Condemnation

The War of the Spider Queen #3

by Richard Baker, R.A. Salvatore (Based On Work by)

From the burning sands of Anauroch to the limitless labyrinth of the Underdark, an epic quest for the very essence of the Spider Queen takes one startling turn after another. Powerful forces are at work to find answers to where Lolth has gone. She may return as something greater than she was, or she may have gone from her drow children forever, leaving them to their own devices in a chilling condemnation.

The War of the Spider Queen explodes.

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

375 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

A best-selling author and award-winning game designer, Richard Baker is known for his novels in the Forgotten Realms setting and his work on the Dungeons & Dragons game. His Realms novels include Condemnation (book 3 of the War of the Spider Queen), the Last Mythal trilogy, and the Blades of the Moonsea trilogy. He is currently working on a new military-themed science fiction series centered on the character Sikander North; Valiant Dust, the first book in the new series, debuts in November 2017 from Tor Books.

A native of Ocean City, New Jersey, Rich graduated from Virginia Tech in 1988 and went on to serve as a surface warfare officer in the United States Navy. When he's not writing fantasy or science fiction, he works in game publishing. He's the founder of Sasquatch Game Studio, a small game company based in Auburn, Washington.

Rich currently resides in the Seattle area with his wife, Kim, and their daughters Alex and Hannah. His interests include gaming (naturally), history, hiking, racquetball, and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Reviews

[Kat V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ready to keep going with this story. Ooh this one is better. Loved the ending. 4 stars

[Doppelganger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book in the series. The previous edition "Insurrection" was pretty good but for me, it left something to be desired. While Reid did a good job with drow nature, the book somehow didn't keep me excited aside from the occasional part or two. Condemnation seems to have filled that void much better. Aside from the many good things about this book, this entry introduces what has become my favorite character of the series, Nimor Imphraezl. Read on, and don't worry: no spoilers :-)

Richard Baker does a good job continuing the negative banter between Quenthel and Pharaun, although it does seem as if Quenthel loses a lot of her "authority" here. It seems by now, the master of sorcere would have been beaten down! As for the end of this book, it is highly climactic and had me turning pages to see what was going to happen next! Although the result of a big event near the end of the book was somewhat abrupt, you can't expect much different given the circumstances. Without creating a spoiler, I can tell you that the ending is intense and explodes with confrontation and realization.

Bakers writing approach is solid, straight forward and made what I thought to be a pretty easy read with good flow. I can honestly say this book is a must in the series that cannot be skipped by impatients wanting to jump ahead! There are many events in this book that act as a bridge in the series one would be completely lost without.

Recommended; better than Insurrection imo and on par with Dissolution, just strong in different ways. I really enjoyed Richard Bakers writing style and will most likely read more of his work in the near future.

[Sinisa Mikasinovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Insurrection was an epic sequel to Dissolution, the first book in the series, then Condemnation is the best possible sequel to it.

Our party of Dark Elf adventurers - matched together by luck, scheming and friendship, although in traces - can't seem to catch a break. Rushing headlong into the unknown, they are hell-bent on discovering the secret behind Lolth's silence. Answers at all cost, and not the break, is what they seek.

This time, their narrow escape from the burning Ched Nasad brought them to the World Above. Just pieces of it being familiar to a few and stories and legends only known to the others, it will test their strength, wits, endurance... relationship to one another.

Party potential is improved by the addition of two new members, Ched Nasadan and her battle captive, a literal slave. There are many dangers present in the intolerably bright World Above, and, for a time, they will share a common goal - survival.

Tzirik Jaelre of House Jaelre, a priest of Vhaeraun, is whom they seek. One person they hope can provide an answer, or at least the next clue, to what had happened to their goddess. And find out if the social ranks of Drow will be forever changed. The Demonweb Pits hold the answer.

In the meantime, with our adventuring party a dozen tendays, at best, away from Menzoberranzan - the city is in great peril. Secret society of Jaezred Chaulssin plans to take over the city using dangerous duergar mercenary army.
Powerless priestesses of the City of Spiders will rely on the might of their House armies combined, bolstered with the city Archmage and his Masters of Sorcere.
As we witness the carefully put together master plan play out, new players step from the shadows on to the grand stage. Unpredictable Kaanyr Vhok and a scheming House withing the city walls.

