Fantasy

Forgotten Realms:
1. The Crystal Shard, R A Salvatore - 07.02.07 ****
2. Streams of Silver, R A Salvatore - 07.05.07 ****

Awhile back I decided that it might be fun to read some of the Forgotten Realms fantasy novels that I had sampled back in the 1990's. The Crystal Shard and Streams of Silver were original the first two novels in the Icewind Dale trilogy, but are now considered part of the much longer series, the Legend Drizzt Do'Urden. In The Crystal Shard, Drizzt - a Drow Elf, considered an outcast by humans - and his companions help defeat an evil wizard under the spell of an ancient crystal artifact, who is intent on defeating the humans of Icewind Dale and becoming the ruler of the land. The free humans manage to defeat the hordes of evil creatures the wizard summons to his army, and Drizzt manages to defeat the wizard himself, in the process burying the Crystal Shard beneath half a mountain, where it will hopefully remain hidden. At the end, Bruenor, his dwarven friend, tricks Drizzt into accompanying him on a quest to discover the legendary Mithral Hall - the ancient home of Bruenor and the dwarven nation.

In Streams of Silver, Bruenor, Drizzt, Wulfgar (a barbarian raised by Bruenor) and Regis (a halfling thief) set out on their quest to find Mithral Hall. Hundreds of years have passed since the dwarves were driven out of the mountain hall by dark and evil beings from the depths of the earth, and all the Realms consider Mithral Hall to be a legend. Nevertheless, the heroes begin the search, confidant that the can discover its' secret location. As they travel, others carefully track their progess - an assassin who is under contract to capture Regis for a long ago theft, and a powerful wizard who believes that Drizzt still posessess the Crystal Shard and who wants it for his own. When the heroes and their followers finally arrive at Mithral Hall, they find it still occupied by foul and evil creatures, and must use all their cunning and strentgh to survive each other and the escape the dragon of Mithral Hall.