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Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:Discover the origin story of one of the greatest heroes of the Forgotten Realms�Drizzt Do�Urden�in this thrilling first installment in the classic Dungeons & Dragons series, the Dark Elf Trilogy Drow ranger Drizzt Do�Urden, first introduced in The Icewind Dale Trilogy, quickly became one of the fantasy genre�s standout characters. With Homeland, Salvatore pulls back the curtain to reveal the startling tale of how this hero came to be�how this one lone drow walked out of the shadowy depths of the Underdark; how he left behind an evil society and a family that wanted him dead. As the third son of Mother Malice and weaponmaster Zaknafein, Drizzt Do�Urden is meant to be sacrificed to Lolth, the evil Spider Queen, per drow tradition. But with the unexpected death of his older brother, young Drizzt is spared�and, as a result, further ostracized by his family. As Drizzt grows older, developing his swordsmanship skills and studying at the Academy, he begins to realize that his idea of good and evil does not match up with those of his fellow drow. Can Drizzt stay true to himself in a such an unforgiving, unprincipled world? Homeland is the first book in the Dark Elf Trilogy and the Legend of Drizzt series..… (more)
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The Legend of Drizzt #1
I read these books back in highschool. Lots of years ago. More than I like to admit to myself. For about the next month I want to read something that I don’t have to think about. These, along with the Dragonlance books, were my first introduction
I would never recommend these books to someone who has sort of “matured’ in their fantasy reading. But for someone who just wants a good sword and magic vacation book, these are perfect.
When I read this series the first time I started with the Icewind Dale trilogy. These three dark elf books are prequels. But in most reading lists you see see them listed first. And it’s true, chronologically they come earlier.
But I would strongly disagree.
Reading these books first, it gives the impression that Salvatore is trying to create a gritty, dark and edgy storyline. But that’s just not what these books are.
Drizzt is a short skinny nimble Connan the Barbarian. Since the announcement for the next Drizzt book in 2014 just came out, I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by telling you that he always figures out a way to win out over the forces of evil. You know he’s going to win. You know he’s going to do the right thing. And you know he’s going to kick some ass along the way. He’ll protect his friends, and fight fiercely to protect the innocent.
This isn’t A Game Of Thrones where you get all anxious about your favorite character getting suddenly and violently offed in the next chapter. You’re safe to kick back and enjoy and know that the good guys are going to win.
But there’s the problem with reading the “Underdark” books first. They are meant to fill out the back story. To give Drizzt a bit of a troubled past. But if you start here, it’s his present, not his past. Sure, you get the story told in chronological order, but I would argue that it’s not as good as the Drizzt story where his Underdark days are more of a flashback.
For your enjoyment, start with the Icewind Dale trilogy.
These are just fun books, so I don’t know if it’s worth the deeper discussion. But, I wonder if the order you read them in doesn’t just change your enjoyment, but if there’s a less harmless change to the over all theme too. I read a harsh, but good, review of these book. A reader who was disturbed with the relentless and unredemptive darkness and violence in this book. The reviewer wasn’t wrong. And without the context of the moral beacon and defender of justice that Drizzt become, I’d have to agree with that assessment.
Flip it.
Start with Drizzt as a character always struggling with the “right thing”, and then step back into the dark past, and it makes his moral compass more remarkable.
Aaaaanyway…. Fun books. But start with the Icewind Dale trilogy. Take them on vacation. Or read them when you have to work stupid hours at work for a couple months and just want something to read while you’re going to sleep, or don’t want to think too much. Good action sequences. Swords, wizards, monsters, action galaore. Nothing too deep.
The story itself, dealing with dark elves (duh!) and Drizzt Do'Urden's rebellion against his race's
There were some other things that seemed a bit goofy, which were incorporated into the book mostly (I assume) to plant more links to the D&D game itself. For example, all dark elves can levitate; the Do'Urdens, Drizzt's family, can levitate repeatedly. And so they have no stairway to their tower. They just levitate up to the balcony to get in. It was explained in the book that it helped them defend their home from the other ruling houses of the city, but even with that explanation - levitating into your house? Struck me as goofy. :)
All in all, I don't regret reading it, even though I had to grit my teeth a bit to get through the dialogue. It was a bit battle heavy, but it *is* based on D&D, so I can't say I expected otherwise. I'm going to finish reading the Dark Elf Trilogy to see how it all pans out.
I am not a
The story is complex, and compels the reader to continue turning pages to see where it will lead next. The setting is intricate and deliciously dark, illustrating the malevolent culture of the dark elves. With great artistry, Salvatore describes the Underdark, and the reader can see it as if it were a wicked painting passing before his eyes.
Rich in detail and heavy with an unexpected and deep emotional connection to the characters, Homeland is an excellent fantasy novel. It is an astonishingly well-written introduction to The Legend of Drizzt. I will definitely continue reading this series.
I have always read the series in Chronological order
The combat scenes were all very well written and enjoyable. The detail on the politics of the underworld were fascinating although a bit dark.
This is one my favorite series of all times and this is my 4th time thru the chain of books.
I'm not sure of how much of the material is motivate by modern
While I was reading, I kept wondering to myself why I didn't like it more. Another fantasy fan recommended the book to me as one of his favorite, and perhaps it gave me high expectations. Perhaps I was just in the wrong mood. But while I liked Drizzt and cared enough to keep reading the book, I wasn't bowled over. I kept nitpicking every time the narrator rather bluntly gave me information about a character or event, instead of working it into the story more subtly, and noticing every clunky bit of dialog. I might try some of Salvatore's newer books to see if his writing is improved, because I liked the premise and world-building, but while it sometimes interested me, it never had me enthralled.
On the one hand, I like the idea of "equal opportunity villains." Who says women can't be
But on the other hand, the only two characters with any hint of virtue (at least by our standards) are both men, and it's not at all clear where they got this virtue, as it seems conspicuously absent from the women who dominate the dark elf society of the underworld. So I can't help but wonder: how did the men come by their "moral superiority," and will Drizzt ever encounter a woman with similar virtues?
Legacy: I believe that this book has something to do with Dungeons and Dragons. A role playing came The stories are action packed, this being a background information book is probably not the best. The stories lack a bit in character development. They are readable. Achievement; made it to the NPR 100 list (the whole series made it, not this particular book). Style is nothing special, Sex, language, handled decently and no obvious PC in fact the book has been accused of being misogynist probably because the women (compared to spiders) are not very fond of men.
Drizzt is an aggravating name. It's hard for me not to pronounce like the sound from a bug zapper.
I was hoping for some more original storytelling. For as many classic elements as it uses, there is still a feeling like it is a plot from an old He-Man episode, with the shoddy animation, reused backgrounds on loop, and cut scenes of villains pontificating in their throne rooms. I'll have to read more if I'm to get what is most loved about the series, but I'm not sure the invitation is tempting enough.
Hopefully it gets better. The Underdark is such a well-loved setting that it would be nice to discover what makes it so popular.