Book 2 - Legend of Drizzt, Legacy of the Drow

The box containing the four novels came ripped at the top left-side. Appears as if someone tried to open the open-ended case to place the novels inside. Nice job, I say. And a nice job of the person who packaged this item, considering anyone had to notice the ripped box.

A tale of conspiracy and companionship, Starless Night is a book worth picking up. R. A. Salvatore proves once again that he is a master of his trade. The only thing wrong with this title is a few grammatical errors, but even those don't diminish this work of art.

Even though these novels aren't the most complex books around, this one is more so than many of Salvatore's others. I loved how we get to see the lifestyles of the Drow and even some of their intricate emotions.

R.A. Salvatore is a great writing in my opinion. His Drizzt novels are fun and exciting, especially within the universe of Forgotten Realms when you can get so many campy, cheesy novels that literally sound like a bunch of nerds writing down their Dungeons and Dragons campaign into book format. Nothing against nerds. I play D&D. Just saying that some of the quality of writing in the Forgotten Realms universe can be somewhat lacking.

Anyways, Salvatore does a great job with characterization in his Drizzt novels. Characters like Drizzt and Wulfgar are believable to me. He also writes action really well. I was entertained throughout the whole book and in reality, that’s why I read a Forgotten Realms novel, to be entertained.

Don’t look for any earth shaking themes and don’t look for any moving discoveries to life’s many questions. Pick up this book and look to have fun, have your imagination invigorated, and be entertained. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves action & adventure and loves good science fiction & fantasy.

If you do like good action and adventure and you are a fan of good science fiction and fantasy, then pick up a copy of the newly released novel A Chance Beginning: Book One of the Shadow's Fire Trilogy

The book follows on the heels of The Legacy. Wulfgar the barbarian, adopted son of Bruenor Battlehammer (dwarven king of Mithril Hall), has been killed in a heroic self-sacrifice to save those he loved. Of those are Catti-brie, Wulfgar's fiancee and Bruenor's adopted human daughter. Is it just me, or does two adopted children marrying each other seem somewhat bizarrely incestuous??

In the aftermath, Bruenor, Catti-brie and Drizzt Do'Urden, a dark elven ranger, each deal with their grief in a different way. Drizzt feels the most responsible, as it was a party of drow, intent on capturing Drizzt, who caused Wulfgar's death. Fearing that this is just the start of revenge attacks for his desertion of the way of the drow, and turning his back on their evil deity Lloth, Drizzt sets out to return to the Underdark, hoping that by sacrificing himself, he can spare his friends.

Realizing his intent, Catti-brie sets out to stop Drizzt from his suicidal path, and follows him all the way down into the dark elven city of Menzoberranzan.

I feel that Salvatore's plot is somewhat hazy in this book, as many questions are raised:

1. Why did Jarlaxle the drow mercenary save Atemis Entreri, the human assassin, and bother dragging him down to Menzoberranzan? Granted, Jarlaxle has a penchant for chaos, but it seems a little extreme, other than Salvatore's own desire not to kill off Entreri.

2. For such a wise character, why does Drizzt believe that he can stop a drow invasion of Mithril Hall? Granted, he knows his worth to Lloth, and he may be somewhat loopy with grief, but surely he understands his evil kin's nature, and would realize that if they launch a full invasion to capture him, why would they retreat with just his capture, rather than reaping the treasures of Mithril Hall?

3. Catti-brie is incredibly naive for believing that she can survive in the Underdark, even with her excellent disguising magical mask, considering she has virtually no knowledge of the creatures of the Underdark, nor does she speak the drow language. Likewise, I find it incredibly lucky that Drizzt has to battle a displacer beast when he first arrives in the Underdark...however, aside from running into some goblins, Catti-brie gets through with few attacks.

It is well written, gripping, and brings us back to familiar characters whom we love to follow. As usual, Salvatore does an excellent job on battle scenes, and he does bring a little more depth to his characters.

