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The Sellswords #1
Servant of the Shard
When the demonic forces of the evil Crystal Shard overcome him, power-hungry dark elf Jarlaxle and his assassin compatriot, Artemis Entreri, seek the assistance of the virtuous Cadderly, in a story soon to be the basis of an Interplay computer game. Reprint.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
503 people are currently reading
5474 people want to read
About the author
R.A. Salvatore
607 books11.3k followersAs one of the fantasy genre’s most successful authors, R.A. Salvatore enjoys an ever-expanding and tremendously loyal following. His books regularly appear on The New York Times best-seller lists and have sold more than 10,000,000 copies. Salvatore’s original hardcover, The Two Swords, Book III of The Hunter’s Blade Trilogy (October 2004) debuted at # 1 on The Wall Street Journal best-seller list and at # 4 on The New York Times best-seller list. His books have been translated into numerous foreign languages including German, Italian, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Turkish, Croatian, Bulgarian, Yiddish, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Portuguese, Czech, and French.
Salvatore’s first published novel, The Crystal Shard from TSR in 1988, became the first volume of the acclaimed Icewind Dale Trilogy and introduced an enormously popular character, the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden. Since that time, Salvatore has published numerous novels for each of his signature multi-volume series including The Dark Elf Trilogy, Paths of Darkness, The Hunter’s Blades Trilogy, and The Cleric Quintet.
His love affair with fantasy, and with literature in general, began during his sophomore year of college when he was given a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as a Christmas gift. He promptly changed his major from computerscience to journalism. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications from Fitchburg State College in 1981, then returned for the degree he always cherished, the Bachelor of Arts in English. He began writing seriously in 1982, penning the manuscript that would become Echoes of the Fourth Magic. Salvatore held many jobs during those first years as a writer, finally settling in (much to our delight) to write full time in 1990.
The R.A. Salvatore Collection has been established at his alma mater, Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, containing the writer’s letters, manuscripts, and other professional papers. He is in good company, as The Salvatore Collection is situated alongside The Robert Cormier Library, which celebrates the writing career of the co-alum and esteemed author of young adult books.
Salvatore is an active member of his community and is on the board of trustees at the local library in Leominster, Massachusetts. He has participated in several American Library Association regional conferences, giving talks on themes including “Adventure fantasy” and “Why young adults read fantasy.” Salvatore himself enjoys a broad range of literary writers including James Joyce, Mark Twain, Geoffrey Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dante, and Sartre. He counts among his favorite genre literary influences Ian Fleming, Arthur Conan Doyle, Fritz Leiber, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Born in 1959, Salvatore is a native of Massachusetts and resides there with his wife Diane, and their three children, Bryan, Geno, and Caitlin. The family pets include three Japanese Chins, Oliver, Artemis and Ivan, and four cats including Guenhwyvar.
When he isn't writing, Salvatore chases after his three Japanese Chins, takes long walks, hits the gym, and coaches/plays on a fun-league softball team that includes most of his family. His gaming group still meets on Sundays to play.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rasalv...
Salvatore’s first published novel, The Crystal Shard from TSR in 1988, became the first volume of the acclaimed Icewind Dale Trilogy and introduced an enormously popular character, the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden. Since that time, Salvatore has published numerous novels for each of his signature multi-volume series including The Dark Elf Trilogy, Paths of Darkness, The Hunter’s Blades Trilogy, and The Cleric Quintet.
His love affair with fantasy, and with literature in general, began during his sophomore year of college when he was given a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as a Christmas gift. He promptly changed his major from computerscience to journalism. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications from Fitchburg State College in 1981, then returned for the degree he always cherished, the Bachelor of Arts in English. He began writing seriously in 1982, penning the manuscript that would become Echoes of the Fourth Magic. Salvatore held many jobs during those first years as a writer, finally settling in (much to our delight) to write full time in 1990.
The R.A. Salvatore Collection has been established at his alma mater, Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, containing the writer’s letters, manuscripts, and other professional papers. He is in good company, as The Salvatore Collection is situated alongside The Robert Cormier Library, which celebrates the writing career of the co-alum and esteemed author of young adult books.
