Customer Reviews

Siege of Darkness (Forgotten Realms: The Legend of Drizzt, Book IX)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After 5 books, RA Salvatore can still give us a fresh angle into the complex world of the drow. I loved the idea of telling the Time of Troubles(a period when the gods were cast down from the heavens and magic went awry) from the drow perspective-- since they are creatures weaned on magic it made the situation all the more difficult for them(and interesting for the reader). We also got our first close-up look at the drow goddess Lloth, and she was as every bit as cunning as I hoped she would be. Salvatore handled the intrigue swirling around the Time of Troubles really well. The epic battle scenes of the second half of the book weren't quite as interesting, but still vividly rendered. I would rank Siege of Darkness as my second-favorite Salvatore novel behind Homeland.
--Teri Tada

As Drizzt and Co. excape Menzoberanzan in dramatic fashion, and the drow prepare for an invasion of the surface world, the Time of Troubles (when the avatars of the gods come to the material plane and magic falters) hits and the drow establishment is thrown into uncertainty. Baenre ends up reestablishing dominance with the return of magic (and the favor of Lloth) and continues the plans for invasion. Catie-Brie and Drizzt have some kind of strange love relationship going on and Catie-Brie battles within herself for mastery. The siege of Mithril Hall is an epic battle with lots of heroes and groups of allies coming together to fight off the dark elves and their slaves. It actually might be my favorite major battle scene thus far in the Drizzt series, ending with surprising finality.

The only thing about this book that didnt' really fit in very well was the inclusion of the Time of Troubles. I guess that this theme had been thought up before and needed to be meshed with the Forgotten Realms story as a whole. Salvatore obviously wasn't too interested in it, never really explaining why or how it happened, only conforming his story to include it. It seemed forced and took away from the usual clarity found in the Drizzt books. Still, this is really another great book in the series, you won't be dissapointed.

Another gem in Salvatore's collection. This time the stakes are higher as Bruenor and his friends face complete annihilation. Drizzt returns to the surface from his trek to Menzoberranzan successful only so far as slowing down the big bad drow war machine. However, the biggest stumbling block that must be overcome is fate. Fate, which rears its ugly head as the Time of Troubles, adds a twist to the story that makes this novel truly enjoyable. You will love the scheming that this stirs up in the drow with their magic heavy culture as well as the bizarre happenings on the surface.

The ensuing battle when the drow do arrive is just spectacular. Fighting on all fronts with the defenders on the edge of destruction right up until the end. However, I too share the opinion of many of the other reviewers...this is one battle the heroes should have lost. I think the power of the attacking army was under played. While goblins, orcs, and minotaurs maybe fodder for drow, these creatures alone have massed attacks against the dwarves and won. But, add in the extra firepower created by the drow and you have an unbeatable force. The heroes should not have stood a chance. And what's more, I think the book would have turned out better if the heroes had lost giving it that tragic edge. Drizzt, Cattie-brie, and Bruenor could have still knocked out Matron Baenre and stopped the drow from occupying the dwarven homeland. But to let the dwarves and their allies run off an army of drow completely victorious is a step beyond even "fantasy reality". Regardless of the outcome of the battle...the melee was still very compelling and exciting with tons of detail and not ridiculous like the climatic battle in "Descent into the Depths of the Earth". I am anxious to see what new troubles and intrigues will develop from the ashes of this latest conflict.

As a former Dungeons & Dragons player and lover of Tolkien's books, I have never outgrown my fondness for fantasy stories. A couple years ago, I was browsing a bookstore for a promising-looking adventure novel and grabbed _Siege of Darkness_ based on the back cover synopsis and the first page or so of the novel. This was the first Drizzt novel and the first R. A. Salvatore novel I had ever read, and perhaps I can best recommend the book by saying that I have since read over 20 of Mr. Salvatore's novels and have enjoyed every one immensely.

If you have not read the previous books about Drizzt, you may want to start with _The Crystal Shard_ (the first book Salvatore wrote about Drizzt) or _Homeland_ (which entails Drizzt's origins). As I said, however, this was the first Drizzt novel I read, and my ignorance of the earlier books in the series did not detract from my enjoyment. [It did, however, spur me on to devour the previous books in the series in the following months!]

What makes Salvatore's books so great, in my opinion, is that he actually develops his characters. Drizzt is one of the most interesting protagonists I have ever come across. His inner turmoil and his status as a perpetual outsider make him much more interesting than just another kick-butt warrior. Drizzt's journal entries, which open the major sections of the novels, are especially interesting psychological portraits.

But don't worry, fans of a good battle: R.A. Salvatore is also fantastic at describing all kinds of combat, from tense duels to sprawling battles between large armies. I know it's a cliche, but his descriptions of combat really allow you to visualize the slashes and feints in your mind's eye. And, as the title implies, _Siege of Darkness_ contains some of his best battle descriptions.

If you're a fan of fantasy novels and are looking for a new writer and a new hero in whose worlds to immerse yourself, do yourself a favor and try R.A. Salvatore and Drizzt Do'Urden on for size.

