SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
Group Reads Discussions 2011
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"Homeland" First Impressions *no spoilers*
It's been a few years since I've read this book but it's the one that got me into the series, which I have now read most of. I truly love Salvatore's writing style. He makes the world seem like it's in your backyard. This story has a darker feel to it than some of his other works. If you can get through this one, you have an entirely new series opened up to you. :)
This is fantastic. The Snow Queen isn't available anywhere in the city (Edmonton)—that I could find—and I wasn't really interested in reading the book that this is replacing. Add to that the fact that my brother has been on me to read this book for probably 10 years. This works out great. I can't quite express what my expectations are for this book, though. Salvatore is someone I've read intermittently, and have really liked him and really disliked him (his work, not the actual guy). I was a fan of Canticle, really enjoyed Vector Prime, but absolutely loathed The Demon Awakens (despite peoples protestations).
Here's to hoping that getting back into Forgotten Realms territory will improve things for me.
For anyone who has read the Drizzt books before, is a person's reading of The Dark Elf Trilogy at all hampered if they haven't yet read The Icewind Dale Trilogy?
I just love Drizzt, I just picked up the newest book in paperback.
I would recommend most people to read The Crystal Shard first, just because it gives a different view of Drizzt not being the main character, but as Salvatore said before that Homeland should be the place to start, it does not take away anything in the plot.
I know that a lot of others I know on Goodreads, might not join in because they don't really find anything special in Drizzt.
I started with Homeland, Rick, and I didn't feel it hurt me at all. Kevin, are you interested in leading our discussion, being a big fan of Salvatore?
Sure Brad, why not since I am doing a reread anyway. I got time tomorrow to think of something since this is my first time as discussion leader.
Brad, I was just wondering I we still going able to get R.A. Salvatore for an answer and question session like Cindy said before?
I remember really liking this book. I'm pretty excited to reread it because I never got through book three. The plot is unique (compared to the somewhat small quantity of books I have read), and I think that any fantasy lover would enjoy this. Also, I have to agree with Sharon - Salvatore's writing style is very vivid.
I might be able to.. let me send a few emails. Nothing is set in stone but lemme see if I can work my magic. What I MIGHT be able to get is a collective Q&A and have him answer them. I don't think he comes on goodreads and of course he's very very busy so let me see.
I interviewed him two years ago and he is just great.
Cindy wrote: "I might be able to.. let me send a few emails. Nothing is set in stone but lemme see if I can work my magic. What I MIGHT be able to get is a collective Q&A and have him answer them. I don't th..."
Cindy anything is good better than nothing for me.
Thanks for stepping up to lead, Kevin. It's not too tough. Just come up with some topics, and keep popping in to stir up discussion, which shouldn't be hard for such a serious Drizzt fan.
I read this book around the holidays and I recall that I didn't think that it was the most interesting book at times, but that I did make it to the end....and wanted to read more of it. I felt like I was there in the world with them. I have recently purchased the next 6 or 8 or something books (in their anthology versions so really only 3 physical books) and plan to dive into Exile soon =D
I first read The Dark Elf Trilogy and then read the The Icewind Dale Trilogy. I loved the Dark Elf, but something was different in the Icewind Dale and I stopped reading after the first book. I can't figure out what was different because I loved and blew through the Dark Elf books. Has anyone read the others and loved them? Drizzt is such a great character. He is so badass and strong but also can be very emotionally open and vulnerable. I love the blend.
Brad wrote: "Thanks for stepping up to lead, Kevin. It's not too tough. Just come up with some topics, and keep popping in to stir up discussion, which shouldn't be hard for such a serious Drizzt fan."I though of some already, and will post those questions late today.
Qylie wrote: "I first read The Dark Elf Trilogy and then read the The Icewind Dale Trilogy. I loved the Dark Elf, but something was different in the Icewind Dale and I stopped reading after the first book. I c..."I definitely know what you mean. I read this book some time in middle school and adored The Dark Elf Trilogy, but Icewind Dale was more like every other fantasy story without the dark magic and deep reaches of the Drow. I did read all the books up to the Crystal Shard, I think. Some were very good, some were too thematically different. Dark Elf Trilogy was definitely the peak in my memory.
