Book 3 - Legend of Drizzt, Paths of Darkness

With Sea of Swords Salvatore returns to the story of Drizzt and his companions. Drizzt, Catti-Brie, Regis, and Bruenor have returned to Icewind Dale. They still miss Wulfgar, but have found other things to occupy them. While Bruenor has reopened his old mines Regis has once again made his way to the Council. Drizzt and Catti-Brie have taken up hunting the bandits that are plaguing the caravans from Icewind Dale to Luskan. After defeating one of the bandit groups they capture a bandit who has a brand on her shoulder. They recognize the brand as having been made by Wulfgar's hammer Aegis-Fang. The companions decide that it is time to find their missing friend.

Meanwhile Wulfgar has taken up with the famed pirate hunter Captain Deudermont. Together they are searching for the female pirate captain Sheila-Kree. Wulfgar has learned that she is the one who has Aegis-Fang. Even though he has worked through many of his problems Wulfgar is still not in control of his rage in battle. This causes problems as he tends to put his comrades in danger in battle.

How will the companions finally meet up with each other? Will they be able to defeat this pirate captain? Who is this elf warrior Le'lorinel who seems to have no greater desire in the world than the death of Drizzt? Why this intense hatred for one he has never known? All off these questions are answered amidst the action and adventure that one expects from a Drizzt novel.

The other 2 in this trilogy (Silent Blade and Spine of the World) were pretty "meh" for me, definitely not Salvatore's best work, and they really paled compared to any of his earlier books. Both of those ended better than they began, but they were rough going for the most part. I found Sea of Swords to be very enjoyable throughout. It's not his best, but his best is REALLY GOOD, and so it's probably not really fair to demand that same standard. Sea of Swords had my favorite characters in a new adventure that I found very intriguing. Salvatore's writing described the pirate's hideout in a way that I found very visual and exciting. And Salvatore has several instances where he crafts those fantastic battle scenes that his fans love. Some criticize Salvatore for never killing off any of his main characters. For me personally, that's exactly the reason I like to read the D&D fantasy books. Those of us who played had those same favorite characters, and we always found a way to convince the DM's to keep those player characters alive. Reading Salvatore's stuff always takes me back to those days of "adventuring" and it's one of the reasons I love his writing.

The first half of the book is pretty good actually, focusing more on Wulfgar being affected still by the tortures of Errtu. He becomes a liability on Deudermont's Sea Sprite with Robillard and Deudermont arguing over what to do with him. As they pursue pirates looking for Sheila Kree, we actually get some tension as Kree sends a team to kidnap Wulfgar's new woman and adopted child.

Then the tension is ratcheted downwards. Rather than have the supreme tension of Kree holding hostages as well as Aegis Fang, the kidnap attempt fails. Drizz't, Cattie-Brie, Regis and Bruenor go north in search of Kree and perhaps Wulfgar. At this point we have a very bad technical lapse on Salvatore's part. Wizard Robillard is used more than once as the hand of the author to move Wulfgar around. First to prod him to find his friends and Kree, and secondly to actually teleport Wulfgar to his friends, and then scout Kree's hideout for them. Yeeesh, you get the sense the story had to be wrapped up quickly so the convenient wizard was used to move it along.

On the good side, Drizz't and Cattie-Brie finally move towards some sort of relationship with glacial slowness and there are some nice fight scenes, though the last one with the companions vs. The Entire Pirate Crew & Ogre Friends is a little unbelievable. The mysterious elf sub-plot is wrapped up very quickly and easily. The book should probably have been longer to address these problems.

Not as strong as the previous two which dealt with character issues and political intrigue, and a definite step back to predictable dungeon romps. At the end, everyone is back together almost as if the reset button has been hit.

One cannot help but thing that the characters of the Salvatore books have outlived their usefulness. Unfortunately, unless you count the few series that actually end...Song of Ice and Fire which is limited to six, the trend in current fantasy is to just keep spinning books out until the author is six feet under, sometimes beyond. Although this was not a bad book by any means, the conclusion really was not in doubt at any point, merely how the characters were going to manage to get to the happy ending. In all honesty, what exactly can the author throw at this group to make the reader think that they might not get out of this one. When Wulfgar died, there was a feeling that any of the characters could check out, cause one of them just had. However, since his return, that mystique over the books that anything can happen disappeared. Now, the Companions of Mithral Hall are less men and more immortals.
In this book, while it was fun for a while to see Drizzt and crew back in action, the giddiness quickly departs when one realizes that unless something drastic happens in the next trilogy, the best books are behind this franchise. Just like many of the recent books, there is a new enemy, who is really non-to threatening, and obviously destined to fail from the get go. The climax is something that even echoes a book from the past. The combat scenes are alright, so long as you do not care that you know the heroes are not going to lose.
Honestly though, the book is not a bad read, but do not expect a book that rekindles the truly inspired work that was The Dark Elf Trilogy or anything even close. It is pretty much a run of the mill story that you could probably read the last chapter of and get the jist of what occured in the content of the book. Though, kind of like the Star Wars prequels, you know what is going to happen, it is how you get there that is what you are there to see. Same applies for this book.

In R.A. Salvatore's "Paths of Darkness" series, a certain Drow Ranger has been conspicuously absent from the action.
In "The Sea of Swords", he's back, spinning his scimitars like he never left. Expanding upon the plot of "The Spine of the World", Wulfgar, now a family man recovering from his sojourn in the Abyss, has gone in search of his hammer, Aegis-Fang. All the while, his comrades are searching for him, as well as the pirate who claimed his weapon. This exciting backdrop is combined with a subplot involving an orphaned elven warrior bent on vengeance against Drizzt for his family's death, and the growing romance between Drizzt and the human warrior Catti-Brie.
Although the plot is interesting and the action as intense as always, Salvatore once again wastes a very intriguing character (in a similiar manner to the way he killed off the remnant's of Drizzt's family in "The Legacy"), and fails to end the book on a note of completion. But these gripes aside, "The Sea of Swords" isn't a bad addition to the series.

