 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | R. A. Salvatore |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Legacy of the Drow |
| Genre | Fantasy literature |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast |
Publication date | 1996 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 313 |
| ISBN | 9780786907502 |
| OCLC | 670434020 |
| Preceded by | Siege of Darkness |
Passage to Dawn is a 1996 fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. It is the fourth and final book of his Legacy of the Drow series.
Passage to Dawn finds Drizzt and Catti-brie aboard the Sea Sprite six years after the events of the previous novel ( Siege of Darkness , 1994), with the company of its captain, Deudermont, its wizard Robillard, and its powerful crew. The Sea Sprite is indeed a feared force on the Sword Coast, with few pirates choosing to attack its deadly wizard, drow ranger, panther, archer or ballista. They have been hunting pirates for the six years after the Battle of Mithral Hall. The balor, Errtu, who needs Drizzt to break his banishment; takes Deudermont's shape and it is unmasked when it hints to a mysterious island. Deudermont looks for the island to find out who sent the creature. The Sea Sprite crew goes to Mintarn in search of information about the mysterious Caerwich. They are attacked by pirates, but they manage to escape also because of the magical arrival of Harkle Harpell, who joins the crew. After a long and perilous journey, the Sea Sprite reaches Caerwich. There more dangers await the companions, but they eventually find an old hag who gives a riddle message to Drizzt and Catti-brie. The drow believes that the message implies that his father is alive and held by Lolth. The companions look for more information from a fiend of the Abyss, contacting it through a priest. On the journey back, the Sea Sprite is nearly destroyed by a storm and is saved by Harkle, whose spell magically transports the damaged schooner in Impresk Lake, near the residence of the priest Cadderly Bonaduce.
The companions go to Icewind Dale where Crenshinibon lies, the place where Errtu will more likely show up. In the meantime the crystal shard itself is found and taken by Stumpet Rakingclaw. Errtu is summoned by a wizard, but he breaks free and flies to Icewind Dale. He takes Crenshinibon from Stumpet, capturing her soul and using her body as a bait to lure Drizzt to him. Stumpet's body leads the companions to the Sea of Moving Ice. There they are attacked by Taers sent by Crenshinibon, and they beat the creatures because of the arrival of Revjak and his warriors. Berkthgar and his men, who were also following the companions, arrive as well and eventually the heroes make the barbarian realize his mistakes. The companions then proceed to their quest and they eventually reach Cryshal-Tirith, where battle with Errtu's minions ensues. Regis infiltrates the tower and, with cunning and willpower, he manages to lock Crenshinibon in a box from where its power cannot escape. In the meantime the others are saved by the arrival of Kierstaad, son of Revjak, wielding Aegis-fang, taken from Bruenor's quarters. Errtu's prisoner, Wulfgar, breaks free and joins battle with his warhammer. The companions eventually defeat Errtu.
Trenton Webb reviewed Passage to Dawn for Arcane magazine, rating it a 4 out of 10 overall. [1] He commented that "Bucking the Prince, Princess and Dragon rescue trend, Passage to Dawn tries to add the extra element of mystery to the adventure by withholding the identity of the victim. So, where more traditional tales focus on the link between rescuer and abductee, this story drags its heroes the length of the Forgotten Realms on a mission to save somebody. They're not exactly sure who, but someone needs rescuing and there's a good chance of a ruck, too." [1] Webb adds: "This plotline employs an eclectic cast who seem bound by AD&D reality when it suits them and liberally free of it when the plot gets out of hand. Drizzit, the star, is a male Ranger with a fondness for sunrises and the open sea, while the wizard Harkle Harpell behaves exactly as described in the Forgotten Realms expansion set The North , but his unbridled power and sudden appearance is, sadly, anything but convincing." [1] He continues: "Together with dwarven-raised humans, barbarian friendly halflings and kindhearted pirates, the characters do their damnedest to add gusto. But while this makes individual encounters fun, it begins to pull the weak plot out of shape. What starts out as a pirate chase turns into a treasure hunt, which leads the crew to a far away lake and back up north for a final showdown with a Balor." [1] Webb concludes his review by saying, "The result is a vaguely interesting tale which leaps between locales and characters for its own benefit rather than the reader's. All too often, your concentration is shattered by the introduction of Drizzit's essays on life, a sudden change of tack, or the arbitrary introduction of superfluous characters. There are some neat set-pieces but they just don't hold together." [1]
Passage to Dawn debuted on The New York Times Best Seller list at number 13. [2]
Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories. Several years later, it was published for the D&D game as a series of magazine articles, and the first Realms game products were released in 1987. Role-playing game products have been produced for the setting ever since, in addition to novels, role-playing video game adaptations, comic books, and the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character appearing in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed him to replace one of the characters in an early version of the first book, The Crystal Shard. Drizzt has since become a popular heroic character of the Forgotten Realms setting, and has been featured as the main character of a long series of books, starting chronologically with The Dark Elf Trilogy. As an atypical drow, Drizzt has forsaken both the evil ways of his people and their home in the Underdark, in the drow city of Menzoberranzan.
