About 7 h 15 min · at 30 minutes a day, about 15 days
Estimated from the page count of this edition. Dense books can take longer than the estimate.
About the book
The assassin Artemis Entreri has captured Regis and is taking him to Calimport, where the halfling’s former employer, Pasha Pook, wants his stolen magical ruby back. Drizzt Do’Urden and Wulfgar pursue them south through the Forgotten Realms, facing pirates and hostile magic along the way. An enchanted mask conceals Drizzt’s drow appearance, easing his passage while troubling his sense of identity.
Reader notes
Frequent combat and alternating perspectives keep the rescue in motion in this epic fantasy adventure. As the conclusion to the Icewind Dale Trilogy, it continues the companions’ separation and Drizzt’s rivalry with Entreri from the preceding volume, Streams of Silver, so the earlier books supply important context.
How it reads
Writing style
Descriptive · Dialogue-driven · Direct
Tone
Dark · Suspenseful · Tense
Structure
Linear
Driven by
Character · Plot · Worldbuilding
Point of view
Multiple viewpoints · Third person, limited
Setting
Calimport (invented world) · Tarterus
Reading complexity
Writing
2 / 5
Ideas
2 / 5
Structure
3 / 5
Background knowledge
2 / 5
About this profile
Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).
Writing
How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas
How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure
How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge
Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity
Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.
15Promise of the Witch-King: Dungeons & Dragons · 2005
16Road of the Patriarch · 2006
17The Thousand Orcs · 2002
18The Lone Drow · 2003
19The Two Swords · 2004
21The Pirate King · 2008
Questions readers ask
Do I need to read the earlier books first?
Yes, the earlier books supply important context. This concludes the Icewind Dale Trilogy and continues the companions’ separation and Drizzt’s rivalry with Entreri from Streams of Silver.
Is it hard to read?
Not really, the prose is direct and dialogue driven, and the rescue follows a linear course. Alternating third-person perspectives add some structural complexity.
What kind of pace and mood should I expect?
A fast, tense rescue adventure, with frequent combat and alternating perspectives keeping the pursuit moving. Pirates, hostile magic, and Drizzt’s troubled response to concealing his appearance contribute to the dark, suspenseful tone.
How violent is it?
Strong violence and frequent combat are central to the rescue adventure, as Drizzt and Wulfgar pursue Regis’s captor and face pirates and hostile magic.
How long is it?
368 pages in the Random House Worlds 2024 paperback edition.
Which edition is shown here?
Random House Worlds · 2024 · Paperback. ISBN 9780593873113.
How long does it take to read The Halfling's Gem?
About 7 hours 15 minutes at 50 pages an hour, based on the 368-page Random House Worlds edition. Dense books can take longer.
About the author
R. A. Salvatore
R. A. Salvatore is an American fantasy writer best known for the long-running Legend of Drizzt, set in the Forgotten Realms. He has also worked in his own high-fantasy setting for The DemonWars Saga and in the shared universe of Star Wars. His novels favor direct, descriptive prose, frequent dialogue, and action built from clearly staged pursuits, battles, and journeys. Their larger conflicts often remain tied to questions of conscience, loyalty, and belonging. Drizzt Do’Urden, a dark elf who rejects the cruelty expected of him, gives these interests their most sustained form. Homeland follows his moral resistance within the competitive society of Menzoberranzan, while The Crystal Shard places his outsider status inside a broad military adventure involving rival settlements, barbarian tribes, and an invading army. Salvatore often moves among parallel strands of action, shifting between solitary ordeals and collective danger. In The Lone Drow, Drizzt’s private grief and isolated campaign unfold beside the wider defense of the North, keeping personal resolve connected to the momentum of war.
