The Legacy

drizzt: *literally notices that something is off about “regis”*
entreri (disguised as regis): hey drizzt remember ENTRERI, your arch nemesis ENTRERI, that really handsome & deadly & skilled & did i mention handsome ENTRERI? what do you think ENTRERI is up to?
drizzt:
entreri: by the nine, you are taking the fun out of this. I AM LITERALLY ENTRERI.
drizzt: you’re acting a little weird today, regis.

you know, i’m suddenly realizing that i don’t think the books i’ve read in this series so far have never actually gone out of their way to say that drizzt was smart? i just kind of always assumed he was supposed to be? is he a himbo twink? i’m starting to think he might be a himbo twink.

i continue to feel basically “whatever” show more about the drizzt/wulfgar/cattie-brie stuff. i did appreciate cattie-brie standing up for herself, and it wasn’t the most “cishet guy writing a female character standing up for herself” rote shit ever, but it also wasn’t… entirely not that? despite it seeming pretty obvious that some effort was being made? idk, just, mixed feelings here.

wulfgar’s “death” hit decently hard even though he super isn’t one of my favorite characters and i know it isn’t gonna last. the fakeout deaths are getting to be a bit much (a bit ominous considering how early this is in the series tbh), but they’re written evocatively enough that they’re still hitting. for now.

this book… sorta? kinda? slightly? actually takes a few tentative steps forward on the whole awkward racism thing that salvatore himself has publicly “my bad”ed about recentlyish? though, it’s not without its own shortcomings. idk. let’s talk about it.

okay actually, looping back to the cattie-brie stuff, it’s kinda weird that after all the hand-wringing about baby’s first human murder a few books ago (explicitly contrasted with the fact that she’s apparently unfeelingly slaughtered orcs & goblins with no issue), she’s the one who points out that maybe they should have a quick chat with the goblins before using them for target practice? and that that discrepancy isn’t… really… remarked upon? at all? idk, just feels worth mentioning.

also bringing back the sexism angle, drizzt (and the narrator, from what i can tell) seems to think that cattie-brie actually doesn’t give a shit about the poor little gobbies doing their gobby chores (they’re doing a good job!!!!!! be nice to them!!!!!!) and is just sublimating her anger at wulfgar into the whole “hey let’s maybe not do a mass murder without at least offering some non-murder menu options” argument. which, in fairness, cattie-brie does stick to her guns even after the battle that parlaying first was the right thing to do and she would argue for it again. but idk. there’s just so many holes in this thing. like, i’m not expecting it to be perfect or anything, and it did genuinely represent a slight step forward? maybe? but it’s still not great imo.

now, one actual improvement is drizzt actually coming to grips with the fact that his vow never to kill another drow while he kills orcs & goblins & others with impunity is actually pretty fucking racist. that was a genuinely pleasant surprise. i’m going to continue to be pretty guarded about this subject in these books considering, y’know, everything. but it’s nice to see even a little improvement.

but yeah, i think that does it for the stuff i need to take somewhat seriously. so here’s where i talk about why this one mostly ruled.

the fights between drizzt & entreri were obviously kind of headliners for me, and a very big part of why i liked this book so much. also i kind of totally expected entreri’s initial fakeout death to last until the next book he appears in, so having him pop immediately back in like a fucking slasher villain with his freaking bat-winged cloak??? that was so extra, i genuinely love it. no notes. you’re doing great sweetie.

drizzt spent a good amount of the middle of the book tied up and being taunted by other drow and/or entreri, which, y’know, yeah, tie that fucking twink up & show him who’s boss. i am not projecting. i am not.

(... i may be slightly projecting.)

yeah, ok, yeah. u caught me. mostly i’m just glad to have all the horny drow shit back for the first time since the dark elf trilogy. (which i get was actually the most recent series when this was written & originally released, but i read the dark elf trilogy first because it was the only one i was sure i was gonna read at first, shrug!) we start strong with vierna forcing dinin to kneel with a command spell (what no a powerful woman with a whip saying “KNEEL.” and being compelled to obey doesn’t sound good to me at all, why would *sweats*), and when he turns out to be too mouthy she turns him into a fucking drider and rides him around like some kind of fucked-up horse? which like, no the thing itself isn’t especially appealing, but as far as power moves go, nine hells.

ahem.

honestly the only way these books could pander to me more is if they had more orcs (and if those orcs were characters rather than faceless hordes), but i’m still really grooving on them atm. and my understanding is the next book has even more kinky drow bullshit in it, so can’t wait for that! show less

Another amazing book by Salvatore. It continues to blow my mind how he is able to continue providing literature that not only grips the reader, but is reliable in the sense that you know you want to know more!

This story is one of heartbreak for any readers of the Icewind Dale series. Here you come full circle with one character, and see others become beyond broken by the loss. It feels like the end of a long era. Fortunately, Drizzt is left with all his appendages, but also left with a great deal of mental baggage to go along with them. His understanding of the world continues to grow, as the author seems to push the reader to do as well.

I cannot wait to dive into another episode asap!!

What else is there to say about the Drizzt series. R.A. Salvatore continues to impress with the tales of adventure, philosophy, love, and life in the World of Drizzt Do’Urden, his companions, Mithral Hall, and the Underdark. These books are so well written, addictive, and exciting that one just has to keep reading!
A wedding, a few reunions, familiar faces, old names and old places. New names, new faces, new adventures in new places all make book one of the legacy of the Drow series and quick and fun read.
If you are a Salvatore fan, a D&D fan, or have read any of the Drizzt books, you really should read this. A clear four star and quite recommended!

Not my favourite instalment in the series so far. The characterisation feels very off compared to previous books, especially around Wulfgar. The appearance of my favourite antagonists kept me going, though, and I'm greatly hoping for more of Jarlaxle in future books.

Better than Books 2-6, but still not that great. I am glad Salvatore is bringing in more of the drow society as that is much more interesting than goody-two-shoes Drizzt and his companions, or even his weirdly honorific nemesis Entreri, which take up too much of the novel.

This is a solid addition to this series of books, although I am certainly not as interested in the fight between Drizzt and Artemis as the author is.

For anyone that has ever played Dungeons & Dragons or that sort of RPGs this books reads as the chronicle of an epic dungeon crawl adventure. Full of evil enemies to fight and old comrade-in-arms. There is no much to the story and not many character development either and I guess, as others have pointed out, that it might not make a good second read, but it has met all my expectations of an action packed tale featuring Drizzt Do'Urden.

This is no great literature but it is such a fun read that I reward it with four stars just for giving me a few thrilling hours.