moments I really enjoyed. (Like faking out a dragon.) And once Drizzt came across a few friends, they brought out aspects of his personality I wasn't aware of, which made Drizzt a little more complex. To be honest, as much as I gripe about him, he's one of my favorite book protagonists.
The action was great at times and, since I did care about the characters, it could get pretty tense.
I was satisfied with the ending and all in all I can't say I was disappointed. The Dark Elf Trilogy had some bad points, but it has a lot of good points too. The characters were usually two-dimensional at best, but, to be honest, that's better than most books I've been ending up with. So in my opinion it's a decent and pretty well rounded fantasy book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2014
The first of the Drizzt Do’Urden trilogies is quite good. Parts of the plot are a bit slow but it is good overall. Drizzt’s and Zaknafein’s characters are very interesting in contrast to the rest of the drows, who find pleasure in killing, especially killing and not getting caught. Then when Drizzt moves to the surface and finds the prejudiced hatred of the surface people.
The plot has exciting chases and battles, which fill up most of the book, as well as interesting parts about drow society, with Drizzt growing up in a world going against his principles. Getting into the book is confusing with the battle, since you have no idea what is going on or why, but soon enough it gets good. Also, the part when Drizzt first gets to the surface is not as good, as well as the part with the illithids.
The pacing, like I said has some slower parts, but for the most part it is pretty fast. It isn’t the fastest of the fantasy books I have read but it was still moves along pretty good. I was able to get through this thousand page book in easily a week, so it is a fast read. The slower parts typically are where the plot isn’t as interesting and generally everything that happens in those sections is a little boring. That’s probably why I can’t read some books, especially those considered classics. They just don’t move fast enough for me or are to boring.
The characters are very interesting, not only Drizzt but his whole supporting cast. His many friends are very interesting and unusual. Clacker, for example, used to be a pech, a race with a deep connection with the earth, but was changed into a type of monster called a hook horror, and constantly slips closer to becoming a full on monster without any remains of his original identity. Montolio, the blind ranger who trains Drizzt to be a ranger is also interesting. He’s probably more accurate than some people with full sight and an amazing fighter who helps Drizzt find a place in the world. Salvatore has odd characters that really make his books stand out.
http://homeofreading.com/the-legend-of-drizzt-25th-anniversary-edition-book-i/
The plot has exciting chases and battles, which fill up most of the book, as well as interesting parts about drow society, with Drizzt growing up in a world going against his principles. Getting into the book is confusing with the battle, since you have no idea what is going on or why, but soon enough it gets good. Also, the part when Drizzt first gets to the surface is not as good, as well as the part with the illithids.
The pacing, like I said has some slower parts, but for the most part it is pretty fast. It isn’t the fastest of the fantasy books I have read but it was still moves along pretty good. I was able to get through this thousand page book in easily a week, so it is a fast read. The slower parts typically are where the plot isn’t as interesting and generally everything that happens in those sections is a little boring. That’s probably why I can’t read some books, especially those considered classics. They just don’t move fast enough for me or are to boring.
The characters are very interesting, not only Drizzt but his whole supporting cast. His many friends are very interesting and unusual. Clacker, for example, used to be a pech, a race with a deep connection with the earth, but was changed into a type of monster called a hook horror, and constantly slips closer to becoming a full on monster without any remains of his original identity. Montolio, the blind ranger who trains Drizzt to be a ranger is also interesting. He’s probably more accurate than some people with full sight and an amazing fighter who helps Drizzt find a place in the world. Salvatore has odd characters that really make his books stand out.
http://homeofreading.com/the-legend-of-drizzt-25th-anniversary-edition-book-i/
October 13, 2010
It's the first book I read from the Forgotten Realms collection. Overall, I think it's a very nice read.
The descriptions are many times excessive, not in detail but in scope. The narrator tells us of the setting too much, especially in the the first book, Homeland. And many of the drow world disclosures are completely unnecessary. It's perfectly clear how evil the drow are, and how "happy" such a society is. There is no need to spell it out. Also in the first book, clearly for the reader's immediate benefit, the characters make some world-defining comments which are off-character. In a society as closed and self centred, it makes no sense to speak of "our world" so frequently. Other than that, it's fun to read about a drow who is the best at everything, and the first drow philosopher with an emphasis on practical ethics. But seriously, it is fun.
The second book, Exile, felt a lot slower than the first, but the development of Drizzt's character was interesting. By the way, he seems a little too smart. I wondered when he would discover powder and start shooting everyone around...