Will Menzoberranzan be invaded and burn once again?
Or will Lolth save her first city from the enemy trying to reach one of its hundred gates?


Richard Baker outdid himself with Condemnation. Writing was so good I just had to hear how it sounds professionally narrated. Yes, I have a weakness for audiobooks :)

Caught off-guard by Rosalyn Landor's British accent, I kept on listening. Female voice always has more difficulty portraying male voices than the other way around, but she really did a good job. And I quickly got adjusted to her British pronunciation. After all, it fits Drow noble attitude.

Final verdict - 5*. Well deserved.
I had much fun reading it and recommend to any fan of The Forgotten Realms.
But, please, start the series with Dissolution :-)

[Artae the Silver Bookwyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review in Greek & English

*Σημείωση: Ευτυχώς δημιουργήσαμε τα βιβλία / Note to self: thankful to our species for creating books*

[gr] Για άλλη μία φορά μία επιτυχία. Δεν θα σταματήσω να αναφέρω πόσο πολύ μου αρέσουν οι σκηνές μάχης, το οποίο δείχνει την λιγοστή εμπειρία μου σε τέτοιου τύπου βιβλία. Ανυπομονώ να διαβάσω για μάχες καλύτερες από αυτές, με τις όμορφες -και κάποιες φορές ανατριχιαστικά λεπτομερείς- περιγραφές τους.
Βέβαια η δράση ξεκίνησε μετά τη μέση -και ίσως και παραπάνω-, κάτι που με κούρασε κάπως και δεν ήμουν σε διάθεση συνέχεια για να το "ρουφήξω" να δω τι γίνεται. Νομίζω όμως πως αυτό είναι το μοτίβο αυτών των βιβλίων, εφόσον και στα άλλα δύο ένιωθα έτσι, η δράση στο τέλος δεν απογοητεύει φυσικά. Και γενικά το μοτίβο "ξεκόυραστη αρχή - χαοτικό τέλος" δίνει και μία ωραία συνοχή από βιβλίο σε βιβλίο.

Μία ακόμη παρατήρηση είναι πως με κούρασε να παρακολουθήσω επ ακριβώς την διπλωματία της ιστορίας, όταν δηλαδή διάβαζα σκηνές για το πως συνεννοούνταν ποιος θα πολεμήσει ποιον και πως και με ποιον στρατό και πότε κλπ κλπ. Κάπως χανόμουν στα ονόματα, αν και έχω φυσικά μία γενική εικόνα του τι συνέβει.

Οι χαρακτήρες συνέχισαν στα ίδια πατήματα και συνεχίζω να συμπαθώ και να αντιπαθώ τους ίδιους. Θα ήθελα να έχουν δημιουργηθεί πιο στενές σχέσεις μεταξύ κάποιων, αλλά ελπίζω στα επόμενα βιβλία.
Στο τέλος σχεδόν πέθανε ο αγαπημένος μου και εκεί που ήμουν έτοιμη να κοιμηθώ ξαφνικά ήμουν έτοιμη να νευριάσω😂. Αλλά τελικά, ευτυχώς η παρέα έχει μάγους με θεραπευτικά ξόρικια!

Τελικό σχόλιο, υπήρχαν αραιά και που κάποια ενοχλητικά ορθογραφικά/λεξικά λαθάκια που με έβγαζαν από το κλίμα, ειδικά όταν χρησιμοποιούνταν το λάθος όνομα.

[en] Another success! I just can't stop repeating how much I love these battle scenes, which is something that shows how inexperienced I am in that type of stories, I have nothing to compare it with. I can't wait to read battles better written than these, I really enjoy how nicely they are given through text. But that anticipated action, began after the middle of the book... That resulted in me taking my time with it, I wasn't in a mood to vigorously read chapter after chapter, the story escalated in a steady flow. I feel like that's the pattern of these stories, 'cause I felt the same in the previous two, but I guess that "slow beginning - rough ending" offers a smooth change from book to book.

One last thing, is that I found it hard to follow on the diplomacy of the story, and how characters chose their strategies and who fought with whom and why... I have a general image, I just don't remember the names😅

The characters kept a steady development and their dynamic is more or less the same, I keep liking and disliking the same as before. I'd like to see some of them coming closer, but I am keeping my hopes for the rest of the books.
In the end, my favorite character almost dies, but thankfully this is a universe with wizards and healing spells, so we're okay (for now-.-).

