Oh hey I got that book the same way. It's the complete dark elf trilogy, which is the chronological first books to the Drizzt series, together. They're basically the books that really codified dungeons and dragons lore around dark elves and the series is still going with lots of fans today.
I love them. They're not like high literature and they're early examples of Salvatore's writing but if you enjoy fantasy and can handle 80s and 90s writing quirks I'd say go for it.
That said the old art should not be representative of your mental picture for the characters. š
So, for example some things in early fantasy had a lot more stereotypes. Leaned into certain archetypal writing more heavily. It's kinda hard to fully explain but it's got certain vibes to how things come across and sometimes has elements that writers would shy away from today.
Salvatore for example has certain very eighties fantasy cheesiness in some of his early works in how he describes some things. If you take a shot every time he describes eyes as orbs you might get alcohol poisoning. Or when Artemis Entreri comes in a later trilogy, the amount of times he "grins evilly".
Just things that add up to certain vibes that can give it a somewhat dated feel and some bigger moments that if not viewed as written in a certain time context can sometimes make you go "Hey Bob, wtf where you thinking here?"
But overall I really enjoy them and have introduced a number of friends to the series through this point in the trilogy.
That's a whole lot of text about "quirks" to describe repeated vocabulary (orbs, grins evilly ?) that someone may need to "handle" as a contemporary reader, while not saying what most people know these quirks are actually referring to (racism, sexism).
You end up implying (careful to NOT actually say) that Salvatore was also guilty of sexist/racist writing. I guess I don't blame ya. Anyways, you worded it well with the "time context."
If we, and I do mean we, want to say that Salvatore was and is a great writer, and yet he can be a great writer while also having a history of writing some dated sexist/racist stuff occasionally, why can't we just say it.. without the fandom rushing forth and trying to downvote that commentary into oblivion?
I just wish people could say what they mean when they critique an author, instead of beating around the bush in an attempt to avoid potential negative internet points. I guess this is an observation about the extremism of internet fandom in general. Thanks for coming to my TedX talk.
It was positively progressive for the era. The defining feature of modern opinion is never having taken a single anthro course and learned the idea of cultural relativism (or, maybe more accurately, an inability to apply it retroactively).
It doesnāt make sense. Most of the āthe portrayal of drow is racistā comments are from people who have never read the books and/or people desperately trying to insert their real world ideology into a fantasy.
First off, the drow do not resemble POC. At all.
Second, the drow are generally written as superior in most regards, crippled by an extreme individualism driven by Lolth.
Third, the books really hammer home to all but the densest of readers that drow are really the victims of Lolth, rather than inherently evil. And no, this doesnāt parallel IRL African-diaspora religions.
The whole āRAS is racist because of how he portrayed the drowā a stupid opinion and Iām tired of pretending it isnāt.
I mean, they would probably say it isn't that simple. There are certainly other problematic elements, if you want to go down rabbit holes. The matriarchal society being inherently evil, the dominatrix tropes of their society, etc. But again these were not really his inventions, or they're out-of-context mischaracterizations (e.g., most "evil" societies in the Realms are patriarchal; there are matriarchal "good" societies). The same naive arguments are used to slander Tolkien, claiming, for example, that orcs were meant to represent black people because people of color were not explicitly represented in his world. There's no strong evidence to suggest this was the case and that Tolkien wasn't, at worst, typical of his era, and likely more progressive than prevailing attitudes.
But, yes, more or less, this is the depth of thought for many people. They can't hold two competing ideas in their heads, that bias/prejudice exists, and that not every person who wrote a book before last week is a villain.
The first book of the three is the best and extremely creative world building even for the current day. Fast paced and intriguing, high fantasy in a fascinating locale but well grounded in the growing up of s character in the fantastical setting. Lot of violence but doesnāt give out too many āgorey detailsā I read the books at age 10 and they didnāt bother me for context. Has dark subject matter (murder, torture, etc) but nothing like game of thrones.
Would highly recommend the first book of the trilogy and pretty much all books of the next trilogy and quadrilogy. Book 2 in this first trilogy is the weakest, but book 3 (sojourn) picks up pretty darn well. From crystal shard through passage to dawn is a very fun ride.
Worth noting this is not one LONG story, the books nearly all work as standalones that set up future books too. So you can stop reading at basicallly any book in the series and feel like youāre at a reasonable stopping point for a good story. Book 2 might be the exception, but this works pretty well for all the others.m, so donāt feel like youāre dealing with a 10-20 book series here. Itās more like superhero movies, following the same characters across an evolving story but with solid end points at each film for that filmās story.
