Book VIII, Starless Night: The Legend of Drizzt

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.

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.

3.5 stars I round down.

To start the book our main viewpoint characters are all mopy and depressed over the death of Wulfgar. Bruenor is now in need of some therapy as he has allowed himself to become listless and disengaged to the point he is not leading his people. Cattie-Brie is depressed but no more so than you would expect and the noble Drizz't is so depressed he decides to go on what is more or less a suicide walkabout to say goodbye to his underdark friends and sacrifice himself in the hope this will keep his friends safe. Or at least the text strongly points to that subconscious belief.

So Drizz't sneaks off to the underdark which of course sets Cattie Brie in motion to follow him and causes much mayhem amongst the drow when he encounters them. We also have the return of Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle to heighten the tension and the treachery of the plot as Cattie and Artemis work together to save Drizz't. Jarlaxle as always waits and plays each side for his own gain.

At this point we have some wonderful fight scenes and it is a lot of fun, however we have the not unbelievable, but certainly hurried, metamorphosis of Cattie-Brie from strong but minor supporting character to major hero as she blasts legions of drow away with her heat-seeking bow of infinite ammunition. To be honest, her real courage was in facing Bruenor and following Drizz't.

We also have the incredibly intelligent drow acting like stormtroopers from Star Wars. Despite their massive numbers they can't stop the recently tortured to near death Drizz't, Cattie-Brie, Artemis and that poor cat Guenhyvar, summoned to take damage while they escape.

However despite those glaring problems, the book really actually is a fun read. Lightweight, but fun, and the battle scenes are engaging while you read them. Our heroes are just way too overpowered with trinkets now. Still though, the underdark and its evil machinations always provide for an enjoyable visit.

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.

In the last novel a raid was launched to capture Drizzt and return him to the city of Menzzoberanzen. Drizzt was able to escape with the help of his friends, but not without a price. The noble barbarian Wulfgar fell in battle with an creature from another dimension. His friends grieve over his loss. Bruenor can barely function as king in Mithril Hall. Drizzt knows that his enemies will keep coming for him no matter what. So he decides to end it. What is plans are never become quite apparent. He decides to return to the city of his birth. Along the way he will pass many old places of memory. He will renew old friendships. He will have an encounter with his god. Most of all he will learn that he is not alone, that he must trust in his friends.

Suspenseful and moving this is a a good novel in the Drizzt saga. Here, for the first time Drizzt comes to a greater understanding about his place in the world.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it is one of best books in the Drizzt series rating closely with Homeland and Exile. This novel details Drizzt's return to Menzoberranzan to end the perceived threat that the city has for his friends. The book has many twists and lots of intrigue along with the awesome battle scenes that Salvatore is known for. There was a lot of discussion in the other reviews about this book just following the same old plotlines. I think for the most part this is mostly false. Some of the things that happen in this book are the direct result of great character development. I thought the whole idea of Drizzt returning to Menzoberranzan was ludicrous probably the dumbest thing that Drizzt has ever done. However, I could understand where he was coming from; he was driven by his guilt he carried for the death of his friend Wulfgar.
What I liked best...beyond the great battle scenes was probably the development of the villains in this book. Artemis Entreri is definitely only a shadow of his former self. He is for the first time is in his life lost. He has lost his confidence and in the presence of the drow feels true fear and even pities himself, not what you expect from the wily assassin. But, beyond Entreri is the new power behind the scenes, Jarlaxle. He is truly the most cunning and intelligent villain I have ever read about. Watching Jarlaxle manipulate the other characters in the book like pawns really gives me chills. I love these characters and can't wait for more.
The only thing, other than the obviously inaccurate cover art, that I disliked about this book was the actions of Catti-brie. For a character that Salvatore always described as wise beyond her years and always able to look inside people and tell them about their biggest flaws, Catti-brie really does some dumb stuff. Yeah she had a part in the ending of the book, but she should have never made the trip. She is always yelling about people for putting themselves in danger for her and not thinking clearly then she goes off and chases after Drizzt. Someone needs to slap the stupid witch to give her a taste of reality or at least quit helping her (meaning Alustriel). Oh well just my point of view.
Anyways, if you have enjoyed the Drizzt series so far this one will not disappoint you. If you haven't read the books before this one...you can probably get by just fine, but you won't truly enjoy it. At least read the Dark Elf Trilogy and The Legacy before this novel.

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...

