Completed Series: Paths of Darkness by R. A. Salvatore

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.

Art by Clyde Caldwell for The Silent Blade that ended up not being used

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You can track my current progress here.

Little Realms Things - My Wife’s Phone Case

 This is a new series of short posts I came up with some months ago. Essentially I look at items around my house that are nice pieces of the Forgotten Realms. First up is a phone case. I purchased this from Redbubble for a work phone. When I quit that job back in December my wife had the same type of phone but her case had recently broken. Lo and behold she started using this neat case. It shows a map of Faerun particularly the Heartlands and Inner Sea and further south.

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Realms of the Underdark

Realms of the Underdark, edited by J. Robert King, is a 1996 Forgotten Realms anthology. It is about the same size as other Realms anthologies but with fewer and longer stories. There are only five proper ones. If you would prefer to listen/watch this review, do so here.

We start with a publishing house in Waterdeep, a compliment to the real-life TSR called Tym Waterdeep Limited, or TWL that published Cormyr: A Novel in the Realms, apparently, the in-universe author being Greenwood Grubb. Volo’s guides are published by them too. It’s pretty interesting and very fun. Very much Realms quirky, as the owner is named Justin Tym. Brian Thomsen wrote this segment and it is set in 1367 DR. 

The first story is by Mark Anthony who gives a Drizzt story. "The Fires of Narbondel" was a test to see if he could write a novel in the series. He did write one after this but it was never published. This more specifically follows Zaknafein as Drizzt is a child, so would fit as an interlude for those reading Homeland. 

Zak is the weapon master of House Do’Urden and Drizzt’s father and trainer, though Drizzt is too young to begin training at this point. Zak is essentially equivalent in skill with the blade to Drizzt, and he also has more of a conscious than the Lolth worshippers of Menzoberranzan (I won’t generalize all drow as so evil). Narbondel is essentially the sorcerous clock of the city, being in the Underdark this helps the inhabitants of the city know what time it is. 

The affairs turn to Malice as she wishes to go from 9th to 8th house of the city to gain a seat on the council. They use the Festival of the Founding as a ploy, to celebrate the 5000 years of the city’s existence. Malice specifically wants Lolth, who visits in disguise to the city, to grace her house. Drizzt is a child at this point and becomes embroiled in the search for the dagger of Menzoberra, the weapon of the supposed founder of the city. A yochlol has told Malice of this weapon-artifact. 

The whole story of evil is as cartoony as Salvatore’s writing of the drow. The addition of Jalingfang, the Spider Mage, was nice. It also doesn’t suffer from too much action or juvenile philosophy. I think fans of Drizzt should enjoy it, and those that are not fans may not enjoy it but may want to try it out to see. 

The second is "A Slow Day in Skullport" by Ed Greenwood. I’ve previously read this is The Best of the Realms II. It is a nice change of pace since drow are not key here.

Durnan (a thinking man’s Conan), and Mirt (John Falstaff and Glencannon mixed) are the stars of this show, both being Lords of Waterdeep. The story is in Skullport, a city beneath Waterdeep, in 1358 DR, during the same time as Spellfire. It is a romp, very Leiberian sword and sorcery in feel; if you see Waterdeep as Lankhmar and a beholder as an eldritch sorcerous evil. Asper, Mirt’s wife who is somewhat rare in his stories, makes an appearance. Halaster, Elminster and ilithids, oh my!

Story three is "Rite of Blood" by Elaine Cunningham. I had grown used to her short stories of Danilo and Arilyn so was surprised when Liriel Baenre was the star. This is the protagonist of the Starlight and Shadows Trilogy that I’ve been meaning to read forever because I think Cunningham will do the drow better than Salvatore. And I wasn’t disappointed, while largely evil still, I found Cunningham does a good job making the drow feel less like cartoons than Salvatore, same with Anthony’s story above. 

Xandra Shobilar is going to get a target for Liriel’s Blooding, a coming-of-age ritual where she is to track and kill an intelligent, sapient creature. The target is a Red Wizard of Thay, one of the school of necromancy. This is an overly cunning and knowledgeable prey for the prodigy wizard, Liriel. That’s because Xandra wants him to be an opponent that will kill the young drow she is jealous of. 

Liriel has golden eyes, just as Drizzt has lavender compared to the normal red of drow. She is the daughter of  Gromph, of all people. She seems more in line with the wiles of most drow than Drizzt but this is also a rather young drow and I’ll have to read to see how her character changes. 

Story four, Roger E. Moore’s "Sea of Ghosts" follows a deep gnome and a derro, once slaves of the drow, who return to destroy an egg they were once forced to bury. It is set beneath The Eastern Shaar, which is the first time I’ve read fiction there, so that was appreciated. As was the little-known dwarf settlement, Raurogh’s Hall.