I haven't thought of it in a while, but this trilogy was probably one of my most lasting formative influences in fantasy preferences, but I am a little afraid to reread it for fear that the magic will have faded.
Kat wrote: "Qylie wrote: "I first read The Dark Elf Trilogy and then read the The Icewind Dale Trilogy. I loved the Dark Elf, but something was different in the Icewind Dale and I stopped reading after the fi..."That is the exact opposite for me, what The Dark Elf Trilogy was to you, the Crystal Shard was to me.
I just joined the group and just ordered the book, so I'm looking forward to commenting on this discussion when I've started reading it. I haven't read it before, and considering the comments so far it'll be interesting to see how I take to it starting with Homeland.
Kevin - Are you serious? Maybe I didn't give the crystal shard enough time. I didn't feel like I got into the characters in that set of books as well. I think it was also that Drizzt wasn't as central to everything and I felt like I was loosing a friend.
Qylie wrote: "Kevin - Are you serious? Maybe I didn't give the crystal shard enough time. I didn't feel like I got into the characters in that set of books as well. I think it was also that Drizzt wasn't as c..."You are right Qylie, in the crystal shard, Drizzt was written as a supporting character, but of all the characters in the book many found him to the coolest that is how the Dark Elf Trilogy came out to find out about his past.
I went to the library and borrowed a copy yesterday. This is my first contact with Fogotten Realms in any form.
Well this will provide me with an excellent excuse to rest this one. I've never actually read any of the D&D novels. Robert Jorden and Piers Anthony scratched my fantasy itch growing up. Also I was a white wolf geek to the core. :D I'm sort of interested to see if I'll be able to hear the dice rolling in the background as I read this one.
I'm also completely new to Forgotten Realms (I thought they made games? naive much).I'm about 15% through the book but I haven't managed to get really into it. I do like some of the interesting twists in Lore that separate this from more run of the mill fantasy but it's all a bit mad :)
Hopefully I can get my head around all this magic, lore and crazy violence. Looking forward to it!
I have finished Part One. I like chapter 3 much more than the rest so far.
Okay, I've got my hands on a copy of this book. As soon as I finish
I'll get started and see how it goes for me!Also, I just want to say, how come I've never heard of this author before?? Just based on his book covers it looks like a perfect author for me!
Ahhh, who picked a book that features spiders so prominently? xDI'm creeped out, just like how Brad was in Perdido Street Station and the moths! Ahhhh!
♥Xeni♥ wrote: "Also, I just want to say, how come I've never heard of this author before?? Just based on his book covers it looks like a perfect author for me! "
He mainly does Forgotten Realms novels which are an offshoot of D&D. So that may be why you've never run across him.
I found him from his Star Wars novels :P
eta: I can't find my damn copy of this. It was the collectors edition omnibus. ARGH
He mainly does Forgotten Realms novels which are an offshoot of D&D. So that may be why you've never run across him.
I found him from his Star Wars novels :P
eta: I can't find my damn copy of this. It was the collectors edition omnibus. ARGH
He wrote Star Wars novels? Interesting. I hate his Drizzt books so much I've shut out his oeuvre from my mind. What was the focus of his Star Wars books, Ala? Were they any good?
Collecters edition omnibus?!? Rofl rofl rofl. Also, D & D was never really my thing. Maybe if I had hung out with more guys than girls in middle school... But yeah, I know like nothing about it, nothing about this book, and never heard of the author. I suppose I'll just have to have my late start now. :p
Brad wrote: "He wrote Star Wars novels? Interesting. I hate his Drizzt books so much I've shut out his oeuvre from my mind. What was the focus of his Star Wars books, Ala? Were they any good?"Salvatore wrote the novelization for Attack of the Clones, which I haven't read, but heard that it did a much better job than the movie delving into Anakin's psyche.
But he also wrote Vector Prime, the first book in the 19-book series The New Jedi Order. I am by no stretch a Salvatore fan, but I thought Vector Prime was fantastic. It's a great kick-start for the series and contains one of the most shocking events in, well, fiction.
I'm seriously not exaggerating about that last part. The reaction/backlash to said event is unparalleled.