Lastly, it had some scarce but annoying typos and wrong word uses that were a but anticlimactic, especially when the wrong name was used...

[Suvi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was somewhat better than the second book, but it still mostly felt like a pointless dungeon crawl. Quenthel actually makes some sense (though she seems to have forgotten her status), and I felt some potential lurking for the others, but it was mostly left unrealised. Pharaun has been reduced to a prattling idiot who gets on everyone's nerves. He's not quite as overpowered as in the last book. But if we have spells such as Shadow Walk, Teleport and Sending, why are they not used more? It would have saved everyone a lot of time and confusion. The whole trip to the surface seems pointless.

I'm also wondering why it's totally fine and dandy for female characters to bang each other, but m/m relationships are nowhere to be seen. Again.

[David Given Schwarm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Richard Baker. Of all the authors currently in the WOTC Stable he may be my absolute favorite.

This is a great book--it moves the War forward with some epic battles, some great investigation by our main party, introduces some new characters, and does all the things that you need for a book in the middle of the series to do. The sorcery stuff in this is awesome, as are the big battles; but, what I really liked was the travel sections--there is a lot of bouncing around and interesting architectural detail.

A very fun read. Thanks, David S.

[Heather Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say, other than I'm a -bit- of a drow fangirl, and to finally have the opportunity to read a series where a group of dark elves are, y'know... acting like drow, instead of centering on one goodie-two-shoes individual, made me squee with delight.
I loved the politicking and conniving done by, and general unpleasantness of, the characters in this whole series, to the point that I was more than willing to forgive a couple of plot holes and narrative errors, not to mention the sudden changes in select character traits when each new author picked up the series.

[Sotiris Kosmas · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've made it through to the 3rd book of the series then you are not only invested but you know what to expect. The adventure keeps moving at a brisk pace and the epic scope of it is quite satisfying, although some nitpicking does exist, mainly due to the book being anchored to the DnD universe so heavily

[Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's almost as if Baker takes his remit early on here to restore the matriarchal emphasis in drow society and cut the boys down to size after Reid's excessively boy-centric previous installment. Pharaun, Ryld and Valas all are told early and often to drink a hot cup of STFU while Quenthel puts on her big girl pants and starts actually running the show. The team finally find some followers of Vhaeraun who help them travel the planes to the Demonweb Pits to pay a call on Lolth, only for the help to betray them and all to witness some divine backstabbery in the Abyss. So, things be gettin serious. The other main plot strand concerns the work of a mysterious male commune of drow assassins to bring down Menzoberranzan. The moving parts here really get complex and the only question is who will finally betray whom. After the more tone-deaf previous volume, this feels a little more like it, though the quest of the original party of six feels like a long way to go for a dead end. There's a similar move with Halisstra, who gets separated from the group and preached to by a converted drow about the wonders of life on the light side, only to whack her missionary. Unless that sets up something in the next book, it too looks like another road not taken taken for too long. Still, the drow remain an interesting topic if only for their almost comic inability to resist screwing one another as much as possible. It makes one wonder how they ever came together long enough to do things like build a city or, well, make a plan. You'd think Lolth's vacation would be an opportune time to use a little law to clean up around the edges.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the War of the Spider Queen series so far. The book has a very high pace that barely lets you come up for air between battles. I was pulled from one chapter to the next whirling through the story. I found myself wanting to know what would happen next.

Baker’s battle descriptions might not be as dynamic as R. A. Salvatore’s, but I found them easier to follow and imagine in my head. Sometimes Salvatore’s sequences are too tightly wound. Baker stuck to looser descriptions, and it worked.

There were several things that bothered me in the book. Discovering Halisstra is a bard seemed an odd addition. I realize she was a late addition to the band, but still it seemed surprising that the previous book failed to mention it. Perhaps the larger issue though is the introduction of all kinds of previously unmentioned deities who are Lolth’s rivals. Where have they been? Why are there suddenly dark elf worshipers of them previously unmentioned? Sadly there was also a horrible editing error. On page 315 Jeggred is mentioned as being in Lolth’s domain when clearly he is not. How did the editors miss that?

