Orc King

Lore & Background

The novel is set a century after the events of The Two Swords. The Orcish Kingdom of Many-Arrows is ruled by Obould the Sixth, the sixth heir to its throne. A powerful Gnomish wizard named Jaculi, trained by Illithids and other powerful creatures, has been secretly controlling Clan Karuck's different Shaman for centuries. The book reveals that Dwarves and Orcs had lived together for centuries, with relations continuing to improve, according to scrolls written in a mixture of Dwarven and Orcish alphabets. The only reason the city fell was because something melted the permafrost beneath it, sucking the entire town and its population under.

In Their Own Story

Drizzt, with his traveling companion Innovindil, returns from a journey to the grave of Ellifan. A group of Orcish shaman conspire against Obould and coax forth the Half Ogre-Half Orc Clan Karuck. Innovindil and her Pegasus are slain by Clan Karuck. Hralien begins hunting for Tos'un, believing him to have masterminded the ambush. Drizzt accompanies Bruenor to a place they believe to be the ancient and lost dwarvern home of Gauntlgrym, only to discover a cavern full of powerful, otherworldly monsters. Cattie-Brie and Wulfgar search for Colson, Wulfgar's surrogate daughter, and find her in the town of Nesmé. Wulfgar leaves the Companions of the Hall to return her to her birth mother, Meralda, before departing for Icewind Dale. To avenge Innovindil's death, Hralien asks Drizzt to capture Tos'un Armgo, who wields Khazid'hea. Drizzt captures Tos'un, and Bruenor, Regis, Hralien, Torgar Hammerstriker, Thibbledorf Pwent and Cordio Muffinhead set out to kill King Obould Many-Arrows. After a desperate battle between Grguch and Obould, Drizzt forces Bruenor to choose the destiny of the land. Bruenor leaps atop Obould and spring boards himself into Grguch, ending with a disemboweled and headless Grguch. A battered Bruenor and dying Regis are brought before Obould, who commands a Shaman to heal Regis and lowers his weapon. In Garumn's Gorge, Bruenor and Obould sign a treaty, ending the war and establishing the Kingdom of Many-Arrows.

Reader's Guide

The Orc King reached 13 on The New York Times bestseller list on November 4, 2007. It was No. 8 on the fiction hardcover bestseller list as reported by The Buffalo News in October 2007. The novel made it to #7 on the list, as well as #9 on the Wall Street Journal list, #6 on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list, and #36 on the USA Today list of top sellers. The book marked the 20th anniversary of the character Drizzt Do'Urden.

Did You Know?

• The Orc King was No. 8 on the fiction hardcover bestseller list as reported by The Buffalo News in October 2007.
• The novel marked the 20th anniversary of the character Drizzt Do'Urden.
• The Orc King reached 13 on The New York Times bestseller list on November 4, 2007.
• The book is the first in the Transitions series by American writer R. A. Salvatore.
• The story begins a century after the events of The Two Swords.