War of the Spider Queen Series Review (2024)

Forgotten Realms Saga

This series contains 6 books in total and is a part of the larger Forgotten Realms Saga.

An interesting fact to know about this series is that each of the six books inside is written by a different author and the events that are happening are as thrilling and exciting as the rest of the stories in the Saga. Make sure to check out our review if you wish to find out what to expect from the books inside.

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War of the Spider Queen Series

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Dissolution by Richard Lee Byers

 

Menzoberranzan

Here is the first book of the series and this one is going to introduce you to a story that will be following four dark elves in a series of adventures in a world that is changing rapidly around them.

The story in this book, and all of the rest for that matter, takes place in the underground city of Menzoberranzan, the ancestral home of the drow and the events that are currently taking place are happening in the year 1372 DR.

Protagonists

The goddess of the drow, Lolth has gone silent for some reason and this has many of the drow worried. On top of that, the males of this matriarchal world have begun slowly disappearing and no one knows what is happening.

The two more important War of the Spider Queen characters who first appear in this story are Pharaun Mizzrym and Ryld Argith and they will be the ones who are sent to investigate this strange matter. Pharaun is a magic user and Ryld is a strong warrior so the choice of them going is definitely not random.

Enemies and Allies

On the road ahead, you get to discover many enemies who wish to kill these characters and then a few who actually become allies and the story only gets more and more exciting and complicated from there as the plot begins to unveil and you find out new things behind these disappearances.

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Insurrection by Thomas M. Reid

 

Ched Nasad

The next one in our article about the War of the Spider Queen novels is called Insurrection and the story and the adventures only get more exciting from here. This story talks about a group of hand-picked warriors who are sent on a mission to Ched Nasad.

As they begin their journey, they are quickly attacked by minions of Kaanyr Vhok, the minions that attack them are known by the name of Tanuruuks and they can be pretty pesky creatures.

Aliisza

The drow who is leading this group is a character called Aliisza, she is an Alu-Fiend and she immediately becomes attracted to the powerful magic-user Pharaun Mizzrym, one of the first characters who you met in the previous book. After a not so easy journey, the group reaches Chad Nasad and discovers that things are definitely not as they are supposed to be here and that the goddess Lolth has abandoned this place too.

Betrayal and Destruction

If you thought that the events in the books were exciting so far, then you are about to be pleasantly surprised when you get to read the contents of the pages ahead of here. While the group is in the city, so many things happen in such a short time.

You get to read about unexpected surprises, about betrayal, about new enemies, attacks, and the complete destruction of the city. Why and how that happens is totally up to you to find out as you get to this part of the book and the series.

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Condemnation by Richard Baker

 

Demonweb Pits

In Condemnation, the third book in the series and in our review, you get to read about the quest to find out where the goddess Lolth has gone and why this sudden silence from her. The group continues on their quest with no luck so far but at least their group and power have grown as they are seven in numbers now.

Their next destination is Lolth’s domain, the Demonweb Pits. As you may expect, there are many dangers along the way as the Underdark is always full of evil and danger.

Followers of Eilistraee

Along the way, Halisstra is captured by a few followers of Eilistraee but she manages to kill the ones who take her and escapes rather quickly. Quenthel then asks the High Priest of Vhaeraun for help in taking them to Lolth’s home as that’s something that they do not know how to do themselves.

After the High Priest takes them there, he mercilessly betrays them as his plans are to kill Lolth and take the domain for himself as there is much power to be taken from there. Then comes a fight between the High Priest and the protector of Lolth in which the protector destroys the priest and sends the group back to the temple of Vhaeraun.

Complete Failure

This results in failure because they still haven’t found out anything about Lolth’s silence and what has happened to her. But, don’t worry, there are three more books to read and the mystery will eventually be made clear.

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Extinction by Lisa Smedman

 

Ryld and Halisstra

In Extinction, the fourth book of the series, you get to read a whole lot more about Ryld and Halisstra because the two decide to abandon the group and search for the world above. Halisstra manages to surprise the readers quite often with the choices that she makes in this book but that’s definitely something that only spices things up and makes the reading experience all the more fun.

