Customer Reviews

The Thousand Orcs (Forgotten Realms: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, Book 1)

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This book is an excellent example of the skill of author R. A. Salvatore. Not only this book, but all his books which I've read have several things in common. Given that, here's what a Salvatore novel entails:

He is known for being a great author, especially of fantasy. He's especially well-known for the many novels centering around Drizzt and company, and for the novels set in his world of Corona. The Thousand Orcs falls into the former category, dealing with the latest from Drizzt and his companions.

His battle scenes are vivid, but not so weighty as to take away from the story. The characters are realistic and intrigueing, and the "action" in any given part of one of Salvatore's books might be a battle, political subterfuge, a character's emotional conflicts--in short, Salvatore isn't limited to skillful portrayel of battle. He can, and does, include a variety of gripping situations in his works. The Thousand Orcs is no exception, boasting all three of those things and more.

If you're a Salvatore fan, I shouldn't need to tell you to buy this, because you've probably already got it on your wish list. If you aren't, this book is as good a place as any to get started!

R.A. Salvatore has created one of the best loved and most dynamic charachters in the entire fantasy genre. With the creation of Drizzt, he has garnered legions of loyal fans and praise from high places within the editorial world. I remember back in '97, my senior year of high school, i was sitting in english class reading "passage to dawn" i believe- my teacher walked by my desk and made an offhand comment that he could not stomach the fact that salvatore was now getting his books published in hardcover. He obviously thought that fantasy novels should be confined to paperback where they could be perused by the "common" reader. How wrong he was.
Salvatore is a master at his craft. This is the reason he is as succesfull as he is.

Drizzt and the gang are back and they are going orc hunting. An alliance has been formed and it threatens the safety of all the humans living in the region of Icewind Dale. Drizzt and Bruenor and Wulfgar and Cattie-brie and even Regis have taken it upon themselves to investigate these rumors of a large army and a threat to the surrounding villages.

The book is mostly about the journey to discover what exactly it is that those pesky orcs are up to. Most of the novel takes place on the road and gives us information about where the charachters are now in their lives and the things that weigh most heavily upon their minds. Thoughts are turned toward loved ones and the life that the companions have chosen to lead. Is it a wise one? Will they survive for much longer? Will they all be together in the years to come?

I particularly enjoy the monologues that Drizzt delivers as a preface to each part of the book. In this alter ego, Salvatore can ask and answer some pretty deep questions and explore some pretty heavy issues.

This book is written well. It is plotted well and the charachters are written in a way that makes them believable and real. They have real problems and real pains- they arent just hulking barbarians and lithe warriors riding in the save the day in the nick of time. The last third of the book is where the action happens and boy, it happens fast. When the dust settles we are left feeling a little hopeless, a little angry and more that ready to devour the next volume in this all new trilogy starring our favorite rogue drow elf.

The dialogue, and character names are laughable. Dagnabbit, Nanfoodle, Rockbottom, Runabout, Shingles, Withegroo, to name but a few. With names like this, I'm surprised I didn't find someone named; Goshdarnit, ohhell, or wyritethis? The only thing I can guess, is that he's under contract to write x number of books for Wizards and he's not happy about it. If you're tired of writing about Drizzt, just say no, but please don't butcher it. I've always loved Salvatore's books. Homeland was one of the best Fantasy books I've ever read; fun and inventive. The first of his stories not to borrow so heavily on Tolkien. This is by far his worst book to date. In a lot of ways I think Starless Night was the last great book in this series of characters. With the exception of Drizzt and Catti-brie, every other major player's stories in these books were finished, and finished well. The new beginnings and thoughtless banter that has grown since then, (including Wolfgar's rebirth) cheapen the story. It's like reading a comic. The X-men are good, but it gets pointless after a-while. The same group of people, year after year after year. The danger is gone when the characters become two-dimensional gods who can never die. If you've never read Salvatore, please, try the Icewind Dale Trilogy, The Dark Elf Trilogy, The Legacy, and Starless night. You will not regret it. Later books were good in one way or another, but they really lost the magic of the first few, and this new series is bad. I might have gotten somewhat into the story if it wasn't for the distain it seems this was written in. If the author reads these, please take little offense, I mean no disrespect. Salvatore is a great writer, but this was not a great book. Try his older work, when he was still hungry.

Rarely has any author, in any genre, created a series of such consistent quality as the Dark Elf books of R. A. Salvatore.

Even so, that The Thousand Orcs (the fifteenth full-length novel in roughly as many years to feature characters introduced in the Icewind Dale trilogy!) stands as one of the finest installments in the series is nothing short of breathtaking.

I write this review for the purpose of assuring any follower of the series who doubts that it can possibly go on for much longer that not only is this tale not showing its wear and tear, but, incredibly, taking full advantage of the ground gained (and, more importantly,loose ends tied up!) in Sea of Swords to
begin weaving something very new... at a truly remarkable pace.

This is the tightest, fastest presentation since Starless Night, yet its attempt to cover a broad scope of intrigue, action, and personal relationships is the most ambitious since Siege of Darkness.

The result is a nearly flawless creation that should set the heart of any true fan beating at life-threatening speeds.

What do you know?

We did need another trilogy after all.

This is the best in long while for the Icewind Dale crew. If you are a true fan of the series you can appreciate the excellent read this book will provide. It is quick to the action, fast with the plot and all around a page turner. If you enjoyed the Icewind Dale trilogy you will enjoy this book. All of the gang are back together and in full force and of course your favorite Drow is leading the charge.

