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Theories about the horrible second half of the Neverwinter series by R.A Salvatore
rnjbright
Member, Neverwinter Beta Users Posts: 6 Arc User
Many of you are likely aware that the most recent series in the Legend of Drizzt Do'Urden was meant to set the stage for the Neverwinter game. If you have not read the books I suggest turning back now as this thread will be ripe with spoilers
SPOILERS!!!!!****************
The series starts off promising. The first book, "Gauntlgrym" puts Drizzt and Bruenor on the road away from Mithril hall for good. Bruenor being the last of Drizzt's companions left living has faked his own death to escape the crown, and take in his final adventure. Drizzt is gloomy and still mourns the loss of Cattie-Brie and desperately wishes to follow the rumors of strange appearances of a woman fitting her description in an enchanted glade with a Halfling like Regis. Bruenor wishes to find the ancient Dwarven homeland of Gauntlgrym. New and interesting enemies are introduced, and one of which quickly turns ally. The most interesting one. A sexy and dangerous (and emotionally damaged) female elven warrior named Dahlia Sin'felle.
The second book, "Neverwinter" is the best. Possibly one of the best Drizzt books to date. Bruenor is dead, and Drizzt is relieved by the fact that he is now free. Bruenor died well and Drizzt is done mourning his wife, able to move on with his life. He takes up the road with Dahlia and they quickly start a romance. Dahlia slowly shows signs that she is falling in love with Drizzt and he with her, but she remains emotionally troubled by the demons of her past... a very horrible past. The compassionate Drizzt is exactly what she needs, and the free-spirited and firey Dahlia is exactly what he needs. It is only near the end that troubles arise, when Artemis Entreri joins their band and it becomes clear that the two cold blooded killers share something in common that challenges the relationship Dahlia and Drizzt share.
The third book is pretty well written, but the emotional turmoil becomes greater as Salvatore's intent becomes clear. He's giving Dahlia to Artemis. The series has become a soap opera.
The fourth book is torture. Literally. The reader is being punished, through Drizzt. Why are we introduced to this character, Dahlia, and invited to sympathize with her and revel in the relationship they share only to have her forced into the arms of Drizzt's old nemesis? Why are so many other adventures introduced, only to be abandoned in favor of this ridiculous melodrama? Why do so many side-plots go unresolved... worse! Resolved as mere footnotes just so we can watch the train-wreck that is the devolution of Dahlia Sin'felle from the gains she made beside Drizzt? How does this set the stage for the Neverwinter game?
My theory answering those questions is as follows. Feel free to disagree, post your own theories, or whatever, but I have to vent.
What I think happened is that R.A. Salvatore had some great plans for Drizzt and Dahlia, and expected them to travel together for many books, or at least to be romantically involved, growing together in the changing world of Faerun. Then Mrs. Salvatore read "Neverwinter" book II. Suddenly she realized she didn't like this Dahlia character. Suddenly she didn't feel that it was fair that Drizzt should move on, accepting the loss of his late wife, and carrying on with life. Perhaps she placed Drizzt's face on Bob at that moment, wondering if he was harboring his own fantasy of trading in the "old clunker" for a newer, sportier, more fuel-efficient model. No. This relationship wouldn't do, and until it was ended she would give her husband the hateful glare that become a trademark of Dahlia in "The Final Threshold."
But the end of the relationship wasn't enough! Drizzt needed to be punished! How dare he think of moving on with his long life, loving another besides his dead wife! He should have been content to live to over 1000 years old, alone with the memories of Cattie-Brie! No, the final book must have Drizzt punished for daring to love again. He would fall out of love, and become obsessed again with his dead wife, pushing Dahlia into the arms of his old nemesis. He'd be cuckolded by a man who owed him everything, and a woman to whom he had deferred everything for the sake of her feelings. His oldest friend needed to be kidnapped, he needed to be captured, imprisoned, tortured, mocked, dishonored. He'd need to become an enemy to the people who had called him a hero while he slept through all the other more interesting adventures R.A Salvatore had planned for him only to break the heart of the woman he had foolishly tricked into loving him, forcing her to probably kill him, for he couldn't even be merciful enough to kill her as she had hoped.
Oh, there is an epic Drizzt adventure there somewhere in the final book, but it is hidden. Juxtaposed by the sadistic fantasy of an insecure, middle aged housewife who recognizes her own mortality. The priestesses of Lolth couldn't be more cruel to our hero than the mastermind of book IV.
-End rant
(Bob, if you read this, I'm really sorry. I'm joking, surely. Apologize to your wife for me, if she ever hears of this. But know that I am lashing out in anger because you broke our hearts for Dahlia! Also you led us along with so many other adventures... WTF?)
SPOILERS!!!!!****************
The series starts off promising. The first book, "Gauntlgrym" puts Drizzt and Bruenor on the road away from Mithril hall for good. Bruenor being the last of Drizzt's companions left living has faked his own death to escape the crown, and take in his final adventure. Drizzt is gloomy and still mourns the loss of Cattie-Brie and desperately wishes to follow the rumors of strange appearances of a woman fitting her description in an enchanted glade with a Halfling like Regis. Bruenor wishes to find the ancient Dwarven homeland of Gauntlgrym. New and interesting enemies are introduced, and one of which quickly turns ally. The most interesting one. A sexy and dangerous (and emotionally damaged) female elven warrior named Dahlia Sin'felle.
