Les Compagnons

The Sundering #1

by R.A. Salvatore, Jean-Baptiste Bernet (Translator)

Mailikki, déesse de la nature, offre aux Compagnons de la Halle une chance d’aider Drizzt : ils vivront une nouvelle existence, sans jamais se croiser, jusqu’au jour où ils retrouveront leur ami et le sauveront des griffes de Lloth, la terrible déesse-araignée. Aux quatre coins des Royaumes Oubliés, une jeune sorcière maniant la magie interdite, un voleur aussi malingre que féroce et un nain à la force surnaturelle luttent pour rencontrer leur destin... mais rien ne dit qu’ils survivront jusqu’à ce jour, alors que dans l’ombre une cabale de sorciers les surveille de près et que des dieux oubliés renaissent de leurs cendres.

Genres: Fantasy, Forgotten Realms, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, High Fantasy, Audiobook, Adventure

469 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

As 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...

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drizzt's deceased friends are reincarnated with the intent to meet in 21 years and resume their companionship. Will Regis, Cattie-brie, and Bruenor survive a second childhoold? And will Drizzt be alive when they meet in adulthood?

I got this for free from NetGalley. Thank you, NetGalley!

Despite what you may have heard, I was a tremendous geek as a kid, even playing Dungeons and Dragons on quite a few occasions. Still, I always steered clear of D&D related fiction. It all seemed pretty derivative and Drizzt seemed like Michael Moorcock's Elric in a change of clothes. Wizards of the Coast invited me to read this on NetGalley and I decided to give it a shot for old times' sake. It wasn't bad.

Regis the halfling, Bruenor the dwarf, and Cattie-brie, human sorceress, proved to be fairly interesting characters despite all of them being D&D cliches. Bruenor's rage and impatience pushed his story along, seeing him growing in prowess while alienating his fellow dwarfs. Regis was born to rags but was taken in the Grandfather of Assassins and did pretty well for himself. Cattie-brie's tale was actually the least interesting, a wandering sorceress learning from five teachers by the tale's end.

Despite never reading the trio's initial adventure with Drizzt, the tale was easy enough to follow. Salvatore guided me by the hand, relating what I'd need to know while actually making me want to read some of the old stuff. There was a lot of action, as I expected. Also as I expected, Salvatore's prose is not going to rival David Foster Wallace's any time soon.

That's about all I have to say. I enjoyed it enough that I'll probably pick up the next book in the series. It's a fun read with little thinking required.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Resurrection and reincarnation magic are parts of the Dungeons and Dragons roleplay-game since the long time old first edition of the pen and paper tabletop game, so it was just a question of time to see when and how the Companions of the Hall were going to come back to life again, being Salvatore's long spanning series in the Forgotten Realms, an high-fantasy setting based on the game that I used to play for something like 30 years of my life.
I liked almost everything of this 24th installment of the Drizzt Do'Urden's saga, from the characters storylines (Regis' new life as an assassin guild member and Bruenor meeting vampire Pwent in Glauntgrym, phoned but good, were my most favourite ones) to their final meeting with the Dark Elf (again, Wulfgar's surprising showdown was not much surprising, but totally appreciated).
Action scenes were as good as always, but Salvatore is the Michael Bay of the fantasy writers for me, so that was much expected too.
There are some flaws, like Drizzt absence in the novel besides intros and few pages in the end or the author making characters 'swallow hard' too many times (it happened two times in three rows..), but it was so great too see the Companions of the Hall together again after The Last Threshold's disappointing ending and all the Dahlia's crap from previous books.

Trigger warning: if you wanna read this novel because is the first one in Forgotten Realm's The Sundering series, be warned about it being the 24th in Drizzt Do'Urden series, so you are missing a lot of things if you start reading here.

[Natalie Monroe · Rating 1 out of 5]

EDIT 16/9/2015: I'm sick and tired of trolls stamping their feet and whining about how I should have read the first twenty-four books, so let me reiterate:

The Companions was marketed as the first in a series.

Second time in case you didn't hear:

The Companions was marketed as the first in a series.

Once more for luck:

The Companions was marketed as the first in a series.

When I clicked on the title on Netgalley, it was marked as The Sundering #1. I had not been in contact with the author's other works. It wasn't until I got the ARC and trundled onto Goodreads to shelf it that I realized my mistake. Blame the marketing team, blame the publisher—Hell, blame the Easter bunny for all I care. But stop informing me I should have read the other books first.

Second point—and I'm really regretting identifying myself as a Fantasy newbie—cease your if-you-don't-like-fantasy-why-are-you-reading-it comments. It's circular reasoning. If I don't read it, how will I know if I'll like it? I don't even know why some of you think I hate Fantasy. If your answer is Lord of the Rings, I invite you to get your elitist ass out of my space. I enjoy Fantasy, I'm picky because I enjoy Fantasy, that's that.

Also, I use gifs in my reviews. Always have, always will. Deal with it.

Back to our originally scheduled program:

DNF at 29%

I have never not finished an ARC before and I feel terribly guilty about it. But I just cannot continue on with this mess of a book. It's confusing and the writing is very sketchy.

I think part of the problem of why I was confused was because I'm not a fantasy genre veteran. I adore A Game of Thrones and Harry Potter, but I've never read Lord of the Rings.


Yes, I know. I'm horribly ashamed of myself.

Plus, I've had a deep mistrust of YA fantasy books since Throne of Glass so I rarely touch any of it. As a result, I don't know all the fantastical creatures this book keeps throwing at me. What is an orc? I know the word, but I can't attach an image to it. Are they like the Urgals in Eragon?


Or are they like the trolls in Harry Potter?


Seriously, I need to know these things.

Another part of the problem was probably because this book is the 24th book in the Legend of Drizzt series. I picked it up, expecting it to be the first book of The Sundering, which is why I felt swamped by all these characters and events I was supposed to be well-acquainted with. But even if this book is the first in a spin-off series (that's what I assume anyway), it is no excuse not to provide a back story. I mean, look at what Julie Kagawa did with The Lost Prince. It was based on her Iron Fey series, but I'm fairly confident that newcomers can just pick up The Lost Prince, without having read the original series, and still walk away with a moderate understanding of how things work in the Nevernever. I had no idea what the hell was going on within this book and when I did, I couldn't bring myself to care, because I was not invested in these characters.



Also, the character names. I came across a character called Arrr. I kid you not.



