Wizard Books

I've read a few negative reviews that are a bit too critical of the subject matter. Seriously people, it's D&D fantasy. If you want something deep to analyze and pick apart, go read Kafka. When I first picked up The Crystal Shard in 88 (wow, that was a while ago) I was hooked. I don't read these for deep meaning or analysis; I read them because the characters are great, the stories are fun and they are great escapist fantasy. Maybe Salvatore is milking Drizzt for all he's worth but I don't care too much because I'll keep reading them. That being said, this was another great series.

I really like RA Salvatore's books. Sometimes the fighting can become repetetive but thats just because it is hard to imagine Drizzt's erratic fighting style. Nonetheless, the characters are deeper than the mines of Mithral Hall, and the plot while sometimes predictable takes twists in directions you've never imagined. If you read the earlier books of this series you need to read these ones, and if you haven't you need to pick it up (just bear in mind that the second one isn't so good).

The legend continues, as does the legacy. The next books in the series live up to the expectations laid by the others as the series of Drizzt continues. The only reason I gave this book four stars was for the numerous grammatical errors. Misspellings and such. They drive me batty. Otherwise, it's wonderful.

This wasn't even processed for the library shelves when it attracted my high school students' attention. It seems that everyone loves Drizzt! I would recommend it heartily based on my students' feedback.

The Legacy of the Drow is a great series and fantastic addition to the Drizzt legend (may it never end!). You may consider this review sided - I have loved all of the Salvatore-Drizzt books leading up to this - but this series is one of the best. Great surprises, great new characters, introduction of old characters you thought you might never see again, and overall superb storytelling and character development. I recommend reading the books leading up to this series (Homeland, Exile, Sojourn, The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem) so you can understand what's going on with all the characters, story-arcs, etc., but Salvatore does a nice job of explaining reintroduced characters and concepts enough that new readers would understand what's going on.

Worth the time to learn how expert traders analyze the market. One of many in my collection.

this book has inspired me to make billions of dollars. Since reading this masterpiece i have accumulated over $27 billion in currency and day trading market. AHH DAAAAAT !!!!!!

Schwager's interviews are good. Where can you have chance to see how these top guns trade? obviously, some of them were more reserved and didn't give up much useful information. but remember these people don't have to share anything. i am glad Schwager took the pain to finish this project!

I read the books backwards - New Market Wizards first and then Market Wizards. I liked them both. To me it was like trading food. Here is a group of rather normal people who have mastered the art of making money. The books fed my appetite for trading knowledge and developed my willpower to trade.

These are a great read - I will, no doubt, probably read these often just to get the mental boost that they offer. Highly recommended!

I'm a huge fan of the first book in the "Market Wizards" series which I have now read several times over. With this book however, I have to say I was a bit disappointed because I expected it to be just as good as the first. Some of the traders seemed to be a bit withheld and they didn't share as much insight as did those in the first book. I was especially disappointed that the "turtles" interviewed were not very open. It's understandable for traders to be tight-lipped about their strategies, but it makes for a less interesting book. That being said, there are some great traders interviewed here and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who liked "Market Wizards".

I began reading the Drow series after reading all of Robert E Howards Conan series from the 20's and JRR Tolkiens LOTR and All the Original Dragonlance novels by Weis and Hickman.
I thought I would give RA Salvatore and hid Drow a try.
I fell in love with the stories right off the bat, starting with the Dark Elf Trilogy which is actually RAS 4-6 release , but the story goes that way first with book 4 being one in order.
The Ice wind Dale Trilogy is as good as the next Trilogy which I was hopping would be.
I did notice a lot of JRR Tolkien's The Two Towers in this book though
(which is hard to not do these days when writting fantasy)
with the dwarven mine and the dark other worldy creature that the dwarves unearthed in there digging... very Tolkien in many other ways also.. but I dont want to add spoilers..
This book has some real gut wrenchers and tear jerking moments as well that are perfect.
2 thumbs up here
PRO:
Good Plot
Lots of well written action scenes
magic and Evil and Good
Well fleshed out characters
Awesome landscapes
CONS:
a lot like JRR Tolkiens The Two Towers
Some typos ( not a major issue.. look at my writting +))

