World Famous Comics: The Orc King (Forgotten Realms: Transitions, Book 1)
The Orc King (Forgotten Realms: Transitions, Book 1)
By: R.A. Salvatore Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Wizards of the Coast Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 346 Publication Date: September 25, 2007 Release Date: September 25, 2007
Product Description: Drizzt is back in this exciting new trilogy from R.A. Salvatore!
An uneasy peace between the dwarves of Mithral Hall and the orcs of the newly established Kingdom of Many-Arrows can't last long. The orc tribes united under Obould begin to fight each other, and Bruenor is determined to finish the war that nearly killed him and almost destroyed everything he's worked to build. But it will take more than swords and axes to bring a lasting peace to the Spine of the World. Powerful individuals on both sides may have to change the way they see each other. They may have to start to talk. But it won't be easy.
Inspired me to give up on the Drizzt series. I've now gotten rid of all my Drizzt books with the exception of the Icewind Dale trilogy. The series actually started going downhill with Legacy with the drastic change in Cattie-Brea and the way she viewed Wulfgar. (I could have tolerated her getting together with Drizzt if it had not been so obviously telegraphed - "Drizzt is now the hero, so we've got to bump off Wulfgar so HE can get the girl". Why couldn't he get his own girl?)
Anyway, though the series always lacked the greatness of the first trilogy (these are larger than life characters - dragging them down to the ground does not suit them), I still kept reading, hoping to get back to the group dynamic that made them so popular in the first place. It never came.
Now, worse, is this latest change to the story dynamic. I don't know if these changes are Salvatore's own idea, or thrust upon him by Wizards of the Coast, but it does not work. The change is - an orc kingdom living in peace with its neighbors while the elves, humans, and dwarves are the cause of most of the strife (referring, of course, to the glimpses of the future).
This is problomatic for two reasons. 1. It has already been established that goblinkin are EVIL. They are not the type of creature you can live peacefully next too. In fact, Sourjorn even took a look at this when Drizzt realized that humans were basically good, while orcs, goblins, knolls, etc were basically evil, by observing the behavior of the young. Orc young were violent and vicious while human young were viewed as innocents.
2. Reading about Obould's conquest and Drizzt's decission to see if this Orc King might bring something better to the orcs and the region in general made me think of Europe's initial response to Hitler's first conquest. "Hey, there's no reason to believe he'll invade anyone else. Let's talk to him." What about punishing Obould for his crimes?
Another problem for me is the lack of direction the series has taken. The Icewind Dale Trilogy had a goal - showing the formation of this unusual group of heroes, finding Mithril Hall, and freeing Reagis from his past. It neatly tied up all loose ends and issues the characters had and went out on a positive note.
The Dark Elf Trilogy showed Drizzt's journey from the Underdark to Icewind Dale. It clearly showed the story of the hero overcoming the circumstances of his birth to find acceptance and something better.
What has the series done since then? It has just meandered along with no goal or objective in sight. There is STILL no visible objective for the characters. The Hunter's Blades Trilogy looked like the objective was going to be the defeat of an Orc army. Wrong. Now what is the goal? Where is the story going? What are the main characters trying to achieve? It does not look like anything except getting along day to day. That just can no longer hold my attention.
More Drizzt, not enough I loved this story line. Not enough pages. I have reread it too many times.
...better to start from the beginning. DOnt forget to include the cleric quintet
The Orc King The New book from Salvatore the Orc King is based on Hunters blade trilogy and starts where Two swords are ending.I was expecting quite a lot from the first book of new series Transitions because the ending of two swords brought an emotional charge and hope of great new series on horizon.Let me explain: The hole story and plot were below Salvatore`s artistic creation.Great plot and story where the best things from Salvatore and nobody could illustrate the world of Forgotten Realms like he did!The book begins with prelude which has to be skipped in order to enjoy the rest of the series because it tells you in advance how the book is going to end,so skip it(wish I had someone to tell me that)!The whole band is here,they are searching for ancient dwarf city and special weapon that could beat the encamped Orcs!I still have much to say but I m not going to do that because it could reveal the plot!Thing that bothers me the most is the ending which is unreal and mellow, but R A Salvatore is and always will be in my opinion the best SF writer!Greetings from Croatia
A new balance achieved I believe that this book is the result of many different years in writing and the authors growth and an inflection of his inner beliefs. Having been a long time fan of Mr Salvatore from the early drizzt series and to the demon wars. I'm delightfully content at how his new books are developing. There is a good mixture of both character developement and a new 'battle' that supercedes swordsplay. I see the inner turmoil and constant struggle between what is good and wrong to be pressingly important that reflects our daily lives. The excerpts from drizzt inner thoughts also is a nice touch to essentuiate that point.
What happened to Drizzt's swordplay? At the moment I am re-reading the entire series and am now in the middle of Legacy. While reading Exile I realized what was missing from The Orc King, along with the entire Hunter's Blade Trilogy, and that is the magnificent swordplay of our favorite dark elf. In the first 8 or so books Drizzt was unequalled, save for Artemis Entreri, and could kill pretty much any adversary within seconds. In the last four books his fights go on forever. I mean, his fight with Obould? Are you kidding me? He's fought much tougher monsters than Obould and it didn't take him 9 pages to have a draw. Bob Salvatore is certainly my favorite writer, but he seriously needs to take a look into the past and see why we all love Drizzt in the first place, because we wish that we could fight like him. I hope the next book in the series features that graceful "dance of death" that we read about before.
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