First off, let me say that I enjoyed reading this book a lot. I read it cover-to-cover yesterday and do not consider it to have been a day wasted. I read fantasy books because they are light fare, an easy break from the day-to-day stresses of the working world, and I read Salvatore's fantasy because it is exciting and well written. From that perspective, this book was absolutely terrific: a return of fantasy's most consistently exciting character without the "end of the world" motif that is such a common and overwhelming theme in the genre. It is very solid Drizzt fare.
Having said that, this book is not as good as the Crystal Shard. Shard contained a level of suspense and moral ambiguity that is missing here. The problem is common enough in any Wizards of the Coast setting (and can indeed be found in some of their computer games as well): as the characters advance in level and/or power, nothing in the story can really injure or threaten them. The protagonist becomes superhero - far outstripping his foes in both physical and mental prowess. This is problematic in a linear plot. Servant of the Shard was SO GOOD because it avoided this issue by presenting a vast set of interweaving difficulties and complex situations. In other words, the story could have logically ended in any number of different ways. Sea of Swords misses that critical element that Salvatore always has in his books that contain Jarlaxle: complexity.
I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to Drizzt fans. It advances the characters emotionally, contains solid sarcastic wit in several places, and it is action-packed without having the action overwhelm. However, I also eagerly await the return of Entreri and Jarlaxe.

I don't understand. The plots in these books aren't very different from each other, the fight scenes go on too long and it's another "group of friends go adventuring book". Nothing original or anything here.

The problem is that I LOVE these books! RAS makes me care about the characters and what happens to them. Watching Drizzt evolve as a character is fascinating. Drizzt is the most evolving character I've ever seen in fiction. It's amazing. His relationship with Cattie-Brie keeps me at the edge of my seat.

I do find myself skipping over some of the more lengthy fight scenes, but other than that I'm hooked.

I don't particularly care about Wulfgar at all, but when the focus is on him I find that I do care. Same with Bruenor and Regis.

I just don't understand...

I must be a mutant of a particularly virulent strain of fantasy readers. I have had an opportunity to re-evalute the reviews I have written of this book to see if I was a bit hasty earlier. I must, unfortunately, say I was dead on. I enjoyed this book not at all, and actually felt a little betrayed by how far this story has gone(to me) in the wrong direction. I have not felt that strongly and poorly about books since I forced myself to finish the Dune series. Wulfgar has always been my favorite character in this series, and it was the addition of Wulfgar to the group in the Crystal Shard where these books, and the Companions of the Hall began. I like Drizzt, and thought the Dark Elf Trilogy was excellent, but the last few books seem to have focussed entirely too much on Drizzt as if he were not a Dark Elf but a black hole from which the other characters can not escape. I must respectfully rebutt one of my co-reviewers comment that Mr. Salvatore is "developing Wulfgar into a powerful character" or words to that effect. I believe he was already a good character and that the recent developing has been counter productive. In fact, I see all the characters as becoming too much like Drizzt. I was pleased that the more recent reviews tend to justify my lack of enthusiasm for this installment.
Now, I enjoy Mr. Salvatore's work, but I do agree with my co-reviewers who believe that this series is past its prime. I liked the idea that one of them proposed of having Drizzt start a new series from the perspective of two or three centuries further into his life. That would be interesting. The only other thing I could suggest is that which is unthinkable to most fans of this series: Drizzt Do'Urden should die. Nothing short of such a drastic change will suffice to rekindle the reader's interest. He could even bring him back after a certain period or goal had been completed. As things stand now, however, I am forced to conclude that I should put this series down. Let others enjoy it as much as I did enjoy twelve of these books.

The Companions of the Hall make a great return in the new R.A. Salvatore Drizzt book. After a respite of 2 books, Drizzt returns with Cattie-Brie, Regis, and Bruneor to embark on a quest to find their friend, Wulfgar, who left them after returning from his trials in Abyss with the demon Errtu. The sign of Wulfgar's hammer Aegis-Fang is found on a criminal and the Companions set off to retrieve the hammer--and their friend.
There are only two downfalls with the new book. The biggest one is that it didnt go as fast as previous books, like The Slient Blade. The action really doesnt pick up until after the first 75 pages or so, and I am not used to that in a Salvatore book.
The other downfall was the fact that the battles, while always interesting, start to lose their appeal. You can only battle goblins and half-ogres so many times before you fall asleep while you read it. Where are the fantastic battles between the Companions and giants or illthids or even swarms of drow! The fantastic battle at the end was very good, but it didn't last long enough. The ploy with Drizzt almost dying did not go over well in my mind either.
But other than that, this book was marvelous. The final battle, while short, was exhillarating, and very well-written, as usual. All in all, the book was the next in the series and it makes you yearn for more! Next fall, you can expect another review for Mr. Salvatore's new Drizzt book. I can't wait!