So aside from my questions on the plot, I do recommend this book.

While a solid fantasy novel, "Starless Night" does not rank as one of the better books in the various Drizzt series. R.A.Salvatore seems to have the characters act irrationally for the sake of the plot. Having built up some excellent characters in the previous 7 novels, Salvatore seems a bit too hasty to have them toss aside their personalities, even if the circumstances are understandable. Drizzt is a fine lead and as compelling and interesting as ever. In "Starless Night," Catti-brie takes center stage and starts to develop as a character. The villains are, as always, excellent even if Salvatore takes his readers a bit too deep into the byzantine political world of the dark elves. Salvatore is, as always, a good writer of action scenes.

So why only three stars? To be blunt, Salvatore is not at the top of his game here. He relies too much on overly convenient plot devices including gadgets (the locket that allows you to follow Drizzt! A mask that makes you look like a dark elf) and the one hero against millions of enemies. Considering Salvatore had been building up the nasty, wicked, competent, deadly dark elves for the majority of the last 7 novels, it seems odd that legions of them prove so helpless when confronted with one of their own kind and an inexperienced young woman. Salvatore also ends the book with a bang and not a whimper.

A bad book? By no means. Bad in comparison to Salvatore's other Drizzt books? Yes.

Definitely GREAT Fantasy epics and my personal favorites, The Dark Elf Trilogy-Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn, as well as The Icewind Dale Trilogy- The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem bring to life the story of the good hearted dark elf ranger Drizzt Do'Urden and his adventures in the magical World of Faerun. Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness and Passage to Dawn are the continuation of these adventures in a way that you keep coming back for more and more and more... The books are all so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another universe and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. RA Salvatore has truly outdone himself and has presented us with a masterpiece of literature the likes of which we have seen only in JRR Tolkien's work and in authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies. Duty, honor, bravery, magic, and swordfights are all about. A great trilogy indeed and a "must read" along with RA Salvatore's The Icewind Dale Trilogy! One should seriously start thinking about maybe turning them into movies...

Starless Night, book 8 chronologically in the Drizzt series, shows the main characters still suffering from the death of one of their own in the previous book. Because of this guilt, Drizzt ventures back to the underground world of Menzoberranzan, to determine the true drow threat himself. Catti-brie follows, once she finds that he has slipped out on his own.

I thoroughly enjoyed the character development of Jarlaxle, the mercenary drow, and it was great to see a small glimpse of strong Belwar again. My only problem with this series is that characters just won't stay dead once killed (or twice killed!), as Artemis Entreri shows up again. Mr. Salvatore keeps the readers guessing that Entreri and perhaps Jarlaxle are not as evil as they seem.

As with the three initial books in the series, the drow homeland is well described, as are the political machinations that keep the drow world in check.

Not as good as the first three (which are classics), but moves the character development forward and brings Jarlaxle, a very interesting character, to the fore.

What is good about Salvatore will always be good about Salvatore: the battle scenes. The character of Drizzt had always been an extra bonus, but in this book he acts out of character. First he is incredibly stupid to go to Menzoberranzan in that situation; why? To protect Catt-brie? Catti-brie doesn't need protection! That was exactly the way Wulfgar treated her in the preceding book and I didn't see Catti-brie bailing Wulfgar's sorry ass out! I didn't see her getting all mad at Drizzt. No, Drizzt went back because he was getting like Entreri, just looking around for someone who thought they could beat him. He lost, just like Entreri. I laughed so hard when Entreri and Catt-brie bailed Drizzt out. And then when Drizzt thinks about stabbing Entreri in the back? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Entreri lives to win battles, and he's lost. Drizzt lives to love, loses a loved one, condescends against another and loses a battle in the process (to Entreri I might add). I must admit that IF you are going to be a killer, and both Drizzt and Entreri are, then it's better to do it Entreri's way, without emotional misgivings. Because all of Drizzt's passion just causes him to act like a fool. If Drizzt was really a good guy, he wouldn't kill at all. He kills to protect his friends, his friends don't need it, so quit already! Killing is WRONG. How can Drizzt say that he is good and Entreri is evil when they both kill? Who is Drizzt to judge the difference between a person and a monster?

