The Legend of Drizzt
by R. A. Salvatore
Friendly Advice... Start with the 4th Book
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The first time I picked up this series, I was in-between some of the Terry Goodkind books, and I was looking for another series to get into. I had heard good things about R. A. Salvatore and Legend of Drizzt. I found the books and naturally started reading Homeland, the book with the big "I" on the cover (the series is labeled with Roman Numerals to help the reader through the storyline). Well, I'll be honest, there was so much world building and background information, that I felt completely bogged down. I just couldn't get into it, so I gave up.
Months later back at the bookstore, a nice young man asked me if I needed any help. Normally I just like being left alone, but I gave him a shot. I told him of my dilemma trying to find a new fantasy series to get into, and he immediately pointed to the Legend of Drizzt books. I gave a funny smirk and told him that I had already tried that one and didn't like it so much. Well, he was very disappointed because this series happened to be his favorite. After stammering a few minutes trying to get me to just "trust him", I'll love it if I would only give it another chance, he finally said, "I bet you read the first one first, didn't you?"
"Of course!" I said, "That's what I'm supposed to do, isn't it?"
This time it was the young man's turn to give me a smirk. He went on to explain that Homeland was not the first book that was published; that was The Crystal Shard, the fourth book in the series. He handed me the book with the big "IV" on the cover and said, "Believe me, once you get to know Drizzt and his friends, you'll want to go back and get the details of where he came from."
I tell you, he was absolutely right. I followed his advice, and The Legend of Drizzt became one of my favorite series. I hope you give it a chance, too.
Months later back at the bookstore, a nice young man asked me if I needed any help. Normally I just like being left alone, but I gave him a shot. I told him of my dilemma trying to find a new fantasy series to get into, and he immediately pointed to the Legend of Drizzt books. I gave a funny smirk and told him that I had already tried that one and didn't like it so much. Well, he was very disappointed because this series happened to be his favorite. After stammering a few minutes trying to get me to just "trust him", I'll love it if I would only give it another chance, he finally said, "I bet you read the first one first, didn't you?"
"Of course!" I said, "That's what I'm supposed to do, isn't it?"
This time it was the young man's turn to give me a smirk. He went on to explain that Homeland was not the first book that was published; that was The Crystal Shard, the fourth book in the series. He handed me the book with the big "IV" on the cover and said, "Believe me, once you get to know Drizzt and his friends, you'll want to go back and get the details of where he came from."
I tell you, he was absolutely right. I followed his advice, and The Legend of Drizzt became one of my favorite series. I hope you give it a chance, too.
1. Homeland
2. Exile 3. Sojourn 4. The Crystal Shard 5. Streams of Silver 6. The Halfling's Gem 7. The Legacy 8. Starless Night 9. Siege of Darkness 10. Passage to Dawn 11. The Silent Blade 12. The Spine of the World 13. The Sea of Swords |
From Dark Beginnings... The Underdark is a world beneath our own, an expanse of caverns, fissures, and trails that connect throughout the deep recesses of the earth. Strange creatures have evolved to inhabit this land of darkness where survival is the main objective. The most advanced society in the Underdark is a race of Dark Elves, skin as black as night, and vision that uses the infrared spectrum.
The Dark Elves have a matriarchal society that puts self-preservation above all else. They pray to the Deity called the Spider Queen, who revels in chaos. The priestesses of the Spider Queen rule this race of elves with cruelty and brutality. The Females are also physically bigger, and use the males as warriors and breading stock to advance their position among the warring houses (large family compounds that jockey for favorable position in the eye of the Spider Queen). This is the world Drizzt was born into. Drizzt was trained to be a great warrior and become the weapons master for his family’s house. Drizzt becomes one of the greatest swordsmen in the world, but didn’t turn out as his mother and sister’s expected. Through secret moral teaching from his father, Drizzt develops a strong conscience that rejects the ways of his people, and leads to his departure from the Underdark. Drizzt’s escape was hard-fought, but he prevails and acquires a helpful companion upon his escape, an enormous black panther that he can call to his aid from beyond the ether. Together, they form an imposing fighting force and travel through the Underdark to eventually emerge into the light of the surface. Once among the surface dwellers, Drizzt faces harsh discrimination due to the reputation of his race. This keeps him from being completely accepted into society. The friends he does make, however, are extremely loyal; a dwarf with a human daughter, a Viking warrior, a human philosopher, and eventually, world leaders and even surface elves. The world of Drizzt has some magic, but nothing over the top (aright, well sometimes it’s over the top). It exists mostly in helpful objects, like ankle bracelets that speed up your feet, or a war hammer that returns to its owner after he throws it, or a bow that never runs out of arrows. While underground, dark elves tap into their inherent magic of levitation, but it subsides after too long on the surface. Drizzt’s calls his panther by using a small figurine, and it returns to the ether after he loses energy or is too badly injured. The magic of the world is not big enough to deplete the importance of the physical and mental abilities of the warriors, however, and the intensive skills of Drizzt and his friends are held in the highest admiration. Each book of the Legend of Drizzt can stand alone, so you don’t need to read all of them to enjoy the later titles. They are filled with action and moral dilemmas that mirror our own insecurities and prejudices. So you get skilled combat, influences of magic, and a diverse mix of advanced species; everything a good fantasy novel needs. |
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