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Top reviews from the United States

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Jesse LoVerme
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best fantasy series ever written
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2017
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After reading almost all of the top 100 fantasy books, this series is among the best of all them. I was hesitant to read this series because I thought it might be a cheesy rendition of D&D - I could not have been more wrong - and there is nothing wrong D&D I grew up playing it and spend a great deal of time playing fantasy RPG games as well. Anyone that loves fantasy needs to read all of these books, there is no question that Dridzzt is the best character ever created across all genres. The world is amazing, the plot, and all of the characters are richly developed. I should note I was also originally also scared off from this book by many of the reviews that state this would be a good starter book into the fantasy realm - I read into that incorrectly that this would be a light fantasy book trying to appease the masses. I am a hardcore fantasy reader and those reviews turned me off. This is a fantasy book for the most devote readers. I do think it is also a good introduction for new readers, but it is possibly the longest series ever written, so you have to really like fantasy to read them all. You cannot go wrong with this book, if you are debating it, just do as I did - get a free sample from Amazon and then purchase the book. In no time you will find yourself reading through the entire seasons. Truly a masterpiece!!!!
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DC8 from Philly
5.0 out of 5 stars Out from the Underdark.
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2018
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I'm an idiot. I read the Icewind Dale Trilogy back in the late 80's. They were great books and one of the best characters was Drizzt Do'Urden. Through the years I've seen book after book come out following the life of Drizzt. I bought them and they sat on my bookshelf for years until I got around to reading them. Well, I finally grabbed the first one "Homeland" off the shelf and started reading. This is where I realized I was an idiot. I completely enjoyed this book!! It was amazing learning the back story of Drizzt, where he comes from, and especially the back stabbing evil nature of the Drow. I completely relate to Drizzt and his outlook on his people. A hero born into a culture of evil. I've read many fantasy books regarding the forest dwelling elves and their nature loving ways. Never did I think they could become evil, twisted, Spider Queen worshiping, cave dwelling creatures. Now I totally understand all the good things I've heard about the R.A. Salvatore books and the life of Drizzt. If you have these books on your shelf (or Kindle) don't be an idiot like me. Read them now!
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Charles G Schmidt
5.0 out of 5 stars My Boys Loved it!!
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2018
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A little backstory, I read all the Drizzt and Underdark books back when I was younger and thought they were amazing.

So fast forward to now and I have 15 and 13 year old boys who play sports, and then jump on their Fortnight. I cant get them to read so I bought the first Drizzt book and told them they had to finish it by end of month. Guess what? They are both on book 5 (Icewind Dale Trilogy) and I didnt have to push or prod them. Salvatore paints such an amazing picture, and the books are not too complicated for a younger mind. So glad I tried them and I would recommend these as starter books if you are having trouble getting your teens to read.
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MarkTop Contributor: Star Wars
4.0 out of 5 stars Good beginning to Drizzt
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2017
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I barely know anything about Dungeons and Dragons or Forgotten Realms. I'd previously encountered Salvatore in Vector Prime and liked his work. I was looking for a new fantasy series to read and decided to check this one out.

It's pretty good. Salvatore does excellent worldbuilding but he doesn't get bogged down with it either. I'm not even going to try to spell the name of their city right now, but it's a subterranean place that's very dark and full of stalagmites etc. The plot is kind of Game of Thronesy with a lot of noble houses competing for power, but with a twist in that it's all matriarchal and treacherous. It's not a particularly likable place and that's the point, it's a horrible place! I'm excited that Drizzt escaped from it. I'm curious to see where the story goes from here. I can't say I love it because this very much feels like the introduction to a bigger thing.
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Bradley J. Timm
5.0 out of 5 stars Eager for more...
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2018
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I haven't read fantasy in a long time but I'm trying to start playing Dungeons and Dragons again so I decided to take on a huge chunk of the Forgotten Realms stuff. I only really knew R A Salvatore from his work with Todd McFarlane the amazing underrated role playing game Kingdoms of Amalur. I remember the biggest strength of that game was its narrative style. The man definitely has a way of describing things without going on and on, and I like that. leave a little to the imagination but give enough to paint of vivid picture. an entire story based around villainous creatures like dark elves can't be easy, but Salvatore sure makes it seem like it is. I'm eager to read this whole series.
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Alec Murphy
4.0 out of 5 stars and it does NOT disappoint. At first I found the Drow culture equally ...
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017
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As it has been mentioned in several other reviews, the main character of the novel, Drizzt himself, feels a little under developed and two dimensional. However, the deep introspection into Drow culture and daily life was the reason I picked up this book, and it does NOT disappoint. At first I found the Drow culture equally two dimensional and boring and the archetypal "evil people" like those bland descriptions of sith culture from star wars books, the further I got into the books the more i realized that the Drow were not necessarily evil, but slaves to their obsession with pleasing the Spider Queen Lolth, who only bestows her pleasure on the most evil of Drow. This brought a whole new depth to the Drow people and characters and readers alike began to question: "Is this the way the Drow are, or is this what Lolth has made them?"