3.5 stars
Spoiler Alert:
When Bruenor supposedly died and then came back in the Icewind Dale Trilogy, I held my silence. While his survival stretched the imagination, it made enough sense to at least seem plausible. But this Artemis Entreri business is getting ridiculous. Let's see: He fell down a straight drop unconscious, but his cloak somehow managed to catch onto the rock enough so that IT HELD HIS WHOLE BODY WEIGHT AND DIDN'T TEAR, and then when he did fall, there just happened to be a spiderweb underneath him, STRONG ENOUGH TO CATCH HIM AND NOT BREAK, and then Jarlaxle just happened to be waiting for him. Mr. Salvatore, stop being a wuss and allow your characters to die when they need to, instead of just writing about the same old enemies over and over. This is my biggest gripe. I can only imagine what George Martin would say. Artemis Entreri should have stayed dead, and maybe even Bruenor should have stayed dead as well. I get the impression that you just couldn't figure out something interesting to put in the plot and so instead reincarnated a dead villain to spice things up. At least he was different this time around, and I'll have to give you credit for that. But it's still very cheap. And then Dritzz just lets him go at the end?! That's a little far-fetched too. I think you might just be setting things up for an eternal battle between these two, and I wouldn't be surprised if Artemis Entreri shows up later with some bracelets of his own. If that turns out to be the case, I quit. There's no point in reading if there's no change.
Now, as to the book itself. It was good, though not as good as The Legacy. It took a little longer to rev up, and in a book this short, that means something. By the way, is that ever going to change? I'd like to see a book a little more lengthy. Anyway, once things got moving, it was high class entertainment, as all Salvatore books so far have turned out to be, with the sole exception of Sojourn, which had a more subdued ending. And, though I don't like the idea of Entreri being alive, I must admit that, especially toward the end, he certainly made the book a lot more interesting. This was also the darkest book so far, and I like that. It shows maturation. But, what I don't like is the fact that Dritzz's torture seemed to have no effect on him. It's impossible to walk away from something like that unchanged. Of course, after Dritzz was rescued things moved so fast that it makes sense that there wouldn't be any time to dwell on such things. So, I guess I'll have to wait for the next book to see if this seed bears any fruit. Hopefully so.
This book is classic Salvatore with some new developments thrown in as well. But, I also see a noxious thread woven through all that that gives me pause. It is a cancer, Mr. Salvatore, that will consume all aspects of your writing. Destroy it now while you still can! I remember in one review I said you don't write game novelizations. Please don't end up proving me wrong.

As usual, excitment and intense action dominate this installment in the Legend of Drizzt. As Drizzt and Cattie-Brie journey to the city of dark elves, they face impossible odds time and again. Without unexpected help from old enemies, the friends would be doomed to a gruesome death at the feet of Lloth. A nice change of scenery from the past few books is found here, with nearly the whole book taking place in the Underdark. The characters continue to be brilliantly developed, particulary Jarlaxle and Entreri, and the overall plot of the series is progressed, with some big events in the making.

If you've enjoyed the other Drizzt books, you'll enjoy this one too. I'd say it is one of the best I've read. Looking forward to reading the rest of Legacy of the Drow.

The action, story, and emotion are there, but this addition to the story of Drizzt and his companions feels more forced. There is a lot more falling back during the battles on sheer luck than would be preferred and the companions seem to make trips in uneventful days that previously took them adventure filled weeks.
All in all, good but not up to the usual fare produced by Salvatore.