Although the book is far from a classic, it was enjoyable, and enough to keep me reading the series. It is a nice balance to some of the other reading I do. A 2.5

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second time reading this book & series. This third book of the 6 volume set is very good. Much like the first two books by different authors, Baker successfully manages to juggle various characters, factions, locales, plots, politics, and situations with a deft hand. No stone is left unturned. In this book, the main story revolves around a party of drow and their continuing search for the reason Lloth has left her clerics literally and figuratively in the dark. A journey that takes them to a grey dwarf city and the land above as well as to the abyss itself.
Baker also manages to start a war involving the drow of Menzoberranzan against a faction made up of grey dwarves, renegade drow houses, and Kaanyr Vhok and his demon horde.
Nothing felt rushed or forced and the twists and turns in this book were flying all over the place. I even forgot a lot of what I read the first time around when I read this book over a decade ago I believe so to me everything was more fresh rather then refresher.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Baker tells the continuation of that bickering party from Menzoberranzan onto the surface world and then into the Abyss itself. While he does stick to the general tendencies of the main characters, the author also tried to push the boundaries as well - Pharaun and Valas became wittier than usual, while Quenthel actually became more bitchy - a little too much actually, unbecoming of a Mistress of the Academy. The use of teleportation and extradimensional travel at certain points in the story felt more like fast-forwarding shortcuts than probable means of travel. Still, it's a solid enough read and the plot overall is nicely done.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the War of the Spider Queen books back to back is difficult. Because each book is written by a different author and each author has a twist on the characters, it makes what should be a very familiar character into some sort of pseudo-version of the character you knew from the last book. It's very jarring reading them back to back because you have a vivid memory of everything from the last book. If they were to be read as they had come out (each a year after the next) your memory could fade a bit and it would not be so oft putting.

All and all though, this was my favorite of the series so far.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best book thus far in the series. i loved the description of the gods and the battle that takes place between the gods. very intersting to see that the gods in forgotten realms are more like immortals rather than a divine supreme being. if that makes any sense. can't wait to read the rest of the series and see what happens.

[Steven Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A worthy addition to the series! I really enjoyed this one. It never bogged down, and the many threads of plot kept my attention quite well. I'm pretty much drooling for the next book, hopefully it will keep up the excitement.

[Jwn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"the group tries to find a wizard of another god to help them. He does, but betrays them and allows his god to enter and try to kill Lolth.... If that doesn't seem cool.... Rate it 3 stars like Derrick ...

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series gets better and better. the main characters are very powerful, so it makes the stories about things you rarely get to see in these kinds of books.

[Frank Poe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm hooked on dark elves.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baker did a much better job with the female characters than the previous author.

[Leigh Bryant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Halisstra Melarn gonna injure herself carrying this series

[Jeff Jellets · Rating 4 out of 5]

”If so, we’re quicker, stronger, and more venomous than any other snake in the barrel. They would be well-advised not to show themselves where the children of Menzoberranzan choose to walk.”

Condemnation, the third book in the War of the Spider Queen hexalogy, continues the high quality of this series, sending the party of drow adventurers (who have so far been stymied in their search for their missing goddess Lolth) into the appendices of Forgotten Realms lore on a hunt for the ‘other’ gods of the drow divine pantheon. Admittedly, when you don’t have six books worth of story, this type of premise starts to feel like a side trek … i.e. filler ordered by the publisher to fluff out the book count where nothing really happens and we tread water until we get to the actual climax and ending of the series two books later … but so far, the War of the Spider Queen is yet to stumble into ennui and each installment feels rather weighty.

Next-in-line author Richard Baker continues the compelling tale as the war in Underdark spreads to engulf other factions, the stakes continue to rise, and the cost becomes increasingly bloody. Despite an already heavy cast of antagonists, Baker deftly adds a few more to the board while at the same time giving us our most extensive tour yet of subterranean, surface and even extra-planar locations, nimbly balancing multiple plotlines through the course of the book. Baker’s ‘battle of armies’ might be the best part of this one – though honorable mention must go to his stellar depictions of dark dwarf city and society. Finally, someone has given the long-neglected duergar their due!

