I, Night of the Hunter: Companions Codex

R.A. Salvatore weaves a fantastic , exciting adventure as he continues the tale of Drizzt Do'Urdon and the companions. Drizzt is a such great literary character who ranks up there with Feist's Pug, Jordan's Rand and Tolkien's Aragorn. This is a story of second chances, redemption and acceptance. Drizzt's thoughts on the nature of good and evil give the book some weight and ask the reader to make their own judgement. As someone that has read all the Drizzt books, I especially enjoyed the interesting changes in Regis and Wulfgar in this adventure. The battle scenes are 1st rate and fun. All this and magic weapons, spells, potions hobgoblins and even a unicorn. A wonderful , enjoyable escape.

Let me get this out of the way, I did not read any of the Neverwinter Saga books. I could not stand what the series had become. The book previous to this where the Companions of the Hall were introduced boosted my hopes for a revival of interest. Sadly, this book sunk them again. Drizzt, once again, gets pushed aside for other characters, such as Artemis Entreri, Dhalia and their group - people I don't care for in the least. Even more so than them are the Drow. Oh good grief, there's so much Underdark intrigue. It gets old fast. On top of it all, so much effort is spent wanting to bring Drizzt low even by Lloth herself, that it seems downright petty.
The writing is nothing fantastic either. The fight scenes, as usual, are interesting and large, but between them it's lifeless. Salvatore has a tendency to repeat an idea chapter after chapter until you're screaming, "I get it! Enough!"
Slight spoilers from here on in: I know I complained about the Companions dying and all, but I did not want to go back to this constant death fake-out. You believe that a character is dead but then of course he's not. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't the characters were not the Entreri party that I so despise. If anyone should die off for good it's these guys.
Another things that really bothered me was the insistence that orcs and goblins are evil without question and that the peace treaty made earlier in the series was a mistake. If it truly was a mistake as evidenced by the books I didn't read, I apologize, but to me, this just seemed like a horrible downshift back to 3rd Edition D&D that the pre-Neverwinter Saga was based on. And worse still, this ideology comes from the good guys!
I am very disappointed how this book turned out. My Drizzt, the drow with the good heart and hero of the story, just isn't coming back.

R.A. Salvatore never ceases to amaze me. The characters are so detailed and the story so fast paced you never feel like you are jumping around from group to group. The details in the book pull you into every action that is taken, you can almost close your eyes and see the story unfolding before you. Thank you and please continue to take the time to put out a class a story.

R.A. Salvatore is my favorite author from Forgotten Realms. The only bad part about Forgotten Realms is the fact that their books got worse when they were acquired by Dungeons and Dragons.

R.A. Salvatore will always be the author to beat with this series.

Fast paced, multiple plot threads and lots of action kept me hanging out for more....hate it when good books end....and now a six month wait ....aaarrrggghhhh. Great to see the companions back in action again! And what a delicious twist at the end!

Let me preface this by saying I have read every Drizzt book as well as a Spider Queen Series and other series from the realm such as the Cale series so I'm pretty well versed on the storyline...but if you haven't had the chance to read those other books this one will keep you confused.. To many plot lines crammed into one book. The saving grace is the return of the drow.. The machinations of the drow keep this book edgy and interesting while the other plots lines leave something to be desired. R.A is setting up an interesting war of gods... If you are a fan of the series you will enjoy.. If you pick up this book as a stand alone piece you might be a little confused...

He had an opportunity to develop some of the relationships of the main character's, but instead spent so much time with the drow. It was tough just to keep track of who was who in the under dark, and I found myself wanting to skip to the sections with the main characters. Hopefully the next one will be better

Let me get this out of the way, I did not read any of the Neverwinter Saga books. I could not stand what the series had become. The book previous to this where the Companions of the Hall were introduced boosted my hopes for a revival of interest. Sadly, this book sunk them again. Drizzt, once again, gets pushed aside for other characters, such as Artemis Entreri, Dhalia and their group - people I don't care for in the least. Even more so than them are the Drow. Oh good grief, there's so much Underdark intrigue. It gets old fast. On top of it all, so much effort is spent wanting to bring Drizzt low even by Lloth herself, that it seems downright petty.
The writing is nothing fantastic either. The fight scenes, as usual, are interesting and large, but between them it's lifeless. Salvatore has a tendency to repeat an idea chapter after chapter until you're screaming, "I get it! Enough!"
Slight spoilers from here on in: I know I complained about the Companions dying and all, but I did not want to go back to this constant death fake-out. You believe that a character is dead but then of course he's not. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't the characters were not the Entreri party that I so despise. If anyone should die off for good it's these guys.
Another things that really bothered me was the insistence that orcs and goblins are evil without question and that the peace treaty made earlier in the series was a mistake. If it truly was a mistake as evidenced by the books I didn't read, I apologize, but to me, this just seemed like a horrible downshift back to 3rd Edition D&D that the pre-Neverwinter Saga was based on. And worse still, this ideology comes from the good guys!
I am very disappointed how this book turned out. My Drizzt, the drow with the good heart and hero of the story, just isn't coming back.

R.A. Salvatore never ceases to amaze me. The characters are so detailed and the story so fast paced you never feel like you are jumping around from group to group. The details in the book pull you into every action that is taken, you can almost close your eyes and see the story unfolding before you. Thank you and please continue to take the time to put out a class a story.

