The '''Dark Elf Trilogy''' are a series of novels, set in the 'Forgotten Realms' [[Dungeons and Dragons]] campaign setting, that are generally regarded as author R.A. Salvatore's most enduring work.<ref>http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_books.html</ref> The novels were a prequel trilogy, as Salvatore had already written a trilogy of novels featuring the lead character.
The books tell the origin of Drizzt Do'Urden, a dark or drow elf, who is repulsed by the matriarchal theocratic society he is raised in. Vicious, violent, deceptive, arrogant, the dark elves of Menzoberranzan really only have one rule: don't get caught. But Drizzt was born with a conscience, something no drow can afford. His upbringing and training as a warrior are depicted in the first book, ''Homeland'', after which he leaves the city of his birth to live in the wilds of the Underdark. His desperate survival there, and realizing he can't stay there forever, make up the bulk of the second book, ''Exile''. At the end of the novel, he reaches the surface world. In ''Sojourn'', he adapts to the surface world, his years underground serving him well as his survival instincts allow him to carry on in the face of great threats. Eventually, he comes under the tutelage of a retired adventurer and ranger, who gives him formal training in the ways of being a guardian of the wild. Finally, he moves north, to Icewind Dale, where he first meets the dwarf king and human girl who would become his dearest friends.
The trilogy is noted as being remarkable for giving real meat to the mysterious society of the dark elves, who until that point had remained a mystery except for being a generally villainous race. The matriarchy, the dichotomy of stratification and mobility, and the worship of an evil goddess allowed ''Dungeons and Dragons'' players to understand how an evil society might actually, for lack of a better term, "work".