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Summary: Gotta love it-Salvatore worshipper is on the 'net!
Review: It's hard to believe a book like this exists.
I am a great fan of the LOtR books, but any person who has read those novels will realize that they need to be set to a better pace.
And so, the Icewind Dale Trilogy was the book most needed in the fantasy writing world. By the first sentence, I was hooked. And who wouldn't be? I've recommended it to all my friends and family, and I think anybody who hasn't read these books should hurry up and start.
I have read many fantasy novels (about 200 or so per year), and I want to start writing my own. If inspiration can be found in any novel or series thereof, that series is the Icewind Dale Trilogy.
It has anything anybody could ask for- halflings, elves, dwarves, redemption, dragons, giant spiders, assassins, magic, amazing fight scenes, evil elves (how cool is that?) and even a spark of romance. Unlike so many other novels, however, Salvatore doesn't overdo it on the romance.
For anybody who has ever enjoyed fantasy writing, you really should love this book.
If you aren't into fantasy, read this book anyway.
I can just about promise you'll be hooked by the first page. Or maybe even the first three words.
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Summary: Must Read This - A new fan of Salvatore and Drizzt is born
Review: I have never read a book of this size so quickly in my life nor has a book been able to make me laugh out loud by myself. I couldnt wait to see what would happen next nor could I forget the awesome battle scenes described by Salvatore. I have heard of the Drow before but was never really interested unitl I read this book and it really blew me away and rekindled my interest in fantasy literature again. Unlike tolkein's LOTR, which I loved, this book moves at a much faster pace and is easier to imagine the character's feelings as well as their surrounding. The character's themselves are well developed and you can feel their emotions and connect with thier experiences easily, thus involving you the reader. This really is a must-read book.
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Summary: 4.5 Stars
Review: In "The Crystal Shard", Drizzt do'Urden (a dark elf), Bruenor the dwarf, Regis the halfling, and Wulfgar the barbarian join forces to defend the arctic frontier cluster of villages called Ten-Towns, against a sorcerer's only-semi-competent apprentice, Akar Kessell, whose power is greatly enhanced (and directed) when he accidentally stumbles upon a long-lost but immensely powerful sentient crystal.In "Streams of Silver", Drizzt, Bruenor, Wulfgar, Regis, and Cattie-brie the human, go on a grand adventure to help Bruenor reclaim the ancient underground home of his ancestors, Mithral Hall. But, master assassin Artemis Entreri pursues Regis because of a magical pendant Regis once "borrowed" from his boss, and Dendybar the Mottled (a powerful and ruthless wizard) seeks Drizzt for the magical crystal shard Dendybar mistakenly believes Drizzt has. They all converge in Mithral Hall, which is now occupied by evil druegar (gray dwarves) and ruled by an ancient but powerful black dragon. In "The Halfling's Gem", Drizzt, Bruenor, Wulfgar, and Catti-brie go on a trek into foreign lands to rescue their halfling friend, Regis, and to recover the statue of Gwenhyvar, which can call a magical panther from another plane of existence. Regis and the panther were stolen by Artemis Entreri, the master assassin. The Icewind Dale trilogy features a fast pace, the characters have some depth (although they are somewhat caricaturistic or archetypal at times, especially early on), and the setting is well-described and exotic (especially early on), but the plot is somewhat simplistic (again, especially early on). One minor issue that bothered me was Salvatore's naming of places and characters; half of the names are exotic and original (e.g., Drizzt, Catti-brie) while the other half are borrowed (e.g., Wulfgar, Bremen, Rheged, Mithral). Overall, this a fun, fast-paced, well-written fantasy novel that lacks some of the grit and complexity of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, but that is also a plus for those who find Martin's work too dark and/or convoluted. As the trilogy progresses, setting description wanes, but character development and plot complexity wax. The dialogue occasionally slips into comic strip mode, and there is a surprisingly large number of printing errors (e.g., missing quotation marks, extra commas, "m" being replaced by "rn"). It's still a good, fast-paced, rousing adventure. Each section of each book of the trilogy has a prologue, which is like an essay "written" by the main character, Drizzt. Drizzt is a dark elf, whose people live underground and are known as cruel, ruthless, manipulative, deceptive, and dangerous. Drizzt is clever and dangerous, but has otherwise left his people and their ways. His essays are almost poetic in style, and are rich in morality and philosophy. The first book of the trilogy, "The Crystal Shard", was good, light adventure. "Streams of Silver" was the best of the three. "The Halfling's Gem" was a continuation of "Streams of Silver" (whereas "The Crystal Shard" could stand alone), and provided a good end to the trilogy, although it left one very loose end - Artemis Entreri is left unaccounted for.
