The Spine of the World (Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "In my homeland of Menzoberranzan, where demons play and drow revel at the horrible demise of rivals, there remains a state of necessary alertness and..." (more)
Key Phrases: tattooed pirate, yer hammer, huge barbarian, Dohni Ganderlay, Sea Sprite, Captain Deudermont (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Attention all Drizzt freaks: our favorite dark-elf hero is not, repeat not, in Spine of the World. Neither is Bruenor nor Cattie-brie nor Regis et al. But don't think that means the latest installment in R.A. Salvatore's sweeping Drizzt-and-pals series isn't worth picking up: Spine sets things straight for the Forgotten Realms' newest, meanest drunk, the burly barbarian who single-handedly made warhammers cool again despite their measly 1d4+1 damage. Yep, Wulfgar is back, after ditching his buddies in The Silent Blade to become a bottle-swilling bouncer in the mangy port town of Luskan.

The towering tough guy hasn't strayed from his job at the Cutlass, hasn't sobered up, and hasn't forgotten his six years of horrific torture under the nasty balor Errtu.

But it's time for another book, so all that's about to change: kicked out of the Cutlass, robbed of Aegis-fang (yikes!), and framed for the attempted murder of his old friend Captain Deudermont (remember him from pirate-hunting on the Sea Sprite?), Wulfgar goes on the run with the rogue Morik, who's become a true friend despite the mission Jarlaxle and his dark-elf cohort gave him to watch the barbarian. Sure, Drizzt is missing (although he does make appearances in the form of ruminating journal entries), so Spine isn't a nonstop scimitar-fest. But R.A. still spins a good yarn--as always. With plenty of combat and intrigue, not to mention the ever-familiar monsters and spells, Spine of the World is surely the best show in town for the Forgotten Realms crowd. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

The Road to Redemption

Even the brutal streets of a treacherous city can't hide a tortured soul forever.

The barbarian Wulfgar sets upon a dangerous path toward redemption when and old friend finds him in the city of Luskan. Wulfgar's journey twists up the windswept peaks of the Spine of the World. He will persevere, for at the end lies his most prized possession -- the life he thought he'd lost forever.

Contains 16 pages of roleplaying game rules base on The Spine of the World.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; 1st THUS edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786914041
• ISBN-13: 978-0786914043
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (171 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #554,896 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One word: WOW!!!!, September 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Spine of the World (Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness) (Hardcover)

When I heard Drizzt was not in this book, I was upset. When I heard it was all about Wulfgar, I was even more upset (I used to hate Wulfgar). But because it was Salvatore, I went and bought the book and sat down to read it.

WOW!!!!! I was pleasantly surprised, incredibly so. It was so well-written, I couldn't put it down. It wasn't the action--it's not a page-turner in that way--but you just want to know what kind of hell Wulfgar is going to go through in the next chapter. It was great (the only thing I have qualms about is the whole thing with the peasant girl... there was too much of her and Auckney... way too much). The Drizzt element was fantastic--a true philosopher, the stuff he had to say in the journal entries were great, and tied in so well with the stuff happening. Now I can't wait to see what happens in the next one! Surely Wulfgar will meet up with his friends again... and won't they be in shock!

Oh, yes... and I love Morik the Rogue!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to par, but still a good novel...., December 8, 1999

By	Isabella's Mom (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spine of the World (Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness) (Hardcover)

Though I was a bit disappointed with this novel, well okay, more than a bit disappointed, it is still a book worth reading. Exploring Wulgar's character instead of Drizzt's is extremely interesting and shows Mr. Salvatore's desire to branch out instead of always sticking to Drizzt's life. Don't get me wrong, I love Drizzt and I love every single book with him in it, but after oh-so-many books about the stoic elf, exploring the persona and tribulations of another character is an excellent idea.

However, the novel had many downfalls. The story never seemed to move anywhere. The psychology of Wulfgar's plight could have been explored more and in a more interesting manner because ultimately that is what the book is about; Wulfgar's mental and spiritual strife. The other harlequin novel type half was really distracting from the main story and should not have been emphasized as much.

Thhough I severly miss the action packed chapters of his previous works, Mr. Salvatore shows he is not restricted to a stereotype of just writing about battle and action. He shows that he can write about love, loss, and the trials of friendship.

All in all, I'm happy Mr. Salvatore's attempting to explore the diversities of the character's, but this book just seemed dry and didn't seem to go anywhere.

I am looking forward to the next novel in the search of Aegis-Fang.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unexpected delight, November 28, 1999

By	Chad M. Feldmann "Chadmann" (CF in IA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Spine of the World (Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness) (Hardcover)

For a Dungeons and Dragons book that is not about either I am impressed. For once the author treats the character Wulfgar with respect and sheds believable light on the inner turmoil the barbarian faces after being in the Abyss. This is in stark contrast to how I have seen other science fiction and fantasy stories deal with this type of situation (like Star Trek). You do wonder if he will really ever fully recover as you read the story.

The part of the book not devoted to Wulfgar was totally unexpected yet I found myself truly caring for Meralda and the non-adventuring characters and their small part of the realms. The way the author weaves her story into that of Wulfgar is masterful, and made the ending of the book truly enjoyable.

When I saw the title I had thought that "The Spine of the World" meant that he would be spending lots of time in that part of the realms fighting giants and finding himself. After reading the novel is becomes clear the mountain range represents the separation in his soul between what he had been (to the north of the mountains) and what he had become (to the south).