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The last book in The Dark Elf Trilogy.

From the publisher: Far above the merciless Underdark, Drizzt Do’Urden fights to survive the elements of Toril’s harsh surface. The young drow begins a sojourn through a world entirely unlike his own—even as he evades the dark elves of his past. He begins to understand his new home and its inhabitants, but acceptance among the surface-dwellers doesn’t come easily.

The second book in The Dark Elf Trilogy.

From the publisher: Hostile in ways that a surface-dweller could never know, the tunnel-mazes of the Underdark challenge all who tread there. Among these souls are Drizzt Do’Urden and his magical cat, Guenhwyvar.

Exiled from his drow homeland, Drizzt must fight for a new home in the boundless labyrinth. Meanwhile, he must watch for signs of pursuit—for the dark elves are not a forgiving race.

While dusting my books in preparation for a visit from my sister, I stumbled upon R. A. Salvatore’s Drizzt Do’Urden series. For those of you not in the know, the series takes place in the the Dungeons and Dragons’ role-playing world of the Forgotten Realms, originally created by TSR, now owned by Wizards of the Coast, now a subsidiary of Hasbro. I used to play Dungeons and Dragons a lot while in high school and college and credit it with instilling a voracious appetite for reading.

The series started with The Crystal Shard, first publish in 1988. That was soon turned into The Icewind Dale Trilogy. Many more books followed, with The Pirate King, the nineteenth soon to be released.

Homeland is the first book in The Dark Elf Trilogy, which is a prequel to The Icewind Dale Trilogy, was first published in 1990. Wizards of the Coast has decided to rerelease the entire Drizzt series as The Legend of Drizzt and is renumbering them in chronological order.

While I own all but the last book published in the series, I have not keep up with them and I am several books behind. Also it has been at least ten years since I read any of them. While waiting for the next Dresden or Sookie book, I decided I’d like to catch up, but realized that there is no way I can relate to what is happening in the new books, without starting at the beginning. So here we go.

From the publisher: Travel back to strange and exotic Menzoberranzan, the vast city of the drow and homeland to Icewind Dale hero Drizzt Do’Urden.

The young prince of a royal house, Drizzt grows to maturity in the vile world of his dark kin. Possessing honor beyond the scope of his unprincipled society, young Drizzt faces an inevitable dilemma. Can he live in a world that rejects integrity?

From the publisher: Betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse must now not only deal with a possible new man in her life—the oh-so-handsome shape-shifter Quinn—but also contend with a long-planned vampire summit. With her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans, the local vampire queen is vulnerable to those hungry for a take-over. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she’ll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe…

From the publisher: Since Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has even so few living relatives, she hates to lose one—even her cousin Hadley, undead consort of the vampire Queen of new Orleans. Hadley’s left everything she has to Sookie, but claiming that inheritance has a high risk factor. Some people don’t want her looking too deeply into Hadley’s past, or Hadley’s possessions. And they’re prepared to do anything in their power to stop her. Whoever it is, they’re definitely dangerous—and Sookie’s life is definitely on the line…

From the publisher: Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural—but now it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a werepanther for the first time—a transformation he embraces more readily than most shape-shifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks—unless the killer decides to find her first…

From the publisher: It’s not every day that you come across a naked man on the side of the road. That’s why cocktail waitress Skookie Stackhouse doesn’t just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn’t a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It’s Eric the vampire—but now he’s kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now want his life. Sookie’s investigation into who and why leads straight into a dangerous battle among witches, vampires, and werewolves. But a greater danger could be to Sookie’s heart—because this version of Eric is very difficult to resist…

From the publisher: There’s only on vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with (at least voluntarily) and that’s Bill. But recently he’s been a little distant—in another state distant. His sinister and sexy boss, Eric, has an idea where to find him. Next thing Sookie knows, she is off to Jackson, Mississippi, to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead. It’s a dangerous little haunt where the elitist vampire society can go to chill out and suck down some typo O. But when Sookie finally finds Bill—caught in an act of serious betrayal—she’s not sure whether to save him…or sharpen some stakes.