Sea of Swords

Rating:
Summary: Sea of Swords
Review: R.A. Salvatore is one of my favorite authors and Sea of Swords is one of his best! "Sea of Swords" has the fast-paced action and excellent plot development that has exemplified all of Salvatore's books, but what really makes this book stand out is his continued development of his signature characters, the Companions of the Hall. While I enjoyed "Spine of the World" and "Servant of the Shard", I missed Catti-brie and Bruenor and Drizzt and Regis. "Sea of Swords" brings all the companions back together again. I really enjoyed some of the new twists on the continuing story of Drizzt's life. Wulfgar's ongoing struggle for redemption is easy to empathize with, and I loved the return of the comic relief given by Bruenor and Regis. I can hardly wait for the next book

Also Recommended: WOT series, The lord of the rings and I could never forget The Price of Immertality. ALL MUST READS!

Rating:
Summary: Great read, few faults
Review: The newest installment of the Paths of Darkness series is an incredible book, within its 300-somthin' pages, Salvatore delivers the thrilling chase and combat he is so well known for. Though it is an excellent book, everything has some downfalls. This story for some reason seems tainted, the feeling it gives doesn't match with the one received by the Icewind Dale Trilogy or The Dark Elf Trilogy. It does well to set up what is to come, but leaves you wanting a bit more from the present. Drizzt, as always, analyzes his spiritual and moral standing on the books issues between sections and these can get very interesting if you bother to listen. The story goes with the separated paths and rejoining of poor Wulfgar and his friends with several nifty subplots. Combat is great as always but never gives the mighty Drow much beyond a Ertemis style challenge. In the story, several other characters are brought back and elaborated upon such as Morik, The inhabitants of Auckney, and the good ol' Sea Sprite crew. No appearance from the delightful Longsaddle Wizards (I love those guys) but comedy is present in a deeper focus of little Regis and Morik's well placed wise cracks. Guen receives very little showtime in this book though he finds ways to steal the spotlight at times.
After all is said and done, the story is another grand adventure with the Companions of the Hall reunited at last. . . its just not Icewind Dale caliber, though.

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: Drizzt's beginning in the underdark was really good . . . this one was not. Drizzt and Co never come up against anything that gives them trouble. They aren't meeting challenges that CHALLENGE them. For the last few books, it's been the same old plot: Enemy shows up that hates Drizzt, Drizzt believes it's all his fault, other try to convince him differently, lo and behold it IS all his fault, they butcher the enemies easily. This one did have a few good parts where Drizzt messed up and almost paid too much for it, but for the most part Salvator's writing is getting old and trite. This books falls far short of exciting reading

Rating:
Summary: sooo disappointed
Review: This book had to be one of the most disappointing I've read. After reading Servant of the Shard (and enjoying it immensely), I expected more challenging things for this group of heroes. But this seems to be almost a segway book, builds a few characters that need no building, they have a fairly run of the mill adventure and a slight subplot. On a sidenote...I don't really like how Drizzt and Cattibrie are coming together, kind of seems like a half backstab thing, reminds me of that movie Pearl Harbor (Wulfgar is thought to get killed, Cattibrie falls for Drizzt, Wulfgar comes back etc).. only twist is how Wulfgar found someone else in previous books, but it still [stinks] in my opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Formulaic, Salvatore's characters are becoming stale again
Review: At best an average entry in the Dark Elf Saga, R.A. Salvatore's latest Drizzt tale exposes more than ever his apparent trouble with taking the characters anyplace new. While Salvatore seemed to turn an eye towards character growth with Wulfgar's traumatic and scarring torture at the hands of fiends and his subsequent alcoholism, this book is meant to serve as his redemption piece- but at the end, I was left wondering if Wulfgar was truly changed by the last few years of his life at all. At any rate, his story is vastly more interesting than that of Drizzt, who hasn't changed since the Dark Elf Trilogy, despite having a major ghost from his past pop up in this book, an experience he dismisses with little more than a shrug afterwards. Cattie-Brie and Bruenor remain the same as they've always been. Surprisingly, the only healthy example of character growth in the book is with Regis, and Salvator pulls that one off well enough to make me wish the halfling had a lot more airtime.

