Archmage is the newest book in the Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore, and it's also the start of the Rage of Demons storyline. I've reviewed it on my blog, but I'll go a little more into it here.
Archmage describes the situation that leads to all the demon lords infesting the Underdark. I think it's the 28th book in the Legend of Drizzt series, and it draws on a lot of the history of that series. The basic plot is that the dwarves are taking back Gauntlgrym, where the drow of Menzoberranzan have set up an outpost - potentially a new drow city. So, the drow are arguing about what to do about it, the dwarves are taking back the city, Drizzt, Bruenor and Catti-Brie are helping them, and Wulfgar and Regis have the roles of Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Book. (Regis is trying to be reunited with the love of his life...)
A lot of the book is from the drow perspective, especially that of Gromph, the Archmage of Menzoberranzan. In previous books, Lolth tried to become the supreme goddess of magic. She failed, but Gromph had gotten all excited because he thought he'd become equal (or higher) in status to the female priestesses. Well, he was excited until he realised the Lolth wanted female wizards as well as priestesses, and men would remain downtrodden in drow society. So we have a resentful archmage wandering around, and that isn't a good thing.
Which leads him to casting the spell that summons the demon lords. Not that he knows this. He's actually being manipulated by Lolth: she thinks the Abyss will be a lot easier to control if all the demon lords are on Faerun, and she's used some of the natural magic of the Underdark to negate the "banished for 100 years" clause on demons if they remain in the Underdark. So, when Gromph thinks he's summoning demons to fight for him, and instead he gets Demon Lords. Which is all sorts of awesome, especially how it is described.
Meanwhile, the dwarves are taking back Gauntlgrym, and this is done well. We've just come out of several books of Dwarves vs Orcs, and I couldn't imagine more boring battles. I never really got a sense of the shape of the battles nor their significance in the last couple of books. That wasn't the case here, and there are some really great battle descriptions. When a battle has an effect on the story, then it's worth telling its tale, and Salvatore does a good job here.
I do have an ongoing problem with the conception of the drow. I want chaotic evil to be a lot more chaotic! How come House Baenre keeps remaining on top? I really wish the drow and Lolth were more fickle.
And, of course, there's the ongoing question about what the other gods are doing. If Lolth is causing all of this, can't the other gods interfere at all?
As opposed to some other commentators, I'm not fussed by the powering-up of Catti-Brie (and her miraculous new staff). But them, I come from a long history of Monty-Haul games. (Who gave a vorpal sword to a 5th level fighter in an AD&D game a couple of years ago? Yes, that would be me...)
So, is Archmage worth reading - especially if you're running Out of the Abyss? I'd say so, yes. I'm curious how someone who hadn't read any other Drizzt novels would find it. Personally, I think they'd manage, but I have so much knowledge from the early days of D&D onward that I'm most certainly not a "first-time" reader!
Cheers!
Archmage describes the situation that leads to all the demon lords infesting the Underdark. I think it's the 28th book in the Legend of Drizzt series, and it draws on a lot of the history of that series. The basic plot is that the dwarves are taking back Gauntlgrym, where the drow of Menzoberranzan have set up an outpost - potentially a new drow city. So, the drow are arguing about what to do about it, the dwarves are taking back the city, Drizzt, Bruenor and Catti-Brie are helping them, and Wulfgar and Regis have the roles of Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Book. (Regis is trying to be reunited with the love of his life...)
A lot of the book is from the drow perspective, especially that of Gromph, the Archmage of Menzoberranzan. In previous books, Lolth tried to become the supreme goddess of magic. She failed, but Gromph had gotten all excited because he thought he'd become equal (or higher) in status to the female priestesses. Well, he was excited until he realised the Lolth wanted female wizards as well as priestesses, and men would remain downtrodden in drow society. So we have a resentful archmage wandering around, and that isn't a good thing.
Which leads him to casting the spell that summons the demon lords. Not that he knows this. He's actually being manipulated by Lolth: she thinks the Abyss will be a lot easier to control if all the demon lords are on Faerun, and she's used some of the natural magic of the Underdark to negate the "banished for 100 years" clause on demons if they remain in the Underdark. So, when Gromph thinks he's summoning demons to fight for him, and instead he gets Demon Lords. Which is all sorts of awesome, especially how it is described.
Meanwhile, the dwarves are taking back Gauntlgrym, and this is done well. We've just come out of several books of Dwarves vs Orcs, and I couldn't imagine more boring battles. I never really got a sense of the shape of the battles nor their significance in the last couple of books. That wasn't the case here, and there are some really great battle descriptions. When a battle has an effect on the story, then it's worth telling its tale, and Salvatore does a good job here.
I do have an ongoing problem with the conception of the drow. I want chaotic evil to be a lot more chaotic! How come House Baenre keeps remaining on top? I really wish the drow and Lolth were more fickle.
And, of course, there's the ongoing question about what the other gods are doing. If Lolth is causing all of this, can't the other gods interfere at all?
As opposed to some other commentators, I'm not fussed by the powering-up of Catti-Brie (and her miraculous new staff). But them, I come from a long history of Monty-Haul games. (Who gave a vorpal sword to a 5th level fighter in an AD&D game a couple of years ago? Yes, that would be me...)
So, is Archmage worth reading - especially if you're running Out of the Abyss? I'd say so, yes. I'm curious how someone who hadn't read any other Drizzt novels would find it. Personally, I think they'd manage, but I have so much knowledge from the early days of D&D onward that I'm most certainly not a "first-time" reader!
Cheers!
