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The Lone Drow (Forgotten Realms: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, Book 2)

The Lone Drow (Forgotten Realms: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, Book 2)

List Price: $25.95
Your Price: $17.13
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's getting a little long in the tooth but still fun
Review: As much as I agreed with the poster that listed the six points that would make a better story, I rank the book slightly higher then he does. Perhaps it's because I picked it up as a light read, not expecting a great work, just checking in to see what was new with old friends I had last read about ten years ago in high school.
The Superman syndrome has indeed taken over and to be blunt, the plot and story telling is extremely cartoony. Despite their being bloodied and wounded numerous times in the course of the story our heroes charge on without fail. Characters suffer arrows to the chest and shrug it off, are impailed and keep going, and so on.
There's never a sense of danger, and the one death you seem certain or is reversed in the final chapters.
However, it's a Forgotten Realms book, which is not to belittle it, but just to point out that it is a franchise and just like comic book franchises, not much tends to change the status quo (anyone ever think Spider-man will really die? Would Superman ever really stay dead? Or even Jimmy Olsen?).
It's a flawed book, and by this late in the series it seems a trifle phoned in, but if you just want to waste a day reading about the invincible heroes you read about in high school, give it a shot.
One fan said that the stories should mature as the audience matures, and I agree with it, but we shouldn't judge Salvatore too harshly because out tastes mature and change as we do.
Something really has to be done about the names though. "Muffinhead"? "Daggnabbitt"? Please, it makes it seem like the author laughing at the readers by showing us the absurdity of it all.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: .........
Review: well the book was great however i have to agree with another review i noticed......... kill a main character or something. i mean come on..... they can't live forever..... pick one.... however i actually like the detail in the fight scenes.... i've read the entire series and i have to say thats my only complaint. ah well i'll check out the war of the spider queens series next....

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Cordio Muffinhead? For Heaven's sake, try a little harder
Review: I knew something was askew when I flipped open the book and found a dwarf named 'Cordio Muffinhead'...And that, my friends, was my final wake-up call that R.A. Salvatore isn't trying very hard anymore, at least not with regard to Drizzt and his storyline. I'm a bit saddened, I was hoping that 'the Lone Drow' would've been an improvement over "The Thousand Orcs" but I now see that isn't the case. This book is more-or-less a grudging march from Book 1 to Book 3. I agree with the reviewer who said trilogies like these could've been put in one book--holy cow, it's all in big print and even a blind man can see where Salvatore's rushed the story along. If this is a preview of things to come then WotC and Salvatore should let Drizzt ride off into the sunset (or Underdark). The Superman syndrome that R.A.S always feared would happen to Drizzt occurred long ago, but a lack or effort and enthusiasm is what will eventually peel longtime fans away from the fold.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Salvatore's most brilliant work
Review: I had never heard of Salvatore until the day I was to be deployed for the desert. I spotted a book that had a nice cover on it and read it. The Thousand Orcs needless to say peeked my interest. Since the month and a half from there, I have read all of the Drizzt novels as well as the Cleric Quintet Series, but even after reading all of those, I have never seen a book that can capture the imagination of a reader the way The Lone Drow does.

Salvatore takes real life emotions and puts them in his novels. He doesn't just write a story, he writes a play that puts you right smack in the middle of the story. The only downside to The Lone Drow is that we all have to wait till October 2004 to get the next one.

Bottom Line: Read this book!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Time to do something
Review: I have read every published work I know of by Salvatore. I read the Icewind Dale series (still the best by him) starting in '88. I really began to like Salvatore because, unlike most fantasy at that time, he wrote long, descriptive combat. But now, Salvatore has become a cash cow for various folks, and his early unheard of success (if not in fantasy in general, D&D type fantasy in specific) in the fanatasy market has been milked dry. So many of us read Salvatore out of loyalty, and too many of us give great ratings and buy the books brand new when they simply aren't that good. I still have the last book of that awful DemonWars Saga only partially read.