I imagined it would be hard to follow up after a book like "the Legacy" but this book (the second in the series) is extremely good. Drizzt runs off to confront his heritage in order to save his companions from future terror and attacks by the dark elves. Little does he know that the dark elves have other plans for the surface dwellers and the legendary Mithril Hall. This book mainly features Drizzt and Cattie-Brie, along with some of the classic drow - some of which have become my favorite characters in the books.
It is amazing finally getting into the underground city of the drow (I have not yet read the "Homeland" books). The inner workings of the city are facinating and unlike anything I had ever imagined. They truely seem to be pure evil (or most of them at least). The political intrigue in this book is exceptional. It is nothing like the politics in a huge epic (like "Song of Ice and Fire") but still pretty good and facinating at face value for a such a small book and a vastly different target audience. This book never let me down and was quite fun and enjoyable to read. My only reservation about this book is that Breunor and Regis are not that involved in the story (they are definately not involved in the main story, and their side plot line is very slim). But Salvatore proves that he doesn't need all of the companions to make a great book, and also proves that he still has a lot of fire under him and some surprises still up his sleave.
As always, the battles are fierce and exciting. Also the assasin (one of my favorites) is back and "integrated" into the drow society. Very interesting watching the strong and powerful get pushed around.
Read this book - this sub series in the Drizzt series is my favorite so far and is filled with more action and adventures than the others I have read.

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.

I read Starless Night and I loved it. the story was about Drizzt and Catti-bre (with Regis and Bruenor thrown in). I felt sorry about poor Regis each of his friends picking on him and acting rudely toward him expectally Catti-bre and Bruenor.Catti-bre picking him up and slamming him into the walls untill him told her where Drizzt's was. It was down right shocking and I personnally feel that it is none of her bussiness where Drizzt went, if Drizzt wanted her to know he would have told her. same goes for Bruenor, I liked how Regis stood up for himself and told Bruenor off. I only wish he had told off Catti-bre off to. She always buts into everybody's bussiness and tells people to mind thier own bussiness about her. ( like when in the Legacy Wulfgar aksd Catti-Bre if she did in fact meet with Drizzt and she told him that was her bussiness). So she followed Drizzt and allmost gets killed once again. I think she needs to be more carefull and quiet being so inpulsive and quite fankly mind her own bussiness. But all in all a good story plus you see how each of them in thier own way deals with Wulfgar's death. I highly recommened this book.

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.

R A Salvatore is hands down one of the most exceptional contributors to the forgotten realms world.
If you are not a dungeons and dragons player, this is still an outstanding read. Once you start the first book, you won't stop until the set is finished.
You then will have many more days with Drizzt in the series that follow and you will never get bored, tired, or fall away from the story.
The tale of Drizzt Du'Urden is one that MUST be read by everyone. I loved these books. Once you open the first page, you can feel the cool air of the underdark on your face.
The writing is so masterful, its as if you never read the words, just watch the imagery scroll through your mind.
buy, love it, and buy the rest of RA Salvatores work.

This is book 2 in the series "The Legacy of the Drow". This book takes off right after the first book, "The Legacy". Here we follow Drizzt into the Underdark once again to find and eliminate the threat of the evil Drow that have waged war agains he and his dear friends, and taken the life of one. If you have read the book "Exile" (book 2 of The Dark Elf Trillogy) and enjoyed it, you will like this book. Most of the book we are in the Underdark with Drizzt and his female friend Cattie-Brea. The ending of this book is not only a major turning point in the series, but will leave you smiling, and shocked. This is yet another great book in the wonderful Drizzt Saga.

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-"

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.

R A Salvatore is hands down one of the most exceptional contributors to the forgotten realms world.
If you are not a dungeons and dragons player, this is still an outstanding read. Once you start the first book, you won't stop until the set is finished.
You then will have many more days with Drizzt in the series that follow and you will never get bored, tired, or fall away from the story.
The tale of Drizzt Du'Urden is one that MUST be read by everyone. I loved these books. Once you open the first page, you can feel the cool air of the underdark on your face.
The writing is so masterful, its as if you never read the words, just watch the imagery scroll through your mind.
buy, love it, and buy the rest of RA Salvatores work.

This is book 2 in the series "The Legacy of the Drow". This book takes off right after the first book, "The Legacy". Here we follow Drizzt into the Underdark once again to find and eliminate the threat of the evil Drow that have waged war agains he and his dear friends, and taken the life of one. If you have read the book "Exile" (book 2 of The Dark Elf Trillogy) and enjoyed it, you will like this book. Most of the book we are in the Underdark with Drizzt and his female friend Cattie-Brea. The ending of this book is not only a major turning point in the series, but will leave you smiling, and shocked. This is yet another great book in the wonderful Drizzt Saga.

