The Dark Elf Trilogy

The Dark Elf Trilogy

I was first introduced to these books by my brother, who interestingly enough, had never read them. When I decided to by the first book I was very skeptical for two reasons. The first was that little insignia at the top, Forgotten Realms. It was hard for me to imagine that a book based in a Dungeons and Dragons Campaign setting could be any good. The second reason was that there are nineteen books in the whole series. It seemed like they might be... mass produced.

My skepticism was soon set aside as I delved into the books.

The Dark Elf Trilogy, as the name implies, tells the story of a dark elf, or drow, of the underdark, a world of twisting tunnels beneath the land of Ferun. The drow's name is Drizzt Do'urden and he is surrounded by the darkness and evil of his people. He, however, has an innate goodness in him that speaks against the dark ways of his people and also their worship of the Spider Queen, Lolth.

Finding no reconciliation between the ways of his people and his internal beliefs, Drizzt leaves the underdark to join the surface world, where he is met with nothing but malice from all save a few who meet him.

Despite my skepticism when I first started reading, this series has turned into one of my favorites. It is filled with intriguing characters, fascinating settings, engaging plot lines and deep themes that provoke thought on new subjects. It delves into the philosophies of morality while maintaining that there are such things as good and evil, even if we're not sure which is which.

Drizzt stands as one of the most fascinating characters in the history of the fantasy genre and these books are definitely worth reading for anyone, even those who don't particularly like fantasy.

Understanding that there are nineteen books in the series I plan to post about them in chunks, talking about each subset of books rather than each book.

To read about the next trilogy: The Icewind Dale Trilogy