Archmage

Exciting continuation of The Companions of the Hall's adventures. Salvatore is hitting all the right notes and the reinvigoratation of D&D overall seems to have jump started these characters.

ARC from Netgalley. Obvious Spoilers ahead...

In the fall of 1992, me being 12 at the time, a friend of mine gave me Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn, the first three novels in what is now known as The Legend of Drizzt. In it, I met Drizzt himself, and started upon a journey that I am still taking, 23 years later and finishing Book 28: Homecoming Vol 1: Archmage.

Over time, the books have come to include a large cast of characters, all intersecting portions of Drizzt's life. Some of these characters we see clearly and relate to deeply, finding ourselves running through the full range of emotions, from the highest of joys at victory or renewal, to the lows of mourning and loss. This novel is no different, yet focuses more heavily on the Companions and enemies than on Drizzt himself.

After the end of the War of the Silver Marches (see Companions Codex Vol 3: Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf), a tentative peace is arranged with the orcs and rebuilding begins. 4 Dwarven kings (Connerad of Mithril Hall, Emerus of Citadel Felbarr, Harnoth of Citadel Adbar, and our friend Bruenor) come together and decide that it is time to reclaim Gauntlgrym, the original dwarven kingdom of the Delzoun clan, now held by drow elves as the city of Q'Xorlarrin. The other Companions of the Hall follow, but begin to see their lives going in possibly different directions, some towards love (Regis), others adventure (Wulfgar), and some to establish "home" (Drizzt and Catti-Brie).

The drow of Menzoberranzan continue to scheme, and in an effort to regain the upper hand, Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre begins to allow demons to enter the city once again, renewing the chaos that ruled in the time of its' origins. Combine that with Gromph Baenre having his own aspirations of power, Kimmuriel furthering his plans for the revenge of House Oblodra, the typical self-serving machinations of Jarlaxle, and the unending search for revenge filling the heart of Tiago Baenre, and you have the typical stew of evil that Salvatore has come to serve his readers so well... and that's not even including story lines involving Lolth and Errtu, as well as the return of the Harpell Family.

I'll not say more, as to not spoiler the emotional roller coaster for you readers who have yet to experience this excellent novel, but the ride is a chaotic one this time. Characters develop even more depth than before and the foreshadowing is thick for future installments. Hang on for a trip that can only be experienced in a Drizzt book. Not all will make it out alive, and the last 100 pages alone will make you consume it in one sitting, but the "Legend" continues on. Mr. Salvatore, I continue to salute you, and follow my friend Drizzt wherever his journey may take him.

From the first we have read that Drizzt is just a small player on a large stage within the Forgotten Realms but in recent novels, and more so than ever before in Archmage, we see that his decisions and the decisions of the people around him are now effecting this world on a large scale. Much of the drive of the story since the return of the companions has been focused on the dwarves of the silver marches and this is again mostly true though the drow of Menzoberranzan nearly split the stage equally with them here. Unlike the early Drizzt stories the battles are large and the consequences grave for more than just the small group of friends Drizzt has around him.
The end of the previous novel found the people of the silver marches just finishing the war and the dwarves planning on retaking gauntlegrym, the great Dwarven homeland found by Bruenor in his previous life and now the home of a noble drow house. This time we follow not just a small group accompanying Bruenor but three Dwarven kings with an army in tow for they intend to bring the land back into Dwarven hands regardless of the cost though considering the enemy it could very well be high.
In Menzoberranzan Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre is informed of the loss in the silver marches, the end of the darkening spell enacted by Lolth through a Xorlarrin mage and the death of a key ally. In answer to the precarious position she finds herself in she brings in demons, chaotic creatures who by their very presence on the streets of the city destroy any chance of lesser houses creating enough internal order to challenge her. We get a variety of viewpoints here including other matron mothers, archmages, mercenaries and even gods and demons. There is much Flux in the underdark and many pieces in play.
Some of the story lines are straight forward in this novel, the dwarves intentions are never in doubt, and some such as what Jarlaxle intends are simply too subtle at this point for comprehension. He thrives on times when shifting sands create opportunities and once again he is attempting to make gains though his ultimate goal is none too clear. Drizzt and Cattie Brie on the other hand are crystal clear in their goals and regardless of the good or bad in the world around them their story together has reached an interesting place that was thought beyond them long ago. Can the dwarves take back their homeland? What will the Xorlarrin drow do should they see a hopeless situation? What is Quenthel plan and what will Gromph do should she succeed, is it something he can allow? There are quite a few questions answered in this novel but many more left open and quite a few new ones brought up as well. This may be a novel in a long standing series but so much new has come to this world recently that everything seems to hang in the balance as new forces make their play. Salvatore gives us so much to enjoy and contemplate here that it is hard to recognize it as a novel setting up future novels as much as finishing past storylines. A fun read with battles and combat galore but more engaging for the personal actions between characters than the larger scale events. The things we have begun to believe would always be based on the personalities and races of the characters involved may be changing and who knows what we could see when book two of the Homecoming series comes. One thing for certain is that it shall be a wild read.