You cannot expect me to take a character seriously when his name reminds me of pirates.

Okay, maybe not these kinds of pirates.


Eh, close enough.

Anyways, I strongly recommend that you read this series from the beginning if you're interested. But honestly, with this level of writing...



I highly doubt it would make much of a difference.

ARC received from Netgalley

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first R. A. Salvatore read and to say I was completely taken by his world building would be an understatement.

In The Companions the first installment in The Sundering Series, Drizzt is reflecting on his lost companions. Little did he know that the goddess Mielikki has intervened, giving his friends the option to be reborn to this new world some 100 years later to help Drizzt in the journey to come.

Catti-brie, Bruenor, Regis and Wulfgar are all given the opportunity to return to the world with the possibility of reuniting 21 years later at Kelvins' Cairn up Bruenor's Climb. Three accept the goddess Mielikki's offer and one desires to be reunited to lost loved ones and starts the journey to their final days.

For the sake of not creating a spoiler for previous Salvatore books I'm going to leave my description at this:

The Companions is the story of the rebirth, trials and struggles of three outstanding characters trying to remake their ways in this harsh world. At times, the memories of the past haunt their present. No ones journey is easy and the lure of their new life might just sway them from the honorable path back to Drizzt.

This was a brilliant fantasy read. The world building was outstanding. The characters plights were heart felt. I completely enjoyed watching the struggles each returning character had with play acting child-likeness while having the conscious of an adult inside. Each participant had their own unique battles and demons to face, decisions to make and new life lessons to learn. Salvatore brought us vividly along for the adventure. I'm a new R.A. Salvatore fan! I know that sometime in the near future I will be delving into every creation of Salvatore's imagination.

I received this copy ARC copy of The Companions from Wizards of the Coast in exchange for an honest review. This book is set for publication August 6, 2013.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

While you do not need to have read R.A. Salvatore's earlier Forgotten Realms books to enjoy this book, my familiarity with the characters certainly didn't hurt. Having recently read the Icewind Dale Trilogy, the first books that feature the Companions of the Hall, made me that much more invested in the long and difficult journeys Catti-brie, Bruenor, and Regis faced to return to Bruenor's Climb and help their friend Drizzt.

While all three plot-lines were interesting enough in their own ways, the highlight was Regis's rebirth as a street urchin and his subsequent rise to prominence, closely followed by Bruenor's adjustment from being King of Mithril Hall to being reborn as an indistinguishable dwarf lad. Catti-brie's rebirth and journey from magical teacher to magical teacher was the least compelling of the three.

Note two things going into this book: First, despite Drizzt and Guenhwyvar being on the cover, this is a tale of Catti-brie, Bruenor, and Regis, and Drizzt only appears briefly at the beginning and end of the book. Secondly, the story leaves off with a lot of unresolved threads, which will be picked up after the completion of the Sundering series -- a six book, six author major story event in Forgotten Realms -- in Night of the Hunter, which is expected to come out in March of 2014.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Aristotle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hangin' With Your High School Buddies

I was very surprised to see how much i enjoyed their company after all these years.
I can't believe how long its been since we hung out in the cafeteria of Crystal Shard high school.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Companions, by R.A. Salvatore, is the first book in a new series from Forgotten Realms called The Sundering. Each book is penned by a different author and will explore the events of the Sundering from various points of view. Salvatore’s entry continues the story of Drizzt Do’Urden and the title is a call to hearts, or to be slightly more (or less) dramatic, an answer to prayers.

The book opens with a glimpse of Drizzt, whose fate at the end of The Last Threshold (Book XXIII, Neverwinter Saga, Book IV) was uncertain. He is at Bruenor’s Climb, a lone mountain in the middle of Icewind Dale that is meaningful to the Companions. The peak has marked many beginnings. We continue to hear from Drizzt throughout the novel, in the usual series of thought-provoking journal entries. I’ve come to think of them as letters to the reader, and those included in The Companions are amongst the most stirring. He reflects on his life and the choices he has made, his friends and companions, the meaning of love, honour and loyalty. There is a sense Drizzt is preparing himself for the inevitable and that urgency underscores the journeys of the Companions as they embark on a quest unlike any other.

Yes, I said the Companions.

R.A. Salvatore and Wizards of the Coast have been tight-lipped when it comes revealing the actual plot of The Companions. Considering the title, it’s not hard to understand why.

Bruenor, Catti-brie, Regis, Wulfgar and Drizzt are known as the Companions of the Hall. Firm friends, the dwarf king and his adopted daughter, the halfling and the barbarian, the dark elf and his astral panther, Guenhwyvar, adventured together (for over twenty books) until fate teased them apart, one by one. Wulfgar fell away first, but not forever. He returned a changed man and his journey for peace rivaled Drizzt’s own. Catti-brie and Regis were victims of the Spellplague and Bruenor fell sealing the Great Primordial in Gauntlgrym. The long-lived dark elf, Drizzt, was left to mourn his companions, and to make sense of the world they departed.

While Drizzt, one of the most enduring fictional characters of our time, is compelling on his own, it is (or was) his companionship with Bruenor, Catti-brie, Regis and Wulfgar that gave each adventure such emotional depth. Representatives of different races, philosophies and fighting styles, these five formed a bond that was tested and tested again. Together, they proved that friendship, honour, loyalty and love could win out over all. Sounds trite, doesn’t it? It’s not. Such values are the core of any novel about companions who defeat the odds and Salvatore writes them very, very well.

I’m not going to give away much about the plot. I think the book deserves as little preparation from the reader as possible, even if the title is full of promise. Briefly, the Companions meet again, in Iruldoon, a ‘heaven’ created just for them by Meilikki, and they are given a quest. Drizzt needs them and they can choose to help him. Such is Meilikki’s gift to the drow she favours.

The Companions is utterly absorbing, surprising and wonderful. I have never read anything like it, and I’ve been reading R.A. Salvatore’s books for years. There are stories within the story, threads of past and future. The book can be taken as both a beginning and an ending. It’s an ode to Drizzt and the bond of friendship, honour and loyalty. It’s about choices and interpretation.

I loved this book, really loved it. I had a difficult time putting it aside to deal with life. I shed a tear at the dedication and more than a few toward the end. The Companions is everything a fan of Salvatore and the Legend of Drizzt could hope for, and more.

Written for and originally posted at SFCrowsnest.

