| Title | : | Starless Night (Forgotten Realms: Legacy of the Drow, #2; Legend of Drizzt, #8) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1560768800 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781560768807 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 |
| Publication | : | First published July 30, 1992 |
The Underdark. A place of brooding darkness, where no shadows exist, and where Drizzt Do'Urden does not wish to go. The noble dark elf must return there, though, must go back to find his friends in the gnome city of Blingdenstone, and on to Menzoberranzan, the city of drow. Only then can Drizzt discern what perils might reach out from that dark place to threaten his friends in Mithril Hall.
he finds allies where he least expects them and enemies he htough long gone. His scimitars slash at monsters too evil to reside under the sunlight of the surface world, while his inner strength wrestles with the tumult of emotions assaulting the noble drow when he looks once more on his dreaded homeland. All the while Drizzt must fend off the weight of guilt he carries for a dear friend lost to him forever.
Starless Night (Forgotten Realms: Legacy of the Drow, #2; Legend of Drizzt, #8) Reviews
-
A low point in the Drizzt legend, almost down to Icewind Dale trilogy levels, primarily because it reads like a repeat of the previous book. In The Legacy, Drizzt gets captured and taken into the Underdark and needs to be rescued. In Starless Night, Drizzt willingly walks off into the Underdark and needs to be rescued.
Regardless, it is definitely an acceptable middle book in an overall very much decent quartet of Forgotten Realms book. I may have been biased against it from having read it all in a long day of bus travel on a way too hot July day. -
I read the first 13 Drizzt books back-to-back, so I sometimes forget what happened in which specific book but I certainly enjoyed the ride. The rating above reflects only the content.
This book stood out for a different reason...The cover is so absolutely atrocious it irked me every time I looked at it. The whole "Legacy" series in this printing is bad, but this one takes the cake. If you aren't familiar with the story, Drizzt is a young drow warrior. In this depiction he looks like an ancient, caucasian human wizard. And is he leering?? Maybe because Cattie-brie looks 12 on this cover instead of 20. And the headband she's wearing? Should be silver. I realize writers often don't get much say in their cover art, but someone should have caught this, especially since both are main characters in the already-established series.
So if you want to read this book - find the later printing with better cover art. -
Anyone who's been reading Drizzt stories until now probably don't need any reviews to determine whether he keeps reading or not. While I like the many contemplation moments in this book and feel despair and loss as a result of the first book, there's one thing that feels unrealistic - and that's how powerful they are or how lucky they are. Despite the fact that the heroes are heading into enemy territory, things seem to always go their way. I just feel that a couple of the encounters could have been made more realistic and harrowing, rather than having things made easy for them.
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Τα τελευταία βιβλία του Σαλβατόρε που έχω διαβάσει είναι όλα στο διάστερο, που κανονικά θα πει "it was okay". Ετούτο είναι ένα τσικ πιο κάτω, αλλά κρατάω το διπλό από τεμπελιά και βαρεμάρα.
Ο Γούλφγκαρ τάχα μου νεκρός (άμα δεν τον δω να γίνεται on screen ψιλά-ψιλά κομματάκια δεν το πιστεύω ότι τον φάγανε, πάει και τέρμα), στις εφτά του μακαρίτη άλλον έμπασε στο σπίτι η παρολίγον νύφη, και τα artefacts τα μαζεύεις από δω κι από 'κει, να βρίσκονται.
Επίσης η πιο ηλίθια σκηνή που έχω διαβάσει τελευταία: μπουκάρουν στο γραφείο του αρχιμάγου (το πώς, ασχολίαστο, γιατί δεν έχω πει και καφέ σήμερα) κι η Κάτιμπρι αρχίζει ν' ανοίγει μπουκαλάκια και να τα μυρίζει. Διότι τι μπορεί να πάει στραβά, να μεταμορφωθεί σε λάμα, ας πούμε; Χαχα. Χα.
