Rating: 
Summary: R.A. Salvatore scores again with this great read
Review: The Lone Drow continues R.A. Salvatores newest epic the Hunters Blades Trilogy. Those who read the first novel in this series were chomping at the bit, for this continuation. I couldn't wait to see what had happened to Bruenor, Wulfgar, Cattie Brie and especially Drizzt.
Salvatore shines the spotlight on a few newer characters. Nanfoodle and Shoudra leap off the pages, as you see what an unlikely pair they make. Meanwhile Pikel and his brother dwarf step up in more of a leading role than in past books. Let's not forget about Obould Many Arrows the Orc King that has rallied thousands of Orcs and an assortment of Frost Giants and trolls to his banner. This character has developed into a real threat unlike any faced by the companions before.
Drizzt finds himself battling alongside two surface elves and pondering "What if" thoughts since he believes his friends are gone. This book highlights all the passion, pain and adventure that are integral elements of Salvatores stories, and takes it to a new level. Never before has this band of heroes and their friends faced such a threat. Can they rally and win the day....we will see in next chapter......I can't wait.
Rating:
Summary: Drizzt Alone amidst Tens of Thousands of Goblinkin
Review: The Lone Drow is the second novel in the Hunter's Blades trilogy, following The Thousand Orcs. In the previous volume, the goblinkin topple Withegroo's tower and overrun Shallows town. King Bruenor was injured in the crashing tower and the orcs believed him to have been killed. However, some of the defenders, including the injured dwarf king, escaped within a wooden sculpture of Gruumsh, the orcish god.In this novel, Drizzt has been killing orcs, goblins and giants outside the siege lines and believes his friends to have died when the town fell. In his pain, he retreats into the Hunter state and loses himself in the killing. He is not quite alone among the goblinkin, for two surface elves, Tarathiel and Innovindil, and their pegasi mounts are also ambushing and raiding the orc army. However, Drizzt is avoiding these elves since they were friends of the deluded and deceased Ellifain. Bruenor is deep within a coma, being kept alive only by the healing magic of the dwarf clerics, but he is not yet dead. Regis has been appointed Steward to manage the affairs of Mithral Hall as Bruenor would have wanted it run. Catti-brie and Wulfgar are supporting Banak Brawnanvil in holding back the orc army on the cliffs overlooking Keeper's Dale to the west of Mithral Hall. The dwarves from Mirabar under Torgar Hammerstriker are also fighting with Banak on the western cliffs. Marchon Elastul of Mirabar is incensed at this betrayal and sends Shoudra Stargleam and Nanfoodle the gnome alchemist to cause trouble in Mithral Hall. However, Shoudra and Nanfoodle soon have other plans. King Obould Many-Arrows has attracted even more goblinkin after the fall of Shallows and the supposed death of King Bruenor. The orc shamans begin to follow Arganth Snarrl, who is proclaiming Obould as the avatar of Gruumsh. Obould's son, Urlgen Threefist, commands the orcs facing Banak on the cliffs, but his father is holding back replacements and thus stealing the victory from him. Gerti, the queen of the frost giants, is beginning to see Obould taking charge and leaving her in a subordinate role. The four renegade drow advising Obould also see their influence lessening and Kaer'lic, priestess of Lloth, is beginning to fear Drizzt intensely. In this story, the orc army in the west and the trolls in the east are beginning to grind down the dwarves and their allies. Although Banak is devastating the goblinkin attacking him, the orcs are receiving reinforcements and the dwarves are not. Moreover, King Obould is starting to make sound decisions, unlike the usual orc style of warfare. For those who prefer action, this story may exceed your every desire. Whenever Drizzt is feeling depressed, he goes out and kills more orcs and giants. Meanwhile, the orcs are throwing themselves at the dwarves defending Mithral Hall. Thank goodness for the occasional introspection piece by Drizzt to allow the pulse rate to return to normal. This story shows the dwarves on the defense. Moreover, Drizzt is mostly alone (except for Guenhwyvar) and convinced that he is the sole survivor among the companions. Nesme has fallen to the trolls and the survivors fled. Other than Mirabar, the dwarf allies are on the wrong side of the Subrin defense built by the goblinkin. The situation looks dark. Can the author save all in the concluding volume, The Two Swords? Highly recommended for Salvatore and Forgotten Realm fans and for anyone else who enjoys epic tales of beleaguered heroes facing powerful and wicked foes. -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: All I could think of as I read this book was WOW! Never before have I had any book as interesting as this, and as I neared the finish I was hoping it would never end. The characters are the best of any book I have ever read, and I love the way R.A. Salvator makes you feel empathetic for his characters. I can hardly wait for the third book to come out, because of all the suspense from theis book. Even if it isn't half as good as this it would still get a rating of five stars from me.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best.