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-"

I did enjoy this book, it was a nice escape from other, more serious orginal fantasy and of course there was always Drizzt to fall back on. That is really the entire reason I am reading FR to begin with. Because DRIZZT IS THE COOLEST! Even though he is really cliched and the entire world is really cliched, I still love him. Everyone that interacts with him gets boosted up from the dull lives as cliched fantasy characters. It is magic at work.

However, this book (as well as Legacy) is pushing my resolve to want to read these books.

CHARACTERS:

Well what can you say, Drizzt still rocks and he does go through character development, something that really surprised me. His 1st person narratives really are a nice touch. Catti-brie was somewhat cool and not as annoying as she can be. The whole Artemis thing about him living was really cheap and was a bad short-cut that should not have been taken. However Jarxele (sp?) was defiently the best described character and a whole reason to read this quartet.

My major beef was with the drow. Before reading this book I had read some other reviews complaining about how weak they seemed and etc., but I didn't pay any mind. Boy, was I wrong. I believe that the drow should have been able to rightfully kill of all three of them in a heartbeat, as "evil" and "wicked" as they are. It was so annoying to have them "surprised" at how tough a fighter Catti-brie is (which she isn't really) and how cunning and fast and strong and brillant and godly Drizzt is. I just wanted to the trio really get sliced up and more importantly CARE!!!

*SPOILERS*

That was another thing that bothered me. After Drizzt went this horrible torture, he is back up on his feet and fighting female drows in near-perfect condition. He doesn't make any reference to it ever again. I have read other books where a torture session has changed the entire character, but Drizzt doesn't really care. Completely ridiculus.

PLOT:

Herein lies the major flaws of the story. Everything was too damn easy for the motly trio. Way too easy. *SPOILERS* It seems whenever there is any kind of challenge (like Catti-brie seeing the dark or tracking Drizzt) RAS thinks up this wonderful little item that instantly takes it away. The list is ridiculus, the Cat's Eyes, the healing dagger, the locket, the ruby pendant, the spider mask, the other mask that changes ones shape, the magic healing potions, the list goes on.

*SPOILERS CONT.*

AND WHAT IS WITH HEARTSEEKER???!!! I was so irratated at that stupid bow and arrow. I swear it is like a gun. RAS is bringing a freakin' gun into fantasy, because NO ONE can outdistance, outmanufer that thing. Having Catti-brie use that thing (it doesn't even run out of arrows!!!) makes her so much more powerful then she really is. It is cheating, just plain cheating and shouldn't be tolerated.

Those were my major problems with the plot. The actual plotline (with Drizzt leaving and such) wasn't so bad, except for all the cheating using magic items.

CONCLUSION:

Well, if you have read all the Drizzt books up to this point, nothing I say will stop you now. All I want to say is that if you are a lover of un-cliched orginally work then you will be very annoyed. In general I have found that RAS's drow society is quite orginal, very interesting. But not really in this book. So read ahead, you probably will. I just warned you.

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

It is very unlikely that a sequel is better than the first. Starless Night is one of those few books that are better than the first one. In this Drizzt book, Drizzt decides to go to Menzoberranzan to see what has happened to his long lost tribe. I really liked what happened to Artemis. He seems to be losing his evil touch. Catti-brie really shines in this book. I really feel sorry for her. Her loss of Wulfgar is just too much. Silverymoon is a great place to go in the Forgotten Realms, even if it doesn't put in with the story (which it did). Drizzt is kind of losing his fighting skills. I really wished Rwgis was in the Underdark too. Oh well. I hope the sequel will be good.

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.

I must admit that I did not like this one as much as I enjoyed the first, The Legacy. It was good, I will say that, however it was at a much slower pace than Legacy. Most of the time Cattie-brie was just looking for her friend Drizzt and did not link up until the very end. It just seemed like it could have been a little longer, perhaps, and a little more fast-paced. I had read three quarters of the book and did not realize it; I had actually expected more. But it was good, and another one of Salvatore's great works. I would recommend this book, just prepare for it to be a little slower than The Legacy.

Ok, i really liked the book. I only had two dissapointments, the cover(duh). I thought drizzt (drittz/dritzt CHECK THE R.A.SALVATORE WEBSITE). And, i was really looking forward to Menzoberranzon polotics...but there weren't many. There were some, but not nearly as many as compared to the Dark Elf Trilogy. It fealt really good to laugh in Entreri's face when he fealt hopeless! I thought it was about time the big bully got into trouble! Also, i loved how the book's main character(i fealt) was Catti-Brie. I really liked how she took charge with Regis, though i wished Regis had put up more of a fight... Also, I thought I might get to see Dove, Alustriel's sister..but nope. >.< No dove, oh well...maybe next book, though i doubt it. It was still a really great books, espeacially sense there wasn't as much of Mithril Hall(which is TOTALLY boring!)

