The Spine of the World by R.A. SalvatoreMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Quite a shift from previous Legend of Drizzt books, in that Drizzt doesn't appear in it. He provides some commentary, rather like voice over in television, but other than that he appears only in Wulfgar's memories.
And that was the rub for me, for this is very much Wulfgar's book and he is not my favourite character in this series. I must admit that I now like him better, since he has been tested by life and is emerging from darkness. He has faced awful torment and returned to his essential honourable nature and I can appreciate that strength of will.
Like so many of these rather medieval fantasy worlds, the Drizzt universe is very patriarchal. Cattie-Brie is the rare woman who can run her own life. In this installment, we watch peasant girl Meralda graduate to being the wife of a nobleman. Apparently sexual misadventure is the only source of plot conflict “conceivable” for women by most authors, but for me that is so boring. It reduces women to only their sexual aspect, a very narrow role. Nevertheless, these limitations were and are a reality where birth control and women's rights are missing.
On the plus side, Salvatore has continued with grittier plots with more moral ambiguity and I'm liking that. It will be interesting to see how he integrates previous plot details into this new version of Drizzt's world.
Book number 393 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.
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