Fantasy is a genre that has been very popular in recent decades. It has written many books, the authors have created many worlds. Some of them are more detailed and widely known, for example, Arda by J. R. R. Tolkien, others are less popular, but also have their fans. One of the worlds quite popular, but not very well known to the general public, is the world of the Forgotten Kingdoms, which was originally created for games, but later “overgrown” with books written on it. More than a dozen authors create this universe. One of the first literary works is a cycle about the dark elf, or rather, the trilogy “Ice Wind Valley” included in it. It was she who, in fact, laid the foundation for the whole story of the elf DoUrden. It was written by an American Robert Salvatore.
Icewind Dale: A Brief Overview of the Trilogy
This universe began with games. Even in recent decades, computer games in the "Forgotten Kingdoms" are popular. However, the book “Valley of the Ice Wind” is not only one of the first works on “Forgotten Kingdoms” - it is for the first time that one of the most famous characters in this universe, the dark elf Drizzt and his company, appears.
The trilogy was written in 1988-1990 and covers the events of several years. Heroes have to find their place in this world. Drizzt DoUrden, an exile from the despised dark elf race, will learn to live on the surface, among alien races. Dwarf Bruenor, on the contrary, needs to find a way underground, in the long-abandoned Mithril Hall. That's just the past pursuing heroes on the heels, taking, for example, the appearance of a hired killer Artemis Entreri. But first things first.
Crystal Shard
The events of the book unfold in an area called the Valley of the Ice Wind, where, as they say, any exile will be accepted and understood. It is here that the elf Drizzt, who left the underground city, is sent. But it remains here an outcast, forced to live away from everyone.
The central character of this part is, rather, the dwarf Brenon Battle Ax. The dwarf king at one time quite successfully repelled the invasion of the barbarian tribes in the Valley, not allowing them to destroy and plunder the Ten Cities. Of the enemies, only a young man named Wulfgar survived, whom the dwarf adopted.
Parallel to these events, the magician Akar Kessel, betrayed and thrown out of his hometown outside the Valley, burns with a thirst for revenge. Using a magic crystal, he plans to create an army and conquer the whole world. And Kessel is going to start from the Valley of the Ice Wind.
Silver Streams
In the second book of the trilogy, King Bruenor Battle Ax sets off in search of his homeland, which he forgot the way in the hundred years that have passed since he left (by the way, it is believed that the whole Bruenor campaign is an allusion to the campaign of Torin Duboshchit from the Tolkien universe) . A century ago, the Battle Ax clan was forced to leave Mithril Hull due to a dragon settled there named Shimmering Gloom.
Immediately after the danger of Kessel has passed, the heroes emerge from the Valley of the Ice Wind. But troubles await them not only in front - they are followed by the mercenary Artemis Entreri, who initially pursued one of the participants of the campaign on the order of the Thieves Guild, but as a result becoming the personal enemy of Drizzt DoUrden. Just out of a desire to prove to everyone and himself that the dark elf does not surpass him, because before that Entreri was considered the best among the warriors.
At the gate of Mithril Hall, two squads meet, a fight breaks out. Drizzt and Artemis fall into the dungeons. They are forced to work together to get to the surface.
At the end of the book, during another skirmish, the fleeing Entreris captures Guenhwyvar, the magic panther of Drizzt. The mercenary expects the elf to want to return the fighting girlfriend and go after him.
Huffling Jewel
The final book of the trilogy tells about the past halfling Regis and about what he was pursued by Artemis Entreri, who finally overtook him. The company, familiar to the reader from previous books, reassembles and sets off in pursuit of the mercenary. Actually, the whole book is dedicated to this confrontation.
The way for the heroes is to be even longer and farther than in the previous book, and therefore a great many are waiting for their adventures. In addition, this journey reveals the world quite well - the detachment passes through different cities, regions, meets representatives of different races and cultures.
At the end of their adventures, the heroes find themselves in a parallel world, but they will be saved by the Guenhwyvar mined by Regis. Drizzt's squad returns to the material world, defeating the enemies, but the seriously wounded Entreri manages to escape. The heroes' path lies back to the north, they still need to conquer Mithril Hull.
Is there a sequel?
This story has a sequel. Robert Salvatore has written more than a dozen books on the adventures of DoUrden and company. In addition, the author created a prequel to this story - the Dark Elf trilogy, which tells about the childhood and youth of Drizzt and how he found himself on the surface, about his complex relationships with compatriots and relatives, about his outlook on life and about getting to know Guenhwyvar.
Books on The Forgotten Kingdoms, authored by Salvatore, are some of the most popular works written in this universe.