The Crystal Shard: The Legend of Drizzt

By R. A. Salvatore

Drizzt Do’Urden finds new friends and foes in the windswept towns of Icewind Dale, also the setting of the Dungeons & Dragons adventure book Rime of the Frostmaiden.

With his days in the Underdark far behind him, drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden sets down roots in the windswept Ten-Towns of Icewind Dale. A cold and unforgiving place, Ten-Towns sits on the brink of a catastrophic war, threatened by the barbarian tribes of the north.

It’s in the midst of battle that a young barbarian named Wulfgar is captured and made the ward of Bruenor, a grizzled dwarf leader and a companion to Drizzt. With Drizzt’s help, Wulfgar will grow from a feral child to a man with the heart of a dwarf, the instincts of a savage, and the soul of a hero. But it will take even more than that to defeat the corrupt wizard who wields the demonic power of Crenshininbon—the fabled Crystal Shard.

The Crystal Shard is first book in the Icewind Dale Trilogy and the fourth book in the Legend of Drizzt series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 23, 2009
• ISBN: 9780786954049

R. A. Salvatore

Over three decades ago, R. A. Salvatore created the character of Drizzt Do’Urden, the dark elf who has withstood the test of time to stand today as an icon in the fantasy genre. With his work in the Forgotten Realms, the Crimson Shadow, the DemonWars Saga, and other series, Salvatore has sold more than thirty million books worldwide and has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list more than two dozen times. He considers writing to be his personal journey, but still, he’s quite pleased that so many are walking the road beside him! R.A. lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Diane, and their two dogs, Dexter and Pikel. He still plays softball for his team, Clan Battlehammer, and enjoys his weekly DemonWars: Reformation RPG and Dungeons & Dragons 5e games. 

Reviews for The Crystal Shard

[ftmckinstry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well, 4.5 because I love this stuff. This one didn't have the same impact on me as the first three books did, but there were plenty of interesting things happening: goblins, orcs, frost giants, dragons, demons, war and a smarmy, devious, whiny wizard who wreaks havoc after finding the crystal shard, an ancient magical talisman that gives him considerable powers. Basic stuff, but well done. I did enjoy seeing the wizard bite it, finally.

I slogged down a bit on all the Ten Towns politics, history, descriptions, etc. There was a lot of bickering. It was part of the story, but I didn't care that much about it. I read and watch enough grisly things where I have to be pretty attached to a place before I'll worry about the welfare of the populace over that of a dragon or a demon. Honestly, I was more worried about Drizzt's cat.

The development of the other main characters, a barbarian, a halfling and a dwarf, was good and it was a kind reprieve that Drizzt had some loyal friends he didn't lose, for a change. We'll see how they all fare in the next adventure.

[alwright1_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this because I am the game master for this season of D&D Encounters, and I wanted a stronger understanding of the setting. It did a pretty good job of that. The writing was pretty rough, and it was sorely lacking for female characters, but I'm a sucker for adventurous parties of friends, so I got through it pretty well.

[johnnypanic13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fun book. Not perfect. Read this series years and years ago. I was looking for a simple fun series I could read mostly before bed and on he weekends. This fits the bill.If you're going to pick up the Drizzt Do'Urden books I'd recommend starting here rather than the Dark Elf trilogy. These come later chronologically, but they were written first. I think the story flows better when you start here.Quick reads. Pretty much straight down the middle "sword and wizard" fantasy stuff here. What raises these above the crowd is the character Drizzt Do'Urden. He's got a little more depth than you're typical fantasy character, but I don't know if I'd go so far as to call him well rounded. But you'll like him.He's batman (not the recent physcologicly tortued one, the *WHAM* *POW* one).He's spiderman. Only he doesn't like spiders much.He's John Reeese (from Person of Interest. You should watch that show. ya - I'm talking to you. Watch it. Stick it out through the first few episodes, it pays off).He's going to make things work. He's got a plan, and when he doesn't have a plan he makes it up as he goes and it's going to turn out okay.He's got a good heart and always tries to do the right thing. But sometimes when the bad guys hurt someone good he goes into a rage and kicks butt on a large scale.Don't expect a character that would fit into The Game of Thrones. Expect a character that you could easily throw into a comic book.And sometimes that's okay.

[capiam1234 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this back when it first came out, and still do.

[booksfordinner · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Looking for a new fantasy series, I tried out Salvatore... I had played D&D when I was a kid casually, and a couple of the video games, but never read the books. The first books are pretty straightforward fantasy, but you can really feel Salvatore feeling his oats as these three books progress... by the end of the third one, he is already a much better writer than he was in the first one (this one).

