I read the Icewind Dale Trilogy... it was okay. But it was exceedingly simplistic, there really wasn't much complexity to the plot, the characters or much of anything else. The writing itself was nothing special either. It seemed sort of generically entertaining, but shallow, like a decent action flick. At best, it's the Con Air of fantasy literature.

I did enjoy it, but I just don't see how it draws the kind of loyal fanbase it seems to. So help me out here, what am I missing? Does it just become great in the later books that I haven't read?