R.A. Salvatore is my favorite author from Forgotten Realms. The only bad part about Forgotten Realms is the fact that their books got worse when they were acquired by Dungeons and Dragons.

R.A. Salvatore will always be the author to beat with this series.

Fast paced, multiple plot threads and lots of action kept me hanging out for more....hate it when good books end....and now a six month wait ....aaarrrggghhhh. Great to see the companions back in action again! And what a delicious twist at the end!

Let me preface this by saying I have read every Drizzt book as well as a Spider Queen Series and other series from the realm such as the Cale series so I'm pretty well versed on the storyline...but if you haven't had the chance to read those other books this one will keep you confused.. To many plot lines crammed into one book. The saving grace is the return of the drow.. The machinations of the drow keep this book edgy and interesting while the other plots lines leave something to be desired. R.A is setting up an interesting war of gods... If you are a fan of the series you will enjoy.. If you pick up this book as a stand alone piece you might be a little confused...

He had an opportunity to develop some of the relationships of the main character's, but instead spent so much time with the drow. It was tough just to keep track of who was who in the under dark, and I found myself wanting to skip to the sections with the main characters. Hopefully the next one will be better

I always look forward to the next Drizzt book. And I did with this one too, but was disappointed it didn't have much of Drizzt in it. A lot of drow elves which I understand for story developement. Hope the next one is actually about Drizzt.

In The Companions R. A. Salvatore brought Drizzt’s old friends The Companions of the Hall back to life. He did this in an amazing original way. Our heroes were not simply resurrected, instead they were given the chance to come back as newborn children. When they were born they had all of their memories of their past life and were fully conscious of this from the moment of birth. The book followed the first twenty-one years of the new lives of Cattie-Brie, Bruennor, and Regis as they grow and develop in their new personas. Each of them faces challenges and each of them grows in understanding as they prepare to meet again in Icewind Dale to stand beside their friend Drizzt.

Night of the Hunter picks up where both The Companions and The Last Threshold end. Readers of Salvatore’s Drizzt books know that he likes keeping a lot of different plot strands going at once. In Night of the Hunter this tendency is taken to the limit. There are at least four main plot lines going throughout the book. There are several other minor ones as well and they all touch, move on, bump in to another, and ricochet off that I felt at times like I needed to keep a score card to keep up with every character and plot happening around me. We follow more intrigues of Menzoberranzan as the Baenre family seeks to increase it’s powerful hold on the city. These intrigues include the new Drow city of Q’Xorlarrin that is being constructed in the ancient dwarven city of Gauntlgrym. Add to that the continuing story of Drizzt and his new friends, and the more recent companions of Drizzt and you have quite the story.

The primary story line follows Drizzt and the Companions as they work their way back to Gauntlygrim. Their mission their is to find their old friend Thibbledorf Pwent who has been turned into a vampire. They want to find a way to put him to rest. It is great to watch the old companions adventure together once again. At the end of The Companions we see that Wulfgar chose to join them as well. For the first time we get a happy Wulfgar. The barbarian lived a life torn by conflicting duties in his first life. Now he is back for the adventure. He plans to live life to the fullest. Regis has also changed and is anxious this time around to be a full member of the companionship, not just a tag along. Cattie-Brie is now the wisest of the team. Her communion with the godess Mielikki has imparted a lot of knowledge and understanding. Bruennor is driven as never before to bring his people together. Drizzt seems a bit overwhelmed, first at the return of his companions from beyond the grave, then with the new dynamics that this team represents. Along the way he will have to face some uncomfortable truths.

If I have one complaint about this book it is that it is too short. I see that Salvatore has a lot that he wants to do with this new story. In many ways Night of the Hunter feels incomplete. It feels like there is a lot of setup for the next book or two. In that sense the book feels incomplete. That doesn’t diminish this volume at all. It is a great new chapter in the Drizzt saga.

Over the years Salvatore has stood out in the fantasy genre with his abilities to grow and mature his characters. I’ve often been amazed at the emotional depth found in these stories that are on the surface simple sword and sorcery adventure novels. As he embarks on a strange and wonderful new adventure this skill is still there. Night of the Hunter is first and foremost a fun book. Salvatore manages the multiple plot lines with his usual skill. The fight scenes, one of Salvatore’s hallmarks are brilliant as always. His ability to include plot lines that contain everything from great political intrigues that may well change the world, to the emotional trauma of a single character caught up in that change keeps the story fresh and intriguing. Salvatore’s books are rarely ever slow and this volume keeps the pace moving. You find yourself flying through the book and at the end you are amazed that he is able to pack so much story into less than four hundred pages.

I received a free e-book copy of this volume for reviewing purposes. One way that I know I love a book is that immediately upon finishing the free e-book I pre-order the hardcover edition. I have limited space for books on my shelves so I only buy physical versions of books that I want to keep and read over and over again. This book lans in that category. Let me encourage every reader of the Drizzt saga to buy this book. If you have never read Salvatore’s Drizzt books then let me encourage you to start. This is some of the best fantasy writing out there.

