The Thousand Orcs (Drizzt "4: Paths of Darkness") (The Legend of Drizzt)

R.A. Salvatore has created one of the best loved and most dynamic charachters in the entire fantasy genre. With the creation of Drizzt, he has garnered legions of loyal fans and praise from high places within the editorial world. I remember back in '97, my senior year of high school, i was sitting in english class reading "passage to dawn" i believe- my teacher walked by my desk and made an offhand comment that he could not stomach the fact that salvatore was now getting his books published in hardcover. He obviously thought that fantasy novels should be confined to paperback where they could be perused by the "common" reader. How wrong he was.Salvatore is a master at his craft. This is the reason he is as succesfull as he is.Drizzt and the gang are back and they are going orc hunting. An alliance has been formed and it threatens the safety of all the humans living in the region of Icewind Dale. Drizzt and Bruenor and Wulfgar and Cattie-brie and even Regis have taken it upon themselves to investigate these rumors of a large army and a threat to the surrounding villages.The book is mostly about the journey to discover what exactly it is that those pesky orcs are up to. Most of the novel takes place on the road and gives us information about where the charachters are now in their lives and the things that weigh most heavily upon their minds. Thoughts are turned toward loved ones and the life that the companions have chosen to lead. Is it a wise one? Will they survive for much longer? Will they all be together in the years to come?I particularly enjoy the monologues that Drizzt delivers as a preface to each part of the book. In this alter ego, Salvatore can ask and answer some pretty deep questions and explore some pretty heavy issues. This book is written well. It is plotted well and the charachters are written in a way that makes them believable and real. They have real problems and real pains- they arent just hulking barbarians and lithe warriors riding in the save the day in the nick of time. The last third of the book is where the action happens and boy, it happens fast. When the dust settles we are left feeling a little hopeless, a little angry and more that ready to devour the next volume in this all new trilogy starring our favorite rogue drow elf.

This book is an excellent example of the skill of author R. A. Salvatore. Not only this book, but all his books which I've read have several things in common. Given that, here's what a Salvatore novel entails:He is known for being a great author, especially of fantasy. He's especially well-known for the many novels centering around Drizzt and company, and for the novels set in his world of Corona. The Thousand Orcs falls into the former category, dealing with the latest from Drizzt and his companions.His battle scenes are vivid, but not so weighty as to take away from the story. The characters are realistic and intrigueing, and the "action" in any given part of one of Salvatore's books might be a battle, political subterfuge, a character's emotional conflicts--in short, Salvatore isn't limited to skillful portrayel of battle. He can, and does, include a variety of gripping situations in his works. The Thousand Orcs is no exception, boasting all three of those things and more.If you're a Salvatore fan, I shouldn't need to tell you to buy this, because you've probably already got it on your wish list. If you aren't, this book is as good a place as any to get started!

This is the best in long while for the Icewind Dale crew. If you are a true fan of the series you can appreciate the excellent read this book will provide. It is quick to the action, fast with the plot and all around a page turner. If you enjoyed the Icewind Dale trilogy you will enjoy this book. All of the gang are back together and in full force and of course your favorite Drow is leading the charge.Many people say that the characters lack depth and Believability but to them I say.....uh why read fantasy if you want real life. Too many authors today feel that in order to represent their characters in a "real" way they have to kill off a few of the major characters, Salvatore realizes that it is these unbelievable characters that keep us coming back for more. I for one will only stop reading the Drizzt books when he stops writing them.I am drooling for the next book. If he can suck me back in to the story with his patented fight scenes and plot twists he can bring in the newest of fans. The only thing that I feel was missing in this book was an enemy worthy of our Hero's skill. Really since Artiemis there have been few who demand the attention and scorn of the readers. I give it a thumbs up and will continue to wait impatiently for the next installment.To those of you who want reality........watch the news!!

The Thousand Orcs is the first novel in The Hunter's Blades trilogy. In this Forgotten Realms story, four drow have convinced King Obould Many-Arrows to ally his orcs with Gerti Orelsdottr's frost giants. In their initial joint raid, a band of twenty orcs and two frost giants attack a dwarf caravan from Citadel Felbarr, killing all but two of the dwarves. Then a band of a hundred orcs and four frost giants level the village of Clicking Heels.When Bruenor receives word that Gandalug Battlehammer has died, he leaves Icewind Dale to return to Mithral Hall. He is accompanied by Regis, Wulfgar, Catta-brie, Drizzt Do'Urden, and a small army of dwarves. First they detour to Mirabar to agitate the dwarves there and then to the Fell Pass, where they run into the survivors of the dwarf caravan. They track down and destroy the band of giants and orcs that had attacked Clicking Heels, alert Mithral Hall to the danger, and set out to warn Shallows town. Obould and Gerti soon learn of the presence of Bruenor in Shallows and sent a band of ten giants and a thousand orcs to bring back his head.Meanwhile, back in Mirabar, Marchion Elastul is showing his paranoia and enraging some of his dwarves, particularly Torgar Delzoun Hammerstriker.This new series by Salvatore describes a massive attack of goblinkin and giants against the humans, dwarves and elves. Drizzt is in the vanguard of the defense, alone except for Gwenhwyvar, and not even knowing whether his friends are still alive.Maybe the negative reviews on this novel are a kind of backhanded compliment to the popularity of Drizzt and his companions. I don't see why people get so bent out of shape over an adventure fantasy? Of course, Drizzt and his best friends are not likely to be bumped off; what series ever did that? What, you point to the New Jedi Order series? Hey, you forgot about the Demonwars series! Maybe Salvatore WILL terminate his most popular character! But you will have to read the other two books in the series to find out! Hee hee hee.For those of you who live only for the fighting, get used to character development. Salvatore is obviously going to continue to develop his main characters, hopefully with less agonizing and more swordfighting than Hamlet, but these personalities are definitely going to change.Recommended for Salvatore fans and anyone who enjoys desperate swordfights against impossible odds.

Since the Icewind Dale trilogy so many years back, Salvatore has been dazzling readers with his "Drizzt Saga." The Thousand Orcs does not disappoint. Packed with exciting action sequences from a couple of combatants to all out battle sequences, this book delves into the depths of the characters so well developed. What makes this book stand out in this series?The mortality of his characters. The heros are not a group of untouchable superbeings fending off countless numbers of enemies, but instead a tight-knit group facing an uncertain future.Well, the future's not entirely uncertain. It is clear the rest of the trilogy, much like this book, will be nothing but a heart-pounding, page-turning adventure in reading!