The Companions: The Legend of Drizzt

I have not been much impressed with many of the novels during the "Era of Upheaval" from the Forgotten Realms line. There have been some good ones, like the Shadowbane stories by Erik Scott de Bie, but R.A. Salvatore's Legend of Drizzt has always been my home in the Realms. That line has grown darker with every novel and now steps back into the light with The Companions. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from cover to cover. Once you wrap your head around the dates and how it tends to skip back and forth chronologically, the story flows quite well and we get an expected surprise at the end of the novel. If you'd thought of giving up on Drizzt, I highly recommended finishing your reading list in order and get to the Companions as quickly as you can. You will not be disappointed with the coming of the new Realms. I finished it in less than 24 hours. I just could not stop reading.

I gave up on the Drizzt books back in high school after The Thousand Orcs. Mainly because the characters were so overpowered, the stories no longer "epic" for their status, and things had become rather clichéd. After missing out on the more recent books due to lack of interest I decided to give this a shot and found a really fun read. Focusing more on the companions than the dark elf himself was a great choice. I don't want to give away too much, but this is a great (nearly) self-contained story that any fantasy or fiction fan in general will enjoy. With or without knowledge of the extensive back story.

May be his best work yet. Its amazing how attached and emotionally vested you become with his characters. I was left giddy by the implications of what the future will bring and sad that I couldn't read on to the next exciting tale.