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.
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: I rarely read books twice, but a just finished this one a second time. R.A. Salvatore has a gift for ensnaring his audience with his style. Homeland starts the life of Drizzt Do'Urden. Raised in the evil society of the drow elves deep in Menzoberranzan, Drizzt struggles to come to grips with his own convictions and the world that battles to warp them. The life of the Drow is a viscous life, oddly mimicing our own at times, where deciet and ambition reign. But not so for Drizzt. His is a life of compassion in which he struggles to find the answer to why he exists. This book covers the birth and childhood of Drizzt. The reader gets to walk with him as he learns the evils of drow society and the magnificent use of his weapons: the twin scumitars. The book culminates with Drizzt decission to leave Menzoberranzan after killing his advasaries Masoh Hun'ett and Alton DeVir and the lose of his father and mentor Zaknafien. If you love action, adventure and science fiction this book is perfect for you. Salvatore brings Ed Greenwoods fantasy world to life and you will not put this book down until you have to.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books every written
Review: I had the extreme fortune to meet Mr. Salvatore when he came to my town to sign books at the local Copperfields. He said that the best book he had ever written was Mortalis, and his favorite book was Homeland. While I have not yet had time to read Mortalis, I have read most of the books about Homeland's main character--Drizzt Do'Urden--and this is by far the best of them all. Drizzt is a drow (an elf with black skin and white hair, whom are almost always evil) and is born with purple eyes, an unusual thing about the drow since they have infrared vision, so their eyes are almost always red. Drizzt lives with his family in the drow city of Menzoberranzan, where most of the book takes place. The book is all about how Drizzt is so different from his kin--he is compassionate, he is niave, he is kind, he is honorable. All of these are traits that are practically nonexistant in the drow world. Drizzt's mentor shares the same ideals, and it is he, Zaknafein, who teaches Drizzt how to wield twin scimitars until Drizzt is arguably the best figter in all of Menzoberranzan. But then Drizzt must decide--can he live in a world with no morals, no kindness, no compassion, no mercy. In a world where drow children of lesser houses (ranks) are slaughtered for the fun of it, down to the last drow baby. This is the first book in the Dark Elf Trilogy, and the best of the three, I think (though the others are all wonderful as well), and one of the most moving books I've ever read. Drizzt is a believeable character, and I would place this book on the same shelf as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Beryel Markham's West With the Night, and all of the other classics. Truely one of the best books in circulation today. Fantasy lover or not, you will wish that the book is not done when the end comes! A must read for all who love good writing!
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