Exile (1991)
Exile is a 1991 fiction book written by R. A. Salvatore.
Solitude is the real monster here. Cast out of Menzoberranzan, Drizzt Do'Urden survives alone in the lightless tunnels of the Underdark, hunted by his own kin and kept sane only by the magical panther Guenhwyvar. The dark elf city will not simply let him walk away, and the wilds between worlds hold their own predators. Salvatore narrates much of it from inside Drizzt's head, where the silence presses harder than any blade. Second in the Dark Elf trilogy, it is a survival story about holding onto yourself when there is no one left to answer.
Quick answers
What is Exile about?
Solitude is the real monster here. Cast out of Menzoberranzan, Drizzt Do'Urden survives alone in the lightless tunnels of the Underdark, hunted by his own kin and kept sane only by the magical panther Guenhwyvar. The dark elf city will not simply let him walk away, and the wilds between worlds hold their own predators. Salvatore narrates much of it from inside Drizzt's head, where the silence presses harder than any blade. Second in the Dark Elf trilogy, it is a survival story about holding onto yourself when there is no one left to answer.
When was Exile published?
Exile was published in 1991.
Who made Exile?
Exile was written by R. A. Salvatore.
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Exile in our writing
- Companion guide: Dungeons & Dragons on the PC: From the Gold Box to Baldur's Gate 3
A few thoughts on Exile
The lonely, hostile-cavern survival calls to mind Hollow Knight, all quiet descent and dread beneath a ruined world. Readers drawn to the exile's grim wandering may find the outcast mood of Red Dead Redemption 2 lands the same ache.
Survival stories where you're completely on your own
Exile strands Drizzt Do'Urden alone in the Underdark with only a magical panther for company, hunted by his own kin with nowhere safe to surface. Red Dead Redemption 2's Arthur Morgan and Hollow Knight's silent wanderer face a similar isolation, forced to survive hostile territory with no one left to trust. Planescape: Torment and Menzoberranzan share that same closed-in, predatory underworld feel.
D&D CRPGs built on the same tabletop rules
Drizzt's exile plays out inside a setting built directly from Dungeons & Dragons lore, the Underdark, drow houses, and all. These CRPGs run on that same ruleset and structure: a party of specialists working through turn-based encounters in the Forgotten Realms and its neighboring campaign settings, from Neverwinter to Icewind Dale to the rival cities near Menzoberranzan.
The rest of Drizzt's own saga
Exile is the middle volume of the Dark Elf trilogy, and Drizzt's story keeps going in both directions. Homeland shows the Menzoberranzan he fled, Sojourn follows him to the surface world next, and The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver and The Halfling's Gem pick up the adventuring years once he finds Bruenor's company.
Ensemble fantasy quests once you want more company
Exile is a story about being utterly alone, which makes the ensemble energy of these screen quests a deliberate change of pace. Vox Machina's found family, the cursed crew of Honor Among Thieves, Stranger Things' friend group, and the shifting courts of Westeros and The Witcher all trade solitary survival for a full company at your back. Willow and Excalibur do the same.