[Patrice Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my younger days, which feels like ages ago, I wanted to believe I was just as smart as my older brother. Once he left home, he left behind a massive collection of books. I figured if I could read (and understand) these I must be just as smart as him. Amongst those books were Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms series. Sadly, before that phase of my life wore off, I never got around to reading the Forgotten Realms books. I only have the Dragonlance books under my belt. With that being said, I was more than happy when news came from Netgalley that the publishing company Wizards of the Coast was reviving one of the Forgotten Realms signature characters. I told my brother that some guy named Drzzt is being featured he was ecstatic. I, on the other hand, was not.

My trepidation stemmed from the fact that I was unfamiliar with the series, the characters, and the author. I wanted so much to finally read these books I'd missed in my childhood, but fear of the unknown was too hard to ignore. Would I need to have known who the heck these people are before beginning the book? Will the storyline require background information I could only know having read the other books? So many reservations crossed my mind until I decided to just go for it! These reservations were quickly reduced down to nothing once I finally began The Companions by R.A. Salvatore. Salvatore managed to pull me into his fantastical world in only a few pages.

After briefly meeting Drzzt in the beginning, the story branches off to two men who are in search for a special child. This child is believed to be a mortal chosen of the gods living amongst the Bedine people in the Desai Camp. Yes this child is special. We don't know why at this point so I won't spoil it for future readers.

The Comanions shift between time and character view as Drzzt recounts the past he's shared with his companions. Three out of the four companions have accepted the gift from the gods to return back to new bodies if they promise to stand with Drzzt once more in the future. We follow their individual, incredible journeys as they wait for the time to meet again at Kelvin's Cairn in Icewind Dale.

In the interest of being as spoiler-free as possible I will say that I was wholly invested in this journey from start to finish. The action, adventure, and character development is the reason I will continue with this Sundering Series. Fans of the Forgotten Realms series or epic fantasies will want to join in on this adventure.

Copy provided by Wizards of the Coast via Netgalley

[Kevin Xu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a bit of problem with this book. First off for one thing, this book had almost no Drizzt. Second, when I thought characters that were dead were suppose to be dead, but I guess he is not George R.R. Martin since he is writing in the Forgotten Realms. Plus I guess Drizzt just basicaly cannot go on without his friends. So this is a book where for Drizzt to end his search, and return to the world that he once knew. That is not the kind of book for me, a book that just brings up to speed of the regrowth of the other companions of the hall. I wish there was more to the story or even better what I would have done as a way to look on the past/early years of the Companions as a way of paying tribute to each of their lives.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

From 42Webs.com

I HATED The Last Threshold.

I love Drizzt books but I HATED The Last Threshold.

It wasn’t that it was a bad book, far from it, but it was a book that nothing happened. Drizzt tried to take his new friends and make them into his old, he tried teaching Entreri to be good, he tried teaching Dahlia to love him like Cattie-Brie did and he tried to help the world in the meantime. Then he fell asleep for twenty years, had the two major threats, Tiago and Errtu – threats RA had been building up since Neverwinter and The Crystal Shard – show up and fight each other. Then he breaks up with Dahlia and she kills him.

Drizzt died.

I HATED The Last Threshold.

If your level 15(ish) your biggest threat in an adventure book can’t be a CR 8 at most.

Truth be told the story was more a character study than anything else but after the build up and superior storytelling we’d gotten from RA since The Ghost King and how he was building to something that seemed EPIC – this book was a letdown.

But I knew the death wouldn’t last, they were already advertising The Companions as I finished the book so more was to come.

Enter The Companions.

Book one of The Sundering series, WoTC series to bring DND into 5th ed, is RA. Salvatore’s second Drizzt book that doesn’t focus on Drizzt. This book opens right before Drizzt falls asleep for twenty years. We’re in the heavens and Mielkki gives the four deceased Companions, Bruenor, Cattie-Brie, Regis and Wulfgar a chance to help Drizzt as his most dire moment. They would return to earth and save their friend.

The Catch:

They would be reborn in new bodies, to new parents and would have to grow up all over again, fully aware of who they were and what their past lives were but in new bodies to new parents and with new names.

They would be reincarnated.

Three say yes but Wulfgar cannot, he says no.

The book follows the three returners, Bruenor, Cattie-Brie, and Regis, as they are born into a new body, with a full conscious adult mind, and watches them grow old until the day they can travel to Ten-Towns to help their dearest of friends.

At first we see minds literally trapped in bodies they have no control over, how they have to wait years before they can do the easiest of task and stand-up.

This is where the book really get interesting.

Regis is now Spider Topolino – a halfling with genasi blood flowing through him born to a drunkard who hates Regis after his wife, Regis’ new mother, died in child-birth.

Bruenor is little Arr Arr – a shield dwarf born to a widow.

Cattie-Brie is Ruqiah – a human born to the Shade Enclave

Each of the three returners takes their time back on Toril in a different manner. Cattie-Brie is willing to sacrifice everybody and everyone to make it back to Ten-Towns, taking whatever magical training she can along the way. Regis is training to fight, no longer wanting to be the tag-along or the little one in need of rescuing, and Bruenor is growing old cursing his decisions. He was seated beside Moradin only to have that ripped from him. He now curses the gods, curses his decisions past and present, and desperately want his name back.

The three stories were fascinating. My favourite was Regis’. Seeing this child grow up in poverty, growing up with nothing and scraping by to simply exist each day, is a strong story. We see him become adopted by a criminal organization, to train the boy and make his a warrior-thief unlike any other, only to see the boy challenge his adopted family in order to save his new father. Regis even falls in love and questions whether he should leave his new home, leave the woman he loves, in order to keep his promise.

Regis is born knowing that this name, that this family, are little more than placeholders until the day of his twenty-first birthday when he will be reunited with Drizzt and the companions.

Bruenor takes the opposite approach. He doesn’t care for his new name, for his new life or his new lineage. He was once King Breunor and he will do whatever it takes to become that once-more; to lead an army against the orc kingdoms and undo the mistakes of his past life. He even lies to, and abandons, his new-mother, a woman who literally has nobody else in her life but little Arr Arr.

Cattie-Brie’s story is the most important and, ironically, the one thread I cared the least about. Through Ruqiah’s life we learn, and begin to see, that the Spellplague’s curse is lifting and Mystra and the Weave is returning. We only see glimpses of the Sundering’s effect, we will see more as the rest of the Sundering series continues.

