Timeless by R.A. Salvatore is like riding the Tower of Terror at Walt Disney World.
If you’ve ever ridden this ride, ever stared at this ride while debating to ride it, or if you’re aware of it, then you can possibly relate to my example.
When you stand outside, debating whether to ride it or not, there’s some trepidation. You aren’t sure if you’ll like it or if you want to chance a terrible experience.
But after you take the plunger and get on the ride, the absolute joy and elation take over and excitement is at an all time high.
Timeless was much the same experience for me.
The last Drizzt book I read, Gauntlgrym, and I wasn’t thrilled.
In fact, Gauntlgrym was the book that caused me to give up on Drizzt, my favorite hero of all time, after 20+ books into the series. I can’t pinpoint what about Gauntlgrym that didn’t do it for me, but I never finished the series.
I didn’t read the Companions series, nor the Heroes series, so I think I missed about 7 books or so of Drizzt’s tale.
But I read reviews that said Timeless was a return to the Salvatore of old, and I gave it a shot, and absolutely loved it.
Drizzt is back!
Timeless Review
Timeless starts out in Menzoberranzan with some drow families plotting against Drizzt, surprise surprise.
And I about gave up during the prologue because I was tired of this silly storyline.
But Timeless quickly changes pace and jumps back in time a few hundred years to Zaknafein and Jarlaxle’s early days.
And it was this subplot of Timeless that really grabbed me!
I love the inner workings of the drow houses, but I love them better when they aren’t constantly trying to take out Drizzt.
Don’t get me wrong, half of this book is about drow houses plotting to take out Drizzt in the present, and it is a little old.
But the twists to their plots and the potential danger that lies ahead of our heroes was enough to have me turning the pages.
The Writing
R.A. Salvatore is a master storyteller and he proved why he is my favorite fantasy author with the writing in Timeless.
The suspense, the high octane fight scenes, the page-turning cliffhangers when he switches POVs were second to none.
I never felt annoyed at the cliffhangers, only greater excitement, and I never had to wait too too long to have those cliffhangers resolved.
Sometimes only a couple of pages.
It was enough to keep me reading without getting frustrated.
Salvatore walks the perfect line of suspense and satisfaction.
The Characters
I forgot how much I loved these characters.
If I have a complaint, it’s that the characters I love the most: Catti-brie and Artemis Entreri have such a minor role in the story.
Even blustering Bruenor Battlehammer only has a few token scenes.
Drizzt himself is surprisingly absent most of the time, only to really show up at the finale for the big battle.
Of course, he is a major part of the book as Timeless wrestles with Drizzt and Zaknafein coming face to face after a hundred years of him being dead.
No one knows how he came to live again, and all of our heroes are just made aware of his revival in Timeless, so we get to see their reactions.
But Drizzt does unsheathe those marvelous blades to fight baddies until at least 80% of the way through the story.
The focus of Timeless then is on Jarlaxle and Zaknafein who take up 75% of the page time, which is all well and fine as I love both of these characters as well.
I hope to see more of my favorites getting involved in the story, though, in the books to come.
The Plot
As I mentioned previously, I’m tired of matrons plotting to kill Drizzt. It’s been decades. The guy lives on the surface and doesn’t come anywhere near your home. Can you just leave him alone already?
But no, they believe the only way to find Lolth’s blessing is to kill the very being that is blessed by Lolth.
Makes no sense, right?
The matron mothers don’t make much sense.
But hey, at least if they are going to keep attacking him they’re going to do it with style.
Salvatore pulls out a zealot religious nut that is so overly committed that even the other Lolth-followers think she’s crazy.
And it’s actually done so well you can’t wait to see this matron’s downfall. Cause let’s be real, Drizzt isn’t ever going to lose.
You don’t read a Drizzt book to see whether the hero lives or dies, cause after 30+ books you pretty much know he lives.
You read a Drizzt book to see how he lives. Because it’s the suspense and the action and how our heroes weasel their way out of impossible situations that is the most entertaining.
And Salvatore delivers on this aspect of his storytelling at least 5 times throughout Timeless and it’s so satisfying every single time.
Final Thoughts
Timeless was such a good book, I’ll be starting Boundless immediately!
Huzzah!
4.5 stars out of 5
Looking for more reviews?
Check out my review of The Last Druid by Terry Brooks.