Homeland

Rating:
Summary: Meet Drizzt for the first time in the land where he was born
Review: Homeland is the first part of R.A. Salvatore's second trillogy starring the loved Dark elf Drizzt. The Dark Elf Trillogy takes place before the Icewind Dale Trillogy and tells of the beginnings of the Dark Elf. His evil family, and the one man (or elf) that changed his life forever.

This is the story that introduces us to the evil ways and lives of the Dark Elves, and how even the most evil can spawn something very different than they wanted. That thing is Drizzt Do'Urden.

We follow drizzt from before his birth up until about the age of 20 (which is about 5 years old in human years). If you love the Dark Elf as thousands of others do, but want to know more about his life before the surface, you will find it in Homeland.

5 stars. The book is awesome.

Rating:
Summary: " WOW "
Review: This book could not have been put together any better. It starts very well and gets you into the characters right off the bat. The book moves at a great pace and really never slows down. I must confess, I started with The Icewind Dale Trilogy and before starting book 2 I felt that I should read The Dark Elf Trilogy, I am so glad that I did. The characters are "Awesome" You get so in to Drizzt's family and hate them so much that you almost forget he is a drow although he acts nothing like his family.(other than Zak) What else can I say, I am a huge Toilkien fan and I have to say R.A. Salvatore in my opinion is right on track on becoming one of the great fantasy writers, If you haven't read this I suggest you start clicking on this website and get it shipped , once you read this book, you not only will be an R.A fan ..you will follow Drizzt in all his many tales ..very addictive, very entertaining, very very good.

Rating:
Summary: Liked it a lot!
Review: The best part about this book is that it 'moves'. The author keeps the pace up and describes what is important to know. As a result, you'll breeze through this book.

Not to say it doesn't have any details... it has plenty. But everythin is written 'solidly'. That's the only word I can think of to describe it.

I haven't read any of the other Drizzt books yet. This is my first one. So far so good.

On to "EXILE".

Rating:
Summary: A must read for everyone
Review: This book is the amazing begining to one of the best series ever written. The dark elf trilogy books are not actually the first book's written in the series. This Trilogy is actaully a prequell to the Icewind Dale trilogy; however I would recomend you read this trilogy first, you are not going to ruin anything if you read them the other way though. I know a lot of people who have read this book and they all loved it. Character development is great esspecially Drizzt (best charcter of all time)The story is very quick theres no long dragging on boring stuff. Salvator has some of the best action scenes I have ever read. Do not skip this book take the time buy it and I promise you before you know it you will be back in the book store buying the next book.

Rating:
Summary: breathtakingly good read!
Review: I don't want to spoil it just trust me and READ IT!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book. Almost perfect
Review: I enjoyed this book immensely. I have been reading Forgotten realms novels for about 5 years and I had always avoided this trilogy. Drizzt never seemed that interesting. In fact, I have avoided most of R.A. Salvatore's books because I wasn't interested in the dark elf. Well now I realize my error.

This story explains the early years of Drizzt and is very intriguing. From the story we learn about drow society and how deceit and deception play an intrigal part in their government.

The story was very fast paced and nearly flawless. My only disappointment is the story did not seem to end. It seems that the author ended the first book at an obvious point in order to start the next book. I think part of the problem was that the second to the last chapter was so climatic that the last chapter just seemed like there was something missing.

However, like I said in the beginning. This story was excellent and I can't wait to start on the second book.

Rating:
Summary: Tied for best character ever!
Review: Drizzt is a dark elf and he is the best character created ever, tied with Raistlin from dragonlance. I can't say enough about this book. I have read the whole series twice. Drizzt is the baddest, fastest, intriging, character I have come across in a long time. You are immediately drawn into this book. You must get this book! Steal it! Something! Get this book!...oh...and read it, too!

Rating:
Summary: The beginning of Salvatore's most famous work
Review: After asking some of my friends to recommend fantasy authors, several mentioned Salvatore and, in particular, the Dark Elf Trilogy. I have read (and reviewed) the Cleric Quintet, and now, having finished my sixth Salvatore novel, I think I understand his style.

