The Dark Elf Trilogy Review (2024)

Famous Trilogy

This is another series by R. A. Salvatore that is a part of the enormous Forgotten Realms Saga and this series is the one that will be introducing you to one of the most familiar and interesting characters in the entire Forgotten Realms world, Drizzt Do’Urden.

So, if you really love fantasy books and are a huge fan of the Forgotten Realms series, then be sure to check out our The Dark Elf trilogy review if you wish to see what the three books inside talk about.

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The Dark Elf Trilogy

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Homeland

 

Legendary Drizzt

Homeland is the first book in the trilogy and it’s the book that shows you how the dark elf known as Drizzt manages to turn his life around and look for a new beginning on the surface, outside the Underdark where the rest of the drow rangers remain.

The fact that Drizzt leaves the Underdark manages to make a lot of drow mad and some even hold very strong grudges as you will see later on in the Forgotten Realms series as one drow will have such a strong grudge against Drizzt that a huge portion of the world will change as a result of that.

Menzoberranzan

But for now, you get to read the story of the beginning of Drizzt’s new life on the surface. Drizzt originally comes from the vast land of Menzoberranzan and he is born to the tenth noble House of that land. You get to read a bit about his early years like the fact that up until he was sixteen, his big sister Briza constantly abused him, and being a male in a matriarchal drow society tends to have the same effects from the rest of the family as well.

When Drizzt gets a little older, somewhere in his twenties, he starts patrolling the Underdark with his fellow drow, and he witnesses how his race treats other races, with cruelty and abuse and Drizzt definitely isn’t a fan of this behavior.

Trouble With the Spider Queen

After graduation, Drizzt finds himself in the middle of a surface raid and he manages to do the unthinkable, he saves the life of a child that belongs to the race of the surface elves, a most hated enemy among the drow. This little act of heroism manages to put Drizzt’s entire family in trouble with the Spider Queen.

After that, one thing leads to another and Drizzt finds himself being tested over and over again and most of the time he acts not in the favor of others, but in his own and this very fact manages to make him hated by many.

Playing By the Rules

This is a story that talks about a character who refuses to play the rules of his society and to act in someone else’s favor. Just for this, he refuses to live in the world where he belongs and he leaves his world forever to go and search for a new and better one, and before you know it, he is actually better off without the drow.

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Exile

 

Years in the Underdark

The second book of our review is called Exile and the story here continues directly after the first book. Exile is the book that tells you the story of how Drizzt’s exile from his country goes as he was, at first, forced to wander the terrible dark tunnels of the Underdark before ever having a chance to live on the surface.

Don’t be surprised when you find out that Drizzt actually spent years in the Underdark with no one but his faithful Guenhwyvar, a magical Panther that he bonded with in the first book. There are countless threats and obstacles that this dark elf must face before ever finding the life that he wants, most of those things that he faces are enough to make anyone succumb and give up on their dreams.

Find and Kill

It’s not enough that he has the terrible creatures from the Underdark to defend against, but there are also those situations in which he must face opponents from his own home as there are countless characters sent to find and kill Drizzt Do’Urden. Having a great time with the story inside this book is almost guaranteed if you truly love the Forgotten Realms saga and the characters in it.

Drizzt’s Troubles

There are some very difficult times that are headed Drizzt’s way and he soon finds himself enslaved by the terrible mind flayers and will be forced to fight Zaknafein, his father. This fight won’t be easy as he would have to fight his own family and no matter what, Drizzt can’t bring it within him to kill his own father.

It’s it both fortunate and unfortunate for him that Zaknafein manages to regain just enough control over his body to quickly throw himself in a pool of acid and be done with it as things were definitely not looking good for either of them, neither wanted to kill each other so you can understand why Zaknafein did what he did.

Massacre

Don’t get confused, Drizzt only fought Zaknafein because he was controlled by Malice and when he failed to take down Drizzt, Lolth gave an order that led to Drizzt’s house back home to be completely destroyed and that is exactly what happened, the only ones who survived this massacre were Vierna and Dinin. It is only after this event that Drizzt will finally escape this wretched underground world and start his long and hard search for a better life on the surface.

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Sojourn

 

Struggle for Happiness

The third and last book of this series is Sojourn and this book tells the story of how Drizzt finally leaves the merciless and evil Underdark and begins his struggle for happiness on Toril’s harsh surface.

This book might be the most exciting one of the series and it’s not just because it’s the last book according to The Dark Elf trilogy reading order, but it is because the story is full of surprises and mysteries as this noble character starts exploring a world that is totally new to him and one that he knows nothing about from before.

Difficult Path

Drizzt finally begins his journey on the surface and he quickly discovers that this path is definitely going to be difficult, mostly because of his race as there aren’t exactly many dark elf drow roaming around the surface.

Having been on the surface world for a while now, Drizzt finally starts making some progress and begins moving forward instead of standing in place as he finds his true calling in life, being a ranger. This realization comes to him after an encounter with a blind ranger known as Montolio.

Companions of the Hall

There is another trilogy from the Forgotten Realms world called Icewind Dale and it’s actually where you first get to read a little bit about Drizzt himself as it is his first appearance ever in the entire Forgotten Realms Saga. This story shows you the entire journey as he moves there eventually and finds a very fascinating group of characters who all band together to create something unique and special.

This band of characters would later become the Companions of the Hall and they are a group of noble heroes that consists of Drizzt himself, Cattie-brie, Bruenor Battlehammer, Regis, and Wulfgar the barbarian. You will get to read so much more about these characters later on in the series.

Amazing Adventures

That’s pretty much all we have to say about this series in our review and the rest is up to you to find out and see how it all turns out. If you are a fantasy enthusiast, then you are going to have a great time reading the amazing adventure that is told in these three books.

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What Realm Is The Dark Elf Trilogy in?

The story takes place in a few lands. The most important one of those being the land of Menzoberranzan, the Underdark, and Toril. The final book shows you some events that take place in Icewind Dale where the Companions of the Hall are born.

Which Came First, The Dark Elf Trilogy or The Icewind Dale Trilogy?

The trilogy that was published first of the two is Icewind Dale Trilogy as that is where you first get to see a glimpse of Drizzt Do’Urden.

What Comes After The Dark Elf Trilogy?

If you read the books in chronological order, which is best in our opinion, then the story of Icewind Dale comes after the trilogy even though Icewind Dale was published first.

How Many Pages Is The Dark Elf Trilogy?

The entire series, containing three books, is almost 1000 pages.

Who Is on The Dark Elf Trilogy Cover?

The character on the cover appears to be the dark elf himself, Drizzt as he is the main character and protagonist of the whole series, so it only makes sense to be him on the cover.

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