The book ends with all of them reuniting, including a special guest or two, and saving the dying drow’s life. Everybody is together and everybody is now ready for whatever threat comes. The threat is never mentioned, on guessed at, but the most common guess is – in the book and out – is that Lady Lloth is coming to claim her chosen one, her greatest agent of chaos – Drizzt Do’Urden.

The book was brilliantly written by I’m left wondering of the implications. It well known that RA Salvatore didn’t enjoy the Post-Spellplague world of Faerûn – he has said so in many interview and publically at Hal-Con – but his writing since the 4th edition release of DND has been amazing. We’ve seen Drizzt loose everybody and have to learn to live in a world without his friend and how he deals by trying to make new ones.

Then his characters started coming back. I hope RA isn’t just trying to relive the ‘golden days’ of 3.X cause if he is I dare say it’s time to pack it in – and it pains me to say that. Your writing has gotten amazing. Drizzt has grown with you and your stories have become things of legend amongst fans but we need you to keep moving forward. We loved the past but things were getting tired.

Richard Lee Byers, in an interview with me, commented on bringing back character from the 3.x worlds

As you know, the Realms moved forward a hundred years after the events of the trilogy. That makes it problematic to write about any characters who, even if they survived the chaos of the Spellplague, would logically have grown old and died before the current batch of novels started. Sure, in a fantasy world, one can come up with magical cheats to keep characters young. But it would make the new Realms look stupid if every single writer found excuses to bring all his pet characters forward across the time jump. So, while I did it with Aoth and Bareris to make The Haunted Lands work, I’m reluctant to make a habit of that.
– Richard Lee Byers

Nobody seems to mind bringing back one or two characters that would have died. We have Artemis and Drizzt - Todd LockwoodDrizzt and Jarlaxle – two long living drow – and RA gave us Thibbledorf Pwent – a Gutbuster now a vampire – and even brought back Artemis Entreri – an assassin cursed with long life by Charon’s Claw-. I actually enjoyed Artemis’ return. I hated his ending and love that the only familiar face in Drizzt life is now his once arch-enemy. Out of RA massive cast list between Drizzt books and the Cleric Quintet, have four surviving was fine by me.

But now EVERYBODY is back. Drizzt Do’Urden, Bruenor Battlehammer, Catti-brie, Regis, Artemis, and even (spoiler) Wulfgar (/spoiler). Their deaths are losing their meaning. I mean Bruenor died an Avatar of Moridin and now it’s undone.

The next book, according to RA’s FB page, is Night of the Hunter and comes out March 2014. That book is going to be monumental for me. Much like Man of Steel my final opinion of The Companions will be based off the next installments. If everybody survives the next book/trilogy then I’m going to be really pissed. If it becomes a blood bath, if the threat of Lloth is so grave that Drizzt really did need his companions, then I’ll be fine with this.

I guess what I am saying is your brought back your original cast. Make it worthwhile. Give me something worthy of a Goddess’ intervention. And if its that dangerous make sure not everybody comes out of it alive.

Conclusion

My trepidation and concerns of the series’ future aside, I need to look at this book for what it is, it was an amazing read. It’s nice to see how well RA can write his characters when he doesn’t always need to focus on Drizzt, he proved that in The Spine of the World with Wulfgar recovering from being tortured and killed.

The evolution of his characters is amazing, Regis’ in particular, and I am always glad to see Wulfgar back in any form. I’ve missed the barbarian. It’s books like these that makes me wonder why RA doesn’t make a new series like he did with the Cleric Quintet years before.

The Companions is a thrilling read and an amazing book that tugs at my every vulnerable nostalgia-strings.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m another newbie to the fantasy world and creative talent of R. A. Salvatore, so the bits and pieces of background story neatly placed were a great help to fleshing out what is taking place now. The Companions is the first book in the new Sundering Series, each to be additional book to be written by a different author. Imagine being a witness to the rebirth of heroes lost in the past in a world full of strange creatures in a magical realm where danger can be lurking around every corner. There was once a small group of companions, but only one still lives, full of regret. In another realm, a paradise between the dead and the living, four brave souls are offered a chance to be reborn, to be able to rejoin with their remaining friend, be a part of the battle and adventures they once shared. Who will decide to accept this gift of the gods? Bruenor, Catti-brie, Regis and Wulfgar must search their hearts and choose, continue on in their afterlife or be reborn, fully aware of who they are, but needing to keep this knowledge secret. But first, they must survive their rebirth and we watch them grow physically with an inner knowledge of whom and what they once were. Each of their lives are so very different growing up. Will they really be the same as they were before? Will they be able to keep a pact they made to meet again as adults? Will they find each other and their remaining Companion?

R. A. Salvatore’s world is full of the kind of fantasy and adventure that pulls the reader in, page after page, with brilliant details and imaginative thinking! Not once did I feel I wanted the story to move along faster, I wanted the details! I wanted to know what would happen to these characters and was completely impressed with the handling of their new lives as I watched them grow!
An Arc edition was provided by NetGalley and Wizards of the Coast in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date: August 6, 2013
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Series: The Sundering, #1
Number of Pages: 384
ISBN-10: 0786963719
My Rating: 4.5
Genre: Fantasy
Age Recommendation: Young Adult +
Available from: Amazon  /  Barnes & Noble
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[Lauren (Northern Plunder)]

This review was first posted on Northern Plunder, if you want to see more reviews please click here.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of The Companions from NetGalley, along with the follow up book The Sundering, this is no way effects my opinion of the books.

You're probably wondering why I've rated something and put it as did not finish. Its a little odd to do, but I should probably explain why I'm placing it as dnf first.
This is the first book I've picked up of The Drizzts series, but of course it is also the first book in a smaller series called The Sundering which is why I was okay to start it. Unfortunately I actually have no background knowledge of the Drizzt series what-so-ever. None. Zilch.

Whilst the book didn't seem to be referring too much to past events that needed further explanation, but it does have names of people and places that - to me - feel like they mean something important. Granted they may not but I feel a like I've kind of been thrown in at the deep end as I have no prior knowledge.

So that explains the dnf, now the rating.

About half of what I read I did thoroughly enjoy, most of them happened to be Catti-brie's chapters, I found they were well written and really held my attention a lot better than the rest. I think that has to do with her magical abilities and how it allowed more to instantly happen, even at the young age.

The overall storyline - of what I understand from the skimming I've done - held a lot of potential too, its about three hero's being reborn to stop/accomplish something later on in their new lives but they retain their memory and knowledge. It has so much potential to be frakking awesome.

