Archmage

It took Wizards of the Coast almost 1.5 years but the paperback version of Archmage, the first volume of the Homecoming trilogy by R.A. Salvatore, did come out eventually. I am not sure if the novel was worth the wait, though -- it is pretty much the same old stuff.

Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf

And so the Companions Codex comes to its rushed and unexciting conclusion with Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf. It is as if the whole trilogy was a mere prologue for an actual story, happening somewhere in future. Like the plot points were necessary and had to be told, but someone decided they also had to be spread over three books, regardless if they had the potential to be interesting enough for it or not.

Rise of the King

Getting to Mithral Hall takes its time. Only at the end of Rise of the King the companions finally arrive to the dwarf city. The reason for the delay is of course the orc army that has taken over the Silver Marches region pretty much uncontested. Admittedly they got help from the drow and the two dragons, but still, you would think at least the dwarves would put up more of a fight.

Night of the Hunter

Apparently rebooting the companions was not enough, and an old adversary had to be sort of resurrected as well to bring a worthy villain to oppose the good guys. I do not mind, though – the drow are always interesting. I do mind that Salvatore does not want to get rid of some of the boring characters in Night of the Hunter, however.

The Companions

I wonder how much beforehand this book was planned. Was the return of Drizzt's companions meant to happen already back when the D&D 4th edition changes and the 100-year jump hit the Forgotten Realms? Perhaps, considering the fact that the novel authors were not warned of it, and R. A. Salvatore had to somehow get the characters to survive beyond their normal lifespans.

The Last Threshold

The final volume of The Neverwinter Saga, The Last Threshold, left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, I really liked the character development and the amount of adventuring there was -- probably the best of Salvatore in awhile. But on the other hand, there were really poor parts in the book, and the story as a whole was quite uneven.

Charon's Claw

For some reason, the prologue of Charon's Claw, the third book of The Neverwinter Saga, seemed clumsy; like if it had been written by someone with very little experience. I can't really explain it. Could've just been because I had not read a book in awhile. And the feeling did disappear after I got further into the book.

Neverwinter

The second book of the saga bears the name of the series, as well as the MMORPG it's promoting. And of course the city the game is named after. The primordial attack in the first book left the whole Neverwinter in ruins, though, so I guess they're building a new city in there now.

Gauntlgrym

Regis and Catti-brie are dead and Bruenor feels like he still needs an adventure in his old age. With the help of his friends, the old dwarf fakes his death -- to get away from his duty as the king of Mithral Hall -- and is off with Drizzt to find the long lost dwarven kingdom, Gauntlgrym.

The Ghost King

And so ends the Transitions trilogy with the 20th (?) Forgotten Realms novel featuring Drizzt Do'Urden as a major character. The Ghost King starts with Hephasteus (a red wyrm) transforming into a dracolich as the collapsing Weave touches him and the not-so-destroyed crystal shard, Crenshinibon. The mind of Yharaskrik, a deceased illithid (who I've forgotten), is also infused together with the new being, giving Drizzt Do'Urden & Co. a rather powerful villain to defeat.