The debut title of the R.A. Salvatore-inspired series is now in paperback.

Dissolution is the first book in an epic Forgotten Realms series about one of the most popular races in the setting. A prologue by project consultant and New York Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore introduces the title and the series.

While their whole world is changing around them, four dark elves struggle against different enemies. Yet their paths will lead them all to the most terrifying discovery in the long history of the drow, and set them on a quest to save not only Menzoberranzan but the entire dark elf race from Dissolution.

The War of the Spider Queen begins here.

The first novel in an epic six-part series from the fertile imaginations of R.A. Salvatore and a select group of the newest, most exciting authors in the genre. Join them as they peel back the surface of the richest fantasy world ever created, to show the dark heart beneath.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 64 reviews)

Psychology Shows

This is easily the best D&D book I have read. Richard Byers' characterization of the Drow is top notch. It shows that he has a degree in Psychology. No other author has captured their society quite as well as it appears in this book.

This was a fantastic work, easily the best in the entire series of 6. If only the series had been about 3 books, all written by Byers, it would have been much better.
May 28, 2008

Sets the scene for what may be an interesting series; not overly impressive.

It was a difficult task set before Richard Lee Byers in writing the introductory novel for this six-book set centered around the fascinating realm of Menzoberranzan. He actually did a pretty good job of setting up the scene for what promises to be a chaotic and difficult time for the Drow. You get a lot of re-hash about how drow society functions and who holds the power, but you get relatively little expanding upon the world Salvatore created so long ago. The characters, new and old, are pretty well hashed out and really start to develop in the second half of the book. Pharaun especially is a fun and interesting character that hopefully plays a large part in the future of the series (nothing like Drizzt from the RAS books).

All that being said, this book could have been better. Until about half way through the book you don't really feel like you have a good grasp on what is actually going on. Everything seems pretty jumbled and confusing with characters you don't yet understand acting in ways that sometimes seem unreasonable. The primary antagonists of the story are never adequately explained, and their reasons for acting as they do are rather obscure. Add to that the just plain unbelievable and extremely far-fetched happenings that occur throughout the book, and your left with an overall less that satisfactory book.

I'll continue with the series, but I wasn't too impressed with this first book.

BTW, since when do drow have to touch their hand to stone to summon a globe of darkness?
December 03, 2007

An Excellent Start

I am a big fan of R.A. Salvatore and that's how I decided to start this series. I could not have been happier with the first book. Mr. Byers is an outstanding author, and the book is very well written! After reading this book I've decided to look into other books written by him.

I would caution you about reading this book, however. While this book is extraordinary, the rest of the books in the series do not measure up. You may not want to embark on a six-novel series; I found the rest of the books something of a chore. Which was disappointing seeing as how well the series started.
October 14, 2007

Drow intrigue I've been looking for

To me this was a very enjoyable book. When I was reading the first Drizzt series, what I definitely wanted more of was the scheming of Mennzoberranzann. This book delivered. Best of all you don't get the all powerful clerics just raining down from above or scheming behind the scenes on some plot to up their position. This book / series puts them in an entirely different predicament and it was thoroughly enjoyable to read. What happens is the lessor players (ie the males) are put into a much more prominent position.

The characters are thoroughly drow too. All of them have their own agendas, their own plans, and look to see how any situation can improve their position. I'm not sure who was my favorite. Phaurun is a lot of fun, but I became attached to Ryld as well. That was one thing that this book did very well - character development. You learn about the characters and their histories. Where they came from and what they think about their current status.

If you are into the drow, or like the Drizzt novels, you'd like this book. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series to see how this plot turns out and what happens to these characters.
June 06, 2007

An excellent book for all Drow lovers!

After reading all of Salvatore's books on the Drow, I was thoroughly enchanted by them. This book and the others after it were a godsend. The characters are great, the plot enticing, and it's about the Drow! Malicious and devious, this book and all five after it are excellent.

About what some of the people said about this first one, though. They are correct in some respect about the writing. Byers does go a bit overboard with the level of language used. Still, though, the book is good enough in and of itself to justify five stars here. An excellent novel.
May 27, 2007

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Insurrection (Forgotten Realms: R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen, Book 2)
by Thomas M. Reid

Condemnation (Forgotten Realms: R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen, Book 3)
by Richard Baker

Extinction (Forgotten Realms: R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider, Book 4)
by Lisa Smedman

Annihilation: R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen, Book V (Forgotten Realms: R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider)
by Philip Athans

Resurrection (Forgotten Realms: R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen, Book 6)
by Paul S. Kemp