Part 2 (Forgotten Realms, The Icewind Dale Trilogy

I have enjoyed all of the books up til now and this one is no different and am looking forward to the next.!
If you like fantasy books then you will love the adventure Drizzit has with his companions.

I thought about writing a one word review, the title being "Dwarfs" - the body being "Dwarfs". Then I realized that readers may feel as if a dwarf advocate. Far from it my friends, far from it.

I wanted to give this review two and a half stars; half of the book is great because we have the fun act of reading about the character the book was written for. Yet the other half was reading about a dwarf.

Dwarfs.

So here is the plot in a nutshell: A ranger (Drizzt, who is also an elf), halfling, barbarian, and a ... dwarf head out on a quest to find the lost Mithril Halls where the...dwarf....were to be king. The halfling has a very valuable piece of jewelry tied around his neck which has a great power.

I think I've read this before. Can't quite remember the title.

The entire time the dwarf grumbles, the halfling whines, Drizzt gets gay for the barbarian. Everyone is racist, everyone wants to kill them, a dragon appears, who by the way was absolutely useless (minus one specific action), then it's over.

I reiterate - Dwarfs.

I wanted to love this book as I loved the previous ones, but that damned dwarf kept getting in the way. Every. Single. Time. I. started. Enjoying. Myself. That freaking dwarf opened his dumb mouth.

If it wasn't the dwarf spouting off incoherently, it was his pseudo-daughter Cattie-Brie. She is human, yet speaks like a dwarf. Which if you ask me, makes you a dwarf. It's like watching Star Wars with everything cut out but the Jar Jar Binks scenes!

I loved the ending, not because of the obvious cliffhanger, but because something happened that I wish happened on page one, but didn't. If you read it, you will understand.

The Lord of the rings and the hobbit based around 60% of the story. So don't expect much new.
Characters are a little dry and colourless ... But not so dull as you regret the read .. But not far off

I thought about writing a one word review, the title being "Dwarfs" - the body being "Dwarfs". Then I realized that readers may feel as if a dwarf advocate. Far from it my friends, far from it.

I wanted to give this review two and a half stars; half of the book is great because we have the fun act of reading about the character the book was written for. Yet the other half was reading about a dwarf.

Dwarfs.

So here is the plot in a nutshell: A ranger (Drizzt, who is also an elf), halfling, barbarian, and a ... dwarf head out on a quest to find the lost Mithril Halls where the...dwarf....were to be king. The halfling has a very valuable piece of jewelry tied around his neck which has a great power.

I think I've read this before. Can't quite remember the title.

The entire time the dwarf grumbles, the halfling whines, Drizzt gets gay for the barbarian. Everyone is racist, everyone wants to kill them, a dragon appears, who by the way was absolutely useless (minus one specific action), then it's over.

I reiterate - Dwarfs.

I wanted to love this book as I loved the previous ones, but that damned dwarf kept getting in the way. Every. Single. Time. I. started. Enjoying. Myself. That freaking dwarf opened his dumb mouth.

If it wasn't the dwarf spouting off incoherently, it was his pseudo-daughter Cattie-Brie. She is human, yet speaks like a dwarf. Which if you ask me, makes you a dwarf. It's like watching Star Wars with everything cut out but the Jar Jar Binks scenes!

I loved the ending, not because of the obvious cliffhanger, but because something happened that I wish happened on page one, but didn't. If you read it, you will understand.

The Lord of the rings and the hobbit based around 60% of the story. So don't expect much new.
Characters are a little dry and colourless ... But not so dull as you regret the read .. But not far off

Fantastic. Page-turning entertainment that moves from adventure to adventure with a cast of characters easy to love and hate. While there was a bit of a pause in the middle that felt a tad slow, the last hundred pages and the furious battles in Mithril Hall involving nearly all the characters was some of the most exciting writing I can ever remember reading. It is well worth the wait to get there - and the ending makes the reader look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy. Streams of Silver is a must read for all fantasy book lovers.

I have read this book several times since I first bought it in high school. While it reads like a fun d&d adventure with your friends, it has a certain something else that makes it truly enjoyable.
This is a book of maturing, of adventure, of trials & tribulations, of right vs. wrong, but mostly of friendship. When Bruenor Battlehammer sets out to find the lost home of his clan, his friends join him. They know not where the road will take them or what they will face... but, they will be there for their friend. The battles and adventures come. Danger, injury, survival, joy, and loss enter into their lives again and again as the story continues. The end is an exciting set-up for the third book of the trilogy.

In the aftermath of the battle against the wizard Akar Kessel and the Crystal Shard Drizzt, Bruenor, and Wulfgar decide to go on a search for the great dwarven realm of Mithral Hall. Bruenor is the rightful king, but his people had been driven from the Hall and the path has been forgotten. They are joined by Regis who seems to be in a strange hurry to join in an adventure. In the meantime Cattie-Brie is kidnapped by a new nemesis, Artemis Entreri. Entreri is hunting Regis and intends to have him. The travelers face many adventures. Catti-Brie finally escapes and warns them about Entreri. Together they continue the search for the famed dwarven halls. The search takes them through a number of adventures and they meet new friends along the way.

An important theme running through this story is the treatment of Drizzt. As a Drow (dark elf) he is feared and hated. He understands this because of the well known viciousness of his people, but it still hurts him at times. More than that his friends truly experience this hatred and have little patience for it. This helps to cement their bond as a group.

Streams of Silver picks up pretty much where the last book, The Crystal Shard, left off. Bruenor (a dwarven leader, by blood the king of the Battlehammer clan), Drizzt (a self-exiled drow elf) and Wulfgar (a young barbarian) set out on a quest to find Mithril Hall, ancestral home of Bruenor and his clan. Shortly after they leave, they are also joined by Regis (a halfling) - although they suspect that he is running from something, rather than running to join them on their quest.