Review: The Lone Drow was one of the best Drizzt books out there. The writting style of Salvatore is amazin' and the character interaction and emotion put into the characters is beyond words. The book starts right off where the first book in the trilogy, "The Thousand Orcs," leaves off. Drizzt left alone with the thoughts of his friends dead and his scimitars hungry for vengance! The Dwarves, along with Wulfgar and Catti-Brie, fighting for their lives and for their home aganist the unrelenting orcs. Every page was wonderful and never filled with a dull moment between the two main storylines. And the characters were spectacular. Some of the highlights were: (can't write them all because there were just to many) The obvious one is Drizzt and his tale. Salvatore was able to take Drizzt back to the days of the hunter and his life in the underdark. And The emotional baggage Drizzt was carrying and the amazin' detailed action scenes were spectacular. The next hightlight was the other main storyline, Dwarves vs, Orcs, LET'S GET IT ON! All the character in this battle and around it were just some much fun to read. Salvatore is not only the master of the Drow society, but the master of the Dwarves society as well. Many characters in the,"Thousand Orcs," (or in other Drizzt books) annoyed me, but in the, "Lone Drow," they shined. The characters sure as Tarathiel, Innovindil, Pikel, and Pwent. the two elves interaction with Driztt and what happen in this brought out the elf characters. The interaction between Drizzt and Innovindil was a great way for Salvatore to go, showing Drizzt a life he never had or never really thought about (can't wait to see what happens). The last and final highlight came from the character Obloud Many-arrows. I liked this character in the thousands orcs, but I loved this character in this book. the image Salvatore painted in my head of Obloud was beyond words, well no, one word came to mind, Badass! "Lone Drow," is one of the best Drizzt books I have read, fill with action, drama, and twists and turns all weaving around one other. the characters are some much fun to read about and it's not a hard read either. The writing style and the flow of the book is very smooth and there is not one dull moment. If you want a book about Dwarves, Drow, Orcs, and many other races, a book filled with action, drama, and unforgettable characters, a book with an awesome storyline, "The Lone Drow, " is for you. But you have to read all the other Drizzt books first....you must, for they are great! All Hail Drizzt Do'Urden and R.A. Salvatore! One more thing, the ending was awesome!
Rating:
Summary: Best Drizzt book in a long time
Review: I love R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf books. Drizzt is a brilliant creation, and the series is very well written. The Dark Elf trilogy hooked me (Homeland is one of my favorite books), the Icewind Dale Trilogy was great too, and the Legacy of the Drow quartet was brilliant. And while I liked the Paths of Darkness series, it never felt as magical as the first 10 books, with the exception of Servant of the Shard.
I felt the same with 1000 Orcs. It was good, but it felt...like an intro. Maybe the cover had me expecting more excitement, but it did not live up to my expectations.
Not so with the Lone Drow. It has more action than any Drizzt book since Seige of Darkness (again with the exception of Servant of the Shard, but that didn't star Drizzt), but it is NOT simply a hack and slash. It reaches depths in character that Salvatore is so good at, while still being incredibly entertaining. I haven't like the battle scenes this much in a long time.
So in other words, buy this book, even if you were a bit disapointed with the previous Drizzt books.
Rating: 
Summary: If 3 stars is mediocre, then mediocre it is.
Review: I have read and absorbed a few of the previous reviews for R.A. Salvatore's latest Drizzt installments and not once has anyone touched on the glaring similarity to the recently released Lord of the Rings movies. I began reading about Drizzt over 10 years ago, falling in love with a character that I could totally relate to (the single most important factor in establishing character development). The Thousand Orcs.....The Two Towers. The release of the book, not to mention the eerily similar content, coincided very harmoniously with the movie. We have an assembly of many, many snarling and bloodthirsty orcs in both cases. Now if this doesn't reek of a cash-grab, I don't know what does. I whole-heartedly agree that Drizzt et troupe have become characatures of themselves. The names of the secondary characters, not to mention their dialogue ("oo, oi"???) have slid uncerimoniously from the sublime to the absolute ridiculous. Give us some credit Rob, we've grown up with Drizzt. Whay hasn't he grown up with us? The "poor me" syndrome he seems steeped in just doesn't cut it anymore for a warrior of his stature. Forget about D&D stats, here is a fully fleshed-out character that really does need to mature and develop his own path. Perhaps Drizzt's inability to mature and "move on" is symptomatic of R.A. Salvatore's inability to create what he loves without WotC breathing down his neck about revenues and deadlines. I don't care how long it takes Rob to write another Drizzt novel, but please, for the sake of this wonderful, enduring and lovable character you have blessed us with, let him loose. Take a journey back across the worlds you have created and look at the very reason you set out on the journey. We love you Drizzt.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring!!!