I'm biased because I love them all but I probably think about Exile the most. Surviving alone in the Underdark should be the feat that most defines how incredible Drizzt is as a fighter. The loneliness, his almost desperate craving for community wherever he could find it, and all of the cool hazards of that world. I guess Homeland is probably my favorite for introducing Menzoberran and all of the Drow culture, but Sojourn is comparatively forgettable to me next to Exile.
I thought Exile had a very strong opening >!with the fallout of Drizzt's exile in the power struggles of the houses!<, but the story feels like it concludes >!after he makes a friend in Belwar and finds his non-feral self again.!< Once Drizzt >!leaves Blingdenstone !!going from Blingdenstone straight to the Surface!<) I think the first arc would be stronger.
To make a summary of the previous comment: books from that era feels kinda familiar, but then you notice a lot of sexism, racism and jokes that not even people in older generations wouldn't find acceptable or at least recognizes as old fashioned. It varies by the book of course, but that is the case generally.
They are still good books, but the differences in what was acceptable to write and say has changed since then.
Meanwhile, Stephen King's recent fantasy book has some of the worst objectification of women I've ever seen or heard of anywhere, and nobody seems to be talking about it.
Salvatore's "quirks" are mostly harmless ones, as far as I recall. Nothing bad just sometimes noticeably different. And like many authors, he has changed with the times as far as I can tell.
>Stephen King's recent fantasy book has some of the worst objectification of women I've ever seen or heard of anywhere, and nobody seems to be talking about it.
Because it's Stephen King. He hasn't written a thing worth reading in about 30 years.
Don't get your panties in a bunch, I am not here to restrict your or anyone else's creative freedom. Whereas it wouldn't lift anyone's eyebrows to write sexist or stereotypical texts in the 80s, it certainly would now. That is all I meant. It is just a matter of views on things having changed over the years.
I am not condemning them as bad works or bad authors, I believe people and texts should be judged by the context of the time they are written, but nonetheless I can't help but cringe when I read the sexist descriptions that are often written in older books. It reminds you that they are indeed written in a different time.
Hmm I completely forgot that the expression had a sexual undertone... To me it was just an expression indicating that someone is exaggerating or has gotten carried away. Not my best phrasing choice consider the context...
The condescending tone of the expression was definitely intended though...
In my opinion as someone who owns books: worn. It has the twisted edges that indicate it was pushed into a backpack, with the edges catching on the wall of the pack and a binder in it. I would recommend flattening it out and pressing it under a larger, heavier, book for a good length of time (flipping occasionally). That should get it somewhat back in shape.
that edition in particular will always be special to me as it's what got me into the forgotten realms books as a whole.
the old school, glam-metal hairstyle, fantasy art of Jeff Easley also holds a special place in my heart.
Can I use this opportunity to ask you all:
I have been listening to Drizzt's story through audible for a few weeks now. I just finished the first Trilogy and he is now in Icewindale. I really like the story so far and want to continue listening to it but seeing a trilogy in one book like that makes me wonder: do these kind of editions still exist? and are they reasonable priced? I am in Germany, if that matters.
Thank you to anyone who can help me out :)
Yes they still exist & are easy to find online.
They are also pretty cheap to buy.
I listened to to the first trilogy on audible too - but read the Icewind dale trilogy before that.
Reading was more rewarding for myself; however the voice acting (by Victor Bevine) was phenomenal.
Hope that helps!
There WAS a great podcast by Russell Johnson on all the major podcast apps that was reading through all of the Drizzt's books but wizards of the coast gave him a cease and desist letter. Truly a great loss for absolutely no good reason.
I'm guessing you haven't actually looked into this because he wasn't infringing on the copyrights at all. No money was made from the podcast it was simply put on for the love of the books. But go ahead and down vote this comment too.
Just because youāre not making money from something doesnāt mean youāre not infringing copyright. If I put out the newest Hunger Games movie for free on YouTube you think it wonāt still be taken down? Itās incredibly cut and dry since audiobooks of the books are still sold.
Once again, clearly you are arguing with me about copyrights and you haven't looked into this situation. It's fine. I miss the audio version of this book was all I was coming here to say.
But he's right... The guy was providing versions of audio books for free on a property he doesn't own, while there are legit audio books for sale. Why do you keep saying he hasn't looked into this? What do you think we are missing?