Κρατιέμαι να μην τ' αλλάξω σε ένα αστεράκι, αλήθεια. -
I enjoyed this a degree more than R.A. Salvatore's prior few Drizzt books, for this reason: it was a significantly more condensed adventure. In previous outings, Drizzt spent one book escaping, Menzobarranzan (I'm not looking up the correct spelling), another hanging out in the Underdark, a third establishing himself on the surface world, and the last dealing with a Drow assault on Mithril Hall. In Starless Night, all four adventures are essentially revisited, in reverse, in compact fashion. It also provided some appreciated character development for side characters, in particular , Jarlaxle and Catti-brie, the last of whom got to break out a little bit (but not entirely) from her sidekick-with-a-bow routine. She is a fiery and impish Irish lass in my mind (don't hate me if I supposed to think 'Scottish') and I enjoyed that she got more to do here.
Of course, the writing remains overly descriptive (does it really take three sentences to say that she stood up and slammed the table?) and Drizzt always finds time for woeful self-reflection and self-chastisement. Much attention was paid to shuffling of magical items, which is an uninteresting way to set up future events and is one unfortunate strong tie to the table-top game this is based on, in a series that mostly breaks out of that mold.
And oh boy, do we ever need to talk about the cover art (for the original hardcover and paperback release by TSR, as opposed to the later Wizards of the Coast re-releases). Was the person responsible for commissioning this even familiar with the characters, or even know what a Drow is? Or did that person not bother conveying any of this to the artist? Clearly the faces on the cover are supposed to represent Drizzt and Catti-brie (for whom I would really like to see some in-book cultural naming conventions), but, um, how should I put this... Drizzt isn't white, he is literally black! Nor he is an old dude! With a gold skull-cap! The cover reminds of nothing more than an original-series Battlestar Galactica promotional shot. The cover art on this line of books in the early 1990's was almost universally bad overall, but this one stands out as a particularly mystifying example. -
"It is a defeat of the spirit to learn that one's arrogance causes such loss and pain. Pride invites you to soar to heights of personal triumph, but the wind is stronger at those heights and the footing, tentative. Farther, then, is the fall" (235).
My Rating
4 stars
Book Series
Book 8 of The Legend of Drizzt series (30+ books).
My Thoughts?
First half was a little slow. The reasons for why Drizzt was heading back to Menzoberranzan were explained and reexplained. I get why the author wanted to explain such a dangerous move, but having read the previous 7 books, I understood Drizzt's motives without being told.
The scene between Cattie-Brie and Lady Alustriel was a little embarassing. I think Salvatore was trying to remind the reader that Cattie-Brie is a young woman (I think she's 20 or younger). Also Lady Aliustriel is not written well IMHO. She's supposed to be some sort of elf queen, but she acts more like a socialite.
As the story goes on, the pace gets better. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE Menzoberranzan. It's not a city the reader is supposed to love, but it's so complex and the culture and politics are so interesting. When the characters hit Menzoberranzan, the story goes from okay to amazing.
Conclusion
Good book. If you're new to the series, start at book 1 Homeland. -
There are no shadows in the Underdark. There is no room for imagination in the Underdark. It is a place for alertness, but not aliveness, a place with no room for hopes and dreams.
- Drizzt Do’Urden
My favourite Forgotten Realms novels are the ones that take place in the Underdark. The savage and wild Drow fascinate me more than any other race I know. They’re devious, conniving and cutthroat. And I freaking love them. So, Drizzt deciding to leave the surface and return to his former home of Menzoberranzan in the Underdark completely excited me.
What resulted was a brilliantly fast paced journey through the Underdark. A journey filled with excitement, anticipation and intense and vivid battle scenes. RA Salvatore seriously writes the best battle scenes ever.
This was my first book of the year. I picked it up, hoping for a fun adventure with Drizzt Do’Urden (the fictional character that I admire most in the world, btw). I got it and more!
