Neverwinter: Neverwinter Saga, Book II [Hardcover]

R.A. Salvatore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2011 | Series: Neverwinter Saga (Book 2)

With the last of his trusted companions having fallen, Drizzt is alone--and free--for the first time in almost a hundred years. Guilt mingles with relief, leaving Drizzt uniquely vulnerable to the persuasions of his newest companion--Dahlia, a darkly alluring elf and the only other member of their party to survive the cataclysm at Mount Hotenow. But traveling with Dahlia is challenging in more ways than one. As the two companions seek revenge on the one responsible for leveling Neverwinter--and nearly Luskan as well--Drizzt finds his usual moral certainty swept away by her unconventional views. Forced to see the dark deeds that the common man may be driven to by circumstance, Drizzt begins to find himself on the wrong side of the law in an effort to protect those the law has failed. Making new enemies, as his old enemies acquire deadly allies, Drizzt and Dahlia quickly find themselves embroiled in battle--a state he's coming to enjoy a little too much.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

R.A. Salvatore is the New York Times best-selling author of more than forty novels, including the popular Forgotten Realms series The Legend of Drizzt®. He's an avid gamer, father of three, and loyal citizen of Red Sox Nation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; 1 edition (October 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786958421
• ISBN-13: 978-0786958429
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

R.A. Salvatore has spent so many years winding himself into fantasy worlds that he's still trying to figure out how to unwind. He is the author of more than forty novels and more than a dozen New York Times best sellers, including The Two Swords, which debuted at or near the top of many best seller lists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spoiler free review, October 9, 2011

By 

Robert "Dimndbangr" Hicks (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Neverwinter: Neverwinter Saga, Book II (Hardcover)

Disclaimer-If you read the review and feel there is a spoiler in it, please let me know and I will remove that section. Also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thank you.

Neverwinter is the second book in the Neverwinter saga. The first book is Gauntlgrym. The third book untitled at this time will no doubt be released October 2012.

Neverwinter continues from where Gauntlgrym left off with Drizzt and his new partner getting ready to check on an old "friend". There is still much unrest in Neverwinter and things are about to get more dire for the citizens there. Some subplots involve Drizzt's perspective on this new life and how he feels about his new companion, the seeking of freedom of an old acquaintance, and others that would lead to spoilers.

This novel is not as deep as previous books and is more of a hack and slash type with a plethora of action throughout. So much so that it almost became a bit boring to me, however, once the book gets to the final action sequence, I was deeply involved and not so much for the action itself but the characters involved. The main plot seems more to be just a continuation of that in Gauntlgrym with Sylora trying to create a catastrophe so immense as to feed the dread ring. The characters for the most part do not develop much, but what there is feels right. The pacing is fast, mostly due to all the action taking place and this really sums up mostly what this book is about.

Some criticisms:

1. With all that is going on, I was hoping for more character development. I will say that at least now we don't have Drizzt constantly whining over the loss of his companions and making strives to move on.

2. I really would have liked some rehashing of past events to remind me how certain characters got into the predicament they currently are in, namely Barrabus.

Some positives:

1. As always, Mr. Salvatore brings his excellent descriptions of battles to the forefront that really draws the reader into the action.

2. The detailing of the land around is never overdone and gives the reader just enough to get a picture and leaves plenty to the imagination for the reader to make it their own.

3. For me, this one had the feeling more of the old adventures at the beginning and then the feeling of the newer epic world spanning events in even parts making it more enjoyable. Not only does this book invoke feelings of nostalgia, but also gives the reader the current events of the Forgotten Realms.

I really enjoyed this one and I can see where others may not enjoy it as much. I would actually rate this one with a 4.5 stars and feel for me that it is good enough to bump it up to 5. Though it is not as good as the older books in the series, I do feel it holds a flame to them. For those wanting to tryout the realms, I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series and the same goes for those wanting to try reading fantasy as well.

Happy reading

-Dimndbangr

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading, but a little too much of the same, October 10, 2011

By 

Sarah - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Neverwinter: Neverwinter Saga, Book II (Kindle Edition)

If you're interested in a Monte Hall DnD story brought to life, you've found the right book. The writing is Salvatore through and through with vicious battle descriptions are pleasing and fun. The story devolves into a bit of repetitious glory seeking by the main characters, the only twist wasn't much of a twist, and over all I became somewhat annoyed at some of what felt like overuse of the same literary formula.

This book is meant to coincide with some products that Salvatore is working on, namely a Neverwinter RPG based on Dungeons and Dragons, and there were several times that it felt like some game mechanics had crept into the descriptions of the action scenes. Things I never noticed before when reading Drizzt books.