Over all.. 5 stars..; a great read

As I have stated about all of the previous R.A. Salvatore novels that I have read and reviewed. This book was excellent! It was a very enjoyable and quick read for me. The action and adventure is second to none. The thing I enjoyed most was the continued character development of both protagonists and antagonists without any type of sensuousness or adult content being part of the story. As-far-as being a straight sword and sorcery, hack and slash type of adventure, this novel gets an A+.

I can't stress enough how fun it was to read this book. Great read!

After reading The Crystal Shard I couldn't wait to read the second book in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. And Salvatore does not disappoint. Another epic villian, a new adventure, and a little more insight into Bruenor's past. The book has all the fast-paced action and adventure we have come to expect from Drizzt and company is here. Another great book in a great series.

This one really surprised me. I'm usually not one for second books, but this was really better than the first to me. I guess because Salvatore had more room to build on charachter in this one, considering he got all the intros out of the way in the crystal shard. I LOVE Artemis Entreri! He is such a great character! He is like a negative Drizz't. I like it when authors or directors build on these forecoming showdowns, gets you excited about the future. Anywho, this is another Must-Read from Salvatore. I know i say that alot but the man is just good!
Tolkien would have wanted fantasy to evolve like this, i just know it! Read it, but read the crystal shard first.

I read this trilogy a while ago, and I re-read it once, and it was a pleasure. But as I've said in Book 1's review, it's not in my favorites and I do think it's a little dry and it has dull moments. All in all, a good book, with good characters and interesting themes. Enjoy it in winter with a blanket.

I loved this series in middle school and would highly recommend it as a fun leisure read for children in that age bracket.

The third book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, this book is every bit as interesting and as funny as the first two. But this is not a stand alone book like the other two. Do not start reading it till you have got Talking to Dragons as well.

I loved the first 2 books. And this one has some good stuff in it. But every single character is bitchy throughout the whole book!

It is funny to have, say, a bitchy cat, wizard, witch, magician, princess, rabbit, dragon or whatever. But they can't all be bitchy all the way through the book!

All the Enchanted Forest Chronicles are so much fun! Definitely at my top of Harry Potter fan recommendations. They're just such an amusing read; I even teach with them. Don't forget to read "The Frying Pan of Doom."

Mendenbar and Cimorene, now married for just over a year, are celebrating the news of their first baby on the way when witch Morwen and sorcerer Telemain arrive on their moat-step with some disturbing news and a 6 foot blue rabbit/donkey named Killer. The wizards are, once again, up to no good. Upon investigating the source of Killer's unusual size, Morwen discovered more brown patches where the wizard staffs had leached magic out of the Enchanted Forest. Since Telemain and Mendenbar had repaired that particular problem, the issue was determined urgent. Once again a journey is required - this one is to retrieve the sword that is tied magically to the Enchanted Forest so that the wizards don't drain the forest of its magic - and its life. Morwen, Telemain, Cimorene, Kazul, Killer, and two of Morwen's cats embark down a dangerous road to save the lives of the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest. Great sense of humor and dialog - although the timeline sometimes takes getting used to.

Cadderly is a priest at a remote library who is gifted with extraordinary intelligence and wisdom. While he prefers his scholarly ways, Cadderly must come to grips with the idea that sometimes heroes aren't chosen for their willingness, but their abilities. When the library is attacked, Cadderly must investigate and find the cause. His discoveries lead him on to confront a series of undead forces, including the corrupted corpse of a rival priest.

As with all of Salvatore's books, the fight scenes are wonderfully detailed with rich choreography. The author seamless punctuates these encounters with the internal struggles of the main characters, and you can't help but cheer on the heroes.

