Review: "Streams of Silver" by R.A. Salvatore

Title: Streams of Silver
Author:  R.A Salvatore
Genre:  Fantasy
Publication Date: 1989
Publisher:  TSR
Pages:  342

Rating:  4 out of 5

Amazon Book Blurb: 
  

Drizzt Do'Urden struggles with his own inner voices, voices that call him back to the pitiless depths of the Underdark. But louder still are the voices of his newfound friends, and the dream that drives Bruenor Battlehammer on to reclaim Mithral Hall. Time and again they're told to turn back, that some dreams can never be fulfilled, but on they fight -- together.

Review:  The second entry in the Drizzt series is a more personal adventure than its predecessor, The Crystal Shard.  Whereas The Crystal Shard was epic in scale, recounting the strife of an entire region, Streams of Silver stays close to Drizzt's small band of adventurers and their journey filled with both physical and prejudicial conflict.

Drizzt, being a dark elf, and the dark elves being a notoriously evil race, is treated with suspicion, fear and outright hatred wherever he travels.  Being a gentle and noble soul, an aberration amongst his people, Drizzt struggles with his ostracism on a regular basis providing a healthy dose of character progression for the reader to watch unfold.

In fact, a strong theme that's carried on in subsequent books that begins in Streams of Silver is Drizzt's need to prove that he's not like his people. He comes into contact with an assassin who represents everything Drizzt would have become had he stayed with the Drow and accepted their ways.  This assassin is, from what we can tell, Drizzt's equal in combat and stealth, and so Drizzt finds himself seeking vindication for his choice of honor over selfish pragmatism which can only be found in defeating the assassin.

One issue that I neglected to cover in my review of The Crystal Shard is R.A. Salvatore's inclination in these early novels to tell rather than show.  There's a lot of narrative describing our protagonists' honor and empathy.  The reader is often told how a character feels, or about the strength of the bond between characters, but these themes and ideas could would be significantly stronger if a way had been found to show the reader rather than tell.

Still, Streams of Silver was a satisfyingly fun read about a classic group of adventurers off to find treasure and excitement.  If that's your idea of a good time, seek no further.  As King Bruenor might say, "Suren yer not to be disappointed."