Rating: 
Summary: Good story, bad version
Review: R.A. Salvatore paints an almost tangible world with his three books in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. The Crystal Shard I hold as one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. The following two are good, but not fantastic, as instead of crafting a masterful plot you feel Salvatore is rushing you through. What makes all the books shine however is the creation of lovable and despicable characters. There is development in all the characters in these three books, Drizzt especially. And it is a joy to see the transformations in his personality and the mental and emotional struggles he must go through.The collectors edition paperback is convenient but reader beware, there are numerous typos. Something you don't expect in a "collectors edition".
Rating: 
Summary: An Awesome Trilogy Defiled by Editors Mistakes
Review: I would like to start by saying that I loved this trilogy; I read this the first time through in individual paperback form and enjoyed it thoroughly. You can imagine my amazement after buying the collector's edition of the book only to find out that it is riddled with typos. Also missing is the great artwork from Larry Elmore and others that appeared on the original paperbacks. That is why I give a 1 star rating. Please get the individual paperback versions of the book and save yourself a headache. Now that I have raved about the poor job of the editors, I will tell you what I think of the Salvatore's writing itself. The Icewind Dale Trilogy is a great read full of fun action packed adventure. It tells the story of Drizzt Do'Urden (a good and honorable dark elf ranger), his magical panther Gwenwyvar, the surly dwarven king Bruenor Battlehammer, Wulfgar the giant barbarian from the tribe of the elk, Regis the lovable halfling thief that always finds himself in trouble, and Catti-brie the adopted daughter of Bruenor. The heroes get involved in many adventures including saving Icewind Dale from a crazed artifact wielding wizard, defeating a couple of dragons, and defeating hordes of monsters and the most cunning of villains. It also tells the story of a dark elf trying to gain acceptance in a cruel world that judges him by his heritage. The characters are developed masterfully [even the villains] and you find yourself really caring what is to happen to them. Artemis Entreri is one of the best villains that I have ever read about. You get to know him as well as Drizzt, Wulfgar, and Bruenor and find yourself despising him yet not wanting him to disappear. All in all this is one of the best series that I have ever read. I still love The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Dragonlance Chronicles but Salvatore is right up there. I would recommend reading The Dark Elf Trilogy before reading this trilogy and you will see that Salvatore's writing continues to improve with every book he writes. The Dark Elf Trilogy is a more imaginative piece that takes less from other writers and creates its own story. And another thing...the collector's editions of the other Salvatore trilogies do not have all the typos that this edition does.
Rating: 
Summary: hook, line , and sinker!
Review: The characters of theses books are so strong that it feels like you have known them personally for a long time. After finishing the trilogy I found myself missing thier company.this is truly a great work.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly impressive trilogy
Review: Always having been a big fan of fantasy, but never delving into the Forgotten Realm or Dragonlance genre of it, i gave the icewind dale trilogy when i saw it show up in paperback at my bookstore. I was smacked in the face when possibly one of the best stories i had ever read. I was amazed at how impressed i was with Salvatores ability to really make you think you know and understand his characters. You grow really attached to almost all of them, and would hate to see anything bad to happen to any. I was quick to order all of his other trilogies and i went to my local used bookstore and have picked up all the 2nd hand copies of d&d books i could find. I thank this trilogy for making the dragonlance/forgotten realm trademark my new favorites in fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: Author: 5, Publisher: 0
Review: This is an example of how important all elements of the book production proccess are. R.A Salvatore, in his first crack at being a writer, has come up with some of the most real fantasy characters ever. The stories are great. 5 stars to him. But this isn't the book to get - go for the paperback, or the individual books of the trilogy. Other reviewers have hinted at the typos, and they are everywhere. This is a hardback, a "Collecter's Edition", even, and a book-loving customer should be able to expect a certain amount of quality for the price. Nice pages, fine printing, a good heft, etc. Having some experience with scanning and optical character recognition, I can confidently say, from the kinds of mistakes, that this book is a scanned-in version of the originals. How in the abyss that happened I'll never guess, but it did. A 'u' was mistaken for 'ij' - many 'y's are 'v's. A BRACKET showed up in place of an l. Even a tilde '~', the symbol that basically means "Hey, user, I can't figure out what this letter is supposed to be" is in there. Some pages have two or even three errors. It is almost as if the first draft out of the OCR program got sent to the printers. For the price of a few copies of this "Collecter's Edition", a high-schooler could have spent an afternoon catching 90% of the mistakes. It's fair to say I expected more. Shame on Wizards of the Coast.
Rating:
Summary: elves, dwarves, and barbarians, OH My!
Review: The Icewind Dale Trilogy is an excellent collection of books: The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem. R. A. Salavatore combines creatures from Norse and Classical mythology into a cast of splendid characters. The Character Drizzt, a dark elf, is an excellent character. Salvatores fight scenes are incredible, making you feel as if you are on the scene. There are many flaws in this version though. Typos are everywhere. v are Y, L are ], etc. but other than that, it is a great treat to read such a splendid fantasy novel. One of the highlights, in my opinion, is the diversity of the characters. There is the quiet, friendly ranger, Drizzt, who is an outcast. He is a GOOD dark elf. He is a deadly fighter and a noble friend. Than there is Wulfgar, the tremendously strong barbarian who helps his commrades nto no end. Next we view the gruff but caring dwarf Bruener. Last we have Regis, the Halfing that always seems to get into trouble. A fine blend. I suggest this book to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy novel.
