ewil6681's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
brywalls's review against another edition
3.0
Probably closer to a 3.5 than a 4 (was that an editions joke? who's to say). This late 80s tie-in to TSR's D&D universe might have seemed fresh at the time, but leans a little too heavily on pre-established tropes that have only grown in popularity in the last 30 years. I'm not expecting high art here but I didn't see anything...standout in this book.
Even the dashing and compassionate, but ultimately misunderstood and universally ostracized future legend Drizzt was a letdown. And while we're here, was he a side character or the hero? Clearly he's supposed to be your fave but he was a little too cardboard here.
I digress. There was quite a bit of universe building and it is handled well so I do agree reading this is valuable if you are going to read more of Salvatore's world, but the style and writing, no doubt limited by TSR, doesn't make this a 5 star book. This is D&D, not a Homeric poem.
The novel was fun enough and I don't regret that I read it. I was assured by a fellow AL player that the series picks up, so I'm happy to move on to Strams of Silver and keep on keeping on.
Even the dashing and compassionate, but ultimately misunderstood and universally ostracized future legend Drizzt was a letdown. And while we're here, was he a side character or the hero? Clearly he's supposed to be your fave but he was a little too cardboard here.
I digress. There was quite a bit of universe building and it is handled well so I do agree reading this is valuable if you are going to read more of Salvatore's world, but the style and writing, no doubt limited by TSR, doesn't make this a 5 star book. This is D&D, not a Homeric poem.
The novel was fun enough and I don't regret that I read it. I was assured by a fellow AL player that the series picks up, so I'm happy to move on to Strams of Silver and keep on keeping on.
elenahitomi's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly, a good book, especially that part when the heroin wasn't that obvious until you'd actually explore the rest of it. Can't wait to read more Forgotten Realms stories, journey to a place of magic and experience the good 'ol fantasy fix.
8bitlapras's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
caecilius's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
meecespieces's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
junovverse's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
reibureibu's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Is this really 3-stars good? Unsure, but it does understand the quintessence of (platonic) male love. For that, I love back.
garbutch's review against another edition
2.0
Ngl I just got bored with this one. A lot of new & interesting characters added and yet still: all of them men. I thought the writer was nicer to the one character who is a woman (she was a young girl in previous book).
But if it can't even pass the most basic tenant of the Bechdel-Wallace Test (two named women characters), in any regard, why should it have more than 2 stars?
The war(?) scenes were probably the most interesting parts. I normally hate fight scenes but these ones involved actual strategy and cunning which made it interesting.
But if it can't even pass the most basic tenant of the Bechdel-Wallace Test (two named women characters), in any regard, why should it have more than 2 stars?
The war(?) scenes were probably the most interesting parts. I normally hate fight scenes but these ones involved actual strategy and cunning which made it interesting.
fieldofhats's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5