Review: I'm really surprised to see all the positive reviews for this book. I am a big fan of the Drizzt series but this one is disappointing. What little bit of story advancement was covered could have filled a comic book. Everything else was all filler. It was one confrontation description after another. Never getting to the story telling. Salvatore must have signed a three book contract and needed to fill some pages. The constant woe-is-me musings of Drizzt grew old quickly. I understand he is upset about the apparent death of his friends, but page after page every other chapter is cheap writing. The book is slow and a far cry from what is expected from a usually fine author.
Rating:
Summary: Some People
Review: Some people just dont understand that Salvatore is THE best auther there is right now and he has never ever writen a bad book that has to do anything with Drizzt at all! All of his books deserve five stars. But I will admit the Legacy did get somewhat a little boring after some time. He is the man. --Oz
Rating: 
Summary: An Understanding of D&D would help...
Review: I would like to state first that I am and avid Salvatore fan, having read most of his work including the majority of the DemonWar series. I have read the most of the reviews on Amazon about this book and wanted to clarify a few things: 1.The Immortality of the Characters - In reading the reviews of several people that stated that the characters NEVER DIE, even after sustaining what sounds like a major wound, I would like to explain some basic D&D ideologies. You need to understand that in game terms, Drizzt is a 16th level character. His game challenge rating is an 18, which is quite high. Having played D&D for many years, I am quite familiar with characters of this caliber, having a few of my own, and it is safe to say that you are almost immortal at that level. When you take into consideration that most of the orcs he is fighting have a challenge rating of .5, you can see why he would seemingly never die. Not to mention that at 16th level, he would have well over 120 hit points. With an arrow only dealing an average of 4 hit points of damage, a spear only dealing an average of 6 points of damage, it would take a LONG time for them to deal enough damage to have him worried, that is of course assuming they can hit him. In game terms, every one of the main characters is AT LEAST 12th level. This is a group of characters that have many strengths, few weaknesses, and lots of VERY GOOD equipment. In that situation, it would take a very powerful dragon or wizard to put the group in a position where they might be compromised.
2.The Issue of so-called "Cheesy Villains" - In all of the Drizzt books, I have yet to see a villain that did not stand out as a character that you wanted to read about. Artemis and Jarlaxel are two of my favorite Salvatore characters, and if he were to kill them off without exploring alternative story lines with them, I and many other readers would be angry at the loss. As for The Hunter's Blades series, Obloud is one of the most interesting orcs I have ever read about. Taking a brutish, un-intelligent creature like an orc and creating a villain that can challenge the might and intelligence of our heroes is a work indeed.
3.Plot - This series, like every other series from Salvatore, is a work of multiple plotlines and stories. While I agree that WotC should give him more freedom to write as inspired, I think that Salvatore does a masterful job working within WotC's guidelines. Moreover, to say that he should drop the other characters and write about Drizzt at a point far into the future, is to say that Brunor, Regis, Wulfgar, and Cattie Brie have no bearing or weight in the character that is Drizzt. To remove the rest of the party is to say that you WANT to make Drizzt stand out EVEN MORE as a "Super Hero." It is just asinine.
In all, Salvatore is by far the best fantasy writer I have read in many a year. His ability to detail a battle is what makes him stand out as an author. I have said my piece, take with a grain of salt, read the book for yourself and be your own judge.
Rating:
Summary: More Salvatore at his best!
Review: This novel is just pure Salvatore. Drizzt continues his considerable growth and development as a character, as do the other companions. Particularly interesting is the way in which Regis is coming into his own over the course of the last several books. And the action! It just never ends. This book is just battle after battle, with enough twists thrown in that it never gets old. The plot is basic and while it works well, it is not particularly deep. But, then again, Salvatore has never been an epic writer along the lines of Jordan or Martin. Mostly, Salvatore is just plain fun! Can't wait for the next book in this series!
|