Rating:
Summary: Icewind Dale Trilogy... worth buying?
Review: First of all, let me say I was not much of a fantasy fan. I am a die-hard horror fan, so I passed all the opportunities to read any fantasy novel. That ended when I started playing D&D and decided to buy the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Let me just say this, Salvatore's characters--the drow elf Drizzt, the HUGE barbarian Wulfgar, the battle hardened dwarf Bruenor, the lovable young lass Cattie-Brie, the mischievous but kind-hearted halfling Regis...even Gwenhwyvar, Drizzt's other-planar panther familiar--are greatly fleshed out, and the adventures they participate in are nothing sort of spectacular. Why didn't I give this book five stars? Well, because of the annoying typos. And let me say that there are a lot of typos throughout this version. I've read below that the separate paperbacks are free of these typos, but the complete version is riddled with them. But anyway, this was no obstacle to enjoy this masterpiece. So, is this book worth buying? Surely, if it made a hardcore horror fan like myself be interested in the fantasy genre, I bet any fantasy fan will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Quite a series...
Review: Having never read any books of RA Salvatore's, I was hoping for the best when I got this book for Christmas. I'd gotten the book largely because I had liked the computer game (Great reason, I know ;)). It was a gamble that paid off. Drizzt Do'Urden, the main character of the series, has easily replaced Jimmy the Hand (from the Raymond Feist books) as my favorite character in a novel. I liked Drizzt right off the bat, mostly because he could fight with two scimitars (Another great reason =P). However, I quickly grew to like the drow much more, largely because of to the essays written by Drizzt before every book, which pretty much bare Drizzt's heart to the reader. I'm not usually the kind to pay any attention to that whatsoever, but Drizzt is really the exception. In a way, he's the ideal hero, and I'm not just referring to his fighting prowess. He's a very likable and honorable person, even if he is a dark elf, and shunned by nearly everyone who sees him. He still upholds his own high personal code of conduct, even in the face of their insults. Rarely does Drizzt act dishonorably. Jowever, when he does, Guenhyvar is right by his side, acting as his conscience. For a large black panther, Guenhyvar is remarkably close to human, not just a pet, but an actual friend of Drizzt's. While Icewind Dale is not always the most original series in the world (Book 2 is a blatant rip-off of Tolkien's The Hobbit), the characters, Drizzt and otherwise, easily make up for whatever failings the book might have. As such, this book has earned one of my hard-to-attain 5 star ratings. It certainly does deserve it.
Rating:
Summary: The second time reading this series
Review: I have read this series when it was still a 3 book format. I loved it then and I love it now. The first time I read this series I thought, this author will go down in history as one of the best SF & F authors of all time. I was right on the money. R. A. Salvatore can breath such life into a piece of paper it is unbelievable. The depiction of the friends from Icewind Dale, Heroes of Mithril Hall. It isn't all Drow Elf in his writing. The other characters are outstanding in thier own right. Such a fine group they are. I have no idea why they would ever part.
Rating:
Summary: An Epic Adventure from R. A. Salvatore.
Review: After reading the Icewind Dale Trilogy I have again been immersed into the rich plots of the Fantasy genre. I read this book due to a recommendation of a friend and I was overjoyed when I found that Salvatore's writing kept me hooked. His plot development through all of his Forgotten Realms novels are excellent and the Icewind Dale Trilogy is just the beginning. I find that it is hard to stray from superlatives when describing the Icewind Dale Trilogy and Slavatore's writing in general. The real low-down on these books is the character development. Drizzt Do'Urden (the main hero of most of Salvatore's Forgotten Realms novels) is expertly developed. Drizzt is a dark-elf that must overcome the nightmares of his own heritage, and most importantly, gain acceptance among the highly paranoid and unwelcoming surface dwellers. Throughout his travels in the frigid wastelands north of the Spine of the World, Drizzt finds many good friends and fights against unspeakable terrors. Yet, he upholds his own personal code of ethics and virtues like that of a noble paladin. The reader can't help but feel empathetic to him and the entries of his personal memoirs gives an insight into the very essence of Drizzt. Upon finishing the Icewind Dale saga, I have become an avid reader of Salvatore and I would highly recommend all of the novels in his series. If you are a Tokien fan, this is a must buy. I've debated whether Icewind Dale or the Dark Elf Trilogy would be the best place to start in this series, but I've determined that Icewind Dale is your best bet. On top of everything, this collector's edition (while containing some typos) is well bound in a very attractive package. Make yourself a good cup of coffee and get comfortable, because you've got an excellent read ahead of you. Just remember to allocate plenty of time because I gurantee you won't be able to put this one down.
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