When a series like this has been around for more than a decade, it's not easy to keep the material as page-turningly fresh as it was in the beginning. In my humble opinion, Salvatore needs to try a lot harder.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read, but a tad shallow
Review: Let me just start out by saying that I am a regular reader of R.A. Salvatore's books. I have read every Drizzt and Companions of the Hall book to date, and I'm working on the Cleric Quintet now. Naturally, when I hopped over to my local bookstore and forked over [price] for a hardcover copy of this book, I was elated. When I read it, though, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I loved the book, but I finished this book in two days. I usually manage to make the other books last up to a week. I loved the whole Le'Lorinel subplot, and thought that it was a nice addition to the story, but once I reached about the halfway point in the book, I figured it out. I thought the Morik the Rogue thing was humorous, but it didn't really have any bearing on the major storyline. I thought it was nice how instead of going after a red dragon or a deadly house leader like Pasha Pook, they were looking for their friend Wulfgar. I must say, I loved this book, but not as much as, say, The Legacy, The Crystal Shard, or Exile. If you are looking for a great read, I would recommend this book, but don't get your hopes up.

Rating:
Summary: Companions of the Hall United
Review: Salvatore finally brings the Paths of Darkness series of the Dark Elf Saga to a close with "Sea of Swords". This novel was an enjoyable read that had several differences from previous novels that focused on Drizzt Do'Urden and the Companions of the Hall.

For instance, instead of pursuing an enemy, or attempting to fight a war, the companions are instead pursuing a friend: the estranged Wulfgar. After defeating a band of rogues in Ice Wind Dale, evidence discovered by the rest of the Companions suggests Wulfgar might not be coping with his demons well. Drizzt and company set out after him and his lost magical war hammer. Along the way, they must come to grips with how they will welcome back their lost friend.

A nice twist to this novel is the mystery of the elf Le'lorinel pursuit of Drizzt. Readers of the earlier novels of the series might figure this one out, but it comes to a dramatic and somewhat unexpected conclusion in the end. Salvatore combines a lot of plot lines and characters from other novels in this book, but this subplot was the most successful.

The lack of Artemis Entreri, Jarlaxle, other drow elves, and a climatic war help make this novel fresh in comparison to others in the series. The enemies may seem beneath what the Companions are capable of, but they can't fight dragons every time. A pirate band and clan of ogres fill in nicely this time around.

Spending less time than usual on action, more time on uniting characters from previous novels and resolving dangling issues, Slavatore has created and engaging fun read. Its not his best work, but it is still a fantastic story. If this is the last novel of the Dark Elf Saga, then it ends the series nicely, but I hope to read more. I would encourage fantasy fans to pick this one up.

Rating:
Summary: Good read - but thinly plotted & predictable
Review: Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Salvatore's work. I have all his books and think they're all well worth a read.

This is a good book for a lightweight read.
The plot is fairly thin and there is absolutely no character development. There is nothing in-depth or challenging about this book at all. It's also a shade shorter than a normal Dark Elf novel (barely reaching 300 pages).
However, having said that, the writing syle is good (usual Salvatore) and it is fast paced and easy to read.

The book seems a little rushed (which would explain the solitary plotline and limited descriptions). It's almost as if Salvatore has too much work on his hands at present! He's writing his second Demon Wars trilogy (releasing a novel a year), he wrote the Star Wars II novelisation during this period - as *well* as his contracted 'novel per year' in the Dark Elf saga.
In addition, he is busily writing a TV treatment for a possible 'Forgotten Realms' series.

With all this work it isn't suprising that one or more areas are left a tad thin.

I gave this book 3 stars - and it's mainly for the standard characters and writing style. It's far from his best work. Hopefull the next installment will be back up there with the earlier novels.

Rating:
Summary: Good read, but...
Review: As usual, ol' Bobby S. put out a great book. Thrilling action sequences, wonderful writing. However, it went a little fast. I was done with it in a day, whereas I normally draw out his books for two or three, because I hate putting them on the shelf. Moreover, the villains were not as interesting as Entreri and Jarlaxle. Still, it was a great book, and I can't wait for the new Hunter Trilogy

Rating:
Summary: Another fun read =)
Review: I usually sneer at reading Dungeons & Dragons books, but I've been a loyal fan of the 'Drizzt' series for 10+ years now. I never hesitate to buy these books as soon as they come out and it's always with a giddy grin that I open the cover and start reading. Characters are what make you feel that way, and RAS has never failed to make his protagonists (and antagonists for that matter) interesting and fun to read about. Sea of Swords is a fun romp with old friends.

Without spoiling anything, I'll also say that I love the twist at the end of this story. I have to wonder if in the future, Drizzt will be affected by the events that transpire in the last chapter or so...