[haymicheal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like this series. Its not to overwritten, its not too campy, and I like that Drizzt offers something new to a fantasy world. But, Salvatore does get a little carried away with the descriptions of the sword fights. You can tell he's really passionate about it, but half the time, I can't tell whats going on in a fight.

[meggle_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first book in the Icewind Dale Trilogy (or fourth in the Legend of Drizzt) and the one that got me hooked on Salvatore. The book introduces many of the characters that fans of the series have come to love, Wulfgar, Bruenor, and of course Drizzt. Salvatore has a wonderful style of writing that is fast paced and enjoyable and above all has a knack for creating memorable characters.

[reading_fox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Readable. Fast paced and enjoyable, but without any depth or much characterisation. Quite different to alot of the more recent fantasy books, particularly in the lack of dialog. As a debuet novel, it is notbale in the avoidance of many of the errors that are often found in such works. The story is set in the Forgotten Realms ADnD world. It picks up essentially in the middle of Drizzit's life. He is a Drow - or dark elf - and has surprisingly fled the Underdark of his people to dwell on the surface, despite the physical pains the sun still gives him. In the process of becoming aclimatised in the far north of Icewind Dale. he has made two firm friends, a dour dwarf, and a slothful halfling. These are very much the sterotypes of their races, as pictured in DnD. Vastly contrasting with Drizzt who isn't. Only one character is properly introduced, Wulfgar the barbarian, who is captured by the dwarf whent he barbarians try and raid the human towns. However life isnt' all plain sailing in the far north for a new power has arrisen, and it can command whole tribes of creature snot to war with each other, but to unite against their new common foe. Good job we've got a few heros around.There's never really any doubt about how it is all going to play out. And although our heros do come up against vastly superior numbers, there lives are in little risk. A coupel of bruises and one scrape is about all. Huge numbers of minor characters get killed of course, but as there is absolutely no characterisation we don't care about them. I was aprticularly impressed with the inversion of the old Light and Dark, Good and Evil theme. This was inventive and well handled - clear without being rubbed in. I quite like the jump straight in approach to a character's backstory. Although there are lots of tantalising hints about what has happened in the past, (and in fact an entire prequel trilogy) everythign we need to know is spelled out, and the rest is unimportant. A lto of the padding in normal fantasy book has been cut out. All the meetings between heros and various chiefs are gone. As is any tactical discussion, plans, thoughts, or pondering. In fact their is very little dialogue at all. Although this occasionally seems a bit abrupt it works well at keeping the pace moving along. The onyl descriptively heavy areas are the battles. Here at times it seems as if every sword stroke, axe parry and hammer thud are described. Fortunetly all the enemies are weakilings and quickly fall to our heros magical weapons. Although perhaps not quite as good as the early parts of Dragonlance, this does capture some of the feel of ADnD playing. Very good for a debuet novel, and overall not a bad easy fantasy read.

[clong_818048 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Crystal Shard isn't a book I normally would have picked up, but then that's one of the benefits of a book discussion group, right? I came to it with fairly low expectations, and in many ways it was exactly what I expected. I found the characters largely one dimensional, the world building anemic, the bad guys inept, and many of the plot elements obviously recycled from other sources. I have never played D&D, so I didn't really have a sense for when he was inventing something new and when he was just following the rulebook.Still, it was reasonably diverting, and I don't regret the fairly minimal time investment required to read it. There were a few surprises, and a bit of effective humor. And I cared at least a little bit about each of the four main characters (without ever particularly worrying that any of them wasn't going to best the peril du jour).Having said all that, there were far too many awkward phrases, misused words, and just plain bad grammar (reread the short Prelude carefully and you'll find plenty of examples). Whomever copy-edited this book didn't do much of a job.

[karlstar_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Perhaps the most famous AD&D fantasy novel ever written. Introducing the characters of Drizz't, Wulfgar, Catti-Brie, Bruenor and Regis, which are still being featured in adventures 20 years later. Salvatore also does a great job exploring little known areas of the Forgotten Realms. He also has a talent turning game concepts into story, without making it seem like a game. He's particularly good at fantasy combat descriptions.

[kaboomcju · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the book that got me hooked on R.A. Salvatore. While it's an easy D & D read, the characters are incredibly strong (note the popularity of Drizzt Do'Urden). If the characters were stale, this book would stink.

[nolhol · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Crystal Shard is the first book in a series that details the adventures of modern fantasy's most popular character, Drizzt Do'Urden. R.A. Salvatore has created legions of fans with his ability to put an action movie into book form. Although riddled with cliches and poor dialouge, the visceral fight and action scenes keep readers plowing through the dozens of novels in this series.

