The Hunter's Blades Trilogy

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image_caption = The cover of "The Thousand Orcs"
author = R.A. Salvatore
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country = U.S.A.
language = English
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genre = Fantasy Novel
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media_type = Print
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preceded_by = The Sellswords
followed_by = Transitions

"The Hunter's Blades Trilogy" is a "New York Times" best-selling trilogy written by science fiction and fantasy author R.A. Salvatore. It follows on from the previous book, "The Servant of the Shard" and the other books of the "Paths of Darkness" series. It contains three books, "The Thousand Orcs", "The Lone Drow", and "The Two Swords". "The Two Swords" was his 17th work concerning one of the most famous characters Salvatore has created, the drow, or dark elf, Drizzt Do'Urden. The series is followed by the installments in the "Transitions" series.

eries titles

# "The Thousand Orcs" (2002)
# "The Lone Drow" (2003)
# "The Two Swords" (2004)

Detailed plot

The Thousand Orcs

In "The Thousand Orcs", the orc King Obould Many-Arrows, allied with a clan of frost giants, sends a massive army against the towns of the North. On the sidelines, four drow from the underdark orchestrate events behind the scenes, playing each side against the other for their own advantage. Drizzt is separated from his friends during the siege at the town of Shallows. He witnesses the apparent death of the other Companions of the Hall, and turns his attention to slaughtering orcs in retribution, wherever he might find them.

The Lone Drow

In "The Lone Drow", Drizzt Do'Urden is mourning what he believes to be the death of his closest friends. Drizzt only regains his sense of purpose after two elves (Tarathiel and Innovindil) and their two pegasi (Sunrise and Sunset) decide to help. The Dwarven druid Pikel Bouldershoulders loses his left arm at the elbow by a piece of slate thrown by a frost giant. Tarathiel, however, meets his demise at the hands of King Obould Many-Arrows. Meanwhile, the remaining Companions of the Hall, who survived the attack that Drizzt earlier witnessed, are fighting an increasingly desperate battle against Obould's forces.

The Two Swords

In "The Two Swords", Obould's horde has pressed the Companions to the very gates of Mithral Hall, where Bruenor and his clan launch a desperate, last-ditch effort to push the orcs back. A desperate rescue attempt succeeds, with Drizzt and Innovindil rescuing the latter's pegasus, which Obould had captured and chained as a trophy, and Drizzt is unexpectedly reunited with the Companions that he long thought dead. The only major plot line to be tied up in this novel is the question of what Drizzt will do about his relationship with Catti-brie. Other than that, "The Two Swords" resolves a few minor plot threads. Drizzt and the surface elf Innovindil bring their quest for the captured pegasus to a conclusion. A few more characters meet their demise in this novel.

Ultimately, the novel keeps the major plot lines active for future novels, and introduces several more.

Characters

* Drizzt Do'Urden
* Catti-brie

Literary significance and reception

"The Thousand Orcs" debuted on the "New York Times" bestseller list at number 11. [cite web
url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807EED6123CF930A35752C1A9649C8B63&scp=1&sq=thousand+orcs&st=nyt
title = BEST SELLERS: November 3, 2002
accessdate = 2008-04-14
publisher = NYTimes.com]

"The Lone Drow" debuted on the "New York Times" bestseller list at number 7. [cite web
url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E4D81539F935A25752C1A9659C8B63&scp=3&sq=lone+drow&st=nyt
title = BEST SELLERS: November 16, 2003
accessdate = 2008-04-14
publisher = NYTimes.com] Staff Reviewer Tom Gafkjen from d20zines.com awarded the book a "B" grade. He praised the well-written combat sequences but did not enjoy the repetitious writing about the character Drizzt brooding over the death of a moon elf. He noted the exceptional writing although preferring the first book of the trilogy. [cite web
date = 2004-11-22
last = Gafkjen
first = Tom
url=http://www.d20zines.com/v7/node/1310
title=The Lone Drow Review
publisher=d20zine.com
accessdate=2008-04-14]

"The Two Swords" debuted on the "New York Times" bestseller list at number 4. [cite web
url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E5D6123DF934A35752C1A9629C8B63&scp=4&sq=two+swords+salvatore&st=nyt
title = BEST SELLERS: November 7, 2004
accessdate = 2008-04-14
publisher = NYTimes.com] It also debuted at number 1 on the "Wall Street Journal"'s Bestseller List. [cite web
date = 2004-11-08
url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_Nov_8/ai_n6336959
title = The 'Two Swords' Debuts at #1 on the Wall Street Journal's Bestseller List; R.A. Salvatore's Classic Tale of Fantasy Triumphs on Bestseller Lists Nationwide
accessdate = 2008-04-14
publisher = Business Wire] Patrick Bergeron II from fantasybookspot.com found "The Two Swords" predictable and expected key sequences such as the character Drizzt "finding out that his friends had not fallen at Shallows". However he still enjoyed the story and characterisation. [cite web
date = 2004-11-22
last = Bergeron II
first = Patrick
url=http://www.fantasybookspot.com/node/1348
title=The Two Swords
publisher=fantasybookspot.com
accessdate=2008-04-14]

Publication History

References

External links

* [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/frnovel/886190000 Wizards of the Coast - The Thousand Orcs]
* [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/frnovel/179860000 Wizards of the Coast - The Lone Drow]
* [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/frnovel/177590000 Wizards of the Coast - The Two Swords]