Drizzt Do’Urden
Drizzt Do’UrdenThis is a series that is a part of the larger Forgotten Realms series in which you get to read about many interesting characters. The story in Icewind Dale focuses mostly on R. A. Salvatore’s favorite and signature character, Drizzt Do’Urden.
All of the three books in this trilogy are written by the outstanding author R. A. Salvatore and be sure to check out our The Icewind Dale Trilogy review if you want to see what the story inside the books talks about. Let’s now take a look at the first Icewind Dale book!
The Icewind Dale Trilogy
The Crystal Shard
Northern Regions
He spends his days roaming the tundra and hunting down any potential threats to the Ten Towns. The story starts getting a bit more thrilling when Drizzt spots the strangest things. The native barbarians of the land of Dale have managed to band together to form an organized attack on the Ten Towns. Drizzt gets worried about this so he rushes to inform his friends back home.
Regis and Bruenor
Regis and Bruenor come into play here and if you have read other books about the Companions of the Hall characters you will know who these characters are. For those of you who don’t, Regis is a halfling who is always at Bruenor’s side and Bruenor is a mighty and stubborn dwarf who never backs down from a fight.
Regis manages to convince the leaders of the Ten Towns to band together and fight to defend their homeland from the barbarians who are about to invade at any moment now.
The Fight Is About to Begin
As the invasion approaches, everyone is getting ready for a fierce and unpredictable fight as all of them know what is at stake if the town should fall. The fight begins and things tend to move quickly in massive battles like this one.
Drizzt comes face to face with the barbarian king Heafstaag himself. Drizzt, being the very skilled and smart drow that he is, manages to stab and injure the barbarian king a couple of times actually but this guy just wouldn’t give up and he still manages to escape with his life.
Hard-Headed Dwarf
While all of that is going on with Drizzt, you get to read about the strong dwarf known as Bruenor as he engages in combat with a young barbarian standard-bearer. A funny thing that you get to see here is that the bearer hits Bruenor with the shaft of his banner, the shaft manages to break apart without leaving a scratch on the hard-headed dwarf.
A very strange thing happens after Bruenor hits his opponent and renders him unconscious, he rushes and saves him from getting murdered by the townspeople and so is born the friendship between Bruenor and Wulfgar, a character who is later included in the Companions of the Hall hero group. After a long battle, the dwarves of the Ten Towns manage to successfully defend their home and scatter the remaining army of barbarians.
World of Dwarves
Although the battle is over, the story is far from it as you later get to read how Wulfgar the barbarian manages to fit into the world of dwarves. Bruenor is always by his side as he teaches the young warrior new skills and abilities. Events take place one after another and the story in this Icewind Dale book skips five years into the future and you get to see a few things changed as the story starts getting even more exciting.
Streams of Silver
Full Party
Full PartyThe story in the second book takes place soon after the events of the first book of the series. You get to read about 4 interesting characters in this story, all of them a part of the Companions of the Hall.
The story inside of this Icewind Dale book follows the dark elf known as Drizzt Do’Urden, of course, Regis the halfling, Wulfgar the barbarian, and the stubborn dwarf known as Bruenor as they begin their journey to reclaim Mithral Hall, the ancestral home of the dwarves.
Artemis Entreri
There is also one more very interesting character in this story and one that you will definitely be seeing a lot of in the following events. He is known by the name Artemis Entreri and he will soon become a huge part of these characters’ lives and a very deadly enemy to Drizzt Do’Urden.
At first, Artemis only crosses paths with these four characters because he has been sent on a mission to retrieve something that Regis the halfling had stolen from Pasha Pook of Calimshan, it was about a magical ruby that presumably held some kind of power.
The Journey Begins
Artemis arrives at Ten Towns in hopes of finding Regis and completing his mission fast and without a trace. He locates Regis’ abandoned home and instead of Regis, he finds Catti-brie there, the last member of the Companions of the Hall.
Being overpowered by fear of the deadly assassin, Catti-brie manages to spill the story about their mission and journey to Mithral Hall and Artemis lets her live as thanks for the valuable information that she gave him.
Getting Caught
After Artemis begins his search for Regis and the stolen artifact, Catti-Brie feels guilty for betraying them and she gets moving hoping that she will get to her friends before Artemis so that she can warn them about the assassin that is coming their way. However, instead of gaining her friends and warning them, she manages to get caught by Artemis himself and winds up as a hostage. Artemis hopes to use her to make a trade for the artifact and make things a lot easier.
