The Legend of Drizzt is a series of long-running fantasy books by internationally acclaimed author R. a. savior.
Beginning in 1988 with the first book, The Crystal Shard, and forty-two books later, the series is still going strong.
You are reading: Drizzt books in order
however, with so many titles in this epic saga, it can be hard to know where to start. but don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. I will give you a complete list of all the Legend of Drizzt books and explain their reading order. I will also include details of r. a. also salvatore-related short stories and adaptations of popular graphic novels.
the legend of the drizzt books
the legend of drizzt is an overarching series that is made up of several smaller series.
There are a couple of ways you can approach these books. many fans insist that the best way is to read them in chronological order, while others prefer to work through the series in the order the novels were published.
so, in this post, I’ll list both options, so you can decide which one works best for you.
about the legend of the drizzt series
The main titles of the series are set in the popular dungeons & dragon setting of the forgotten realms, a fictional land on the faerûn continent, in a secret corner of the abeir-toril dimension.
The books follow the adventures of a dark elf named drizzt do’urden, a member of the evil drow rangers. but unlike the rest of his people, drizzt is thoughtful, sensitive, and kind, so he abandons the drow and becomes a force for good and a hero of the forgotten realms.
when r. a. Salvatore first published his many novels chronicling Drizzt’s unforgettable exploits, they were listed as separate series, each with its own unique title. but since then, the books have been compiled into a mega-series, simplifying the reading process.
even so, it is important to know the subseries in which each legend of drizzt book is included. here they are in the order they were written.
- the valley of the icywind trilogy
- the dark elves trilogy
- the legacy of the drow
- the ways of darkness
- the mercenaries
- those of the hunter blades
- transitions
- neverwinter
- the division
- companion codex
- homecoming
- the quintet of clerics
Along with the previous subseries, the author r. a. Salvatore also wrote a separate collection of five books titled The Clergyman’s Quintet.
Strictly speaking, these novels are not part of the official legend of drizzt series, but since they feature crossover characters, they are often considered essential reading by die-hard drizzt fans.
so, in this post, I’ll also include the titles of the cleric quintet.
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the legend of drizzt’s books in chronological order
Below is a list of all the books in the legend of drizzt series in chronological order, beginning with the early years of drizzt’s life and following his journey through the years.
the dark elf trilogy
The Dark Elves trilogy was published after the original Icewind Dale trilogy and was intended to be a prequel to those first three books. but if you’re reading in chronological order, you’ll want to start with these headings first.
recount the childhood of drizzt, from his birth to his transformation into a heroic swordsman.
1. homeland (1990)
2. exile (1990)
3. stay (1991)
the valley of the icy wind trilogy
The books in this trilogy were the first three published in the Legend of Drizzt saga, laying the foundation for this epic series.
4. the glass shard (1988)
5. silver currents (1989)
6. the gem of the middle ones (1990)
the quintet of clerics
The Cleric Quintet was originally published as a stand-alone series. But while the cast is different, the stories take place within the familiar fictional universe of the Forgotten Realms, and eventually many of the main characters intersect.
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then if you really want to delve into the legend of the drizzle, you won’t want to miss these five books.
However, fans remain divided on the best way to insert the quintet of clerics into the series’ reading order. There is no official guide here, but the general consensus is to start these titles after finishing the final book of the Valley of the Frozen Wind trilogy mentioned above.