Unfortunately because of the previous reasons stated I didn't think it wise to carry on, instead what I intend to do is return to the series at a later date but instead start with the very first book of the Drizzt series and make my way through all 24 books.
I also feel like its one of those books I'd be able to take in a lot easier if I were to read a physical copy rather than an ebook.

A challenging task? Yes. But I really want too.

[L'encre de la magie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relecture

[Ugur · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sundering is an event set in the Forgotten Realms. The Sundering is about the separation of overlapped worlds Abeir and Toril, which were overlapped during the Spellplague event. It is also the end of Age of Upheaval.

The Companions is the story of the Companions of the Hall's reunion by reincarnation of the dead heroes. Cattie-brie, Bruenor, Regis and Wulfgar has one more chance to return the world and help Drizzt in his fight against the Evil.

I got this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley.

I've not read and Salvatore book for 1 year. After receiving the book from netgalley I've really become enthusiastic. I remembered how much I missed Drizzt and companions of the hall and Forgotten Realms.



The book starts with a short story which is telling an alternate childhood of Cattie-brie. Later we learn that it is not an alternate short story, it is the story of reincarnated Cattie-brie’s childhood.
The story starts with our deceased friends’ reunion in the otherworld. Cattie-brie told them Mielikki has given them one more chance to return the world to help Drizzt in his fight against the Evil. Stereotypically both Bruenor and Wulfgar takes this offer as an insult and rejects. After lots of discussion Regis and Bruenor accepts reincarnating but Wulfgar rejects it.

Companions of the Hall planned to reunite 21 years after reincarnation at Kelvin's Cairn up Bruenor’s Climb.

All our characters reborn to slightly different families but at the end they become to resemble their former characters. I really like how they are trapped in their baby bodies. They have their current memories and they know their plan to reunite to help Drizzt but they are completely trapped.

Bruenor born to the King's first man who is third cousin to the king, twice removed. He was really in a hard situation in his baby body.

Regis born to a really poor kender family, and his mother has died during birth. Regis has an extraordinary ability which allows him to breath in the water. This ability is related to his mother who has water elemental ancestors.

Catti-brie born to a Bedine, which is related to our worlds Bedouins, family who can perform magic.

The chapters are divided between Bruenor, Regis and Catti-brie's POVs, and tells their story of survival and growing up. Despite seeing Drizzt in cover of the Book we cannot see him in any chapters, this was my biggest disappointment in this book. At the end all companions of the hall reunited in Kelvin's Cairn 21 years later and find Drizzt.


Beginning with the first chapters I’ve been waiting to read Wulfgar’s POV, but it did not came. But I was sure that he would somehow appear at the end of the book and as I’ve predicted he came to Kelvin’s Cairn.


I’ve really enjoyed the story, Salvatore takes the story to a different part. Probably we would see Companions of the Hall’s new books in the future. I’m planning to read the next book which is titled as “The Godborn”. Also enthusiastic to meet new characters.

About the Sundering



As I've summarized at the beginning, the Sundering is an important event in Forgotten Realms. Spellplague has changed the Realms and the worlds Abeir and Toril is overlapped in spellplague. There were many changes in geography, magic, races and gods. After 100 years from the Spellplague, this two overlapped worlds starts to separate and the change starts again, but not returns top pre-spellplague situation.

Currently there are six planned novels in Sundering series, which will tell the changes in Faerun during the Sundering and released every other month from August 2013 to June 2014. The Sundering is also newest version of the Dungeons & Dragons game.

The books are;
The Companions, by R.A. Salvatore
The Godborn, by Paul S. Kemp
The Adversary, by Erin M. Evans
The Reaver, by Richard Lee Byers
The Sentinel, by Troy Denning
The Herald, by Ed Greenwood.

What good is your gold if your friends will not lift you when you have fallen?

How long lived our memory of you when you are gone?

Because in the end, that is the only measure. In the end, when life’s last flickers fade, all that remains is memory. Richness, in the final measure, is not weighed in gold coins, but in the number of people you have touched, the tears of those who mourn your passing, and the fond remembrances of those who continue to celebrate your life.

- Drizzt Do'Urden

[Mike Bertrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Companions of the Hall are back baby!

It seems that some of the best books in the Legend of Drizzt series are the ones where Drizzt is not present. Funny how that works.

[Donna S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really like this one! Got chill bumps a couple of times!

[Abhinav · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can read the full review over on my blog:

https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...

Shadowhawk takes a look at the first novel in the new Forgotten Realms crossover event The Sundering.

“A thoroughly unexciting novel that is all about the setup and little else. An unexpected disappointment.” ~Shadowhawk, The Founding Fields

I haven’t read all that many Forgotten Realms novels. My reading so far has been limited to the War of the Spider Queen novels, Paul S. Kemp’s Erevis Cale novels (I’m in the middle of the sixth novel at the moment), and Erin M. Evans’ Brimstone Angels novels. That’s really it. Outside of that, I’ve read the first Drizz Do’urden novel, Homeland, and then there’s this one. In short, my Forgotten Realms reading has been extremely selective, largely because it is a setting that I’m very slowly coming to understand and appreciate, and it doesn’t help that there are some three hundred novels to choose from whenever I want to read something. And pretty much most of it is for a trilogy or something. Very daunting.

Wizards of the Coast recently announced the Sundering event, which would cause significant changes throughout the worlds of Faerun and Toril and perhaps even beyond. It is said to be an event to rival the Spellplague at the least, which was the last big event of the entire setting if I understand correctly. It seems to be a really good place to jump on with some Forgotten Realms reading, especially since there are going to be some 20 novels in the series, and all the prominent Wizards authors are going to contribute a novel to the series, featuring their characters with their own plots but paying heed to an overarching vision.

This is why I picked up the first novel in the series, The Companions by R. A. Salvatore, released last month. I quite liked Homeland and though The Companions is set several years after that, after some 20+ other novels, I thought it’d be a good point to get stuck into the character and the setting. How wrong I was. Because you see, this novel has very little to do with Drizzt Do’urden himself, tangentially at best. As the name says, the novel deals with three of his companions, his friends: Cattie-brie, Bruenor, and Regis. Wulfgar, another companion, makes an appearance at the start of the novel, but he has nothing more than a cameo. The Companions charts the “new” lives of the three main companions as they are reborn in the world, returning in a second life because Cattie-brie’s goddess wants them to.

