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Forgotten Realms: Paths of Darkness-series, by R.A. Salvatore

The Paths of Darkness-series, a series of four books in the larger Forgotten Realms-series, consists of The Silent Blade (1998), The Spine of the World (1999), Servant of the Shard (2000) (now in The Sellswords Trilogy), and Sea of Swords (2001).

The Silent Blade, by R. A. Salvatore

The Silent Blade is old-school Drizzt, in a great adventure that brings together the whole gang of Salvatore-heroes. Here are the lovely Cattie-brie, the plump, big-bellied and mischievous Regis, the dark, grumpy, extremely tough dwarf Bruenor, and the amazing barbarian hammer-hurler Wulfgar. Also, in The Silent Blade, we meet yet again Drizzt's nemesis, the ruthless, cunning and skillful master assassin Artemis Entreri.

The plot is complicated. It has three major components. Drizzt seeks to destroy an artifact, Crenshinibon. And Wulfgar fights to overcome the deep scars of his imprisonment at the claws of the demon Errtu, and Artemis Entreri's return to the seamy streets of Calimport.

As always, the action is fast and furious. The group of friends face off with giants, goblins and thieves. As well, Drizzt continues to try to come to grip with the meaning of life. And in the end, once more Do'Urden and Entreri cross paths again. Finally, as always with Salvatore, it is all told in The Silent Blade with charm and warmth, as well as with an excellent eye for action scenes that astonish.

Links to The Silent Blade: Amazon US - The Silent Blade: The Legend of Drizzt, Book XI, and Amazon UK: The Silent Blade (Forgotten Realms).

The Spine of the World, by R.A. Salvatore

This is the tale of how Wulfgar comes to terms with his inner demons after six years under the tortuous Erttu. It is a book without any of the other heroes of the gang – no Drizzt Do’Urden, Cattie-brie, Bruenor or Regis.

There are two separate plot-lines that come together in the end in Spine of the World. In one of the story lines, Wulfgar and Morik (whom will also meet later in the series) are framed, get beat, and leave Luskan. Wulfgar is fired from his job and then framed for attempted murder. He is also robbed of his battle axe, Aegis-fang. The other story involves characters that we've never met before. The king of Aukney loves a peasant girl named Meralda. She, however, does not love the king. But Meralda is forced to see him by her father, who feels very guilty about whoring out his daughter.

The two stories come together in an unpredictable way that results in a very surprising and somewhat satisfying ending. R.A. Salvatore writes skillfully, but even so I found this book to be a little slow and it didn’t really ever catch my attention fully. Of course, the book has combat and intrigue, monsters and spells, but The Spine of the World is even so not close to Salvatore’s best. A little disappointing.

Links to books by R.A. Salvatore. Amazon US: R. A. Salvatore, amazon UK: books by R.A. Salvatore, and amazon CAN: R. A. Salvatore.

The Servant of the Shard, by R. A. Salvatore

R.A. Salvatore’s Servant of the Shard is part of two different series of books. It first appeared the third book in the Paths of Darkness series. Then later it became book one of the Sellswords series after a sequel was published a few years ago. It is classic sword and sorcery fantasy.

The two main characters in this story are the human assassin, Artemis Entreri - the best human assassin who has ever lived - and the dark elf assassin, Jarlaxle. In a previous novel, they stole the legendary artifact called Crenshinibon from Drizzt, and in this book they are trying to find a way to destroy it. This artifact, also known as The Crystal Shard, is an evil object that influences its owners negatively. Artemis and Jarlaxle recognize that the artifact is too powerful and must be destroyed. Unfortunately, others disagree and want to get it back.

The Crystal Shard was the subject of the very first book involving Drizzt. The Shard can be compared to the ring in Lord of the Rings: It grants the wielder power, it takes them over and is a burden to any who carry it. But many desire to have it, and, once you have it, it’s nearly impossible to destroy.

Servant of the Shard has very descriptive action scenes, lots of swordplay in novels, and is quite bloody at times. It is full of classic battles between elf, dark elf, human, dwarf, halfling, and dragon. And while Artemis and Jarlaxle are villains, a book about them makes for an entertaining read and makes it possible to understand a little more about what makes them tick. A good book, but at the same time clearly not one of Salvatore’s best.

Sea of Swords, by R.A. Salvatore

In Sea of Swords, R.A. Salvatore brings Drizzt Do’Urden back into the Paths of Darkness series. Here, the dark elf ranger Drizzt Do'Urden and his very gifted warrior friends go in search of a missing member of their own band, Wulfgar, and his battle axe, made by the dwarf king Bruenor Battlehammer. All of the main figures in the Forgotten Realms-series are here: Master archer Cattie-brie, mischievous Regis, the grumpy Bruenor, and barbarian hammer-hurler Wulfgar.

It turns out that Wulfgar, whom his friends had presumed might be dead, is very much alive. As well, he is in great need of the kind of help only his battle hardened friends can provide, as he is out to regain his war hammer and his self-respect as well.

Getting to Wulfgar and aiding him in his quest for Aegis-fang, his war hammer, is only part of the fun. Drizzt Do'Urden, Cattie-Brie, Bruenor Battlehammer and Regis the Halfling, have to battle orcs, goblins and ogres on their way to the real business at hand.

A second plot in Sea of Swords involves the stalking of Drizzt Do'Urden by Le'Lorinel, a Moon elf (or pale elf, whereas Drizzt is a Drow or dark elf). Here the author combines some of the good versus evil of Robin Hood and his merry men I can’t say I much liked this sub-plot. Nor did I feel it was necessary in the book. Also, I thought the group of friends very portrayed a little too much as super-heroes in the final battles. That being said, it was an enjoyable read!

Links to books by R.A. Salvatore. Amazon US: R. A. Salvatore, amazon UK: books by R.A. Salvatore, and amazon CAN: R. A. Salvatore.

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