The Orc King: Transitions, Book I

What a great ending to such a sweeping and epic storyline! Salvatore seems to have penned an end to the Companions storyline, but started an entirely new opening in the tales of Drizzt Do'urden. If I had any complaint (or I should possibly say critique) it's that the opening prolog gives the ending away completely, making a spine tingling final battle not quite as edge-of-the-seat reading as it otherwise would have been, & the ending which might have been completely unforseen not as surprising. However, the quality of the story, as it always does with Salvatore, makes up for those facts quite a bit. And, although it's sad to see the Companions' story come to a close, he couldn't have done it in a more grand and fitting way! I can't wait to see what awaits our Dark Elf hero next!

Most of RA salvatore's books in this series leave much to be desired. Maybe it is that they feel barren and formulaic, too much like the preceding novels with not enough substance of their own. For whatever reason, this one has that thing that the other books lack - a certain je ne c'est quoi - it is a breath of fresh air the aforementioned series badly needed, especially after reading so many of its vaguely disappointing or repetitive prequels. In my opinion, this is the best book in the series (up to its point - i haven't yet read those that follow it) since Sojourn. Longtime fans of the series will find enough of the things they loved about the previous books to enjoy this installment, and i'd argue that they'll find enough in the way of newer, fresher themes to keep them hooked in ways the immediately preceding books failed to do.if i could have given the book a 4.5, i would have. It is by no means perfect - many of the most interesting plot lines suggested by the novel are abandoned part-way through. However, i am at least glad that those plot lines were presented in the first place; I would never have thought to see them in the previous books. ultimately, i give the book a high rating not because it is perfect, but because it so exceeded the low expectations i have come to ask of the series and the genre. I left the book satisfied and unmistakably impressed, despite my initial expectation to dislike it.

The war between the orcs and the dwarves has ended in an uneasy truce. Both sides think that it can't last. Obould wants to build a new kingdom, a kingdom for orcs. He sees a chance to create a kingdom like other races, to build cities, to engage in trade. This is not in the orcish tradition. Many of his followers are waiting for the war to start again. The dwarves do not trust the orcs. Orcish nature is to kill and plunder. Some of Obould's closest advisors are working against him in the shadows. They send for a clan of half-orcs half-ogres to see if they can push Obould into a fight with the dwarves.In the meantime Wulfgar and Catti-Brie set out to find Wulfgar's adopted daughter. His wife, alone and afraid, fell under the spell of the sentient sword Khazid'hea. She handed their daughter over to a refugee and headed out, only to be slain by orcs. Now Wulfgar wants his daughter back. After finding her he leaves Catti-Brie to journey back to the north. He needs to discover his place in the world.Bruenor is unhappy with an orc horde at his door. More than that he wants to find the ancient dwarven city of Gauntlgrym. He believes that he may have seen it at an earlier time just before the orc war started. With Drizzt, Regis, Pwent, and others he travels to the location. There he finds not what he is looking for, but simply more puzzles.The stage is set, can Obould control his unruly horde? Will Wulfgar find his way home? Will the truce end? What can Regis learn from the scrolls taken from the buried city? These are the questions that have to be answered. The ending is quite surprising as Salvatore takes a major step in the development of his characters. A lot of great story telling and a lot of groundbreaking work. Salvatore hits it out of the park again.

Being a fan of Salvatore's novels, I must confess I became real tired to know that Drizzt's adventures never have an ending. As a result, I was tentative to read the Transitions series. However, The Orc King flips the plot by fooling the audience that not all creatures are vile by their reputation. Obould Many-Arrows is a truly well developed character - one that would challenge the audience to make difficult moral choices regarding his leadership style. He resembles a lot of great conquerors in the past who eventually gets respected from the side he colonized.Definitely a must in reading The Orc King. Salvatore continues to do an excellent job by presenting a different perspective to fantasy fans regarding orcs. All of his stories so far, reflect on real-life situations, and challenges the reader to be in a position to decide whether they can renounce their decision for vengeance for greater good. I am eager to find out how The Pirate King would end. Like the many other reviewers here, it is a good idea to skip the prelude because it has nothing with the plot!

Anything under 5 stars doesn't do justice to RA Salvatore's work. He eliminates the "black and white" situations and creates his stories in the grey area in between, forcing readers to question themselves and their own moral compasses in a way no other fantasy author can.

Awesome

Inizio di una nuova trilogia che vede Drizzt e compagni in nuove avventure, in realtà pare più la conclusione della trilogia precedente, rimasta effettivamente un po' incompiuta.Giudizio....un po' sottotono rispetto agli standard dell'autore...diciamo due stelle e mezzo.Ho trovato la storia per lunghi tratti poco originale, un po' monotona e anche poco correlata tra le varie parti. La parte finale invece è effettivamente avvincente è interessante. Effettivamente l'ho gradita molto, ma da sola non basta a far salire il giudizio.Nel complesso, comunque la lettura è scorrevole anche se non entusiasmante..Consigliato a chi è appassionato della saga e vuole andare avanti o completare la lettura delle avventure di Drizzt e compagni. Per gli altri consigli di iniziare da qualcos'altro.

Finally Drizzt returns to the centre stage of the novel. I described the other previous 2 trilogies as fillers this is the main course the main characters face a huge change and dramatic shift in their core beliefs. Each has to evolve. The battle scenes are great, gritty, and most of all believable in a fantasy setting of course. The introduction and epilogue of this book is written 100 years after the rest of the book, which if the other book in the trilogy follow the same format what happened to Drizzt's other companions. This first book is more of a proper ending to The Hunter's Blades (Forgotten Realms (Hardcover)). I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to any fan of Dizzit.

An interesting twist to an ongoing saga!

Dieser Fantasy-Roman von R. A. Salvatore ist mal wieder sehr gut gelungen und das Ende ist sehr überraschend.