The layers and layers of drow politics ruined this books. I really don't care about how many votes House Baenre gets on the ruling council, nor do I want to keep track of which of the 8 houses on the council are allied with which. It seemed like that was the focus of this book and the companions were an afterthought. In the previous book when Catti-Brie yelled her name and I realized who the little nomad girl was I cheered out loud. In this book Bruenor revealed himself to some dwarves and I yawned. It should have been glorious and it just wasn't.

The story of the Companions of Hall, returned and reunited, continues in Night of the Hunter. But why exactly did Mielikki send them back into new lives? Now that they've returned to Drizzt's side, is their mission complete? Is there something greater that they need to accomplish?

Moving out of The Sundering, Salvatore masterfully builds the new world of Drizzt Do'Urden. While setting out to tie up loose ends from The Companions - finding rest for Pwent, helping the dwarves figure out what to do about the orcs - a whole new range of people (and problems) begins to emerge, setting the stage for an epic battle that will bring Drizzt up against his past and his people, perhaps for the final time?

I really enjoy Salvatore's writing style. The world-building is easy to follow (except sometimes there are so many names when the drow are involved that it can be more difficult to follow in general) and you don't need to have an extensive knowledge of Forgotten Realms to understand where things are coming from and where they might be going. Certainly recommend this for anyone interested in fantasy.

(eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

I started reading The Sundering Forgotten Realms novels, in part, because my son has loved this world forever, but the only one he gave me to read had been darker than I prefer for my adventure fantasy. The Sundering, though, introduced me to some of the characters he loved and gave me a different view of the world.

Night of the Hunter has a huge cast with easily as many (if not more) villains than heroes, which isn’t even touching on the group of anti-heroes who have their heroic moments along with many not so heroic ones. Its strengths are in the complexity of the characters and the world, elegantly drawn with a skilled hand. The same can be said about the intertwining plots as the Spider Queen and Mielikki’s webs come into form through the actions of the full cast, in constant conflict with battles won and lost with each encounter.

This book is dark, uncomfortably so, to the point of giving me nightmares. At times, I found it slow with so many actors to follow about different tasks and the interjection of monologues from Drizzt Do’Urden, but ultimately it comes together. Much to my surprise, rather than getting lost in the abundance of point-of-view characters as I was in the beginning, I started to track the various groups so I could recognize who and where I was at the beginning of each new scene.

Drizzt’s first monologue ran long, but at the same time, it tells the reader just where this book falls in the overall timeline, and considering it had been almost two years since I read the previous book, I appreciated the effective catch-up. Once the catch-up finished and the action began, the story smoothed out for me, or perhaps that’s when I was sunk back into the world. And I enjoyed Drizzt’s philosophical sidebars as he tries to come to terms with what he’d been instrumental in bringing about.

The same may be true for the overwhelming number of characters at the beginning. To someone completely seeped in the world, it most likely acted as a quick reminder of familiar characters. I appreciated how the heroes rewrote the meaning of the previous events to change the path of the world in ways that felt plausible. They know more now than they did then, and the change is driven by that knowledge rather than having someone outside the story make the world take a quick right turn that has no grounding in what came before.

Ultimately, Night of the Hunter, while it’s darker than I expect or prefer in adventure fantasy, has some moments of light. There are fun innovations, and analysis and conniving abound. The writing and characters are solid, and though the rare moments of omniscience point of view disconcerted me practically every time, most of the book is a mix of close and distant third. This book is part of a continuing narrative that went on before and still has more to unfold, but it provides not one but many complete stories within its pages as the gods help to move their chosen into the right place and state of mind for the coming battle, an effort that allows for–no requires–character growth and change.

P.S. I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER sends Drizzt and the Companions of the Hall back to Gauntlgrym to rescue Bruenor’s old companion, Pwent, from the curse of vampirism. Thanks to the Sundering, as well as the intervention of Drizzt’s goddess Mielikki, Bruenor, Catti-brie, Regis, and Wulfgar are back in Drizzt’s life.

It’s not necessary to have read THE COMPANIONS to understand NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. THE COMPANIONS, book one of the Sundering series, tells the stories of Bruenor, Catti-brie, and Regis’s rebirths and journeys back to Drizzt’s side. I do think it’s one of R.A. Salvatore’s better books, though, so I’d recommend it.

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER splits between following Drizzt and the others on their journey to Gauntlgrym to showing the machinations of the drow who have taken over Gauntlgrym. Artemis Entreri and Dahlia Sin’felle make an important appearance, so does Lolth. There’s a LOT going on in this book, and by the time I finished, I felt like I’d read a book double its length. There’s a lot to keep track of between the multiple subplots and characters introduced in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER.

Now, I’m a Forgotten Realms reader who really, *really* likes the drow. So I gobbled up every passage dealing with Gromph and Quenthel Baenre, and different drow houses including Xorlarrin and Fey-Branche. There’s a ton of drow politics in this book, and that made me a very happy reader. My only quibble with those parts of the book is that I wish the author’s language had been clearer. Sometimes I had to reread paragraphs a couple of times, due to awkward phrasing and long sentences, to figure out what was important.

The story of Drizzt and the others was good too, and exciting to watch them battle through Gauntlgrym. It was really good to see the Companions back in action, albeit each influenced by their new lives. Catti-brie, for example, is a mage, and Regis is much, much braver than ever before. I think this book is the start to a new epic for Drizzt and everyone else in the changing world of the Realms.