This book was great. The juxtaposition of the avatar series with this book (The Time of Troubles) was brilliant. The idea that a fighter wins with his whole body, not just his hands shows actual thought, not just an assumtion that Dantrag's bracers would improve Drizzt's skill. Jarlaxle is fantastic as usual. He is Salvatore's 3rd best character (behind Cadderly and Drizzt) with all his mysteriousness and the intrigue and power surrounding him making me wish i could have been part of Bregan D'aerthe. I would love to see more of him, maybe a short story in one of the "Realms of..." books. Errtu's anti-magic stone didn't dispell his summoning though in Passage to Dawn as it did to his minion in Seige...Odd. Must be the Best Salvatore Ever, in my mind.

Siege of Darkness, book 9 chronologically in the Drizzt series, finally gives what the last few books have been leading up to: the epic battle as the underground drow attack Mithril Hall, home of King Bruenor Battlehammer and his clan of dwarves. The battle turns epic when the forces of the barbarians, the Riders from Silverymoon and Nesme, and even the svirfnebli join forces with the dwarves against overwhelming odds.

The first part of the book cleans up the mess left in Menzoberranzan, home of the drow, after Drizzt and co.'s escape and destruction of House Baenre's temple. A side story includes the temporary halt of all magic through some battle of the gods, which lets us see more of Lolth the Spider Queen and the Monster Errtu (whom Drizzt and Wulfgar defeated in an earlier book), and this so-called "Time of Troubles" is a useful device in several plots...they have little to do with the epic battle, but they either continue previous story lines or assumingly lay ground for the next book.

Writing battle scenes is one of Bob Salvatore's greatest skills, and the battles in the caves and out in the valley are some of the best written in this series.

There is also a plot line involving Berkthgar, the barbarian who takes over as king for the fallen Wulfgar. He initially believe he needs Aegis-fang, the weapon King Bruenor crafted specifically for Wulfgar, and Catti-brie and Drizzt convince him otherwise, that he needs to build his own name in battle and not rely on Wulfgars. In the battle scenes, he certainly does that. He becomes an interesting character, hopefully there will be more from him.

Lots of groundwork laid for the next book, including the mysterious prisoner the Lolth gives to Errtu to help him get back to the Material Plan and go after Drizzt. I assume this will be the focus of the next book.

Siege of darkness is one of the best of the best, which puts it even with many of Salvatore's other books. This book proves that it is possible to accurately portray a huge battle and still place individual characters into group-style fighting. Salvatore very nicely portrays a melee of huge proportions and places important characters in the thick of it, right along with everyone else. Although Salvatore wrote this book with very good battle scenes, and still could put in the personal struggles of all our forgotten realms characters, I was slightly dissapointed with the way Guen's disaster was portrayed. Although he did well in showing the friend's dismay, he glossed over a lot of the tragedy with, although important, distracting events such as Catti-brie's struggle with Cutter. However, his writing style made up for the small lack. One of the best things about this book was the thorough way in which Salvatore expanded on the dark elves and the affairs of dark Menzobarranzan, making this story about more than just a war with the surface. Once again Salvatore spins a web of intrigue and action, drawing us all a little deeper into the world of the Forgotten Realms.

Siege of Darkness is an excellent conclusion to the events that started in the two novels that preceeded it. Once again, Salvatore's most famous protagonist, Drizzt Do'urden must battle the evil drow of his homeland. This time, he and his companions, Cattie-Brie, Bruenor Battlehammer, Regis and others must defend Mithril Hall from an invasion by the drow and their allies.

This novel brings together aspects and characters from the eight previous novels in the series rather nicely. Matron Baerne and the House of Baerne from the Drow city of Menzoberanzzan, the Burrow Warden Belwar Dissengulp of the Deep Gnomes, Lady Allustriel, and the Harkles amongst other all appear in the novel and blend fantasticaly.

Another of the novel's strengths is the battle scenes. Salvatore has a knack for writing battles that are successful in outlining both the fight's scope and the details of particular combatants. The climatic war between the Drow with their minotaur, goblin, and illithid allies and the Dwarves with the Silver Knigts, Barbarians, and Deep Gnomes is fantastic. The descriptions are vivid and the scenes flow smoothly.

For a change, the heros don't have to deal with Artemis Entreri. Thats not a knack on the spectacular assassin, but it is nice to see that the one character isn't at the heart of all the battles that Drizzt is destined to face.

The characters don't "grow" or change as much in this novel as they did in the past. The majority of the emotions and internal monologue deal with recovering from the major loss of the last two novels, which I won't reveal so as not to spoil it for those that haven't read the Legacy or Starless Night.

The novel is a real adventure, and reminiscent of the first novel in the Drizzt Do'Urden series, The Crystal Shard. Salvatore fans will not be disappointed.

Wow. That's about all I can say. Salvatore really was awesome... again. This book combines all that you have come to love in the other books about Drizzt, and best of all... is just about pure action. I mean, wow. This book is amazing and you'll probably end up laughing to yourself like I was, just thinking about how awesome it is.

So far I have enjoyed all of R.A.Salvatore's books and this book was no different. Drizzt's people are back and the Spider Queen is looking for him the only thing missing was the assassin Entreri who was in the last book and actually helped Drizzt escape Menzoberranzan so he could have Drizzt show him back to the surface-world. But I don't mind Salvatore taking a brake from Entreri(who has been in the last 4 books since Streams of Sliver). Well he made up for it by returning a character that we have not seen since The Crystal Shard and that is Errtu the demon and I'm looking forward to the confrentation between Errtu and Drizzt in Passage to Dawn. Well I can't wait to start reading that book.