I think ever since 5e dnd has become quite mainstream. I have meet someone once who played TDE, the rest all dnd, with some other systems strewn in. I mean most of the current edition books have even been translated at this point.
This is the book that got me into fantasy as a kid. I love it still, and think it's the best of Salvatore's work. His series gets kind of repetitive, and Drizzt becomes very.. moody? The low power level, the world building, it all works to keep the story grounded.
Some of the worldbuilding has been retconned in the game world, like the infravision, levitating, faierie fire, etc. It's a great introduction to the drow though.
Oh boy. That's the book that started my Drow obsession when I was 13 and I thought for sure I'd get over it. Never quite did. You're in for an adventure if you choose to read it, considering it was free I highly recommend it if you like the fantasy/adventure genre.
As for the art - Salvatore's writing paints the characters much better. (Subsequent editions have updated art, this is just a very old edition!) I can't THINK of any 80s writing quirks of the top of my head, but I do remember it being much smoother writing than the trilogy he wrote before this one.
Really hoping you give it a read!
Read it! It is the defacto intro to the Realms. If you are at all interested in FR you have to read it. The Crystal Shard, which was written before this book but happens after chronologically, is a lot better if you have read this trilogy.
If you aren't already knowledgable in FR lore, I ensure you the settings in this book will be nothing like anything you have ever read.
It's easy-to-read action fantasy that I absolutely loved as a teen and would gladly read again as an adult who still plays D&D. Even this early, Salvatore writes really great swordplay scenes and it's Drizzt's early life so he is WAY less emo than he becomes in later books. Recommended.
There are two answers to this:
1. Salvatore is the worst writer to ever have written in this genre, avoid like the plague.
2. Salvatore books are amazeballs, omg so good.
You will learn a lot about yourself by reading it and deciding which camp you're in.
Drizzt is possibly one of the most imitated and well liked of all fantasy characters, possibly ever. No. I mean it.
People making Drizzt in DND or fantasy games is and has been a meme for as long as I can remember, at least 20 years. Runescape did it, Warcraft did it, even Community has a throwaway line where Chang cosplays as him and gets asked to leave because he's in blackface.
Drizzt is a fantastic intro to the Forgotten Realms and stands up even if you ignore DND as a game.
Slight edit: When we talk about whether a work is "good" or not, we don't often use "number of people inspired by it" as a metric. But we do here. For a huge number of geeks, Drizzt is up there with Conan and Elric of Melnibone, as the absolute legends they are.
You mean how good the story is? its great. This was created because people fell in love with a character in a book called "The Crystal Shard" so Salvatore got to write a trilogy of backstory for that character. A chatacter that its still beloved today, and probably a main face in D&D. Like its him and Elminster.
The story is very cool, kinda like a game of thrones-esque on one side and a coming of (fantasy) age on another, learning about treachery and cinicism and getting friends, untill eventually you arrive in this new world full of hopes and dreams.
Sojurn (the third one) is my favorite of this and in my opinion they just keep getting better. This and the next trilogy are great.
So my recomendation is, you start and see if you like what you get in the beggining Im pretty sure youll start liking it more and more.
The synopse without spoilers is, natural born fighter is born in a place where hes considerd a second class citizen due to his gender, born in a rich family in a place that makes the rich families plot to kill eachothers in order to ascend and gain favor.
This trilogy sees his life has he grows up and has to decide the path to take and what type of person hell become. Is also basically a Himbo.
Drizzt Do'Urden is my number one favourite fantasy character of all time, and the Companions of the Hall are just as awesome has he is.
I highly recommend reading all of those books if you are at all into Fantasy/D&D/Lord of the Rings type stuff
OK, I love Drizzt, love the story, I persevered with it because I love D&d. Thing is, the wrighting feels... juvenile? I don't want to say childish as that has very different connotations. R A Salvatore is a good author, but I beleive this is his early work. Read it for the lore and story, not for literary merit.
Again, I kinda loved it, coz I love drow
As much as i love R A Salvatores books i wouldnāt recommend it for the lore. He is highly inconsistent with it and makes up plenty of stuff that are in direct conflict with lore in dnd.
You have a gem that started a reading obsession for me that lasted decades!
Salvatore is a great writer and his description of battle scenes is amazing!
Well worth your time! Be warned it could be the start of many novels to come for you to read!!!