Because of all the drow intrigue, as well as the implications for Drizzt’s future, NIGHT OF THE HUNTER has jumped to the top of my favorite R.A. Salvatore books. I also think it’s a good starting point for readers new to the Realms, as you don’t need to know a ton of backstory, and it’s just a good fantasy book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Flat out, there was a lot going on in this book. Many threads, if you will, that tangle our hero's journey with several other story arcs. (Makes mental note to keep the spider/web word play to a minimum.) (Already aware I'll fail miserably.)

To start with, Drizzt and his companions have found their old groove. I assume. I sort of started this series with The Companions. Don't judge. I'm learning my Forgotten Realms lore on the fly. Yep, I'm like a fly caught in a web at this point, all tied up over Drizzt and his crew.

Meanwhile, we get to see some of the political maneuverings of the drow in Drizzt's old home town. Frankly, those guys are scary. Not just because they worship a Spider Queen either (although that does have a lot to do with it. Because spiders... *shudder*), but because there is more backstabbing going on in the ruling families than ... I don't know. There's so much I can't even come up with a proper analogy. It's rampant. Alliances are made, drow put other drow in the line of fire. There are more threads being spun for events down the line than I could count.

And then there's Artemis Entreri and his group. Let's just say things don't go smoothly and they run into a passel of trouble along the way as their path slowly converges with Drizzt and the crazy drow. Which isn't to say Drizzt has it easy. I'm guessing there's rarely a time you're sent on a quest for a god/goddess where you get to skip merrily through the tulips.

Yep. Things are tangled. And bloody. Lots of slashing and hacking. Good times, guys. Good times. Bonus, the setup for what's to come looks like it's going to be equally as bloody. *thumbs up*

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

A fun Adventure!!
I can tell that RA Salvatore had a blast writing this story as it was incredibly fun to read. I admit, the Neverwinter Saga was a hard road for my favorite drow ranger. It was a hard read because of the world that Drizzt was moving through. It was a dark place and he was in a dark place emotionally. I do not believe it was meant to be comfortable for the reader.
If you have not read The Companions, stop here!!! Below will contain spoilers.

Night of the Hunter picks up right where The Companions left off with the Companions of the Hall. The story returns us back to the fun days of adventuring with the Companions. There is a sense of optimism and hope that had been missing throughout the Neverwinter Saga that is very evident in Night of the Hunter. Everything is not perfect and peachy keen for the group, and there is definitely doubts within the minds of the Companions. They are both the same people and very new characters. Their lives were different this time around, and that has changed them. They have some different views on the world and their place in it. Bob gives us a glimpse into their minds so that we can get to know these old friends once again. It is going to be fascinating to watch how these differences play out within the group of friends. I love that Bruenor calls Cat and Wulfgar his kids, even though they are all the same age now.

The Sundering is still in play for the characters. It is in the background, but does appear to impacting what Drizzt and his friends are getting wrapped in. There is an excitement in the air around the characters and for the reader. Changes are afoot in Toril, and everyone is vying for a piece of the pie, including Lolth and the Matron Mother of Menzoberranzan. Yes, the drow are again in play in Drizzt life. It has been many many years, and some things we the readers finally get a glimpse into Drizzt’s place in that world.

This was a fun read and very reminiscent of the early Drizzt novels. It is by far one of my favorite in the series in the last several years. The energy and excitement was high, the action fabulous (what else do you expect from Salvatore?). The implications and plots that are set into motion make me want the August to hurry up and get here so I can see what happens next. If you loved the early Drizzt novels, you will love this one. As Bob said in a recent interview “It feels like 1988”.

I received an ARC copy from the publisher for my honest review.

Some vague spoilers ahead, although I've attempted to keep specific points out for this book! If you haven't read The Companions or any of the other Sundering books, you should probably read those first, as this contains spoilers for them.

I'll admit that the setup of the last book -- The Companions -- had me very interested in what the new dynamics of this tight group of friends would be, and how much their second lives would have changed them. As we saw in the previous book, it seemed to be very little -- they spent every moment preparing themselves to meet back up and find Drizzt, so between the time-jumps and the years in between it seemed to go by pretty quickly. Honestly, the only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars was because so little HAD changed -- it was like a lot of the past hadn't happened, and the Companions were so quick to discard new lives, new families and new friendships out of loyalty for their friend. Admirable but it would have been nice to see it as a bit more of a sacrifice, or for those relationships to have more meaning! With luck we'll get to explore them in future books.

This reminded me very much of the Streams of Silver era, with the Companions still learning each other and how they all fit with a major undertaking preventing them from navel-gazing too much. The fight scenes are as fast and flashy as you've come to expect from Salvatore, the world as interesting and worth exploring as ever, and for the most part this book left me eager for the next book about the Companions, as well as more books in The Sundering series as well. It's a decent place for new Realms-goers to jump in (the beginning of The Sundering, that is), things are changing, new heroes (and villains!) are appearing, and everything that was familiar and known is strange and unknowable again. This might be off-putting to long-time readers, but sometimes it's nice to not know more than the characters do, so you're not grumbling at them to use bludgeons against those skeletons, or fire against those trolls.

