Things are happening on Toril and Mr. Salvatore is building the suspense like a master guitarist strums the chords (or perhaps more relevant the way a sword master measures his thrusts and parries). While it's not uncommon in Drizzt books to see the story building into a series with a grand ending as opposed to each single book having a single adventure, goal and ending this book feels more like a build up book than any before it. There are a variety of storylines, characters both new and old and groups all working towards certain goals. Readers are sure to recognize and delight in a few old faces that we didn't expect to see again. This is a big story and we don't get to see many endings in this book, instead we see the beginnings of what looks to be a convergence. This in no way lessens the enjoyment of reading it. Once people finish the last page they will immediately start looking for the release date of the next book. There is as always a lot of action in Rise of the King. Great battles and small skirmishes with the strike for strike writing that is a staple of mr. Salvatore s. There is a group with clear goals that act out in the open trying to achieve them and then there are characters who the reader will be unsure about. When planning to read this book I would advise people to take the day off of work for its not one that you are going to want to put down.

This is possibly the best book I have read in a long time. Salvatore continues to raise the bar with every book he writes.

I love this series, the books are much better now that the gang is back together!

I enjoyed reading Mr. Salvatore's second novel in his new trilogy. Even though I'm not a D&D follower, I found the book to be exciting and entertaining. The plot was complicated enough to hold my interest. The characters were interesting and well-developed.

Since this is the middle book in the trilogy, it follows the usual pattern of the second installment being the dark segment. The ending is suspenseful and quite naturally creates the desire to read the final book.

I have no criticisms of this book. It was well written and plotted, Good job, Mr. Salvatore!

ARC copy from Netgalley.
Ladies and gentlemen, all races of Faerun, welcome to "The Two Towers" of the Drizzt universe.

Once again, I delve deeply into the pages of Salvatore, welcoming another adventure as a proxy pseudo-"Companion of the Hall", as I have done at least once a year for more than 20 years. This time, we begin in post-Darkening Luruar (previously known as the Silver Marches, at least to me) and WAR is upon the land. The first third of this book is aftermath and catch up from "Night of the Hunter", showing the logical next steps of our various bands. The second third... felt a lot like "Hey! Let's get together practically everyone we've ever talked about in any previous Drizzt book, and figure out a way to get them in this storyline". But the third part... this not only made the book, but makes it worthy of my previous "Two Towers" comment.

As any fantasy fan knows, Tolkien's "Two Towers", while it stands greatly on its own, is largely a set up for the epic battle we know is coming in "Return of the King". This book is exactly like that AND why I am salivating heavily for Companions Codex III: "______ ______ ______ ______"! (Will it live up to the epic, life-changing level of tale like Homeland and Mortalis did?) That being said, this book is an amazing entity all its own, with plenty of action, laughs and camaraderie to keep us along with the Companions. As the master wordsmith that Salvatore is, the events of this book, draw so many almost finished pictures, that I am actually concerned that many of "my friends" will not make it out alive next time.

You'll get no spoilers from me in this review, but let me say this: HANG ON TIGHT. If you have been a life-long Salvatore fan like I am, you'll know that death plays a major part in his books, and always as a surprise. The next book in this series just may break more than the skies over Mithril Hall.

This book is an absolute MUST READ for Drizzt fans and Salvatore readers in general.