Forgotten Realms discussion

Just wondering if anyone is of a like mind here, that post Hunter's Blades Trilogy, the Drizzt stories have been getting gradually worse and worse. The originals were fun, and it was easy to ignore the heavy-handed 'inspiration' Salvatore took from LOTR. The handling of Catti-Brie's death in Transitions and the introduction of new bad-guys in Neverwinter has just been really, really poor. Obould felt like a move in the right direction - a closer look at what makes a villain. But the enemies in Neverwinter started to feel like 'Moster of the Week' fare. I'll admit I never read past Gauntlgrym - but after that I didn't really feel like putting any money down for the following books.
So, am I alone in this opinion, or is it generally felt that Drizzt has seen his best days?

He has been on SO many adventures, I just think that they are running out of things for him to do.

I'd like to see a collaboration with him and Elminster. But thats my fanatic side speaking out on that end.

I think that would have been interesting :)

Transitions was amazing, heartbreaking and clear departure from his past. The Neverwinter Series seemed...rushed. Lets kill off everything Drizzt ever believed in and loved and give him characters he would never had anything to do with before. Really? I mean Dalia has/had potential, but Drizzt has just turned so...I don't know. HE has just given up. He had places he could have gone to...I just did not like the way it all ended.
That being said, I would love to see more interaction of characters and crossovers, like the War of the Spider Queen. I mean, with all of the desolation that occurred in Neverwinter, you mean to tell me Elminster, Erevis Cale, or Geran Hulmaster would not wish to seek out adventure there? I know it FR is for everyone to have their little corner to develop...but develop it.
All of this is, of course, my humble opinion so take it for what it is worth, and of course, I will be reading the Sundering.

Catti-brie's...Oh SPOILER BTW...just in case...end really annoyed me. It happened stupidly quick, but more than that I didn't like 'possibility' that she was roaming around in another plane of existence. There was a lack of finality to it. Salvatore too many times has failed to kill his characters with certainty and it becomes a weakness rather than something to keep people interested.

Ok, I need to reiterate some things about my feelings on "Transitions". When i said it was amazing, I meant it was amazing in the fact that it made such a clean cut for Drizzt. Everything he had worked so hard for was left in ashes. (possible spoilers ahead). His true love gone, his best friend vanished into the wild, and his other friend gone as well.
I wonder if, because it is a shared world, and owned by Wizards of the Coast, if R A Salvatore was forced to change direction for DRizzt, because of the forthcoming Neverwinter? Much like HArris had to rush his Hannibal Book because of the demand for a new Movie , like George R R Martin is writing the Next Game of Thrones because HBO is catching up.

Neddless to Say, The Neverwinter Saga was a big let down, and it was ignoble end for such an iconic figure.

I felt there were moments of brilliance in the Neverwinter saga; times in which I was particularly interested not only on Drizzt, but in the intriguing events transpiring in the shadows. But when you throw half-made characters, weak antagonists and slow character development, we have a novel that constantly suffers from action block. "The Hunter's Blade" trilogy was pretty good and while I enjoyed the first book of "Transitions" very much, after the process of cleaning house began, things went downhill, not because they were bound to happen but because they left a emptiness that things would not change.

I've been reading every new Drizzt book as they are released since Legacy and I definitely have to agree. I've tried to read Guantlgrym 3x and can't finish it. maybe it was the fact they finally found it only to destroy it im not sure. the book just doesn't sit well with me. I did however love the Ghost King.

TheCompanions book one of the sundering, was actually a very good reboot. The Deus Machina was annoying, but was better than Stephen Kings use of it (the Stand), and at least it came at the beginning instead of the end. Looking forward to the second book and seeing what other Adventures await our intrepid Drow.

I just finished reading Rise of the King. And the new books take me back to the Drizzt books if the 80s. very refreshing.

Whenever I feel like Drizzt is in decline I just go back to the Crystal Shard.

It's been a while - I finally got round to reading and finishing Gauntlgrym. I'd started it before, but was put off by the starting. I've now just finished Charon's Claw and I've heard good things about Companions being a decent reboot (As micheal said above)
Artemis Entreri made all the difference - that and I wanted a good lead-in to the Neverwinter MMO - which I finally started playing. I first though Barrabus was just a tired retread of a much-loved character. It was great to find out who he was. On to The Last Threshold now (I hope Artemis gets his dagger back!)

Val, I read Last Threshold and Hated it. Throwing it across the room when I finished reading it. Almost so much that I did not want to read the Companions. I was ready to give up on Drizzt. Keep the Companions close at hand and jump right into it, with out resting,
and maybe you will avoid the frustration I had. HA!

I went at it - I just about managed it. But man, Companions is such a return to form it's not even funny. I read Companions in four days and went straight to Night of the Hunter and everything is back to normal - in the best possible way.
I still can't quite figure out why the Neverwinter Saga was so bad. I had no interest in any of the characters apart from Entreri and Drizzt. Going back to the intrigue of Menzoberranzan in NOTH suddenly feels like the story is continuing right after Siege of Darkness. Just like John up above said, it's like good old 80's Drizzt :D

A heads-up for the spoilers would be good, and pretty easy to include, I think.