One of the main problems with the novel is that we never really get a convincing reason why this whole process of rebirth happens, other than the will of Cattie-brie’s goddess. Sure, the inference can be drawn that this all has to do with Sundering, and that this is why all this is happening, but its a very thin reasoning. This created a disconnect with me very early on, and I was never able to really get into the narrative.

Second, the life that the three companions live are very… pedestrian and unexciting. Cattie-brie, reborn as a daughter to a desert tribe, has some excitement since her life intersects with some powerful sorceresses of the Shadovar, out of Shade Enclave, who are one of the bad guys in Forgotten Realms. This created some really interesting drama and tension, but ultimately, it was all rather boring, because the narrative doesn’t justify the whole rebirth angle. Bruenor, reborn as a dwarf, had an occasional flash of excitement to his story, but was no different in the main to Cattie-brie’s story. And another issue was that Bruenor, formerly a dwarf high king, now has to do everything from the ground-up and basically re-do his previous life in his current incarnation. All the frustration that Bruenor feels, I felt it too. I wanted the plot to go somewhere, to actually progress. The worst was definitely Regis’ new life, reborn as a halfling. His narrative arc was always a rough slog of the worst sort and made reading the novel a real chore. I got through it with a great amount of difficulty.

Another thing is that we learn nothing about the Sundering. Extremely surprising given that this is the first novel about the event. It is the big opener, written by one of the pillars of Forgotten Realms fiction. The book ends up being entirely a set-up book, where the people are brought together for events that will happen later, but which don’t have any relevance for the moment.

Given that I didn’t know anything about these characters before this novel, it was both a good and bad thing. Good in that I didn’t have to know some 20+ novels’ worth of backstory. Bad in that I had very little reason to connect with their mindset, such as why they are all such good friends with Drizzt. Certainly a contradiction right?

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Companions mark’s the first R. A. Salvatore penned Forgotten Realms novel that I’ve read in quite some time. With the Wizards of the Coast wrapping up the playtests for the latest edition of Dungeons and Dragons the Realms has been targeted for a bit of a facelift via a major cross-media event called The Sundering. While I was at one times a voracious consumer of the Forgotten Realms novels, particularly in my teens, I have since moved on and while I’ve checked back in here and there I’ve not followed along too closely with the adventures of Drizzt Do’Urden and the Companions of Mithral Hall. While R. A. Salvatore’s The Crystal Shard was not the first Forgotten Realms novel (that title belongs to Douglas Niles’ Darkwalker on Moonshae) it wasn’t too far behind and given the wild popularity of Drizzt and the Companions throughout the years it seem appropriate that the simply title The Companions kicks off The Sundering.


The Companions is a contemplative novel that is as much a meditation on the fictional past of the Forgotten Realms as it is the start to a new era in the Realms’ history. Despite his prominent place on the cover of the novel Salvatore’s iconic Drow hero appears more in the background instead focusing on the rest of the titular Companions. Indeed the focus of the novel is on reborn figures of Catti-brie, Bruenor, and Regis. The Sundering is an event that looms over the novel and the Resurrection and rebirth of Drizzt’s deceased friends marks the opening gambit of the ranger’s patron diety Mielikki in events to come. Over the course of the novel the three companion who chose to return to life get a second chance to become something more than what they were while at the same time attempting to cling to who they were.

The Companions is a novel that moves on a brisk pace and the tonality walks a fine line between nostalgia drenched reminiscence of the novels early and final chapters and contemplation on the nature of identity both in the new lives of Regis, Catti-brie, and Bruenor and the interstitial meditations in Drizzt’s journal. The latter concept is indeed a fascinating one and Salvatore keeps this inner examination of identity as light as he is able while also keeping the novels plot moving forward. In the end this is also the problem as the novel’s “plot” so to speak feels largely nonexistent. The novel has a beginning and an end but is the middle which feels a bit listless and unfocused. While the Companions are brought back to aid Drizzt at a particular place and time the period getting there offers little insight into the what they need to do or what threat the world faces. Indeed I have to wonder if some other format, something similar to John Scalzi’s serialized Human Division, might have better served the story at hand rather than the traditional novel format.

The Sundering, for all its hype as a cross-media Realms defining event is largely a marketing ploy to drive sales. This isn’t something I really have a problem with but the opening salvo in that event seems like a pandering attempt to cater to the long-term fans nostalgia for the Realms as it was. While shared world novels appeal to a particular subset of readers it seems utterly strange to me that the opening work in a major cross-media event doesn’t even attempt to cater to new readers. While as a past fan of Drizzt and the Companions I enjoyed The Companions I don’t know if I can honestly that say that this is a particularly good novel. It certainly has moments but it doesn’t feel to me like it holds together as a cohesive whole; a fact which isn’t helped by what felt like a rushed and confused ending.

As the kick-off to what is supposed to a MAJOR SUPER HUGE BIG EVENT The Companions isn’t the sort of wiz-bang spectacle one would expect. Perhaps the writers of the Forgotten Realms learned a harsh a lesson from the poorly disguised editorial handwaving of the Spellplague, but the editorial mantra of the “return to core” seems to be carrying across everything that carries the Dungeons and Dragons brand at a much slower pace than the Spellplague did. The Companions marks a slow and contemplative start to The Sundering that will face a tough audience of readers from various portions of the Forgotten Realms’ history. I’m certainly on board for the forseeable future and I will be looking forward to see how Paul S. Kemp takes his characters into the Realms’ old/new past/future.

[Federico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Di solito preferisco quando i personaggi morti rimangono morti... Ma devo dire che Salvatore ha gestito la cosa in maniera davvero intelligente e ben strutturata, giocando anche pesantemente sul fattore nostalgia.
Ho passato tante notti insonni sui libri delle avventure dei Compagni di Mithril Hall, letti e riletti durante l'adolescenza, assimilati e amati. Quando poi la Compagnia si è disgregata col passare del tempo, beh i nuovi personaggi non sono stati minimamente all'altezza dei "vecchi amici". E a quanto pare anche Salvatore era della stessa idea.

