These are what we call the 'YMMV items.' Things that some people find in this work. We call them 'your mileage might vary' because not everyone sees these things in the same way. This starts discussions in the trope lists, a thing we don't want. Please use the discussion page if you'd like to discuss any of these items.
YMMV: The Legend Of Drizzt
Growing the Beard / Seasonal Rot: With a series this long, it's almost inevitable. When this happens depends on the reader, of course.
For some, the Dark Elf Trilogy (i.e., the prequels to the first novels), showing more of dark elf society and giving a real look inside Drizzt's head with the first essays, were Growing the Beard. For others, the loss of the more devil-may-care attitude from the Icewind Dale Trilogy in favor of what they saw as Wangst was early-onset Seasonal Rot.
Legacy of the Drow seemed to be more of a downer than the other books, featuring the first death of a Companion, a lot of tension between the characters and years-long separations, while at the same time putting characters in holding patterns for long stretches (for example, Catti-Brie and Drizzt, the resolution of which wouldn't even occur until the end of the trilogy after the next one). But the characters seemed to behave with more maturity, and the implications of some relationships were explored in-depth.
Paths of Darkness continues the trend of dealing with darker and more mature topics in a more ambiguous fashion, allowing yet more arguments from people who prefer different spots on the Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism...