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.

My hats of to you R.A., for this excellent sequel to "The Legacy". The mood of the book was quite different from some of Salvatore's previous books, completely imersing the reader in the characters' minds, showing the dispair that they feel from previous events. I would almost venture to say that this book is *too* depressing in the tone it takes. But then again, it only makes it all the more real. As Drizzt ventures back to his homeland, Salvatore shows that he still has the eye for writing evil, portraying the drow to the utmost perfection. Salvatore's character development, as it has been shown in some of his later books(this included), is arguably some of the best in fantasy(possibly contemporary literature, dare I say?). Not just because of the depth he takes his characters into, but the twists he puts on them to make them unique to his stories. The fact that he also shows the development of his characters more often than telling of it truly amazes me. The equal development of his secondary characters such as Jarlaxle and Entreri, portraying them as not so much the antagonists puts an interesting plot twist on this book. Overall, "Starless Night" is a must for any Salvatore fan's library.

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.

I give this book 5 stars because any Drizzt book is amazing. I am a big Drizzt (Drisst) fan and I hate the stupid cover art. The only pictures I like of Drizzt are the Streams of Silver cover, Realms of Valor, Silent Blade and Crystal Shard is alright but he looks like a human. In Starless Night he looks like an old white geezer. It's like they tried to make it the complete opposite.

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.

I don't think enough can be said about this book! I just lose myself in Drizzt's challenges and the eldest bearne is about the best yet!! I love the whole journey back the Under Dark and Cattie Brie was amazing!! Salavatore is doing a magnificant job with evolving and maturing Drizzt throughout his travels. Once where the Hunter was dominant within his psyche now it's a controllable aspect that helps him through extremely difficult trials. That was excellent!!!! I just hope that this vintage Drizzt stays just the way he is. Long Live Salvatore!!!!

What can I say....? Ever since I picked up the first dark elf book I have'nt been able to go a day with out reading at least a chapter from one of the books. Whenever I sit down to read I find that I'm there beside Drizzt and the 'gang' sharing in their excitment and adventures. This book is just as good as the rest and evrybody regardless of how old they are should have this book. If their is one gripe I have it the cover illustrations, they are terrible. Drizzt looks too old to weild a zimmer frame never mind twin scitmars. I await the day they are re-printed with different covers.......but hey, this is just my opinion.

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.

I belive that this is a realy excellent piece of work. Drizzt Do'Urden, is one of my favorite characters in the Forgotten Realms. I still think that "Homeland" is the best Drizzt novel though, but this is close behind it

This one of the best dooks ever. First the book was outstanding, You could just feel what Drizzt was going through. This was writen to pull you right into the realm of the dark underworld and this is just what happened. I coould see the dark city as if i was right there. OUTSTANDING
I would say to anyone that wanted a book that this is one of the best book by far. Thank you for the great adventure.

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.

Even though i liked this book, it left me with a bad taste in the mouth. Yes, Drizzt learns a lot about himself, Catti-Brie stops mourning Wulfgar, and Entreri is alive. But that's about it. The rest is filled with massacre, a bloody aftrnoon in Menzoberranzan. It's insane. Why did they have to leave the Underdark killing everyone they met? If this is the best that Mr. Salvatore can come up with, then i can might as well quit reading his books, and start to press flowers.

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.

people need to realize something. the return of wulfgar was forced on salavatore by wizards of the coast. he was told either he brings back wulfgar, or they will get another author to do so. becuase salvatore writes in someone elses universe, he does not have complete control over where his stories lead. get this through your thick skulls.

this one is mostly about cattie brie, drizzt and gwenhyer. sorry if i spelled that wrong. anyway its a story about those three and its very entertaining. cattie brie and gwen have to go all balls and guts and go after drizzt.

"As an old school gamer I dislike so many things that occur in these books, but this is some of the best sword & sorcery reading you will find. This is the 2nd or 3rd trilogy dealing with these characters. The imagination that went into creating the Ecology of the twisted society of the underdark is simply mind blowing."

Well,it seems to me that everyone has a comment or 2 about how drizzt's facial appearance looks. I guess it did shock me at first because the first book with Drizzt I read was 'The crystal shard' and he did seem young,did he not? Anyway,then when I went to the store to buy The dark Elf trilogy,I was shocked! He looked (no offense or anything) horribly degraded and old,but you get used to his looks after.Maybe salvatore should have picked a different artist... That's all I have to say. Bye
Hmm...I wonder what ever happened to Dinin.......

I really enjoyed this book and I thought that it was one of the more skillfully written books of the series (not quite my favorite but really good). I loved the plot and the team effort of Cattie-Brie and Artemis Enteri.

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