Salvatore is an active member of his community and is on the board of trustees at the local library in Leominster, Massachusetts. He has participated in several American Library Association regional conferences, giving talks on themes including “Adventure fantasy” and “Why young adults read fantasy.” Salvatore himself enjoys a broad range of literary writers including James Joyce, Mark Twain, Geoffrey Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dante, and Sartre. He counts among his favorite genre literary influences Ian Fleming, Arthur Conan Doyle, Fritz Leiber, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Born in 1959, Salvatore is a native of Massachusetts and resides there with his wife Diane, and their three children, Bryan, Geno, and Caitlin. The family pets include three Japanese Chins, Oliver, Artemis and Ivan, and four cats including Guenhwyvar.
When he isn't writing, Salvatore chases after his three Japanese Chins, takes long walks, hits the gym, and coaches/plays on a fun-league softball team that includes most of his family. His gaming group still meets on Sundays to play.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rasalv...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 285 reviews
September 13, 2021
Over 5 stars.
It's hard to put Servant of the Shard on the position in comparing to The Silence Blade, I still love The Silence Blade a little bit In which I found the fact that after rereading Servant of the Shard; but still, Servant if The Shard stunned me when I was reading. It's feels like my reading experience went through each pages as if driving a roller coaster pass a dim cavern. I can't stop reading it!!!
It's hard to put Servant of the Shard on the position in comparing to The Silence Blade, I still love The Silence Blade a little bit In which I found the fact that after rereading Servant of the Shard; but still, Servant if The Shard stunned me when I was reading. It's feels like my reading experience went through each pages as if driving a roller coaster pass a dim cavern. I can't stop reading it!!!
September 14, 2017
A fascinating foray into the minds and motives of, and the relationships between, some of our heroes' most enduring nemeses. Although I found it a little difficult at first to grapple with all-bad-guys-all-the-time, it actually turned out to be quite gripping once we started to pick up on some interesting twists. I have to say that Jarlaxle and Entreri made for far more unpredictable protagonists than Drizzt's friends ever did, and the complex character development Salvatore weaves into the ever-twisting plot is the best facet of the novel. The shrewd drow mercenary and the singleminded human assassin may look like they have much in common on the surface (metaphorically speaking, as obviously they physically look nothing alike), but watching how they play off one another only shows up their differences. They made excellent foils, always playing up to and off of one another's strengths and weaknesses. I found it remarkable that they could have spent so much time together and one would still be constantly surprised by the tricks the other would pull out of his sleeve. The addition of Crenshinibon made for an interesting character twist, also (though the Crystal Shard isn't technically a character), and warped the intricacy of their interactions even further. In the Drizzt books, I always found Entreri rather annoying, but I think my perspective of him was totally reshaped by this book. And Jarlaxle is still just as suavely awesome as before. My respect for both of them was well expanded. I also liked seeing more of Dwahvel Tiggerwillies, seeing a bit more of Cadderly, Danica, and the irrepressible Bouldershoulders, and watching how all of their interactions—with Entreri in particular—further intrigued the character development.
I actually found this the most compelling of Salvatore's novels, character-wise, since The Dark Elf Trilogy dealing with Drizzt's childhood in Menzoberranzan. And the last line of the epilogue only bolstered its draw—I'm definitely eager to leap into The Promise of the Witch-King!
I actually found this the most compelling of Salvatore's novels, character-wise, since The Dark Elf Trilogy dealing with Drizzt's childhood in Menzoberranzan. And the last line of the epilogue only bolstered its draw—I'm definitely eager to leap into The Promise of the Witch-King!
March 27, 2017
Quick summary without spoilers....
Artemis Entreri is teamed up with Jarlaxle as the drow have made their way to Calimport AND Jarlaxle has Crenshinibon and how much will it corrupt the leader of Bregan D'aerthe?
If none of that makes sense to you then you should be ashamed because you're obviously behind on the finest tales in all the Realms.
And did I mention that this story also has Cadderly, Danica and Ivan/Pikel Bouldershoulder!
No Drizzt.
But everyone else is here.
It's really good.
Classic Salvatore. Great characters. Great fights. Epic magic. Dragons and elves and drow.
Seriously, this is a good read. I wouldn't recommend it as a starting point to reading the Forgotten Realms but if you're familiar with all the mainstays in Salvatore's Realms books then this is not one to be missed.
Artemis Entreri is teamed up with Jarlaxle as the drow have made their way to Calimport AND Jarlaxle has Crenshinibon and how much will it corrupt the leader of Bregan D'aerthe?
If none of that makes sense to you then you should be ashamed because you're obviously behind on the finest tales in all the Realms.