7. chant (1991)
8. in jungle shadows (1992)
9. night masks (1992)
10. the fallen fortress (1993)
11. the curse of chaos (1994)
** Going forward, the chronological reading order of the subseries is simplified, as they follow the same order in which each of the debut titles were published. **
the legacy of the drow quartet
12. the legacy (1992)
13. starless night (1992)
14. siege of darkness (1993)
15. Passage at Dawn (1993)
paths of darkness trilogy
16. the silent blade (1998)
17. the backbone of the world (1999)
18. sea of swords (2001)
the trilogy of mercenaries
19. the servant of the fragment (2001)
20. Promise of the Witch King (2005)
21. path of the patriarch (2006)
the hunter’s swords trilogy
22. the thousand orcs (2002)
23. the lonely drow (2003)
24. the two swords (2004)
trilogy of transitions
25. the orc king (2007)
26. the pirate king (2008)
27. the ghost king (2009)
neverwinter saga quartet
28. gauntlgrym (2010)
29. never winter (2011)
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30. the claw of charon (2012)
31. the last threshold (2013)
tearing
32. the companions (2013)
companions codex trilogy
33. the night of the hunter (2014)
34. the rise of the king (2015)
35. the revenge of the iron dwarf (2015)
homecoming trilogy
36. archmage (2015)
37. teacher (2016)
38. hero (2016)
trilogy of generations
39. timeless (2018)
40. limitless (2019)
41. relentless (2020)
the way of the drow
42. starlight enclave (2021)
43. glacier edge (expected August 2022)
the legend of drizzt books in publication order
Although many drizzt readers insist on reading the series in chronological order, some purists prefer to approach the series in the order the books were published.
The following list includes all of the smaller subseries listed above, as well as the Cleric Quintet books.
- the crystal shard (1988)
- silver streams (1989)
- el la gema de los mediodos (1990)
- homeland (1990)
- exile (1990)
- stay (1991)
- song (1991)
- in jungle shadows (1992 )
- night masks (1992)
- the legacy (1992)
- starless night (1993)
- the fallen fortress (1993)
- the siege of darkness ( 1994)
- the curse of chaos (1994)
- passage at dawn (1996)
- the silent blade (1998)
- the backbone of the world (1999)
- the servant of the fragment (2000)
- sea of swords (2001)
- the thousand orcs (2002)
- the lonely drow (2003)
- the two swords (2004)
- the promise of the witch king (2005)
- path of the patriarch (2006)
- the orc king ( 2007)
- the pirate king (2008)
- the ghost king (2009)
- gauntlgrym (2010)
- neverwinter (2011) )
- charon’s claw (2012)
- the last threshold (2013)
- the companions (2013)
- the night of the hunter (2014)
- the rise of the king (2014) )
- the dwarf’s revenge of iron (2015)
- archmage (2015)
- master (2016)
- hero (2016)
- timeless (2018)
- unlimited (2019)
- relentless (2020)
- starlight enclave (2021)
- glacier edge (expected August 2022)
the legend of drizzt’s tales
If you can’t get enough of drizzt’s fantastical adventures in the Forgotten Realms, these short companion stories are essential reading.
The tales were originally published in various issues of Dragon Magazine and the Forgotten Realms anthologies, and for a long time many of them were hard to come by.
But now, they have been collected in the companion anthology titled The Collected Stories: The Legend of the Drizzle.
Each story provides a new context for the main novels and expands on drizzt’s unforgettable legacy.
- first notch
- dark mirror
- third level
- guenhwyvar
- that curious sword
- without wick is the inferior
- the dowry
- comrades at war
- if they ever ran into my lair
- bones and stones
- iruladoon
- the legend goes
the legend of drizzt graphic novel series
some of the books in r.a. Since then, the classic legend of Salvatore’s drizzt saga has been adapted into a popular eight-part graphic novel series with illustrations by various artists.
every title of the dark elf trilogy and the valley of the icewind trilogy, plus books one and two of the legacy of the drow quartet, appear in the series.
- homeland: the graphic novel
- exile: the graphic novel
- stay: the graphic novel
- the shard of glass: the graphic novel
- silver streams: the graphic novel
- the medium gem: the graphic novel
- the legacy: the graphic novel
- starless night: the graphic novel
conclusion
Knowing where to start your legend of drizzt reading journey can be quite overwhelming if you’re new to r. a. Salvatore’s work but hopefully, in this post, I’ve helped you determine the best reading order for you.
If you’re already a fan of drizzt and looking for new reading recommendations, I’ve got some great suggestions.
Check out this list of twelve incredible fantasy series from some of the world’s most acclaimed authors, and if you’re looking for more classic fantasy fiction, here are some of the best fantasy books of all time.
have you read the legend of drizzt series? if so, what is your preferred reading order? let me know in the comments below!