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I'm reading the Forgotten Realms Novels- #202 The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson (Dungeons 2)
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<blockquote data-quote="Alzrius" data-source="post: 8588631" data-attributes="member: 8461"><p>I missed this when it came up earlier; threads always seem to scroll off the front page so fast unless they're being repeatedly commented on, darn it.</p><p></p><p>Personally, I can say that this was the one that did it. This was the Drizzt book that broke me...or at least, I think it was <em>The Thousand Orcs</em>; judging by the synopsis of <em>The Lone Drow</em>, it might have been that one. Either way, I've mentioned it several times leading up to this that somewhere in this trilogy was where I threw my hands up and said I couldn't take it anymore. I have yet to read any subsequent Drizzt books, and even years later it's not a decision I've ever felt the urge to go back on.</p><p></p><p>Part of it was the idea that we were retreading the same ground all over again. I mean, I was glad that this novel (as I remember it) put Drizzt's pathos into the backseat, because it was beginning to feel like he was simply stuck in a rut where his being endlessly disheartened at how his being a good-aligned drow isolated him was exasperating more than engaging, but somehow the redirected focus on combat just didn't do it for me either. It wasn't so much the plot-necessitated immortality, but that the book has to oh-so-carefully balance how Drizzt is unbeatable in a fight with creating a believable level of tension (which it does by alluding to "yes, he can't be defeated in individual combat, but no one person can fight off an army head-on").</p><p></p><p>Obviously, the book wasn't that straightforward about his combat skills being unparalleled, but by this point it's pretty well understood.</p><p></p><p>Likewise, Salvatore's reluctance to kill off his characters is on full display here also. That's understandable, since conventional wisdom is that killing off supporting characters to whom the readers presumably feel connected is something that should only be done in service to the larger plot (plus that whole "living in a world with resurrection magic" bit), but at this point I feel like it would have served the plot to do so. At least, in a way other than a soap-opera style "they actually survived, and now they're back!"</p><p></p><p>I mean, Regis bringing Bruenor back from his edge-of-death coma by pulling his eyelids open and waving the ruby pendant in front of him while saying "come back"? There's a difference between unconventional uses of gear and simply making stuff up, and that falls squarely into the latter for me. For that matter, so does the idea of two fighters having a nighttime duel, one of whom has a sword wreathed in magical flames, and who then gains an advantage by snuffing those flames and then strikes when his opponent's eyes take time to adjust. That's at least somewhat more plausible, but this is a D&D novel, damn it; what are the game stats for that supposed to be?</p><p></p><p>To that end, I simply couldn't get excited about the new villains. I liked the idea of Obould being an orc who was transcending his limitations (e.g. suddenly becoming both smarter and wiser, abandoning his hurt pride and old grudges to build a kingdom that would actually last), and Gerti seemed compelling in her up-and-coming role as a new leader among the frost giants, but their defeat seemed like it was already foretold. Drizzt has setbacks; he doesn't lose, and that means that his villains either end up being slain or becoming supporting cast members with their own drawn-out redemption arcs.</p><p></p><p>Been there, done that.</p><p></p><p>I know I'm being uncharitable here, but at this point the formula was simply played out, and I couldn't get invested in retreading old ground again. There's value in going back over what's been established, but only in the pursuit of establishing something new; this seemed like it has simply become more Drizzt for the sake of more Drizzt.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Alzrius, post: 8588631, member: 8461"] I missed this when it came up earlier; threads always seem to scroll off the front page so fast unless they're being repeatedly commented on, darn it. Personally, I can say that this was the one that did it. This was the Drizzt book that broke me...or at least, I think it was [I]The Thousand Orcs[/I]; judging by the synopsis of [I]The Lone Drow[/I], it might have been that one. Either way, I've mentioned it several times leading up to this that somewhere in this trilogy was where I threw my hands up and said I couldn't take it anymore. I have yet to read any subsequent Drizzt books, and even years later it's not a decision I've ever felt the urge to go back on. Part of it was the idea that we were retreading the same ground all over again. I mean, I was glad that this novel (as I remember it) put Drizzt's pathos into the backseat, because it was beginning to feel like he was simply stuck in a rut where his being endlessly disheartened at how his being a good-aligned drow isolated him was exasperating more than engaging, but somehow the redirected focus on combat just didn't do it for me either. It wasn't so much the plot-necessitated immortality, but that the book has to oh-so-carefully balance how Drizzt is unbeatable in a fight with creating a believable level of tension (which it does by alluding to "yes, he can't be defeated in individual combat, but no one person can fight off an army head-on"). Obviously, the book wasn't that straightforward about his combat skills being unparalleled, but by this point it's pretty well understood. Likewise, Salvatore's reluctance to kill off his characters is on full display here also. That's understandable, since conventional wisdom is that killing off supporting characters to whom the readers presumably feel connected is something that should only be done in service to the larger plot (plus that whole "living in a world with resurrection magic" bit), but at this point I feel like it would have served the plot to do so. At least, in a way other than a soap-opera style "they actually survived, and now they're back!" I mean, Regis bringing Bruenor back from his edge-of-death coma by pulling his eyelids open and waving the ruby pendant in front of him while saying "come back"? There's a difference between unconventional uses of gear and simply making stuff up, and that falls squarely into the latter for me. For that matter, so does the idea of two fighters having a nighttime duel, one of whom has a sword wreathed in magical flames, and who then gains an advantage by snuffing those flames and then strikes when his opponent's eyes take time to adjust. That's at least somewhat more plausible, but this is a D&D novel, damn it; what are the game stats for that supposed to be? To that end, I simply couldn't get excited about the new villains. I liked the idea of Obould being an orc who was transcending his limitations (e.g. suddenly becoming both smarter and wiser, abandoning his hurt pride and old grudges to build a kingdom that would actually last), and Gerti seemed compelling in her up-and-coming role as a new leader among the frost giants, but their defeat seemed like it was already foretold. Drizzt has setbacks; he doesn't lose, and that means that his villains either end up being slain or becoming supporting cast members with their own drawn-out redemption arcs. Been there, done that. I know I'm being uncharitable here, but at this point the formula was simply played out, and I couldn't get invested in retreading old ground again. There's value in going back over what's been established, but only in the pursuit of establishing something new; this seemed like it has simply become more Drizzt for the sake of more Drizzt. [/QUOTE]
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