Own Path

So, after abandoning the group, Ryld and Halisstra take their own path and quickly come across followers of Eilistraee once more. In this crossing of paths, Halisstra manages to do something that will definitely surprise you, she decides to join the Elistraeen order and become one of them as she begins to fear if Lolth will ever be seen again.

Another Surprise

After a few series of events, Halisstra comes with another surprise, she manages to do something that is unforgivable to those who follow the goddess Lolth, she kills a spider. After this event, she is told that her destiny now is to go and search for an ancient magical blade known as the Crescent Blade. This blade is so powerful that it has the ability to cut through anything and she realizes that she is instructed to actually kill Lolth with it.

Locating Lolth

While Ryld and Halisstra are searching for the blade, killing the guardians who protect it, the group is in the middle of finding another path around the Abyss in order to locate Lolth before it is too late. What happens next is up to you to find out as we don’t want to spoil the biggest events of this particular book.

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Annihilation by Philip Athans

 

Different Intentions

In the fifth book of the series, the search for Lolth continues but now you get to read about the two sides that are searching for Lolth with different intentions. As the group divided, it remains that way and nothing has changed. Ryld and Halisstra are still on the new path they have chosen and things are about to get very serious as the ending of the series approaches.

Saving the Goddess

We will try not to give out too many spoilers but most of the things that go on in this book are very important and crucial to the story and the outcome of it. At the beginning of the book, you get to read about the rest of the group who are still looking to save the goddess Lolth as their search for a way to locate her and finally uncover the true meaning behind her disappearance.

The other part of the story takes you to the two characters who strained away from the group and are still on the search to find Lolth but their intentions are not to save her, but to kill her.

Religious Beliefs

There are a few deaths that are definitely going to make you feel sad in the coming story but after that, you get to read about Halisstra as she finally returns to the sisterhood and is sent again with two others to finally end Lolth’s life.

There are still hints that Halisstra is not fully sure of her new religious beliefs and you can see this character struggling to discover what is right. This might affect the outcome of the story but it is up to you to find out all about that.

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Resurrection by Paul S. Kemp

 

Grand Finale

Finally, we have the last War of the Spider Queen book and the contents inside this book are finally going to make every mystery and secret that the previous books have been making you wonder about clear.

Everything that you have read so far was leading up to this moment and hopefully, you can feel the excitement of getting to find out the mystery of Lolth’s disappearance.

Soul Reaver

One thing we can say for sure about this book is that there are many twists in here, some of which you never expected and some are definitely going to hit hard. However, the story finally takes the characters you have been reading about throughout the entire series to Lolth’s home after a series of hard tests that must be passed in order to enter her realm.

They arrive at a place called Soul Reaver, a portal that separates Lolth’s home from the Demonweb Pits and where the most exciting twist of the book will happen. It will have something to do with Halisstra and Danifae as their long-awaited battle is going to take place there and finally get some things out in the clear.

Must-Read

As much as we want to tell you about the ending of this exciting book and the series, that’s something that you must find out for yourself and keep all of the excitement of discovering it as well. That’s it from our review and definitely make sure to read the entire series, in the order that we have reviewed the books in, if you want the story to make sense.

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What Books Come Before War of the Spider Queen?

Unbroken Chain by Jaleigh Johnson is a series that contains two books. The two books inside Unbroken Chain are titled Unbroken Chain and Unbroken Chain: The Darker Road.

When Does the War of the Spider Queen Occur with Respect to the Time of Troubles?

The Time of Troubles was a period in the Forgotten Realms world that took place in 1358 DR and the events took place a few years after that, during 1372 DR.

When Does the War of the Spider Queen Occur in the Forgotten Realms Timeline?

The year in which the events of the war take place is 1372 DR. Everything that goes on lasts for approximately 1 year and things come to an end in 1373 DR.

What Book Series Should I Read After the War of the Spider Queen Books?

The Watercourse Trilogy is the series to go with after you have finished all of the books. Everything that happens in the Watercourse Trilogy takes place after and you won’t get confused.