The Lone Drow is _OK_. But it isn't great by a long shot. And the poster who wrote a list of improvements for Salvatore was correct in many spots of the list. The Lone Drow is one of the better Salvatore books in more recent times. I really think Mr. Salvatore needs to finish his contract requirements and go offline for a while and JUST WRITE. See what he can do. Forget the marketing, the rules, the formulas. The publishers like the formulas because they get about $25x3 out of us. Most of these series can easily be combined into one book.

My rant is complete. I hope my long term favorite fantasy author can get something fresh going. No more Tarzan or Star Wars and no more milking. Just some good, epic, fantasy.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: As Salvatore's readers mature, so should the storylines
Review: To summarize my review before I get into it: R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt-books have evolved into Saturday morning cartoons rather than staying as the Tolkein-esque stories they first started out to be.

I have been a Salvatore-Drizzt-book reader ever since 1990 when I read The Crystal Shard. I have read every Drizzt-book since then, but with this last book I have decided to give up the series until some drastic changes are made. Instead of an exhaustive review of this book, I'll just point to 6 ways as to how this entire series is on its death-bed. Salvatore can cure these maladies by listening to the following:

1.) DRIZZT AND HIS FRIENDS HAVE BECOME SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON CHARACTERS - In cartoons the main characters never die, they are invincible, they are unflawed. In The Drizzt books, no main character can ever die. They fight hundreds and hundreds of "bad guys," only to score perfect victories each time. If it seems that one of the main character has died, or will, it's only a red herring that sets you up for that character to inevitably "save the day."

2.) DRIZZT'S ENEMIES HAVE TURNED INTO THE "VILLAIN OF THE WEEK VARIETIES" - In cartoons, the heros are usually pitted by a different villian each week. The villians are rarely fleshed-out, and they're just around for the purpose of getting killed by Drizzt and Co. If a villian is fleshed-out, Salvatore becomes attached and cannot kill him, only send him away (Artemis Entreri, Jarlaxle, etc).

3.) SUPPORTING CHARACTERS ARE LIKE THE "YOMAN" CHARACTER FROM STAR TREK - Remember in Star Trek how Captain Kirk would beam down to a planet with some unnamed officer, and inevitably, the unnamed officer would die while Kirk would be unharmed? Okay, now substitute "Captain Kirk" with "Drizzt" and you have Salvatore's new books. A seasoned reader knows that when a character is introduced, he's not likely to be a permanent fixture.

4.) YOU CAN'T GO 2 PAGES WITHOUT BEING REMINDED THAT DRIZZT & CO. ARE THE TOUGHEST, BADDEST CHARACTERS IN THE WORLD - It's not that you see this through their actions, but Salvatore spells it out for you before every fight. Hypothetical example: "The orcs were heavily armed and outnumbered the weakened drow twenty five to one. But this was Drizzt Do-Urden, and he was no ordinary drow!" Please ...

5.) SALVATORE'S EDITORS NEED TO BACK OFF OF HIM AND LET HIM WRITE - if you've noticed in the past several books, Salvatore paces the story nicely, then has to suddenly end the story because the editors limit the number of pages he can have. When you get 4/5s the way through it, you think "wow, I'm almost finished, and there's so much left! Hell, (enter character's name) isn't even within a 10-day ride from the others?!" ANSWER: Robillard the mage shows up and magically teleports the character wherever they need to go.

6.) THE FIGHT SCENES ARE A BIT TOO DETAILED - Everyone knows Drizzt is a bad mutha-sucka, but when Salvatore gets carried away and writes, "Drizzt then shifted his balance to the right and pivoted low with a perfect center of gravity, slicing his left scimitar right, then feinting back, swinging his left scimitar in a downward arc, pulling back, then upward pivoting to his right, bringing his swords at a downward V-angle, parrying each blow, then rolling to his left, followed by an inverted cone flip to the front, slicing diagnally with his left right-ended scimitar...." I just find myself skimming paragraphs.

MY SUGGESTION FOR SALVATORE & DRIZZT:
-------------------------------------
Set the next series some 100 years into the future. Drizzt, as an elf, will continue to live for several more centuries. Cattie-Brie, Wulfgar, Regis and Bruenor will not. Go ahead and jump forward and write the novel that you wanted to with THE LONE DROW. It's time for Drizzt to move on.