Many people say that the characters lack depth and Believability but to them I say.....uh why read fantasy if you want real life. Too many authors today feel that in order to represent their characters in a "real" way they have to kill off a few of the major characters, Salvatore realizes that it is these unbelievable characters that keep us coming back for more. I for one will only stop reading the Drizzt books when he stops writing them.

I am drooling for the next book. If he can suck me back in to the story with his patented fight scenes and plot twists he can bring in the newest of fans. The only thing that I feel was missing in this book was an enemy worthy of our Hero's skill. Really since Artiemis there have been few who demand the attention and scorn of the readers. I give it a thumbs up and will continue to wait impatiently for the next installment.

To those of you who want reality........watch the news!!

Whenever an author has written an extended series of books about the same characters, there is always inclusion of a period of introduction (or reminders) of significant events. This is mainly for new readers of the series. For those who have read the previous works, this can be tedious. Such is the case for this book. However, without being cumbersome, Salvatore managed to hit the major events in the characters' lives to illuminate some of their motivations. The problem is that there are a good many characters that require this, so it seems to take a while.

As with all of the books in this series, there are great combat action sequences. The gist of the story is that there are numerous orcs and giants uniting in the north to menace the goodly races (human, dwarf, elf). This happens as the companions are returning to Mithral Hall for Bruenor to reclaim his crown. They are diverted from this course to avenge the deaths of those early victims of the orc/giant alliance. This diversion leads the companions into significant danger, with Wulfgar acting as counselor to Catti-Brie at one point. This and the event that precipitated it give some conflict and depth to her character which persists the rest of the novel. Regis continues acting contrary to his early ways, and his inner reasons for this are discussed. Drizzt, meanwhile, is Drizzt, narrating the book through section introductions. He does not play any larger a part than the other characters, though he does shine as per his usual.

There is significant inclusion of previous Salvatore characters, not only those originally from this series, as the Dwarven brothers from the Cleric Quintet appear. New characters are also introduced, on both sides of the conflict. Salvatore manages to weave political intrigue into the mix, again on both sides, to great effect.

The climactic battle of this novel occurs in the defense of a remote village against the evil hordes. This takes a good portion of the end of the novel, but it flies past. Facing insurmountable odds, the companions battle on. Humor even finds its way into the mix before all is done.

As the title of this review indicates, I thought that the book started slow, but this was mostly due to the introductory process I noted earlier. The several segregated storylines are united in the end to a satisfying conclusion. I truly think that this book will appeal to both new and established readers of the series. And trust me, you, like me, will be dismayed that another year will pass before the next book in the series is released.

I need to qualify this review with the fact that I've been a fan of this series for quite some time. However, 1k Orcs was sub-par for Salvatore. I wasn't invested, and after being so bored with secondary characters, I actually put this book down for a few months before picking it up again this week to finish it on a long flight. Really, the best thing that I can say about this book is that it appears to set up a nice second book in the series (I must say that I've been waiting for the return of the Hunter since I finished the Dark Elf Trilogy). As a stand alone, not his best. To those who are reading this as their first book in this series, I STRONGLY suggest starting with the Dark Elf Trilogy or Icewind Dale Trilogy Collector's Editions. This was just not a good sample of Salvatore's usually excellent work.
Oh, almost forgot to mention...outstanding cover art!

The first review on this page is a little harsh...but for good reason. There have been and continue to be some elements missing from this VERY long series. I was hooked by the first three trilogies, but since then, I've been waiting. I'm not sure I know exactly what I am waiting for from the Dark Elf series, but I'm sure I'll know it when I read it...and I didn't read it in this book --> BUT...this is the first book in a TRILOGY. To me, it read like a three hundred page prologue.

It is definately leading up to something.

There are some story elements that lead characters toward out of character behavior (I think...) and some parts of the book seem rather hastily thrown together -- but there are also some very real moments for the characters.

When I finished the book, I was wondering if I have just outgrown this type of fiction...so I went back and reread the Dark Elf Trilogy. Nope. Still awesome. So...I know Salvatore has it in him...I just haven't seen it in a while.

Anyway...just dont forget that this is numero uno in a three book set.

Although I enjoyed The Dark Elf trilogy (In my humble opinion it was the best trilogy of Drizzt), I think the story (well, what story?) it's getting more a fight, let's find another excuse for a fight.

well, to tell the truth, it's an OK book, but the characters are getting stale, too predictible. If you like Drizzt, you'll like this book, but don't expect too much out of it.

After a bit of a lull with Paths of Darkness--a series only true Drizzt fans would enjoy--Salvatore does a much better job with the first book of The Hunter's Blade triology. Everything that's grand about Salvatore's writing is present: fantastic battles, great characters, and converging plots. Like many of the other reviewers I felt the Drizzt/Catti-Brie romance is dragging out incessantly. My other minor gripe is that the main characters--being the Companions of the Hall--were often less interesting than the ancillary ones. I found myself more entertained with Torgar and Pikel than I was with Catti-Brie, Wulfgar, and Drizzt. Still, the Salvatore does a great job adding depth and new twists to Bruenor and Regis.

Minor aside: this is the nicest a Drizzt book has ever looked. The borders, segment breaks, and logos are of a higher production value than previous Salvatore tomes. Great cover too!

If you've enjoyed Salvatore's previous work, but felt Paths of Darkness was under par, this book should bring him back into your favor.