Menzoberranzan, the "City of Spiders", is a fictional city-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. The city is located in the Upper Northdark, about two miles below the Surbrin Vale, between the Moonwood and the Frost Hills. It is famed as the birthplace of Drizzt Do'Urden, the protagonist of several series of best-selling novels by noted fantasy author R. A. Salvatore. Menzoberranzan has been developed into a video game and a tabletop RPG setting.
Catti-brie is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms setting, based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The creation of American author R.A. Salvatore, she is primarily known as the love interest of the drow ranger Drizzt Do'Urden and has appeared in multiple media alongside Drizzt.
The Dark Elf Trilogy is a prequel to the Icewind Dale Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore. Drizzt Do'Urden, a drow, or dark elf, was originally written as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy to Wulfgar the barbarian. However, the author soon realized how popular the character was, and Drizzt became the main character. The final book Sojourn made the New York Times Best Seller list.
The Icewind Dale Trilogy is a trilogy of epic fantasy novels by the American writer R.A. Salvatore. The books are The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver and The Halfling's Gem. They tell the tale of ranger Drizzt Do'Urden the drow, Wulfgar the barbarian warrior, Regis the halfling, dwarf king Bruenor, and Bruenor's adopted human daughter Catti-brie. It is the first of Salvatore's Forgotten Realms novels which introduces some of the best-known characters in that world. The final book of this series, The Halfling's Gem, appeared in The New York Times Best Seller list.
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy is a fantasy trilogy by American writer R.A. Salvatore. It follows the Paths of Darkness series and is composed of three books: The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow, and The Two Swords. The Two Swords was Salvatore's 17th work concerning one of his most famous characters, Drizzt Do'Urden. In this series, Drizzt tries to stop an orc king from spreading chaos and war. The series reached the New York Times bestseller list and is followed by the installments of the Transitions series.
Streams of Silver is a fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. It is the second book in his The Icewind Dale Trilogy.
The Halfling's Gem is a 1990 fantasy novel by American writer by R. A. Salvatore, the third book in The Icewind Dale Trilogy.
The Crystal Shard is a 1988 fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. The first book in The Icewind Dale Trilogy, it was his first published novel.
Sojourn is a fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore, the third book in The Dark Elf Trilogy. It was published in 1991.
The Legacy is a 1992 fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. It is the first book in his series Legacy of the Drow.
The Legend of Drizzt is a series of fantasy novels by R. A. Salvatore that began in 1988, and consists of 39 books as of August 15, 2023. They are based in the Forgotten Realms setting in the dimension of Abeir-Toril on the continent Faerûn in the Dungeons & Dragons universe currently published and owned by Wizards of the Coast. It combines the series The Dark Elf Trilogy, The Icewind Dale Trilogy, Legacy of the Drow, Paths of Darkness, The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, and other sets into an abridged compilation. Drizzt Do'Urden is the main character of most of the books.
The Silent Blade is the first book of the Legend of Drizzt grouping Paths of Darkness. It is the eleventh book in the ever expanding Legend of Drizzt series and is followed by The Spine of the World which came out the next year. It was released in June 1998 from TSR and then later from Wizards of the Coast.
The Orc King is a fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore, the first book in the Transitions series.
Transitions is a series of fantasy novels by R. A. Salvatore, the famous science fiction and fantasy author, consisting of three novels: The Orc King, The Pirate King, and The Ghost King. It continues the tale of the famous renegade drow Drizzt Do'Urden and his friends. This series is a follow-up to The Hunter's Blades Trilogy. Like the rest of the saga, it is set in the Forgotten Realms, a popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing setting.
The Pirate King (2008) is the second book in the Transitions series, written by R. A. Salvatore.
The Ghost King is the third book in the Transitions series, written by R. A. Salvatore.
Wulfgar, son of Beornegar, is the barbarian hero of Icewind Dale in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and one of the Companions of the Hall along with Drizzt Do'Urden, Catti-brie, Regis the halfling, and Bruenor Battlehammer. He is the creation of R.A. Salvatore.
Gauntlgrym is a fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting; it is the first book in the Neverwinter Saga. Released in October 2010, it follows the continued adventures of drow elf renegade, Drizzt Do'Urden. This story is set 24 years after the end of Transitions: The Ghost King.