I only deducted a star because Cattie-brie annoys the hell out of me. I’m really trying to love her. I REALLY am, but ugh, it’s just not happening. What she did in this book was completely reckless and idiotic to me. But I can see where her storyline is going. It worries me and I really hope my opinion of her changes in the next instalments. -
By far the best book of The Legend of Drizzt so far!!! Salvatore finally gave us a much better look into the main characters and their motivationsand actions. I loved the charming and flamboyant Jarlaxle most of all.
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A journey into the underdark and a revisit to the dark elf city of menzoberranzan.
Incredible, awesome adventure packed with movie-like scenes of combat.
May or may not be like this:
Very, very good, but this book would not stand on its own well at all. It's a chapter of a larger series. -
The cover is pretty crappy though, honestly. Drizzt is supposed to be a young, dark elf and the dude on the cover is old and gold skinned. The book itself was pretty good though!
-
Salah satu novel dari siri Forgotten Realms (juga siri game Dungeons & Dragons), antara siri novel fantasi yg terkenal dan banyak peminatnya. Merupakan buku ke-2 dalam quadrilogy 'Legacy of the Drow' - menyambung kisah pengembaraan Drizzt Do'Urden dan rakan-rakannya (Bruenor Battlehammer, Wufgar, Cattie-Brie, dan Regis). Juga merupakan buku ke-8 (dari 34) dalam siri 'The legend of Drizzt'. Buku kedua ni lebih tertumpu pada watak Drizzt dan Cattie-Brie. Plotnya juga lebih dark kerana latar tempat banyak tertumpu di Menzoberranzan, negara dark elf.
Novel kali ni menyambung kisah dari buku pertama quadrilogy ni. Drizzt yg rasa bersalah kerana serangan kaumnya sendiri ke atas rakan-rakannya mengambil keputusan untuk kembali ke Menzoberranzan untuk mengintip rancangan jahat yg dirancang oleh penguasa kota itu. Tanpa dia sedari, dia telah mendapat bantuan daripada beberapa individu yg dia tidak jangkakan... -
Lots of good fighting as you would expect from
drizzt. -
Reeling from the loss of one of his dearest friends, the warrior dark elf Drizzt journeys back into the Underdark - but can he survive the harsh environment after years of growing accustomed to life on the surface?
In pursuit of Drizzt are his loyal friends: Cattie-brie, the dwarven-raised deceptively tough-as-nails human female, and Guenhwyvar the panther, 600 pounds of fur, teeth, and claws! Meanwhile, the ever-eccentric drow mercenary leader, Jarlaxle, and the human assassin now stuck in the city of the drow, Artemis Entreri, find themselves playing pivotal roles in this tale -
Starless Night, the 8th book of the Forgotten Realms Legend of Drizzt Series.
This book has just about everything I love in a Drizzt novel! Drizzt, Jarlaxle, Entreri, and the shifting political landscape of the dark elf city, Menzoberranzan. We're also introduced to a cunning nemesis that Drizzt must face, along with a new magic-weapon talisman that plays a prominent role in stories to come.
Many of the earlier and later Drizzt novels focus heavily on Drizzt and tend to have a lot of introspective narrative from Drizzt's perspective; however, Starless Night gives us a respite from the constant musings of Drizzt in order to focus on the larger tale being told and the development of other key character's that play larger roles in upcoming books in the series.
Starless Night showcases Cattie-Brie's resilience and resourcefulness. She definitely becomes a character you can root for in this novel. While yet still young and lacking wisdom (pursuing Drizzt in the Underdark is pretty foolish!), Cattie-Brie shows her fierce independence and determination as she overcomes obstacles to navigate a territory she has never been through.
Jarlaxle. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? The reason I love Jarlaxle is because he is one of those gray characters, the reader never truly understands his motives and intentions. While he lives by a certain code, he still won't hesitate to do what is necessary for his own self-serving ambitions.
Artemis Entreri. Again, not just a purely evil character; yet his priority of self-preservation far outweighs any inkling of self-sacrifice he may exhibit. Entreri again finds himself forced to cooperate in order to save his own skin.
