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fictivefreak's review
2.0
Read these on a suggestion from a friend.
Drizzt Do'Urden is a classic character in fantasy literature, but I knew literally nothing about the character beyond his presence in Dungeons & Dragons lore. Reading such a beloved character without any basis is very intimidating. If you don't "get it", you risk continuing to be on the outside of a conversation, only now, ignorance extends to your comprehension, not simply a symbol that you've yet to read anything with this character.
A few general thoughts about the books at the top of this review: it is important to remember the target audience. This is a teen's first introduction to fantasy that can do more. That can question deeper thematic questions, go beyond the black and white, and follow a main character who does not necessarily relish the wanton slaughter that he embarks on. That is commendable. It is also impressive to note that this is licensed material. Salvatore had to work within the confines of a created world. Not everything that he may have wanted to do could carry through.
That said:
Salvatore's prose is a fascinating thing. He knows how to turn a phrase every now and again. Drizzt's monologues that separate each part of each story are some truly compelling takes on the character's mentality. Additionally, he has a wonderful mind for description. The imagery paints a beautiful scene, from the dark, occult city of Menzoberranzan to the wintery wilds of Icewind Dale. But his dialogue choices...Oh boy. Be it awkward titles (why do Drizzt's friends constantly call him 'dark elf' rather than 'drow' or even just 'Drizzt?'), the extra exclamation points all over the place, awkward paragraph breaks, or even just characters monologuing their feelings to the air, there are so many baffling decisions in how he writes that it was sometimes hard to get myself into the story. The worst thing prose can do is pull you out of the story; I wish Salvatore had read his words aloud to help tell a more natural story.
Also inherent to an issue in these stories is the conversation on race. Now, Salvatore is trying to paint shades of grey in a world literally dictated by a nine-block square of morality that is applied without discretion to entire races. That is admirable, a true attempt at maturing your medium. But that's all it is: an attempt. Salvatore doesn't seem to want to apply this conversation to the other 'evil' races of the world. All other drow but Drizzt and Zak are unrepentantly evil. All other dwarves are grumpy with hearts of gold. All goblins want to kill whole families, all giants are dumb, and all nuance is missing. There's a bit of a half-baked explanation in Sojourn that attempts to explain this away and all it does is introduce greater worries about the racial dynamics into the story.
I understand the confines in which he is writing. DND and its morality alignment system are well known. But even if you can say it's not offensive, it is just boring. It robs the story of factions within culture, individuals of identity, and characters of any character.
A few thoughts on the three stories in this collection:
Homeland (7.5/10): By far the best story in this collection. Salvatore builds a wonderfully dark setting in Menzoberranzan. The politics aren't deep but they are compelling. Watching Drizzt grow up in this space, coupled with a focus on the strongest side characters of the series, is a genuinely fun read that sucks you in. Part of me thinks that people love Drizzt perhaps only for this book and I would not blame them. There are plenty of missed opportunities: Vierna, for example, is an excellent character concept that is never explored. So, while this isn't high art, it is fun.
Exile (4/10): The storytelling is revealed as being much thinner in this story than the previous. Part of that is the setting change. The wilds of the Underdark are simply without color. We get Drizzt bouncing off of Belwar Dissengulp than any of the established characters from the previous story to the detriment of the story. For one, Belwar is not a remotely interesting character, playing out more like someone's character in a game that is being piloted by someone else when the player can't make it. The strong side characters of the first story are disposed off tidily; it's a shame to see that much good work put to waste. There's also simply too much action in this story. Salvatore's fight scenes are fun, but they lack any real storytelling panache.
Sojourn (3/10): What was really even the point of this story?
All in all, I'm glad I read these. I want to read the original trilogy as well. But man. This was a bit of a task.
Drizzt Do'Urden is a classic character in fantasy literature, but I knew literally nothing about the character beyond his presence in Dungeons & Dragons lore. Reading such a beloved character without any basis is very intimidating. If you don't "get it", you risk continuing to be on the outside of a conversation, only now, ignorance extends to your comprehension, not simply a symbol that you've yet to read anything with this character.
A few general thoughts about the books at the top of this review: it is important to remember the target audience. This is a teen's first introduction to fantasy that can do more. That can question deeper thematic questions, go beyond the black and white, and follow a main character who does not necessarily relish the wanton slaughter that he embarks on. That is commendable. It is also impressive to note that this is licensed material. Salvatore had to work within the confines of a created world. Not everything that he may have wanted to do could carry through.
That said:
Salvatore's prose is a fascinating thing. He knows how to turn a phrase every now and again. Drizzt's monologues that separate each part of each story are some truly compelling takes on the character's mentality. Additionally, he has a wonderful mind for description. The imagery paints a beautiful scene, from the dark, occult city of Menzoberranzan to the wintery wilds of Icewind Dale. But his dialogue choices...Oh boy. Be it awkward titles (why do Drizzt's friends constantly call him 'dark elf' rather than 'drow' or even just 'Drizzt?'), the extra exclamation points all over the place, awkward paragraph breaks, or even just characters monologuing their feelings to the air, there are so many baffling decisions in how he writes that it was sometimes hard to get myself into the story. The worst thing prose can do is pull you out of the story; I wish Salvatore had read his words aloud to help tell a more natural story.