Running he certainly is, from Artemis Entreri, a deadly human assassin, who is tracking Regis to return a stolen gem to the leader of a southern Thieves Guild. Catti-brie, Bruenor's adopted human daughter, becomes Artemis' hostage. To complicate matters further, an evil mage seeks Drizzt to locate the crystal shard, a powerful artifact which was the subject of the last book. Deciding that cooperating would be mutually beneficial, the mage dispatches his apprentice, a golem (think of a Frankenstein-like creature of incredible size and strength, but completely mindless), and a soldier to help Artemis.

The road for the four friends, then, is fraught with peril, fighting barbarians, bog-men and trolls to name a few, along the way. While they do gain some allies of questionable help, they must also encounter the extreme prejudice leveled against Drizzt on account of his dark elven heritage.

Salvatore brings us another rousing tale of high adventure and endearing characters, while introducing a powerful evil mirror of Drizzt in the form of Artemis Entreri. Salvatore skillfully immerses us in his world, and keeps enough suspense going throughout the book to make it very difficult to put down. Further, his character study of Drizzt throughout many of his books (this one included) brings us to an in-depth understanding of this complicated, tortured soul who has abandoned the evil ways of his people, only to have to come to terms with the evil of prejudice on the surface.

I highly recommend this book (although it might be best to start with The Crystal Shard for a better understanding).

Good things come in trilogies and, in most cases, the second of the series is the best...Streams of Silver is perhaps the zenith of the Icewind Dale trilogy. There are plenty of exciting adventures, desperate battles, horrifying monsters, devious sorcerers, dark dungeons, but most importantly, there is an element of the unknown. In the first novel, we all know the identity of the villain and what his nefarious plans are. Here, the companions, and the readers, have no idea what to expect, what horrible discovery they will make once they reach their destination. However, this book is more than just swashbuckling and dungeon exploring. We gain an insight into the mind of Drizzt, the mental conflicts and emotional sacrifices he must endure to uphold his principles. Even though there isn't a neatly wrapped conclusion by the end, this book is proof that sometimes the road is better than the destination!
The series continues with Bruenor, Wulfgar, Drizzt and Regis embarking on a quest to discover the doom that befell Bruenor's ancestral home, Mithral Hall. Many difficulties face the companions, not the least of which is the dwarf's inability to recollect even the approximate location of this underground kingdom, where precious mithril is so abundant that it flows in streams along the walls. Regis, on the other hand, is pursued by a deadly bounty-hunter intent on collecting his gem, and his head. The companions also attract the attention of a devious wizard of the Hosttower of the Arcane Brotherhood for their previous involvement with the crystal Crenshinibon. Along the way, the companions must deal with hordes of monsters, including trolls, ghostly unicorn, giant worm, bog monsters, even a banshee, but yet the assassin and his cohorts are ever their greatest threat. Once they rediscover Mithral Hall, they must be prepared to face its terrifying secret.
Of course, the essence and the main attraction of Dungeons & Dragons are the dungeons themselves, where rich treasures await discovery and monsters may lurk around every corner. For me, the most exciting part of the Lord of the Rings, indeed of any fantasy, is Moria. There is much of Moria here. There is the central plot that the dwarves had delved too deep and unwittingly released a dormant horror. Then there is the companions' effort to solve a puzzle to open a hidden door and gain the entrance to the underground passage, and the climactic confrontation at a bridge over a chasm which leads to the exit from the mines. This is perhaps RA Salvatore's nod to his inspiration (he admitted that reading Tolkien had led to his interest in the genre). Nevertheless, there are much that are original here, and the plot is seldom predictable.
Of interest is the exploration of Drizzt's emotional depths. That he has refuted the ways of his people is clear, but here we also get to appreciate the emotional cost of his decision. There would come a time when the pain of his rejection by the surface world because of his dark elf heritage becomes unbearable. As Drizzt struggles to reconcile with his decision, he will need to draw on the support of his friends and on an unlikely source. Bruenor's conflict is also highlighted. All his life he has longed to return to the home of his childhood, of which he is the rightful king, yet he may need to realize that his true home belongs with the friends he has made.
Overall, this is an exciting buddy road adventure with strong character development that makes it much more well-rounded than it otherwise would be.

First, I will give you a little background on the story. Streams of Silver is the second book in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. The heroes are Drizzt Do'Urden, a dark elf ranger, Bruenor Battlehammer, a dwarven king, Wulfgar, a barbarian, Regis, a halfling rogue, and Cattie-brie, human foster daughter of Bruenor. This story takes the heroes on a journey to rediscover Bruenor's lost homeland, Mithral Hall. The journey is ripe with challenges, not the least being the appearance of Artemis Entreri, an assassin sent to catch Regis.
I found this book much less fast paced than its predecessor The Crystal Shard. I didn't find the search for the hall as compelling as some of the other reviewers, but it had some redeeming factors. There was a sense of mystery that veiled the story and made you wander what was going to happen next. However some of the conflicts during the trip seemed a little haphazardly put together. Overall the quality of Salvatore's writing increases in this book and I like how the characters are developed. However, there are lots of grammatical errors that tend to get annoying. Artemis Entreri and his attempt to catch the heores saves the early part of the book.
The part I enjoyed the most was the events in Mithral Hall. I don't want to give away too much. So, all I will say is that its exciting and action packed. Just remember when reading this book that even though it starts off slow the story enthralls you by the end. If you like Forgotten Realms, then you will like this book.