The Adventure Continues
There is so much going on in the middle of all this as many characters get mixed up in this whole adventure. Along the way, the companions have to face all sorts of enemies, monsters, barbarians, and who knows what else.
Dendybar the Mottled is a new character who gets involved in all of the events that are currently going on as he believes that the Crystal Shard is in the possession of Drizzt so he forges quite the uneasy alliance with Artemis in hopes that things will go his own way at the end.
Getting a Map
He sends his apprentice Sydney to accompany Artemis alongside his golem named Bok and a soldier known as Jierdan. This means that things are about to get even trickier and more difficult for the companions.
While all of this is going on, they are in the middle of getting a map of the Northernlands that is supposed to make their trip easier. We won’t spoil the events that follow in this Icewind Dale book as those are some exciting pages that you will get to read all by yourself.
The Halfling’s Gem
Journey to Calimport
Journey to CalimportThe last book in our review and of the Icewind Dale books is The Halfling’s Gem, the story that continues after where the second book leaves off and the one that will finish the story and reveal how this exciting journey to Mithral Hall will finally turn out.
This story starts out as you read about how Drizzt and Wulfgar travel as fast as they can to Calimport to rescue their friend Regis and Drizzt’s magical panther Guenhwyvar. Near the ending of the previous Icewind Dale book, Artemis Entreri had captured them and now they are in danger, mostly Regis as Pasha Pook is fueled by vengeance because Regis betrayed him in the past by stealing the hypnotizing gem.
Survivor
While Wulfgar and Drizzt race to get to their friends, you find out that Bruenor, who was presumed dead after falling down a deep hole, is not actually dead and that he had somehow survived the fall.
After Bruenor manages to get back up to the surface it is then when he faces even more danger as he is caught sneaking around duergar territory and is forced to fight his way through them before an even deadlier threat presents itself before him. This deadly threat is a vicious giant spider.
Rescue Attempt
Bruenor comes very close to death again as the result of the battle with the spider left him lying on the ground full of poison. If it weren’t for Lady Alustriel who managed to heal him and reunite him with Catti-Brie, Bruenor would have been a goner. After Bruenor is healed again, together with Catti-Brie, they go and search for Drizzt and Wulfgar and hope to help them rescue Regis the halfling before it is too late.
While you read about all of this, Drizzt and Wulfgar are still in pursuit as they are chasing Artemis on the sea. You get to read about a thrilling pirate battle in the middle of all this and you also get to find out that the Companions of the Hall will be reunited once more after Bruenor and Catti-Brie manage to catch up with them.
Pasha Pook’s Palace
The following events finally lead the Companions of the Hall to Pasha Pook’s palace where things are about to get super messy. A very unexpected surprise awaits the Companions there as they meet the wererats, Pasha’s newfound allies who are about to make things a lot more difficult for Drizzt and the gang. How the rest turns out in this Icewind Dale book is totally up to you to find out as revealing such a huge spoiler in our review would definitely be a big letdown.
Must-Read
That’s all we have to say for the contents inside these three amazing books but you get to read about so much more inside, more thrilling adventures, the in-depth details of all the battles, and so much more.
If you are asking which trilogy to read first, then the answer to this question is The Dark Elf Trilogy. The story in those three books is the prequel to the one in The Icewind Dale Trilogy so it is best that you get familiar with the events in the first one before you move on to this trilogy.
Legacy of the Drow by R. A. Salvatore is the series that you want to read after you finish The Icewind Dale books as the story talks about events that happen after this series.
The year in which the books take place is 1494 in the Forgotten Realms world.
The Crystal Shard is the book that starts off The Icewind Dale books. Which Came First, The Dark Elf Trilogy or The Icewind Dale Trilogy?
What Book Comes After The Icewind Dale Trilogy?
When Does The Icewind Dale Trilogy Take Place?
What Is the First Book in The Icewind Dale Trilogy?
Robert Hazley
Robert is a science fiction and fantasy geek. (He is also the best looking Ereads writer!) Besides reading and writing, he enjoys sports, cosplay, and good food (don't we all?). Currently works as an accountant (would you believe that?)
