Rating: 
Summary: Bruenor Battlehammer always deserves 5 stars.
Review: R.A. Salvatore certainly is not only the best author of the fantasy genre, but the greatest book writer ever. Streams of Silver, if not ultimately his best creation (Did someone mention The Dark Elf Trilogy?), clearly outnumbers every work of every other fantasy author, even J.R.R. Tolkien himself. The incident on the Trollmoors, for example, is among the most thrilling battle scenes I've seen in any book, and, of course, Drizzt Do'Urden is a character that truly catches your imagination. He is a magnificent thinker and a dazzling fighter - simply everything I've always wanted to be. The only problem with him is that he is not funny, but the presence of Bruenor Battlehammer more then fixes that. And one thing that really deserves to be mentioned here is the cover art by Clyde Caldwell. I would perhaps otherwise rate this book worth 4½ stars (if I only could), for it's quite not Salvatore at his very best, but Mr. Caldwell's brilliant artwork, featuring my favourite dwarven character holding his deadly, blood-stained axe and his shield with the foaming ale mug symbol really save this book from the abyss of mediocrity. 4½ stars for the story and 8 for the cover art - five stars for the book in whole. I only wish I could already grow a beard - I'd dye it to red and get out into the woods to swing my axe like Bruenor Battlehammer.
Rating: 
Summary: a mediocre copy of Tolkien
Review: R.A. Salvatore mentions that he first got into fantasy after reading J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and the parallels between Salvatore's Mithril Hall and Tolkien's Moria are blatantly obvious. To his credit, Salvatore doesn't go whole hog and try to copy Tolkien's style, adding a different cast of characters with the likes of Drizzt, Regis, Artemis Entreri, etc. But the likes of Bruenor Battlehammer (and his ridiculous mug of ale standard) are a such a poor substitute for the dark, awesome majesty of Tolkien's world, it's almost blasphemous. Still, Salvatore's work is a good book for a lazy summer afternoon.
Rating:
Summary: Great sequel to "Crystal Shard"
Review: RA Salvatore has created his own cult following in the world of D&D with his culture of the drow and Icewind Dale, the glacier community in the Forgotten Realms. This book picks up right where "Crystal Shard" left off, with Drizzt Do'Urden and pals fulfilling their promise to help dwarf Bruenor Battlehammer find his lost homeland, Mithral Hall. But! Regis the Halfling, always in trouble, is in the worst of his life, and an evil assassin is on his trail. Salvatore treats us to a new hateful-but-seductive villain in Artemis Entreri. My only complaint about this book is Salvatore's persistent use of the Irish brogue for his characters, which gets a bit annoying to read, and his seeming attempt to make a PC statement by focusing so heavily on racism. Written at the beginning of the PC 1990s, Salvatore repeatedly refers to the drow as "black elves" in this book rather than Drow, which he doesn't do in any of the other books in this series. Seemed a bit pandering to me, although Drizzt is definitely a victim of prejudice in the drow-hating Realms. Highly recommend as this is a fabulous adventure series!
Rating: 
Summary: He's no Tolkein but it's still a good book
Review: Salvatore is a cut above the average sci-fi / fantasy writer. However, his writing skill doesn't even come close to Tolkein's. Does this guy have a psychology degree? It's annoying when he slips inside his characters' minds and tries to analyze their actions. Also his characters seem a bit too sensitive for hardened adventurers in a fantasy realm.
Rating:
Summary: An adventure of a lifetime for Drizzt and friends
Review: Streams of Silver is an action filled book with sweat loaded excitement. Read as Bruneor goes off in search of his ancestral home, Mithril Hall. Life doesn't come easy , though, as the heroes have a deadly dagger at their backs. This epic journey is the first of many for the companions of Icewind Dale.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful fantasy romp!
Review: Streams of Silver is the best of RA Salvatore's 'Icewind Dale' trilogy, delivering a fast paced, fun story that stretched across many interesting locations of the famed Forgotten Realms. Unlike many of his novels, combat is not the only thing that moves the plot forward; a welcome relief from the constant sword fights that clutter up about half of his works.Light-hearted without being silly, exciting while retaining character development, and interesting throughout, Streams of Silver is a great light-fantasy read for somebody looking to get a quick swords and sorcery fix.
Rating:
Summary: Bruenor resembles my ideals.