The Bad Points: The characters do at times seem a bit superheroish. Some of the dialogue can be corny at times. Also, some things are a bit TOO farfetched, even for fantasy.(bringing to mind the Harkles' palace and the fact that a severed troll limb will grow another troll!) And yes, Mithril Hall is a clear replica of Moria, with some of The Hobbit thrown in as well. These things as a whole are the reason for my four stars.
The Good Points: Salvatore does know how to write those action sequences, and he's realistic in describing the battles, and death, since he doesn't try to "sanitize" either one. Characterization is not superb, but it's certainly not poor either. These things make the book enjoyable and entertaining- I was not bored while reading this book. And probably the best thing about this book is the introduction of Artemis Entreri. The plot is complex and the story has a good ending that sets up things nicely for the third book.
All in all, this book is good. His writing has inproved noticeably from the first book. For those of you who are about ready to write him off because of those bad points I listed, I say give him a chance. This is only his second book. I've already read the Dark Elf Trilogy, which he wrote after this series, and I can say for sure that it is MUCH better. It's definately more mature, and I wouldn't call it "light" fantasy, nor would I call this book light either. And I certainly wouldn't call any of his books "popcorn fantasy." If you're looking for good fiction, don't let the Forgotten Realms logo fool you- Salvatore does not write games, except for maybe a few elements in his first few books. I know for sure that the Dark Elf Trilogy has no RPG elements. So if you're looking for some good fantasy, try R. A. Salvatore. The truth is, he can entertain many readers who are non-AD&D - readers like myself.

The second book of the icewind dale trilogy is full of action. It starts off with wulfgar, drizzt, bruenor, and regis going on a long quest in the search for mithral hall. But as soon as I read of the cunning, murderous, and stealthy ways of the assassin artemis entreri, I was blown away. This man is extremely scary in the way he carries himself. A ruthless killer if you get on his bad side or in his way, entreri goes after regis, wanting to get back the magical gem the halfling carries with him. New characters such as wizards and humans are met in the cities along the road to mithral hall, and the final battle with the dragon shimmergloom in the caves of mithral hall is SPECTACULAR. I will say there were some parts during the quest that seemed a bit drawn out but overall this book is a fantastic read. This book convinced me even further that they need to make a drizzt 3d animated show. The characters and environments are just too rich not to ;)!!!!!

"Streams of Silver" was much better than the first book (now that the randow crystal shard is out of the way). I found this book more exciting and fulfilling. I think this is the case because the characters seem to be a true "party" now - they are truely companions. Wulfgar is grown and trained in the ways of fighting and has learned from the best. He also shows his ability in the many battles they fight - which are awesome as always. I don't think I have ever been dissappointed by a fight written by Salvatore.
And a fight that you will most certainly not be dissappointed in was the duel between Drizzt and the assasin Entrerei. Absolutely my favorite scene in the book. You can see the action in your imagination and feel the desires and emotions of the characters. Of all the Drizzt books I have read, this still remains one of my favorite fights, if not my favorite. This duel and the "relationship" formed by these two cast members is why I gave this book four stars instead of three.
The problems I have with this book, as with the whole Icewind Dale trilogy is the seemingly "random" tasks the companions strive to complete. Each book is totally different than the previous that it's hard to see these as cohesive books in a trilogy and not just three books with the same characters. It just leaves me unsettled when the companions seem to just get up and go look for the lost Mithiral Hall.
But, regardless of how or why they started the task, the journey that follows is a good, entertaining, and action-packed journey that is worth every minute of your time. And, if at the very least, this book is necessary for the rest of the Drizzt books for full understanding of the sequence. It is a good book, just a little unsettling at times (up until the Drizzt and Enterei duel - afterwhich, nothing else seems to matter).

RA Salvatore has created his own cult following in the world of D&D with his culture of the drow and Icewind Dale, the glacier community in the Forgotten Realms. This book picks up right where "Crystal Shard" left off, with Drizzt Do'Urden and pals fulfilling their promise to help dwarf Bruenor Battlehammer find his lost homeland, Mithral Hall. But! Regis the Halfling, always in trouble, is in the worst of his life, and an evil assassin is on his trail. Salvatore treats us to a new hateful-but-seductive villain in Artemis Entreri. My only complaint about this book is Salvatore's persistent use of the Irish brogue for his characters, which gets a bit annoying to read, and his seeming attempt to make a PC statement by focusing so heavily on racism. Written at the beginning of the PC 1990s, Salvatore repeatedly refers to the drow as "black elves" in this book rather than Drow, which he doesn't do in any of the other books in this series. Seemed a bit pandering to me, although Drizzt is definitely a victim of prejudice in the drow-hating Realms. Highly recommend as this is a fabulous adventure series!

Definitely a great fantasy epic and one of my personal favorites, The Icewind Dale Trilogy- The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem, brings to life the story of a good hearted dark elf ranger named Drizzt Do'Urden and his adventures in the northwestern reaches of the World of Faerun. The books are 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, dragons and heroes are all about. An amazing trilogy indeed and a "must read" along with RA Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy! . In conclusion, it's what Fantasy reading SHOULD be. A GREAT book indeed if you love Fantasy and especially if you love the Forgotten Realms! DON'T MISS IT!!!

This time the Companions of the Hall venture into Mithril Hall... long lost home of Clan Battlehammer. On there trail, however, are a mage, a golem, and an assassin (the only one of the three that is known to any of the Companions). Regis has not told the true reason for his joining of this quest, for it is the assassin that seeks him and his pendant.
Unlike the first novel, this seems to be more...patient/perhaps thought out... for lack of better terms. In the first, everything seemed rushed, here though everything is paced. The battles are drawn out more vividly, the obstacles seem tougher to endure, even the jokes and sarcasm seem 'real'. Salvatore has either matured in his writing, or gained the respect of his editors/publishers ( a little of both to be sure), and both show in this 'Chapter' of the Icewind Dale trilogy. A must read for fans of Salvatore, and any of the characters in the book... I still don't know what the big deal is with all the Drizzt fans, though. I've started to grow fond of Bruenor and Wulfgar as characters. Oh well, enjoy!

... Salvatore has managed to create dynamic characters that I fell completely in love with almost immediately upon meeting them (and even those who I did not fall immediately in love with, I immediately hated. A strong feeling, either way). With the exception of one (Wulfgar the barbarian calls to mind others of his type, such as Conan), they are fairly unique, and each of them only gets more well developed as the story goes on. This is especially true in the case of the dark elf Drizzt, who turns out to be what most would consider the main character. From the start, you are witness to internal reflection on a level that most novels do not allow, but in a way that does not diminish the action of the story. ...

