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  • The Crystal Shard

The Crystal Shard

The Icewind Dale Trilogy #1 / 3
by R. A. Salvatore
The Crystal Shard (The Icewind Dale Trilogy #1) by R. A. Salvatore
★ 7.16 / 56
11234451866719839610

Akar Kessel, a weak-willed apprentice mage sets in motion events leading to the rediscovery of the magical device, the crystal shard. But is it merely an inanimate device... or is it capable of directing the defeat of Ten-Towns?

Or have the barbarians already arranged for that themselves? Their brutal attack on the villages of Ten-Towns seals their fate, and that of the young barbarian Wulfgar. Left for dead, Wulfgar is rescued by the dwarf, Bruenor, in exchange for five years of service... and friendship. With the help of the dark elf, Drizzt, Bruenor reshapes Wulfgar into a warrior with both brawn and brains.

But is Wulfgar strong enough to reunite the barbarian tribes? Can an unorthodox dwarf and renegade dark elf persuade the people of Ten-Towns to put aside their petty differences in time to stave off the forces of the crystal shard?

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FantasyDungeons and DragonsForgotten Realms
Release date: 1988

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R. A. Salvatore

R. A. Salvatore

In a genre known for sprawling maps and ancient prophecies, R. A. Salvatore carved his legacy not just through epic battles, but by giving his heroes a soul.

Long before fantasy became mainstream, Salvatore introduced readers to Drizzt Do’Urden—a dark elf torn between the violent culture he was born into and the moral code he chose to follow. This inner struggle, threaded through fast-paced combat and sweeping world-building, struck a nerve. Drizzt wasn’t just another sword-wielding adventurer; he was a philosophical outsider in a genre that rarely stopped to ask why.

Read more ...

Raised in Massachusetts, Salvatore didn’t grow up dreaming of dragons—his love of storytelling bloomed later, sparked by a battered copy of The Lord of the Rings during a snowstorm. From there, he wrote with the urgency of someone discovering a new language. His early jobs, from warehouse worker to bouncer, taught him about grit and consequence, lessons that quietly shape his fiction. You can feel it in every clash of blades and moment of quiet doubt.

Though best known for his work in the Forgotten Realms, Salvatore has built original worlds as well—like the DemonWars Saga, where magic and mortality are deeply entwined. His stories explore what it means to choose your path, even when the world expects you to follow another. That moral complexity, paired with some of the most kinetic fight scenes in modern fantasy, has earned him a fiercely loyal readership.

He once said, “It’s not the sword, it’s the hand that wields it.” That philosophy echoes through all his work—reminding readers that even in a world of monsters and magic, the hardest battles are often internal.

The Icewind Dale Trilogy

The Icewind Dale Trilogy consists of three books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

Main series The Legend of Drizzt

The Crystal Shard (The Icewind Dale Trilogy #1)
★ 7.16 / 56
Streams of Silver (The Icewind Dale Trilogy #2)
★ 7.24 / 53
The Halfling's Gem (The Icewind Dale Trilogy #3)
★ 7.16 / 52


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