Archmage

By: R. A. Salvatore

Narrated by: Victor Bevine

Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

The pall that had descended over the North is gone, and a new day has dawned on a victorious Mithral Hall, but no matter how bright things seem on the surface, Drizzt and his companions know that what lurks just under their feet remains steeped in evil and charged with unimaginable power. The dark elves of Menzoberranzan, including the powerful Archmage Gromph, aren't done with Drizzt yet. And consumed by their own power struggles, feeling backed into a corner, the drow may just be desperate enough to call on demonic forces from the deepest reaches of the Abyss and unleash a disaster even the Underdark could never have prepared for. Archmage has everything Drizzt's fans crave: action, adventure, characters that resonate with equal measures of warrior spirit and deep compassion, and no shortage of wicked dark elves!

©2015 Wizards of the Coast LLC. (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Its about time

I almost gave up on Salavatore. I really hated the whole Neverwinter plot line with Dahlia and Drizzt. Drizzt was so filled with bitter angst that I felt like I was reading the Twilight saga. It was pointless and small minded and absolutely not up to the brilliance Salvatore has shown in the past. In the last series where the companions of the hall are reborn, there was some semblance of normalcy brought back to his writing. It's almost like Wizards of the Coast sat him down and said..."look man, we aren't sure what you've been smoking but we really need you to get back to basics because that is what the people want"

So he wrote what we wanted and he wrote it well.

Archmage hails absolutely back to the brilliance Salvatore is known for and is quite literally his finest novel since Homeland which is his best work. This is not to be missed and I'm so glad Salvatore is back.

27 of 30 people found this review helpful

Hard to believe Salvatore can keep pulling it off!

Great storytelling and excellent action scenes! I liked the complex development of relationships between all of my favorite characters from previous books in the series. If you are a follower of this series you will be very pleased with how good this one is. If you are new to this series, hold on, you are in for a ride.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

awesome!

another great addition to the drizzt series. exciting, heart breaking at times and oh so thrilling! love love love the book! and as always, bevine is outstanding!

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

Exceptional

R. A. Salvatore always creates such lovely words and stories to contain them in, and this book was no exception to that rule.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

It's like heroine - more please

What else could R A give to us? Arch mage - top dog - maybe this one will complete a characters life's - ha funny that will only happen when they die - yet do they die? No

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Love this series

Love this series R.A. Salvatore is one of my favorite authors. He manages to pull me in again and again.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Same Old, Same Old

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Unless you're a huge Drizzt fan I can't recommend this book. I like Drizzt and I don't mind that The Companions really never die, etc. But, some of the characters are just grating at this point. Cattie-Bre changed a long time ago and her character just keeps getting worse and worse. Also, the self reflection (drizzt journal) parts are getting old. This deep reflection by Drizzt is the same old same old every time. Things don't have to be so serious with Drizzt... what happened to all the fun?

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Oddly, I enjoyed the drow portion more than The Companions. There are healthy chunks without Drizzt and crew and it's really good. I thought I'd be burnt out with Spider Queen (again) and Drizzt running from the same enemy but it's well thought out and engaging.

What about Victor Bevine’s performance did you like?

Victor Bevine is an excellent narrator. I've liked Victor doing all the Forgotten Realms books to Hyperion.

Do you think Archmage needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

There will be follow-ups as it is book 1 of a series. But, I'm not sure what would make things more fresh with Drizzt and his companions. Maybe a different landscape (different area in Faerun) or a different adversary then the drow (again for the 10th time).

Any additional comments?

Drizzt fans will enjoy the ride but people who are mediocre on Drizzt and more general FR fans might find this lacking anything new.

11 of 16 people found this review helpful

The Soap Opera of Drizzt and Company Continues

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

From a performance standpoint, the narrator neglected to pause during scene breaks, which came across as head hopping and jarring POV shifts. One moment you are in the head of a Dwarf, and nearly in the same breath you are plunged into a Drow's head without any preparation or context.

What was most disappointing about R. A. Salvatore’s story?

Don't jump into this story if you haven't read the glut of cannon and lore that has already been released. If you do, don't expect to have much description of characters...or much description of anything other than combat.

Telling -- there's a lot of that going on, though.

During the listen, I found my mind wandering, which rarely happens with other titles.

The ending is rushed.

Any additional comments?

I read many of the first sets of Drizzt books and remembered being captivated as a teen, so I purchased Archmage to go along with the D&D RPG Rage of Demons release. My tastes over the years have changed, and this reminded me of a soap opera. The characters hadn't grown or changed. Even though the Champions of the Hall had died, either due to old age or battle, they've been resurrected and it's more of the same all over again. The only real interaction the reader gets with Drizzt is through some droll navel gazing as section introductions.

5 of 8 people found this review helpful

Way better than the last trilogy

Finally things are more drow like with plot twist and gears rolling with Jarlaxle. I just wanna know where my favorite assassin is now

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

great book

great story and amazing narrative as usual, cant wait for the following books in the series.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Another thrilling masterpiece

The combination of Bob and Victor brings every character to life. An excellent enjoyable listen.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Archmage is a great companion book

If you could sum up Archmage in three words, what would they be?

Nerve-wracking, easy-listening, amazing

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bruneor Battlehammer, following and understanding his decisions through the book is explained expertly by RA Salvatore.

Which character – as performed by Victor Bevine – was your favourite?

The Matron Mothers.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Archmage: Evil Awaits.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

a big Salvatore fan I loved this book

Well read Bevine, great continuation of a great trilogy. Can't wait until I have time to read the next installment.