Paths of Darkness is the fourth series in the wider Legend of Drizzt. These days it is a trilogy but was originally published as a tetralogy. That’s because Servant of the Shard was put into the Sellswords Trilogy, the fifth sub-series. I started this one in November 2021 and finished in August 2023. I’ve preciously reviewed The Dark Elf Trilogy, The Icewind Dale Trilogy, and Legacy of the Drow.
The Silent Blade (1998) - Exceptional
The Spine of the World (1999) - Mediocre
Sea of Swords (2001) - Acceptable
The Silent Blade is actually surprisingly fine. It is also the best in the series. It continues where Passage of Dawn left off, the Companions of the Hall are together again, even if Wulfgar is having problems. It’s a fun enough adventure and I have more thoughts here. You can watch it if you wish.
The Spine of the World is generally considered the worst Drizzt novel, largely because it isn’t one. It’s a Wulfgar novel. I have previously reviewed it as well, and I will admit I was probably a bit lax in my criticisms because it was the first Drizzt novel I read after my friend passed away, and he was a Drizzt fan. If you want someone else’s thoughts, looks here.
But I do have some thoughts on Wulfgar’s quest for redemption. He finds himself the bad guy and getting mixed up in events bigger than him. Even though it’s done by the ever clunky hand of Salvatore, I can appreciate redemption, even a gritty one. Read more thoughts here, watch here.
Sea of Swords is one I haven’t reviewed yet, so follow my thoughts.
In 1366 DR a pirate with a terrible name is out pirating. She is a target for the Sea Sprite. Not just because of her occupation but because she also has ownership of Aegis Fang. A half-elf, with no reason besides extreme racism also hunts down Drizzt. The Companions wish to be reunited with Wulfgar, who turns out is also at sea.
There is some good action and adventure fans love. It’s monotonous and overdone after awhile, this is typical of the series. Of course we never fear for the Companions, all over powered and Drizzt very much a Mary Sue. This is the return that could never have happened and Drizzt could have sailed into the sunset and been written by other authors. (The precious 2 books are about other main characters.)
Besides one moment of surprise I certainly would read no more of these if I wasn’t in my quest to read all Forgotten Realms novels. Overall the novels are better on average than the previous series, but not by a large margin which makes this Acceptable.
Watch my review of Sea of Swords here.
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| Art by Clyde Caldwell for The Silent Blade that ended up not being used |
