Homeland

Rating:
Summary: A review from a casual Forgotten Realms reader
Review: If you're a fan of the Forgotten Realms world of books, all 200 of them, or if you're a fan of D&D books then you'll probably completely disagree with this review. I'm writing this review as a casual reader, this being my first introduction to the Forgotten Realms world.

Homeland is the beginning of a three part trilogy that tells the story of Drizzt Do'Urden and starts at this birth. Drizzt Do'Urden is a dark elf, a race of folk that thrive on battle and destruction and the major conflict in this book is Drizzt coming to terms with his race and deciding whether or not he agrees with their ways.

Overall, the book is very entertaining. The world is very interesting and the variety of creatures and races that live with in. The characters are for the most part rather interesting but I was more interested in the action scenes of the book than the parts where any sort of dialogue or character exposition takes place. The battles are presented here aplenty so if you're a fan of good action sequences in books then you've found a very good book for that with Homeland. However, I felt that at times the battles dragged on for a bit and the outcomes were rather predictable.

There is some political intrigue in the form of houses vying for power but it's mostly basic and doesn't have too much depth to it. The various houses presented aside from the Do'Urden household don't have much in terms of the story so the storyline is fairly straightforward in that aspect as we only follow one house to a rather predictable outcome. The individual characters themselves are rather basic archetypes, the mean mother, the wise and strong father, the wicked sisters, and devious wizards are all presented here in rather basic formats. They're not particular well developed either so when a character dies I found myself not caring as there's no emotional attachment to any of the side characters besides Drizzt and we all know he's not going anywhere.

Even though the book had numerous faults, it was still a worthwhile read and I enjoyed quite a lot. There was a lot of originality in the beautifully crafted world and interesting creatures. The characters and storyline weren't particularly deep but moved along at a good pace with well written battles and action sequences. I'll most likely continue with the trilogy because this book shows promise. If you're looking for a fun, fast read with well written action sequences then this book is for you. However, if you're looking for deep political intrigue and a good cast of well developed characters then look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: a different world, brownie points for Salvatore
Review: I've read this book, and wow everything was excellent there weren't ANY boring parts, one thing just led on to another. It's about a dark elf named Drizzt Do'Urden who is born in the Underdark of Menzoberranzen, sorry for the spelling error. There are houses in Menzoberranzen Do'Urden being the third house in favor of the Spider Queen, until Drizzt Do'Urden is born. Drizzt is born with lavender eyes and doesn't have any bad reaction toward light. As he grows older he grows compassion, understanding, and cleverness, yet he does not know how the dark elves are with hatefullness because of his father's protection for Drizzt's innocence. Later in the book he becomes the best swordsman in the underdark, like his father. Drizzt and his father share the same feelings, but Drizzt's father had to live in guilt and shame. Drizzt doesn't want to live the same way so he runs away from the Underdark with Gwen, the panther leaving the house Do'Urden in ruins.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent... one of the best of the Realms
Review: Out of all the Forgotten Realms books I've read, this has to be one of the best. Salvator goes into exquisite detail in describing the world of the Drow and Menzoberranzan. The story which follows a unique male Drow by the name Drizzt Do'Urden is very developed and wonderfully artistic. This will be a treat for any person who has a taste for fantasy books.

Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece in the D&D genre!
Review: RA Salvatore has practically spawned a cult of the drow within the realm of AD&D gaming with his classic dark elf hero Drizzt Do'Urden. This long-awaited book takes the reader into the origins of Our Hero and explores the rich world of Menzoberranzan, city of the drow. Even if you don't play the game, you'll love this adventure. If you do play the game, you'll find a wealth of material for your group. Salvatore gives us a new hero in Drizzt's father Zak'naefein, and a Queen B you'll love to hate in his wicked mother Malice (who is more than aptly named). If you haven't read the Icewind Dale trilogy, don't worry - this series is complete in itself. But prepare to be hooked and snared into the web of the Spider Queen.......

Rating:
Summary: Buy the paperback!!
Review: A little disclaimer. The is a hardcover reissue. Save your money and buy the mass market paperback. It's a great start to a great series and you will enjoy it. Just thought I'd try to save you some $$$$.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: I think this book is a great beginning to the story of Drizzt. As for reviewers like Zach who like to think they are smart and enjoy using big words to somehow validate their oppinion, I would say that you think too much and your over-analysis is unfounded and inaccurate.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: Wow. I had read books with Drizzt in them before, and found myself wanting to know all about this Dark Elf who came to the surface and was the total opposite of what I knew the Drow to be. Seeing what Drizzt went through, and the odds he faced made me an even bigger fan! Great book for those curious about the past of this Drow Ranger!