Starless Night: Legend of Drizzt: Legacy of the Drow, Book 2​

Review by Paul Fiander
Written by: R. A. Salvatore
Narrated by: Victor Bevine
Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins 
Series: Legend of Drizzt, Book 8
Publisher: Audible Studios
​​This review contains spoilers for earlier books of you are new to the series it may be better to read earlier reviews which you can find in our series focus.
Grief affects people in a myriad of ways, it can spur people on to do better in their lives, try to right the wrongs they see, breakdown or delve into another another emotional state. Nothing is the right way, each person deals with things in their own unique manner and this is how we find the remaining Companions of the Hall. With the fall of Wulfgar the seemingly invincible band have been dealt a hammer blow. The fact it was the strongest and youngest of the group was a surprise that I did not see coming, giving the future of the series an unknown quality. Then again Zak was killed in the first book so maybe it was just a spot of naivety on my part.

The narrative itself focuses on Drizzt’s quest to stop the Drow threat to Mithril Hall. We of course know from the end of The Legacy that this situation is bigger than just the ranger but how is he to know this. The dedication to his friends is admirable but the situation does show a mark of arrogance on the part of the renegade Drow. A matter which Salvatore eludes to in one of his memoir letters from Drizzt. 

These letters have no addressee but they try to sum up his thoughts at given sections of the story. These appear in all the titles so far except for the Icewind Dale series (Salvatore’s first journey with Drizzt). They provide an insight into the character that can sometimes be missed with all the drama unfolding in the main narrative. There may be a temptation to skip these parts but in doing do you will be missing out on a large part of the humanity of Drizzt Do’Urden.

​​Of course there are other stories being told some intersect with Drizzt’s quest while others like Regis’s path are there to show that the wheels are still turning in Mithril Hall. Jarlaxle’s tale is filled with intrigue as you would expect but it's Catti Brie's journey that really shows friendship is not a one way street for the companions. Her pursuit of Drizzt is admirable and due to her lack of knowledge of the underdark her journey is extremely tense. This comes into sharp focus when she loses her “light source" for a short period. The very idea of pitch blackness is a worry to lots of us but few will ever know the true darkness of the Underdark.

The series continues to enthral me with every addition, this is especially true with Catti Brie’s gift which is highlighted by the narration of Bevine. I love the weapons in this series and this has to be one of the best. Even as a standalone book Starless Night is strong as the characters journey fulfils a goal. That being said it's best to read the entire series for the perfect experience.

​​​​Other reviews from the tales of Drizzt Do'Urden by R.A.Salvatore

Find our complete list of reviews here  in our Legend of Drizzt series focus.