Good to add to your collection.If you have read other books by R.A. Salvatore, this is a gret set to add to your collection. Bought this for my teenage son for Christmas because he has read all the forgotten realms series and he really likes them. He was pleased by this, for one reason because it has all the books together. So far he says this collection is very interesting and his writing is on the same level all his other books.

The Cleric Quintet is a good story from the first page of The Canticle to the last page of The Chaos Curse. I especially enjoy the Bouldershoulder brothers.

Overshadowed by R.A. Salvatore's DRIZZT series', the Cleric Quintet is a great read which unfortunately a lot of people look over. This author is brilliant, and it'd be a shame to pass up this set.

The first book was intriguing if only acceptable and the second book proved to be a marginally acceptable follow-up. I'm now approaching the end of the third book and I find I can't wait for it to end. Usually characters become more developed and dimensional as the story progresses but the opposite is true here. The dialog gets more and more stilted and repetitive just as the situations the characters become involved in become more absurd.

A mentally challenged dwarf that wears a cooking pot for a helmet and dreams of becoming a druid is one of hour heroes? The dwarven druid angle would have been interesting but the only words ever uttered by the character ranges from "Oooo" to "hee hee hee". Literally, that is the characters only words. I am at the point where anytime the dwarves are mentioned that I mentally cringe at the inane dialog sure to follow between Ivan and his 'brudder' Pikel. Everything they're involved in is like a bad Jackie Chan movie. These two characters are certainly in the running for worst characters ever in a fantasy novel.

The main character, Cadderly, is a frustrating and simpering type who agonizes over every time he's forced to kill someone to defend his own life or the lives of others. At first I thought this would be an interesting exploration of the morality in killing even evil people to save others but it pretty much stops at the whining stage. Cadderly uses a yo-yo for his weapon - I think that pretty much covers what is wrong with the action scenes of this story. He fights off some of the most deadly armed assassins in the world with a yo-yo? Had someone told me this was part of the story I would have refused to believe it.

The romantic interest, Danica, starts off best of all for an interesting character but by book 3 works her way into being little more than a 'tank' for Cadderly in between professing her love. She is apparently unbeatable regardless of the odds and never even slowed down despite the rare wounding. Of course, any wounds are always healed fully by Cadderly (who has no idea how he does it) and never cause any complication.

The first book is decent but the following are numbingly bad. His books about Drizzt and the Drow were so good at exploring the morality of choices made with vibrant and realistic dialog that I have trouble believing these were written by Salvatore. Maybe a ghost writer was involved? This collection is a long way from his best efforts. I don't know if I can bear the thought of slogging through the final two books but I have a very long flight coming up so I may have nothing better to do ...

This book is part of a dual series, this describes the world of Draconians after the war of the lance. Read about their survival as a race in a world that despises their existance. These books are a great addition to the Dragonlance series.

IMO,this book fell a bit weak on the action department..The first half of the book was painful to read..I kept wondering when the real exciting epic story would begin.. I've read many reviews and it seemed that the book would be such an awesome read..I guess I expected to much from it because the action was very lacking..The overall storyline is the only thing that kept me from putting it back on my bookshelf,that and I couldnt believe the book was this bad..I kept reading hoping for some excitement..I was finally rewarded when a dark knight of takhisis got introduced..It was cool to read about Lord Ariakan gathering his army preparing for the conquest of Ansalon and I am sorta looking forward to see what happens in the second book.. But the dwarves were dumb and boring,except for brief humorous scenes with Selquist.. And most of the draconians were dumb except for Kang and Slith..

I hope to god the next book isnt as bad as this one... There were some brief moments of hope in the novel that intrigued me to read the second book..

I wasn't sure how Margaret Weis would be without her longtime writing partner Hickman at the helm of a Dragonlance novel. Her partner on this one is her husband Don Perrin, a fine writer in his own right. I found this to be an excellent novel, and has a solid place in the mythos of Krynn. It was nice to see another point of view(the Draconians), and also see that they are not without honor, and maybe not so evil after all. This is a very good, and fast read. Along with Dracion Measures, this is a good solid story.