I think Salvatore knows that. He toys with the ideas of Drizzt and Cattie-brie's grim future, but I don't think he has the nerve to actually kill anyone off. So just jump to the future and make it happen.

And get rid of those annoying dwarf brothers! They are the Jar Jar Binks of the Drizzt world. I would welcome any feedback from Salvatore fans. I still am one, but I feel like I'm watching a good thing go down the tubes.

Be critical, people. Don't just throw praise at a book because teh main character is cool and has potential. I can tell by the writing style of the majority of these reviewers that they are somewhere between 10-16 years old. That's how old I was when I read The Crystal Shard. I want to feel the same way about these new books as I did when I was that age reading the early adventures. I've matured, so now must the Drizzt storyline.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hey! Let's Blow A Mountain Up . . .
Review: That's about the size of it. This is a great book, one of the greater books that I have read in a long time. The rush that comes with reading Salvatore returns with the impending war for the north. The main idea of the story is Obould Many Arrows becomes a mighty god-figure in the eyes of his growing army; this creates problems for the poor dwarves of Mithral Hall. They stand as the last bastion of defense in the north against the hordes of Obould and Gerti (the frost giant). Hard pressed to guard even their own Mithral Hall, the dwarves are in dire straights. Their king is presumed dead, though still only in a comatic state. In his stead, Steward Regis calls the shots while Catti Brie and Wulfgar hold the lines along with the Bouldershoulder brothers (I love them), the Gutbuster Brigade (them too), and various other allies newly introduced in this book. Beaten back to the ridge over Keeper's Dale, about half the book covers the long battle for ground there. Drizzt, meanwhile, is out on his own dealing with feelings of despair and loss. He believes he has lost everything dear to him. As the Hunter he begins to fight this depression with violence against the orcish army. Not until he accepts the aid of two high elven friends does he actually make progress in his personal battle (but he was slaughtering orcs the whole time, make no mistake). This tale, thought packed with orc busting action, is only setting the field for greater deeds. Go out, buy this book, and read it. It had me laughing out loud at times, and at other times screaming at anyone who disturbed my concentration on the moment in the book. It is gripping and accelerates to a pace that makes a fantasy fan squeal with joy (oui-ooi!). Be ready for some surprises and pivotal plot twists with some great fights. Pay attention to the setting of the stage; In the next act (The Two Swords) A lot will come into play that one may not expect. Excellent book. I give it so many thumbs up I have to burrow some. Oh, and as for blowing up the mountain, just read the book and you'll laugh when you get the jist of the whole scheme (it's really clever).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A most excellent book
Review: I could hardly wait for this book after reading the first one in the series "Thousand Orcs". This book has lived up to my expectations and more. I was recently disappointed in some of the works by RA Salvatore, but this series, with my favorite Drow has restored my faith in the Master. No one can use scimitars like Drizzit. I can hardly wait for the conclusion. I would advised you before you pick up this book that you have nothing on your schedule, because once you start you just can't stop. Some parts of this book had me literally in goosebumps. I am not going to spoil the story, so read and enjoy and find out for yourself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: He just keeps getting better
Review: Oh my god, this is a great book and defiently one of the best in the series. I have been reading since the beging of the book series. The emotion and livlyness put into this book are so amazing that you just dont want to put it down. I got the book off of his website at www.rasalvatore.com at read the book in 2 days. I highly recomend this book to anyone who just willing to read a book period. This book might also be a turning point in RA Salvatores carear(sorry cant spell). He has definetly managed to pull something out of his hat for this story. Loved it, know you will too.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: He's done it again!
Review: Well, what can I say?? I just finished the book and simply felt compelled to write a review about it. Frankly, I'm not what people might call a book-worm, but with this novel I found myself not being able to put it down! My role-playing days may be long over, but as long as Salvatore keeps on writing them, I'm definitely reading them!! Simply fantastic!


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