I'd recommend reading this, for the story of Drizzt and his new companions is worth reading, but you may not need to read more than once.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Neverwinter review (spoilers), October 17, 2011

By 

Kendra Lawrence "bookwyrm" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Neverwinter: Neverwinter Saga, Book II (Hardcover)

I have to say that Neverwinter was a better book than Gauntlgrym, and, in fact, the last several Drizzt books. For awhile there, it seemed like Salvatore was tired of writing about the dark elf, and just kept at if for the sake of his fans. In the Transitions trilogy, he went on a killing spree, and it seemed like he was struggling to incorporate the Spellplague into the Drizzt legacy and was like 'hmm, how to do this? I know!' *zaps Catti-bree*. And let's not forget the prologue in The Orc King in which Drizzt scolded the elf for attacking the orcs, and he was talking to Hralien (who has not been in any of the following books). As someone who has read plenty of Forgotten Realms books outside of the Drizzt series, I understand some of the references, and I knew about Szass Tam from The Haunted Lands, but it seems as though the Drizzt books have been...separate from all the other FR books, and I know there are people who have only read the dark elf legacy novels.
This also applies to the short stories featuring Drizzt, such as Comrades at Arms (I think that's what it's called), in which Ellifain's spirit is freed, and To'sun has his enlightening moment. Um...not everyone has read that story! I'm sure plenty who didn't know about it were disappointed that all Drizzt said in was "she is free". And then we have the gods, who Salvatore doesn't mention much, except for a few. Maybe it's just because I like hearing about the gods and am a Corellon fan (who has only been mentioned in the afore mentioned short story), but he really doesn't address them, and The Orc King is the first and only time he has thus far mentioned Eilistraee. Again, this might leave some who have only read the Drizzt books going "wha...?" I love Drizzt, don't get me wrong. He is what started me on my Forgotten Realms craze. But I encourage people who haven't to step outside the Drizzt novels and explore of FR series. There are some good ones!
Just a couple more complaints and then I'll get to the positive, promise. This is only a minor detail, I guess, and probably not important in the larger scheme of things, but it is another inconsistency. I like that "to be an elf", is to treasure each moment and enjoy the time we have with friends and not dread the future. But in Neverwinter, Drizzt mentions in one of his "entries" that elves rarely partner for life, when, according to some other stories I've read, this is not entirely true. Some elves likely do change partners after a hundred years or so, but love is important to the elves, and I don't think they just go "oh, it's been over a hundred years, think I'll find someone else. I'll always remember you though". Uh huh. According to Races of the Wild, which is a D&D book that elves often have dalliances before they marry, because a partner is quite a commitment for a people who live so long. In the The Last Mythal trilogy, which I recommend to any elf lover, it states that when engaged, elves have a twenty year betrothal period to make sure their partner is "the one". This does not mean that after a hundred or two hundred years they go "hmm, think I should marry someone else!" I think further research is needed on this topic. Tis different obviously when elves partner with humans, because we have a tendancy to keel over after so many years.
All right, last bit of negativity. It concerns the beloved Jarlaxle. He did not die in Gauntlgrym, and in fact was planning to return to Luskan with Arthogate, but the stubborn dwarf is like, "no, leave me". I am complaining here not only because I love Jarlaxle, but also because of events that were set in motion in the book and not addressed at all in Neverwinter. If I remember correctly, Kimmuriel has gained too much control over Bregon D'earthe because Jarlaxle has been absent, and some, such as Valas Hune--who I also love! I thought he deserved more spotlight in War of the Spider Queen, but yeah--hinted that he looked forward to the day Jarlaxle returned. Basically, things were set in motion, or hinted at in any case, but like the prologue of The Orc King, they have not been addressed.
Perhaps it is too early to complain, because Jarlaxle has a tendency to reappear, and maybe he will in the next book, or Salvatore will go on to write a separate series, like he did with Jarlaxle and Entreri. And speaking of Entreri (spoiler coming!), he's back!), he's back! Drizzt's opposite has returned. When I read Gauntlgrym, Barrabus the Gray indeed reminded me of Entreri--or Arteries and Entrails, as my friend Treasa and I affectionately call him--but I forgot about it until this latest book. And ta da! I used to hate Entreri, but after reading the Sellswords trilogy, I came to like him, and now he has returned. I'm sure Drizzt and Entreri slash fans will love some of the scenes in Neverwinter. And, much to my relief, the angry Drizzt is gone, replaced with the dark elf we know and love. There are some differences, for instance the "wee, I'm invincible, let's fight!" attitude, but then again, he IS drow after all, and there is a part of him that truly likes fighting. He also seems a bit more...lustful than he used to. He truly loved Catti-brie, but he isn't sure of Dahlia (I'm not too sure what to think of her either, to be honest), and I think the earlier Drizzt would not sleep with someone he is uncertain of his feelings for. Again, though, I guess it is a drow trait, and a minor detail. At least he isn't so angry anymore! He's my lovely Drizzt once more.
On a final note, Valindra makes me laugh. She's a bitch and schemer to be sure, but she's also amusing, thanks to her insanity. I just chuckle every time she blurts out "Ark-lem Greeth!" So all in all, a good read, and a much needed installment in the legacy of our dearest dark elf.