Wykar is the gnome and Geppo is the derro. The latter is more tame than normal, he doesn’t act in great violence and he doesn’t lie. It’s a nice outsider derro take, and the first I’ve read of them since Venom in Her Veins. 

As is not surprising with a sea setting in the Underdark, kua toa are antagonists. I was not super interested in this one at first, but the magic rings and interesting quest and companions piqued my curiosity. It has a rather disturbing and touching ending.

Story five is "Volo Does Menzo" by Brian M. Thomsen. At the time of this release, he was managing editor of fiction at TSR, and since the last piece in the work is a fictional afterword just like the foreword at the publishing house of TWL, Thomsen does 3 of the 7 sections within!

This final story is about Volothamp Geddarm and a tavern master from Skullport, Woodehous. This ties into the foreword and afterword, and also into Once Around the Realms, a story of Volo traveling all around Faerun written (unfortunately) by Thomsen. Specifically, it is a trip to Menzoberranzan for Volo’s Guide to the Underdark. Of course, this journey is made as slaves. 

The story is fun and short. There is a reference to Morpheus which felt out of place, and some exceptionally dumb drow. The “long-winded piece of fiction” comment made me chuckle, though.

"Back at the Publishing House". Justin Tym and TWL return. They weren’t used over much. Tym has a similar role in Realms of Magic and is referenced in Realms of Mystery, Realms of the Arcane and The Mage in the Iron Mask. 

Also there is no R. A Salvatore in the collection, which is surprising since he’s the poster boy of the Underdark. I’m glad he wasn’t , and you still get Drizzt I think fans of the series will enjoy. 

Too focused on Menzoberranzan and Skullport but fun overall. It's an acceptable anthology.

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You can track my current progress here.

Intermission: Shelves Together

 I have just moved and am not quite settled enough for more reviews, those shall follow shortly. I’m the meantime I wanted to share two things.

The first is the bookcase with my Forgotten Realms novels. As you can see, they are stuffed together! The top shelf even has 3 faces. This is the first time they’ve been in one case, rather than spread throughout the rest of my books, since I lived in Colorado. 

The second thing are my ttrpg books! I had some on a shelf until December 2021, but the last time all were on a shelf was May 2020. I made a small video of this one if you care to watch!

Amarast!

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You can track my current progress here.

Milestones Galore: 100 Books Read!

 On Saturday, April 13, I finished Pool of Radiance by James M. Ward and Jane Cooper Hong. This was the 11th novel-collection set in the Forgotten Realms that I’ve finished this year. This means two things.

The first is that I have now matched the number I read last year, and it’s only the middle of April! Admittedly, I read less than desired last year, but this is a good start to a better number this year.

Secondly, this was the 100th fiction book I’ve finished! From 2017 when I first read Brimstone Angels to 2020 to when I started this blog, this feels like a good milestone. This also means I’m about 1/3 through my goal to read all the fiction set in the Realms!

It’s been a great journey full of adventure. Thank you, everyone who has stopped by and been along for the ride. From beyond the Sea of Swords to lands far in every direction, I’ve experienced magic, deadly perils, and great friendships. Thanks to Ed Greenwood and all the writers and editors that made it happen. I hope the Realms continues to be a joy for me for years to come. 

Amarast!

D&D Honor Among Thieves - One Year Later

 March 31st, 2023 saw the official release of the film Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. At the time of watching it a couple days before it was released generally, I enjoyed it but was nit-picky on a few points. Those points stand, except the Elminster/Simon thing with the Helm of Disjunction. What has become obvious over the last year is how much I have enjoyed the film.

There are new places that fit well in the Realms, like Revel's End or Korinn's Keep. Something like the High Sun Games arena smack in the middle of Neverwinter is a bit silly, this can be overlooked for the sheer amount of joy the film brings. It really evokes the tabletop experience, being both chaotic and enchanting. Plus there are nice details, like the Spear of Aoth Fezim being mentioned, Fezim being the star of the Haunted Lands Trilogy, and the Brotherhood of the Griffon series, both by Richar Lee Byers. Also the use of Thorass script, which I will be exploring later.

You can tell fans of the Realms made the film. Even though Ed Greenwood didn't make a cameo like Stan Lee the film has been watched more than a dozen times in my house and I look forward to watching it more.

Review: Bound for Ruin by Jaleigh Johnson

 For some reason the new novel has an insanely long title Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin. This first part is of course the IP, where traditionally Forgotten Realms would have gone. The Fallbacks is the series name, and hopefully we do get sequels. These suggests a shift in Forgotten Realms fiction, one that feels more like game fiction rather than fantasy fiction that also happened to be for a game. Bound for Ruin is the actual title and how I will refer to it.