Well, judging from my title, I suppose you're guessing that I have some bad things to say about this book. Really, I don't. I just wonder, why can't R.A. Salvatore get a few new characters? Why can't he just do something like The Cleric Quintete again? It seems to go on forever.
This book, as I expected was quite good. Certainly better than The Spine of the World, and also Legacy of the Drow. I suppose that I really just bought what I expected: another Drizzt Do'Urden book. I've now read the whole anthology so far, and I can say that this is much the same quality of writing found in The Icewind Dale Trilogy. The difference now, is I'm beginning to agree with many others, and I say it's getting old.
Excellent book, to be sure, but really, I am tired of these scimitar spinning, action filled books. Well, I have nothing against the action, but I believe that the characters are over-used. Before I had read the previous books, I would say that this is exelent for a light read, but now I say that I'm tired of it. That's all that takes away the fifth star. If Salvatore were to bring in new characters and change the setting, then I would surely enjoy it, if the quality of writing stays the same.
Other than that, I surely recommend this book to anyone who isn't tired of Drizzt Do'Urdan. Then again, if you are tired of it, read it anyway, you're almost there.

I was extremely excited to finally pick this book up after finishing the previous three in the series. I wanted a story that wasnt going to give me a sour taste in my mouth, which, the others did a bit. What I really wanted was to see the companions of the hall come together and fight together again, after being seperated for so long. That is exactly what you get in this novel.

The story is strong, like Salvatores first trillogy and the battles leave you as excited as ever. The villian is one that we have only heard about in the other books and now we really get to meet face to face.

I had a great time with this book and am happy that I didnt give up on this series as so many others did after the two previous books. Dont let them make you stray. Pick this one up.

I consider myself one of Salvatore's greatest fans and devour his novels with utmost enjoyment. However, as entertaining as this novel is, it doesn't deliver the quality that is found in previous books. Part of this could be due to the fact that I haven't been a very big fan of the wulfar pity party that took up most of "Spine of the World". Unfortunately, many of the same elements are back in this novel. The last thing I want to read about is someone feeling sorry for themselves for 300+ some odd pages. Also, I found the added romantic energy between Cattie Brie and Drizzt to be refreshing, albeit very overdue at this point. All in all, an entertaining novel, but I'm not a big fan of the "new Wulfgar". I feel like the plots and motives were fully realized by the end of the story, but the character development seemed stunted. I felt as if the character development was "just getting started" by the time the novel ended. Salvatore still remains to be my favorite author and I look forward to more novels from him centering around these characters. I regret to vote only 3 stars, but he sets a high precedent for himself with the previous masterpieces of his earlier work.

This book is good. The battles are well done but nothing that hasn't been seen before. All the characters are developed but there is no strong villian. Le'Orinel is HORRIBLE! I won't spoil it for you but its SO predictable, she has no fighting power either. How can Salvatore spend an entire book on the 2 best villians of all time (Entreri and Jarlaxle) and then have no reference to them at all. The problem with Salvatore is that he has created such spectacular but HUMAN characters. Drizzt will outlive them all unless he suddenly creates a way for Catti-Brie, Entreri and Wulfgar to live on. My personal suggestion is to make them both half-elf. They both obviously never knew their own parents, and to even make it better why shouldn't they be related? That could be AWESOME, also why leave such a cliffhanger for Jarlaxle and then not explain it at all. The only reason the book is 3 stars is because its the Companions of The Hall. There is never a danger of anyone being killed by mere ogres and pirates and the fight scenes cannot be as astounding with such pathetic fighters too much of the book is character development with nothing happening. Regis becomes a hero, Drizzt and Catti-brie develop farther but Salvatore does not make it clear how much. Overall I didn't like the development but it is Drizzt and I can't disagree with that

In reading this book, it looks like we're beginning to have a problem here. While it is apparent that Salvatore loves his characters, I got the distinct impression while reading this book that he would have rather been writing something else. Salvatore is falling into the category of the famous writer that has been typecast and is desparately wanting to do something different, but people are simply waving too much money under his nose to write more Drizzt novels. Sea of Swords is a book filled with over-dramatization, repeated phrases from his other books, and way too many adjectives. But that's not the problem. The problem is that Salvatore is better than this; he *knows* better than that. It's like before he wrote the book, he sat down and said "Well, a bunch of teenagers are going to read this, the not civilized adults who read my Demonwars novels, so I'd better write to the audience." Oh boy. The slow demise of Drizzt may have just begun. My advice to Mr. Salvatore: You were an excellent writer, and you still are. Follow your passion. If you want to dump Drizzt, then dump him. If you still want to make a lot of money writing TSR novels, fine. Write about Jarlaxle and Entreri. Use the second half of "Servant of the Shard" as a guide. You'll have fun, it'll be a *great* book instead of a *barely good* book like this one, people will buy it (I know I will), and you'll still make money. I would much, much rather read about Jarlaxle and Entreri than about a drow hero who is getting tired of himself, and whose very author is getting tired of him.

Well, judging from my title, I suppose you're guessing that I have some bad things to say about this book. Really, I don't. I just wonder, why can't R.A. Salvatore get a few new characters? Why can't he just do something like The Cleric Quintete again? It seems to go on forever.
This book, as I expected was quite good. Certainly better than The Spine of the World, and also Legacy of the Drow. I suppose that I really just bought what I expected: another Drizzt Do'Urden book. I've now read the whole anthology so far, and I can say that this is much the same quality of writing found in The Icewind Dale Trilogy. The difference now, is I'm beginning to agree with many others, and I say it's getting old.
Excellent book, to be sure, but really, I am tired of these scimitar spinning, action filled books. Well, I have nothing against the action, but I believe that the characters are over-used. Before I had read the previous books, I would say that this is exelent for a light read, but now I say that I'm tired of it. That's all that takes away the fifth star. If Salvatore were to bring in new characters and change the setting, then I would surely enjoy it, if the quality of writing stays the same.
Other than that, I surely recommend this book to anyone who isn't tired of Drizzt Do'Urdan. Then again, if you are tired of it, read it anyway, you're almost there.