Review: Streams of Silver takes the bunch of heroes The Crystal Shard, to unveil the secrets surrounding the long lost Dwarven kingdom of Mithril Hall, "the mines where silver rivers run". The journey Drizzt Do'Urden, Bruenor Battlehammer, Regis Rumblebelly and Wolfgang embark on proves to be a tough one though: hideous monsters lurking in shadows before them and a deadly assassin on their trail, the quest for Bruenor's ancient homeland turns into a fight for mere survival, a thrilling epic of quality we have come to expect from Salvatore. This was in fact his second novel ever, lacking some of the brilliancy and depth of the debute, yet it definitely stands proudly among those adventures that reshaped the Realms. The battle that won the Mithril Hall back to its rightful owner is the peak of Bruenor's life, and I struggled, feared and rejoiced with him, the spirit of my Dwarven hero strong in the air whenever I opened this book and allowed myself a moment or two in the magical world of Faerun. To me, Bruenor resembles everything good and pure in the world. To become him is the purpose of my life. Behold the cover by Clyde Caldwell and feel his Dwarven wrath! As ever, Salvatore fills the book with battle scenes that dazzle with accurate maneuvers and ingenious solutions, characters that make ye grieve for their losses, and a plot that feeds yer imagination. Ye find yerself gawking with excitement as Bruenor leads his band through the Trollmoors, a foul-stenched hell on earth. To my disappointment, Salvatore led his heroes out of the Icewind Dale, a place I came to love in the first book, for the rest of the trilogy, but the very spirit of adventuring remained, rendering Dreams of Silver a book ye shan't lower from yer hands until drowsiness overcomes ye late in the night.
Rating:
Summary: Streams of Silver a great story!
Review: Streams of Silver, the second book of the icewind dale trilogy, is a very fast and enjoyable read. I have fallen in love with these characters like no other in all of fiction and can't wait to share in more of their grand adventures. This is what fantasy is all about and Bob Salvatore has certainly created something truly unique here. The book has a great story and moves at a good pace with lots of very well described detail. Did I mention the characters are great? Also, if you lke action it is here and is also superbly described. A great book that you won't soon forget.
Rating:
Summary: A better fantasy novel you'll be hard-pressed to find
Review: Streams of Silver, to me, was a very compelling and intricately-woven tale of daring heroes, wicked villians, and the triuph of good over evil that follows the standard, even raises it, for the genre. I was impressed, to say the least, with the character developments. And the plot, which held you in its thralls to the last page, left one anticipating the return of these old friends once again. And for those that would criticize this book as trite, sophomoric, or only appropriate for teenage boys, I question one's appreciation for the hours of work put into a work such as this, and I'd like to see such a dour reader to better himself. Many authors try, but fall miserably short of R.A. Salvatore's true mastery of the fantasy world. Cheers, Salvatore, on another grand masterpiece, beautifully and eloquently delivered.
Rating:
Summary: Getting better.
Review: The Bad Points: The characters do at times seem a bit superheroish. Some of the dialogue can be corny at times. Also, some things are a bit TOO farfetched, even for fantasy.(bringing to mind the Harkles' palace and the fact that a severed troll limb will grow another troll!) And yes, Mithril Hall is a clear replica of Moria, with some of The Hobbit thrown in as well. These things as a whole are the reason for my four stars. The Good Points: Salvatore does know how to write those action sequences, and he's realistic in describing the battles, and death, since he doesn't try to "sanitize" either one. Characterization is not superb, but it's certainly not poor either. These things make the book enjoyable and entertaining- I was not bored while reading this book. And probably the best thing about this book is the introduction of Artemis Entreri. The plot is complex and the story has a good ending that sets up things nicely for the third book. All in all, this book is good. His writing has inproved noticeably from the first book. For those of you who are about ready to write him off because of those bad points I listed, I say give him a chance. This is only his second book. I've already read the Dark Elf Trilogy, which he wrote after this series, and I can say for sure that it is MUCH better. It's definately more mature, and I wouldn't call it "light" fantasy, nor would I call this book light either. And I certainly wouldn't call any of his books "popcorn fantasy." If you're looking for good fiction, don't let the Forgotten Realms logo fool you- Salvatore does not write games, except for maybe a few elements in his first few books. I know for sure that the Dark Elf Trilogy has no RPG elements. So if you're looking for some good fantasy, try R. A. Salvatore. The truth is, he can entertain many readers who are non-AD&D - readers like myself.
|