Draconians. A race of dragonmen created from stolen eggs of good dragons, and very powerful and dark magic. Draconians first appeared in Dragons of Autumn Twilight, and now after the Chronicles they star in their own novel: The Doom Brigade.

I had recieved the Doom Brigade as a Cristmas present. When I saw that it was written by Maragret Weis, I knew it was going to be something. The main character of the story is the bozak draconian named Kang, who along with his fellow draconians is learning what it means to live a somewhat peaceful life. However there are many conflicts that disrupt that...the neighboring dwarves, the regiment of dark knights they inlist with for a short time, and an unknown threat that seeks to destroy the world of Krynn. However hope remains, as Kang discovers the location of where some female draconian eggs might be found.

Needless to say, this book is great. Like in all of her other novels, Maragret puts together a cast of incredible and unique characters. In a sense there are no "good guys" in the story, but Kang plays a pretty good character who you will cheer for all the way. The plot in itself is pretty good, and it sets up for the future events in the Dragonlance story. I encourage any Dragonlance fan to pick up this novel.

A book centered on Draconians....by Margaret Weis. You're joking right? Not at all. This book will change your entire opinion on the little known race of dragon men. And when you mix aggresive draconian warriors and scheming dwarves, you know there will be some laugh out loud moments. Through everything Weis and Perrin manage to string together an engaging plot with fun well-developed characters. Unfortunately there are some proofreading/editing mistakes (more than in any other book I've read). But it doesn't really get in the way. This book won't change your life, but it is guaranteed to entertain.

With the Ravenlost campaign by now defunct TSR, bought out in this reprint by Wizards of the Coast, D & D land tries to create a dark and brooding gothic atmosphere. I've seen better stuff in Anne Rice and Cradle of Filth, though it is a lot better than fat butt Acheron. A mediocre attempt at bringing more romanticized gothic fashion to D & D, and I picked it as my campaign, but why wait until Halloween? For wannabe tough D & D gamers.

This is one of my most favorite books I've ever read. I enjoy every part of this book, especially the plot. The characters are colorful, the setting is dark and haunting, and the story is entertaining. On top of all that, it has a good length, not too long, yet not too short. It kept me reading it, and was very hard to put down. For examply, when I began it I found myself reading 20-30 pages a day, but as I went on, they increased to 50, 70, and even up to 100 pages! By then, the book was over, leaving me fully satisfied.

I must say that my favorite part about the plot is Jander's view on being a vampire. Most books might portray it as being some sort of cool gift, but this one describes it as a lonely and terrible existence, and the writing shows it. Throughout the book, many years pass; you see boys grow into men, people dying, having children. It's a great experience, to say the least, when you look back and see how different characters were as children. There's a real sense of character development in that, I believe.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great read, doesn't mind a little darkness in their tales, and loves character development. Beware, however, this is not your average vampire book!

It seems rather odd that TSR would choose an author who had never before published a novel to write the first in a series of novels based in the Ravenloft campaign setting. Wouldn't they want a well established author, a master of his or her craft, to start the whole thing off with a serious bang? They certainly didn't make a bad deciscion in hiring on Christie Golden, as this is an entertaining book and there are plenty of good things that can be said about it. One can't help but wonder what it would have been like if a more accomplished author had gotten their hands on it though.

If you've read the other novels about the vampire Strahd ("I, Strahd" and the sequel "The War Against Azalin") this will be a welcome addition to your library. It was certainly a breath of fresh air to read about Strahd from someone else's point of view. In the aforementioned novels Strahd, of course, paints himself as the most noble of men, a victim of tragic circumstance and just ruler of Barovia. Here we are given a much different picture. "Vampire of the Mists" tells the story of Jander Sunstar, a nature loving elf who falls under the curse of vampirism through the treachery of a friend. When Jander becomes witness to something he sees as a grave injustice, he utters an oath of vengeance and hate - which gets him transported to Barovia, the demi-plane of dread, a place that reacts to negative emotions such as hate and despair.

