R. A. Salvatore: Difference between revisions

'''Robert Anthony Salvatore''' (born January 20, 1959) is an American author best known for ''[[The DemonWars Saga]]'';<ref>Shippey, T. A. eds. Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy vol I. Pasadena, California: Salem Press, 1996.</ref> his ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' novels, for which he created the popular character [[Drizzt Do'Urden]]; and ''[[Vector Prime]]'', the first novel in the ''[[Star Wars]]: [[The New Jedi Order]]'' series. He has sold more than 15 million copies of his books in the United States alone<ref name="wizards">[http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4news/20100111 Wizards of the Coast press release]</ref> and twenty-two of his titles have been [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''New York Times'' best-sellers]].<ref name="wizards"/>

In 1982, he started writing more seriously, developing a manuscript he titled ''Echoes of the Fourth Magic''.<ref>Shippey, T. A. ed. Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy vol II. Pasadena, California: Salem Press, 1996.</ref> He created the setting of Ynis Aielle for the novel, writing it in longhand by candlelight.<ref name="Dragon #252">{{cite journal| last = Varney| first = Allen| authorlink = Allen Varney| title = Profiles: R.A. Salvatore| journal = [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]| issue = #252| page = 120| publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]]| location = [[Renton, Washington|Renton]], Washington|date=October 1998}}</ref> In an interview with comic book website Project Fanboy, Salvatore said he landed the deal for his first book when, after finishing the script for ''Echoes of the Fourth Magic'' in early 1987, he sent the work to [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]] and several other publishers. TSR was looking for an author to write the second book in the ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' line and asked Salvatore to audition. In July 1987, Salvatore won the spot to write the book.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.projectfanboy.com/vb/showthread.php?t=857 |title=Project Fanboy Interview |access-date=July 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716152153/http://www.projectfanboy.com/vb/showthread.php?t=857 |archive-date=July 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> His first published novel was ''[[The Crystal Shard]]'' from TSR in 1988.<ref name="wizardsbio"/><ref name="designers">{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7}}</ref>{{rp|19}} The first hardcover novel from TSR was Salvatore's ''[[The Legacy (Salvatore novel)|The Legacy]]'' (1992).<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|19}} After ''[[Passage to Dawn]]'' (1996), TSR's management picked a new author to write stories about Drizzt; [[Mark Anthony (writer)|Mark Anthony]]'s Drizzt novel ''The Shores of Dusk'' was completed by the time [[Wizards of the Coast]] acquired TSR, but Wizards opted not to publish that one and instead brought Salvatore back to write about Drizzt, beginning with ''[[The Silent Blade]]'' (1998).<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|283}} ''The Silent Blade'' won the [[Origins Award]] that year.<ref name="wizardsbio"/> Salvatore went on to publish several series of books in the ''Forgotten Realms'' campaign world, while lately his popularity surged due to his ''Demon Wars'' sagas and his two ''[[Star Wars]]'' books.

One of his most popular characters is [[Drizzt Do'Urden]], a [[Drow (Dungeons & Dragons)|drow]], or dark elf, portrayed against the stereotypes of his race, who defies a nation of evil enemies with his swordsmanship and courage. He abandons the [[Underdark]], a barren land of unmarked and limitless tunnels where deadly creatures continually lurk. His journey for freedom leads him to the surface where he faces discrimination at every turn because of his dark heritage. Drizzt stumbles along in a harsh world until he finally comes upon friends who understand the kindness of his heart. Together, they fight for justice against sinister enemies who dare to disrupt the peace of Drizzt's newfound homeland.