A fast-paced read with all of the combat and intrigue you've come to expect from the Realms!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Night Of The Hunter is the first book of the ‘Companions Codex’ and book twenty-five in the legend of one of the most enduring heroes of the Forgotten Realms, Drizzt Do’Urden. In cracking open the cover, there is the weight of more than twenty-four previous books looking over the reader’s shoulder. The legend of Drizzt also touches two side series, ‘The Sell Swords’ and ‘The Cleric Quintet’, and directly impacts the multi-author series, ‘War of The Spider Queen’. I mention the last as the central theme of Night Of The Hunter is the ongoing conflict between Lolth, goddess of the Drow, and Mielikki, Forest Queen and goddess of forests and rangers. Drizzt is among her chosen.

There is also the fact Night Of The Hunter follows up on two pivotal events in the legend: The ‘Transitions Trilogy’, wherein R.A. Salvatore tore our hearts asunder and The Companions (volume one of another multi-author series, ‘The Sundering’), wherein he stitched them back together again. This is an important book. As such, it requires a basic knowledge of the realms, Drizzt’s legend and the other players, of which there are many. In other words, while many of the sub-sets of the legend can be read as standalone trilogies and quartets, we are now at the stage where foreknowledge (and a lot of it) becomes essential. Readers will want to have both ‘The Neverwinter Saga’ and The Companions under their belt before tackling this one.

With that preamble, let’s discuss the plot. It’s huge and it’s important. The Companions of the Hall are reunited. This is Mielikki’s gift to her favourite, Drizzt Do’Urden, but in the Realms, all gifts come with a price. The resurrection of the Companions may have ensured Mielikki won the last round, but Lolth is determined to have Drizzt’s soul. Therefore, Lolth is going to spend the bulk of this novel driving her faithful toward this end. The drow respond with their usual combination of fear and calculation. No move is made for the sake of a single gain and their manoeuvres eventually pull together many of the factions Salvatore has introduced and developed over the course of over twenty books.

We have the Companions: Drizzt, Bruenor, Regis, Wulfar and Cattie-brie. We also have Bregan D’aerthe, the elite drow mercenary outfit led by Jarlaxle Baenre, whose motivations are inscrutable at best. Next, we have Drizzt’s more recent companions, Artemis Entreri and Dahlia Sin’felle and the rest of their band. Then there are the many intersecting factions of the drow.

The drow have claimed Gauntlgrym or parts thereof, and have built a new city there. This endeavour will elevate the status of one house, causing the usual tension, of the backstabbing variety. Honestly, you couldn’t pay me to be a drow. Haunting the legendary dwarven kingdom is the vampire Thibbledorf Pwent. Naturally opposed to the drow, he has been causing trouble as best he can, though his grip on sanity is tenuous. Bruenor is determined to end the suffering of his long-time friend and so recruits the Companions to aid his quest. They all agree.

Entreri and his fellows want to get as far from Icewind Dale and Drizzt’s fate as possible. Unfortunately, nearly twenty years of enforced slumber hasn’t cleared the memory of all their foes. Jarlaxle gets word the band bypassed Luskan and sends his agents after them. Roll forward through an always amusing reunion with the Harpell family, combat of every thrilling variety and everyone ends up in Gauntlgrym. Cue epic showdown.

Obviously, there is much more to the plot than that. Salvatore has included the subtle and not so gentle tugs to loyalty, the battle between hope and fear, perfectly executed combat sequences and questions for every character. All the players have been changed, either by death or longevity, certainly through trials. Drizzt ponders this in his eloquent letters to the reader which prelude each part of the book. The theme of change is also remarked upon throughout the novel and while there is the overwhelming feeling that despite how much things might change, some elements always remain the same, we do see a different side of many of our beloved characters here. Most notably: Wulfgar and Entreri, though few escape a moment of introspection and self-regard.

Throughout Night Of The Hunter, I marveled at Salvatore’s skill in juggling so many characters while being able to write each clearly enough for their voice to be distinct. Similarly, I boggled at the number of plot threads intersecting here, hence my long preamble about the suggested preparedness of the reader. Despite the fact I sobbed until my face puffed up throughout The Ghost King, I still considered it Salvatore’s finest book. The Companions vied for the same honour for different reasons, the balm of the plot and the creative way in which he pulled it off. Night Of The Hunter challenges both. It’s an amazing book. There is also the feeling that Salvatore might have saved the best for last.

The plot of the entire legend is starting to come full circle here, leaving me to wonder if ‘The Companions Codex’ might be the beginning of the end. While I would miss twenty-five years of Drizzt, I do take comfort in knowing R.A. Salvatore is up to the challenge of finishing out his legend with superb skill and style. Of course, if he does find a new plot, I’ll always be first in line for the next saga.

Written for SFCrowsnest.

I enjoyed this book even more than The Companions. Salvatore found a way to deal with the 4e time advancement and still keep it to where he enjoys writing the books.

the companions of the hall are back but now they have to deal with the world that they helped create 100 years ago. They also have to deal with drizzt's friends he made along the way. I really enjoyed the interactions between Dahlia and Artemis in this book. Effron is another character i can't wait to see more of. This book is just as much about the drow race as it is Drizzt and company. There are a lot of different plots in the air and that's not typical of this series.

You can really tell that Bob is back where he wants to be with the story. I haven't been this excited about a drizzt trilogy since The Hunter's Blades.