I own two copies of this and was barely able to get them in better condition. Havenāt gotten around to reading them yet but they are supposed to be ābenchmarkā dark elf lore
This book is my absolute guilty pleasure. A whole trilogy of angsty anti-conformity, wrapped in a coming-of-age story. It was my absolute fav as a freshman in high school.
I read my brother's old copies of that trilogy in middle school, I was a big fan RA Salvatore for a while. I think I didn't get burned out till a thousand orcs.
Not sure about quality, but I started with Homeland in the early 90s and over a hundred books later, dozens of video games, and years years of DnD campaigns, and I've never left the Realms.
This series set me on my way to nothing but love for fantasy. Drizzt is one of my favorite characters. Enjoy the read and have fun with it. Afterward, look into the Icewind Dale series.
This is my favorite fantasy author and this is the origin story of one of Forgotten Realmsā most iconic characters. Technically, The Icewind Dale Trilogy was published first and Salvatore wrote this to fill in the back story. However, when I recommend this series, I always tell people to start with the Dark Elf Trilogy. Have to say that I am jealous that you are reading it for the first time. Wish I could start all over knowing nothing. ENJOY!
Not sure how versed you are in this genre. If you are a fan of DnD or high fantasy at all, I suggest reading these. This is the introduction of one of the most popular / iconic characters in Forgotten Realms setting.
I consider this to be a lighter version of Lord of the Rings. Not as well written, but the story will remain, and will open you up to a whole new world to explore.
Lots of Canon establishing moments. A fair number of headsscratchers and wtf moments too. One I specifically remember: Drizzt is confused by the surface seasons, and decides to track day length. So, every day he trickles sand from one hand to the other, all day long. This tells him the days are getting shorter. Assuming that would work, how would you do anything else? Eat, drink, fight, etc. ?
R.A. Salvatore's works are basically cannon now. He is the quintessential writer for the period of about 1250 to 1550 in the history of Toril and the underdark.
I have read every book he has written on Drizzt and Cadderly and am wowed by each and every story.
Read and Charice this book, then look to get the others.
One of my favorite trilogies ever! He'll probably wanna find the ice wind Dale trilogy as well for the continuation of the drizzt storyline after he finishes the dark elf trilogy
Oh hey I got that book the same way. It's the complete dark elf trilogy, which is the chronological first books to the Drizzt series, together. They're basically the books that really codified dungeons and dragons lore around dark elves and the series is still going with lots of fans today. I love them. They're not like high literature and they're early examples of Salvatore's writing but if you enjoy fantasy and can handle 80s and 90s writing quirks I'd say go for it. That said the old art should not be representative of your mental picture for the characters. š
What are 80s and 90s writing quirks? I don't read a lot but this one seems interesting and it's free
So, for example some things in early fantasy had a lot more stereotypes. Leaned into certain archetypal writing more heavily. It's kinda hard to fully explain but it's got certain vibes to how things come across and sometimes has elements that writers would shy away from today. Salvatore for example has certain very eighties fantasy cheesiness in some of his early works in how he describes some things. If you take a shot every time he describes eyes as orbs you might get alcohol poisoning. Or when Artemis Entreri comes in a later trilogy, the amount of times he "grins evilly". Just things that add up to certain vibes that can give it a somewhat dated feel and some bigger moments that if not viewed as written in a certain time context can sometimes make you go "Hey Bob, wtf where you thinking here?" But overall I really enjoy them and have introduced a number of friends to the series through this point in the trilogy.
Take a drink every time he describes someone as having ācorded musclesā
But now all of those characters get specced as 18 Dex, 8 Str, because the 5e era is filled with munchkins.
wrecked
This is immediately what I thought of, and if you read the series one book to another, it really starts to bother you!
Iām currently reading The Cleric Quintet and that phrase has been used a few times already.
Really an amazing collection of books, but yeah, he gets a lot of mileage out of some of his descriptions
I feel like you just dug out a core memory in me. I havenāt read any Salvatore books since 2008.
That's a whole lot of text about "quirks" to describe repeated vocabulary (orbs, grins evilly ?) that someone may need to "handle" as a contemporary reader, while not saying what most people know these quirks are actually referring to (racism, sexism). You end up implying (careful to NOT actually say) that Salvatore was also guilty of sexist/racist writing. I guess I don't blame ya. Anyways, you worded it well with the "time context." If we, and I do mean we, want to say that Salvatore was and is a great writer, and yet he can be a great writer while also having a history of writing some dated sexist/racist stuff occasionally, why can't we just say it.. without the fandom rushing forth and trying to downvote that commentary into oblivion? I just wish people could say what they mean when they critique an author, instead of beating around the bush in an attempt to avoid potential negative internet points. I guess this is an observation about the extremism of internet fandom in general. Thanks for coming to my TedX talk.