While the protagonist dark elf party do indeed get most of the book’s pages – with Baker shifting the point-of-view toward the disposed Halisstra Melarn (and maybe giving us at least one dark elf with a slight shot at redemption?) – with my only quibble is that Halisstra’s pages seem to come at the expense of the series’ most entertaining voice … the wizard Pharaum. That and the fact that the more ‘present’ the drow gods become, the more silly they start to feel, culminating in this book in a very deus ex machina ‘wrasslin’ match between two god bros. Here’s hoping Lolth continues to keep herself off-stage for as long as possible; the unsettling, unknowable presence thing definitely suits her.

Nit-picks aside, the War of the Spider Queen continues to exceed expectations and isn’t just a first-rate Dungeons & Dragons series; it’s a first rate fantasy series three books in!

P.S. Speaking of obscure drow deities … one that doesn’t make an appearance in this series (at least so far) is Ghaunadaur, the absolutely lovely patron god of oozes, slimes, jellies, outcasts, ropers and rebels. Ghaunadaur (according to Forgotten Realms fandom) is ‘a very ancient deity, rumored to have emerged from the primordial ooze itself. In that age, it was worshiped by the largest of slimes and other crawling creatures, many of which contained an alien intelligence.’ Lolth (the titular spider-goddess of this series) spurned poor Ghaunadaur’s romantic overtures and in his fury, Ghaunadaur turned against his followers, taking their intellects, and turning the jellies’ brains to … well … jelly. As bad as Lolth is ... it’s kind of gratifying to see that she does indeed have standards … and certainly won’t stoop to either laying with the ooze or doing a jelly roll.

[E J · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The dark blot exploded in a tremendous explosion of evil flame that rocked the tower to its foundations, throwing... lesser devils and drow alike were sent flying like ninepins."

I abbreviated that quote with the ellipsis to cover a potential spoiler. Thing is, I liked everything about that sentence... except for "ninepins". Really? This is a fantasy book, and not only that, we're dealing with drow. There is supposed to be a sombre, oppressive and threatening gravitas to their racial, and we're making bowling references now? Could Baker not have come up with a better simile? What's next? The goristro smelt like sweat-soaked bowling alley shoes?

Notwithstanding the above distraction, there is no way Condemnation is better than Insurrection and certainly not Dissolution. I have no idea what the larger community was reading grading this book 4 stars or more. Though it largely kept my interest, I was saddened to find the once mercurial and smart-talking Pharaun as skillfully written by Byers and Reid to be lacking in personality to such an extent that he felt like a different character. Half the fun of the previous two books was Pharaun, ya know? Also, Quenthel is an idiotic and symbolic leader.

Some bits I liked; we move out of the claustrophobic feel of the previous two books to exploring more bits of the FR world at large, particularly above ground; inner reflections from Haliistra and the beginnings of her religious conversion (incidentally, this makes me all the more keen to read the next book which I believe has a strong focus on her character).

The last 20 or so pages was exhausting, and left a bitter taste in the mouth. Nimor's thread and his machinations was a middling and functional read. The group's jaunt into the ancient Elven tower to get the magic book felt like excessive padding. If not, I hope that book makes an appearance again, because having a beholder and demons fighting our drow ensemble felt like cheesy and cheap fan service. Speaking of which, Baker writes very much like he's conducting a game as GM. I mean, there was a bit where he writes that someone got hit and flung back "at least 30 feet". Wtf does telling us the cold, hard number of the distance of the knockback serve other than to visualise what's happening on a gaming table with miniatures? It has no place in a novel, IDGAF that it's D&D. If this entertains you, good for you, but reading about what feels like a gaming session in some parts is rather blah.

Still, the story was readable and felt fast moving. 2.5 stars.