One thing i don't agree with is that they keep marketing each drizzt book as a good jumping on point for the series. I don't think any book can do that but Homeland or The Crystal shard. I'm so into these books because i've been reading them for over ten years and i pick up on every subtle hint or throwback that Bob puts in the books. If you aren't familiar with the series and you just started with The Companions or this book, i can see why someone wouldn't enjoy it as much as i do.

It is so refreshing to have the old Drizzt back. I like angsty, dark characters, but the Drizzt that consorted with Dahlia was not the Drizzt I knew and loved. The Drizzt in Night of the Hunter is. I am a big Forgotten Realms fan, and read many books outside the Drizzt novels, and sometimes I feel like the novels are separated from the rest of FR, even if they are part of big events, like the Companions. This can be both a god and bad thing.

I was disappointed in what is being done with Tos'un. I liked him, and was hoping he would be another Drizzt (well, not exactly like Drizzt, but a "rebel"). But no, he returns to the Underdark, and his motives are unclear. I hope we see more of him, but I hope I don't come to hate him. Jarlaxle was in this book as well, and that is always a bonus. I love that male.

I did not like Dahlia, but even I felt bad for her in this book. The ending however...what? I understood Lolth using her as a vassal, but still, a matron mother? Really?

There is a lot going on, and a lot hinted at, and I await the next one. I am still awaiting an appearance by Zaknafein, but I doubt that is going to happen. I would like to see Valas again, as well, and with the changes Bregon D'earthe seems to be facing, I would like to see what role he has to play.

All in all, a good read, and it had the ring of the older, better Drizzt novels. I recommend it.

Fun story about Dahlia and how she changes. I think that's the main theme.

There seems to be an increased emphasis on Kummeriel and psionics.

The companions are together again with better powers and they are the typical group you pray for whenever you play an MMORPG. You have the rogue, ranger, tank, melee and magic user. But in this group they blend into the different player types, that is limited in MMORPGs.

Breunor and the team journey to Gauntlegrym to attend to Pwent the vampire battleranger.

Love Jarlaxle.

Finally, a book that feels like a story worthy of the Companions. Filled with adventure, camaraderie, drow intrigue, magic and the battle between good and evil. This book finally feels like we have completely rejoined the Companions of the Hall.(Not to mention a few stunning twists at the end!) I can't wait to read the next installment in the series!

There is nothing worse than trying to keep track of 20 characters you do not give a crap about! This is Companions Codex 1. I am a long time fan of the series and I thought ‘The Companions’ was one of the best books in it. I was very excited about the return of the old characters and this book could have been great if it was constantly interrupted with a lengthy boring story involving the Dark Elves. I don’t care about the ruling houses and I’m not interested in keeping track of which one is usurping which. I wanted to read about Dahlia, Entreri, Drizzt, Bruener, Jarlaxle... etc NOT the Matron Mothers.

I have to say this is my last R..A. Salvatore book for a long time because I can see where this series is probably going and I’m getting off the wagon.

I was divided if I should give 3 or 4 stars to this book. I settled for 4 since I did enjoy the book and the Drow were written in a very nice plot inside plot inside plot kind of way, more so than I ever remember (except anything from Jarlaxle of course).

The good: The book kept me hooked and it packed to the brim with action and intrigue. The Drow and the Spider Queen are back with a vengeance. The Companions are also here as is Entreri and his newish crew. Jarlaxle also makes an appearance as some of the members of his merry go round band. The developments with the Drow and the implications of it are really well done and to some degree borderline too much, but I quite enjoyed it. Others have complained that there was too much Drow, but I think they are missing the whole main story and why the Drow interactions take so much of the book. I can't wait for the next book to see how all the opened plots will continue. And let me repeat it, Jarlaxle is in this book and his future decisions will have a huge impact on how the story will end.

The mixed and weird: It's cool and all that the Companions are back, but after some great goodbyes and some laughable deaths (some akin to the death of Tanis, the half-elf from the Drgonlance saga) seeing them back is still a bit weird. I mean, they have done pretty much everything and sacrificed so much so I think they deserved to rest in peace and maybe be a reason to move forward the story rather than be in the story as main characters. Regis... I don't know what to say about it other than he feels completely off, like some new character that just happens to be called Regis. Why this is not in the bad section? Some of the changes are interesting and may be worth reading later to see how the develops, but overall, he is pretty flat. Cattie is also a bit off if not as much as Regis. Artemis Entreri, I have mixed feelings to what Salvatore is doing to our beloved assassin. He is starting to touch he fabric of his natural behavior and they say, everything changes, but here it seems to me Salvatore is pushing Entreri into some changes that are too far away from the main character. These changes are not there so I may be wrong, but last time this happened, Entreri was under the influence of a magical instrument, how his changes will be explained and integrated into his persona without ruining him remains to be seen. For now, never fear as most of what you may remember from Entreri is there.