L'autore riporta quindi in vita i vecchi compagni di Drizzt, messi in stasi da Mielikki nel momento della loro morte e reincarnati poi in nuovi corpi, con la profezia di doversi incontrare sul Picco di Bruenor la notte dell'equinozio di primavera dopo 21 anni.
Viviamo quindi le tre storie separate, tre anime adulte con mille avventure alle spalle che devono rifare ogni singolo passo della vita: la fanciullezza, la crescita, l'adolescenza, addestrandosi per le future avventure e consapevoli della loro seconda opportunità.
Catti-Brie (che non ho capito perché non ha ripreso l'addestramento marziale invece di fare il biclassaggio più brutto possibile in D&D - druido/mago) nell'Enclave dell'Ombra a studiare magia.
Regis sul Mare delle Stelle Cadute che diventa un abile ladro-spadaccino.
Bruenor a Felbarr per tornare ad essere il formidabile guerriero.

Ora non vedo l'ora di proseguire con altre epiche avventure!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Companions is the first book in The Sundering line and immediately follows the events of the Transitions series of novels which were focused on Drizzt after the Companions of the Hall ended. Despite the cover and the initial portions of the book, there is almost no Drizzt until the very end. Instead, the story focuses on the remaining Companions of the Hall with the exception of Wulfgar. Originally all of the former companions met their end in various ways, but they are now born again.

Following the deaths of Drizzt's companions, they were taken by Mielikki to a grove and presented a choice: Die and continue on towards the altars of their various gods, or, be reborn with all of their memories intact to help Drizzt at a critical time many years later. Those that chose rebirth were born again in different bodies often far from Icewind Dale. In the intervening years, they all grew up from newborn to adult and did everything possible to stay alive until their ordained meeting with Drizzt. Catti Brie becomes a mage and powerful druid fluent in the arcane arts both pre and post Spellplague. Bruenor is mostly the same as he was, only now a commoner. Regis is planetouched with the ability to remain underwater for extended periods and has become a well-trained professional thief.

The book is standard R.A. Salvatore and has many different stories being told, each blending together as the characters get closer and closer to meeting Drizzt. There are a few complaints with this book but overall it is still very exciting to see the Companions living their lives again especially after the Transitions series of books. I do wish the author went into explaining more about Drizzt's role in the Sundering and what it will do besides seperate Abeir from Toril. I suggest reading the various Transitions books to gain a deeper appreciation of the reunion between Drizzt and his friends and additional back story before beginning the Sundering line of books.

[Dale Pearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by: R. A. Salvatore
Series: The Sundering
Sequence in Series: 1
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Publication Date: August 6, 2013
Pages: 384
ISBN-10: 0786963719
ISBN-13: 978-0786963713
Rating: 4
Genre: Fantasy

I received this copy ARC copy of The Companions from Netgalley.

The Companions is the first book in what will probably be a three part series entitled The Sundering.

The Companions starts off with Drizzt remembering the glory years with his companions Catti-brie, Regis, Bruenor, and Wulfgar. Unknown to Drizzt is his goddess Mielikki (of which Drizzt his her favorite mortal) has intervened, giving his friends the option to be reborn to this new world some 100 years later to help Drizzt in the journey to come.

3 of the 4 heroes of old accept the request to be reincarnated. The majority of book 1 entails the reincarnation process, the years to age up until 21 before reuniting with Drizzt.

Typical Salvator although at times I felt as if there was no real plot here. Obviously the story is being stretched out to be a multiple book series. That fashion of attempting to stretch out a story grows old with me and I long for the day of simply getting a giant book all at once.

Salvatore's strengths are present here: fantastic fight scenes, epic world building, sensitivity in the least of characters, but mostly you just fall in love with Drizzt because he could quite possibly be the greatest fantasy character ever created that doesn't have a first name of Elric or a last name of Baggins.

I do not consider this YA, however, I can see how some will give it that label. Part of the Forgotten Realms books. I would also suggest reading earlier Drizzt based books before delving into this one since you will want to understand the depth of the relationships for these characters.

[Ionia · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I hear the words Salvatore and new series used in the same sentence I get pretty excited, don't you? If not, then you clearly have not read this book yet. You should.

First of all, great cover done by Tyler Jacobson.

Secondly, This book restores my faith that a fantasy author can write a new series and still "have it." I have read so many others that tried to veer away from their familiar series to begin another and were epic failures. This one? Excellent.

If you are familiar with R.A. Salvatore's previous work, then this will feel a bit like going home, but with new characters and an exciting new story.

I liked this book for many reasons. The story seems as if it will lead to a lot more new characters and reasons to want to keep reading. There are so many possibilities in all of this author's work and this book is no exception to that rule. I love when you begin reading a novel and know that you will be anticipating the next one before you are even finished.

The one thing I did not love, is that there are a few character names that I struggled to pronounce. I really tried, but every time I got to them I questioned how to say them and that slowed my reading a bit. Still, this did not detract much from my overall reading enjoyment.

It would be impossible for me to be very specific about this book without revealing too much, so I will simply say that if you are a fan of fantasy, this is a book you will want to add to your list. I look forward to seeing where this goes.

This review is based on a digital ARC from the publisher.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to be honest and say that I had never read Salvatore before, but that was my reason for being thrilled at having the chance to read and review The Companions. Since I was not familiar with these characters and this world, I got to read this book as a standalone. While I didn't know these characters' history, I was still able to understand and see how much this group mattered to one another. Salvatore did a great job at developing these three characters as they were reborn with the memories of their old life as well as the chance to make new memories with their new life. I think Salvatore did a great job at balancing these two histories enough to make the book enjoyable for new and old readers. The overall storyline was good, and I really enjoyed following the quest these three characters were on as they made their way to their meeting place and their reunion with their old friend, Drizzt, the reason for this quest. The Companions is a book full of magic, action, adventure, and a friendship that is strong enough to come back from death. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable read that I think old and especially new fans would enjoy. I am looking forward to reading the next book in The Sundering series, and I was happy to have found a new author that I enjoyed. Since I enjoyed this book, I plan on looking for previous works by Salvatore.

Received a copy of The Companions through Net Galley

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me first admit my long-standing crush on Drizzt. That said, this story follows Catti-Brie, Regis and Bruenor.