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Summary: Three killer novels in one awesome book
Review: This is great. Not only do we get some of the very first Forgotten Realms books in one edition, but we get even MORE Drizzt. The Icewind Dale trillogy tells of Drizzt and his new found life one the surface after he escapes from the nasty underdark (the dark elf trillogy). We follow him and his new found friends all across the sword coast on great adventures that are only the beginning of the absolutly mind blowing "Drizzt Saga". Get this book, you will be lost without it.
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Summary: Superb storytelling all in one volume.
Review: You don't have to read the prequel "The Dark Elf trilogy" to love "The Icewind Dale Trilogy". R A Salvatore is indeed a genius at what he does. He continues to writes about Drizzt and his buddies because thats what the people demand. We want more Drizzt. In this volume you learn his encounters with the surface and how he learns to deals and cope of what others view of him because of his race. He has alot to prove because the world knows the drow has never been anything but evil. In this case, he's not evil like his race. He learns that it better to have friends than hiding and wandering in the dark being hunted by your own people. If you love Drizzt and his adventures you will definitely love this book!!
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Summary: great book
Review: as good or better than the dark elf trilogy
Rating:
Summary: R.A. Salvatore captures the imagination and adventurer.
Review: This trilogy is phenominal. Once I finished the Dark Elf series, I just had to jump right into the Icewind dale series. I highly suggest that you read them in chronological order of the trilogies so you understand more about the character of Drizzt. I have bought the books in the collectors editions and they will stay in my library for some time. Cant wait to read the thousand orcs series.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't finish it.
Review: I read all of the first two books, and part of the third. You would think that by that time I would have developed some sort of attachment to the characters. Aside from Mr. Entreri and the insufferable Drizzt, the other characters are flat, proto-typical fantasy characters. They lack any sort of imagination. Drizzt became so bothersome that he was the primary reason I stopped reading. He was beyond reproach. I would put his morality up against any Knight of the Round Table. Why is that bothersome? For the simple reason that he came from a race where the seven deadly sins would be embraced as the teachings of god. I can believe that a hero could come from this type of background, but he shouldn't embody everything that is right and good. For Pete's sake Salvatore, give him some depth and dimension. Artemis Entreri was somewhat engaging as a villain, but not enough to offset the other characters' blandness. I did find myself rooting for him by the time I gave up on the book however. As someone else pointed out, this collector's edition is riddled with typos. You would think that they would have taken more care with a hardcover. I was going to give this set 2 stars, but the typos drop it down to 1 star.
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Summary: A good story, yet still flawed in its own ways...
Review: I am, admittedly, a Drizzt fanatic, and it was the original (separate) versions of this trilogy which first hooked me. The characters are compelling, and I more than once found myself holding my breath to see if they would survive, or shaking my fist at guards when the main character, dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden, was turned away from the gates of yet another city. The storyline, too, is also rich with both action and philosophy, and this particular edition of the trilogy also includes journal entries written by Drizzt, which are a welcome addition. However, this wonderful book is also not without flaws. Namely, the typos. I have absolutely no idea what R.A. Salvatore's editors were using as their spellchecker (and they should've run a visual sweep anyway), but it is in desperate need of replacing. The worst typo I can bring to mind at the moment is the repeated spelling of the word "alley" as "ally"--those words have two very different meanings in a fight scene. It should be noted that these typos were absent from the original novels, so there is no excuse for the serious lack of editing. Another note on the fight scenes which I noted in the last novel, "The Halfling's Gem," should be made clear. Apparently, these characters are immortal, because they survived things that should have killed at least one of them. The climax of "The Halfling's Gem" stretched my believability in the story to its limits and beyond, I am sorry to note, and the Companions lost a bit of my respect. (Though they did regain it in later novels, where they were more human and less of demi-gods.) The other flaw in the story appears in "Streams of Silver," with its tale of Mithril (or Mithral, as certain editors have taken to spelling it) Hall, gray dwarves and the dragon Shimmergloom, runs an all-too-familiar road--one already taken by J.R.R. Tolkien with Moria in the Fellowship of the Ring. As much as I do admire one particular character's noble sacrifice and another's silent tribute to him (which I will never, ever forget), the entire climax of the novel rings too similarly with LotR for my liking. Still, the rest of the trilogy is enjoyable, with its unforgettable, laughable, and romantic moments. Definitely a must for fantasy fans, if you can stomach the typos.
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Summary: Great Book!
Review: Great book, great characters, especially Drizzt Do' Urden! I have read all of Richard A Knakk's Dragonrealm series, and this is a refreshing new series for me. My wife is a book worm, but usually does not read this type of book. She also loved it! Buy it, you will not regret it!
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