Product Description
“Let the damned drow come!”
All about me I saw excitement, in the dwarves, in Catti-brie, even in Regis, the halfling known more for preparing lunch and nap than for war. I felt it, too. That tingling anticipation, that camaraderie that had me and all the others patting each other on the back, offering praises for the simplest of additions to the common defense, and raising our voices together in cheer whenever good news was announced. What was it? It was more than shared fear, more than giving thanks for what we had while realizing that it might soon be stolen away. I didn’t understand it then, in that time of frenzy, in that euphoria of frantic preparations. Now, looking back, it is an easy thing to recognize.
It was hope.
Teri Tada (ratcity@earthlink.net) @ 5:20 pm
After 5 books, RA Salvatore can still give us a fresh angle into the complex world of the drow. I loved the idea of telling the Time of Troubles(a period when the gods were cast down from the heavens and magic went awry) from the drow perspective– since they are creatures weaned on magic it made the situation all the more difficult for them(and interesting for the reader). We also got our first close-up look at the drow goddess Lloth, and she was as every bit as cunning as I hoped she would be. Salvatore handled the intrigue swirling around the Time of Troubles really well. The epic battle scenes of the second half of the book weren’t quite as interesting, but still vividly rendered. I would rank Siege of Darkness as my second-favorite Salvatore novel behind Homeland.
–Teri Tada
C. T. Hunter @ 7:41 pm
As Drizzt and Co. excape Menzoberanzan in dramatic fashion, and the drow prepare for an invasion of the surface world, the Time of Troubles (when the avatars of the gods come to the material plane and magic falters) hits and the drow establishment is thrown into uncertainty. Baenre ends up reestablishing dominance with the return of magic (and the favor of Lloth) and continues the plans for invasion. Catie-Brie and Drizzt have some kind of strange love relationship going on and Catie-Brie battles within herself for mastery. The siege of Mithril Hall is an epic battle with lots of heroes and groups of allies coming together to fight off the dark elves and their slaves. It actually might be my favorite major battle scene thus far in the Drizzt series, ending with surprising finality.
The only thing about this book that didnt’ really fit in very well was the inclusion of the Time of Troubles. I guess that this theme had been thought up before and needed to be meshed with the Forgotten Realms story as a whole. Salvatore obviously wasn’t too interested in it, never really explaining why or how it happened, only conforming his story to include it. It seemed forced and took away from the usual clarity found in the Drizzt books. Still, this is really another great book in the series, you won’t be dissapointed.
JH @ 9:41 pm
Another gem in Salvatore’s collection. This time the stakes are higher as Bruenor and his friends face complete annihilation. Drizzt returns to the surface from his trek to Menzoberranzan successful only so far as slowing down the big bad drow war machine. However, the biggest stumbling block that must be overcome is fate. Fate, which rears its ugly head as the Time of Troubles, adds a twist to the story that makes this novel truly enjoyable. You will love the scheming that this stirs up in the drow with their magic heavy culture as well as the bizarre happenings on the surface.
The ensuing battle when the drow do arrive is just spectacular. Fighting on all fronts with the defenders on the edge of destruction right up until the end. However, I too share the opinion of many of the other reviewers…this is one battle the heroes should have lost. I think the power of the attacking army was under played. While goblins, orcs, and minotaurs maybe fodder for drow, these creatures alone have massed attacks against the dwarves and won. But, add in the extra firepower created by the drow and you have an unbeatable force. The heroes should not have stood a chance. And what’s more, I think the book would have turned out better if the heroes had lost giving it that tragic edge. Drizzt, Cattie-brie, and Bruenor could have still knocked out Matron Baenre and stopped the drow from occupying the dwarven homeland. But to let the dwarves and their allies run off an army of drow completely victorious is a step beyond even “fantasy reality”. Regardless of the outcome of the battle…the melee was still very compelling and exciting with tons of detail and not ridiculous like the climatic battle in “Descent into the Depths of the Earth”. I am anxious to see what new troubles and intrigues will develop from the ashes of this latest conflict.
Uncle Non @ 12:22 am
As a former Dungeons & Dragons player and lover of Tolkien’s books, I have never outgrown my fondness for fantasy stories. A couple years ago, I was browsing a bookstore for a promising-looking adventure novel and grabbed _Siege of Darkness_ based on the back cover synopsis and the first page or so of the novel. This was the first Drizzt novel and the first R. A. Salvatore novel I had ever read, and perhaps I can best recommend the book by saying that I have since read over 20 of Mr. Salvatore’s novels and have enjoyed every one immensely.
If you have not read the previous books about Drizzt, you may want to start with _The Crystal Shard_ (the first book Salvatore wrote about Drizzt) or _Homeland_ (which entails Drizzt’s origins). As I said, however, this was the first Drizzt novel I read, and my ignorance of the earlier books in the series did not detract from my enjoyment. [It did, however, spur me on to devour the previous books in the series in the following months!]
What makes Salvatore’s books so great, in my opinion, is that he actually develops his characters. Drizzt is one of the most interesting protagonists I have ever come across. His inner turmoil and his status as a perpetual outsider make him much more interesting than just another kick-butt warrior. Drizzt’s journal entries, which open the major sections of the novels, are especially interesting psychological portraits.
But don’t worry, fans of a good battle: R.A. Salvatore is also fantastic at describing all kinds of combat, from tense duels to sprawling battles between large armies. I know it’s a cliche, but his descriptions of combat really allow you to visualize the slashes and feints in your mind’s eye. And, as the title implies, _Siege of Darkness_ contains some of his best battle descriptions.
If you’re a fan of fantasy novels and are looking for a new writer and a new hero in whose worlds to immerse yourself, do yourself a favor and try R.A. Salvatore and Drizzt Do’Urden on for size.
grangerm@wam.umd.edu @ 3:02 am
This book was great. The juxtaposition of the avatar series with this book (The Time of Troubles) was brilliant. The idea that a fighter wins with his whole body, not just his hands shows actual thought, not just an assumtion that Dantrag’s bracers would improve Drizzt’s skill. Jarlaxle is fantastic as usual. He is Salvatore’s 3rd best character (behind Cadderly and Drizzt) with all his mysteriousness and the intrigue and power surrounding him making me wish i could have been part of Bregan D’aerthe. I would love to see more of him, maybe a short story in one of the “Realms of…” books. Errtu’s anti-magic stone didn’t dispell his summoning though in Passage to Dawn as it did to his minion in Seige…Odd. Must be the Best Salvatore Ever, in my mind.