Anyone looking for a good story, more info about the Drow, or just simply some D&Ds because you have no-one else to play with, this book will meet your needs.
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Top reviews from other countries

Michael Sterry
4.0 out of 5 stars Elves! Drow-elves!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2018
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If you are familiar with Drizzt then you will love this book!

If the name doesn't ring a bell, he is a drow-elf/dark-elf who are an evil race of elves that live below-ground in the Underdark. Their families are treacherous, led by the females, (who are far superior to the males), they worship the Spider-queen Lolth.

But Drizzt has his doubts. He is not like other drow. There is something noble about his character that he must keep hidden from his evil mother (Matron Malice) if he wishes to survive. This is book 1 of a trilogy and I look forward to reading the other two. Be warned though, the fonts in this book are tiny! Get your glasses or a magnifying-glass ready.
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Mr. C. J. Howard
5.0 out of 5 stars A Hidden Treasure
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2013
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I like to think I have read a great many books in the fantasy genre and I obviously have my favourite writers (Feist / Gemmell / Tolkien), but how has this author slipped under my radar for so long?

Quite frankly 'Homeland: The Legend of Drizzt (Book 1)' has to be one of the best fantasy books I have read in a very long time, it was absolutely fantastic and I can honestly say it has renewed my love of fantasy as a lot of the books in this genre have become stale and tired of late.

The 'Homeland' novel has everything you could ever want from a fantasy classic: murder, deceit, action, adventure, plot twists, great characters and a good story. Quite frankly in my opinion this book is brilliant and a ripping good yarn.

I am just absolutely gutted I have not discovered R.A.Salvatore's work in the past as this book to me was a revelation. I just cant understand why R.A.Salvatore hasnt been given better aclaim in the fantasy genre (perhaps its because he writes under the banner: "Forgotten Realms" ?).

If you love 'old school' fantasy novels I promise you, you will love this book. I finished the first novel in this series within 3 mights as I was that hooked, and cant wait to start the second book.

I am not going to go into detail regarding the storyline of 'Homeland' as that has been overdone on previous reviews, plus you can read the sypnosis on the back of the book or under description (on Amazon). Just trust me this novel is a classic and hopefully you will love it as much as I did.

R.A.Salvatore has a new fan.
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RedSandman
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2018
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A very well written story. The life of a Drow, examined against the evil underdark society. The trappings of treachery and deceit played out with the boys path into adulthood and the ultimate rejection of that society. I would recommend this 1st book of the series to any fan of the D&D role playing genre.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Where it all begins
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2013
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This book is chronologically the first in Salvatore's writings about Drizzt Do'urden (although the fourth published) and takes us through Drizzt's childhood and early life in the Drow city.

The book paints a detailed picture of drow society and Drizzt's failure to fit in. There's not much of an overriding quest going on here beyond various political machinations but this book is important in understanding the background of one of the most interesting characters within the forgotten realms setting, if not modern fantasy.

New readers might be better served by jumping straight to 'The Crystal Shard', Drizzt's original introduction but to be honest either book is a great place to start.
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runebinder
5.0 out of 5 stars Great origin story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 12, 2020
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Drizzt is one of my favourite characters and this trilogy is an excellent account of his formative years. A must for fans of R. A. Salvatore and Drizzt.
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