Timeless: A Drizzt Novel

Arrived in good condition. I would buy from this bender again.

This book is for the fans. It is everything fans love about the Drizzt series: D&D, epic fight scenes, treachery, and a nice sprinkling of humor, beginning with a demon answering a summons for a destroyed demon because she was the only one around to answer the call. She then invites her sister into the “call”.The book assumes that the reader knows the D&D world or at least the underdark world of Forgotten Realms, this includes knowledge of the characters. Despite the fair amount of tragedy occurring, readers will only be moved by the events if they already have attachment to the characters. The main reason for this is that the book supports a massive cast and the only character development is with the three main characters, Drizzt, Zaknafein, and Jarlaxle.There are some editing bungles that take the surprise away from a couple of chapter endings where the final sentences in the chapter seem to be notes the author made as to where the continuing chapter would go, such as revealing that the halfling was exceptionally good at holding his breath because of his race and his upbringing. Another bungle is the is Drow sexual promiscuity. R.A. Salvatore is not comfortable writing sex scenes and avoids the subject if he can. The underlying current of sex in Menzoberranzan was underdeveloped. It was likely intentional, given the desired accessibility the publisher required. But if that storyline is going to be diminished to side references only then why bring it up?The language in the book is loose and modern, making it an easy read. The fight scenes are full of swashbuckling movielike parrying and bantering. The author does not care about martial arts. He only wishes to deliver epic scenes of flashing swords. He gets very Dragonball-Z-ish at times, a thing most of his fans enjoy.This book delivers what Drizzt fans want.

Per the headline, you will like this novel if you like other Drizzt novels.Our hero experiences some growth in this novel and, uncharacteristically, is actually able to do things that he could not before. The novel does a good job demonstrating how far he has come. This novel also promises interesting events to come, though time will tell if Salvatore delivers. Also, as always, the action scenes are detailed, creative, and generally easy to follow.Beyond that, this novel has little going for it. Most characters do not have unique personalities; dwarves act like dwarves; drow are scheming, petty, and sadistic and all sound alike; Drizzt and his gang are paragons of good nonetheless prone to extreme and sudden emotional outbursts; antagonistic humans are arrogant, insulting, hair-tempered morons. Only Jarlaxle and Yvonnel show anything resembling an interesting character trait. And everyone spends way too much time thinking about sex, talking about sex, making sex puns, being unnecessarily naked, and in general being lewd. It's distracting since sex has nothing to do with the plot.Drizzt and his wife are in a cross-racial relationship. He, being a drow, is used to racism from both sides. The vast majority of drow are evil and consider non-drow inferior, while the vast majority of the rest of the world are fearfully mistrustful of drow. Given that the drow culture and religion, and not anything genetic, is the cause, this makes sense. But that doesn't stop Drizzt and his wife from badly overreacting when someone questions their relationship and has trouble adjusting to the idea of them having a child together. And that's despite the person in question bring apologetic for his racism and admitting he has a lot of adjusting to do. This reeks of a modern, progressive writer being unable to conceive of a world where normal, reasonable people think differently from himself.The worst thing I can say about this book is that it does not tell a complete story. There is no finished arc to be seen here. The novel sets up a few threads and does not close a single one of them. No one accomplishes a major goal. This book ends at the point that a normal story would enter act 2. In the modern day, this is unforgivable. This novel has to compete with fantasy like Harry Potter, which managed to tell seven full stories in seven books while still having each build on the previous. Steven Brust's Vladimir Taltos novels are an even better comparison: over a dozen and counting told about the same character in a similar fantasy world, and each tells its own complete story. Authors need to buck the trend of selling partial stories, padding out individual acts into full novels so people must buy three books just to finish the story.This book also suffers what I would call The Ensemble Problem: too many point-of-view characters going on separate journeys with no main storyline. No one gets a large enough share of the novel to be considered the focus character. Jarlaxle, the closest to being a focus for the reader to follow, is not seen frequently enough and is too mysterious to be a focus character. Drizzt, who is on the cover of the novel, is not even in two of the major sections of the book, going dozens of scenes without being mentioned.Overall, this is better than most other Drizzt novels, but still has some glaring, amateurish problems. That said, Salvatore has been writing like this for more than thirty years, so I don't expect him to change.

