Relentless: A Drizzt Novel (Drizzt, #3) (Legend of Drizzt, #33)

by R.A. Salvatore

The epic conclusion to the long-awaited trilogy featuring one of the most beloved characters in all of fantasy—Drizzt Do'Urden—a rollicking tale of life, death, intrigue, magic, danger, and the timeless bonds of family and friendship from New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore.

Displaced in time and unexpectedly reunited with his son Drizzt Do'Urden, Zaknafein has overcome the prejudices ingrained in him as a drow warrior to help his son battle the ambitious Spider Queen and stem the tide of darkness that has been unleashed upon the Forgotten Realms. Though Zaknafein has endured the most difficult battles, survival has come at a terrible cost, and the fight is far from over. 

Facing demons and driders, Zaknafein carries the entire weight of Menzoberranzan surrounding Gauntlgym on his shoulders once more. But the chances of survival for him and his old friend and mercenary Jarlaxle look bleak. Trapped in a desperate and seemingly hopeless situation, the legendary warriors must reach deep inside themselves to face the impossible. 

While the burdens Zaknafein bears are more than enough for one of Menzoberrazan’s greatest warriors, fate holds further challenges. When circumstances take an unexpected turn, Zaknafein discovers he must not only conquer the darkness but learn to accept the uncontrollable: life itself.

The stakes have never been higher for R. A. Salvatore’s most beloved creations in this final volume of his latest bestselling trilogy begun with Timeless and Boundless. A story of brave heroes filled with dangerous thrills, Relentless also considers eternal questions about morality, purpose, sacrifice, and the definition of harmony. Exciting, imaginative, and thought-provoking, it takes fans on an action-packed ride that will challenge their assumptions and leave them breathless and satisfied. 

• ISBN10: 0062688677
• ISBN13: 9780062688675
• Publish Date: 20 August 2020 (first published 28 July 2020)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 14 March 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Voyager
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 464
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Relentless is the third book in the Drizzt trilogy by R. A. Salvatore. Released 28th July 2020 by Harper Collins on their Voyager imprint, it's 464 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is immersive campaign fantasy in a classic style. It provides political action, campaigning, skulduggery, questing, magic and everything for the 'doorstop fantasy' nerd. I have followed the progress of the series and world building since the beginning, and will say right away that I believe that this book would suffer greatly by attempting to read it as a standalone. There's way too much backstory and context necessary to be read by itself (although the author does spend probably 30% of the content recapping things that went before). The series has spanned over 3 real-life decades and I have no idea how many books altogether (35? More?). Although the author includes an extensive dramatis personae at the beginning (along with the requisite maps) it's not a trivial task to keep everyone straight and remember which house is trying to kill whom. (Spoiler, they're all trying to kill each other).

I enjoyed the series very much and thought this last volume did a good job of wrapping up some of the disparate plot threads. Most of the action involves Zaknafein and for a Drizzt book there was a marked lack of Drizzt. It wasn't too perfect or upbeat. Admittedly it didn't feel complete to me. Astoundingly enough, I've been with these characters for roughly 30 years. (!!!) The entire Forgotten Realms universe has such verisimilitude because it's built up over so much time and the canon has so many layers that it's gained a sort of reality, gravitas even.

The language is about average for a doorstop fantasy. There's a fair amount of violence and some sexual content, along with discussions of infanticide, regicide, murder, etc. I don't imagine it would offend the majority of readers.

Three and a half stars, and four strong stars for the series thus far. It'll be interesting to see what's in store in the future.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.