I was extremely excited to finally pick this book up after finishing the previous three in the series. I wanted a story that wasnt going to give me a sour taste in my mouth, which, the others did a bit. What I really wanted was to see the companions of the hall come together and fight together again, after being seperated for so long. That is exactly what you get in this novel.

The story is strong, like Salvatores first trillogy and the battles leave you as excited as ever. The villian is one that we have only heard about in the other books and now we really get to meet face to face.

I had a great time with this book and am happy that I didnt give up on this series as so many others did after the two previous books. Dont let them make you stray. Pick this one up.

I consider myself one of Salvatore's greatest fans and devour his novels with utmost enjoyment. However, as entertaining as this novel is, it doesn't deliver the quality that is found in previous books. Part of this could be due to the fact that I haven't been a very big fan of the wulfar pity party that took up most of "Spine of the World". Unfortunately, many of the same elements are back in this novel. The last thing I want to read about is someone feeling sorry for themselves for 300+ some odd pages. Also, I found the added romantic energy between Cattie Brie and Drizzt to be refreshing, albeit very overdue at this point. All in all, an entertaining novel, but I'm not a big fan of the "new Wulfgar". I feel like the plots and motives were fully realized by the end of the story, but the character development seemed stunted. I felt as if the character development was "just getting started" by the time the novel ended. Salvatore still remains to be my favorite author and I look forward to more novels from him centering around these characters. I regret to vote only 3 stars, but he sets a high precedent for himself with the previous masterpieces of his earlier work.

This book is good. The battles are well done but nothing that hasn't been seen before. All the characters are developed but there is no strong villian. Le'Orinel is HORRIBLE! I won't spoil it for you but its SO predictable, she has no fighting power either. How can Salvatore spend an entire book on the 2 best villians of all time (Entreri and Jarlaxle) and then have no reference to them at all. The problem with Salvatore is that he has created such spectacular but HUMAN characters. Drizzt will outlive them all unless he suddenly creates a way for Catti-Brie, Entreri and Wulfgar to live on. My personal suggestion is to make them both half-elf. They both obviously never knew their own parents, and to even make it better why shouldn't they be related? That could be AWESOME, also why leave such a cliffhanger for Jarlaxle and then not explain it at all. The only reason the book is 3 stars is because its the Companions of The Hall. There is never a danger of anyone being killed by mere ogres and pirates and the fight scenes cannot be as astounding with such pathetic fighters too much of the book is character development with nothing happening. Regis becomes a hero, Drizzt and Catti-brie develop farther but Salvatore does not make it clear how much. Overall I didn't like the development but it is Drizzt and I can't disagree with that

In reading this book, it looks like we're beginning to have a problem here. While it is apparent that Salvatore loves his characters, I got the distinct impression while reading this book that he would have rather been writing something else. Salvatore is falling into the category of the famous writer that has been typecast and is desparately wanting to do something different, but people are simply waving too much money under his nose to write more Drizzt novels. Sea of Swords is a book filled with over-dramatization, repeated phrases from his other books, and way too many adjectives. But that's not the problem. The problem is that Salvatore is better than this; he *knows* better than that. It's like before he wrote the book, he sat down and said "Well, a bunch of teenagers are going to read this, the not civilized adults who read my Demonwars novels, so I'd better write to the audience." Oh boy. The slow demise of Drizzt may have just begun. My advice to Mr. Salvatore: You were an excellent writer, and you still are. Follow your passion. If you want to dump Drizzt, then dump him. If you still want to make a lot of money writing TSR novels, fine. Write about Jarlaxle and Entreri. Use the second half of "Servant of the Shard" as a guide. You'll have fun, it'll be a *great* book instead of a *barely good* book like this one, people will buy it (I know I will), and you'll still make money. I would much, much rather read about Jarlaxle and Entreri than about a drow hero who is getting tired of himself, and whose very author is getting tired of him.

This book is mainly used to bring the seperated party members back together again. Some of the plot is a bit shallow and thin, and the ending leaves a bit to be desired, but overall, the book is fantastic. Drizzt fans will be happy that he and the rest of the companions are back, after their absence from the last two books. The book is action packed, and furthers the plotline greatly. The book plays like a movie in your head, and I couldn't stop reading it til the end. If you've read the others in the series, then pick this one up too... it will not dissapoint.

The best Drizzt Do'Urden story yet, in my opinion. Salvatore's writing evolved so much since his first "Forgotten Realms" book, it's like night and day. This book was actually really well written and I liked all the storylines that he had woven together here. I especially enjoyed the scenes Robillard and Wulfgar had together - they weren't really friends and yet they were. Another thing I enjoyed was how brave Regis turned out to be. A really good book

I'll agree with some of the previous reviewers: This one was a fun read, but not RAS' best (or second or third or fourth best...).
The last battle was as great as the final battles of all of his books are, and the character development and pacing of the story were very strong. But this time the smaller battles throughout the book were too far apart, and somehow not as detailed as usual.
Compared against other books in the genre this one earns five stars, but against the other Drizzt books it's a four-star read. Very fun, but not the author's best work.

