Servant of the Shard (Paths of Darkness) [Mass Market Paperback]

R.A. Salvatore (Author), R. A. Salvatore (Author)

Book Description

Series: Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness | Publication Date: July 1, 2001

This is the latest offering from New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore, best known for his immensely popular Forgotten Realms novels. In Servant of the Shard, Salvatore focuses on two of his greatest villains.

Having seized the Crystal Shard at the end of The Silent Blade, the dark elf Jarlaxle now struggles to control it. Grudgingly aided by the assassin Artemis Entreri, they must desperately look elsewhere for help before the gem destroys them and all that they worked for.

The Assassin

Surrounded by dark elves, Artemis Entreri tightens his grip on the streets of Calimport. While he urges caution, his black-skinned sponsor grows ever more ambitious. The assassin will soon find himself on a path his most hated enemy has walked before him--a path that leads to a place where someone like Entreri would never be welcome.

The Drow

Jarlaxle has ascended from dark Menzoberranzan with only evil intentions. The malevolent Crystal Shard’s influence on him intensifies until even the drow agents he brought with him grow fearful. When Bregan D’aerthe itself begins to turn on him, Jarlaxle will be forced to find a savior in the man he’s come to enslave.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Think of it as Drowfellas. Backstabbing and internecine intrigue abound as the ambitious members of a shady organization (in this case, the dark-elf mercenary band Bregan D'aerthe) vie for power, struggle to fend off reprisals, and generally cause all sorts of trouble. Themes of redemption and moral metamorphosis keep the plot moving, accompanied by intermittent bursts of spectacular, cinematic violence.

The Servant of the Shard, the immediate follow-up to The Spine of the World and The Silent Blade, is the long-awaited exposition on the history of Artemis Entreri. But perhaps more importantly, Servant of the Shard brings us the brilliant, bang-up pairing of master assassin Entreri and Bregan D'aerthe godfather Jarlaxle, filling out a deadly triangle with the bloodthirsty artifact Crenshinibon. (The rest--more magic items, tons of cool spells and psionics thanks to Rai-guy and Kimmuriel Oblodra, cameos from The Cleric Quintet, and a blow-out finale with an ancient red dragon--well, that's all just icing on the cake.)

The big question, which hopefully won't have to be asked again after this title: Can Bob Salvatore really pull off another Drizzt Do'Urden book without Drizzt? Without a doubt. Anybody who wasn't won over by the Wulfgar-centric Spine of the World should come away more than satisfied with The Servant of the Shard. Grumbling and hammer-hurling (courtesy of Wulfgar) might not be your thing, but Drizzt does have an equal in Entreri when it comes to perplexed introspection and predictably dazzling swordplay. If nothing else, Salvatore is merely collecting on investments he's made in his previous 17 Forgotten Realms novels--after laying such a strong foundation with solid plots and characterizations, it should come as no surprise that we're instantly sucked into a story that brings a couple of formerly supporting characters to front stage center. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786918780
• ISBN-13: 978-0786918782
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #604,583 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

52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Artemis Entreri & Jarlaxle fans rejoice!, November 6, 2000

By 

"slightlyaskew" (Earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Servant of the Shard (Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness, Book 3) (Hardcover)

Salvatore has performed a hat trick (bonus points for me for a hockey reference) in what is now known as the Paths of Darkness series of novels which are The Silent Blade, The Spine of the World, Servant of the Shard, and the forthcoming Sea of Swords.

Some fans grumbled about the novel Passage to Dawn, complaining that Salvatore appeared to have lost his magic and that the story itself was redundant and mediocre. Critics! Can't live with 'em, can't deport 'em!

Salvatore has come back to the Forgotten Realms with a vengeance with this latest series of novels and should have put to rest any doubters out there that he has lost his style. Silent Blade and Spine of the World were fantastic and Servant of the Shard might have even surpassed those two in my opinion.

People were skeptical about Spine of the World since it focused on Wulfgar, and Drizzt wasn't making an appearance, but it definately earned its place on my book shelf. I loved it. If we need a break from Drizzt every once in a while, why not take a closer look at the other characters for a change?

Now Salvatore has done it again with Servant of the Shard. Now we get a wonderful adventure that explores the current exploits of Jarlaxle, the flamboyant Drow mercenary band leader, and Artemis Entreri, master assassin. With sword fights, psionics, drow, illithids, powerful sentient weapons and artifacts, conspiracy & intrigue, demons, the Bouldershoulder brothers, and more, it's a very enjoyable novel even without Drizzt.

I definately recommend this volume for Drizzt and Forgotten Realms fans out there and look forward to the 4th volume next year.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Salvatore's best..., October 30, 2000

By 

"ubermensche" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Servant of the Shard (Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness, Book 3) (Hardcover)

I got this book weeks ago and was wondering when it would be available so I could share my enthusiasm for this work of art.

Even more so than in The Silent Blade, Artemis Entreri becomes more than a simple archvillain for Drizzt Do'Urden. His character development in The Servant of the Shard continues where it left off in The Silent Blade and a true metamorphosis occurs, one in which more is revealed than changed about Entreri...he becomes more nearly himself, as it were.

We see this most resourceful of humans take on nemeses that no other mortal can hope to challenge, much less persevere against. Entreri becomes much more than Drizzt's foil, a dark mirror...Entreri truly comes into his own in this novel and asserts his status not only as Drizzt's equal in battle, but also as a unique individual who has a life beyond his rivalry (now dead) with Drizzt.

At the same time, we, the readers, can start to fully appreciate the circumstances which created such a cold, ruthless man who can best the long-lived, intrigue-loving drow at their own game. We also see a validation, to a certain degree, of Entreri's way of life--a justification, at the very least, of why this man walks alone. To do this, Salvatore sets Jarlaxle, the wily mercenary leader, opposite Entreri in this novel. "Who is the stronger, then, Jarlaxle the partner or Entreri the loner?" to which Entreri's response is an emphatic, "I am."

Even as Salvatore shows what is wrong with Entreri's lifestyle, he also examines what brought the man, as supremely-talented, intelligent, and iron-willed a human as had ever lived, to such a state, and why the choices he made at the time seemed right. Entreri's tribulations and triumphs evidence both.

Besides Entreri, other favorites are also revealed more fully, such as Jarlaxle. This, in fact, is the work that truly deals with Jarlaxle--he is on the cover, after all, and in the title...but it is through Entreri that Jarlaxle is finally explored--through Entreri's eyes. At long last, that impenetrable facade of Jarlaxle's is lifted, just for a second, to give us a glimpse of the mortality behind the calm and collected opportunist.

Plot-wise, this is also one of Salvatore's best...deliberate and masterful, he wends his way through a story that, I think, he has long wanted to tell...to himself! No haphazard jabs into the dark for this work--Salvatore is the master bard, fully in control of the tale from beginning to end.

To the fan, this is classic Salvatore. To the fantasy enthusiast, this is one of the few good works coming out of TSR.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Servant of the Shard, October 26, 2000

By 

Billy Wendeln (Lincoln, NE USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Servant of the Shard (Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness, Book 3) (Hardcover)

I was very excited about the release of this book. It's is not very often that one gets to read a book where the villains are the main characters of the book. Salvatore worked wonders with these characters. It was exciting to watch as each character tried to out manuever the other with layers upon layers of deception. We really saw the motivations of the assassin Artemis Entreri as well as the mercenary leader, Jarlaxle. I chuckled all throughout the book, which was surprising when reading about a character such as Artemis Entreri. The ending of the book was superb and has truly has made me anxious for the next book involving these two characters. Lets hope that I won't have to wait to long.....