And did I mention that this story also has Cadderly, Danica and Ivan/Pikel Bouldershoulder!
No Drizzt.
But everyone else is here.
It's really good.
Classic Salvatore. Great characters. Great fights. Epic magic. Dragons and elves and drow.
Seriously, this is a good read. I wouldn't recommend it as a starting point to reading the Forgotten Realms but if you're familiar with all the mainstays in Salvatore's Realms books then this is not one to be missed.
June 27, 2019
So I was about halfway through this book when I realized that not only is it the third book in the Paths of Darkness series, but it’s also the first book of the Sellswords series, a series of books focused on Artemis Entreri. After I discovered that, I spent the rest of the book trying to decide if I go on to the last book of Paths or if I drop it entirely to read Sellswords. Honestly, I’m still a little floored by how much I’ve come to love Artemis. I spent several books wanting to strangle this man and now I adore him. More than Drizzt! I look forward to hearing about him and reading more about him. So that was the real struggle here.
I loved loved loved this book though. I really enjoyed seeing Artemis develop as a character and slowly begin to change. I loved all the banter between him and Jarlaxle. And the actual adventure was just so much fun to read about. I am definitely looking forward to reading more about these two and seeing their own adventures in the Sellsword series.
I loved loved loved this book though. I really enjoyed seeing Artemis develop as a character and slowly begin to change. I loved all the banter between him and Jarlaxle. And the actual adventure was just so much fun to read about. I am definitely looking forward to reading more about these two and seeing their own adventures in the Sellsword series.
January 31, 2024
Continues to be a good read. It's fun, fast, and well written.
The story is mostly about Artemis Entreri and his dealings with the Crystal Shard or (Creshininbon sp?).
The story is mostly about Artemis Entreri and his dealings with the Crystal Shard or (Creshininbon sp?).
July 26, 2022
I missed these characters.. driztt was becoming a bit repetitive.. jarlaxle and entreri are an awesome duo.. review to come
September 6, 2010
I'm not a huge fan of Artemis Entreri, so this book wasn't as interesting to me as the others in the series. I also detest the Bouldershoulder brothers. I couldn't finish the Cleric Quintet because of them, and I was most displeased to find that Mr. Salvatore has integrated them into Drizzt's world. Boo! I actually have tried to read the next trilogy (Hunter's Blades, I believe) and had to stop because of those two stupid dwarves. It is NOT interesting to constantly read, "Oo" and "Oo oi!" as dialogue (and the only dialogue for one of the characters) and have a character referred to as a "doo-dad." *sigh* I will muscle through them, though, because I just love Drizzt that much.
Anyway, this one doesn't have Drizzt in it at all, except for the traditional prelude-to-the-next-part diary entries. But Jarlaxle is a good substitute, and he made this one worth reading (especially if you don't like Entreri).
Admittedly, the Crystal Shard was becoming hum-drum and it was a relief to get all that over with, then. Not too bad of a story, and Jarlaxle definitely became more interesting this time through.
Anyway, this one doesn't have Drizzt in it at all, except for the traditional prelude-to-the-next-part diary entries. But Jarlaxle is a good substitute, and he made this one worth reading (especially if you don't like Entreri).
Admittedly, the Crystal Shard was becoming hum-drum and it was a relief to get all that over with, then. Not too bad of a story, and Jarlaxle definitely became more interesting this time through.
April 24, 2017
WHAT A RUSH!! This is one of those very few fantasy books that's short, strictly sticks to the main storyline, ignores the romantic plots, tugging of braids, does not go on about long descriptions of buildings and what clothes (ugh) each and every character is wearing. Now don't get me wrong, it's not like R.A.Salvatore left out everything while religiously sticking to the plot. He described everything halfway and left half of it to the reader's imagination and I prefer it this way!
If you want to read something with an intense plot that doesn't slow down to let you catch your breath, where dark elves covertly try to take over a city, where a human assassin tries to outwit everyone because he truly is all alone in his world and that's how he survives, where a Paladin takes on a bloody red dragon with his trusty dwarven companions and his more than capable warrior wife, where magical artefacts are sentient, where sometimes there is no escape for our characters and that's where they show their true colours, then this book is for you! It's barely 400 pages! And you have 2 more books to look forward to as it's part of a trilogy!