Following up the movie-tie-ins released last year, this is the first Forgotten Realms novel besides that is not Drizzt since the novel line was discontinued in 2016. It is the first not attached to other media, and maybe a sign the much beloved novel line will see revival. That remains to be seen as one or three novels hardly counts, and neither does the eternal [mediocre] Legend of Drizzt.

Can this band of mismatched misfits stay together in the face of danger? Or are they bound for ruin?

Released on 5 March 2024 readers will find themselves with a novel more along the lines of the movie tie-ins, as stated above, it is very obviously game fiction. I generally enjoy how I can ignore that in older FR stories, but utilize pieces in my games however I like. This is almost certainly not Johnson's call but whoever is in charge of the novel. So, it smacks of emasculated 5e lore, set on the Sword Coast, a cute pet version of an aberration and so forth,

Though cheesy it's not bad (and hopefully leads new releases of novels I so love). The length is wonderful, and I'm glad the novel is not bloated like much fantasy is these days. The characters are many, certainly going for a party like around the gaming table. I've read a few that feel similar to this but not so much like equivalents to a paper stat block. But we have Tess, labeled so much on the nose as "The Rogue"; Anson "the Fighter"; Cazrin "the Wizard"; Baldric "the Cleric" (his getting spells from multiple gods seems alright since everyone in the Realms worships each deity, but it also feels very wrong as that's not how patronage or priesthoods work and it makes deity look for dumb in a very modern, obnoxious, ignoring alignment way); Lark "the Bard"; and the oytugh is fine though awfully silly (and ironic since in my current campaign the party just slayed one). The "party" even has no name as "they haven't agreed on one yet". Sounds like tabletop shenanigans but does set up some room for some good identity forming. While something like Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser was silly like much D&D devolves into, it didn't feel like parody.

The plot is about getting a job to become famous and rich. The party finds disaster instead. This starts in a ruined Oghma temple, I was very happy the patron deity was named immediately. I appreciate the in medias res start, it is interesting from the start, though it starts in the Sword Coast (surprise surprise, WotC forgot other parts of the Realms exist). 

We see mind flayers, a lich, shambling mounds, rust monsters, and things more extraordinary; mentions of Selune and Oghma, Tyr and Kelemvor; Baldur’s Gate and Waterdeep, plus mentioning of other places along the Sword Coast or in the Sea of Swords; the Zhentarim are a main antagonistic force. I particularly enjoyed the mention of Marsember and Valindra Shadowmantle! Volo, monks of Candlekeep, Beregost, and more to be happy with here.

The characters aren’t all the best of buds, considering this is their first gig together. Anson and Tess were friends beforehand, but otherwise, they had to build the party, this is shown in some flashbacks and the obvious result will be The Fallbacks. There are some characters that are non-binary-gendered.

Having Tessalynde be overweight is a nice change of pace on representation but you don't see it much in fantasy for similar reasons you didn't lots of overweight people in the classic or medieval periods, or even up until a handful of decades ago, there weren't many. Maybe Faerun has heavily processed foods and an exceptionally sedentary lifestyles? It's a little bit jarring since she's an elf, too, but she actually seems the most athletic of the group.

So beyond the parody this feels like, Johnson does a good job. I do worry that every future installment will be drivelous in this satirical fashion. I want stories that feel part of a world, not some fictionalization of a game. You could always peak beyond the pages to the rulebook or dice in some novels but most were obscured and felt like a real world: again this feels like a parody of that. I think this is more excusable as it’s really a young adult novel. If you like family getting involved in things they shouldn’t, or questioning your place with friends, or terrible monsters made cute then you’ll probably like this. But the parody works better in the film, probably not at some objective standard but because what the novels were before. Those new to the novels likely won’t mind.

But for all my complaints I support this novel. I'm glad we have another Forgotten Realms novel. I'm glad it's Jaleigh Johnson who wrote novels before the line was axed and so knows the Realms. If this is all we get I would be a little disappointed in the style but I would take it over nothing, or what is even worse, just Drizzt. Maybe they’ll even try to capitalize on Baldur’s Gate 3's success. 

I should point out my criticisms are for WotC rather than the quality of the novel, this is actually a fun novel and Johnson should be commended for a job well done and doubly for keeping the novel line for the Forgotten Realms alive! 

Honestly the cheeky reference to Alias of Westgate in chapter ten was golden and that alone is worth a Good rating. Alone those lines are the songs the bard actually sings. I appreciate this over “they sang a song”.

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You can track my current progress here.