I completely devoured this book, just as well as every other Salvatore novel I have ever read. I was so excited to find that Wulfgar was alive in the Passage to Dawn. I was even happier when Salvatore dealt with the situation the way he did. I've become so completely sick with the way people will just bring dead character's back to life. It's like there's no lasting consequences, and nothing really matters. Salvatore never seemed hesitant to make things matter in his books. And if Wulfgar had just come back with nothing lost, what was the point. After a lot of trials and hardships, he found himself again in this book. And I think the person her became should be celebrated. Wulfgar the family man? A little strange perhaps when you think of him as the seven foot barbarian who hunted giants for sport. But there is nothing wrong with this change. Wulfgar will never be th same for what happened to him, for years of turmoil that we can never understand. Suffice it to say he has found happiness once again.
I found the book itself much slower going that most of Salvatore's other works. That to me brought a sense of realisim to his characters. The Heroes of the Dale were actually people after I read this book. Drizzt before now had been like Superman, a hero who's life is merely a compilation of deeds. This book made him a real person, someone I can feel joy for and sorrow for. Every aspect of this book was saddening for the characters. Bruenor and Catti most of all. It was the second time they had lost someone so very close to them, and this time they couldn't even tell if they wanted him back. This book above all helped me to understand that the life of an adventurer was not always an easy one, or better to say, not always a pleasent one. That sometimes, being a good guy really is hard. It helped me relate my favorite character's to my own life. And I don't think I've ever been more satisfied with any book.

can no one defeat drizzt? it seems him and artemis are just too good for anyone else in the world of faerun to challenge? le'lorinel trains for at least 6 years against a half elf opponent under the influence of a haste enchantment and specifically chosen because he could emulate the fighting style of drizzt better than any other candidate and le'lorinel is so good that even under the haste enchantment the half elf becomes no more of a challenge.. good this should be an interesting fight. wrong, le'lorinel does not challenge drizzt at all. the fight is short and there is no danger to drizzt whatsoever. then le'lorinel uses a haste enchantment of her own, okay it should be interesting.. no she seems to become an even more feeble fighter, there is no tension, ever. in the fights with regular opponents you expect drizzt to win but sometimes they are fun, if a bit drawn out and redundant to read. but the closing fight, you want it to at least pretend to be close. creating drizzt to be a super character, (not to mention bruenor, who practically single handedly takes down gloomwing or whatever that dragons name was who destroyed mithril hall those years ago, and wulfgar, seemingly the strongest man alive - though i admit wulfgar has become far more interesting since his 'mental' problems) has left him with no more promising enemies. the next book is not drizzt against a powerful foe, just against '1000 orcs'.. artemis seems to be falling prey to the same syndrome, in servant of the shard if you remember he killed the 'top paid assassin' of whatever guild in less than 3 seconds. even though i complain about these books i think they're great still.. by far my fav characters in any series and the book was still a good read.. the real danger at the human outpost was the most interesting part for me cause the danger to the humans was real, if not to the party. i think morik and robillard are interesting characters that should be developed, morik especially.. remember how long lived drizzt is, maybe the series should be moved a few centries in the future, where the companions are dead and drizzt can somewhat start over.. maybe wracked by guilt or remorse for something unknown in his past (the death of his companions)? or not, could go either way. thats it!

The newest installment of the Paths of Darkness series is an incredible book, within its 300-somthin' pages, Salvatore delivers the thrilling chase and combat he is so well known for. Though it is an excellent book, everything has some downfalls. This story for some reason seems tainted, the feeling it gives doesn't match with the one received by the Icewind Dale Trilogy or The Dark Elf Trilogy. It does well to set up what is to come, but leaves you wanting a bit more from the present. Drizzt, as always, analyzes his spiritual and moral standing on the books issues between sections and these can get very interesting if you bother to listen. The story goes with the separated paths and rejoining of poor Wulfgar and his friends with several nifty subplots. Combat is great as always but never gives the mighty Drow much beyond a Ertemis style challenge. In the story, several other characters are brought back and elaborated upon such as Morik, The inhabitants of Auckney, and the good ol' Sea Sprite crew. No appearance from the delightful Longsaddle Wizards (I love those guys) but comedy is present in a deeper focus of little Regis and Morik's well placed wise cracks. Guen receives very little showtime in this book though he finds ways to steal the spotlight at times.
After all is said and done, the story is another grand adventure with the Companions of the Hall reunited at last. . . its just not Icewind Dale caliber, though.

This book served no other purpose than to make Salvatore some quick and easy cash...The "Losers of the Hall" have to get into a pirate cove to retrieve Aegis-Fang (Wulfgar's magical hammer, that he got rid of when he went through that temporary "interesting/cool" phase (he's a schmuck again). Now, anyone that would risk their life for something called Aegis-Fang is crazy, but remember, our friends are not risking their lives. If you can stay awake for this book (unlikely) you would read about how our brave heroes destroyed hundreds of pirates, talked trash, and reminded Wulfgar of what a loser he is. For no explicable reason, Regis starts getting tougher. There is someone in this book that is hunting Drizzt with a passion, but if you have read any of Salvatore's other stuff you know that nothing is going to happen to his beloved Drizzt. It seems like he is just writing for $$, and while there is nothing wrong with that, the books just aren't very enjoyable when you can tell that the writer's heart isn't really in it. Maybe he is too busy enjoying a "good blast of Mozart while tooling down the highway".

Drizzt's beginning in the underdark was really good . . . this one was not. Drizzt and Co never come up against anything that gives them trouble. They aren't meeting challenges that CHALLENGE them. For the last few books, it's been the same old plot: Enemy shows up that hates Drizzt, Drizzt believes it's all his fault, other try to convince him differently, lo and behold it IS all his fault, they butcher the enemies easily. This one did have a few good parts where Drizzt messed up and almost paid too much for it, but for the most part Salvator's writing is getting old and trite. This books falls far short of exciting reading

I first heard about the author named R.A. Salvatore through one of my friends. We were going to colorado for camp. Through the drive I found out that the book he was reading was called Sea of Swords and by R.A. Salvatore, it seemed kinda good, so I started reading it. Soon I was fighting him off the book (literaly) so I could read it. By the time the unfortunate end of the great book came, the only word that could describe Sea of Swords was EXELLENT!

