Extinction: War of the Spider Queen, Book IV

I began reading the War of the Spider Queen series in the hopes of finding new authors to rekindle my interest in fantasy novels. I found my author in Lisa Smedman. Incredibly, she brings unimaginable new depth to characters that I thought I understood too well from the first three books, while sacrificing none of the action that keeps me reading Fantasy. Extinction is, in my opinion, the best of the series so far. This novel has me waiting all too impatiently for the climax.

I wasn't sure how the series was going to flow using a different writer for each volume, but thus far I have been pleasantly surprised. This latest volume had quite a bit of suspense to it, and I'm liking the development of several of the characters. Valas especially was developed in this story and is really shaping up to be one of my favorite characters. I'm definately looking forward to volume 5.

So far, the series has been great. If you love twists and turns and revelations that turn events in a completely new direction, Extinction is a must-read. Honestly, I love fantasy novels, and one that revolves around one of my favorite fictional races- the drow. Finally it is revealed how Quenthel managed to return form the grave after being killed by Drizzt. However, there are some discrepancies, which rather confused me. First and foremost, WTF happened to Bregan D'aerthe? What, did they sit on their royal bottoms while the duergar attacked? Jarlaxle is nowhere to be seen, nor Kimmuriel either. Very, very strange, considering their mercenary group is comprised of elite warriors. 2. It seems strange to me that Halistra could begin to deceive Quenthel as she was planning to. Quenthel has her snake whip, which can detect emanations of power- The Crescent Blade, the emblem of Eilistrae. Which would give her away completely. However, these hitches are minor, and anyone who truly enjoys fantasy should not shy away from buying this series simply because it is an amazing work, considering it is written by 6 authors who have doubtfully even met each other more than once. They all have their own approaches, which makes each book unique and different in its approaches to certain situations. Book #1- Dissolution: *****Book #2- Insurrection: ****1/2Book #3- Condemnation ****Book #4- Extinction ****1/2My opinions on the books.

It still suprises me to find such an enjoyable series considering it's "a based on" work and written by different authors.The story was three pronged, following the continued siege of Menzoberranzan where Gromph played a big role, Ryld and Hallistra's adventures above ground, and finally the rest of the Drow parties continued mission to find out what happened to Lolth.I liked a lot of things here, not just the clever use of magic and combat descriptions. I found myself rooting for even characters that are normally considered "the bad guy", like Gromph who got himself out of various troubles in a very clever way. Danifae too, who is obviously evil and devious, and yet I'd like to see her gain her freedom.Pharaun played a big role again, and he was even more clever than before. Wonder if he will meet Alizia again in the next book? *wink*Hallistra and Ryld's new lives in the world above I found very believable, and I am looking forward to them meeting back up with the old party in the fifth book.Even Quenthel and Valas' characters were given more time, and it was interesting to see Quenthel's "weakness". I think that drow should be drow but since we are humans reading this, a few weaknesses or less than drow behavior make it all the more interesting to us. Though obviously no character in this book will be stroking Mielki's Unicorn any time soon!Overall highly recommended for drow lovers, those that like clever use of magic and those that want to follow Menzoberazan's story after the Drizzt and Liriel series.

Sheesh, if all you want is action and cool locations, play a game -- if you enjoy true character development and depth of story and plot, then "Extinction" is a breath of fresh air for this series. I'll agree that "Insurrection" was amazing, and Thomas Reid must be half Drow, as his understanding of them is incredible. "Condemnation" is by far the weakest of the series thus far, as the author completely let the characters become as shallow as parking lot puddles, much like his understanding of Drow behavior and inner-workings. "Extinction" is captivating, and Smedman has not only returned depth to the characters, but expanded it significantly. For writing the challenging and pivotal middle book, Smedman has proved her skill and made an already excellent series just that much better.