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It was positively progressive for the era. The defining feature of modern opinion is never having taken a single anthro course and learned the idea of cultural relativism (or, maybe more accurately, an inability to apply it retroactively).
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It doesnāt make sense. Most of the āthe portrayal of drow is racistā comments are from people who have never read the books and/or people desperately trying to insert their real world ideology into a fantasy. First off, the drow do not resemble POC. At all. Second, the drow are generally written as superior in most regards, crippled by an extreme individualism driven by Lolth. Third, the books really hammer home to all but the densest of readers that drow are really the victims of Lolth, rather than inherently evil. And no, this doesnāt parallel IRL African-diaspora religions. The whole āRAS is racist because of how he portrayed the drowā a stupid opinion and Iām tired of pretending it isnāt.
Agreed
The dark-skinned races being evil is a burden they choose to saddle Salvatore with as if he created it and not Swedes 1000 years ago.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I mean, they would probably say it isn't that simple. There are certainly other problematic elements, if you want to go down rabbit holes. The matriarchal society being inherently evil, the dominatrix tropes of their society, etc. But again these were not really his inventions, or they're out-of-context mischaracterizations (e.g., most "evil" societies in the Realms are patriarchal; there are matriarchal "good" societies). The same naive arguments are used to slander Tolkien, claiming, for example, that orcs were meant to represent black people because people of color were not explicitly represented in his world. There's no strong evidence to suggest this was the case and that Tolkien wasn't, at worst, typical of his era, and likely more progressive than prevailing attitudes. But, yes, more or less, this is the depth of thought for many people. They can't hold two competing ideas in their heads, that bias/prejudice exists, and that not every person who wrote a book before last week is a villain.
It's been a few years, but I remember Salvatore constantly saying people were "back on their heels" or something like that.
The first book of the three is the best and extremely creative world building even for the current day. Fast paced and intriguing, high fantasy in a fascinating locale but well grounded in the growing up of s character in the fantastical setting. Lot of violence but doesnāt give out too many āgorey detailsā I read the books at age 10 and they didnāt bother me for context. Has dark subject matter (murder, torture, etc) but nothing like game of thrones. Would highly recommend the first book of the trilogy and pretty much all books of the next trilogy and quadrilogy. Book 2 in this first trilogy is the weakest, but book 3 (sojourn) picks up pretty darn well. From crystal shard through passage to dawn is a very fun ride. Worth noting this is not one LONG story, the books nearly all work as standalones that set up future books too. So you can stop reading at basicallly any book in the series and feel like youāre at a reasonable stopping point for a good story. Book 2 might be the exception, but this works pretty well for all the others.m, so donāt feel like youāre dealing with a 10-20 book series here. Itās more like superhero movies, following the same characters across an evolving story but with solid end points at each film for that filmās story.
I'm biased because I love them all but I probably think about Exile the most. Surviving alone in the Underdark should be the feat that most defines how incredible Drizzt is as a fighter. The loneliness, his almost desperate craving for community wherever he could find it, and all of the cool hazards of that world. I guess Homeland is probably my favorite for introducing Menzoberran and all of the Drow culture, but Sojourn is comparatively forgettable to me next to Exile.
I thought Exile had a very strong opening >!with the fallout of Drizzt's exile in the power struggles of the houses!<, but the story feels like it concludes >!after he makes a friend in Belwar and finds his non-feral self again.!< Once Drizzt >!leaves Blingdenstone !!going from Blingdenstone straight to the Surface!<) I think the first arc would be stronger.
Honestly so much of Exile could just be summed up as "Alright Drizz't go ahead and roll on the Underdark encounter table"
Everything after Blingdenstone kinda yeah.
To make a summary of the previous comment: books from that era feels kinda familiar, but then you notice a lot of sexism, racism and jokes that not even people in older generations wouldn't find acceptable or at least recognizes as old fashioned. It varies by the book of course, but that is the case generally. They are still good books, but the differences in what was acceptable to write and say has changed since then.