No surprises here... Salvatore has crafted yet another wonderful addition to the Drizzt series with STARLESS NIGHT. Unlike the other books in the series, this one contains fewer plot twists. As other reviewers have pointed out, the companions may have been a little over empowered in this novel. Their injuries are few, their struggles easily solved (with one magical contraption after another) and setbacks are a bit too uncommon. For the first time, I found myself thinking, "Okay.. They are good.. but not THAT good!" during the battle scenes. Notwithstanding, its a riveting book, well written and a fine addition to the saga. "A-"

Ok, I just finished Starless Nights from the boxed gift set.. Its got horrible cover on the book. The box has a great cover , but the book.. lame..but thats not what Im reviewing is it.

The book it self was good.. I gave it 4 stars. Its not one of the best Drizzt books Ive read so far but it holds its own. Its full of action and at times hard to digest plot twist and turns like Artemis's return..

The were a couple of times when I really wanted to skip ahead in some of the fight scenes due to the repeatitve nature , but I read on.
I just hope the next book(s) in there series holds my attention.
I must say that the Drizzt books by RAS are a quick read theres really no complicated plot lines with a multitude of names to remember. Its an action packed easy read.. I guess thats why alot of folks say they are kidde books.. but foowee on them..

Pro:
Good plot
Easy to read
lots of action
fast paced
well described fight scenes with magic and sword play
Well fleshed out characters

Cons"
Writter is getting a bit repeatitive
characters that seemed to have died just keep comming back
all most too many fight scenes and not enough plot thickening

After coming off a really good start with The Legacy, I really feel that for the exception of a few brief moments, this book is really the weakest of the entire series: weakest in terms of plot, character, and just general storytelling.

As is becoming a trend in Salvatore books from an author that simply can't let go of a character Artemis Entreri, the same Artemis Entreri that was supposed to have died...twice...

Despite it's miscomings later on, the book actually begins rather well: Bruenor is crushed at the loss of Wulfgar, Drizzt is concerned about the Dark Elves intentions, and Catti Brie is still trying to figure out what to do with herself since she thought she was already going to be married by this book.

The book can be essentially broken down into two main plots: Drizzt/Catti Brie in Mithril Hall and Drizzt/Catti Brie/Artemis Entreri in Menzoberranzan. The first plot is strong and really builds on the characters. The second is simply a series of challenges for the trio which increase in intensity with the climactic moment being so over the top as to really catapult all 3 of these characters into the realm of fantasy Superheroes: they are invincible and unscated in the face of overwhelming odds.

Drizzt's ruminations as he decides to make the trip to his former homeland are where Salvatore is really able to bring about the overconfidence of his main character, an overconfidence which is built on well throughout this book. Drizzt's eventual capture and torture were fantastic opportunities for Salvatore to begin to show the real inner strength and, finally, limitations of Drizzt. Instead, this is where the book begins to slide down into the realm of superhero comicbook farce.

From the rescue of Drizzt by Artemis and Catti Brie to the Epilogue the trio faces simply impossible odds and still manages to escape the jaws of Menzoberranzan without a single scrape and quite a bit of loot to boot. With the whirling scimitars of Drizzt, the whirling knives of Artemis, and the unlimited ammo, ballista shotgun that is the bow of Cattie Brie (oh ya, she also now has a sword that can cut through stone and probably solid steel too): the trio are simply invincible.

I can't really place it, but I've lost some respect for these books after reading this one. I know going in what to expect: a relatively light read with some dramatic moments. I know that the main characters are all going to come back at some point because Salvatore just can't let them go. Despite this, I feel this story really is missing something. Perhaps it borders on being too fantastical, perhaps it's the overly dramatic moments which really don't come across well, or maybe it's just that the fight scenes in the previous two series just seemed a lot more gritty.

What I think it basically boils down to is there's only so many times where you can see characters go through hell and come back out before it loses it's novelty.