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Condemnation really picks up from the slack the previous book in the series left. The characters seem present behind the eyes again - maybe ever fuller than in Dissolution. Whereas the heart of that book was Pharraun, this really does feel like Halisstra's book in that it's setting up such an interesting arc for her. There's a quality you don't often see in drow politics books where the characters do actually seem to have casual dynamics with each other that just makes the party dynamics feel so real - Halisstra and Ryld looking out for one another, Quenthel and Pharraun's uneasy power struggle, Valas and Ryld even having the occasional moment of... dare I say... friendship?
We get some really interesting exploration of the world and lore in seeing what the followers of Vhaeraun are like, as well some some bit battles happening in the B plot. And of course the last 1/5 or so just goes so hard with the lore, in ways I won't detail due to spoilers, but it really is a moment that Richard Baker delivers on the weight of the concept being presented and you can really see the characters coping with changes in their reality in a realistic, interesting way.
Finally, I really need to address that after Insurrection, I was really worried about how the rest of this series was going to depict the queer characters I knew were present. So it's absolutely excellent to see the constant ogling of Danifae by every male character on the page toned down a bit (though of course it need not be totally absent and isn't - she's beautiful and that is appreciated by most of the party) and her given some agency in her courting of Quenthel. *This* is what's realistic to the setting, I think, this kind of sex mind game manipulation stuff, actual evil sapphic drama instead of just lightly implied bisexuality on regular old exploitation of women.
I'm really excited to keep going and see what happens next.

[Andrew Bylicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed book 1 and 2 from the War of the Spider Queen series. Both were very solid in terms of overall structure, narrative, character depictions, etc.. I know book 3 is considered the best one, but I somehow found it lacking in certain respects.

Firstly, most characters seemed two-dimensional. Quenthel was always angry. Jeggred wanted to kill everyone all the time and Pharaun was treated in critical moments as comical relief, which unfortunately deflated any sense of danger and urgency. The motivations and aims of each character were unclear. In book 1 Pharaun and Ryld were nicely introduced, and so was Quenthel, but since then they haven't really developed. Rather, they devolved into paper-thin copies of themselves. Oddly enough Halisstra and to a lesser extent Danifae get more attention. We would often learn about Halisstra's feelings regarding a certain situation as if she was the main protagonist. Meanwhile, Quenthel just kept fuming and not much more.

Secondly, too many POVs. Action jumped from one place to another to the point that I, as a reader wasn't able to understand what's important and what's not. The main plot line was also strangely chaotic, in contrast to the previous two books. The climax got lost to me entirely.

Lastly, plot holes. Towards the end of the story Halisstra gets captured and the party assumes she was killed. This makes no sense, since Danifae, bound to Halisstra via magic, would die as well. Everyone is perfectly aware of that since book 2, yet in this situation ignores it.

I started reading book 4 (Extinction) and not only are the descriptions much more vibrant, but also the characters suddenly come to life again.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but had some issues

I liked this book and a lot of the things you get to see. I think it did a good job of moving the overall story along and I enjoyed learning more of Loths domain.

There were a few things that pulled me out of the story, though. One isn't the co-authors fault. It's something that Salvatore has been guilty of from almost the beginning, but I noticed it more in this book than o have before and that's the issue of how the drow see. In the frizzy prequels, (sojourn, homeland, exile) he did a pretty descent job of showing the dark elves seeing things in heat vision.

However, a lot of the later books, and this one in particular, reads like they're using daylight vision. There are just too many descriptions of visual things. Hairstyles, clothes, and other things.

I can't say I really blame them too much as it's a hard thing for visual human beings to imagine or write. Still, if you plan to spend a lot of time with dark elves, then it's something to keep in mind. Look at a picture of a image taken with FLIR and you'll get an idea of what they're seeing. You see a lot, and you see differently, but not as sharply.

A couple of other things that bothered me were when he said a war lizard trotted somewhere. Lizards don't trot and you can't just call it a lizard and write it as a horse. Also, I kept hearing drow use the term laddie and I don't think I've heard them use it before or since. It was disconcerting.

Overall, though, its nit-picky and I did enjoy the story. Besides those things I mentioned that probably wouldn't bother anyone but me, it was well written.

[Jaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the best one of the series so far, but still much is left to be desired. It always feels like the authors of this series have opportunities to talk more about gender, power, sexuality and so on within drow society and yet they don’t. Two female characters get together at some point and it would have been interesting to know how drow society views same sex relationships, but of course it’s never commented on ever again.

I did really enjoy the shift of Halisstra’s point of view and even giving Ryld more personality as well. Their interactions were interesting and made me feel more invested in the story for their sake.

Quenthel is still dumb as ever, but at least in this book she tolerated Pharaun’s sass a lot less especially compared to book two which drove me crazy how much disrespect she tolerated from him which never made any sense to me.