Overall, the tale told in Starless Night is somewhat of a search-and-rescue mission that features plenty of small battle scenes and a cast of dark elf characters maneuvering different power plays (as is the standard for the dark elf culture.) Salvatore even provides a few laugh-out-loud moments that fit surprisingly well in this otherwise dark story.
Starless Night is jam-packed with the peanut-butter that makes up a great Drizzt novel. Highly recommended for readers of the series - this is one you don't want to skip out on. -
Once again, I found myself utterly let down by this book. So Drizzt decides he needs to return to the Underdark and strikes alone without even Guen to help. His side of the story was really interesting. I liked the return to the Underdark, I liked seeing Drizzt wrestle with his past and future coming together, and I liked all the conflict there.
And then Cattie-Brie strikes off on her own to go after Drizzt and one thing became very apparent to me: Cattie-Brie is a gigantic pain in the ass and a pretty terrible person to boot. First of all, she beats up Regis, a three foot tall halfling who can't really defend himself because he won't tell her where Drizzt went. And it immediately gets dismissed because "she's a fiery and passionate person." Then she goes to Lady Alustriel, a woman who goes out of her way to help Cattie because Drizzt is missing and she's worried about her friend. And Cattie treats her like absolute garbage and acts like a spoiled and petulant child because Alustriel is another girl who has had contact with Drizzt. This too is dismissed because she loves Drizzt. She's terrible, and I hated having to read about her for half of the book. I just didn't care. I was so fed up with her antics.
I was excited to Drizzt and Artemis forced together as allies again, except the two of them just pretty much agree to ignore each other. They're escaping the Underdark, a place filled with some of the most capable villains around and we don't get ONE badass scene of Drizzt and Artemis working together. Instead, they just exist in the same realm and instead, it builds up to a huge fight between Drizzt and another Drow, Dantrag, who desperately wants to be labeled as the best of the best and plans to kill Drizzt to do it. So the entire book works up to that fight, talking about how great Dantrag is, and how he has a possessed demon sword to help him accomplish his goal, and we get... a rushed fight scene where Drizzt prevails and the demonic sword does NOTHING. If you're so desperate to get to the end and out of the underdark then just put the fight off til the next book. It honestly would have been less of a letdown.
And on the note of let downs in Elfhain. A long time ago when Drizzt was still in the underdark, his group raids the surface and kills her entire family, but Drizzt can't find it in himself to kill a young girl so he spares her and hides her from his kin. Elfhain could have been the Batman of Faerun, but instead, she shows up with a sword and repeats "you're not ordinary drow" like a broken record and then she collapses into a sobbing wreck and someone needs to come carry her away.
I know, I know... I'm complain a LOT. There's a lot for me to complain about here, but I did still like the book overall, and I do still want to read more. But you know that would have made this book way better? Wulfgar and Dinin. OH WELL. -
La Dama del Bosco - per RFS
.
Ormai è una certezza che siano stati i Drow ad attaccare i nani, e sono, quindi, un pericolo per l’intera comunità e gli amici di Drizzt: questo il nostro eroe non può perdonarselo essendo convinto che i Drow siano lì per catturare lui e sacrificarlo alla Regina Ragno.
Egli non può permettersi di essere un pericolo per gli altri, non può acconsentire, con la sua presenza, di mettere a repentaglio la vita dei suoi amici, seppure questi siano ben decisi a combattere i nuovi nemici per difenderlo a ogni costo.
Ecco allora che Drizzt decide di partire e raggiungere la sua antica patria per scoprire quali siano i reali piani delle matrone madri e, in particolare, di casa Baenre, primo casato di Menzoberranzan. Se necessario è pronto a sacrificarsi e donare la sua vita pur di salvare gli altri come farebbe un vero Ranger fedele a Mielikki.
