R.A. Salvatore--A Literary Convert
A brief glimpse at one of my favorite fantasy authors
R.A. Salvatore is one of my favorite authors. He is best known for the creation of the dark elf ranger, Drizzt Do’Urden, and his adventures through the Dungeons and Dragons setting of the Forgotten Realms. Salvatore has also written books set in the Star Wars universe as well as the Demon Wars series and many others. He is a prolific storyteller, to say the least.
There is some debate as to whether Salvatore is a good writer. I had a conversation with a writer friend the other day and she told me that she didn’t think Salvatore was that great of a writer. I don’t necessarily think so either, but as I told her, “I read his books because they are fun.”
His books are filled with gods, magic, and excellent fight scenes. And I love them because they are fantasy. And though the quality of his prose and the caliber of his writing can be debated, Salvatore does weave deep ideas into his work. The struggle between the dichotomy of good and evil, racism, loneliness, and the pursuit of finding a home. The journeys of Drizzt Do’Urden are rife with such ideas.
One of my favorite things about Salvatore is the story of how he became a fantasy writer. He was not a big reader in his teen years and had no aspirations of becoming a fantasy writer, until one winter in 1978 when he was snowed in at his parents’ house for a week. With nothing else to do, he picked up some books by Tolkien and read them over and over again for the entire week. After that week, his mind was opened to the world of literature. Originally studying computer science in college, he started taking English courses, reading Shakespeare, Chaucer, and other classics, all the while maintaining a passion for fantasy (Nerd Caliber). And so began the journey of one of the world’s most well-known fantasy authors.
I love the story of Salvatore’s “conversion” because it indicates that it is never too late to change your ideas about reading and writing. All it takes is a single book that will change your entire perspective. In my endeavors as a fantasy author, Salvatore has been a huge inspiration to me. He is one of my great influences, and from the time I was a teen to now, I still continue to admire his work. I am so glad that he was snowed in during that blizzard in 1978 and that Tolkien’s works were there for him to pick up. Otherwise, Drizzt and a number of other fantastic characters never would have been born.
Author’s Note: This article was originally published in The People Sentinel
References
“R.A. Salvatore and Why He Loves Writing.” YouTube, uploaded by Nerd Caliber, 9 October 2012,
The books are a lot of fun, and I loved them when I was a teenager. I read the first six recently, and I enjoyed them. The first three by publication order are a bit rough, but his writing and storytelling skills improve a lot after that. So if you read them chronologically, just be prepared for the fourth book to be a rough patch in the road. And know that it gets better again.
It seems to me that the more interesting fantasy authors have a history with the classics. Something for us all to consider in this era of disdain for what has come before.