The use of description in this book is decent, never getting too out of hand or overly simplistic. The pace is varied every now and again so as to not bore the reader or keep things running at break-neak pace throughout the whole book. Despite these commendable traits, "Vampire of the Mists" has it's share of problems. Foremost is that it never takes any single idea or theme nearly far enough. Yes, Jander hates the fact that he is a vampire, and yes there is some internal struggle there, but there isn't nearly enough of it. What should have been a story that brings the reader to tears instead was just an interesting novelty. It the author had just taken this theme a little bit farther, expanded on it, gave us some real tragedy, this would have been a five star book.

The paradox of time as it pertains to vampires - the fact that they have so very much of it ahead of them, yet it seems to move at a much faster pace than normal, isn't really adequately described here until the second half of the book. Jander's relationship with the insane girl Anna is rushed much too quickly. A full decade passes within the span of a page, and in an entirely unconvincing manner. Later on in the novel the author seems to get her bearings in unfamiliar territory however, and the reader is given a much more satisfactory experience involving large spans of time. It's critical in these instances to show the reader the going-ons of less important characters when large amounts of time transpire, to give the world a sense of realism, instead of making all existence hinge solely on the main characters.

Jander also seems to be curiously constantly shifting in his powers and abilities (his "level" in D&D terms). First of all, when he is transported to Barovia - he has absolutely no weaponory, either magical or mundane, or any kind of special (non-vampiric) abilities. This is a bit hard to swallow, considering at this point he is seven hundred years old. Now, if you've ever played Dungeons and Dragons, you know that magic items are like stupid people - you can find them EVERYWHERE. Yet Jander has none. Later on in the novel in a flashback sequence, we learn that Jander was once a member of the group known as the Hellriders of Elturel, and that he fought the five headed dragon Tiamat in her lair on Avernus, the first layer of hell. See, here's the problem with that : Tiamat is a GODDESS. You know, of the "created the universe and has infinte power" variety. At the time Jander was less than two hundred years old (young for an elf) and nothing but a standard fighter type. Beginning to see why this doesn't work? At the end of the novel, when Jander and Strahd finally butt heads in a manner more intense than merely verbal sparring, Jander is nigh on useless in any sort of combat situation. He fought a goddess - but can't bring any sort of effective defensive against another vampire, and one who is admittedly younger and less powerful than himself? I know, it's nit-picky and verges on the meta-gaming mentality, but it's a valid point.

If you are willing to let a few bumblings by a first time author slide, you'll find an overall enjoyable story. Just be sure to read the other novels regarding Strahd to see how other people handled the same subject matter.

Vampire of the Mist by Christie Golden is the re-release of the first book that launched the Ravenloft world. This book was first released by TSR in September of 1991. It seems Wizards of the Coast may be trying to revive the Ravenloft world as they are starting to re-release some novels that have been out of print for a long time. I will say this, if you are a fan of fantasy vampire novels this is a must read.

The plot of this book is a very well thought-out plot. It is deep and has several layers to it that the reader is always left wondering what the next page will bring. The basic plot is that of a elven vampire who is trying to seek revenge for the death of someone he loved. The journey and self-discovery that this elf (Jander) partakes in is a fantastic ride. Along the way there are various small sub-plots, but they by no means hinder the overall plot, quite the opposite they add considerable depth to the story and allow the reader to `feel' the story as Ms. Golden intended it. Being that this was the first book in the Ravenloft world Ms. Golden also does a phenomenal job at describing all the things that make Ravenloft unique and interesting. Things such as the fog, the gypsies, Castle Ravenloft, history and countless other things. This truly is a gem of a book.