Salvatore has gone on the record, though, stating he will never write a Star Wars novel again. So if you read and enjoy them, don't get your hopes up.
Brad wrote: "He wrote Star Wars novels? Interesting. I hate his Drizzt books so much I've shut out his oeuvre from my mind. What was the focus of his Star Wars books, Ala? Were they any good?"Can't believe that you hate Drizzt so much, is that one of the reasons that you will not lead the discussion?
I will have to look into the New Jedi Order. I've heard people talking about it, and if the opening salvo is as good as you say, Rick, I should probably give it a shot.And to answer your question, Kevin: partially. There was a discussion around here a long time ago, can't remember what one it was now, but the person who volunteered to lead the discussion absolutely loathed the book, and they knew they did before they led the discussion. It was extremely negative and combative, and I always promised myself I wouldn't lead a discussion if I truly hated something -- mostly so I could avoid tainting the potential enjoyment of the book by others.
And I think, in this case, my hatred for Drizzt could have had that effect.
That's not the only reason, though. I am a bit burned out after last month's Consider Phlebas read, and I've decided to take a month of all book club reads, just take the time to enjoy the books I'm reading with no pressure.
As one of my friend always says, "Can't believe it man."
Today, I remembered that I have a Forgotten Realms novel on my Nook that was a Free Friday giveaway several months ago. The bad thing about these kinds of series with the Nook is that just the series name is listed, not the actual title. I opened it up and it was Homeland. Lucky me. It's going to take me a couple of weeks to get to it though.
@Xeni - it was a gift. Don't judge me *shun* :P
@Brad - His Attack of the Clones novelization was much better than the movie itself. His Vector Prime was a great kickoff to that series of Star Wars EU, but damnit I still can't rate it higher than a 2 because of what Lucas had them do in the book.
It still pisses me off...
@Brad - His Attack of the Clones novelization was much better than the movie itself. His Vector Prime was a great kickoff to that series of Star Wars EU, but damnit I still can't rate it higher than a 2 because of what Lucas had them do in the book.
It still pisses me off...
So, I wasn't going to read Homeland, and then I thought, why not, if I can acquire it with minimal effort. (The neighborhood library having a copy qualified as minimal effort.) And I'm sorry, but I'm pulling the ripcord. I feel like every SF/F fan has room in their heart for one gaming tie-in series. (Yes, I did totally just make that up.) Maybe it's the Dragonlance books, or the Drizzt series, or the Songs and Swords series that Elaine Cunningham did. (Which is where my affections lie.) So sorry, but there's only room for one lone elf hero in my heart, and it's Arilyn. Drizzt, you're going back to the library. ;)Somewhat more seriously, I felt like Salvatore had some ideas for an interesting hero and developing the setting. But at the same time, I couldn't help thinking that in some places there were too many words, and in others there weren't enough. And many of the characters seemed two dimensionally evil. Which was maybe the idea, but ... it doesn't make for a varied reading experience.
For what it's worth, when I went back and read Elfshadow recently, I can see why I liked it, but also that that liking partly stemmed from having read it when I hadn't read as many fantasy genre books as I have now. So the events and ideas seemed more new than maybe they really were. If I had read the Drizzt books at around that time, maybe I'd have really liked them too.
You're actually voicing my own concern there, SiD. I read the Drizzt books a looong time ago, back when I wasn't really reading all that much in the way of fantasy(or anything, for that matter).
I'm somewhat afraid to re-read these books now. I might end up disliking them.
I'm somewhat afraid to re-read these books now. I might end up disliking them.
I kinda want to read this. I remember reading one of the Drizzt books years ago (no idea which now) and thinking it was okay, but I don't remember much of it. However, I already had to special order Snow Queen as an interlibrary loan, and the library doesn't have a copy of this one either, so it's probably not going to happen. (As Sid said, "minimal effort". Also, side tangent: I keep wanting to call it Summer Queen instead of Snow Queen. I know, that's later in the series. It's probably because of the Summer Tree. And, y'know, it's summer now. I don't like thinking about snow during summer. :P)
My copy arrived in this morning's post, so I'm getting started reading it today. It's been an interesting discussion so far. I'll post my first impressions soon. So... I have a terrible confession. After reading Sid's post I looked up the gaming connection. I don't play computer games and I hadn't heard of Forgotten Realms until today. Does it matter?