If you want to read something with an intense plot that doesn't slow down to let you catch your breath, where dark elves covertly try to take over a city, where a human assassin tries to outwit everyone because he truly is all alone in his world and that's how he survives, where a Paladin takes on a bloody red dragon with his trusty dwarven companions and his more than capable warrior wife, where magical artefacts are sentient, where sometimes there is no escape for our characters and that's where they show their true colours, then this book is for you! It's barely 400 pages! And you have 2 more books to look forward to as it's part of a trilogy!
February 2, 2013
At first I found this difficult to read. Why should I care about Artemis Entreri when I know that he is a bad person? But then I realized in his circumstances he was by far the best person. Plus I really liked Dwahavel. So I began to sympathize with Artemis and as always respect his intelligence and quick wits. I also must admit I've only read the Dark Elf Trilogy and Icewind Dale trilogy before this so I skipped a lot in between and although I do like Drizzt and would love to read more of him, I am glad I did because I am swiftly liking Artemis and Jarlaxle as well. And Cadderly's group is fun too. Basically a lot of bad/evil characters were faced against each other and the lesser of two evils prevailed and I began to think of the lesser evil as not so evil at all which is a nice tactic by Salvatore to provide growth. Overall, good but it grates a little, especially at the beginning.
October 1, 2023
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: A strange device, mere crystal shard in appearance, created by powerful, yet evil creatures, which then destroyed them. Having gained sentience, it tempts and pits people against one another in search for the best, most powerful wielder. What would happen after remains to be seen, as two deadliest assassins suddenly find themselves ensnared by it.
My Opinion: Amazing character development whilst remaining true to their origins. Two deadly warriors, sellswords, killers, against each other, yet together against the world, all whilst wrestling the shard’s power. Very well folded and written story, full of various insights, familiar characters, and great lore. Every previous book, even the most boring one, was worth reading to get to this point.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: A strange device, mere crystal shard in appearance, created by powerful, yet evil creatures, which then destroyed them. Having gained sentience, it tempts and pits people against one another in search for the best, most powerful wielder. What would happen after remains to be seen, as two deadliest assassins suddenly find themselves ensnared by it.
My Opinion: Amazing character development whilst remaining true to their origins. Two deadly warriors, sellswords, killers, against each other, yet together against the world, all whilst wrestling the shard’s power. Very well folded and written story, full of various insights, familiar characters, and great lore. Every previous book, even the most boring one, was worth reading to get to this point.
January 22, 2019
7/10
An enjoyable read featuring some of the characters who have been the “bad guys” in the earlier Drizzt books (and Drizzt does not play a role in this installment at all). Focusing on the assassin Artemis Entreri and the dark elves Jarlaxle, Rai-guy, and Kimmuriel, the story explores the power of the Crystal Shard, Crenshinibon, and reveals how these players (and others) react and respond to its allure. Surprising changes result, especially in the lives of Entreri and Jarlaxle.
An enjoyable read featuring some of the characters who have been the “bad guys” in the earlier Drizzt books (and Drizzt does not play a role in this installment at all). Focusing on the assassin Artemis Entreri and the dark elves Jarlaxle, Rai-guy, and Kimmuriel, the story explores the power of the Crystal Shard, Crenshinibon, and reveals how these players (and others) react and respond to its allure. Surprising changes result, especially in the lives of Entreri and Jarlaxle.
April 9, 2021
This book had three parts. Part one was the slowest and I didn’t really see where the book was going but parts two and three were exciting and satisfying.
March 23, 2019
After the disappointment I felt reading the second book in the ‘Paths of Darkness’ series, “The Spine of the World,” I was really glad to read ‘Servant of the Shard.’ All the excitement and flair associated with R.A. Salvatore’s mastery of the Forgotten Realms has returned in the third book.
The heroes customarily associated with Salvatore’s books, Drizzt, Wulfgar, Bruenor, Regis and Cattiebrie, are not present. This is the anti-heroes book. The assassin Artemis Entreri. The dark elf Jarlaxle Baeure.
Sinister forces from Menzoberranzan, home of the dark elves, invade the already tumultuous city of Calimport. Kimmuriel Oblodra, a psionicist, and Rai-Guy Bondalek, a high priest of Lolth, begin to overthrow powerful houses for Bregan D’aerthe, a mercenary company trying to expand its influence beyond the underdark to the world on the surface.