Drizzt and crew returns in a well crafted though not superb book.
In many ways, Salvatore hits the right steps with humor, action, and resolution. Old plot lines are finally wrapped up and the stage set for new adventures. Fans of the series will feel right at home with the characters and story.
One problem that is partially resolved is that Salvatore manages to infuse some sense of danger to some of the Companions though perhaps they are never as fully challenged as they were in the past. It's a thorny problem for the writer in how does one challeges such powerful heroes without losing touch of reality and simply create enemies nonsensical in their power. Fortunately, the problem is solved partially by a villain who with the proper planning poses an actual threat to the great Drizzt.
Minor problems are lack of total development of some characters though with the multitude introduced this is no real crime. Most have nice hooks that makes them memorable. In the future, more length and depth would be appreciated

I honestly wondered if R.A. Salvatore could pull off another book about Drizzt Do'Urden. After all, with fourteen previous books in the series, who was left for the scimitar-wielding ranger to fight? The Crystal Shard was shattered, Drizzt's malicious family was long dead, Artemis Entreri had recovered from his obsession with the drow ranger, and the demon lord Errtu had been banished to the Abyss for a century. (Though if the series runs long enough, Drizzt may eventually have to face Errtu once more!) And with Salvatore's last two Forgotten Realms books focusing on the tormented barbarian Wulfgar and the aging assasin Entreri, it seemed that Drizzt's days had perhaps come to an end. But fourteen books prove, if nothing else, that Drizzt cannot be kept down.
The book opens with Drizzt and his friends chasing down highwaymen in the frozen reaches of Icewind Dale. When one of the surviving bandits is found with the mark of Aegis-fang, Wulfgar's magical hammer, Drizzt decides to discover what has become of his missing, tormented friend. The hammer is actually in the hands of Shelia Kree, a ruthless pirate chief. Wulfgar, meanwhile, pursues Kree aboard Captain Deudermont's pirate-hunting ship, conflicted between his old life as a warrior and his new roles as a husband and a father. And while Drizzt hunts for Wulfgar, a mysterious moon elf named Le'lorinel hunts Drizzt, obsessed with killing the drow ranger.
These seperate plot threads could result in a tangled mess, but Salvatore weaves them together well. Mixed in with the main plot are scenes with dozens of minor characters from previous novels: Captain Deudermont and the wizard Robillard, Morik the Rogue and the owners of the Bloody Cutlass in Luskan, Lord Feringal, Lady Meralda, Priscilla, and Terimgast at Castle Auckney, and others. A large portion of the book's appeal comes from the growth of these lesser characters: Robillard's transistion from crusty curmudgeon to crusty mentor, for example, and Morik the Rogue's altrusitic side comes to the top once again, despite his best efforts.
"Sea of Swords" does start out slowly, with Drizzt and companions seemingly having nothing better to do than harass highwaymen. But the pace soon picks up, and how do the pages fly! Five stars.

Drizzt is my most loved character in all time . I real enjoyed the fighting seens and the story line was very exciting. This was the first R. A. Salvatore book i bought and I now have over 4 or 5 books. I apploude him in his workand wish to congradulate him on writing such grate books.If you enjoy excitement and grate story telling i recomend this book.
note{i wish that some of the books were a little longer but I still love'em :}

I usually sneer at reading Dungeons & Dragons books, but I've been a loyal fan of the 'Drizzt' series for 10+ years now. I never hesitate to buy these books as soon as they come out and it's always with a giddy grin that I open the cover and start reading. Characters are what make you feel that way, and RAS has never failed to make his protagonists (and antagonists for that matter) interesting and fun to read about. Sea of Swords is a fun romp with old friends.
Without spoiling anything, I'll also say that I love the twist at the end of this story. I have to wonder if in the future, Drizzt will be affected by the events that transpire in the last chapter or so...

If your images of your favorite characters became myopic after exploring their souls in detail in the past few books or watching Entreri and Jarlaxle, this one should sharpen your focus. This was a fun, fast paced page-turner for me. Without giving too much away, you'll get to see Wulgfar search his soul, Cattie Brie search her heart, Bruener and Drizzt explore the pro's and con's of short term (by dwarf and elf standards) relationships, and Regis find a part of himself he probably didn't recognize. All the while, there's great head cleaving, goblin-gut spilling action. The new characters were intriguing as well.
I know a lot of readers saw the preview and are caught up wondering who Le'lorinel is, but this is not what the book's about. Oh, it's no doubt an exciting sub-plot, but not as intricate as the Entreri/Drizzt meeting that took hundreds of pages over many novels to develop.
Anyway I really enjoyed this novel, and the growth of the characters. Too bad I'll have to wait a year to see what happens next. Maybe the next in the Ascendance line or Star Wars Episode II will hold me over until then, and prevent me from going back to those horrible, cynical medical thrillers I used to read.

This book, Sea of Swords, is the latest book about the best-known and most well-loved character in the Forgotten Realms (with the possible exception of Elminster)- Drizzt Do'Urden. Drizzt is back in this novel that follows him and his friends in a quest to find their lost friend Wulfgar and his hammer Aegis-fang. It occasionally switches to Wulfgar as he continues to try to rediscover the Wulfgar he truly is, and once in a while it sawitches to a sinister elf who is absolutely determined to see Drizzt dead. The book takes you through battles and snowstorms, ending in a climactic finale that will leave you gasping for more.

