Customer Reviews

The Legacy (Forgotten Realms: The Legend of Drizzt, Book VII)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This will be short - basically; Salvatore has always written some really great books - especially about the main character in most of his TSR books, Drizzt Do'Urden, but this is definitely one of his best. The Dark Elf Trilogy is great, as is the Icewindale Trilogy, but this book marks the beginning of then end (until later this year, thank goodness when he publishes a few more books about Drizzt), and has to be rated as one of his best. His first hardback, and definitely up there with one of the best Fantasy novels of all time. Salvatore at this point has matured so much in his writing about Drizzt Do'Urden that he's able to give so much more insight into the character but without having read the six books about Drizzt preceding this one, the reader may not fully understand how important the book is. The Legacy takes Drizzt back to his homeland where he has to question his people once again - it shows that he cannot escape their vile world no matter how far he runs from them. Menzoberranzen will always haunt him and his family is seeking revenge on him for getting them out of favor with Lloth. Drizzt takes it upon hmself to travel into the Underdark and solve all of his own problems. A plot that could only be awesome the way Salvatore writes it. And if you've read Homeland, Exile, and Sourjourn, then you can really appreciate his dilemma. Basically, this is far and away one of Salvatore's greatest books and holds a special place in all Salvatore fans because it was his first published hardback and a great bestseller.

With this book, Salvatore returns to one of his most popular creations: the drow ranger, Drizzt Do'Urden. THE LEGACY takes place several months after the end of THE ICEWIND DALE TRILOGY (THE CRYSTAL SHARD, STREAMS OF SILVER, and THE HALFING'S GEM). While it's not necessary, I highly recommend that you read that, as well as its prequel DARK ELF TRILOGY (HOMELAND, EXILE, and SOUJOURN), before you pick this book up. These two trilogies introduce the characters and places that THE LEGACY focuses on. If you haven't read them, you will still be able to enjoy the story, but you won't be able to pick up on a lot of the nuances and references to past history that makes the story so rich in detail.

Two things that Salvatore is brilliant at: characterization and battle scenes. Drizzt has got to be one of the most interesting, three dimensional characters in all of fantasy. He is passionate, caring, and introspective. It is a joy just to read his philosophizing on how he lives his life. The supporting characters are all individualized with their own quirks and passions. The interactions among them are at times a joy to read and, at other times, very frustrating, mainly because we come to care for them.

Salvatore's fight scenes are probably the best I've ever read. His description, though detailed, his very fast paced. Every time I read one, my heart races and my hands shake. It is pure brilliance and this book is no different, except for the fact that there are more battles in this book than in any two of the previous books.

If you are a Salvatore or a Drizzt fan, you're going to love this book. If you haven't read any of the Drizzt books I mentioned above, I suggest you start there so you can get the full appreciation for this one.

Having read nearly every book Salvatore has written in his Drizzt series, it is obvious I know and enjoy Salvatore's writing style. While I find all of his books above average so far (I haven't read Silent Blade or Spine of the World yet), I believe The Legacy was the best of the series. Once I started reading this book for the THIRD time, I STILL could not put it down. Even though I knew the outcome, it was still an amazing novel. Salvatore's ability to portray swordplay with words is amazing, and he was at his best in this novel. If you have read the Icewind Dale and/or the Dark Elf trilogy and want to hear more of Drizzt's adventures, or even if you haven't for that matter, READ THIS BOOK!

RA Salvatore created a monster with the Drizzt character, a monster that he can no longer control. Fans want stories, and as long as he gets paid, he'll probably keep writing them. This can be, for the most part, good. As long as Mr. Salvatore find a plot.

That crack is not to say that 'The Legacy' is a bad read - indeed, it is not. It's simply to say that this entire book clings to one long, lengthy battle occuring. Sure, it involved lots of people, often split up into little groups, and it spans miles of underground passageways, but really...there is little here.

Some passing attempt is made at strong character development, and while several undergo major changes, "development" is not quite the right word. Rather, they go from Stereotype A to Stereotype C with no transition in between. (in all fairness, the incident in the novel that causes all this is also quite sudden)

Not a bad fantasy novel by any means, but not a great one either.

I'm not a big fantasy reader, but I really enjoyed this book. Totally loved the characters. Drizzt is an awesome hero. Loved the inner turmoil as he tries to remain true to his noble beliefs despite being connected to a race of evil elves. The assassin Entreri was a great opponent. Totally obsessed with killing Drizzt. Very good job with Drizzt's fighting companions, who have to save him from being sacrificed by his evil sister to the spider queen. Cattie-brie is one self-assured, determined woman who's deadly with a bow. King Bruenor was great. Very tough, loyal dwarf. And Pwent the battlerager ruled!! The guy was nuts! Salvatore does an excellent job with his fight scenes. Very vivid and action packed. Also loved the fact the evil elf foot soldiers were all good fighters and not just cannon fodder as is usually the case with henchmen/bodyguards, etc. Gave Drizzt & company a lot of headaches and a lot of bruises. I like to see the good guys have a hard time in situations like this. Definately makes me want to read more in this series.