Tony wrote: "My copy arrived in this morning's post, so I'm getting started reading it today. It's been an interesting discussion so far. I'll post my first impressions soon. So... I have a terrible confessio..."
No, this book is way different from a D&D game. I think most D&D is plot based to become what is called a Dungeon Crawl, but Salvatore's Drizzt books are also character based. I think Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis's Dragonlance books are more like a D&D game.
I actually would reverse what Kevin says in that comparison, but either way you don't need to have played D&D to enjoy the book. I think, in fact, that not having played D&D would improve the reading of the book.
Thanks, Kevin and Brad, for responding to my question. I'm getting into the book now, so I'm ready with my first impressions. Firstly, I have to say, the author has obviously done a great job of worldbuilding before he started writing. How much of this came from D&D I have no idea as I've never tried it, but it's a well thought out and fully formed world he uses as a setting.
When I had read the first two chapters I was left with no desire to carry on. Mainly this was because I didn't find myself caring about the characters and it felt as though most of the story was being relayed as a sequence of 'this happened' 'then this happened' etc. I'm clearly intended to be impressed with the characters, the magic and the events, but somehow it didn't work on me. I guess for me it's not enough to be told "it works by magic". I need to see the magic for myself.
Since one of the earlier comments said chapter three was really where they found the story began to be engaging I carried on. I'm glad I did, as to some extent I agree. I'm on part two now, and I find I've at least got some characters to latch on to and some level of story starting to develop.
I do still have some problems with it though. One is with the plot, but I won't talk about that here because of the *no spoilers* thingy. The other is with the headhopping. Salvatore just doesn't stay in one point of view from paragraph to paragraph. This just throws me out of the story every time, just like it does when he says 'it works by magic' or 'it has designs like spiders'. It's almost as though the author is just telling me what he sees on his video game screen.
Having said all that, I like a lot of the imagary and there are some nice ideas in the magic and the culture of the characters. For now I will perservere.
I discovered this series in middle school and it quickly became one of my favorites. I was drawn to the Drizzt’s character for his skill, luck and perseverance at trying to exist in a society where he is hated because of what he is. Looking back on this story I can see that it is not a very strong story but here is where R. A. Salvatore begins crafting the Drow culture. The seeds were planted then that have blossomed into an interesting culture that is one of the favorites within the Forgotten Realms universe. The constant layers of intrigue and betrayal make you wonder why the culture does not collapse on itself. I have read all except for a couple of the most recent books of this series. I constantly reread books I enjoy and have noticed that as I get older I tend not to reread the Drizzt books in place of others that have been spawned by the series. I have found that I enjoy reading more about Jaraxle, Artemis Entrei, Leriel Baenre and the War of the Spider Queen stories than those of Drizzt. I have grown to find the tales of the antiheros or villains much more interesting than those of the goodly hero.
Although I do not enjoy the series as much as I once did, I still do enjoy it and recommend it. Drizzt is an enjoyable character as is the cast that joins him later on. For those that may just think this book is ok, I suggest sticking with it. Or you can check out some of the other series I mentioned that were spawned by this one. Remember that this book was both an early one in R. A. Salvatore’s career as well as an early look at this culture.
Hopefully this is helpful. I am new to the group and not much of a writer so I have trouble translating my ideas to the page.
The other day I happened to pick this one up at the library, so this will work out great! I haven't read this author's works yet, so it is new for me.
I've been wanting to read Salvatore for a while but didn't know where to start. I'm so glad that this is a Group Read! I was just given a Kindle w/Special Offers so I was able to buy it for just $1! Woo hoo I'm a happy girl! I'm hoping to start it in the next day or two.
Hope both of you enjoy the book especially Drizzt as much as I do.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Elfshadow (other topics)Vector Prime (other topics)
Homeland (other topics)
Consider Phlebas (other topics)
The Sisters Brothers (other topics)
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If I remember my fairly impressions of this book correctly, they were pretty positive. Even at the start it wasn't the best prose, but I was interested pretty quickly. That didn't last for me though.