SPOILERS ---

Yes, they used to be dead, which might be a problematic plot point but a goddess intervenes, which is kind of a hand wave around the problem. Since I love these characters so much, it's hard to care about the hand wave. These three and Wulfgar are offered a choice – to be reborn and return to mortal realms to help Drizzt in a great coming trial or to pass through Iruladoon’s pool and on to their rewards. Wulfgar steps into the pool. The other three choose to be reborn, with their memories intact, again kind of a hand wave, and agree to meet on the Spring equinox in 21 years. The tale told in this book, with dark shadows accumulating, is how these three make it through those years, what they learn, how they change. Bruenor’s path is perhaps the hardest since he is no longer a king and must suffer the trials of any dwarfling, but they all have adventures. Finish the book and it’s hard to leave that world. At least my copy had a publication schedule for the rest of the story, the next book to follow in October and the last next June, so not too long to wait, but still …. This is a great addition to the mythology and I can’t wait for the next. Received free copy for review. Thank you! Thank you!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Companions is the first book in a new series of novels by R.A. Salvatore, and anyone who is a fan of his work will immediately know what this book is about just by reading the title. I began reading Drizzt Do'Urden books back in the 90's and then took a break from them about 10 years ago. After I picked up The Companions, I realized that there was some history that I missed in the past decade that I would like to catch up on. That aside, I had no issues enjoying this book at all, because this story is a fresh start for some of our favorite characters that we haven't seen in a while.

The Companions brings together Cattie-brie, Regis, Wulfgar and Bruenor Battlehammer when they are offered a chance at a new life in return for fulfilling a promise to the goddess Meilikki. The story follows the Companions of the Hall as they are reincarnated and have to prepare themselves throughout their adolescence for the coming quest. They face many challenges in not revealing their true identity and evading others who have taken an interest in them. Everything comes together in the end and we are left wanting more, I very much look forward to the next book in this new series.

[Mid · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a long time fan of the Forgotten Realms, I went into this book with high expectations. I hadn't read a Drizzt book before. Sadly I was disappointed.

The main characters have the depth of a paddling pool, particularly Catti Brie. The only marginal interest came from the Netherese who weren't one dimensional evil. As a non-reader of the previous books, the idea of bringing back some characters from death came across as awkward and clumsy, a bit like a child playing paintball but refusing to sit out after taking their hits.

The book itself has no pacing or urgency. The characters get some meandering goal to meet Drizzt in the future, did some random and irrelevant things, and then met Drizzt. The timeline jumps around to no apparent benefit.

If this wasn't part of the end of 4E series I'd probably have stopped reading and saved precious minutes of my life. As it was, I can't see how this has any merit unless you're a die hard fan of the characters to the point that you wanted them to avoid whatever their narrative ends were through the medium of a book that reads like mediocre fan fiction.

[J. Griff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey Dude! We're getting the band back together. This is how this book felt, a group of friends that haven't seen each other in years making a point of re-connecting. I found it very fun as Catti-Brie, Bruenor & Regis (Wulfgar opted out of returning) are reborn in new bodies but with all the knowledge/experiences of their previous lives. How many of us would love to go back & do the same thing? Of the 3 that went back I, oddly enough, found Regis' second journey the most interesting. Both Catti-Brie & Bruenor were just less so to me, but still good.

[Suvi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huonoin jälleensyntymiskertomus, jonka olen koskaan lukenut.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Salvatore books I've read. Absolutely recommend!

[bookthump · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twice in my life, I have had the honor of performing the role of Dungeon Master for my circle of gaming friends and both times I have used the Forgotten Realms campaign setting designed by Ed Greenwood. It is a rich, fully realized world that allows me to concentrate on the collaborative interactive story my friends and I are creating and not worry so much about building the world itself. I have infinite respect for those who can create their own world, e.g. Matthew Mercer of the Geek & Sundry show Critical Role, but it is not for me. To help me fill my knowledge of the world I am using for my games, I read a lot of novels set in the Forgotten Realms and there are a ton of titles from which to choose. All of the books bearing the Forgotten Realms name are canon and while many fans read them for the pure joy of it, I also read them as source material.

One of the most voluminous series available --we are talking 30+ titles as of this writing-- is R.A. Salvatore's epic saga of the drow with a heart, Drizzt Do'Urden. It is a series I never picked up because by the time I discovered Salvatore, the mountain of titles available in the series was so intimidating that I had no chance of succeeding a Will saving throw. In 2013, Wizards of the Coast, the parent company of the Dungeons & Dragons product line, released the first book of a new series that would set up the next evolution of their Forgotten Realms setting, a world-shattering event called The Sundering. To explain this event, six authors were commissioned to write six novels, each one telling the story of one of the six stanzas of The Prophecy. Salvatore lead off with The Companions and I was concerned because I had not read any of his previous novels and I knew that the titular companions were those of Salvatore's Drizzt. I worried that the history of the characters across the dozens of preceding books would make The Companions difficult to follow or relate to.

I am pleased to say my concerns were alleviated. While there are several references to the events of other novels in the Drizzt series, Salvatore does a fine job of providing enough context that I, as a new reader of his work, did not feel lost. I would even go so far as to say the references piqued my interest enough to want to seek out those older stories. As the novel opens, the companions are dead and the Forgotten Realms's version of Purgatory. They have the opportunity to choose to pass through to the Paradise of their chosen deity or return to the mortal world in infant bodies. Those who chose to inhabit mortal bodies again make a pact to meet at a location called Kelvin's Cairn on the night of spring equinox of their twenty-first year. They each experience rebirth, becoming infants born to unfamiliar parents, but with all of the knowledge and experience and memories from their previous lives. How many of us have wished we could live life again knowing what we know now? If only.

Each of the titular Companions relives life, battling through childhood and adolescence again, but with adult sensibilities and experience, en route to their preordained meeting. They inhabit the weak and ineffective bodies of children, not the strong adult bodies to which they are accustomed. They may have been granted a second chance, but they are still mortal. How many of them will survive their first twenty-one years again with the forces of evil still to content with? I thoroughly enjoyed finding out. The story is exciting, the characters are interesting, and I had a great time following them on their respective journeys, fantasizing about how I might handle the opportunity to relive life with my current mind and memory fully intact. Throughout the novel, I found myself caring deeply for each of the characters, cheering for them to succeed and fearing their failure.

Fans of Salvatore's series will not be disappointed in The Companions unless they only like Drizzt (he makes a cameo appearance but is absent for most of the story) and for readers new to his work, this is a great place to start. I may jump back to the inaugural Drizzt novel and experience the entire saga from the beginning. It will be a steep mountain to climb, but having experienced The Companions, at least I can be quite certain I will enjoy the hike. But first, there are five more novels in The Sundering series, each of which sits on the bookshelf above my writing desk, daring me to take the next step.