It seems that the result of the struggle between the heroes and their enemies was rather even in the previous book. Both sides suffered great losses, yet won their part. And so the unfailing assassin returns to his home, halfling and infamous magical ruby in hand, the vast southern city of Calimport, to report his success to the boss. And so the remaining heroes try to follow, with more troubles than they would expect... and more allies too.
The third tome possesses a bit more depth than its prequels. First, the level of intrigue seems to increase, maybe because it is the very essence of the organized crime ruling Calimport. Second, main characters like Drizzt, Catti-Brie and Entreri go through more development for their personalities. The motives for their actions become more clear, more defined, and you know that seeing Drizzt fight his nemesis in the bowels of Calimport, the assassin's nest, will guarantee some excitement. My favorite part has to be when Entreri's shiny dagger finds the spine of an imprudent vermin nagging him. And of course, the first duel between he and the drow is as memorable as it should get.
For those who hate halflings, expect to laugh at Regis' expense. The poor thief has never felt such terror, nor will he ever, trust me. He'll truly regret stealing the ruby pendant from his master so long ago. And finally, Catti-Brie's relationship with Wulfgar is getting more solid... but for how long? The trilogy ends with this book; the whole saga has just begun.
After gazing at such fine artworks for the two first books, I found myself mildly disappointed. Not that it's bad, never that; the artist's technique is top-notch. His portrayal of Drizzt using the enchanted mask to appear as a fair-skinned elf, with the two young humans following him is perfectly just. But compared to previous works, it just seemed somewhat... empty. It's definitely the best I've seen from Jeff Easley along with the cover of Sojourn though, as I'm not rather fond of his art style.