Salvatore sets most of his novels in the the world of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. Of course, there is a considerable difference between playing D&D and reading a novel. I find myself forced to agree with some of the other reviewers here that I could anticipate much of the plot development in advance. The characters lack of depth is clearly seen; they are evil and that is all there is to it. Ambiguity in this sense is almost always important to such story telling.

The idea of the one lone character struggling against a whole society or organization that has corrupted or is corrupt is also one of the premises in the Cleric Quintet series. There is some difference between the two, but it was mildly disappointing to see the same idea reused.

What I found most intriguing about this novel is the same thing I find intriguing in many different science fiction and fantasy novels. It is the world that the author paints as the background. Drizzt, the main character, is a male dark elf who lives in a fiercely matriarchal society. This is quite unusual in a genre that is frequently dominated by male heroes. There is also the idea that the entire society lives underground in the "Underdark" of the world. There were a few other things that were of interest in the novel, such as the trials and tribulations that Drizzt undergoes growing up in a drow (dark elf) society.

I think I enjoyed this novel more than much of the Cleric Quintet series ("Nightmasks" was something of an exception), because the Cleric Quintet seemed to have too many battles (part of that was that nature of the story, but reading about battle after battle can be a little numbing).

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy At It's Best
Review: I was hesitant to pick up "Homeland" because it is part of the "Forgotten Realms" series, which at first seemed to me to be a big fantasy world that was full of many cliches and no originality. I cannot believe that I thought this as R.A. Salvatore delivers an orginal, entertaining, and fast paced read here. This the first novel of "The Dark Elf Trilogy" by Salvatore and this trilogy is now one of my favorites. As other reviewers have stated, R.A. Salvatore has a distinct writing style that is keen on detail, character development, world building, and full of talent.

The main race in this novel is the Drow, who are dark elves with black skin and white hair. Most of the other races find the Drow to be a terrible race with bad habits and lots of evil. The Drow live beneath the surface of the fantasy world that we learn more about later in a city called Menzoberranzan. There are many houses in the city and the book opens up with House Do'Urden destroying another house so that they can be closer to being able to hold much power. On this night Matron Malice, the head of the house, gives birth to Drizzt Do'Urden. This book is the story of Drizzt's first years as he trains to become a warrior, then going to school. We learn that Drizzt is different from other Drow in that he holds a different view on everything and is against many things of the Drow. As the series progresses into the next novel we learn more of this.

Drizzt Do'Urden is one of the best fantasy characters that have ever been written. It is entertaining to see him grow throughout the novel to the person that he really is. Drizzt has his weaknesses and his strengths, and everything is clearly defined here. While Drizzt is the main character and the most likeable of the Drow, the other characters are well developed too. For example, his mother Matron Malice is done well, and so is Zaknafein, one of Drizzt's mentors.

In addition to specific characters being interesting, the race of the Drow is interesting. Their social structure and how they function is amazingly interesting while being very believable. Their religon in their worship of the Spider Queen, Lloth, is interesting to see. Everybody is always trying to please their goddess. The city that the Drow live in is interesting as well, and furthermore, the whole Underworld functions just like a real world, with many races, ways to survive, issues, and much more.

The amount of things that are packed into this little novel is amazing; and this is just book one of the trilogy. The rest of the series gets more amazing as it progresses, so definitely do not stop with this book. R.A. Salvatore is a skilled writer and his skills are evident here. "Homeland" is a superb start to "The Dark Elf Trilogy."

Happy Reading!

Rating:
Summary: A fun, but not very deep read
Review: I have not read as much fantasy as some, but have read enough to know what is good in the genre and what isn't. Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy, while certainly not as bad as some of the fantasy titles I've read, does not come close to some of the greats of the genre: Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and HickmanWeiss' Dragonlance Chronicles, for example. Salvatore's writing is rather simplistic, both in language and in plot. I pretty much knew what was going to happen next. The characters for the most part lack enough complexity and nuances in personality to make them truly interesting, and the plot isn't good or strong enough to carry the book. Drizzt is a good dark elf trapped in a world of evil, and it becomes very clear that he doesn't fit and therefore must leave. The rest of the characters are all truly evil, with the exception of his father, who is torn. It's just not that interesting. For a truly complex world with complex characters, I recommend the Dragonlance Chronicles by Hickman and Weiss--the best fantasy story out there.