From the Bookshelf of The Challenge Factory…

Homeland (Forgotten Realms: The Dark Elf Trilogy, #1; Legend of Drizzt, #1)

R.A. Salvatore

Start date: January 1, 2013

Finish date: January 31, 2013

Discussion leader: ~Jennifer~

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Jun 09, 2018 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, books-i-own, 2018_challenge, tower_teams_vi

There's actually a funny story behind this book for me. A long time ago, back when I was in high school, I saw a book called Ten Thousand Orcs and thought it looked really good (it was in the midst of the LOTR movies coming out). I started reading the book and was loving the action, but realized that I didn't know who anyone was and the author wasn't introducing them. Not very far in, I look up the book to see where in the series the book is and.......it's #17. No wonder the characters weren't i ...more

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Jan 13, 2018 Sha rated it liked it

1. In the Underdark, the Drow Elves have ordered their lives around the whims of their capricious and bloodthirsty spider-goddess. Violence and hatred are indoctrinated into their children from a young age and blood sacrifice is the norm rather than the exception. Nobody survives the wrath of the Drows, including other Drows. Possibly especially other Drows, since violent slaughters of entire families in order to move up in the House Rankings (TM) is common enough to warrant an official protocol 1. In the Underdark, the Drow Elves have ordered their lives around the whims of their capricious and bloodthirsty spider-goddess. Violence and hatred are indoctrinated into their children from a young age and blood sacrifice is the norm rather than the exception. Nobody survives the wrath of the Drows, including other Drows. Possibly especially other Drows, since violent slaughters of entire families in order to move up in the House Rankings (TM) is common enough to warrant an official protocol.

2. Into this world of cartoonishly evil chaos is born our protagonist, a talented young elf named Drizzt Do'Urden. An unwanted third son of a noble family, saved from being human (elven?) sacrifice by the fortuitous ~~fratricide~~ death of his older brother soon after his birth. Drizzt grows up in an environment which is essentially the nightmare of Child Protective Services everywhere, reared by a priestess of the spider goddess who attempts to cultivate in him all manly virtues like humility, blind obedience and a healthy fear of snakehead whips. She's not really all that successful, since Drizzt possesses a version of Incorruptible Pure Pureness. He smiles, he laughs,a he jokes around- and he's not happy about causing pain to other people. Mother dearest is not pleased. It's shape up or get sacrificed to the eldritch abomination time.

3. Drizzt navigates the treacherous waters of his own compassion (where exactly is he getting it from i am starting to suspect gods meddling and no I don't think compassion is carried forth by blood but maybe it is for Drows who knows ARGH what is it with all the evil species that makes me roll my eyes), finding ways to survive in a world where ruthlessness is revered and mercy is reviled. House Do'Urden's weapons-master, a guy who means well but has been really fucked up by his surroundings, angsts about the relative merits of killing his biological son (ie, Drizzt) before he becomes more of an asshole. In the background, the last scion of a forgotten house destroyed by the Do'Urdens plots his revenge (i mean, the guy had to pour acid over his face and consign himself of existence with only an asshole for company just to survive so I can see where he's getting all this revenge-lust from honest). Further in the background, matrons of the matriarchal society plot against each other, with the possibility of future dead families etc. So basically, it's Tuesday in the Underdark.

5. If this had been a story about the reconstruction of Drow society I would have been on board this ship with my oars out. But there really isn't anything about that- every person at the trop of the Drow food chain seems to believe everything that Drow society teaches them. It's really sad and I would say it's not particularly believable, but the mind-reading skills and the prices of failure in the Drow society probably makes it possible at the very least. Drow society is fascinating.

5. What this is, however, is Drizzt keeping his sanity and compassion in an environment so toxic that it's overblown. Which is not a bad plotline, to be honest. However, the prose if often perfunctory, and moments with the potential for great emotion (view spoiler) are sort of glossed over. One scene where I thought it was done well was Drizzt's first venture into the surface world and everything that happened there. Then again, that could be because I was reading the graphic novel along with the book and the expression on Drizzt's face when the sun rose was wonderful. I'd rec the graphic novel for a more tightly plotted and emotive version of the story to be honest. Somehow. Those are not things graphic novel adaptations are usually known for.

6. Anyway. That's my light read and now that I'm done with it I can presumably go off to the "kill me now it will hurt less than the way my heart is breaking" books. *stares suspiciously at Juliet Marillier* ...more

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