Siege of Darkness

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Siege of Darkness
Siege of Darkness (first edition).jpg
Cover of the first edition
Author R. A. Salvatore
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series Legacy of the Drow
Genre Fantasy
Published1994
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Preceded by Starless Night  
Followed by Passage to Dawn  

Siege of Darkness is a 1994 fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. It is the third book in his Legacy of the Drow series.

Fantasy Genre of literature, film, television and other artforms

Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, often inspired by real world myth and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became literature and drama. From the twentieth century it has expanded further into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, manga and video games.

R. A. Salvatore American writer

Robert Anthony Salvatore is an American author best known for The DemonWars Saga, his Forgotten Realms novels, for which he created the popular character Drizzt Do'Urden, and Vector Prime, the first novel in the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series. He has sold more than 15 million copies of his books in the United States alone and twenty-two of his titles have been New York Times best-sellers.

The Legacy of the Drow is a New York Times best-selling fantasy series by R. A. Salvatore. It is the third series following the adventures of the Forgotten Realms character Drizzt Do'Urden.

Contents

Plot summary

Siege of Darkness tells the story of how the Time of Troubles, in which all magic is temporarily disrupted and many gods and goddesses are forced to take the forms of their avatars and walk the material plane, affects the drow and Drizzt and company. The Spider Queen, Lolth, plots to keep Matron Baenre in power and to ultimately take Mithral Hall. In-house fighting results in the destruction of the 3rd house, House Oblodra, with the exception of their kobold/ goblin army, and the 4th house, House Faen Tlabbar, being left leaderless. Matron Baenre, along with the favor of Lolth, forms a loose house alliance to attack Mithral Hall. Realizing that they can not possibly stop a drow army, the svirfnebli, the deep gnomes, are forced to abandon Blingdenstone. The battle for Mithral Hall takes place on the surface as well as in the Underdark. The drow were defeated with a little help from an unlikely source, the balor, Errtu. Through trickery, all Baenre wizardry and spells are temporarily interrupted and the heroes take advantage of the opening, killing Matron Baenre and defeating the drow offensive. Lolth's plan all along was to bring about chaos and to rid herself of Matron Baenre.

The Time of Troubles, also known as the Arrival, Godswar, and Avatar Crisis, is a fictional time period in the chronology of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game. Taking place during the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, the Time of Troubles was a cataclysmic period during which the gods of Faerûn were forced to walk the earth in their mortal avatar forms. However, unlike when a god usually sends an avatar and its true form resides usually on one of the Outer Planes, the gods were all demoted and this was the only form they had at the time, making them very vulnerable. Several major deities died during the Time of Troubles, and a handful of mortals rose to divinity.

Lolth Fictional goddess from Dungeons & Dragons

Lolth is a fictional goddess in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Lolth, the Demon Queen of Spiders, is the chief goddess of drow elves. She is also known as the Spider Queen and the Queen of the Demonweb Pits.

Kobold (<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i>)

Kobolds are a fictional species featured in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Aggressive, xenophobic, yet industrious small humanoid creatures, kobolds are noted for their skill at building traps and preparing ambushes. In the original Dungeons & Dragons game, kobolds were goblinoids, but they have been depicted as reptilian humanoids in later editions of the game.

Reception

Siege of Darkness debuted on The New York Times bestseller list at number 13. [1]

The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. Published weekly in The New York Times Book Review, the best-seller list has been published in the Times since October 12, 1931. In recent years it has evolved into multiple lists in different categories, broken down by fiction and non-fiction, hardcover, paperback, and electronic, and different genres.

Related Research Articles

Drow race in Dungeons & Dragons

The drow or dark elves are a generally evil, dark-skinned, and white-haired subrace of elves in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game.

Drizzt DoUrden fictional character

Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character 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. It 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.

Bruenor Battlehammer is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The character first appears in the Icewind Dale trilogy by author R. A. Salvatore. He has also appeared in subsequent books as the trusted dwarven companion to popular drow hero Drizzt Do'Urden. In the 4th edition version of Forgotten Realms, he is said to have died.

