The Dark Elf Trilogy: Colector' Edition [Paperback]

R. A. Salvatore first introduced fantasy readers to the drow (dark elf) ranger Drizzt Do'Urden in "The Icewind Dale Trilogy." The popularity of the character led demand for more books, and Salvatore gladly filled in Drizzt's early history with these three books -- contained here in a single volume -- that take Drizzt from his home amongst the amoral and wicked drow in the caverns of the Underdark all the way to the far north of the Forgotten Realms and the Icewind Dale. Drizzt is more than interesting enough to carry a whole trilogy. Although not quite as deep a character as people often credit him, Drizzt is nonetheless always interesting to read about, with just the right amount of tragedy in his personality. Watching him rebel against his people and then try to find a life amongst other who are prejudiced against him, makes for good drama that never gets stale. And he's also a great warrior who can really slice and dice the monsters with his twin scimitars and his magical panther companion Guenwhyvar!

Although these books happen before "The Icewind Dale Trilogy", I would recommend reading the Icewind Dale books first to get an idea of who Drizzt is before hearing his early history. It makes the events in these books more powerful. However, you can hop right into the story here with no dofficulty. The trilogy does stand on its own.

Here are the three books in this single volume:

HOMELAND: The first book of Drizzt's youthful adventures relates how he rebels against the rigid, cruel world of the drow and their undergound society. Salvatore pours on the action set pieces and monsters, although the politics between the drow houses do overburden the story in the final third. The best part of the book is the author's portrait of the sinister subterranean world of the Underdark. It's a unique setting for an entire fantasy novel, and Salvatore invests it with equal parts wonder and dread. Drow's relationship with his father is also wonderfully detailed. This is the strongest book of the three because of most of the story happens amongst the fascinating drow culture of evil and deception.

EXILE: Our intreprid hero and his feline sidekick travel the gloomy tunnels of the underground world in exile from the cruel society of the Dark Elves. His family desires to find him so they may regain the favor of Lolth the Spider Queen, and raise a zombie of someone very important to Drizzt to bring him back. Drizzt meanwhile finds companionship with a dwarf and a rock-burrowing creature who has been transformed by a curse into a monster. The three companions stumble on a mind flayer cavern, a pack of dire cobies, an evil wizard...well, you get the idea. The finale sets us up for even greater vistas of adventure. Altogether enjoyable, but it does occasionally drag under overlong battle sequences.

SOJOURN: Drizzt, forever cut off from his own kind, travels across the surface of the Forgotten Realms. The story traces his journey that leads him the Icewind Dale, and we find out how he learned the skills of a ranger and the languages of the surface dwellers. Because this is principally a linking novel that connects Drizzt's life in the underdark with his later adventures with his companions, it is the weakest of the trilogy. It is still an enjoyable read, but it doesn't have the imaginative spark or strong plot line of the first two books. Most of the story is episodic, resolving itself every seventy-five pages or so. It follows a distinct pattern: Drizzt tries to fit in various places, finds himself in danger from misunderstandings or aggressive foes, and then must move on. The center of the book deals with Drizzt's encounter with a kind and wise blind ranger, Montolio, who becomes Drizzt's mentor.

For enjoyable heroic fantasy with the right amount of serious drama and character, "The Dark Elf Trilogy" is a very good bet. This volume also contains an interesting introduction by Salvatore himself that explains how he invented Drizzt and why he ended up writing this trilogy.