Employing a variety of magic weapons, spells and psionic powers, as well as kobols, mindflayers and wererats, the invasion from below begins. There are countless battles, street fights, backstabbing and treachery.
These are dark characters not accustomed to trusting anyone but themselves. They are trying to accomplish goals while fighting for individual power and personal agendas. There is a lot of intrigue.
The influence of the artifact Crenshinibon, a crystal with a mind of its own, one bent on nothing less than total domination, tears apart the fabric of the alliances – and in the end, brings about a unique partnership between several characters that would have never associated with one another.
Being the enemy of all, Entereri and Jarlaxle come to realize that Crenshinibon must be destroyed and the only thing that can destroy it is the breath of a dragon.
‘Servant of the Shard’ is epic storytelling at its best and I highly recommend it for lovers of fantasy adventure tales. I truly look forward to reading the next book in the series, ‘Sea of Swords.’
The heroes customarily associated with Salvatore’s books, Drizzt, Wulfgar, Bruenor, Regis and Cattiebrie, are not present. This is the anti-heroes book. The assassin Artemis Entreri. The dark elf Jarlaxle Baeure.
Sinister forces from Menzoberranzan, home of the dark elves, invade the already tumultuous city of Calimport. Kimmuriel Oblodra, a psionicist, and Rai-Guy Bondalek, a high priest of Lolth, begin to overthrow powerful houses for Bregan D’aerthe, a mercenary company trying to expand its influence beyond the underdark to the world on the surface.
Employing a variety of magic weapons, spells and psionic powers, as well as kobols, mindflayers and wererats, the invasion from below begins. There are countless battles, street fights, backstabbing and treachery.
These are dark characters not accustomed to trusting anyone but themselves. They are trying to accomplish goals while fighting for individual power and personal agendas. There is a lot of intrigue.
The influence of the artifact Crenshinibon, a crystal with a mind of its own, one bent on nothing less than total domination, tears apart the fabric of the alliances – and in the end, brings about a unique partnership between several characters that would have never associated with one another.
Being the enemy of all, Entereri and Jarlaxle come to realize that Crenshinibon must be destroyed and the only thing that can destroy it is the breath of a dragon.
‘Servant of the Shard’ is epic storytelling at its best and I highly recommend it for lovers of fantasy adventure tales. I truly look forward to reading the next book in the series, ‘Sea of Swords.’
October 1, 2012
I have read this book a long time ago, but unfortunately I was'nt able to finish it because I listened from a bad critic from a cousin who owned the book. When the thought of making a novel of my own came to me, I decided to read it again from the start. The novel was kinda confusing from the start, bombarding the reader with so many information on the characters and the lands of the forgotten realms. Now, if you are a novice to the forgotten realms then you'll wonder about it alot. But it's a mere scratch I should say, one can hit the wiki with all the information about it or continue on reading and focus with the story. The story-telling prowess of Salvatore is great and he enthralls readers with the complete detail of fight scenes in his novel. He remained true with the identities of the characters and the racial disparities, and the plot was wittingly devised. I can't wait to read the other two novels of a trilogy that tells the journey of the unusual alliance of Artemis and Jarlaxle. I give this novel four stars out of five.
October 30, 2025
Originally when I read this book in 2000 I wasn't a fan, but I think it fell into "yet another book without Drizzt" duet to this being released the year after "Spine of the World". I also failed to grasp the subtle nuances that was Jarlaxle while not really seeing the character growth of Artemis Entreri. It wasn't till I read "Promise of the Witch King" to understand what I'd missed from this book. In the letter that Artemis left for Dwavel there is a paragragh within it where he describes youth versus getting older this is my favourite narration in this whole series that is completely relatable.
I so enjoy novels where there are no "good guys" just bad guys & worse guys. This book & the following 2 are just that.
I so enjoy novels where there are no "good guys" just bad guys & worse guys. This book & the following 2 are just that.
December 11, 2019
We get to see the inside of a thieves' guild ! How exciting, the intrigue, the plots, the backstabbing and constant betrayals, as one after another "dominoes" get arranged in Calimshan by the devious Bregan D'aerte gang and its famous leader...
A lot of tying up loose ends, but also good enough twists to keep you going. Not necessarily the normal formula of the Drizzt novels we got accustomed too, but from what I understand this is also part of two separate book cycles, so a few - even if slow and unexplained acts/events - will probably have further repercussions and where just used to set things in motion.
