Relentless: A Drizzi Novel book 3 of 3 by R.A. Salvatore (book review).

Effectively wrapping up the saga that started with ‘The Crystal Shard’ more than thirty years ago, ‘Relentless’ may be marketed as ‘a Drizzt novel’ but it is both more than that and less. More, in the sense that it is told on an epic scale, with battles on all fronts and a final revelation that completely up-ends our expectations of how a major ‘Forgotten Realms’ faction works. Less in the sense that Drizzt hardly appears at all, because at the start of the book, Drizzt is dead.

What the novel really does is explore the actions of those around him. Salvatore quickly jumps back in time to the events of Drizzt’s youth and eventual escape from the Drow city of Menzoberranzan when he finally rejects the cruel and evil ways of his people. This had all been told in one of Salvatore’s earlier books, ‘Homecoming’, first published in 1990. This time, though, he tells the story from the perspective of other characters, in particular Drizzt’s father, Zaknafein, and the amoral rogue Jarlaxle. We learn more about the political machinations of Drow society, which is ultimately the story that Salvatore is telling in ‘Relentless’. The Drow political system is based on various ‘houses’ fighting between themselves, sometimes openly, sometimes more discretely.

Any sort of empathy or generosity is seen as weakness and the priestesses of the dominant Lolth cult maintain that this is what their goddess demands. Through her agents, Lolth lends support to the ruling matron mothers of each house and so the system is maintained.

But is this sustainable? It’s always been central to D&D lore that the Drow would be far more dangerous, perhaps unstoppable, if they were united. But so long as they’re constantly fighting with each other, the Drow can be contained. What if that changes? It could change in different ways, of course, and that’s the political theme author R.A. Salvatore explores here. Could one house be lent enough power it could dominate and effectively unify the Drow into an unstoppable army or might the Drow reject the infighting completely and focus on their own needs instead of trying to placate Lolth? Ultimately, the question is whether they’re inherently wicked or simply a product of the society Lolth imposed upon them. Does Lolth even care what happens to them?

Of course, while ‘Relentless’ is a novel that explores and eventually pushes Drow society and politics in new directions, it’s also a book about one particular Drow, Drizzt. He doesn’t really feature much as a character, with others either mentioning him in passing or describing how he affected them. As motivation, this wouldn’t work nearly so well if we weren’t already so heavily invested in Drizzt but, fortunately for the readability of the novel, we are. This all leads up to a brilliant climax that finally pulls together all the threads that have been running through Salvatore’s books. Zaknafein finally finds a home among the surface dwellers, the matron mothers of Menzoberranzan see their relationship with Lolth more clearly and the assassin Artemis Entreri gets a second chance at life, to give just three less spoilery examples.

Some might see these changes as simply the hitting of a reset button, a happy ending even. However, the implications of what changes here is certainly sets the stage for further adventures, should Salvatore choose to go that way. Drow society has been changed upside-down and civil war seems inevitable. The reborn matron mother Yvonnel Baenre could surely play a leading role in such a story and she’s a fascinating character. Her grandmother, Yvonnel Baenre, was the effective leader of the Drow in the city of Menzoberranzan: ruthless, calculating, ambitious and thoroughly evil. The new Yvonnel Baenre, though infused with the memories and skills of her grandmother, is a very different person.

She understands the Drow religion based around Lolth much more clearly than anyone else and believes that far from empowering the Drow, Lolth actually holds them back. Almost out of necessity, she’s an ally to our heroes, but her dry humour and objective sense of reality make her a worthy alternative to the sort of ‘good’ Drow we see in the form of Zaknafein. She’s perhaps a hint of where the Drow are headed: not good and cheerful like the surface elves, but not as psychotically cruel as the average Drow had been in the past. Like Jarlaxle, she’s looking to lead her people without the encumbrance of Lolth’s meddling ways.

Quite frankly, there a bunch of stuff here to like. Readers wedded to the ‘Forgotten Realms’ setting might find some of the changes jarring, but they feel like logical consequences to what’s gone on before, but the self-destructiveness of Drow politics as a result of Lolth’s innate insanity makes complete sense. A reset was long overdue here and Yvonnel Baenre is a good way to make it happen. How this pans out for the Drow and those around them remains to be seen! Overall, a book that book-ends ‘Homecoming’ nicely, giving closure to a host of characters, while leaving readers with the potential for conflict and adventure as the Drow cities adjust to their new reality. Warmly recommended.

Neale Monks

March 2022

(pub: Harper Voyager-USA, 2020. 442 page hardback. Price: $28.99 (US), $35.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-268867-5)

check out website: www.harpervoyagerbooks.com