Rating: 
Summary: No Drizzt but thats okay!
Review: Well when I bought this book I believed I was cluelessly diving into another great Drizzt novel. Well in a way I was, this book doesn't have the famed Dark Elf Ranger in it, other then his remarks between books. This book is about his mysterious nemesis Entreri and Jarlaxle. The book highlites two colorful characters as protaganist, but never to far removed from their roots of assasin and rogue. You also get to be delighted by the appearences of other Salvatore characters, that assist Entreri and Jarlaxle in their quest. As a fantasy book this novel has it all, I highly recomend this book to the casual reader and definately to the hardcore Forgotten Realms fans.
Rating:
Summary: Drizzt...who?
Review: I am a fanatic reader of Salvatore's work, but I noticed that it had begun to go downhill, even before the Paths of Darkness series. Drizzt was becoming ever more irritating, and the plot losing its freshness. This book is Salvatore's saving grace. Until I read it, I could only tolerate Artemis Entreri, but, upon reading this, he became one of my favourite characters (third only to Zaknafein and Jarlaxle). This book is fast-moving, in some parts humourous, in others delightful simply because the main characters are deliciously evil. If you read one book from Paths of Darkness, read SotS.
Rating:
Summary: I simply adore Jarlaxle..
Review: This book, though dissapointing to have no Drizzt Do'Urden in its pages, is wonderful if you enjoy Salvatore's evil master minds. I always enjoyed the villans in Salvatore's books. He seems to find ways to bring them to life in ones eyes more than making the point for you to hate them. The main theme of this book? Well, if you like Jarlaxle, you'll love it. It contains many unknown facts about his past, present, and even thoughts about his future and what he will become. Also, our amigo Entreri plays a key role here, and you find out a few interesting quips about him. However, if you buy this book expecting to see some Drizzt, you will be sorely dissapointed. It has journal entries by our dearest Drow, but he does not make an appearance. Overall, I really liked this book, but my opinion is my own. It seemed to dissapoint a lot of its readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Well....
Review: I have never given a book less than four stars on a rating, especially not a Salvatore book. But this one I just could not get into. I didn't even finish it because it seemed to me like the plot was rambling on and on, over and over. Maybe it's because I am not a fan of the Jarlaxle/Entreri duo. I had borrowed this book from a friend in hopes that it would be a Drizzt book, but my favorite dark elf hardly made an appearance. Also, I did not read the prior 2 books in this series, and that confused me a little. I had read several other books about the Crystal Shard and the whole plot idea never did quite appeal to me-I guess this book put the icing on the cake. I would suggest this book only if you have read the first two books in this series, and happen to have a certain fondness for Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri...
Rating:
Summary: Alright, but not the best.
Review: This book is a rather lukewarm spinoff of the ever popular drizzt novels. While it is an entertaining read, it is not quite as good as some of it's predecessors; such as the Dark Elf trilogy and the Icewind Dale trilogy. I'm not saying, "Don't read it." I'm saying just don't expect too much.
It does, however, offer some interesting insight into the world of Jarlaxle and Entreri.
Rating: 
Summary: What's all the fuss is about?
Review: I honestly don't see why this book has gotten such a high rating. I just re-read this book and still think everything from the basic plot to the writing style was incredibly weak. * Spoilers follow* Instead of coming across as truly cunning and evil, Entreri and Jarlaxle spend the last half of the book acting like a couple of novice adventurers out to see the world for the very first time. Jarlaxle amused by that annoying Pikel "Oo Oi Doodad"? Artemis Entreri writing a letter and showing his sensitive side? Neither of the two were in character in this book, and the whole plot as well as all the cameos and showdowns came across as too contrived. Almost like Salvatore wrote a check list of cool things he wanted to do in the book then threw together a story to accomodate all those things: include Cadderly and the gang into the story so the readers can see what's been up with them lately - check. Have a brief showdowns between Entreri and Jarlaxle and Danica - check. Give Entreri a cool new weapon - check (a weapon that has corny powers that don't go with each other and that is off the charts when compared to everything else in the Forgotten Realms). Make Enteri and Jarlaxle partners and have them go off in a big adventure - check. Have an encounter with a really big and mean Red Dragon - check (the 1st ed AD&D DMG lists much more imaginative ways to destroy an artifact, why did he have to pick the corniest?).
Rating:
Summary: Servant of the Shard
Review: Servant of the Shard is an excellent fantasy title. The story brings in the mysterious and dangerous drow (this includes the mercenary Jarlaxle) and other puzzling characters such as the famed assassin Artemis Entreri. This story is both captivating and thrilling. As the pages turn, the plot thickens with intrigue, deception, and danger. This could very well be the greatest of R.A. Salvatore's work.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This book is great! It takes a book full of villains (very cool villains mind you) and creates a master piece! It made Jarlaxe and Artemis....who would of thought......great heroes.
Rating: 
Summary: Villains Revealed
Review: In the preface of the Dark Elf Trilogy, Salvatore says that the readers have wanted to learn about the origins of Drizzt, the famous dark elf ranger first introduced in the Crystal Shard, the first book of the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Likewise from the first time I have ever seen both Artemis Entreri, Drizzt's arch-enemy, and Jarlaxle the Mercenary, leader of the Drow Mercenary band Bregan D'aerthe, I have always wanted to find out more about the origins of these two important Salvatore characters. Yet this book does not reveal any thing I did not know about Artemis Entreri, or anything I did not anticipate about him, there are some interesting stuff as to who Jarlaxle really is or was, in other words which family he came from in Menzoberanzan (don't remember if this is the correct spelling). I got a bit bored throughout the book, due to the fact that the only Forgotten Realms books I've read so far belong to Salvatore and I am starting to anticipate everything in the plot, however the revelation on Jarlaxle's origin and knowing him more seemed to worth every cent I paid for the book and the time I've spent for reading it. If you like Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri this book is a "must have".
Rating:
Summary: Servant of the Shard
Review: I loved reading the "Servant of the Shard". But, just a suggestion... it would be good to read the "Cleric Quintet" and the "Dark Elf Trilogy" to know more of the background of the characters involved in the story. I made the mistake of reading the Cleric Quintet after and now find myself wanting to reread the "Servant of the Shard" so that I can understand the characters more. Anyone who like role-play games and computer RPG... will absolutely love reading R.A. Salvatore's books!
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