Perhaps the best part of R.A. Salvatore's works is the short introduction he gives in front of each part of the book. The intro is always a monologue, a short apostrophe by Drizzt towards himself or perhaps the audience. (Incidentally, this theme appears in Salvatore's other books as well.) Salvatore explores deep themes and shines a light on Drizzt's conflicting emotions. His writing style can be compared to the likes of Hemingway, London, and Faulkner. I highly recommend this book.

Have fun, and enjoy!

Salvatore brings back everyone's favorite Dark Elf for another installment of the Paths of Darkness series. The book itself was a fast read, as are most of Salvatore's works, but it left me wanting a bit.
To his credit, the author resolved and wrapped up many hanging treads left throughout the series.
The characterization of the pirates was wonderful, but the opponent Salvatore lined up for Drizzt came of as a shadow of Entrari. I felt that he could have completely left this character out or developed someone within the pirate crew to cover the need for a dramatic closing fight (Salvatore's greatest strength).
If Salvatore continues to write books with the Heroes of Mithiril Hall (which I pray he does), I look forward to seeing who or what he comes up with to challenge the party.
Bottom Line: A good book, and worth the wait. Even Salvatore's B work is better than 90% of the rambling epics on the fantasy market.

Sea of Swords is an excellent novel written by one of fantasys' best authors, R.A. Salvatore. The novel takes a slightly different route from previous writings, drawing out certain parts to excellent detail. This allows for more character development and more story, which in my opinion is a key point to any good piece of writing. There is still enough action in there to keep the lulls to a minimum, as well as a good bit of humor (dry or not.) If there is one thing I did not approve of, it was the disappointing display of fighting put forth by Le'Lorinel despite years of training to do battle with the renegade Drizzt Do'Urden. However, it was not enough of a disappointment to lessen my love of this book. R.A. Salvatore has proven yet again that he is one of the finest fantasy writers of our times. Keep up the excellent work, Mr. Salvatore, as your fans are, as usual, wanting more.

Thank God, the Paths of Darkness series is over. The Legacy of the Drow and The Dark Elf Trilogy are the best books I have ever read! That being said...I dredged through this whole series cause it was so boring. I love Salvatore, but he needs to realize that Wulfgar is the most BORING character conceived! There is nothing there for the reader to be emotionally attached to him and actually care what happens to him. I couldn't wait to finish these books so I can start The Thousand Orcs. Trust me when I say that reading this series is not vital and really boring. The Servant of the Shard was a nice departure cause Artemis and Jarlaxle are awesome. But, three other books devoted to cry-baby Wulfgar and his boring character are enough to make me want to scream "Tempus" and toss Aegis-Fang at him and be through with his wallowing self-pity!

This story starts off rather slow, showing how Drizzt helped Ten Towns with their Highway men problem. But it soon picks up into the main story, getting Wulfgar and getting Aegis-Fang back from the pirates. This book is very eventful, gives wonderful battle scenes in the open sea, and does not waste time with painfully slow details. Read this book first if you want to read The Thousand Orcs.

Salvatore did a masterpiece with this novel. First, as everyone knew for it is no surprise, he reunited all of Bruenor, Drizzt (a slashing return!), Guen, Cattie-Brie, Regis and finally Wulfgar. But it is more a brilliant achievement when you watch the relation of Cattie-Brie and Drizzt, evolving into a passion and love union, that makes you explode and cry to heaven! Sincerely, with the Demon Wars, Salvatore show to his readers a beautiful and tender love relation between Pony and Elbryan but also he proved that he was not only a master in combat descriptive scenes, but most of all a master in love developpement between his characters.
The return of a long forgotten elf as the central drama of the story was again a precise simitar cut trough my heart.
I give 5 stars to Sea of Swords and i hope Salvatore'll continue his wonderfull job that makes us free when we read it.
Maybe a trilogy for the next Drizzt's story? (hope so!)

With any other set of characters this book would have been much weaker. However, as I have read every Do'Urden book, I have an investment in the character that supersedes a predictable plot, and makes an average read better. While this does not compare well to the other Paths of Darkness novels due to lack of character development, it is still worth reading as an endcap to the first three books. If you don't expect the opposing individuals to be as interesting as Entreri, Jarlaxle, Rai-Guy and others, and the plot to be as engrossing as The Silent Blade or Servant of the Shard, you won't be disapointed. Overall, an average fantasy book from Salvatore is still a better book than most.
P.S. If your interested in an exellent trilogy from the same author, try the first Demon Wars saga.

R.A. Salvatore is my favorite author and his latest book is one of his best! "Sea of Swords" has the fast-paced action and excellent plot development that has exemplified all of Salvatore's books, but what really makes this book stand out is his continued development of his signature characters, the Companions of the Hall. While I enjoyed "Spine of the World" and "Servant of the Shard", I missed Catti-brie and Bruenor and Drizzt and Regis. "Sea of Swords" brings all the companions back together again. I really enjoyed some of the new twists on the continuing story of Drizzt's life. Wulfgar's ongoing struggle for redemption is easy to empathize with, and I loved the return of the comic relief given by Bruenor and Regis. I can hardly wait for the next book!