The last book, Sojourn, is on the same level as the second. The drow continues his (d&d - dual?) class evolution. And as usual, lots of fighting that unfortunately my English isn't good enough to grasp entirely.
I would give it 3.5 stars for some flaws in the storytelling, but other than that I advise it. Unmissable for Dungeons and Dragons fans.
The descriptions are many times excessive, not in detail but in scope. The narrator tells us of the setting too much, especially in the the first book, Homeland. And many of the drow world disclosures are completely unnecessary. It's perfectly clear how evil the drow are, and how "happy" such a society is. There is no need to spell it out. Also in the first book, clearly for the reader's immediate benefit, the characters make some world-defining comments which are off-character. In a society as closed and self centred, it makes no sense to speak of "our world" so frequently. Other than that, it's fun to read about a drow who is the best at everything, and the first drow philosopher with an emphasis on practical ethics. But seriously, it is fun.
The second book, Exile, felt a lot slower than the first, but the development of Drizzt's character was interesting. By the way, he seems a little too smart. I wondered when he would discover powder and start shooting everyone around...
The last book, Sojourn, is on the same level as the second. The drow continues his (d&d - dual?) class evolution. And as usual, lots of fighting that unfortunately my English isn't good enough to grasp entirely.
I would give it 3.5 stars for some flaws in the storytelling, but other than that I advise it. Unmissable for Dungeons and Dragons fans.
January 28, 2010
I know a multitude of people who absolutely adore RA Salvatore. I was more-or-less forced into reading this book (now that I did it reluctantly - I love these kinds of stories) but let's just say that there was a lot of hype involved before I actually get into the book. Perhaps that's why I found it mediocre.
Here are my thoughts when it comes to good books. I'm a character person - give me a so-so plot line but give me characters that sparkle, and I'm hooked. For me, this triloy was the opposite. Salvatore is a master of story - truly breautiful and unique occurances, new ideas, etc. I really value that - however, I found that the characters in the story was just lacking. I know a million people would disagree but I found everyone just... stagnant. Drizzt in his morals was unfallable and everyone who accepted Drizzt was equally good at heart. I almost groaned in book three when he lives with Mooshie - for the most part, Mooshie is Belwar. Disabled, rough and tough, and willing to let Drizzt into his home. It just all seemed so.... obvious.
All in all, I enjoyed reading the triology, but it did take some effort to get through it. I applaud Salvatore's original story but I found his characters and writing style lacking. I do intend to try out another of his books to see if my opinion changes.
Here are my thoughts when it comes to good books. I'm a character person - give me a so-so plot line but give me characters that sparkle, and I'm hooked. For me, this triloy was the opposite. Salvatore is a master of story - truly breautiful and unique occurances, new ideas, etc. I really value that - however, I found that the characters in the story was just lacking. I know a million people would disagree but I found everyone just... stagnant. Drizzt in his morals was unfallable and everyone who accepted Drizzt was equally good at heart. I almost groaned in book three when he lives with Mooshie - for the most part, Mooshie is Belwar. Disabled, rough and tough, and willing to let Drizzt into his home. It just all seemed so.... obvious.
All in all, I enjoyed reading the triology, but it did take some effort to get through it. I applaud Salvatore's original story but I found his characters and writing style lacking. I do intend to try out another of his books to see if my opinion changes.
October 10, 2008
I was suggested this book by multiple fans here on myspace(and even at work) so I picked it up.
Normally, I am not a fan of so called "bread and butter" fantasies...at least not for many years, and a book in the D&D setting didn't sound too appetizing. Well, my elitism was happily thwarted. This book indeed caught my attention. The sheer EPICNESS of the setting and character is what got me.
Menzobarrenzen(sp?) is one of the coolest fictional cities I have ever read about. Utterly evil and corrupt, it pulls the reader in to it's rock bottom to observe the birth of a less-than-desired young character. Drizzt is a sweet little drow surrounded in a world of vileness. The story is his essential rise to maturity and flight from the Drow city. You almost want to escape this place yourself.
This is a great ol' hero of a character, the type that I personally miss in the world of books. The story pulls at the heartstrings a bit, especially during the initial prejudices of Drizzt's surface life.
I gave it a three-star because of the second part- Exile. Extremely boring and monotonous, it was hard to suffer through in order to get to the third part, which has a lot more story and things happening in it.
Normally, I am not a fan of so called "bread and butter" fantasies...at least not for many years, and a book in the D&D setting didn't sound too appetizing. Well, my elitism was happily thwarted. This book indeed caught my attention. The sheer EPICNESS of the setting and character is what got me.
