Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf by R. A. Salvatore: Book
I’m kind of ashamed of the fact that this is my first book review. I’ve been drowning myself in work lately, but there’s honestly no excuse. Thankfully though, my first book review is about the latest book in my favorite series from my favorite author.
This is the 36th book in the Legend of Drizzt. I have literally grown up with these characters… but I honestly don’t care if you’re worried about my potential bias. These books are excellent and there’s a reason so many of them have hit the NY Bestsellers list. It should be known as a universal fact that R. A. Salvatore’s fight choreography is unparalleled. His descriptions are so detailed and imaginative that you can clearly picture every feint, strike and parry. He puts you in the mind of the characters during every step of both their fights and their journeys.
As the last book of the “Companions Codex,” there were dozens of satisfying moments. I can’t even express how depressed I got during the last two sagas when the other companions died. Luckily they were reincarnated during “The Companions,” book one of “The Sundering.” Amazingly, their new selves are all even more powerful than the last incarnations. Regis in particular is as far from his original self as possible. With the exception of Catti-Brie, who is more powerful than before, the rest of the group is mostly the same. Just the way I like them.
The previous two entries in this trilogy (“Night of the Hunter” and “Rise of the King”) were excellent in the way they constantly built up conflict and put everyone in dire straights. When I say everyone, I mean everyone. There are long term consequences form decisions our heroes made over one hundred years prior to their resurrection. At the beginning of this book, the entire region is besieged by an army that was put into place by the treaty that was signed by Bruenor. The Companions of the Hall must go through dire straights and make hard decisions and sacrifices to put things right.
Even the once famous and revered Drizzt Do’Urden has taken massive blows to his reputation and must begin to rebuild something he worked hard for since the beginning. The burden of his race and pursuit of the enemies of his homeland have always weighed heavily on him. This time it’s worse than ever.
I feel like these characters are my personal friends, since I have been there through all of their hardships and triumphs. I began reading about this group of heroes about fifteen years ago (I started with “Sea of Swords” and then went back to the beginning) and they are as fresh and endearing to me as ever. It is always special to see the familiar characters pop up when we haven’t seen them for a while, especially Jarlaxle, but this time was really something. The power of unity triumphed, but with much more work to do. The next saga in this story can only get better. I love when a book is full of conclusion, but leaves you wanting more.
I am always a little teary eyed when I close one of these, because I won’t see my friends again for a few months. I can’t wait until I can greet them once more. I hope it is very soon!
Jonathan Thomas Jones is a speculative fiction author and founder of geekhavenreviews.com. He has been passionate about all things geek for his entire life. See more about him at jonathanthomasjones.com and follow him on twitter @jtgloryjones.