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This book may even be better than the first one, and that's saying a lot. What really put it a notch ahead was the wonderful array of foes that the heroes had to deal with. Artemis Entreri has to be one of the coolest evil dudes I've come across, and Bok the golem (who could pound through castle walls with his bare fists) put vivid images in my head. Don't forget about Dendybar the Mottled, the Trollmoors, the Druegar, the Shadow Hounds, and especially Shimmergloom, a shadow dragon.
This book got Regis and Cattie-Brie more involved too, and I must say that Cattie-Brie kicked some serious tale! The best part of the book has to be the last fight against Shimmergloom. Bruenor is freaking nuts, but he sure put a hurting on the beast. While the book ends in a pretty desparate situation, with Bruenor assumed to be dead, and Artemis making off with Regis and Drizzit's shadow cat, a great adventure is promised for the next one. I look forward to it greatly.

The second book in the Icewind Dale trilogy is a pretty straightforward fantasy adventure book. It reads a lot like a transcribed D&D game - you've got your gruff dwarf warrior, the proud human barbarian northman, the agile dark elf ranger, and the mischievous halfling thief.

The story centers around (Thorin's) Bruenor's quest to retake his ancestral homeland (Lonely Mountain) Mithril Hall from the dragon (Smaug) Shimmergloom and the (goblins) duergar that have occupied it since his people were driven out.

The fantasy tropes feel a bit cliched, but not so much as to make the book unenjoyable. It makes it easy to quickly understand the characters and their motivations, and gets a lot of humdrum exposition and character development out of the way so we can get right to adventure and troll fighting.

Artemis Entreri is also introduced in this book, which makes it notable as he's gone on through the years to be a bit of an iconic villain among the kinds of people who are likely to actually pick up this type of book.

There's nothing remarkable here but it's a fun read. All in all, it makes for decent brain candy - a temporary treat to enjoy between more meaty, substantive meals.

I'm sorry about the horrible review I gave for this book. All i said was "Better than the first! What else can i Say!" Let me start anew. This book is my favorite Salvatore book that he's written so far. He writes down such amazing detail, yet makes it so simple, you feel like your there in every part. The book immediatly starts where Crystal Shard left off. Drizzt, Wulfgar, Bruneor, and Regis are off to find the ancient dwarven home known as Mithrall Hall. Drizzt is off just to help, but learns that he must fight racism(like real life), Wulfgar is trying to like magics and give up greedy traditions. Regis is running away from the most deadly assassin of all, and Bruneor is fighting and helping to make his way back to home.
I felt that this is his best work yet. With some parts that are a little borrowed, but with more emotion and desription which makes it totally original. Very good 2nd book.

I began reading the Drow series after reading all of Robert E Howards Conan series from the 20's and JRR Tolkiens LOTR and All the Original Dragonlance novels by Weis and Hickman.
I thought I would give RA Salvatore and hid Drow a try.
I fell in love with the stories right off the bat, starting with the Dark Elf Trilogy which is actually RAS 4-6 release , but the story goes that way first with book 4 being one in order.
The Ice wind Dale Trilogy is as good as the next Trilogy which I was hopping would be.
I did notice a lot of JRR Tolkien's The Two Towers in this book though
(which is hard to not do these days when writting fantasy)
with the dwarven mine and the dark other worldy creature that the dwarves unearthed in there digging... very Tolkien in many other ways also.. but I dont want to add spoilers..
This book has some real gut wrenchers and tear jerking moments as well that are perfect.
2 thumbs up here
PRO:
Good Plot
Lots of well written action scenes
magic and Evil and Good
Well fleshed out characters
Awesome landscapes
CONS:
a lot like JRR Tolkiens The Two Towers
Some typos ( not a major issue.. look at my writting +))

Over all.. 5 stars..; a great read

This book is the second chapter in R.A. Salvatore's Icewind Dale Trilogy set in the Forgotten Realms. This volume picks up right where book one (The Crystal Shard) left off with our intrepid band of adventurers setting off to find the ancestral dwarven home of Mithril Hall. Bruenor the dwarf, Wulfgar the barbarian, Regis the halfling, and the ever-popular Drizzt Do'Urden the dark elf should all be familiar figures to you if you've read the first volume of this trilogy. Salvatore does a good job of building on these characters while keeping the pace moving along at a brisk clip. The characters pass through some interesting settings on their journey, with Salvatore giving just enough detail to keep you intrigued without burying you under a mountain of info. An assassin and a couple of wizards get thrown into the mix just to keep things interesting. This book is a prime example of what should be expected from any Forgotten Realms novel: good, fast fun that doesn't require a lot of effort to get from cover to cover. I recommend this to anyone who's read the first book, or anyone looking for a light , fun read. So, on to book 3...

I consider the drizzt series a pretty good read, but I was a little dissapointed with this book and the third book. There are times when i feel the author just rushes things too much, and skims over elements that I feel require more explanation, especially in the two books I mentioned. I don't understand (bit of a spoiler here) how there can be multiple chapters devoted to the companions struggling through the hellish swamps on their way to Silverymoon, but upon their return to Longsaddle absolutely NO mention is made of the swamps. I also never noticed all the narrative in the Drizzt series until I came upon book four and five. Getting through those were a bit of a struggle for me compared to the first three, and I really feel Salvatore went a little overboard with all the telling. I'm still interested and plan to keep reading, I just hope the rest doesn't feel so rushed.

Amazing book. I love this series. If you like the previous books you will really like this book. You don't have to play Dungeons and Dragons to get in to this series. It kind of has that Lord of The Rings feel.

We get the villain in the second book of the Icewind Dale trilogy as well as a much better, though fairly derivative, plot.

Salvatore has improved immensely in this book compared to the weaker Crystal Shard entry. Characterization is a little better as he focuses in on Bruenor and Drizzt, and the plot is much tighter.

