Annihilation

A somewhat disappointing read, in all honesty. A bad mark in what was a wonderful series. At times, it felt like that author didn't quite “get” the previous four books and somehow seems to have captured the personalities of the main characters inaccurately. The main party of drow felt... different. Sure, there were attempts at character development but it just didn't felt smooth.

The story focused primarily on the party's attempts to get back to the Abyss; unfortunately the action was few and riddled with rather bland dialogue. There are also parts of Halisstra and Ryld, and how they got intertwined again with the rest. That part was the worst part of the book. I won't spoil it, but suffice to say, it's a story arc that felt pointless and rather shallow.

When the story does switch back to the siege at Menzoberranzan, it doesn't actually deal with the siege, but rather the magical duel between the archmage and the lich. The duel started off interesting, but when it dragged on for several chapters, it got repetitive and boring - with what felt like an anti-climactic end. Overall, this was a drop in satisfaction after reading the previous 4 books.