I love the Dark Elf series. Wouldn’t miss them.

Salvatore, like Arthur Conan Doyle, is bound to his iconic hero for the rest of his writing career. He has tried to end the series two or three times, as yet the fans’ and publishers’ demand to keep the Legend of Drizzt alive is a burden beyond the writer’s personal choice.This installment, called Timeless, begins to form a pre-prequel storyline of Jarlaxle and Zaknafein’s origins prior to he birth of Drizzt in the matriarchal distopia of Menzoberranzan the underdark city of the drow elves. This is reminiscent of the Homeland-Exile-Sojourn trilogy following the Halfling’s Gem trilogy as exposition of Drizzt’s origin. In the present time, new villains are developed alongside a family drama involving racial disapproval by Zaknafein of Cattie-Brie, a human wife to Drizzt the drow. The diary of Drizzt is minimized and more impactful as it asks important questions about community versus individual responsibility for self identity.Salvatore’s grasp of Forgotten Realms expands and his cast of characters each have their own fan base. There is no way for him to cover all the characters with depth and create new characters. By the end of the book, there is significant danger to the main characters not really seen since the Hunter’s Blades Trilogy. The stage is set for an epic follow-up to Timeless. The reader is left on the edge of her or his seat and the anticipation of what could happen next sets the imagination on fire, like the fiery crack of Zaknafein’s plane ripping whip.

One of my all time favorites!

I have enjoyed many of these books over the years. In this book we get to see some of the lesser characters. Also sets up the other books to carry on the adventures.

Don't read R.A. Salvatore Drizzt books out of order, you'll miss a ton of character background. If you're reading this, you already know you like these books. This one is no different, get it enjoy it :)

A great returns. R A Salvatore returned to the character he made great 30 years ago, who in turn also made Salvatore great. This story has many mysteries some are solved here, but this is really a set up book with huge ramifications to come.After centuries the legendary Drow Zaknafein has returned to life. How? Why? Who did it? All questions asked. Is this a gift or a part of a longer game? In the last couple of centuries much has changed but to Zaknafein it was just yesterday since he took a deadly acid bath to save his son. How will he reach to the changes in the world, and will he even be accepted into the new world and lives of the people he knew?The story is a setting the stage type of a fair, but the action is amazing. The are a couple of fight between Drizzt and Zaknafein that are worth the price of the book on their own, then the final act is just incredible.The book also shines light on the past between Zaknafein and Jarlaxle. I am glad Jarlaxle also has a good share of the spotlight he has more then earned it. I also like the evolution of Drizzt's warrior prowess and his attitude. This is a great new start for Drizzt and much more to come.

After writing a review a one of his books A child of a mad god, which was not shining. I thought I had better right one for this as it was only fair. I wrote the first one becuse I was disappointed, and it ws my first ever review. I was disappointed with my self after the fact, as this author had given me so much joy over the may years. Drizzt is a hero of mine and these book give me joy to read. he got me in to reading book back with Homelnd (still my favorite book of all time). this a book is excellent beyound belief, with our favourite characters back. full of action and fight scenes that must take hours to plan and choreograph. hats off to him and an epic book. thank you R A Salvatore x

So glad to have the Companions...all of them back! Excited to see all the heroes now living, fighting and dying together. I have grown up on these books ever since an 80s nerd and still feel thrilled and unable to put them down, even after the second, third or even fourth times of reading! Really enjoyable book but as always left desperate for the next instalment. So wish you could just get the whole lot in one go........I hates a’waitin fer me thrills!!!

R.A. Salvatore writes so amazing. I enjoyed the way his writing takes the reader beyond the surface and into the deep of Faerun. The many strands of the great web of lives. I can't wait for more!

Wow Wow Bob Salvatore keeps it fresh and yet familiar and i love his writing. Got it on Kindle Store for cheap too!