The best thing about this book is the introduction of the assassin Artemis Entreri. Supremely skilled, coldly calculating, ruthless and utterly evil he is not only the equal of Drizzt in swordsmanship but also in intelligence. A mirror image of Drizzt with pragmatism replacing compassion. With a little bit of the reader's willing sense of disbelief he provides a sense of real peril for our heroes.

Some of the side trips, particularly the Harpell's are well done and amusing. The expendable villains are also competently portrayed.

Over all a nice improvement over the Crystal Shard, but not yet as good as Dark Elf trilogy.

This has to be one of my favorite books in the series. While I can see where some people are coming from when they say that it does reflect the Hobbit in some places, it does not detract from the story. If you have ever read any of Salvatore's notes you will find that the Hobbit is one of his favorite books. It seems to me that he is paying homage to another great writer, not copying. Streams of Silver, in my opinion, is a far superior example of fantasy anyway. Drizzt Do'Urden has always remainded one of my favorite characters and will continue to be. Also, for those of you who complain about Salvatore's writing style, I have two questions, if you did not like the book why take the time to look it up and write a nasty (and often harsh) review, and could you, given the chance do any better?

Once the Companions of the Hall have made an allegiance to protect each other at all costs, they set off to find Mithral Hall (Bruenor's ancestral home). Meanwhile, a deadly killer is on the pursuit in bringing an end to the companions' destruction. In my opinion, I liked it a little less than The Crystal Shard but it was suspenseful to a point where I read it in less than 4 days. However, the most successful twist that Salvatore made was focusing the attention on Cattie-Brie. She had taught me to always be calm and good under pressure whenever facing a crisis situation.

Regarding the plot, it was not scattered and had a suspenseful chapters at every turn. I got hooked on and always pondered what were going to be the villains' next moves? Streams of Silver is a heroic quest novel that is successful like The Crystal Shard except this one the companions are traveling. Since there is no central location, it gets challenging to keep the plot focused but Salvatore continues to keep it well. Frankly, my comments seem positive Salvatore's works because he does such a good job in making the Drizzt Trilogies likeable! Hope he continues the work on The Halfling's Gem!

R.A. Salvatore mentions that he first got into fantasy after reading J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and the parallels between Salvatore's Mithril Hall and Tolkien's Moria are blatantly obvious. To his credit, Salvatore doesn't go whole hog and try to copy Tolkien's style, adding a different cast of characters with the likes of Drizzt, Regis, Artemis Entreri, etc. But the likes of Bruenor Battlehammer (and his ridiculous mug of ale standard) are a such a poor substitute for the dark, awesome majesty of Tolkien's world, it's almost blasphemous. Still, Salvatore's work is a good book for a lazy summer afternoon.

Author R.A. Salvatore is not a great writer by any means, but he truly does entertain. Reading "Streams" felt like watching a fun and exciting TV show. Lots of action, bits of humor, fast paced, a very exciting climax with LOTS and LOTS of edge-of-your-seat fights and chases. Though the characters tend to be "simple" and "one-dimension," I found myself caring about these heroes and routing for them. I liked them and enjoyed spending time with them. So, not literature, but certainly a much more fun and exciting alternative to watching TV.

This is the only one I read of the Icewind Trilogy. I know I know I should not judge it without having read the 1st of the series but without reading the first I still enjoyed it, the writing is very clever and plenty of excitement through the story. I always had intent to read the 1st and last of this series but I ended up reading other stories. Still consider it a good read.

I read the last half of the book in one sitting! I couldn't pull myself away. It was, of course, the first time we had been introduced to Artemis Entreri, after the brief mention in "The Crystal Shard". Entreri MADE this book. Salvatore's ability to write engaging, well-thought-out, deep characters is what makes this such a great book. The fact that the tension just mounts & mounts as the story goes along is a direct result of the great character development. The ending leaves you hanging because of events leading up to the next book in the series, "The Halfling's Gem". I'm glad I was able to get it immediately after finishing this book. I would hate to have read it as a new release & wait months & months on the next book. I don't think I could have stood it! GREAT BOOK!

Streams of Silver is the best of RA Salvatore's 'Icewind Dale' trilogy, delivering a fast paced, fun story that stretched across many interesting locations of the famed Forgotten Realms. Unlike many of his novels, combat is not the only thing that moves the plot forward; a welcome relief from the constant sword fights that clutter up about half of his works.
Light-hearted without being silly, exciting while retaining character development, and interesting throughout, Streams of Silver is a great light-fantasy read for somebody looking to get a quick swords and sorcery fix.

This trilogy makes a great read for lovers of the fantasy genre. The driving pace, lovable protagonists, and great character development more than compensate for the infrequent dark scenes that accompany many novels of this genre. There is never a dull moment in the adventures of Drizzt, Bruenor, Wulfgar, Regis, and Catti-Brie.

Full Christian Review Here: http://www.geeksundergrace.com/books/review-icewind-dale-trilogy-the-legend-of-drizzt/

I was in about grade six when I decided I should read a book. I found a book on the shelf that had a really cool looking cover so I bought it. The book was Streams of Silver. I loved this book so much that I would run around pretending to be Drizzt fighting make beleive trolls and assasins. After a while I began collecting every Forgotten Realms book I could get my hands on. To date I have 73 of them. This is the greatest book for first time fantsy readers, Salvatore will make you want to know more and more about the Realms and especially Drizzt. This book is a must read.