A lot of tying up loose ends, but also good enough twists to keep you going. Not necessarily the normal formula of the Drizzt novels we got accustomed too, but from what I understand this is also part of two separate book cycles, so a few - even if slow and unexplained acts/events - will probably have further repercussions and where just used to set things in motion.
May 2, 2024
We have followed the Crystal Shard for a few books now, and R. A. Salvatore has transitioned wonderfully through each. Now, it is in the hands of Jarlaxle. Though this story did not follow Drizzt, I still really enjoyed reading it. You get to see a new side of Artemis Entreri, and get the feeling that he isn’t just a heartless killer. The character development is executed perfectly. I couldn’t put this book down. Definitely 5 stars.
November 5, 2018
More like servant of the shart.
June 20, 2025
8,5/10 Novel·la fascinant que posa en relleu la dinàmica entre dos anti herois carismàtics: "Artemis Entreri", l’assassí fred i calculador, i "Jarlaxle", el líder enigmàtic i astut dels drows renegats. La química entre ells és el cor de la història: una barreja d’aliança tensa, respecte mutu i rivalitat soterrada. Jarlaxle, amb el seu estil teatral i intel·ligència manipuladora, contrasta amb l’eficàcia letal i la introspectiva d’Entreri.
Salvatore teixeix una trama plena d’intrigues i traïcions, on les lleialtats es difuminen i els jocs de poder no tenen fi. Com és habitual en l’autor, l’acció és àgil i entretinguda, amb escenes de combat precises i diàlegs incisius,enginyosos i carregats de dobles intencions que mantenen el ritme narratiu. No és una escriptura lírica o densa, sinó funcional i dinàmica, perfecta per a una història de conspiracions i enfrontaments.
Una lectura addictiva per als qui gaudeixen de personatges complexos, una fantasia fosca amb un toc de malícia i un canvi de perspectiva que és una ventada d'aire fresc en la llegenda d'en Drizzt do'Urden.
Salvatore teixeix una trama plena d’intrigues i traïcions, on les lleialtats es difuminen i els jocs de poder no tenen fi. Com és habitual en l’autor, l’acció és àgil i entretinguda, amb escenes de combat precises i diàlegs incisius,enginyosos i carregats de dobles intencions que mantenen el ritme narratiu. No és una escriptura lírica o densa, sinó funcional i dinàmica, perfecta per a una història de conspiracions i enfrontaments.
Una lectura addictiva per als qui gaudeixen de personatges complexos, una fantasia fosca amb un toc de malícia i un canvi de perspectiva que és una ventada d'aire fresc en la llegenda d'en Drizzt do'Urden.
March 30, 2020
Another fun book in RA Salvatore’s Forgotten Realms universe! The first of The Sellswords trilogy was full of action and adventure, even though this book did not feature Drizzt or any of his close friends. But I like the pairing of Entreri and Jarlaxle, and I’ve always been a fan of antiheroes, which is where these two former villains seem to be headed now. This one started out a bit slow, with a lot of focus on all the scheming and betrayals going on, but it came to a fun conclusion with some late help from a group of characters that we got to know a bit earlier in the series. And a big pissed off dragon never hurts either. Through most of this book, I would’ve expected to give it a 3-star review, but the last 100 or so pages pushed it into 4-star territory, and I’m looking forward to the next Sellswords book to see what kind of fun adventures the antiheroes get into next.
June 27, 2020
No quiero pararme mucho en reseñar este libro, así que voy a dividir mi opinión en:
- Pros: Los dos “anti-héroes”, por llamarles de alguna manera: Jarlaxe y Artemis Enteri. Me parece más interesante lo que no se cuenta de ellos, que lo que sí se dice. El libro me ha despertado cierta curiosidad (aunque no mucha, tampoco) sobre las historias que guardan detrás.
- Contras: Salvo Artemis y Jarlaxe, el resto de los “anti-anti-héroes” son un auténtico petardo y parecen más una broma que personajes reales. Para entender al 100% lo que hay detrás de la “Piedra de Cristal” y su historia subyacente ya imagino que hay que remontarse a otros libros, pero toda la trama de este libro que se desarrolla alrededor de ella me parece un despropósito.
- Pros: Los dos “anti-héroes”, por llamarles de alguna manera: Jarlaxe y Artemis Enteri. Me parece más interesante lo que no se cuenta de ellos, que lo que sí se dice. El libro me ha despertado cierta curiosidad (aunque no mucha, tampoco) sobre las historias que guardan detrás.
