Steven C. (SteveTheDM) -
Gauntlgrym is the next installment (and the first of the new Neverwinter trilogy) in the ongoing saga of Drizzt DoUrden, set in the Forgotten Realms, on of the many worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. Ive read quite a few of these novels prior to this one, and weve finally gotten to the point where the different natural life spans of people (elves live ten times longer than humans) have had an impact.
In other words, Drizzt has lost nearly all of his companions. And this is a good thing! The novels prior to this had seemed to me to have devolved into nothing more than never-ending soap operas. Finally, thats all over. We have a Drizzt getting darker and darker (and more interesting), and setting things up for what might very well be some interesting developments.
And (as you might guess from the title), we finally see the ancient Dwarven kingdom of Gauntlgrym. This has been searched for many times in prior novels, and to see Bruenor finally get there is a grand scene.
There were plenty of grand battle scenes (Salvatores strong point), and evocative enemies and allies. The book was definitely worth reading if you are all invested in this saga.
Some of the motivations of antagonists developed early in the novel were confusing, though, and things really didnt clear up much by the end of the novel. Im still not sure why any of the bad guys were doing what they were doing. It almost feels like I skipped over a chapter or something.
4 of 5 stars.
In other words, Drizzt has lost nearly all of his companions. And this is a good thing! The novels prior to this had seemed to me to have devolved into nothing more than never-ending soap operas. Finally, thats all over. We have a Drizzt getting darker and darker (and more interesting), and setting things up for what might very well be some interesting developments.
And (as you might guess from the title), we finally see the ancient Dwarven kingdom of Gauntlgrym. This has been searched for many times in prior novels, and to see Bruenor finally get there is a grand scene.
There were plenty of grand battle scenes (Salvatores strong point), and evocative enemies and allies. The book was definitely worth reading if you are all invested in this saga.
Some of the motivations of antagonists developed early in the novel were confusing, though, and things really didnt clear up much by the end of the novel. Im still not sure why any of the bad guys were doing what they were doing. It almost feels like I skipped over a chapter or something.
4 of 5 stars.
Amy B. (BaileysBooks) reviewed Gauntlgrym (Forgotten Realms 7: Neverwinter, Bk 1) on + 491 more book reviews
This is Book I of the Neverwinter Saga.
I had a very hard time getting into this book for several different reasons.
First: There are the horribly annoying and poorly executed time jumps. The Prologue takes place 25 years after the Spellplague. Part 1 takes place after another 40 years and Part 2 takes place another 10 years after that. I understand that Salvatore was required to advance the timeline 100 years, but making the transitions with statements like, "Drizzt and Bruenor left Mithral Hall. Four decades later, they were still having adventures" were more infuriating than informative. And the time jumps were so poorly marked that I spent the first half of the book just trying to sort out my math.
Second: The real meat of the story takes place only in the last 3-4 chapters. The "main characters" essentially make nothing more than cameo appearances until the all-or-nothing rush to the ending after an entire book of near pointlessness.
Third: Salvatore spends most of the book introducing the reader to an entire cast of brand new characters and does not take the time to truly develop any of them. I suppose that Dahlia is supposed to be a rising star in the center of this new series, but I was truly not impressed. And stop talking about her weapon already. We get it.
Fourth: There are fewer diary entries from Drizzt (a plus) but it appears that he has spent the better part of the last century moping around, complaining about the cruelty of a fallen world, and bemoaning the belief that his entire existence has made "no difference" whatsoever in the world as a whole. It was almost intolerable. Good for Jarlaxle for trying to talk some sense into him. The perpetual pity party does not suit his character well.
The positives? I'm not really sure. I keep hoping that Salvatore will regain some of the greatness that was the Legacy of the Drow series, but that hope has dwindled with every book starting with the Transitions trilogy.
I do recommend that you read the short story "Irruladoon" found in the Haunted Lands Anthology "Realms of the Dead" before reading "Gauntlgrym." It will help make sense of a few parts of "Gauntlgrym" but for the rest of this sad excuse for a Salvatore novel, you are on your own.
I had a very hard time getting into this book for several different reasons.
First: There are the horribly annoying and poorly executed time jumps. The Prologue takes place 25 years after the Spellplague. Part 1 takes place after another 40 years and Part 2 takes place another 10 years after that. I understand that Salvatore was required to advance the timeline 100 years, but making the transitions with statements like, "Drizzt and Bruenor left Mithral Hall. Four decades later, they were still having adventures" were more infuriating than informative. And the time jumps were so poorly marked that I spent the first half of the book just trying to sort out my math.
Second: The real meat of the story takes place only in the last 3-4 chapters. The "main characters" essentially make nothing more than cameo appearances until the all-or-nothing rush to the ending after an entire book of near pointlessness.
Third: Salvatore spends most of the book introducing the reader to an entire cast of brand new characters and does not take the time to truly develop any of them. I suppose that Dahlia is supposed to be a rising star in the center of this new series, but I was truly not impressed. And stop talking about her weapon already. We get it.
Fourth: There are fewer diary entries from Drizzt (a plus) but it appears that he has spent the better part of the last century moping around, complaining about the cruelty of a fallen world, and bemoaning the belief that his entire existence has made "no difference" whatsoever in the world as a whole. It was almost intolerable. Good for Jarlaxle for trying to talk some sense into him. The perpetual pity party does not suit his character well.
The positives? I'm not really sure. I keep hoping that Salvatore will regain some of the greatness that was the Legacy of the Drow series, but that hope has dwindled with every book starting with the Transitions trilogy.
I do recommend that you read the short story "Irruladoon" found in the Haunted Lands Anthology "Realms of the Dead" before reading "Gauntlgrym." It will help make sense of a few parts of "Gauntlgrym" but for the rest of this sad excuse for a Salvatore novel, you are on your own.