OK if I had never read any of Tolkien's stuff I would probably be like, "Wow this book is pretty average!" But, since I have read Tolkien's stuff, I am saying, "Wow, I can't believe this guy hasn't been sued!" An elf, dwarf, hobbit, and barbarian set off to reclaim "Mithral Hall" from a dragon Shimmergloom (yeah, I know, I'm embarassed to have read a book with a character named Shimmergloom in it too). Everything in this book sucks. Except of course for Entreri. He's cool. The feud thing with him and Drizzt was cool at this point (it gets old by the tenth or eleventh book oops sorry I didn't mean to give anything away). Anyway this is one of my favorite Salvatore books outside of "Siege of Darkness" (it still sucks). Basically I can sum up my Salvatore admiration, or lack thereof in one sentence: His bad guys are really cool, his good guys ruin his books. And you wanna know why? Well I will tell you...because his bad guys actually have to work, use their brains, cunning, be sneaky, whatever...his good guys on the other hand, can actually go out looking for trouble, because they are too strong for anyone else...there's no danger, never any doubt, we know Drizzt's scimitars are going to do their deadly dance and Bruenor is going to chop up some goblin, all the while talking trash, knowing that Salvatore would never have him, or any other main character die . Now you are probably saying, this guy (me) is a complete jerk, he's giving away too much stuff! Fine, just don't blame me when you buy like 20 of Salvatore's books like I did, read them, and then suddenly realize they are crap.

I honestly get a little tired of the way the heroes talk to each other. The way Bruenor gruffs at everyone or how everyone is always intrigued by their companions. Once this book gets near the end, it picks up. You really have to read the whole series though to truly appreciate the rest.
The fights are excellent near the end. Entreri seems like a great villian and I was always eager to see how he will combat the heroes. He is much better than that stupid apprentice power-monger(u know who im talking about) and he really does have a good fight or two.

Streams of Silver takes the bunch of heroes The Crystal Shard, to unveil the secrets surrounding the long lost Dwarven kingdom of Mithril Hall, "the mines where silver rivers run".
The journey Drizzt Do'Urden, Bruenor Battlehammer, Regis Rumblebelly and Wolfgang embark on proves to be a tough one though: hideous monsters lurking in shadows before them and a deadly assassin on their trail, the quest for Bruenor's ancient homeland turns into a fight for mere survival, a thrilling epic of quality we have come to expect from Salvatore. This was in fact his second novel ever, lacking some of the brilliancy and depth of the debute, yet it definitely stands proudly among those adventures that reshaped the Realms.
The battle that won the Mithril Hall back to its rightful owner is the peak of Bruenor's life, and I struggled, feared and rejoiced with him, the spirit of my Dwarven hero strong in the air whenever I opened this book and allowed myself a moment or two in the magical world of Faerun. To me, Bruenor resembles everything good and pure in the world. To become him is the purpose of my life. Behold the cover by Clyde Caldwell and feel his Dwarven wrath!
As ever, Salvatore fills the book with battle scenes that dazzle with accurate maneuvers and ingenious solutions, characters that make ye grieve for their losses, and a plot that feeds yer imagination. Ye find yerself gawking with excitement as Bruenor leads his band through the Trollmoors, a foul-stenched hell on earth. To my disappointment, Salvatore led his heroes out of the Icewind Dale, a place I came to love in the first book, for the rest of the trilogy, but the very spirit of adventuring remained, rendering Dreams of Silver a book ye shan't lower from yer hands until drowsiness overcomes ye late in the night.

Streams of Silver, the second book of the icewind dale trilogy, is a very fast and enjoyable read. I have fallen in love with these characters like no other in all of fiction and can't wait to share in more of their grand adventures. This is what fantasy is all about and Bob Salvatore has certainly created something truly unique here. The book has a great story and moves at a good pace with lots of very well described detail. Did I mention the characters are great? Also, if you lke action it is here and is also superbly described. A great book that you won't soon forget.

OK if I had never read any of Tolkien's stuff I would probably be like, "Wow this book is pretty average!" But, since I have read Tolkien's stuff, I am saying, "Wow, I can't believe this guy hasn't been sued!" An elf, dwarf, hobbit, and barbarian set off to reclaim "Mithral Hall" from a dragon Shimmergloom (yeah, I know, I'm embarassed to have read a book with a character named Shimmergloom in it too). Everything in this book sucks. Except of course for Entreri. He's cool. The feud thing with him and Drizzt was cool at this point (it gets old by the tenth or eleventh book oops sorry I didn't mean to give anything away). Anyway this is one of my favorite Salvatore books outside of "Siege of Darkness" (it still sucks). Basically I can sum up my Salvatore admiration, or lack thereof in one sentence: His bad guys are really cool, his good guys ruin his books. And you wanna know why? Well I will tell you...because his bad guys actually have to work, use their brains, cunning, be sneaky, whatever...his good guys on the other hand, can actually go out looking for trouble, because they are too strong for anyone else...there's no danger, never any doubt, we know Drizzt's scimitars are going to do their deadly dance and Bruenor is going to chop up some goblin, all the while talking trash, knowing that Salvatore would never have him, or any other main character die . Now you are probably saying, this guy (me) is a complete jerk, he's giving away too much stuff! Fine, just don't blame me when you buy like 20 of Salvatore's books like I did, read them, and then suddenly realize they are crap.

I honestly get a little tired of the way the heroes talk to each other. The way Bruenor gruffs at everyone or how everyone is always intrigued by their companions. Once this book gets near the end, it picks up. You really have to read the whole series though to truly appreciate the rest.
The fights are excellent near the end. Entreri seems like a great villian and I was always eager to see how he will combat the heroes. He is much better than that stupid apprentice power-monger(u know who im talking about) and he really does have a good fight or two.

Once the Companions of the Hall have made an allegiance to protect each other at all costs, they set off to find Mithral Hall (Bruenor's ancestral home). Meanwhile, a deadly killer is on the pursuit in bringing an end to the companions' destruction. In my opinion, I liked it a little less than The Crystal Shard but it was suspenseful to a point where I read it in less than 4 days. However, the most successful twist that Salvatore made was focusing the attention on Cattie-Brie. She had taught me to always be calm and good under pressure whenever facing a crisis situation.