Durante il suo lungo viaggio i ricordi riaffioreranno nella sua memoria assieme al suo sangue Drow che lo guiderà, lungo i tortuosi cunicoli dove i suoi occhi si riadatteranno al Buio Profondo, a incontrare vecchi e nuovi amici, passati nemici e scontri all’ultimo sangue. Ma quello che lo aspetta, del tutto inatteso, è una profonda sofferenza fisica ed emotiva che lo sconvolgerà profondamente aprendogli gli occhi su se stesso e sugli altri, facendogli capire che essere eroi non significa sempre sacrificarsi, ma imparare a fidarsi e scendere a compromessi.
Il suo percorso, pensato in solitaria, non sarà però tale, perché da solo Drizzt non riuscirebbe mai a uscire vivo dalla sua città natale e dalle mani sadiche delle sacerdotesse di Lolth.
Finalmente in questo libro non avremo solo la prospettiva di Drizzt e dei suoi amici, ma conosceremo, attraverso le pagine a loro dedicate, anche i suoi nemici. Vedremo da dentro i giochi di potere di Menzoberranzan e conosceremo bene i personaggi che vi vivono, non solo l’astuto Jarlaxle, il cui gioco non è sempre chiaro ma è adorabile proprio per come manovra la situazione alle spalle di tutti gli altri, ma anche i membri della casata Baenre e di quelle minori che con la loro perfidia, i loro giochi di potere nascosti e intricati renderanno il libro molto avvincente.
In genere i romanzi di mezzo di una trilogia sono molto lenti e spesso sono opere di passaggio. Non è questo il caso, essendo il racconto in continua salita a livello di colpi di scena, di emozioni e di situazioni tirate al limite.
Un’altra avventura fantastica che vi invito a leggere, perché chiunque ami i libri ricchi di avventura non potrà non apprezzare questa trilogia. E, poi, se il secondo libro è così avvincente cosa ci aspetterà nel terzo?
Ovviamente non vi dico nulla e vi aspetto alla prossima recensione -
I'm writing this as a thirty-six-year-old male who only picked this book up because its horrible cover drew him in, and the two-dollar used book price tag was just right.
This is the first Drizzt book I've ever read. It's also chronologically the eighth book in the series. That said, I know I missed out on a lot of character work and plot background which is regularly mentioned throughout this story. There's stuff about past character deaths and quests, but I didn't feel that the lack of this background information should have resulted in the confusing experience this book ended up being.
So, there's a mercenary who...does stuff. And there's a matron mother who wants to capture Drizzt. And there's a weapons master who wants to kill Drizzt to show that he's superior to the weapons master who trained Drizzt. And there's some magician guy named Artemis who is also part of the story for some reason, and there are a bunch of other random names and people tossed in for good measure. And Drizzt runs away from his friends at the start of the book, and is then chased down by his loyal friend and (likely?) future lover, Cattie-Brie. So this is basically a chase book in which POV switches from Drizzt to Cattie-Brie as Drizzt heads towards a target location but must travel through the Underdark and come up against all of the characters mentioned above because of reasons.
I still don't know what this book was really about. Still, I commend R.A. Salvatore on being able to write some engaging action and chase sequences. Those parts are the strength of the book, along with Drizzt's diary entries, which provide some more emotional heft to the ongoing story.
This book is not great, but if you're a young teenage boy or girl into dungeon crawlers and RPGs, you might think this is amazing even though there's barely a comprehensible plot to speak of.
Stuff happens. And then happens again. Forever. If that's your thing, check out Starless Night.
By the way, is that really supposed to be Drizzt on the cover? Holy hell does he look terrible and nothing like you imagine him while you're reading through this.
I'll have to check out some of he better-reviewed Drizzt books to see what the hubbub is really about. This one is pretty mindless but fun even if you don't know why the things are happening that are happening. -
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
My Opinion: Underdark is a very interesting place that is hard to even imagine. Out there, in a place where there are no shadows, for there is no light, one has to learn to live, behave differently. In need to hide one must find a way to hide their body heat, for blending in with the surroundings is futile among creatures who were born in the pitch black. To add to that, the schemes of the drow are interesting to read. They’re interlaced with other drow plotting against those drow, for a dark elf is no friend to a dark elf, most of the time, and so you can never be sure whom to trust. Daring sneak-outs, intense escapes, and epic battles, duels.