One of the best from Salvatore yet. I love the way he can weave the story to keep you guessing on what's going on and when you find out you realize you was completely wrong.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end!

Salvatore outdoes himself in this newest novel featuring Drizzt and his companions. The war with the Orcs is over, the Drow continue to plot and now it's time for the Dwarves to reclaim their ancient homeland of Gauntlgrym. They must battle cunning drow, denizens of the underdark, and other nefarious enemies in order to secure it. Meanwhile there are plots within plots by the Goddess Lolth to bring forth chaotic change to the face of Faerun...

A stellar return to the series that made Salvatore a giant in the fantasy field. Well worth the wait

RA never disappoints! I love this whole universe, and jump at the chance to read any of it! Must Read!

Archmage, like many of Salvatore's books, is the beginning of yet another series kicking off what is promising to be a grand adventure. While I'd taken a break from these books over the last few years, picking this one up was almost seamless. I've missed the last series and frankly, thought I'd have a harder time figuring out what was going on, where Drizzt had been, and where in the timeline of Farun we were. Establishing what's been happening in the world, not to mention Drizzt's life was surprisingly easy to figure out. Salvatore helped the way with that style he's always had. Giving enough of a back story while telling the now, without feeling like I was getting a lesson in Forgotten Realms 101. Anything I was unclear about, I hit the interwebz for info. All of this makes me want to go back and read everything I've skipped over.

This, like many of the books in The Legend of Drizzt, sets us up for something major. With the Drow ever interested in chaos, plots within plots happening in the Underdark, Demons conspiring with Gods, those on the surface are in for a major bit of battle. The Dwarves are not going to be able to just walk into Gauntlgrym without the Drow getting pretty pissed off. I've always loved Drow politics. They're an interesting bunch of elves, never trusting anyone, always looking out for themselves. What will happen, I can only guess.

I throughly enjoyed this book. The story is rich, the characters wonderful. Those we tend to love, and those we tend to hate, to those who are in the middle, they're all here and make this book what it is. I'm excited for the books that will follow. This promises to be epic in scope, and none but Salvatore would be able to do this. He's a master in this world and I'm signed on for the ride.

The Companions of the Hall are together again for another high-stakes, fast-paced adventure that will see blades whirl, axes fall, and blood spilled in the name of what is good and just. This time, Drizzt will be pulled into the intrigue, darkness, and evil of the drow and his birth city of Menzoberranzan.

It's hard for me to review any book by R.A. Salvatore because I admire his work so much so that I believe he's this century's J.R.R. Tolkien (yeah, forget George R.R, Martin, really). The Drizzt series as a whole has been the series (other than Harry Potter) that got me back into reading as a young adult. These were the books that kept me going back to the bookstore every day to get the next in the series because I couldn't stop reading. That's how amazingly immersive, imaginative, and fantastic Salvatore's work is. This new installment, Archmage, is no exception.

A lot has happened to the Companions of the Hall; they've fought war against orcs, they've fought through the Spellplague, and then came the Darkening. Archmage begins with drow plots after Lolth's plan to bring darkness to the surface of Faerun has failed--because of Drizzt. He became the conduit for ending the Darkening and now the drow threat from his birth city, Menzoberranzan, is growing, and a lot rests on Drizzt's shoulders. On top of this, it's time to retake Gauntlgyrm. All of this will explode into a story with a plot that fast, action-packed, and doesn't relent. Readers will be whisked way on a fantastic and exciting ride from the start.

Be prepared to not put the book down until you turn the last page--Salvatore's writing is that engrossing. It's so incredibly fluid that it washes over you like a comforting, warm blanket. He is the best writer for the Realms in my opinion, and in the fantasy genre as a whole I feel he's the best. Word choice, description, and emotion is written with a masterful authenticity. The world-building is phenomenal. Faerun, the Underdark, the dwarven kingdom, though fantastical in nature, seem as real as any city in this world. Salvatore has a skill in painting scenes and mapping out geography that will make the reader feel like they are really are seeing what Drizzt and his friends see. Battle scenes and everything in between is just as artful.

Drizzt himself is such a compelling character. He's THE fictional character that I've grown with so much since I started his story about 12-14 years ago. His thoughts, his feelings, the changes he goes through are all so completely real, relateable, and acutely written that you see what we call humanity in an elf. A fictional character has never seemed so well-rounded and real to me. The companions have changed though, and much is different between them as readers will discover in this volume--so much so that we see the group's path diverge in directions.

I am so excited to see where this part of the story will go; yet, I don't want to ever see Drizzt die like he did in the past. I hope this series goes on forever. It's such a major part of my life and who I am, give it a try and I hope it becomes yours too.