Also inherent to an issue in these stories is the conversation on race. Now, Salvatore is trying to paint shades of grey in a world literally dictated by a nine-block square of morality that is applied without discretion to entire races. That is admirable, a true attempt at maturing your medium. But that's all it is: an attempt. Salvatore doesn't seem to want to apply this conversation to the other 'evil' races of the world. All other drow but Drizzt and Zak are unrepentantly evil. All other dwarves are grumpy with hearts of gold. All goblins want to kill whole families, all giants are dumb, and all nuance is missing. There's a bit of a half-baked explanation in Sojourn that attempts to explain this away and all it does is introduce greater worries about the racial dynamics into the story.
I understand the confines in which he is writing. DND and its morality alignment system are well known. But even if you can say it's not offensive, it is just boring. It robs the story of factions within culture, individuals of identity, and characters of any character.
A few thoughts on the three stories in this collection:
Homeland (7.5/10): By far the best story in this collection. Salvatore builds a wonderfully dark setting in Menzoberranzan. The politics aren't deep but they are compelling. Watching Drizzt grow up in this space, coupled with a focus on the strongest side characters of the series, is a genuinely fun read that sucks you in. Part of me thinks that people love Drizzt perhaps only for this book and I would not blame them. There are plenty of missed opportunities: Vierna, for example, is an excellent character concept that is never explored. So, while this isn't high art, it is fun.
Exile (4/10): The storytelling is revealed as being much thinner in this story than the previous. Part of that is the setting change. The wilds of the Underdark are simply without color. We get Drizzt bouncing off of Belwar Dissengulp than any of the established characters from the previous story to the detriment of the story. For one, Belwar is not a remotely interesting character, playing out more like someone's character in a game that is being piloted by someone else when the player can't make it. The strong side characters of the first story are disposed off tidily; it's a shame to see that much good work put to waste. There's also simply too much action in this story. Salvatore's fight scenes are fun, but they lack any real storytelling panache.
Sojourn (3/10): What was really even the point of this story?
All in all, I'm glad I read these. I want to read the original trilogy as well. But man. This was a bit of a task.
chelenag's review
5.0
During this book, I was never bored. A lot of books make me bored at least twice before I reach the end, but I was entranced the entire time. I will certainly be continuing the series.
cinnamonroll42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
will_cherico's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mcleslie's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
chgreen667's review
5.0
During this book, I was never bored. A lot of books make me bored at least twice before I reach the end, but I was entranced the entire time. I will certainly be continuing the series.
alanak4's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
alexauthorshay's review
4.0
Longest book I've ever read aside from Jodi Piccoult's "House Rules". But well worth the time! I'm just starting to get into fantasy and I was a bit skeptical after realizing it was a Dungeons and Dragons book because I don't do those kind of role-play games. But now not only am I hunting for fantasy books (and looking forward to reading the next trilogy volume) but I'm extremely inrtuiged by the D&D universe! Excellent conversion, R.A. Salvatore. Excellent conversion.
fruitcakecadaver's review
4.0
Since this is a 3 in 1 I would give it altogether a 3.5 rating BUT I really liked the first two books and the end of the last one!
Homeland: Arguably the best out of the three. Sets up Drizzt’s life and gives the reasoning behind how he thinks the way he does. The setting is fun and dark and the characters are powerful and are individuals. The writing is easy to follow and it felt wholesome in a sense that Drizzt was one of the only good elves in Menzoberanzzan.
Exile: It’s nice to see Drizzt starting to break free and find who he truly is. While there were definitely lulls in the plot of this book, there were parts that made up for it such as Belwar and Clacker and them eventually stumbling into a situation that seemed impossible to get out of.
Sojourn: This book just seemed lacking compared to the first two. It didn’t feel like it hard a major climax, just small battles throughout. Drizzt also felt guilt for many things and it really just made me want to slap him to get him to snap out of it and just start moving!! Mooshie and Hooter were such friends and the grove sounded like a beautiful makeshift woodland home, but Salvatore’s writing never seems to focus on imagery which is a terrible shame. Especially in an environment as fantastical as Faerûn. This book really just felt like fluff to fill the time it took Drizzt to make it to Icewind Dale (which was the highlight of this book, because he finally made it to the place he would call home... hopefully.)
Homeland: Arguably the best out of the three. Sets up Drizzt’s life and gives the reasoning behind how he thinks the way he does. The setting is fun and dark and the characters are powerful and are individuals. The writing is easy to follow and it felt wholesome in a sense that Drizzt was one of the only good elves in Menzoberanzzan.
Exile: It’s nice to see Drizzt starting to break free and find who he truly is. While there were definitely lulls in the plot of this book, there were parts that made up for it such as Belwar and Clacker and them eventually stumbling into a situation that seemed impossible to get out of.
Sojourn: This book just seemed lacking compared to the first two. It didn’t feel like it hard a major climax, just small battles throughout. Drizzt also felt guilt for many things and it really just made me want to slap him to get him to snap out of it and just start moving!! Mooshie and Hooter were such friends and the grove sounded like a beautiful makeshift woodland home, but Salvatore’s writing never seems to focus on imagery which is a terrible shame. Especially in an environment as fantastical as Faerûn. This book really just felt like fluff to fill the time it took Drizzt to make it to Icewind Dale (which was the highlight of this book, because he finally made it to the place he would call home... hopefully.)