After reading a lot of the reviews for this book, i thought i would add my own opinion of it. So far i have been a loyal fan of salvatore's. i have, in fact read every book of the drizzt series from the first to the most recent several times, and starless night, i think, is one of the best ones. salvatore places some of our favorite, non-drow characters into the drow's infamous home city. it was a nice change of setting for the reader as well as the characters, especially since i love reading about the extraordinary city of menzoberanzan. i think that drittz acted completely in character in his actions when you consider all that he has been through that led him up to this point. i see no problem with him wanting to sacrifice himself to save his loved ones, when he believs that all he has ever done was brought harm to everyone he cared for. I liked this book because it brought back some old characters from drizzt's childhood, as well as some new ones from the city. and it also put his dearest friend and greatest enemy in a dangerous, yet intriguing situation. as always, salvatore was excellent in his battle scenes and small exepected twists that turn the whole storyline around. I think this is one of the better books to the series,but will always belive that Homeland is the best yet. I agree with most people that the cover art is the worst i have seen, although the most recent books haven't been much better. You would think that someone would know how to draw an elf by now! And as to drittz's age, if you follow his age throughout all of the books, as i have done many times, you will find that he is somewhere between 60 and 70.

SECOND reading of this series and still just as good this time around except that who ever transcribed it from book form to kindle doesn't know the English language very well, ie; to many swords should read too many swords, it was along way to go should read it was a long way to go. Pretty simple stuff and yet....

I really had high expectations for this book and thought the story will end especially after the end of the Icewind Dale Trilogy. But Salvatore did not meet up to my expectations on this book. The scenes were concentrated on the Underdark and Entreri is alive again. Not only Entreri but also Errtu. It seems that whatever Drizzt does with all his effort, couldn't accomplish and defeat all his adversaries. It seems that the author just made a book business out of it and never lets his stories finish so that the reader would keep on buying unending stories. I know there's another new book "The Silent Blade" all about these characters again. When will it end. I think I like my heroes imortalized into just a few books and just keep it that way. Killing a main character then resurrecting him again at the end is no fun at all (I'm speaking about Wulfgar by the way). I know this is legal for AD&D but in a novel, this is really no fun. Making an endless quest with same foes only degrades these characters. I don't know if I would still buy "Siege of Darkness" and "A Passage to Dawn" which are the continuations of this book. I just hope Salvatore makes a new foe and plot for Drizzt if he wishes to continue his legacy which I'm sure he will. Making a new book with the same characters is like watching a movie sequel with no development at all.

The margin setting at it's widest still feels like I'm reading from a newspaper column. The constant irritation of the narrow margin takes up most of my attention and detracts from the story! Giving such 'narrow' options for width is simply unprofessional and inexcusable. This is a simple fix. It could be done by the publisher literally in one night and auto updated through the store the next day. Also, I don't understand why the publisher won't give us x-ray. It's a great resource for the kindle completely wasted. I rate this two stars--for the kindle edition only.

I recently discovered this series and am loving it so far, but this book felt a little plotless. It had decent atmosphere, but I didn't feel it had a strong plot driving it. I still don't quite get why Drizzt returned to his homeworld. I'm sure it was explained, but it must not have been a great reason if I can't remember.

Drizzt coming to his homeland. I thought it was crazy!! Why the heck would Drizzt go back to that horrid place. Well, anyways being a true R. A Salvatore fan myself. I wandered why Mr Salvatore would put Drizzt into certain situations. I love the great character development of Drizzt in each book. This book is a great addition to the adventures of Drizzt. If you love Drizzt you will love this book.

Definitely better than "The Legacy" but still not my favorite fantasy series. Why? I just don't get Drizzt and Catti-brie. He's oh so noble that he keeps considering basically stabbing Entreri in the back - the fact that Entreri is the bad guy is so not the point here - and she's one angry woman with no respect for anybody, hissing and spitting at anything that even dares to disagree with her. They are so not the noble heroes that Salvatore wants them to be.

Legacy of the Drow Gift Set: The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, and Passage to Dawn (Forgotten Realms: Legacy of the Drow)

The Legacy
The return of Dinin and Vierna Do'Urden another great Drizzt story by R.A. Salvatore.

Starless Night
Drizzt's return to Menzoberranzan. His meeting with the Moon Elf from his pass which sets things up for the Sea of Swords. Another good book.