[aerodynamics_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I do not know why Fantasy, as a literary genre, is so prone to being amateurishy written dreck. This novel shows its roots at the Dungeon's and Dragons table (you can practically hear the dice-rolls), and as such lacks any clear narrative thrust. The characters are crudely drawn, cliches abound, and by the end of the novel it seems as though nothing much has really happened.I will give Salvatore credit for his sheer enthusiasm. It is evident that enjoyed himself in the writing.

[ardh_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This series had some of the best fantasy characters I can remember - characters with actual personalities and depth.

[james.d.gifford · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book surprised me. I'm re-reading fantasy of this period, and frankly had low expectations. For its purposes, it does the job. It's Salvatore's first book, by his own description in this book, but he later writes prequels.

What's there to say? You *can* hear the dice rolling, but that's also it's purpose. Is characterization good? That's not really what it's about. Race is interesting, and the closing seems to gesture to a liberal sense of racial reconciliation that speaks to the book's historical moment in the mid-1980s. Imagery has several sources in the mass media of the moment, particular the swath of fantasy films in the early 1980s, and the integration of invented words and names form other texts is fairly overt. It ticks along at a brisk pace and lands pretty close to where you expect it to – would I recommend it to friends? Probably not, unless they were interested in 1908s fantasy fiction for a particular reason, but set next to other texts of that moment, it is interestingly different.

[leslieholm-47788 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For an rpg in an established setting, it is outstanding, the best of the breed. Remove TSR and the Forgotten Realms from the equation and it is still a damn good series. Bob Salvatore got his start in the rpg industry, but he is good. Very readable.

[jean4duteau · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My first introduction to Drizzt and his companions. I'm looking forward to reading more about them. This book was slightly formulaic though so I'm hoping that these tales get better.

[jerame2999 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really do like this book. Fun and battle scenes not too long.

[pardamustang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

**I purchased this book for my own enjoyment with no expectation of a review**I first read RA Salvatore's The Crystal Shard many moons ago. The Drizzt novels helped me through a tough time of my life, and are still comfort books. This reread marks the 2000th book I've read since Jan 1993. I wanted number 2000 to be a special one!Drizzt, a rogue dark elf, has made his home in the wilds of Icewind Dale, one of the most remote places of Faerun. The drow ranger patrols the tundra, keeping vigilant watch over the scattering of towns along three lakes, despite being despised by many humans. He has friends, though, in Bruenor the dwarf and his adopted daughter Catti-bre, and in the handling known as Regis, Spokesman for the town of Lonelywood. Drizzt happens to discover a plot by the tundra barbarians to attack the towns. He gives warning, and Regis and Bruenor are able to convince the towns to put aside their native rivalry and work together. They grudgingly do so and manage to defeat the barbarians, though the alliance falls apart quite literally as soon as the battle is won. One young barbarian, left for dead on the field of battle, is taken in by Bruenor to serve a five year and a day penance for the attack. Meanwhile… elsewhere… a failed mage apprentice named Alarm Kessel has come in possession of a powerful artifact known as Crenshinibon, that grants him the magic he'd always before failed to truly connect to.As Wulfgar grows from boy to man under Bruenor’s tutelage, Kessel is gathering together an army of goblins, orcs, and other fell beasties. As Wulfgar’s time of penance is drawing to an end, Bruenor sends him to Drizzt to train in fighting and defense. Wulfgar quickly comes to respect Drizzt, and it is together they discover Kessel’s plot against the lake towns. As the towns once again try to come together for a common cause, Wulfgar departs, embarking on a mission that will ensure his people come to the aid of the townspeople. If he can succeed, that is. I love this series! Like I mentioned earlier, it pulled me through some rough times and they are still comfort books. Drizzt is such an unusual character, and the challenges he must face are something that resonates deeply with me. That, and his morals. He stands firm by what he believes. My only qualm is the repetition of 'evil’ and 'mighty’ as descriptors, however, my brain now just supplies different words in their place. ????? Highly recommended if you love fantasy, or enjoy Dungeons & Dragons/ DragonLance/ Forgotten Realms.

[rbtwinky · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book that started it all! Tthe first time I read it was the first time I read fantasy (adult fantasy anyway). The book does live up to its legacy. It had been such a long time since I had read the book that I had forgotten a lot about it. I remembered all the basic plot lines, but the characters were quite different from those that I have come to know and love in the intervening decade. Drizzt has more of a roguish quality. One of his main drives in life is seeing and exploring new treasure. We don’t see that anymore. Also, getting to see Wulfgar in his original prideful and over-honorable self was really fun. Disappointingly Cattie-Brie didn’t get much play in this one, but I know there is better to come. Overall, the book is great. The action starts early and keeps pumping all through. It reads like an action movie, with very little down time, but still manages to build deep characters.