The second book, "Neverwinter" is the best. Possibly one of the best Drizzt books to date. Bruenor is dead, and Drizzt is relieved by the fact that he is now free. Bruenor died well and Drizzt is done mourning his wife, able to move on with his life. He takes up the road with Dahlia and they quickly start a romance. Dahlia slowly shows signs that she is falling in love with Drizzt and he with her, but she remains emotionally troubled by the demons of her past... a very horrible past. The compassionate Drizzt is exactly what she needs, and the free-spirited and firey Dahlia is exactly what he needs. It is only near the end that troubles arise, when Artemis Entreri joins their band and it becomes clear that the two cold blooded killers share something in common that challenges the relationship Dahlia and Drizzt share.
The third book is pretty well written, but the emotional turmoil becomes greater as Salvatore's intent becomes clear. He's giving Dahlia to Artemis. The series has become a soap opera.
The fourth book is torture. Literally. The reader is being punished, through Drizzt. Why are we introduced to this character, Dahlia, and invited to sympathize with her and revel in the relationship they share only to have her forced into the arms of Drizzt's old nemesis? Why are so many other adventures introduced, only to be abandoned in favor of this ridiculous melodrama? Why do so many side-plots go unresolved... worse! Resolved as mere footnotes just so we can watch the train-wreck that is the devolution of Dahlia Sin'felle from the gains she made beside Drizzt? How does this set the stage for the Neverwinter game?
My theory answering those questions is as follows. Feel free to disagree, post your own theories, or whatever, but I have to vent.
What I think happened is that R.A. Salvatore had some great plans for Drizzt and Dahlia, and expected them to travel together for many books, or at least to be romantically involved, growing together in the changing world of Faerun. Then Mrs. Salvatore read "Neverwinter" book II. Suddenly she realized she didn't like this Dahlia character. Suddenly she didn't feel that it was fair that Drizzt should move on, accepting the loss of his late wife, and carrying on with life. Perhaps she placed Drizzt's face on Bob at that moment, wondering if he was harboring his own fantasy of trading in the "old clunker" for a newer, sportier, more fuel-efficient model. No. This relationship wouldn't do, and until it was ended she would give her husband the hateful glare that become a trademark of Dahlia in "The Final Threshold."
But the end of the relationship wasn't enough! Drizzt needed to be punished! How dare he think of moving on with his long life, loving another besides his dead wife! He should have been content to live to over 1000 years old, alone with the memories of Cattie-Brie! No, the final book must have Drizzt punished for daring to love again. He would fall out of love, and become obsessed again with his dead wife, pushing Dahlia into the arms of his old nemesis. He'd be cuckolded by a man who owed him everything, and a woman to whom he had deferred everything for the sake of her feelings. His oldest friend needed to be kidnapped, he needed to be captured, imprisoned, tortured, mocked, dishonored. He'd need to become an enemy to the people who had called him a hero while he slept through all the other more interesting adventures R.A Salvatore had planned for him only to break the heart of the woman he had foolishly tricked into loving him, forcing her to probably kill him, for he couldn't even be merciful enough to kill her as she had hoped.
Oh, there is an epic Drizzt adventure there somewhere in the final book, but it is hidden. Juxtaposed by the sadistic fantasy of an insecure, middle aged housewife who recognizes her own mortality. The priestesses of Lolth couldn't be more cruel to our hero than the mastermind of book IV.
-End rant
(Bob, if you read this, I'm really sorry. I'm joking, surely. Apologize to your wife for me, if she ever hears of this. But know that I am lashing out in anger because you broke our hearts for Dahlia! Also you led us along with so many other adventures... WTF?)
Post edited by rnjbright on
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In the first three books I couldn't even like Dahlia, she seemed off, now I'll read the books again, she has grown on me and I actually want to read about her (and her past).
So, in a way, I was relieved at the end of the book : no more love triangle, alive Artemis Entreri, very alive Jarlaxle (even if that sub-plot could have been longer) , a not so hateful female-character, and the end of weepy Drizzt (or so I hope).
Edit: Oops, ranted without wanting to.
Actually, I agree with you, because it seems like you agree with me. You were relieved that the horrible main story was finally over, ending our collective suffering. Even the main protagonist didn't care about the primary thematic conflict. How boring. How frustrating.
It's easy to see why, then, that you have overlooked the fact that the book ended by half-heartedly dropping all the other, much more interesting and exciting sub-plots. Not leaving them for other books. Just ending them with the groups useless 18 year slumber, taking us back to Drizzt's original obsession.
And don't forget, nothing was solved! Unless Drizzt is actually dead, which I guarantee we won't be so lucky. No, Dahlia and Entreri will temporarily ride off into the sunset, and unless Entreri kills her, the group will reunite, and it will take Jarlaxle's magic flute to keep Dahlia from falling into a pit of self loathing upon seeing her former lover.
Dahlia should have died in Charon's claw. Or Entreri should have died in Charon's claw. Especially Entreri! At least then we could remember him as our brooding anti-hero with a sense of honor that could not be impugned! Instead he cuckolded Drizzt. Something I don't think Entreri would have liked. No, I imagine Entreri will again be lost in a pit of self-loathing. How incredibly inane.
http://www.rasalvatore.com/article.aspx?siteNews=235
And here I was hoping that we were free of Drizzt and his issues, it would seem it's just him and Guenhwyvar, could be great, maybe...
As for Entreri, I agree, I fully expected him to die at the end of Charon's Claw, at the time I was glad to see that he survived (he'll always be one of my favorite character), but without Drizzt he will just become the new angsty-one, that was already the case in Road of the Patriarch, but this time we will have Dahlia with him , and her son... so that will be three possible self-loathing characters.
Ah well, with some luck we'll see a bit more of Jarlaxle and Kimmuriel, and maybe Jarlaxle will wake up and come back as Bregan D'aerthe leader.