The bad: Balance... This is one of Salvatore's sins. Since he has been writing these characters for a long while and he has put them against almost everything dangerous and they have been pushed into the level of deities, is not unexpected that in order to keep the story going, the characters need to feel vulnerable. This would be fine if some of the baddies presented (with the exception of one) would be pushing the heroes to their limits, but in reality they struggle even with the mos common cannon fodder... goblins. Through the previous books we have seen them acquire magnificent magic weapons, armor and trinkets that push them beyond the level of most fiends. We have read their antics and heroics. We have seen them battle liches, demi-dragons, shadowfiends, demons, a Balor, each other, etc. so how in the Nine Hells can they be so under-powered now? This is a HUGE gripe for me. Same thing happened with Dahlia vs Entreri or Drizzt or when the Ogre king was introduced. How can we have Drizzt having issues with 2 or 3 meager Drow? Yes we know the Drow males are excellent warriors, but jeez, this is Drizzt. This goes on and on for almost all characters we see fighting, On some other occasions, the characters are super powerful or super clever. Give you an example full of SPOILERS, so you have been warned. There is a scene early in the book where one of the best trackers from Bregan D'aerthe gets captured with almost no effort. Further into the book, in the part where the group is fighting goblins and other cannon fodder inside Gauntlgrym, with all the ruckus, no Drow got alerted and worse still, they were able to descend to the forge without much of an issue. This takes away from the logic of the story and reduces the Companions greatness by quite a bit. I can already see Tiago Baenre 'acquiring' some extra skills for his battle with Entreri or with Drizzt or the other way around which is worse when a character loses some of his known abilities. This is the main reason the review should lose a star.

Final thoughts: All in all, the book is an improvement over the previous 4 or 5 books from Salvatore. This is not a book to be picked up by someone that does not know the lore of the Companions, so make sure you read or refresh your memory before reading this new entry. Also, like in previous books from Salvatore, The series ending or at least some of the things that will happen are as plain as clear water, but since the plot on what is happening and why is so good, I would say that after looking past the faults of this book, I have to admit I quite enjoyed this new entry into the story of Drizzt.

As many of the sundering series do, the book starts slow as the characters are introduced and the environment is established. Then all hell breaks loose as the battles are interrupted only for political intrigue. The descriptions are vivid, the suspense continues right up to the end, and the reunited companions do themselves proud as their quest continues. Although I have read all the books in this series, the story is complete and stands by itself for the new reader. I recommend it for an exciting story in a strange and wondrous land. Human nature seems to be the same, even when many of the characters are not humans.

I was so unimpressed with Gauntlgrym I haven't read a Drizzt book since. But I knew the companions were back for this one so I read a Netgalley advance reader copy.

Night of the Hunter is better than Gauntlgrym, by about half a star. There were places that seemed very disjointed; maybe that was a problem with the ARC, but if so it wasn't obvious. I found the presence of vampires extremely odd. I was never a fan of Catti-Bri and Drizzt as a couple and am uninterested in hearing about their state of undress and amorous activities. (Fortunately, there was not much of that.) We saw very little of Guenhwyvar, my second favorite character in the Drizzt books. I did find the way in which the companions were killed and then brought back interesting, but I grew tired of the drow politics.

I'm not a Dungeons and Dragons player; I read the Salvatore novels for Drizzt, because he is an intriguing character. My favorite parts of the early Drizzt novels were his contemplative musings on life and his situation, and there weren't enough of these passages in Night of the Hunter for my liking. Salvatore has been quoted as calling Drizzt "the classic romantic hero — misunderstood, holding to a code of ideals even when the going gets tough, and getting no appreciation for it most of the time." I hope we see more of that Drizzt in future novels. Still, I enjoyed reading Night of the Hunter and found it easier to follow than Gauntlygrym, especially toward the end.

I have been reading R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt books for a very long time. I have a thing for dark elves, and frankly, there just isn't anyone else who uses them as characters to the extent that Mr. Salvatore does. So, despite the issues I have with Mr. Slavatore's writing, I expect I will continue to read the Drizzt books for quite some time.

There are things I like about this book, not the least of which is that Jarlaxle is present, and he is my favorite character from the series. He kinda drops out of the story about halfway through the book, though, so I was kinda bummed about that. Artemis Entreri is back, another favorite character, but like most of the other characters in the book he is receiving some personality tweaks and I'm not sure I like where things are going with Artemis - only time will tell.

The original Companions of the Hall are back, and so I am once again forced to read about Cattie-Brie and Wulfgar, my two least favorite characters in the stories. Regis and Bruennor are back as well, and I'm quite all right with that. Regis has undergone a serious revamp since is reincarnation and he's much improved by it. Bruennor seems pretty much the same to me.

Best of all, the troublemakers of Drizzt's home town are back which means lots of action, intrigue and general mayhem. Most other writers, when they use drow, don't make them seem all that much of a threat. No worries here - Mr. Salvatore never treats them as a joke or simple cannon fodder for the heroes to kill in droves.

My greatest problem, and the reason why I gave the story only three stars, is due to some weaknesses I see in the writing. In each of Mr. Salvatore's books he seems to have a phrase, an event, or a word he uses over and over and over. This volume's word is "indeed". Indeed, indeed is everywhere. It's surprising to get through a page without it cropping up. Indeed, it often shows up multiple times per page. Indeed. See how annoying that is? And to top things off, the overuse of the "!" is pretty maddening. All things in moderation - please.

In the past we've had every bad guy who dies drum his heals into the ground in his death throes. We've had Jarlaxle shocked every time he does something nice. We've had Drizzt rolling his wrists every single time he goes into combat. These are things that should get caught during an editing pass. Okay, I've beaten my horse into the ground - enough.