- Contras: Salvo Artemis y Jarlaxe, el resto de los “anti-anti-héroes” son un auténtico petardo y parecen más una broma que personajes reales. Para entender al 100% lo que hay detrás de la “Piedra de Cristal” y su historia subyacente ya imagino que hay que remontarse a otros libros, pero toda la trama de este libro que se desarrolla alrededor de ella me parece un despropósito.
March 28, 2021
This book was mostly about Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle Baenre. It didn't feature any of my favorite heroes, including Drizzt, Bruenor, Cattie-Brie, Wulfgar, or Regis. Other main characters in this book are Rai-Guy, Kimmuriel Olbodra, B'erginyon Baenre, Dwahvel Tiggerwillies, Cadderly, and Sharlotta Vespers. It was neat to see in the minds of the "bad guys" in the world. As always, Salvatore weaves together different plotlines to have a razzle-dazzle battle finish. Love the action scenes. Not my favorite outing, however. This one, in particular, was also very similar to the Lord of the Rings.
November 21, 2023
War ganz unterhaltsam. Cadderly taucht auch wieder auf, was der Sache ein Dämpfer gegeben hat.
Ansonsten:
Ansonsten:
May 13, 2023
One of the better Drizzt books I‘ve read in a while. Love the relationship and development of Jarlaxle and Entreri and their development in this book. Love the banter and also the hilariously weird dwarf brothers at the Spirit Soaring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2023
A fantastic Drizzt adventure, featuring two of my favorite side characters, Jarlaxle and Entreri. Didn't miss Drizzt a bit in this story. Unlike the Wulfgar book these two characters really carried the story well by themselves.
October 23, 2024
Honestly after reading Ed Greenwood's very bad book about Waterdeep my expectations for this were very low (once again reading to try and scrape any scrap of usefulness for a DND campaign out of it). However compared to that, this book is actually sort of okay?
April 15, 2017
אני מעדיף לוותר על הקריאה של הטרילוגיה שמתחילה בזה, משעמם
October 7, 2025
Completely lost throughout the whole thing.
December 4, 2025
Entreri y Jarlaxle... vaya giro de acontecimientos
June 8, 2014
Servant of the Shard has an odd history. It was originally presented as a villain focused book which was part of the greater Drizzt saga. I am not sure at what point Salvatore decided to expand upon the adventures of Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle but at some point Servant of the Shard was expanded into a trilogy of books. My personal thought is that Salvatore wanted to expand his writing into other areas and developing a story about Drizzt's nemesis was the easiest way to take a break from that character.
I'm very glad that WOTC allowed R.A. Salvatore the freedom to go in this direction because Servant of the Shard is a fun book. It's full of action and betrayal which is to be expected with a book about villains. Salvatore continues to be the best writer of Dungeons and Dragons fiction. He truly gets the sensibility of the game and is able to write stories that reflect it but have his own language mixed in. If I have a quibble about Servant of the Shard it is that the story is a bit bland. The characters motivations are a bit too clear cut with most of the actions explained away by the titular artifact. In this respect it too often functions as a Deus Ex Machina.
I rarely give R.A. Salvatore books a rating above 3. This is not due to any dislike. These books are pure 'pulp fiction' and are mostly a guilty pleasure of mine. They are to be enjoyed by those seeking to fire up a youthful imagination or those attempting to recapture the same. For these reasons I will always recommend R.A. Salvatore.
I'm very glad that WOTC allowed R.A. Salvatore the freedom to go in this direction because Servant of the Shard is a fun book. It's full of action and betrayal which is to be expected with a book about villains. Salvatore continues to be the best writer of Dungeons and Dragons fiction. He truly gets the sensibility of the game and is able to write stories that reflect it but have his own language mixed in. If I have a quibble about Servant of the Shard it is that the story is a bit bland. The characters motivations are a bit too clear cut with most of the actions explained away by the titular artifact. In this respect it too often functions as a Deus Ex Machina.
I rarely give R.A. Salvatore books a rating above 3. This is not due to any dislike. These books are pure 'pulp fiction' and are mostly a guilty pleasure of mine. They are to be enjoyed by those seeking to fire up a youthful imagination or those attempting to recapture the same. For these reasons I will always recommend R.A. Salvatore.
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