Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Fantastic gateway into what I expect to be and many others claim is one of the best characters in the fantasy genre. I devoured this book and cant wait to continue the series!"


“To lose is to die! You may win a thousand fights, but you can only lose one!”

Homeland is the entryway into a...30-something? book long series about the Drow Drizzt Do'Urden and his many adventures. You see his birth, childhood, and young adulthood in this book and I enjoyed almost all of it.

One thing I've noticed about this series so far, is the relationships. I don't think the characters themselves are particularly deep, nor is the plot very original or exciting, but the relationships between characters, good and bad, are outstanding.
Drizzt and Guenhwyvar is one of the best partnerships of man/beast that I've read in quite a while. Not on the level of Fitz and Nighteyes, but still a great and enjoyable duo to read about.

Things I loved:
* Drizzt's relationships to other characters in the world.
* The idea and plotline behind someone raised in an evil culture/society who realizes that it's wrong.
* Zak was an awesome mentor, resigned to his fate but not mentally given into evil.

Things I liked:
* Learning about the drow elf society.
* The trials during Drizzt's academy years.
* All of the various magical artifacts/spells/locations.

Things I didn't like.
* The underdark. That place was boring as hell to read about.
* The characters all were very predictable on the surface level and one dimensional. Fortunately this was only individually and the relationships between them (I know, I'll keep saying it) were great.
* For a race of supremely evil people who would kill you as soon as look at you for speaking out of turn, disobeying, etc. Drizzt sure got a lot of "exceptions" or "passes".

Overall it was a fun light read, with nothing incredible nor nothing absoulely horrible. I wouldn't recommend it over my giant list of INCREDIBLE fantasy books, but I definitely wouldn't tell anyone not to read it if interested.

“more than survive, my son, as I have survived. Live! Be true to the callings in your heart.”
4/5 stars.


View all my reviews