Series Review: The Dark Elf Trilogy

This is a series that I read when I was younger but I have this habit of reading things that suit the energy I need at the time and for whatever reason this one suited me recently. These books are chronologically in story time the first three books in the Legend of Drizzt series.

Synopsis:

Drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden, first introduced in The Icewind Dale Trilogy, quickly became one of the fantasy genre’s standout characters. With Homeland, Salvatore pulls back the curtain to reveal the startling tale of how this hero came to be—how this one lone drow walked out of the shadowy depths of the Underdark; how he left behind an evil society and a family that wanted him dead.

As the third son of Mother Malice and weaponmaster Zaknafein, Drizzt Do’Urden is meant to be sacrificed to Lolth, the evil Spider Queen, per drow tradition. But with the unexpected death of his older brother, young Drizzt is spared—and, as a result, further ostracized by his family. As Drizzt grows older, developing his swordsmanship skills and studying at the Academy, he begins to realize that his idea of good and evil does not match up with those of his fellow drow. Can Drizzt stay true to himself in a such an unforgiving, unprincipled world?

Synopsis: Drizzt Do’Urden has been exiled from his country and forced to wander the tunnel-mazes of the Underdark, which are haunted by the evil dark elves.

Synopsis: Far above the merciless Underdark, Drizzt Do’Urden fights to survive the elements of Toril’s harsh surface. The drow begins a sojourn through a world entirely unlike his own–even as he evades the dark elves of his past.

Nerd moment, I’m going to ignore that these are D&D books. I just love them for the story. That being said, when I do eventually play some D&D you can bet that I will play as a Drow using melee weapons. I reread a lot of books. I find it fascinating to rediscover worlds and take new lessons from old series.

In the first book I want to growl in frustration and laugh all at once. Laugh because Drizzt spends so much of this book confused about why the other Drow, dark elves, do what they do. Granted he is trying to sort out their lack of a moral code compared to his developing moral code. That leads into the frustration, not at the way the book is written, but that the one other Drow that has a moral compass cannot openly discuss anything with Drizzt because such a conversation might get them both killed.

For the lack of a better phrase, book two demonstrates the true value of friendship. And the readers gets to see more of Guenhwyvar. She is Drizzt panther companion from the Astral Plane. At the start of this book Drizzt is slowly losing himself to the hunter, an altered self that is only intent on survival. Fearing this loss of self Drizzt seeks out something else. He willing gives himself up to the enemy of the Drow, but not a bad people, just to hear voices after nearly ten years alone in the tunnels of the underdark.

In book one the reader learns that the Drow have this habit of teaching younger members of their society that every other race in the underdark and on the surface are really the evil ones and not the Drow. Drizzt has long suspected this is not true but now that he is on the surface he has to actively work to determine the motives and morals of each being he encounters. This is also a great example of judging others based on their skin color. For the most part Drow are evil and few are willing to give Drizzt a chased because of his heritage alone.

I suggest these books for fans of fantasy, for fans off D&D, and for those who enjoy a good origin story. If you do end up enjoying this series beware, there are a ridiculous number of books. I have read a lot of them and my favorite are the first six, those listed above and The Icewind Dale trilogy. Happy reading.

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