The characters in this book add so much to the overall story. They are extremely well fleshed out and the development of the characters rivals that of any fantasy book I can think of. Characters such as Jander, Strahd, Sasha, etc develop so much it's amazing that this was only a 300 page book. If you are wanting to read more about Jander there is an additional short strory in the Wizards of the Coast Anthology titled Best of the Realms and the short story title is called `Blood Sport'. The depth that Ms. Golden gives Jander just makes the character so much more real and fun to read about.

Overall, this is one of the best single novels I have read in quite a long time. Everything about this novel `works'. There is just enough of things to alow the reader to form a mental picture, without over burdening the reader with unnecessary facts that slow the story. As I said before, if you are a fan of vampire novels you must read this. If you are a fantasy fan I am almost certain you will enjoy this as well. If you are a fan of reading and are looking at a fantasy book, I would without a doubt recommend this one. I truly can't say enough about this wonderful book. I highly recommend this to everyone.

This was my first Ravenloft book and not having read much fantasy mixed with horror in the past few years this was a delectable plunge into a world I couldn't even begin to describe. Vampire of the Mists is an exquisite tale of darkness, lost love and a quest for vengeance through the eyes of Jandar Sunstar, a gold haired elf from gentle hills of Evermeet. Ever since he was made into a vampire, he has roamed the night alone for five hundred years, filling his dead body with blood, living on the lives of others he was an undead creature who sadly looked forward to eternal lonely existence until one day, while out feeding he met Anna. She lived in a mental asylum but captured his heart that was still full of hope and goodness despite his curse only to slip away, leaving him a clue as to her painful past and the reason why she went mad.

I absolutely loved the writing of Christine Golden, her descriptive, rich and fluid language seeped of the pages like honey, and filled my head with images and treasures, of wolves, vampires, gypsies and villagers of Barovia. The fantasy world or darkness and light, the story lines and the characters married into the tale of Jandar and his promise to Anna for avenging her death. He was mystically transported to Barovia's Castle Ravenloft, where he befriended, or so he thought, Count Strahd Von Zarovich. His name alone gave me Goosebumps as he welcomed the elf to his home, wanting to learn form his wisdom and slowly trying to corrupt whatever good was left in Jandar. Strahd was one sneaky bastard, cruel and evil yet captivating, he used magic and commanded wolves to do his bidding, he turned beautiful women into vampires and drained the villagers of their happiness and resources. He played mind games with everyone and had many secrets as to how he came to power. Jandar starved for truth as he spend years trying to decipher the castle and its mysteries only to find out a secret so shocking and brutal that it opened up like a can of warms, searing him in hot anger and destined to set things straight.The book was a non stop rollercoaster of action and was so rich and well detailed that I could see the stars in the sky, the silver gleam of the moon falling on the running wolves, their strong paws hitting the bud, their warm breath curling for taste of human blood. The Vampires turned to dark bats or into a mist traveling through the dark hills and roamed for unsuspecting victims to feed on.

Jandar was a great soul, sad, at times savage when angered but he cared for beauty and he longed to have the sun hit his face, but he was on a quest to dig up the dark buried secrets that Strahd guarded in the Ravenloft Castle with his hordes of wolves and vampire slaves. I can't wait to read the rest of the Ravenloft series, for this was a magical and satisfying read, and warmly recommended to everyone who loves good book. After all this is what reading is about, the love and enjoyment of a good story that leaps of the pages.

- Kasia

This is the best book I have ever read on the origins of the Internet. It doesnt matter if you are computer iliterate, if you are an expert or if you just know the basics... This book will blow your mind...

This book was riveting and actually a page turner. I could not put it down and was able to read it in one day. It is informative and interesting. This book clues you in to the creation of the internet and to the people behind that endeavor. It will make you a more well informed person and expand your perspectives relative to achievement.

The author's have done a wonderful job of balancing a modicum of technical detail with all the personalities and people who contributed to the early days of the Internet.

In this book you'll learn that the Department of Defense did NOT commission the network because of a fear of atomic attacks (a widely held belief that I also bought into before reading this book), that there IS a difference between the Internet and the Web, and that such a complex piece of technology evolved from very humble origins indeed.