Siege of Darkness
The Drow's attack on Mithril Hall. Great storyline with one cliffhanger after the other.

Passage to Dawn
Concentrating on Drizzt and Catti-brie. Action, adventure and comedy typical of Drizzt's adventure by R.A. Salvatore. A very good read.

After reading The Legacy, the first book in the Paths of Darkness Series, I immediately picked up Starless Night. We go back to the Underdark and Menzoberranzan for another Drow-filled adventure full of adventure, magic, and all of Salvatore's signature elements. We get a lot more of House Baenre and we meet the ruling houses of Menzoberranzan. The book is a great read and you'll be wanting to pick up the next book, Seige of Darkness, right away.

Drizzt meets old friends (and old enemies !) as he goes on his trek to his place of birth, Menzobranzzen. The cover is naff (well Drizzt does look like a 60 year old man !) ,but Cattie-brie looks great ,woof ,woof ,meooww !!! The only disapointment in this book was the absence of Thwept, who would have ripped apart the skinney drow 's .

Unfortuately, this book didn't enthrall me the way Homeland and Exile did. There are several wonderful moments -- Drizzt's character is interesting as ever, and the confrontation between Matron Baenre and K'yorl Odran is masterfully handled. Unfortunately, Drizzt's escape stretched my suspension of disbelief a little too much -- I almost felt like I was reading a Jackie Chan movie. The plot was good, but not as masterful as in some of Salvatore's other efforts.

If you really, really want to read these, well, they aren't *impossible* to get through. Heck, if you want a buttload of action and little more, get this. And still don't expect much. This is very juvenile stuff, so if you aren't into the kiddee-fantasy thing, stay far away.

You ready for this????Drizzt goes back to .......Menzoberranzan, on his own accord...but for what?hehe. A must read shows great characters. a great straight forward story line, fight scence are the best by far, and characters are as always great.
Ok...Favorite character for this book.....With out a doubt Cattie-Brie. Excellent character development with this one.
as always hat goes off.

One of my favorites in the Drizzt series. The author brings out the characters in this book very well and there is a good deal of introspection. No mindless violence and Drizzt is not the all powerful hero.

Great reading, unfortunately RA Salvatore's later series simply do not live up the standards set earlier. Old Wine in new Bottles.

this book could have been much better than it was. I dont think their was enough action and battles in this book this book mostly focused around catti-bre and not too much drizzt but it was a pretty good book but its not as good as most of salvatores books.

Starless Night wasn't what I expected for the next Drizzt book. It was good, but not that good. I've read Eddings, Feist, and Tolkien, but nobody does a battle like Salvatore. To all of you who think that Drizzt looks a little old, think, he IS what, 110 years old!!!!!

Even though these novels aren't the most complex books around, this one is more so than many of Salvatore's others. I loved how we get to see the lifestyles of the Drow and even some of their intricate emotions.

R.A. Salvatore is a great writing in my opinion. His Drizzt novels are fun and exciting, especially within the universe of Forgotten Realms when you can get so many campy, cheesy novels that literally sound like a bunch of nerds writing down their Dungeons and Dragons campaign into book format. Nothing against nerds. I play D&D. Just saying that some of the quality of writing in the Forgotten Realms universe can be somewhat lacking.

Anyways, Salvatore does a great job with characterization in his Drizzt novels. Characters like Drizzt and Wulfgar are believable to me. He also writes action really well. I was entertained throughout the whole book and in reality, that’s why I read a Forgotten Realms novel, to be entertained.

Don’t look for any earth shaking themes and don’t look for any moving discoveries to life’s many questions. Pick up this book and look to have fun, have your imagination invigorated, and be entertained. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves action & adventure and loves good science fiction & fantasy.

If you do like good action and adventure and you are a fan of good science fiction and fantasy, then pick up a copy of the newly released novel A Chance Beginning: Book One of the Shadow's Fire Trilogy