If you're a Drizzt fan already, you probably aren't reading this review anyway. If you're new to the series, you need to start MUCH earlier - "Homeland" being the first of the series. The earliest books are still my favorites.

I thought it was impossible for the author to surprise me when if comes to Drizzt. I can not speak for all the Drizzt fans out there but I read about this Drow because I love him and the internal struggle he fight at every turn. Without his companions he was a little diminished in my opinion, but others like Entreeri and Jaraxle kept the story alive. This book was great, I could not put it down and the ending truly surprised me. I read a lot fantasy and so many things have become predictable, and tired. This story encompassed all the energy and heart that the "Companions of the Hall" represent to me.

Thanks, and Kudos to Mr. Salvatore for this story and the phenomenal twists and crushing ending.

I'd have easily given this book 4 stars except that it only seems to be a partial story to me. He devoted so much time setting up the arc that i literally forgot what the Companions had been doing the last time i read about them in a previous chapter. I enjoyed the Entreri tie in with Drizzt's previous band and anything directly relating to them was fine by me.
The trouble came in the form of seemingly redundant machinations of the Drow. Who doesn't know that Drow are backstabbing and conniving? I didn't need to read chapter after chapter of that. Quenthal becoming a more formidable manipulator was a plus but all of that House intrigue just got in the way.
In this book the Companions had less time than anyone and the book was supposed to be ABOUT them. Even the chapters with the Companions got a little repetitive and by that i mean, they don't need to ask Wulfgar why he came back 50-11 different times when answered well enough the first time. I hate when people harp on writers like Weber for spending so much time writing about background characters and such because it usually serves a purpose to show the cost of the main characters actions on the world at large. Other than Tiago going after anyone who has even thought the word Drizzt i can't even make that claim in this book. Don't get me wrong, Companions of the Hall books are like putting on an old comfortable piece of clothing to me and i love them, i just wish I knew if the problem is with my own perception of his books since i've broadened my selection of authors considerably since i first read one of Salvatores books or if it's his writing. Oh and If the person complaining about the introspective parts of the books reads this, that's the one part i could always do without.

I haven't been able to keep up with all of the books in Drizzt's story, but that really didn't matter. There's a lot of different plot lines (and twists), but it's easy to keep up with and very enjoyable.

I really enjoy R.A. Salvatore's writing style and look forward to going back and catching up on the books I've missed and continuing the saga from this point forward.

I received a copy via Netgalley for review purposes.

R.A Salvatore is back in form, a truly enjoyable read.

The Companions are back and they out battling Drow and whatever else is in the Underdark. At least two goddesses are plotting over the outcome, with a possible sprinkle of Mystra thrown in. Gromph, Jarxaxle, Entreri etc and Matron Mothers are in the book prominently.

I will say no more, but I can't wait for the next book, I hope he can release it earlier!

Having read all previous Drizzt-centric novels, Salvatore does not fail to disappoint. The team is back and better than ever in this new installation, and the excitement and adventure are as strong and pure as ever, if not even better.

Warning- the next book hasn't published yet, so if you're an addictive reader, this book will give you a literature-high that you can't chase yet. And it'll leave you desperately waiting for that next sequel!

Awesome plot, characters, and detail. There are no words and it kills me to have to wait until September to continue with such a thrilling adventure. Allot going on and everything is intriguing concerning the goddesses, the houses of drows, and the new attitude of the companions of the hall. You can't go wrong.
It will be a long 90 days for me!!!!

I must admit I was worried when the story lines jumped a bit at the beginning but by the middle I knew it was because so much is going on and Salvatore brings it all together in such a skillful way. And the twist!! Oh man.. Can't wait to see what's going on in the next book.

The book is what you expect from RA Salvatore, so I have no complaints about the content. This audio book has rough pauses and some inconsistent vocal recordings. It's not so bad you can't listen, but it's a much rougher cut than I expect from Audible.

They are back! Been reading for 13 years now, started with Homeland. His recent characters are so lackluster compared to The Companions of the Hall. Glad they are back. Long live Wulfgar! The baddest dude in all the realms.

R. A Salvatore has done it again. What a great book. I couldn't put it down. The battle between good and evil and brought the Companions back from death to help Drizzt fight the forces of the Spider Queen. This is a must book of the Drizzt's fans

This book is an OK distraction for those who like RA Salvatore's characters and writing. But .... do I really need to say 'spoiler' when I point out that there is really no sense that any of these characters are in any danger what so ever. I mean, it's almost as if Salvatore has progressed to openly rubbing his characters' unkillability in the reader's face. Anyone who has read this series ought to have figured out by now that even if one of his main characters is apparently killed, they are just fine. Even for just a secondary character, whether their severed head rolls across the floor, or their rotting corpse is repeatedly displayed just in case you missed it the first time, even if they are oblitterated by the act of the spider queen, killed by a vampire, stepped on by a dragon.... don't worry, they'll be fine.

I enjoy science fiction and fantasy, but I feel like this book started somewhere in the middle and I am missing the backstory. I need to make notes to figure out who is who and what is going on. I have read 12 chapters, and much of it I have reread trying to get the characters and story lines straight. Maybe it will soon start to come together, I hope so. The audio book is well read, no complaints about the narrator.