Menzobarrenzen(sp?) is one of the coolest fictional cities I have ever read about. Utterly evil and corrupt, it pulls the reader in to it's rock bottom to observe the birth of a less-than-desired young character. Drizzt is a sweet little drow surrounded in a world of vileness. The story is his essential rise to maturity and flight from the Drow city. You almost want to escape this place yourself.
This is a great ol' hero of a character, the type that I personally miss in the world of books. The story pulls at the heartstrings a bit, especially during the initial prejudices of Drizzt's surface life.
I gave it a three-star because of the second part- Exile. Extremely boring and monotonous, it was hard to suffer through in order to get to the third part, which has a lot more story and things happening in it.
August 30, 2008
My friend Ermin let me borrow his copies of "Homeland" and "Exile" and told me I should read these. What a love he was! I devoured the first book in one day and quickly sped into the second. It was like fantasy on crack. As soon as I finished the second book, I got online and ordered the first three trilogies from SFBC.com.
It's been a long time since I delved into fantasy this deeply - the last few years I've been on a science fiction kick. This trilogy is definitely the best that Salvatore has written - "The Icewind Dale" pales in comparison to "The Dark Elf." Perhaps it's that Drizzt remains the central character throughout these novels and doesn't have to compete for chapter space with the likes of a snively Cattie-Brie or a testosterone fueled Wulfgar.
The depictions of the dark elvish city Menzoberranzan, the echoing passages of the Underdark, the dark intrigues of the drow, Drizzt's desperate journey to find his own way - these books were worth the tired feeling I had at work the next day after another sleepless night reading "just one more chapter."
It's been a long time since I delved into fantasy this deeply - the last few years I've been on a science fiction kick. This trilogy is definitely the best that Salvatore has written - "The Icewind Dale" pales in comparison to "The Dark Elf." Perhaps it's that Drizzt remains the central character throughout these novels and doesn't have to compete for chapter space with the likes of a snively Cattie-Brie or a testosterone fueled Wulfgar.
The depictions of the dark elvish city Menzoberranzan, the echoing passages of the Underdark, the dark intrigues of the drow, Drizzt's desperate journey to find his own way - these books were worth the tired feeling I had at work the next day after another sleepless night reading "just one more chapter."
November 30, 2014
This was my first foray into the story of Drizzt, and actually all of D&D books. I felt that it was a good place to start, although quite dark in that we spend a lot of time with the dark world of the Drow, which I really didn't enjoy. But seeing the character of Drizzt, a pure-hearted and kind character, grow throughout this series has been very satisfying. It is good to know that he has come through so much and not lost himself. Overall this was a satisfying read and has piqued my interest so much that I intend to read the rest of the series.
March 9, 2015
I knocked these out one at a time, but it's easier to review them as a trilogy.
They're better than "not bad" so I give it 3-stars, but they're not a Mistborn or Kingkiller chronicles which have almost universal appeal.
The first book was paced well, written well 'enough', and created the setting for an interesting universe of fantasy fiction. The second book was a little on the "quick action read" side and the third book just got lame after awhile--nothing egegriously wrong with it, but it is a little silly.
If you're into the genre, they're light easy-to-read page turners.
They're better than "not bad" so I give it 3-stars, but they're not a Mistborn or Kingkiller chronicles which have almost universal appeal.
The first book was paced well, written well 'enough', and created the setting for an interesting universe of fantasy fiction. The second book was a little on the "quick action read" side and the third book just got lame after awhile--nothing egegriously wrong with it, but it is a little silly.
If you're into the genre, they're light easy-to-read page turners.
October 21, 2012
As a whole, I really liked the story of Drizzt. I didn't like it as separate books, but I guess there had to be some separation of what is going on in Drizzt life at the moment of writing.
Anyway, I very much enjoyed this new world, I very much like the character of Drizzt and I very much like what he became in the end. Some of the gory details were way too much for my taste, but I guess that's the style of Salvatore.
Anyway, I very much enjoyed this new world, I very much like the character of Drizzt and I very much like what he became in the end. Some of the gory details were way too much for my taste, but I guess that's the style of Salvatore.
February 15, 2017
Drizzit's story is one that I've been meaning to read for a long time. As both a fantasy fan and a roleplayer the books have been on my radar. So what do I think now that I've read the first trilogy? I enjoyed my time with Drizzit and will read more of his story. Salvatore has created an interesting character in the dark elf ranger with a conscience. There is room for further exploration of the moral questions raised in the books and I'm looking forward to seeing how they develop.
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