For those of us with a long involvement in networking and who know some of the personalities profiled here, the book is a delight. But if you've never heard of Bob Kahn, Larry Roberts, or Vint Cerf (amongst a host of others), you'll still have a great time with this book.

I recommend this wholeheartedly for people of any technical background.

This is quite possibly one of the most engaging computer books I've ever read, which says quite a bit when I've read computer books for years. The narrative style gives you a beautiful glimpse into some of the trials and tribulations that those involved in the original ARPAnet project went through, and how that project exploded into a vast global phenomenon - a prediction that nobody could have made when the project first started.

This is a simple tale about the founders of the Internet. It does not get bogged down in many technical terms although there are some. It explains the development of a network that we now take for granted. A good read.

THE BEST HARRY DRESDEN BOOK SO FAR. A GOOD PLOT IF A LITTLE INTRICATE. BUCHER'S HUMOR COMES THROUGH FOR THE FIRST TIME. WISE CRACKING HARRY IS A REAL TREAT.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED/

This was by far the worst book of the series. After I finished it, I decided that I was not going to continue the series; I was done. I am glad that I changed my mind, because books 7 and 8 were fantastic, Blood Rites was below average. As in all of his novels, Butcher creates great character depth. Additionally, the overall plot (the war with the Red Court, the drama with the White Council, the Nevernever, his involvement with the fairies) progresses in this novel. However, the fact that he uses the set of a porn film for this book was a little over the top. I have problems believing that this is where supernatural beings would wage battle. This novel can't be skipped because of its importance to the series, but I wish it could be.

Blood Rites is another masterpiece by Jim Butcher. Where Else can you get Flaming Monkey poo, Assasins, Hellfire, Vampire Porn stars, a dash of Fallen angel and Family all tied up into 2 detective cases and a personal grudge. Its great to see characters from the previous books and the tying up of some lose ends.

Still loven' the Harry Dresden Files. He still keeps me guessing. Good book, was hooked.

This book opens with a trademark Harry Dresden move: fleeing a burning building. It's the fault of the giant monkey demons who are hurling napalm pooh. Harry races to his car, which has been eaten by mold demons...With a chortle of laughter, the reader settles in for another wild ride in Chicagoland as imagined by Jim Butcher.

Harry gets to live every boy's dream: he's hired to help out on the set of a porn picture because the director thinks someone has cursed him. In previous books the bad guys popped up with such monotonous regularity one could mark one's page with them. There's more focus and a greater sense of urgency to this plot.

BLOOD RITES is the sixth in the series but it is the first to link strongly to the previous books and the first to explore Harry's past. Harry was given a little more depth in book five, but in this book, without any break in the action, Harry learns things he didn't know and confronts unpleasant truths about his mentor Ebenezar McCoy. I don't want to give any spoilers so all I will say is that Harry helps out his half-brother and gets adopted by a puppy. The ending is solid and as happy as anything ever gets for Harry, but certain elements provide great foreshadowing and sent me racing down to the bookstore to get the next one. Thanks, Jim!

The book follows on the heels of The Legacy. Wulfgar the barbarian, adopted son of Bruenor Battlehammer (dwarven king of Mithril Hall), has been killed in a heroic self-sacrifice to save those he loved. Of those are Catti-brie, Wulfgar's fiancee and Bruenor's adopted human daughter. Is it just me, or does two adopted children marrying each other seem somewhat bizarrely incestuous??

In the aftermath, Bruenor, Catti-brie and Drizzt Do'Urden, a dark elven ranger, each deal with their grief in a different way. Drizzt feels the most responsible, as it was a party of drow, intent on capturing Drizzt, who caused Wulfgar's death. Fearing that this is just the start of revenge attacks for his desertion of the way of the drow, and turning his back on their evil deity Lloth, Drizzt sets out to return to the Underdark, hoping that by sacrificing himself, he can spare his friends.

