Streams of Silver is a direct sequel of The Crystal Shard and the second book of the epic Icewind Dale trilogy. The same companions that fought the mage Akar Kessel and the powers of the relic Crenshinibon in the first tome are back, this time uniting to help the fallen dwarven king Bruenor to reclaim his ancestral home, now seemingly in the hands of a black dragon and his minions. But first, they have to discover its location, and the hunt for information is plagued with the trials of a perilous journey across marshes, troll-infested plains, not-so-friendly negotiations with foreign barbarians, rejections of Drizzt by various communities... and the persevering pursuit from an assassin bent on the capture of Regis, the halfling of the group.
This assassin is a master of his arts, and his encounter with Drizzt will forever change his life... and the drow's as well. Artemis Entreri is his name, a real pro he is, and he quickly became a favorite of mine. Believe me, he's one of the greatest villain to grace a fantasy story. I feel that mainly because of his appearance, the series with Drizzt suddenly became even better than it already was. As you'll soon discover, Entreri is kind of like Drizzt's dark mirror, his mental opposite but his fighting equal. In short, his most hated rival, and vice-versa ^_^.
As usual, the author maintains his reputation by keeping us enthralled with varied and detailed action scenes, and we get to know more about a character first introduced in The Crystal Shard but with little importance: Catti-Brie, a young woman and Bruenor's adopted daughter. Catti-Brie isn't my favorite, but she adds a lot of weight to the plot.
The narration seems to remind somewhat of the famous Lord of the Rings, and even some key elements of the story show a certain resemblance. But despite the usual lack of depth for the intrigue, this book should keep your interest more than enough, especially with the addition of the new villain.
Like its predecessor, the cover art is one of the best I've ever seen, with a perfect depiction of the cast and a detailed background. And Bruenor does look like a dwarf! Clyde Caldwell is my current favorite for all the Forgotten Realms artists whose works I've seen, by far.