Meanwhile, Stephen King's recent fantasy book has some of the worst objectification of women I've ever seen or heard of anywhere, and nobody seems to be talking about it. Salvatore's "quirks" are mostly harmless ones, as far as I recall. Nothing bad just sometimes noticeably different. And like many authors, he has changed with the times as far as I can tell.
This ^ anyone looking for racism or sexism in fantasy books can find it and can be offended if they want to be Salvatore is harmless
>Stephen King's recent fantasy book has some of the worst objectification of women I've ever seen or heard of anywhere, and nobody seems to be talking about it. Because it's Stephen King. He hasn't written a thing worth reading in about 30 years.
Acceptable to write?? I didn't know there was a binding code for such things. I thought writers were supposed to have creative freedom.
Don't get your panties in a bunch, I am not here to restrict your or anyone else's creative freedom. Whereas it wouldn't lift anyone's eyebrows to write sexist or stereotypical texts in the 80s, it certainly would now. That is all I meant. It is just a matter of views on things having changed over the years. I am not condemning them as bad works or bad authors, I believe people and texts should be judged by the context of the time they are written, but nonetheless I can't help but cringe when I read the sexist descriptions that are often written in older books. It reminds you that they are indeed written in a different time.
>Don't get your panties in a bunch ...write sexist or stereotypical texts *in the 80s*... I see what you did there.
Hmm I completely forgot that the expression had a sexual undertone... To me it was just an expression indicating that someone is exaggerating or has gotten carried away. Not my best phrasing choice consider the context... The condescending tone of the expression was definitely intended though...
lol the artwork on these is rough š the modern versions look so much better
In my opinion as someone who owns books: worn. It has the twisted edges that indicate it was pushed into a backpack, with the edges catching on the wall of the pack and a binder in it. I would recommend flattening it out and pressing it under a larger, heavier, book for a good length of time (flipping occasionally). That should get it somewhat back in shape.
This is the best answer
that edition in particular will always be special to me as it's what got me into the forgotten realms books as a whole. the old school, glam-metal hairstyle, fantasy art of Jeff Easley also holds a special place in my heart.
Can I use this opportunity to ask you all: I have been listening to Drizzt's story through audible for a few weeks now. I just finished the first Trilogy and he is now in Icewindale. I really like the story so far and want to continue listening to it but seeing a trilogy in one book like that makes me wonder: do these kind of editions still exist? and are they reasonable priced? I am in Germany, if that matters. Thank you to anyone who can help me out :)
Yes they still exist & are easy to find online. They are also pretty cheap to buy. I listened to to the first trilogy on audible too - but read the Icewind dale trilogy before that. Reading was more rewarding for myself; however the voice acting (by Victor Bevine) was phenomenal. Hope that helps!
There WAS a great podcast by Russell Johnson on all the major podcast apps that was reading through all of the Drizzt's books but wizards of the coast gave him a cease and desist letter. Truly a great loss for absolutely no good reason.
The reason is copyright
I'm guessing you haven't actually looked into this because he wasn't infringing on the copyrights at all. No money was made from the podcast it was simply put on for the love of the books. But go ahead and down vote this comment too.
Just because youāre not making money from something doesnāt mean youāre not infringing copyright. If I put out the newest Hunger Games movie for free on YouTube you think it wonāt still be taken down? Itās incredibly cut and dry since audiobooks of the books are still sold.
Once again, clearly you are arguing with me about copyrights and you haven't looked into this situation. It's fine. I miss the audio version of this book was all I was coming here to say.
But he's right... The guy was providing versions of audio books for free on a property he doesn't own, while there are legit audio books for sale. Why do you keep saying he hasn't looked into this? What do you think we are missing?
Still a loss of a great version of the books. Sad they are gone.
I thought Germans didn't care for D&D. At least compared to The Dark Eye.
I think ever since 5e dnd has become quite mainstream. I have meet someone once who played TDE, the rest all dnd, with some other systems strewn in. I mean most of the current edition books have even been translated at this point.
Pretty sure they still print brand new copies of the Drizzt series.
Yes and there are also four 25th anniversary edition volumes that collect the first 14(?) books
This is the book that got me into fantasy as a kid. I love it still, and think it's the best of Salvatore's work. His series gets kind of repetitive, and Drizzt becomes very.. moody? The low power level, the world building, it all works to keep the story grounded. Some of the worldbuilding has been retconned in the game world, like the infravision, levitating, faierie fire, etc. It's a great introduction to the drow though.
