The Legend of Drizzt is a series of fantasy novels by R. A. Salvatore that began in 1988, They are based in the Forgotten Realms setting in the dimension of Abeir-Toril on the continent Faerûn in the Dungeons & Dragons universe currently published and owned by Wizards of the Coast. It combines the series The Dark Elf Trilogy, The Icewind Dale Trilogy, Legacy of the Drow, Paths of Darkness, The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, and other sets into an abridged compilation. Drizzt Do'Urden is the main character of most of the books.
The series mostly follows the eponymous Drizzt Do'Urden, a drow, or dark elf, portrayed against the stereotypes of his race, who defies the evil nation of his birth with his swordsmanship and courage. He abandons the Underdark, a barren land of unmarked and limitless tunnels where deadly creatures continually lurk. His journey for freedom leads him to the surface where he faces discrimination at every turn because of his dark heritage. Drizzt stumbles along in a harsh world until he finally comes upon friends who understand the kindness of his heart. Together, they fight for justice against sinister enemies who dare to disrupt the peace of Drizzt's newfound homeland.
Main titles This series includes re-issues of novels (with new cover art) that had previously been published under different series titles. In this list, they are numbered not in the order of their original publication, but rather in their chronological order in Drizzt's life. The first six novels in this series had never previously been released in a hardcover edition. Note: The Hunter's Blades Trilogy has not been re-issued as part of the Legend of Drizzt series, but later releases have been considered as such. SeriesBooksTitleThe Dark Elf Trilogy1–3Homeland;The Dark Elf Trilogy #1; hardcover, March 2004, ; paperback, December 2005, ; audio book, 26. March 2013. 936 pg. Exile;The Dark Elf Trilogy #2; hardcover, June 2004, ; paperback, March 2006, ; audio book, 9. April 2013 SojournThe Dark Elf Trilogy #3; hardcover, December 2004, ; paperback, June 2006, ; audio book, 29. April 2013 The Icewind Dale Trilogy4–6The Crystal Shard;The Icewind Dale Trilogy #1; hardcover, March 2005, ; paperback, January 2007, ; audio book, 5. May 2013 Streams of Silver;The Icewind Dale Trilogy #2; hardcover, July 2005, ; paperback, May 2007, ; audio book, 21. May 2013 The Halfling's GemThe Icewind Dale Trilogy #3; hardcover, November 2005, ; paperback, August 2007, ; audio book, 4. June 2013Legacy of the Drow7–10The Legacy;Legacy of the Drow #1; hardcover, April 2006, ; paperback, April 2008, ; audio book, 15. October 2013 Starless Night;Legacy of the Drow #2; hardcover, July 2006, ; paperback, May 2008, ; audio book, 15. October 2013 Siege of Darkness;Legacy of the Drow #3; hardcover, November 2006, ; paperback, June 2008, ; audio book, 15. October 2013 Passage to DawnLegacy of the Drow #4; hardcover, March 2007, , paperback, August 2008, ; audio book, 15. October 2013 Paths of Darkness11–13The Silent Blade;Paths of Darkness #1; hardcover, June 2007, , paperback, February 2009, ; audio book, 7. January 2014 The Spine of the World;Paths of Darkness #2; hardcover, November 2007, , paperback, April 2009, ; audio book, 7. January 2014 Sea of SwordsPaths of Darkness #3; hardcover, March 2008, ; paperback, June 2009; ; audio book, 7. January 2014 The Sellswords14–16Servant of the Shard; Promise of the Witch-King; Road of the PatriarchThe Hunter's Blades Trilogy17–19The Thousand Orcs;The Hunter's Blades Trilogy #1; hardcover, October 2002, ; paperback, July 2003, The Lone Drow;The Hunter's Blades Trilogy #2; hardcover, October 2003, ; paperback, January 2004, The Two SwordsThe Hunter's Blades Trilogy #3; hardcover, October 2004, ; paperback, September 2005, Transitions20–22The Orc King;Transitions #1; hardcover, October 2007, ; paperback, July 2008, The Pirate King;Transitions #2; hardcover, October 2008, ; paperback, July 2009, The Ghost KingTransition #3; hardcover, October 2009, ; paperback, July 2010, Neverwinter Saga23–26Gauntlgrym;Neverwinter Saga #1; hardcover, October 2010, ; paperback, July 2011, ; audio book, 12. February 2013 Neverwinter;Neverwinter Saga #2; hardcover, October 2011, ; paperback, July 2012, ; audio book, 19. February 2013 Charon's Claw;Neverwinter Saga #3; hardcover, August 2012, ; paperback, February 2013, ; audio book, 25. February 2013 The Last ThresholdNeverwinter Saga #4; hardcover, March 2013, ; paperback, September 2013, ; audio book, 5. March 2013The Sundering27The CompanionsThe Sundering #1; hardcover, August 2013, ; audio book, 6. August 2013Companions Codex28–30Night of the Hunter;The Companion's Codex, Volume One: Night of the Hunter; hardcover, March 4, 2014, Rise of the King;The Companion's Codex, Volume Two: Rise of the King; hardcover, September 30, 2014, Vengeance of the Iron DwarfThe Companion's Codex, Volume Three: Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf; hardcover, March 3, 2015, Homecoming31–33Archmage;Homecoming, Volume One: Archmage; hardcover, September 1, 2015, Maestro;Homecoming, Volume Two: Maestro; hardcover, April 5, 2016, HeroHomecoming, Volume Three: Hero; hardcover, October 25, 2016, Generations34–36Timeless; Boundless; RelentlessThe Way of the Drow37–39Starlight Enclave; Glacier's Edge; Lolth's Warrior
Short stories
Also released was a set of classic short stories that expanded the character's legacy, in an anthology titled The Collected Stories: The Legend of Drizzt.Edited by Philip Athans (paperback, February 2011; ). This book is also listed under the Anthologies section. It includes the following short stories: "The First Notch" "Dark Mirror" "The Third Level" "Guenhwyvar" "That Curious Sword" "Wickless in the Nether" "The Dowry" "Comrades at Odds" "If They Ever Happened Upon My Lair" "Bones and Stones" "Iruladoon" "To Legend He Goes"
Furthermore, several portions of the entire series have been reprinted in boxed sets: The Legend of Drizzt Boxed Set, Books I-III (containing Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn)Three paperbacks in boxed slipcase, released September 2007, The Legend of Drizzt Boxed Set, Books IV-VI (containing The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem)Three paperbacks in boxed slipcase, released September 2007, The Legend of Drizzt Boxed Set, Books VII-X (containing The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, and Passage to Dawn)Four paperbacks in boxed slipcase, released October 2008, The Legend of Drizzt Boxed Set, Books XI-XIII (containing The Silent Blade, The Spine of the World, and The Sea of Swords)Three paperbacks in boxed slipcase, released October 2009, The Hunter's Blades Trilogy (containing Books XIV-XVI: The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow, and The Two Swords)Three paperbacks in boxed slipcase, released August 2007, Transitions (containing Books XVII-XIX: The Orc King, The Pirate King, and The Ghost King)Three paperbacks in boxed slipcase, released October 2011,
Portions of the entire series have been reprinted in single-book collector's edition: The Legend of Drizzt Collector's Edition, Book I (containing Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn)Hardcover, February 2008, ;paperback, January 2010, The Legend of Drizzt Collector's Edition, Book II (containing The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem)Hardcover, March 2008, ; paperback, May 2010, The Legend of Drizzt Collector's Edition, Book III (containing The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, and Passage to Dawn)Hardcover, January 2009, ; paperback, September 2010, The Legend of Drizzt Collector's Edition, Book IV (containing The Silent Blade, The Spine of the World, and The Sea of Swords)Hardcover, September 2010, ; paperback, May 2011,
Reception The Legend of Drizzt books are very popular with fantasy fans. A significant number of novels featuring the character of Drizzt written by Salvatore have made The New York Times Best Seller list, starting with The Crystal Shard.The Pirate King reached 8 on The New York Times bestseller list on November 2, 2008. The Orc King, which marked the 20th anniversary of the character, made it to #7 on the list, as well as #9 on The Wall Street Journal list, #6 on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list, and #36 on the USA Today list of top sellers.
The Two Swords peaked at #4 on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2004. It reached the top of The Wall Street Journal'''s hardcover bestseller list after only two weeks, a record for its publisher Wizards of the Coast. It also debuted at #4 on The New York Times's bestseller list and #2 on Publishers Weekly bestseller list.The Lone Drow debuted at #7 on The New York Times Best Seller list in October 2003. Publishers Weekly felt that The Lone Drow'' was clichéd, but that some of the characters did achieve "some complexity". They singled out two characters for praise: Innovindel, an elf who talks "pensively" of her long life in contrast to the short lived humans, and Obould the orc king.
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