Truly, I keep saying this, but if you’re into classical fantasy, take these books. A firm 5 out of 5 from me. -
Para mí, el mejor libro de esta saga de El legado. Dejó en mi mente imágenes que con el paso de los años no puedo olvidar. Genial desde la primera página hasta la última. Quizás el que más me ha gustado de los 23 que he leído.
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These books are like candy. They may taste good but they leave you with bad teeth and a stomach ache and wondering why you even bothered.
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Yayy, they went back to Menzoberranzan!! (who cheers for cherished characters to return to such a place? ... me, I do. lol) I love the dark, gritty world of Menzoberranzan! I love the landscape (check!), the host of devilish characters, especially Jarlaxle with his crop top and feathered hat lol and, of course, the favour nemesis Artemis Entreri (check! check!), and the wicked hierarchy, devious politics, and the dark drow's magic (check! check! check!)!!
Loved how Cattie-brie took charge in this one, and I can't wait to see what happens with the "unicorn" she picked up!
I really liked this one, the second of the Legacy of the Draw series and can't wait to start the next! -
4/5
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Read this review (and others) at:
https://literatureislife.com/2021/05/...
Along with being the 8th Drizzt book, Starless Night is book #2 in the Legacy of the Drow storyline. We saw
in the last book that the drow are very interested in Mithral Hall. And Drizzt, being the
edgy protagonist that he is, feels like it’s all his fault. If they weren’t after him, they wouldn’t have come here, and his friends wouldn’t have died. Unfortunately, Drizzt is playing up
the wrong trope with this particular logic thread. So, he goes off, alone, to deal with a problem that is tens of thousands of foes strong. And of course, his friends must chase after him to prevent this foolishness.
I make it sound all dramatic and sappy because it is. While this series has gotten generally less trope-y as it progresses, the tropes are strong here. I don’t think I’ve been this unsurprised with how events play out since
The Crystal Shard. The writing is better, you can see how Salvatore improves over time, but the story is fairly bland. Granted, we readers know from the start that Drizzt’s assumptions are wrong thanks to the epilogue at the end of the last book. And a character with flaws is always better than a
Mary Sue.
Now, despite the fact that the Legacy of the Drow is 4 books, the first three read like a trilogy. Even though this is book 2 of 4, it feels like a middle book. At the same time, it’s still a fairly self-contained adventure. Yes, it follows up the last book, but you could skip over book #7 and still understand this one well enough. And while
plot threads are left hanging by the end of this one, it’s not really a full-fledged
cliffhanger. Which is nice; I like being able to pick a book up without feeling like I need to re-read the last one.
But on the whole, this is kind of a low-point in the Drizzt series. This book is more about Drizzt himself than a greater story. Which we’ve already done in his backstory trilogy. I get that these series can’t be big plot all the time, but the character development felt weak. It’s like if you took an episode of a 30-minute show and stretched it out into a 90-minute special. Like, it works, but, it could have just been 30 minutes without anything lost.
Nonetheless, the quality of the series overall is enough to convince me Starless Night is just a pothole. I’m fairly confident the next book will get back to the big battles and other good stuff. -
Short Review
If you already really like Drizzt and the Forgotten Real series, or you are currently / have a lot in common with your average 14 year old boy you'll probably enjoy this. Light on substance, heavy on paper thin characters, magic, swords, and general fantasy trappings.
Long Review -
I enjoyed this one. Seeing the way our band of characters grieves a loss, pulls together, kicks ass and takes names.
For me, these usually border a line between "too much action" and "wow, that was exciting." Too many of them in a row and it's too much, but spacing them out a bit improves the experience, I think.