Let's first start by saying that I have thoroughly enjoyed almost all of the books Salvatore has written but it seems lately that the plots start with much intrigue and then they go POOF! the climax just disappears. Salvatore leads you to believe that that the pirate group is potentially very dangerous but when the fighting actually occurs, Drizzt & company mop up the floor with them.
I truly loved the first two series featuring Drizzt and company (have read them about five times) but lately things have just been too easy with no real challenges. Salvatore is definitlely capable of much better story telling than this. I will continue to read but I hope things improve.

I've been following the adventures of The Companions of the Hall since the very beginning. There are some books Ive loved and others I didnt care much for. In this novel, what I consider the final volume in this saga, R.A. Salvatore has finally neatly tied up all the loose ends of any importance. There are some sequences in the novel which make no sense to me and perhaps could have been left out and there are some parts which kept me from actually doing things (I almost missed a date!). All in all it was a great way to end the series, and although it may not have been his finest book from the Saga it was definitely worth the wait and the price. I'll miss Drizzt, Wulfagr, Bruenor, Cattie-brie, Regis, and Guenavyr as well as all the colorful characters he has introduced to and made us love all these years. Buy it, read it, and proudly add it to your collection. May Mielikki smile on your every thought, protect your every dream, and grant you peace and love.
Adlai Dragonharp
The Bard of Ten-Towns

actually, i really loved all of salvatore's books. and his choice of characters. and while i do agree that everyone has their opinion of his works, i find that gus "bossnass79" is a little too harsh on the subject. the fact that he, quote, "generally hates whatever salvatore puts his hands on", is evidence. if you don't like the way he writes, then simply don't buy or read his books. simple as that. there is obviously something good in his books or people wouldn't be waiting to read about his "hall of losers", as gus put it. just remember this, gus. salvatore didn't know his drizzt character was going to be so hugely popular. it was when the fans begged for more that he developed more background and really developed what his world has become now. so if you don't like salvatore or his "hall of losers", i suggest that you go read some more asimov. because the millions of "true fans" have already spoken.

It would seem Salvatore has done it again. Everyone is back in this snowy volume. Like the last Lethal Weapon movie though it made you feel like everyone was getting to old. Drizzt gets surprised by a giant, Wulfgar is getting hitched, even Bruenor doesn't seem like himself, and Cattiebrie seemed muted. Honestly a great book but i couldn't help but wonder why Salvatore wrote this one with the somber, winter, getting old theme. Made me feel a bit like I did after Empire Strikes Back came out. I'm already waiting on him to introduce a new ally and or bring back an old enemy if he did it in one book i would not be surprised.

Salvatore does it again. I couldn't put this book down. A great culmination of the series with most of the loose ends tied up. I'd recommend reading Spine of the World and Servant of the Shard prior to this one to get into the overall story line.

Since Starless Night, I've been extremely intreged with Drizzt and Catti-bries relationship. Sea of swords developes it more than the others but still leaves you confused, with what's really going on. I just hope R.A. Salvatore explains it all soon or makes something out of their relationship, before I pull my hair out. All in All it's a Must read.

I could read all these books twice really. The whole series is by far the best adventure series ever! I read his first book 15 years ago the crystal shard. I looked that book up Last year to read it again 3/05 since then I have been addicted I have read every book he has wrote since all this year. the cleric Quintet That was also a must read if just for the dwarfs. Bob if you read this Thank you for all the great work!

Thanks again for the Very best adventure's

Magnanimous

The elf is back from Drizzt's past... Drizzt path in the Sea of Swords leads him from Luskin to the Ten Towns in search of a deadly pirate who has his friend's hammer. A little dragged out but a good book over all with a good ending.

Salvatore brings a close to the Paths of Darkness series. I feel that this has been one of his most complete books, bringing in all the emotion, decisions and great battle scenes that made him great in the past. Wulfgar has become a character with the same depth that Salvatore created in a lone dark elf, so many years ago.
So...
If you are a follower of the series; read this book.
If not, start with the Halfling's Gem, the first novel, and find your way through the story that we have all come to love.

This is an amazing book. Rich storyline(s), intricite + unique characters, and amazing storytelling abilities make R.A. Salvatore the author to read this year. The Paths of Darkness series is incredible, and is in the five best books I have ever read. This is an amazing installment in the saga of Drizzt, an epic story of the ages. A++!

This sample already has me wanting to buy it just so I can find out what happens next I have all of the books by R A Salvatore concerning Drizzt and his friends.I have always felt that the author captured a hidden wellspring from his first novel about the drow society. I have followed Drizzt and company and by far this I believe will top them all as his relationship to Cattie Brie seems to be taking on a different course this time and he's know realizing it! and a new Baddie in the works!I can't wait!!

Behold the return of Mighty Drizzt Do'Urden, Bruenor, Cattie-Brie, Wulfgar & Regis in another adventures involving a lot of character from previous book including Mighty Entreri and the ever pragmatic Jarlaxle, Deudermont, Sea Sprite, Morik the Rogue & Harkle Wizards.
Not an happy ending, but yet, known to you will be the fate of Wulfgar after this other Master-Piece of R.A. Salvatore, the #1 American Author for the Time Being and even the last decade for all the great books he brought into our lives.

This was one of the most eagerly anticipated books in Fantasy in a long time and it did not dissapoint. Although the storyline was not at it's best, and it would have been better to see more better evil enemies than Pirates it can still keep you up all night turning the pages. Of course there is tons of great fighting action and Drizzt is at his best. I thought this book was great, and I finished it in two days.

Compared to most authors novels this was an excalent book, but i thought that it was really a sad portrayel of such an excalent author. he really slacked on this novel, but i was still a really good read. i was alittle dissapointed with the antagonist and the end, and i thought it was better when the group wasnt together, and i wish that they hadn't found each other.