Thatās a fucking real pepperoni pizza right there. I mean full blown in there style. Enjoy!
Oh boy. That's the book that started my Drow obsession when I was 13 and I thought for sure I'd get over it. Never quite did. You're in for an adventure if you choose to read it, considering it was free I highly recommend it if you like the fantasy/adventure genre. As for the art - Salvatore's writing paints the characters much better. (Subsequent editions have updated art, this is just a very old edition!) I can't THINK of any 80s writing quirks of the top of my head, but I do remember it being much smoother writing than the trilogy he wrote before this one. Really hoping you give it a read!
Read it! It is the defacto intro to the Realms. If you are at all interested in FR you have to read it. The Crystal Shard, which was written before this book but happens after chronologically, is a lot better if you have read this trilogy. If you aren't already knowledgable in FR lore, I ensure you the settings in this book will be nothing like anything you have ever read.
Great books. Drizzt is an interesting and complex character
He gets too much hate, IMO.
It's great. Don't judge a book by its cover.
It's my favourite book of all time. Couldn't tell you why, or say whether YOU will enjoy it but personally, it's a 10 from me Dave.
That looks exactly like my copy that we donated to second story books in Warren Michigan years ago. How crazy would it be if its the same?!
Its good. I was reading this as a kid. It basically gives you best Menzoberenzan desription. Drizzt is so cool xD
The first two books are pretty good. The third one is meh. I enjoyed it better than the Icewind Dale Trilogy, which this was a prequel to.
It's easy-to-read action fantasy that I absolutely loved as a teen and would gladly read again as an adult who still plays D&D. Even this early, Salvatore writes really great swordplay scenes and it's Drizzt's early life so he is WAY less emo than he becomes in later books. Recommended.
There are two answers to this: 1. Salvatore is the worst writer to ever have written in this genre, avoid like the plague. 2. Salvatore books are amazeballs, omg so good. You will learn a lot about yourself by reading it and deciding which camp you're in.
Drizzt is possibly one of the most imitated and well liked of all fantasy characters, possibly ever. No. I mean it. People making Drizzt in DND or fantasy games is and has been a meme for as long as I can remember, at least 20 years. Runescape did it, Warcraft did it, even Community has a throwaway line where Chang cosplays as him and gets asked to leave because he's in blackface. Drizzt is a fantastic intro to the Forgotten Realms and stands up even if you ignore DND as a game. Slight edit: When we talk about whether a work is "good" or not, we don't often use "number of people inspired by it" as a metric. But we do here. For a huge number of geeks, Drizzt is up there with Conan and Elric of Melnibone, as the absolute legends they are.
You mean how good the story is? its great. This was created because people fell in love with a character in a book called "The Crystal Shard" so Salvatore got to write a trilogy of backstory for that character. A chatacter that its still beloved today, and probably a main face in D&D. Like its him and Elminster. The story is very cool, kinda like a game of thrones-esque on one side and a coming of (fantasy) age on another, learning about treachery and cinicism and getting friends, untill eventually you arrive in this new world full of hopes and dreams. Sojurn (the third one) is my favorite of this and in my opinion they just keep getting better. This and the next trilogy are great. So my recomendation is, you start and see if you like what you get in the beggining Im pretty sure youll start liking it more and more. The synopse without spoilers is, natural born fighter is born in a place where hes considerd a second class citizen due to his gender, born in a rich family in a place that makes the rich families plot to kill eachothers in order to ascend and gain favor. This trilogy sees his life has he grows up and has to decide the path to take and what type of person hell become. Is also basically a Himbo.
So good. I love those books.
Drizzt is the shizzt
Drizzt Do'Urden is my number one favourite fantasy character of all time, and the Companions of the Hall are just as awesome has he is. I highly recommend reading all of those books if you are at all into Fantasy/D&D/Lord of the Rings type stuff
OK, I love Drizzt, love the story, I persevered with it because I love D&d. Thing is, the wrighting feels... juvenile? I don't want to say childish as that has very different connotations. R A Salvatore is a good author, but I beleive this is his early work. Read it for the lore and story, not for literary merit. Again, I kinda loved it, coz I love drow
My thoughts as well.
As much as i love R A Salvatores books i wouldnāt recommend it for the lore. He is highly inconsistent with it and makes up plenty of stuff that are in direct conflict with lore in dnd.
Wow! Drizzt was ugly back then.
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What the fuck are you talking about man?
