Ratings56
Average rating3.7
Isolated in the barren stretches of Icewind Dale the villages of Ten-Towns come under attack by a tribe of barbarians. In the midst of battle a young barbarian named Wulfgar ends up owing five years of his life to a grizzled dwarf. With the help of Drizzt , a renegade dark elf, the dwarf strives to mold the barbarian into a warrior with both brawn and brains.
Meanwhile, there is no peace for the people of Ten-Towns. The fractioned tribes of barbarians continue to pose a threat, and Wulfgar may be the only person who can avert a deadly battle. But an even more dire menace appears when a weak-willed apprentice mage stumbles upon a magical crystal shard. The evil shard directs the hapless mage onto a course of destruction that all of Icewind Dale may be powerless to stop.
*from the paperback*
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**This work is in the following series:**
- Forgotten Realms
- The Legend Of Drizzt | Book 4
- Icewind Dale Trilogy| Book 1
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**This work is in the following collections:**
- [The Icewind Dale Trilogy][1]
- [The Legend of Drizzt Collector's Edition, Book II][2]
*See also the [Graphic Novel Adaptation][3] of this work*
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**The following ebook links were found elsewhere online:**
- http://ten-towns.narod.ru/library/fr_iwd_1.pdf
[1]: http://openlibrary.org/works/OL516718W/The_Icewind_Dale_Trilogy
[2]: http://openlibrary.org/works/OL14960754W/The_Legend_of_Drizzt_Collector%27s_Edition_Book_II
[3]: http://openlibrary.org/works/OL15333836W/The_Crystal_Shard
Reviews with the most likes.
Good and fun lightweight reading. The book starts with Drizzt having two friends, a dwarf and a halfling. Then it describes how he befriends a new companion, a barbarian from the northern tribes of Icewind Dale.
Drizzt has to prevent the destruction of the ten towns driven by the thirst for conquest of an ancient artifact weld by a mad wizard.
After several years I did return to the roleplaying games, especially, Dungeons & Dragons. One of my favorite campaign settings over there is Forgotten Realms, known because of its diversity and how it portraits the best of High Fantasy tropes (and, of course, its clichés). But of all Forgotten Realms, I've always liked Icewind Dale.
Icewind Dale has this name because of the unrelenting snow storms and the harsh life style at the faerûnian tundra. The Ten-Towns can be seen as the last bastion of human civilization in the end of the world, beyond the mountains of the Spine of the World and far from the luxurious and vivid cities of the south.
The Crystal Shard was the first time we get to know better Icewind Dale and its people, introducing a Dungeons & Dragons/Forgotten Realms adventure in a new way. The first time I read this book, I found it rather dull. In that time I found the characters hallow and superficial, with equally weak motivations. However, during my second reading of the series, I was able to have more fun leaving all those expectations aside.
The Crystal Shard is a simple, fast and plain reading, without great pretensions. Do not expect a great classic of the Fantasy genre, but rather a fun story that is able to entertain the reader for several hours, and maybe that was the author's goal when he wrote this classic in the 1980s.
We have the first appearance of Drizzt Do'Urden, Bruenor, Wulfgar, Regis and Cattie-Brie, characters well known in the world of roleplaying games. My impression is that the book has two main arcs, the first being the introduction of the characters, at a quite different pace than what happens in the second half of the book. Although loosely connected, the second part of the book presents an epic adventure to save the towns of Icewind Dale.
In this sense, I find problematic to read this book as a single story, because it is in the second part of the book that we have several elements of action that will unfold in the other books in the series. The way the author introduced the characters in the first half of the book might have been done differently.
However, The Crystal Shard entertained me a lot in the last few days, which was quite differently from the first time I read it, several years ago. If you're looking for a simple and fast reading Fantasy book, surely this is a good choice. I could clearly see that the narrative in this book is very similar to an RPG adventure, with its various heroes completing different missions (the adventures) for a larger purpose (the campaign).
The first book from R. A. Salvatore that I read. I've been a fan ever since. I wonder if it's partially due to my familiarity and preference with the Forgotten Realms setting. Still, I think he did a great job in creating interesting characters that have complex motivations and relationships. It makes them very believable. The plot and subplots are all well-paced and well-written.
Would have dnf-ed it if I was not playing a D&D Campaign set in Icewind Dale currently.
That was the most boring and pointless book I have read in a very long time.
Should have dnf-ed it.
Series
37 primary books38 released booksThe Legend of Drizzt is a 40-book series with 36 primary works first released in 199 with contributions by R. A. Salvatore, R.A. Salvatore, and Imke Brodersen.
Series
2 primary books3 released booksForgotten Realms is a 135-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1987 with contributions by Ed Greenwood, R. A. Salvatore, and 28 others.
Series
53 primary booksForgotten Realms Chronological is a 53-book series with 53 primary works first released in 199 with contributions by Victor Milán, Clayton Emery, and 18 others.
Series
3 primary booksThe Icewind Dale Trilogy is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 199 with contributions by R. A. Salvatore.