Regarding the plot, it was not scattered and had a suspenseful chapters at every turn. I got hooked on and always pondered what were going to be the villains' next moves? Streams of Silver is a heroic quest novel that is successful like The Crystal Shard except this one the companions are traveling. Since there is no central location, it gets challenging to keep the plot focused but Salvatore continues to keep it well. Frankly, my comments seem positive Salvatore's works because he does such a good job in making the Drizzt Trilogies likeable! Hope he continues the work on The Halfling's Gem!

Streams of Silver takes the bunch of heroes The Crystal Shard, to unveil the secrets surrounding the long lost Dwarven kingdom of Mithril Hall, "the mines where silver rivers run".
The journey Drizzt Do'Urden, Bruenor Battlehammer, Regis Rumblebelly and Wolfgang embark on proves to be a tough one though: hideous monsters lurking in shadows before them and a deadly assassin on their trail, the quest for Bruenor's ancient homeland turns into a fight for mere survival, a thrilling epic of quality we have come to expect from Salvatore. This was in fact his second novel ever, lacking some of the brilliancy and depth of the debute, yet it definitely stands proudly among those adventures that reshaped the Realms.
The battle that won the Mithril Hall back to its rightful owner is the peak of Bruenor's life, and I struggled, feared and rejoiced with him, the spirit of my Dwarven hero strong in the air whenever I opened this book and allowed myself a moment or two in the magical world of Faerun. To me, Bruenor resembles everything good and pure in the world. To become him is the purpose of my life. Behold the cover by Clyde Caldwell and feel his Dwarven wrath!
As ever, Salvatore fills the book with battle scenes that dazzle with accurate maneuvers and ingenious solutions, characters that make ye grieve for their losses, and a plot that feeds yer imagination. Ye find yerself gawking with excitement as Bruenor leads his band through the Trollmoors, a foul-stenched hell on earth. To my disappointment, Salvatore led his heroes out of the Icewind Dale, a place I came to love in the first book, for the rest of the trilogy, but the very spirit of adventuring remained, rendering Dreams of Silver a book ye shan't lower from yer hands until drowsiness overcomes ye late in the night.

Streams of Silver, the second book of the icewind dale trilogy, is a very fast and enjoyable read. I have fallen in love with these characters like no other in all of fiction and can't wait to share in more of their grand adventures. This is what fantasy is all about and Bob Salvatore has certainly created something truly unique here. The book has a great story and moves at a good pace with lots of very well described detail. Did I mention the characters are great? Also, if you lke action it is here and is also superbly described. A great book that you won't soon forget.

In the second installment of The Icewind Dale Trillogy, we follow the companions of the hall on their journey to find Brunor Battlehammers long lost home.
It is a long journey for the friends and many memories are made for them, but one will follow them for a long time. An assassin on a search for the halfling Regis and his magical ruby pendant.
Will they find mithril hall? Will the assassing get Regis? You will just have to find out, And you will have a blast doing it.

This book is truely more about Bruenor the dwarf. You'll learn about Bruenor and how his feels about his children that he self adopted Cattie-Brie and Wulgar. In a way, Drizzt is implied as a member of Bruneor's family. Bruenor is on a quest to his centuries old birthplace of his known heritage Mithril Hall. The chemistry of all the chartacters are well protrayed. Drizzt, even though, in my opinion is the most powerful of the bunch is the key element of why this story is great.

The fantastic sequel to The Crystal Shard is this book, Streams of Silver. Not only is this an engrossing read but it opens a few more paths for the main characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Wulfgar, Regis, and Bruenor. The second book is probably the most important book because it brings two things into the story: the relentless and sadistic Artemis Entreri, an assassin out to capture and murder Regis the halfling, and the problems Drizzt faces with the predjudices associated with his dark heritage. These two don't seem that they would go together but as you delve farther into the book you see that they in short do.
Not only has Salvatore out done himslef but he as added a couple new variables into this equation, variables which reoccur quite often in his other book series.
Streams of Silver is sure to be a classic and doesn't dissapoint in anyway. A riveting story which can only be described as fantastic is ever present in all of Mr. Salvatore's books but this one takes high honor.
It could be said that Streams of Silver is the threshold to a number of more thrilling and powerful tales. It is the true starting point of Mr. Salvatore's work.

As I have stated about all of the previous R.A. Salvatore novels that I have read and reviewed. This book was excellent! It was a very enjoyable and quick read for me. The action and adventure is second to none. The thing I enjoyed most was the continued character development of both protagonists and antagonists without any type of sensuousness or adult content being part of the story. As-far-as being a straight sword and sorcery, hack and slash type of adventure, this novel gets an A+.

I can't stress enough how fun it was to read this book. Great read!

After saving Icewind Dale from and evil wizard, you would think that Drizzt Do'Urden, a simple drow who had forsaken his people, would be tolerated, right? . . . . . . .Wrong. Everybody still keeps him out of the towns or he has to fight, and Drizzt, with his moral values, just stalks away usually. His friend Bruenor Battlehammer, a battle-hardened dwarf, and Wulfgar, a fierce barbarian, have a plan to take his mind off of the blizzards and people of Icewind Dale. They go on a wild chase after Bruenor's lost homeland, Mithral Hall. Will they make it to Mithral Hall? Is there a surprise there that just might make them wish they never came? Will the price be too high?

One positive point about this book is that if you like action, fantasy, and adventure,you will really like this book. It has a lot of suspense in it. The characters are very informative, you don't get thrown in the middle of something that the writer hasn't explained, and the writer explains a little about what happened in the last book.

One negative point is that it leaves you hanging at the end. Like I said, it is very suspenseful. It doesn't explain a whole lot at the beggining, just a nutshell of what happened.

In conclusion I leave you some things to think about. I gave you a huge positive point, and a tiny negative point (if you can call it a negative point).