Pharaun is less sassy in this book and I’d say takes a back seat to the other characters, which I welcomed. He’s still strong and resourceful as ever, so it doesn’t necessarily feel like his character was ruined, just realistically taken down a notch.

Danifae also seemed more like a background character, but still conniving in her own ways. I’m glad the author didn’t try to continue the weird love triangle thing between herself and Pharaun and the succubus.

The fight scenes didn’t drag on and on like they did in the second book, but there were times where the book felt like a dungeon crawl. I also really enjoyed seeing the other religious groups of the drow make an appearance and hope to see more of them in the rest of the series.

[Brandon Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually a treat compared to the last two books in the series. From the city they found themselves in after teleporting out of the labyrinth, and dealing with the dangers of the lamia, to the darklake, the seige of Menzoberranzan, the tactical ploys of the Jaelrae Chulssin, to battling the final boss. It had enough action, enough banter, and enough spellcasting to keep me engaged for the entire 344 pages.

I wanted to see what happened with Lolth, where Vhaerun actually went, and what happened to Gromph. I also wanted to see what happened with the destruction of Ched Nasad. I can't wait to read book 4 and continue our quest to replenish the priestess' power.

The book is more about their escapades in the World Above and the 66th layer of the abyss, realm to Lolth, the Spider Queen to see why her priestesses are unfavored at this time. After reaching Ched Nasad, and gaining no traction on their spider queen's displeasure, they seek the council of another deity to find out about their queen. After a very long and arduous journey in the world above, they end up with far less than they hoped and are trying to regroup after a heavy sustained loss.

In the meantime, the dwarves, having struck a pact with the Chulssin and Kaanyr Vhok's Scoured Legion, mean to storm on the gates of the spider queen's favored city of Menzoberranzan. Upon the steppes of a resounding victory, and moving closer to her city, the seige is underway.

Book 4 should be a very interesting story indeed.

[Esoteric Grimoire · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Condemnation" by Richard Baker is the third installment in RA Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen series. The narrative picks up where book two left off. Seeing Quenthel's band of Drow traveling through the Underdark and Faerûn in search of their goddess, Lolth's silence. "Condemnation" starts slow but builds up steam as the pages go by, for those who are not lore nuts, like myself, the first half can come off as quite slow. I was very pleased with the world building elements present in Baker's version of both the Underdark and surface Drow. Potential spoiler starts here: Baker also does a good job of introducing the other members of the Dark Seldarine (Drow gods opposed to Lolth) and their worshippers. I found his portrayals of Eilistraee's followers and Vhaerun his followers particularly striking. . I found myself growing particularly attached to Halisstra Melarn and her story arc, there is a lot of potential there, enough that a spin off series based on her was made. I am picking up the fourth entry, "Extinction," to the series if for no other reason than to see what becomes of the Drow priestess Halisstra. I would recommend "Condemnation" to anyone interested in the Forgotten Realms, the Drow, or to budding dungeon masters. Lots of neat lore within.

[Marco Bizzarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the war of the Spider Queen.

We resume following Quenthel, Pharaun, Valas, Ryld, Halisstra and Jeggred as they investigate the disappearance of Lolth, and at the same time the enemies of the Drow assemble to descend on Menzoberranzan.

The party of Drow eventually make their way to the Demonweb Pit, only to discover... nothing; the Spider Queen is silent, and doesn't answer their prayers or their curses.

At the same time, war is on the footstep of Menzoberranzan. Will the city be destroyed or not, this is still to be seen.

Events in the realms of the gods and events in the realms of mortals follow one another: Vhaeraun tries to physically destroy Lolth in its realm, much like as his followers are trying to destroy the followers of the Spider Queen.

The next chapter is in my to-read list.

[Jagordo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I intended to read through the whole six book series, but this entry put a stop to that. The first two are decently written and entertaining, this one less so. I stopped about midway through.
Main complaint is how characters are written; it's understandable given how each book has a different author, but the characters felt more or less the same between #1 and #2. The main cast in #3 take on an uncanny valley level of resemblance to the first two books, getting the wide range of the characters right but missing it in the details.
If you're really enjoying the series at this point and don't mind the inconsistency that is pretty much inevitable with different author every book series, I'd say you're good to proceed. Personally it wasn't worth finishing it off.