This book picks up where the Icewind Dale Trilogy left off. To truly enjoy the enormity of what is going on it is helpful to read the Dark Elf Trilogy. Catti-brie and Wulfgar are getting married and all of the heroes of Icewind Dale have returned to see the momentous occasion. Even Regis has returned from Caliport. But Drizzt's enemies are many and they have a tendency to turn up when you least expect it. Drizzt's surviving brother and sister, Vierna and Dinin, are back to slay Drizzt in the name of the spider queen, Lloth. And they have many allies. Will Catti-brie and Wulfgar get married? Why has Regis returned from Caliport? And more importantly what role does Artemis Entreri play in this sinister plot? Well I guess you'll just have to read the book to find out. Here's another hook that might get your attention. The Legacy does not have a happy ending......one of heroes of Icewind Dale will not make it out of the Undercity of Mithril Hall.

Series review: Legacy of the Draw

This series is a 4-part sequel to The Dark Elf Trilogy, which introduced the character of Drizzt Do'Urden, the exiled drow-hero swordmaster (and ranger). In this series, Drizzt undertakes an epic reverse journey back to Menzoberranzan, into the very heart of evil, in order to try to put an end to the hit squads and assassination attempts that threaten him and his friends on the surface.

I enjoyed the series very much, but it didn't quite feel up to the same level as the original series. Still, it's a very solid read for those who are fans of The Forgotten Realms Genre, and Role Playing Games in general. There's action and drama aplenty, and plenty of new information on Drow culture for hardcore gaming fans.

The Legacy, the 7th book in The Legend of Drizzt (read in order, not by release date), takes the gang of Drizzt, Bruenor, Catti-Brie, Wulfgar and Regis back to Mithril Hall and facing Drizzt's kin, the drow, for the first time in the series. The remainder of Drizzt's house Do'Urden is out for vengance and attacking the dwarfs in their homebase is part of the plan.

Normally winners of almost every battle to date in the series, the team and the army of dwarves run up against a huge challenge in fighting the drow, as hardened warriors as the dwarves and much crueller. It is good to seem them challenged and even beaten in a skimish or two.

This book features the return of Artemis Entreri (did he ever really leave?), Drizzt's main enemy. Though their banter gets old (with Drizzt taking the high moral ground and Entreri the competitive) the fight scenes are well written as always.

Though disheartnening when it happens, the team finally loses its aura of invincibility as one of their members falls in battle (no name will be given, as I hate spoilers). This brings a bit more realism to the story, and hints at future strife for the team.

Not as good as the first three (Homeland, Sojurn, Exile) but well worth the read.

This is the best Drizzt book yet. After returning to Mithril Hall the companions get little time to rest and prepare for Wulfgar and Cattie-Brie's wedding when the dark elves come hunting their long lost brother. We see the way the dark elves take to battle and fighting outside our small perception given by Drizzt. This book is astounding in the methods of battle and fighting. I still don't understand how Salvatore continues to write great fighting scenes. The war against the drow begins in this book and continues through "the Legacy of the Drow" series.

With the reuniting of old friends, the introduction of new friends, and the plotting of old enemies with clever plans, this book deserves all five stars just because of these elements and a pace that does not slow down until the last few pages. In fact, this book all takes place in less than a day. This book also has unforgivable sad moments that only give credit to the author for making his characters more realistic, however sad that conclusion brings. I will never forgive Salvatore for the way this book ends, but that only gives tribute to how much passion he can deliver in simple text.

Let the swordplay dazzle you and the enemy scare you, but whatever you do, don't stop reading this book.

Definitely GREAT Fantasy epics and my personal favorites, The Dark Elf Trilogy-Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn, as well as The Icewind Dale Trilogy- The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem bring to life the story of the good hearted dark elf ranger Drizzt Do'Urden and his adventures in the magical World of Faerun. Legacy, Starless Nights, Siege of Darkness and Passage to Dawn are the continuation of these adventures in a way that you keep coming back for more and more and more... The books are all so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another universe and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. RA Salvatore has truly outdone himself and has presented us with a masterpiece of literature the likes of which we have seen only in JRR Tolkien's work and in authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies. Duty, honor, bravery, magic, and swordfights are all about. One should seriously start thinking about maybe turning them into movies...