RA Salvatore has created his own cult following in the world of D&D with his culture of the drow and Icewind Dale, the glacier community in the Forgotten Realms. This book picks up right where "Crystal Shard" left off, with Drizzt Do'Urden and pals fulfilling their promise to help dwarf Bruenor Battlehammer find his lost homeland, Mithral Hall. But! Regis the Halfling, always in trouble, is in the worst of his life, and an evil assassin is on his trail. Salvatore treats us to a new hateful-but-seductive villain in Artemis Entreri.

My only complaint about this book is Salvatore's persistent use of the Irish brogue for his characters, which quickly becomes annoying to read (Even though I share the Celtic heritage, PLEASE just say he has an accent, and write normally!), and his seeming attempt to make a PC statement by focusing so heavily on racism. Written at the beginning of the PC 1990s, Salvatore repeatedly refers to the drow as "black elves" in this book rather than Drow, which he doesn't do in any of the other books in this series. Seemed a bit pandering to me, although Drizzt is definitely a victim of prejudice in the drow-hating Realms. Highly recommend as this is a fabulous adventure series!

This book unlike other second books of trilogies is superb and that is rare. Although he hasn't fully developed his writing form yet it is better than at least 98% of all the other books out there. Also all of the books after this will be truly superb. This book could have been better in my point of view but does do a nice job of putting in a good amount of tension and action although I was hoping for something more in Mithral Hall.

This one really surprised me. I'm usually not one for second books, but this was really better than the first to me. I guess because Salvatore had more room to build on charachter in this one, considering he got all the intros out of the way in the crystal shard. I LOVE Artemis Entreri! He is such a great character! He is like a negative Drizz't. I like it when authors or directors build on these forecoming showdowns, gets you excited about the future. Anywho, this is another Must-Read from Salvatore. I know i say that alot but the man is just good!

Tolkien would have wanted fantasy to evolve like this, i just know it! Read it, but read the crystal shard first.

I think you would love this book and its partners in trilogy. Holy heck! You find yourself caring about these warriors that other authors merely use as slicers and dicers. Salvatore explores the depth of character with sensitive intimacy and draws his reader inexorably into the adventure while doing so! What a great book and wonderful series! You have gotta read it!

I thought I reviewed this book but I didn't see it on my personnal Review page. The 2nd book continues the adventures Drizzt ,Regis,Bruenor,Catti-bre,Wulfgar and the first apperance of Entreri the assassin(my Favorite next to Drizzt) he kidnaps Regis and the friends hunt him down. great story and characters who you believe in and care about. I can't wait to read R.A. Salvatore's other books.

The second book of the Icewind Dale Trilogy sees Bruenor, Drizzit, Wulfgar, and Regis leaving the Dale to search out Bruenor's ancestrial home Mithril Hall. This book suffers a bit since most of the party's major stuggles occur near the end of the book (other than the few days they spend in the Trollmoors). The rest of the book is pretty much forgettable, though it does set up things nicely for the next book (which is quite a bit better).

Good book with a lot of action with Bruenor's quest to find his ancient homeland - Mithril Hall. And, the excellent villain Artemis Entreri is also introduced fully. Bruenor's adopted daughter Catti-Brie plays a bigger part than in the first book.
Fast paced book with non stop action. Not high fantasy, but still a lot of fun.

I read this trilogy a while ago, and I re-read it once, and it was a pleasure. But as I've said in Book 1's review, it's not in my favorites and I do think it's a little dry and it has dull moments. All in all, a good book, with good characters and interesting themes. Enjoy it in winter with a blanket.

When I read this book I was very pleased since I was a true fan of the series.
R A Salvatore is one of the best authors that I can recommend.
Streams of Silver is an excellent book, and a pleasant read.

Probably the most complex character in R. A. Salvatore's series is Artemis Enteri. Salvatore's writing is at his best when the dark assassin is at center stage. In Streams of Silver, the reader first meets Atremis Enteri, and a chill is sent through your spine. The battles between Enteri and Drizzt are many, but it is in this novel that they first meet.

First of all, i'd like to say this saga is the best one I have ever read. To begin with the adventure, the companions who set off for the mithral halls were wonderful, and Drizzt is more powerful than never before.

The landscapes are gorgeous as well as the Salvatore's descriptions. I'd follow the back cover advice: "If you read only one fantasy novel in your life time. Let it be this one"

Amazing story

Wulfgar,regis,Bruenor and Drizzt go searching for the Mithril Hall of Bruenors youth.They have many obsticles to cross to get there.There are killer trolls,barbarians,assasians and may more things to block there way.Even IF they get there,is the hall going to be deserted? Read it and find out,I'M sure you will love it

I grew up playing Advanced Dungeon's and Dragon's. R.A. Salvatore and his Trilogy's are the greatest books I have ever read. I would recomend these books to anyone! The character's in these stories will have a place in my heart for the rest of my life.

Wow. This is the best fantasy since Lord of the Rings and way easier written. Though Tolkiens world is undeniably the best ever written it is much harder to read. Streams of silver by R.A. Salvatore takes you in depth in a world written in layers of imagination. Drizzt's unending strugle of who he is go's to the extreme whence he meats a shadow of who he might have been. This book is a must have for fantasy readers.

Okay anyone who doesn't like this book is a moron. What is there not to like. Okay, I understand if you don't like these kind of books then there is a reason for you to think differently from what I an saying, but if you like things like this and don't like this book I think that you should go read goosebumps or some stupid thing like that.

This books really was one of the best i have read. The party of heroes battle their way to Mithril hall to reclaim it from vicious villans. Don't get discoraged about Brunor's final battle with the Dragon, just read The halflings gem. Great book in a even greater series

Okay anyone who doesn't like this book is a moron. What is there not to like. Okay, I understand if you don't like these kind of books then there is a reason for you to think differently from what I an saying, but if you like things like this and don't like this book I think that you should go read goosebumps or some stupid thing like that.

This books really was one of the best i have read. The party of heroes battle their way to Mithril hall to reclaim it from vicious villans. Don't get discoraged about Brunor's final battle with the Dragon, just read The halflings gem. Great book in a even greater series