The Crystal Shard by RA Salvatore (The Legend of Drizzt: Book 1)

7/10

Ten-Towns is in peril. The mage Akar Kessel has set in motion events leasing to the discovery of the crystal shard, a magical device that might be capable of utterly defeating Ten-Towns. It is left to the dark elf Drizzt, the dwarf Bruenor and the barbarian Wulfgar to stave of the forces of the crystal shard.

The Crystal Shard is a book that pays homage to JRR Tolkien whilst displaying a distinct Dungeons & Dragons feel. There are hobbits, elves, dwarfs and orcs; everything you would hope to find in a tale of high fantasy. RA Salvatore is an OK writer, his battle scenes are exciting if sometimes overly long but his characters are certainly memorable.

I would have to say that Salvatore's writing in The Crystal Shard is not really up to today's standards but am reliably informed that it improves with each book. What he does achieve here is a highly addictive novel that reminded me of David Eddings and as with Eddings' books - you will either love them or hate them. Originality is not a word that I would use in this review but the author does show a lot of affection to the fantasy genre and this comes across strongly in his work.

When the wizards' caravan from the Hosttower of the Arcane saw the snow-capped peak of Kelvin's Cairn rising from the flat horizon, they were more than a little relieved.