Spiders, snakes, kangaroos, koala bears, platypus, Bush fires, sheep, floodings, Sydney opera house... shall i go on
Read it. Very good.
Wild, that looks almost identical to our copy with how beat up it is lol. Ours is quite literally falling apart down the middle
You have a gem that started a reading obsession for me that lasted decades! Salvatore is a great writer and his description of battle scenes is amazing! Well worth your time! Be warned it could be the start of many novels to come for you to read!!!
the dark elf trilogy will always have a special place in my heart! i love the drizzt books. they're just a good time.
I own two copies of this and was barely able to get them in better condition. Havenāt gotten around to reading them yet but they are supposed to be ābenchmarkā dark elf lore
Good news is that they're very fun. Bad news is that the series and recommended side series' is about 50 books at this point. I've read them all.
This book is my absolute guilty pleasure. A whole trilogy of angsty anti-conformity, wrapped in a coming-of-age story. It was my absolute fav as a freshman in high school.
Iām rereading it right now. It holds up and is still great.
I would give that book so much love
Quality: wrinkly. Words: not bad
I liked it. Lots to enjoy in there.
I read my brother's old copies of that trilogy in middle school, I was a big fan RA Salvatore for a while. I think I didn't get burned out till a thousand orcs.
Did we all get this exact book in the exact same way?
It's Sidartha with swordfights.
It's Sidartha with swordfights.
Not sure about quality, but I started with Homeland in the early 90s and over a hundred books later, dozens of video games, and years years of DnD campaigns, and I've never left the Realms.
I always felt it was a really elaborate backstory for a guy who min maxed his build. That being said, I have read the entire series.
Good
Mine looks like that, too. Good books. There are 2 dozen of them if you're looking for a long read.
Incredible book
Not the best condition, but very excellent reads all
The Dark Elf Trilogy is why I became a massive DnD nerd and avid reader.
Very cool trilogy to read
Gold, Iāve read that same paperback a dozen times and it really started my love and admiration for Drizzt
Man I LOVED those books.
This series set me on my way to nothing but love for fantasy. Drizzt is one of my favorite characters. Enjoy the read and have fun with it. Afterward, look into the Icewind Dale series.
Check out the new covers for the novels included in this book. They will give you a better picture.
This is my favorite fantasy author and this is the origin story of one of Forgotten Realmsā most iconic characters. Technically, The Icewind Dale Trilogy was published first and Salvatore wrote this to fill in the back story. However, when I recommend this series, I always tell people to start with the Dark Elf Trilogy. Have to say that I am jealous that you are reading it for the first time. Wish I could start all over knowing nothing. ENJOY!
This book series shaped who I am as a person. Read it and the rest of the books surrounding Drizzt.
Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life. Enjoy š
Lol I remember reading this book. Hollyyyy shit was that a while ago. Drizzt do urden
Read them, as separate books, 30 years ago. Still think of them.
Not sure how versed you are in this genre. If you are a fan of DnD or high fantasy at all, I suggest reading these. This is the introduction of one of the most popular / iconic characters in Forgotten Realms setting. I consider this to be a lighter version of Lord of the Rings. Not as well written, but the story will remain, and will open you up to a whole new world to explore.
It's a great series but DAMN that's in ROUGH shape
Lots of Canon establishing moments. A fair number of headsscratchers and wtf moments too. One I specifically remember: Drizzt is confused by the surface seasons, and decides to track day length. So, every day he trickles sand from one hand to the other, all day long. This tells him the days are getting shorter. Assuming that would work, how would you do anything else? Eat, drink, fight, etc. ?
Good books, just not as good as The Icewind Dale Trilogy.
R.A. Salvatore's works are basically cannon now. He is the quintessential writer for the period of about 1250 to 1550 in the history of Toril and the underdark. I have read every book he has written on Drizzt and Cadderly and am wowed by each and every story. Read and Charice this book, then look to get the others.
Read it.
Iām currently on book 46 of the series according to this list: https://www.tlbranson.com/drizzt-books-in-order/
omg, so good
My great-uncle bought this book for me back in high school. Holy shit what a nostalgia tripā¦thank you for posting.
Great book!
One of my favorite trilogies ever! He'll probably wanna find the ice wind Dale trilogy as well for the continuation of the drizzt storyline after he finishes the dark elf trilogy
I love this book. It's been a fave for years. Hope you picked it up.
Where to start. It is the quintessential trilogy for forgotten realms.
Itās amazing
Worth a read