I really feel like this book is 3.5 out of 5 stars, but I can't give a half star, so I'm rounding up. The overwhelming feel of this book is oppressive and negative. A problem I notice authors having with huge, epic battles is that they often are one-sided. This happens a lot in anime. One force attacks another and seems to be outright winning on every front. And then when the shift happens and the other force is winning on every front.

This seems to happen with the drow's orchestrated invasion of the Silver Marches. They invade and seem to be invincible, winning at pretty much every turn. Tiago is invincible. We are told time and again that he is unstoppable, except by one or two people. By the end of this book things are looking pretty dire for the kingdoms of the Silver Marches. Kingdoms which were supposedly formidable but have been overrun with seemingly with ease. I understand the drow are sneaky and the orcs, goblins, giants, etc. probably never teamed up to attack before. I also understand that they've divided the kingdoms. But overall it just seemed so one sided.

How can the good guys possibly win? Are the Silver Marches doomed? Are future books taking place elsewhere, so the Silver Marches are being destroyed? Who knows. That's for me to find out in the next book. Victory seems unlikely, but somehow they'll win.

( )

I've very much been enjoying the story of the reincarnated Companions of the Hall, started in the first book of The Sundering and continued in The Companions Codex (of which this is book two). Drizzt and the Companions always makes for an epic story and what we have here seems largely no exception.

While I've been enjoying the story thus far (Night of the Hunter - Companions Codex, Book I was one of my favorite books so far this year), this one didn't really seem to pull its weight. Much of this story seems to be set up. Instead of continuing along the lines of the epic showdowns that occurred in Gauntlegrym, there's a lot of moving, talking, etc. here but no real major plot points. It's clear to me that it's all moving toward something major in the next book, but I was just struck by how little really seemed to happen in this installment overall.

I do plan to continue with the series - I really need to know what happens next. I just hope the next book brings us back to the type of story we saw in The Companions and The Night of the Hunter.

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

Reading this book is like returning to an old favorite, full of fondly remembered characters and story. It isn't, however, this is the latest in the Companions Codex. Set in the D&D game world of the Forgotten Realms, it features the same characters from Salvatore's very first series, 30 years ago. Drizzt the renegade Dark Elf and his old friends are again fighting against his people, the evil drow, but this time they are trying to save the countries of the surface lands from the drow and their allies. Classic Salvatore featuring lots and lots of gaming style combat, evil overlords with visions of domination and non-stop action. Good stuff! ( )

Fantasy novel – second in this particular series

Not familiar with R A Salvatore, I found out by research that this is the 27th novel of its kind which means that I’m coming in a little late!

It’s the second in this series and the first chapters are inundated with names of characters, places and creatures which makes for a highly confusing story at first. It probably helps if you’re already familiar with them all but it meant nothing to me. There are frequent references to past events, no doubt from previous books, but these had to remain unexplained. However I persisted. The books ends on more cliffhangers so the reader is expected to get the next book in the series.

Dwarves, Elves, Giants, Ogres, Trolls, Goblins, Dragons and Orcs abound. This is very much a book for the D&D generation: it’s all action and very little characterisation.

I prefer my fantasy with more originality and depth.

Fans of the author and the genre will no doubt be satisfied with this novel and I recommend it to them.
( )

Another solid installment of the new old adventures of Drizzt and Companions.

The battles and skirmishes are always nice and choreographed, Salvatore has a real knack for describing swashbuckling adventures and I never get tired of his storytelling. However, the overall feeling is the same I once experienced after the nth played hour of a very complex RPG game, when my characters abilities had already reached the highest level and I simply wandered around and around completing the secondary quests.

There was nothing more to prove and little to discover. I was simply content by being with my characters, even if all I got was a pale echo of past excitement.

On the other hand, after the forgettable Neverwinter books, I was very happy about this resurrection-dom/comeback/whatever this literary device is called. The Dark Elf trilogy, Legacy of the Drow and even the original Icewind Dale books were total masterpieces of the genre and with The Companions Codex you get more than a whiff of Drizzt’s golden age thrill: pages of adventures reminiscent of the beginnings but written today, with the current fantasy fashion influences and Salvatore’s full maturity as a writer. The flip side of the coin is that when you (A) are about to hit book #30 of a series and (B) have a new book slated every six months something is bound to be sacrificed, be it quality or innovation, and here it’s kind of both.

I mean, another adventure starring the drows? Anyway, let’s see how it ends. I enjoyed this book as much as its predecessor and I hope the conclusion will be on par.


"In fact, few in the Realms had seen, bartered, battled, befriended, or copulated with a more impressive array of powerful beings and monsters than Jarlaxle." ( )