I Read What?!

So, I made it to the end. Did it pass the test of time?

Yes, surprisingly. I'd mentioned before that I hadn't remembered much of Exile, sandwiched as it is between Drizzt's origin story, and Drizzt's initial time on the surface. But it is a solid read in its own right, and works to quietly progress the character into adulthood.

It's interesting to me that so much of the plot is...quiet, if that makes sense. Yes, we have the growing menace of Zombie-Zak and the entertaining shenanigans of House Do'Urden back home, but Drizzt's own plot is more personal growth than high stakes.

Drizzt confronts loneliness, his desire for connection, his trauma and his yearning for something more than what he's learned from his own culture. He's learned to care and to trust, and what it means to have people accept him and support him and stand beside him.

Salvatore does a great job with the Svirfnebli in particular. This isn't the cookie cutter racist stereotype societies that we saw in Icewind Dale. The story actually recognizes that the Svirfnebli have good reasons to mistrust and fear the drow, but even so, they try to do what they can for Drizzt. Even when it's decided that Drizzt can't stay, it's not portrayed as an easy decision or a happy one. We understand why it's happening, and we feel sorry for everyone involved.

Belwar is a treasure and I really hope somehow he shows up again someday, damnit.

House Do'Urden is, as always, a lot of fun. Vierna, sadly, doesn't get as much focus this time (and poor Maya never did.) But Malice and Briza get some great moments. The Zin-carla ceremony was wonderfully horrific, reminding me of the Academy graduation in Homeland, but without the jarring shift in tone. And I liked seeing Dinin get more focus. He's lowkey, but interesting.

As I said in my chapter review though, I think Salvatore may have misstepped by killing off the bulk of the House this early. Sure, the Baenres are the more formidable threat, but there really isn't the same level of emotional impact when Drizzt and Matron Baenre clash than it would with Drizzt and his mother. That's a shame, even though I did like the way the fall of Do'Urden was written here.

The illithid section was pretty pointless, serving only to stall and to give Clacker a heroic moment. But the Clacker plot itself was pretty good.

And Drizzt himself...well, we're getting the seeds of the man he'll become (for better or worse), but he's growing. And we're getting to see that growth. I'm really enjoying that. I'm maybe even a little invested in seeing how things work out for him. Maybe.