Paths of Darkness
Epic fantasy series following Drizzt Do'Urden's adventures.
Paths of Darkness is an epic fantasy series by R. A. Salvatore, following the renegade drow elf Drizzt Do'Urden. It succeeds the Legacy of the Drow series and precedes The Hunter's Blades Trilogy. The fourth book, Servant of the Shard, also launches The Sellswords trilogy, which focuses on characters Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri. The series includes four novels: *The Silent Blade* (1998), *The Spine of the World* (1999), *Servant of the Shard* (2000), and *Sea of Swords* (2001). Todd Lockwood created the cover art for *The Silent Blade* and *The Spine of the World*.
All four books appeared on the *New York Times* bestseller list: *The Silent Blade* at No. 32, *The Spine of the World* at No. 25, *Servant of the Shard* at No. 25, and *Sea of Swords* at No. 14. *Sea of Swords* also reached No. 10 on the *Publishers Weekly* hardcover bestsellers list and received a positive review, which called it a "fast-moving fantasy adventure" while noting it was not suitable for newcomers to the series. Matt Drake of RPGnet rated the series 4 out of 5 for style, remarking that Salvatore's work shows minor wear but remains strong, and 3 out of 5 for substance, finding most stories predictable and trite except for *The Spine of the World*.
- author
- R. A. Salvatore
- series_type
- Epic fantasy series
- works_included
- The Silent Blade (1998), The Spine of the World (1999), Servant of the Shard (2000), Sea of Swords (2001)
- cover_artist
- Todd Lockwood (for The Silent Blade and The Spine of the World)
- notable_bestseller_debut
- Sea of Swords at No. 14 on the New York Times bestseller list
Lore & Background
Paths of Darkness is a series of four novels: The Silent Blade (1998), The Spine of the World (1999), Servant of the Shard (2000), and Sea of Swords (2001). The series continues the story of the renegade drow elf Drizzt Do'Urden. Servant of the Shard is also the first book of The Sellswords series, which follows the characters Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri.
The covers for The Silent Blade and The Spine of the World were painted by Todd Lockwood. The series is followed by The Hunter's Blades Trilogy and also connects to The Sellswords trilogy.
Reader's Guide
Paths of Darkness holds significance as a continuation of R. A. Salvatore's popular Drizzt Do'Urden saga. Each novel debuted on the New York Times bestseller list: The Silent Blade at No. 32, The Spine of the World at No. 25, Servant of the Shard at No. 25, and Sea of Swords at No. 14. Sea of Swords was positively reviewed in Publishers Weekly, where it debuted at No. 10 on the hardcover bestsellers list; reviewers described it as a 'fast-moving fantasy adventure' but noted it was not for the uninitiated. Matt Drake of RPGnet gave the series a 4 out of 5 for style, stating that 'Salvatore's chrome is starting to tarnish in a few spots, but he is still a great fantasy novelist,' and a 3 out of 5 for substance, noting that 'with the exception of Spine of the World, these stories are a little predictable and trite.' The series is notable for bridging storylines and introducing the spin-off The Sellswords trilogy.
Did You Know?
- The Silent Blade debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at No. 32.
- Servant of the Shard is also the first book of The Sellswords series, which follows Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri.
- Sea of Swords debuted at No. 14 on the New York Times bestseller list and was positively reviewed in Publishers Weekly.
- Todd Lockwood painted the covers for The Silent Blade and The Spine of the World.
More in Novels by R. A. Salvatore 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record