cover image Starlight Enclave

Starlight Enclave

R.A. Salvatore. Harper Voyager, $27.99 (464p) ISBN 978-0-06-302977-4

Salvatore returns to the world of the Drizzt: Generations series with the enjoyable epic fantasy that launches his Way of the Drow series, set almost two years after the defeat of demon hordes left the northern Sword Coast at peace. This respite gives dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden the chance to deepen his connection with his daughter, Brienne, by taking her to the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, the spiritual community that transformed his life. There, Drizzt overcame the curse of reasoning beings, which is an “unconscious bent toward some determined level of tension.” His plan doesn’t sit well with Catti-brie, his wife, who has a different theological perspective, but she consents to the plan after he agrees to give her a similar opportunity to influence their child. This plotline alternates with a more action-oriented one as mercenary Jarlaxle searches for a way to remove the malignancy from a magical sword called Khazid’hea. Salvatore manages to wrangle the extensive backstory to make this an accessible entry point for first-timers, and the superior characterizations that marked Salvatore’s prior books are again in evidence. His many devoted fans have reason to anticipate the sequel. [em]Agent: Lucas, Paul Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Aug.) [/em]