Reading order
Paths of Darkness reading order
Volumes 11–14 of 39 in The Legend of Drizzt
1
2
3
4- 4 volumes
- Volumes
- 1998–2001
- Published
- about 30 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Fantasy
- Genre
Quick answer
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Publication order
4 volumes1998–2001Completed
- Four Forgotten Realms novels set after the Legacy of the Drow books, each following different characters from Drizzt’s circle.
- The Silent Blade and Sea of Swords centre on Drizzt and his friends; The Spine of the World follows Wulfgar alone and rates lowest; Servant of the Shard, about the assassin Entreri and the drow mercenary Jarlaxle, rates highest.
A plan for the whole series
4 volumes, 1,527 pages, about 30 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: high
- From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “Servant of the Shard” (by 31%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.
- Readers scored volume 2, “The Spine of the World”, below its predecessor (7.6 after 7.9). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you. From volume 3 the form returns.
Stages
2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 15, 2026, 9 days later than in one go.
- Stage 114 h19 daysby November 17, 2026
- BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.0
- Stage 214 h19 daysby December 15, 2026
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
Does the series hold up
Shape of the series: uneven. Scores jump by 0.4 points with no clear direction.
Best volume: Servant of the Shard (7.9, 68 ratings). Weakest: The Spine of the World (7.6). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 31%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (7.9) scores close to the series average or above it.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
Paths of Darkness books ranked, best to worst
- 1.Servant of the ShardBook 3 · 20007.9
- 1.The Silent BladeBook 1 · 19987.9
- 1.Sea of SwordsBook 4 · 20017.9
- 4.The Spine of the WorldBook 2 · 19997.6
Frequently asked questions
Which Paths of Darkness book is the best?
By reader score, Servant of the Shard (7.9/10). The lowest-rated is The Spine of the World (7.6/10).
Which Paths of Darkness book is the longest?
“Sea of Swords” is the longest at 400 pages; the shortest is “Servant of the Shard” with 359 pages.
What should I read after Paths of Darkness?
Other series by R. A. Salvatore: The Cleric Quintet, The Dark Elf Trilogy, Legacy of the Drow.