Liriel Baenre is a fictional drow character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

Artemis Entreri is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Entreri is depicted as a ruthless assassin and the arch-enemy of Drizzt Do'Urden, the protagonistic dark elf. He is the creation of author R. A. Salvatore, first appearing at the end of the 1988 novel The Crystal Shard, the first book in The Icewind Dale Trilogy. He makes regular reappearances in subsequent novels by Salvatore, reprising his role of main antagonist to the hero Drizzt Do'Urden.

Yochlol

Yochlols are fictional demonic creatures in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. These lesser tanar'ri are handmaidens of Lolth, the drow goddess of Spiders, dwelling amongst the outer planes and being regularly summoned by the Queen of Spiders' priestesses to witness sacrifices in the name of their dark goddess, Lolth. The summoning process tests the very fiber of the high priestesses' dedication. Establishing a mental connection to its summoners, yochlol scour their thoughts and memories to find proof of their loyalty to Lolth. It proves to be a rather unpleasant experience for all who are present, but the yochlols' connection to Lolth also proves to be fairly useful when a family feels they have obtained something to please her.

Eilistraee, also referred to as "The Dark Maiden", is a fictional deity in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game world, she is a goddess in the drow pantheon, and her portfolios are song, dance, swordwork, hunting, moonlight and beauty.

Jarlaxle is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He first appeared in the 1990 novel, Exile, by R. A. Salvatore as the charismatic and opportunistic drow leader of the mercenary band, Bregan D'aerthe. The character has appeared again in subsequent novels including Promise of the Witch-King, Road of the Patriarch, and The Pirate King, as well as "The Sellswords" and "Paths of Darkness" trilogies. He also has a cameo in the CRPG Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, in which he tricks the PC into stealing gems for him from an undead lich.

<i>War of the Spider Queen</i> book by Richard Baker

War of the Spider Queen is a fantasy series of novels set in the Forgotten Realms universe published by Wizards of the Coast. The series contains six books focused on the drow and their principal deity Lolth. Each of the six novels in the series is written by a different author with veteran Forgotten Realms author R. A. Salvatore overseeing the project. Cover art for each book in the series was designed by Gerald Brom who has done other Forgotten Realms work including reprints of The Avatar Series.

<i>Condemnation</i> (novel) book by Richard Baker

Condemnation is a fantasy novel by Richard Baker, set in the Forgotten Realms setting, based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is the third book of the War of the Spider Queen hexad.

<i>Extinction</i> (Forgotten Realms novel) book by Lisa Smedman

Extinction is a fantasy novel by Lisa Smedman. It is the fourth book of the Forgotten Realms series, War of the Spider Queen hexalogy. Like other books in the series, it is based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>Resurrection</i> (Forgotten Realms) novel by Paul S. Kemp and R. A. Salvatore

Resurrection is a Forgotten Realms fantasy novel by Paul S. Kemp and R. A. Salvatore. It is the sixth book of the War of the Spider Queen hexology.

<i>Homeland</i> (Forgotten Realms novel) Forgotten Realms novel

Homeland is a fantasy novel by American writer by R. A. Salvatore, the first book in The Dark Elf Trilogy, a prequel to The Icewind Dale Trilogy. It follows the story of Drizzt Do'Urden from the time and circumstances of his birth and his upbringing amongst the drow.

<i>Starless Night</i> book by R. A. Salvatore

Starless Night is a 1993 fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. It is the second book in his Legacy of the Drow series.

<i>The Legacy</i> (Forgotten Realms novel) 1995 novel by R. A. Salvatore

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.

Drow of the Underdark is the name of two supplemental rules books for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, providing supplementary game rules focusing on drow culture, equipment and folklore for both players and Dungeon Masters.

The Companions of the Hall are a fictional group of characters from a series of R.A. Salvatore novels set in the Forgotten Realms.

References

  1. "BEST SELLERS: September 18, 1994". The New York Times. 1994-09-18. Retrieved 2008-05-31.