Realizing his intent, Catti-brie sets out to stop Drizzt from his suicidal path, and follows him all the way down into the dark elven city of Menzoberranzan.

I feel that Salvatore's plot is somewhat hazy in this book, as many questions are raised:

1. Why did Jarlaxle the drow mercenary save Atemis Entreri, the human assassin, and bother dragging him down to Menzoberranzan? Granted, Jarlaxle has a penchant for chaos, but it seems a little extreme, other than Salvatore's own desire not to kill off Entreri.

2. For such a wise character, why does Drizzt believe that he can stop a drow invasion of Mithril Hall? Granted, he knows his worth to Lloth, and he may be somewhat loopy with grief, but surely he understands his evil kin's nature, and would realize that if they launch a full invasion to capture him, why would they retreat with just his capture, rather than reaping the treasures of Mithril Hall?

3. Catti-brie is incredibly naive for believing that she can survive in the Underdark, even with her excellent disguising magical mask, considering she has virtually no knowledge of the creatures of the Underdark, nor does she speak the drow language. Likewise, I find it incredibly lucky that Drizzt has to battle a displacer beast when he first arrives in the Underdark...however, aside from running into some goblins, Catti-brie gets through with few attacks.

It is well written, gripping, and brings us back to familiar characters whom we love to follow. As usual, Salvatore does an excellent job on battle scenes, and he does bring a little more depth to his characters.

So aside from my questions on the plot, I do recommend this book.

this one is mostly about cattie brie, drizzt and gwenhyer. sorry if i spelled that wrong. anyway its a story about those three and its very entertaining. cattie brie and gwen have to go all balls and guts and go after drizzt.

Ok, I just finished Starless Nights from the boxed gift set.. Its got horrible cover on the book. The box has a great cover , but the book.. lame..but thats not what Im reviewing is it.

The book it self was good.. I gave it 4 stars. Its not one of the best Drizzt books Ive read so far but it holds its own. Its full of action and at times hard to digest plot twist and turns like Artemis's return..

The were a couple of times when I really wanted to skip ahead in some of the fight scenes due to the repeatitve nature , but I read on.
I just hope the next book(s) in there series holds my attention.
I must say that the Drizzt books by RAS are a quick read theres really no complicated plot lines with a multitude of names to remember. Its an action packed easy read.. I guess thats why alot of folks say they are kidde books.. but foowee on them..

Pro:
Good plot
Easy to read
lots of action
fast paced
well described fight scenes with magic and sword play
Well fleshed out characters

Cons"
Writter is getting a bit repeatitive
characters that seemed to have died just keep comming back
all most too many fight scenes and not enough plot thickening

After reading The Legacy, the first book in the Paths of Darkness Series, I immediately picked up Starless Night. We go back to the Underdark and Menzoberranzan for another Drow-filled adventure full of adventure, magic, and all of Salvatore's signature elements. We get a lot more of House Baenre and we meet the ruling houses of Menzoberranzan. The book is a great read and you'll be wanting to pick up the next book, Seige of Darkness, right away.

Starless Night, book 8 chronologically in the Drizzt series, shows the main characters still suffering from the death of one of their own in the previous book. Because of this guilt, Drizzt ventures back to the underground world of Menzoberranzan, to determine the true drow threat himself. Catti-brie follows, once she finds that he has slipped out on his own.

I thoroughly enjoyed the character development of Jarlaxle, the mercenary drow, and it was great to see a small glimpse of strong Belwar again. My only problem with this series is that characters just won't stay dead once killed (or twice killed!), as Artemis Entreri shows up again. Mr. Salvatore keeps the readers guessing that Entreri and perhaps Jarlaxle are not as evil as they seem.

As with the three initial books in the series, the drow homeland is well described, as are the political machinations that keep the drow world in check.

Not as good as the first three (which are classics), but moves the character development forward and brings Jarlaxle, a very interesting character, to the fore.