Servant of the Shard (Forgotten Realms:  Paths of Darkness, Book 3)
Think of it asDrowfellas. Backstabbing and internecine intrigue  abound as the ambitious members of a shady organization (in this case, the  dark-elf mercenary band Bregan D'aerthe) vie for power, struggle to fend off  reprisals, and generally cause all sorts of trouble. Themes of redemption and  moral metamorphosis keep the plot moving, accompanied by intermittent bursts of  spectacular, cinematic violence.The Servant of the Shard, the immediate follow-up toThe Spine of the WorldandThe Silent Blade, is the  long-awaited exposition on the history of Artemis Entreri. But perhaps more  importantly,Servant of the Shardbrings us the brilliant, bang-up  pairing of master assassin Entreri and Bregan D'aerthe godfather Jarlaxle,  filling out a deadly triangle with the bloodthirsty artifact Crenshinibon. (The  rest--more magic items, tons of cool spells and psionics thanks to Rai-guy and  Kimmuriel Oblodra, cameos fromThe Cleric Quintet, and a  blow-out finale with an ancient red dragon--well, that's all just icing on the  cake.)The big question, which hopefully won't have to be asked again after this title:  Can Bob Salvatore really pull off another Drizzt Do'Urden book without Drizzt?  Without a doubt. Anybody who wasn't won over by the Wulfgar-centricSpine of  the Worldshould come away more than satisfied withThe Servant of the  Shard. Grumbling and hammer-hurling (courtesy of Wulfgar) might not be your  thing, but Drizzt does have an equal in Entreri when it comes to perplexed  introspection and predictably dazzling swordplay. If nothing else, Salvatore is  merely collecting on investments he's made in his previous 17 Forgotten Realms  novels--after laying such a strong foundation with solid plots and  characterizations, it should come as no surprise that we're instantly sucked  into a story that brings a couple of formerly supporting characters to front  stage center.--Paul Hughes