This book really felt, more than the others in the series, like a Drizzit novel. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but the book just didnt perform like a good Drizzit novel. The characters were too flat and generally unmemorable. When I picked up 'The Bear', I had to remind myself a few times that I'd actually read this one already. It's an average read, but I think Sal has done better work.