Robert Anthony Salvatore (born January 20, 1959) is an American author best known for ''
The Legend of Drizzt
''The Legend of Drizzt'' is a series of fantasy novels by R. A. Salvatore that began in 1988, and consists of 38 books as of August 9, 2022. They are based in the ''Forgotten Realms'' setting in the dimension of Abeir-Toril on the continent Fae ...
'', a series of fantasy novels set in the
Forgotten Realms and starring the popular character
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden () is a fictional character appearing in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the ''Icewind Dale ...
. He has also written ''
The DemonWars Saga'', a series of high fantasy novels; several other Forgotten Realms novels; and ''
Vector Prime
''Star Wars: The New Jedi Order'' (or ''New Jedi Order'' or ''NJO'') is a series of 19 science fiction novels, published from 1999 to 2003, set in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe. The series revolves around the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of ...
'', the first novel in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
:
The New Jedi Order'' series. He has sold more than 15 million copies of his books in the United States alone
[Wizards of the Coast press release](_blank)
/ref> and twenty-two of his titles have been ''New York Times'' best-sellers.
Early life and education
Salvatore was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, the youngest of a family of seven. A graduate of Leominster High School, Salvatore has credited his high school English teacher with being instrumental in his development as a writer. During his time at Fitchburg State College
Fitchburg State University (Fitchburg State) is a public university in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It has 3,421 undergraduate and 1,238 graduate/continuing education students, for a total student body enrollment of 4,659. The university offers und ...
, he became interested in fantasy after reading J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philology, philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was ...
's ''The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
'', given to him as a Christmas gift. He developed an interest in fantasy and other literature, promptly changing his major from computer science to journalism. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications/Media from Fitchburg. He earned this degree in 1981 and later a Bachelor of Arts in English. Before taking up writing full-time, he worked as a bouncer
A bouncer (also known as a doorman or door supervisor) is a type of security guard, employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs, cabaret clubs, stripclubs, casinos, hotels, billiard halls, restaurants, sporting events, schools, concerts, or m ...
. He attributes his fierce and vividly described battle scenes to his experience as a bouncer.
In the fall of 1997, his letters, manuscripts, and other professional papers were donated to the R. A. Salvatore collection at his alma mater, Fitchburg State College
Fitchburg State University (Fitchburg State) is a public university in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It has 3,421 undergraduate and 1,238 graduate/continuing education students, for a total student body enrollment of 4,659. The university offers und ...
in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
Career
1980s–90s
In 1982, he started writing more seriously, developing a manuscript he titled ''Echoes of the Fourth Magic'' about a submarine sucked into a post-apocalyptic future that resembled a fantasy world. He created the setting of Ynis Aielle for the novel, writing it in longhand by candlelight. Salvatore sent the work to several publishers from 1983 to 1987, including TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had been ...
. Mary Kirchoff
Mary L. Kirchoff is an American author of fantasy and young adult novels.
Biography
Kirchoff was born and raised in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the city where the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game was invented. "I went to school with Ernie G ...
, then working for TSR's book department in reviewing the slush pile
In publishing, a slush pile is a set of unsolicited query letters or manuscripts that have either been directly sent to a publisher by an author, or which have been delivered via a literary agent representing the author who may or may not be fa ...
of unsolicited submissions, didn't like the story that much, but did like Salvatore's writing. TSR was then 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. Much of the ''Realms'' setting was then undeveloped and waiting to be fleshed out, giving Salvatore a relatively free hand. He wrote his first published novel ''The Crystal Shard
''The Crystal Shard'' is a 1988 fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. The first book in The Icewind Dale Trilogy, it was his first published novel.
Plot summary
Even in the remote far northern region of Icewind Dale, the renegade d ...
'' in just two months, and it was published by TSR in 1988. Salvatore's ''Icewind Dale'' trilogy (''The Crystal Shard'', ''Streams of Silver'', and ''The Halfling's Gem'') was a huge hit, with over 1.5 million copies sold of the first two novels, and the third book hitting ''The New York Times'' list of paperback bestsellers. Salvatore's first novel published in hardcover was another Drizzt book, ''The Legacy The Legacy may refer to:
* '' Le Legs'' or ''The Legacy'', a play by Pierre de Marivaux
* The Legacy (professional wrestling), a former professional wrestling faction in World Wrestling Entertainment
* ''The Legacy'' (album), an album by Testament
...
'' (1992). ''The Legacy'' placed in the number 9 slot of ''The New York Times'' list of bestsellers in September 1992. In 1994, Salvatore branched out beyond working for TSR, and signed a three-book deal with Warner Books for what would become The Crimson Shadow series. Salvatore and TSR engaged in a dispute afterward. TSR's managing editor of the fiction department, Brian Thomsen
Brian Michael Thomsen (April 13, 1959 – September 21, 2008) was an American science fiction editor, author, and anthologist.
Biography
Thomsen was raised in the New York City neighborhood of Rockaway Beach and attended Regis High Schoo ...
, wanted Salvatore to write six additional novels when renewing the contract, rather than the three novels that Salvatore offered. Salvatore, who had just agreed to write 3 novels for Warner and had written 14 novels in the prior 6 years, was unwilling to overcommit himself to write so many novels in such a short span of time at the rate TSR offered; he would have to write three novels a year to honor all his obligations to TSR and Warner had he taken TSR's contract as written. Thomsen suggested that Salvatore find a ghostwriter, a suggestion that Salvatore found distasteful. Negotiations ultimately fell through; TSR was unwilling to budge on their demands, and was unwilling to put the Drizzt brand on hold while Salvatore finished books for other publishers. They also possibly believed that the "brand" was more valuable than any one specific author, as Thomsen said he would find another author to write Drizzt (as TSR owned the rights to the Forgotten Realms and all its characters). Salvatore, for his part, felt bullied by the company whom he had contributed such a valuable property, and signed a three-novel deal with Del Rey instead for what would become '' The DemonWars Saga''. Salvatore's last Drizzt novel for some time was ''Passage to Dawn
''Passage to Dawn'' is a 1996 fantasy novel by American writer R. A. Salvatore. It is the fourth and final book of his '' Legacy of the Drow'' series.
Plot summary
''Passage to Dawn'' finds Drizzt
Drizzt Do'Urden () is a fictional character ...
'' in 1996, finishing up his previous contract. Salvatore publicly stated that if TSR assigned another author to write Drizzt, he'd never write Drizzt again, and would assume that Drizzt died. The management at TSR followed through their threat and chose a new author to write stories about Drizzt; Mark Anthony completed the Drizzt novel ''The Shores of Dusk''. However, Wizards of the Coast acquired TSR in 1997, and one of their first actions was to fire Thomsen and attempt to mend broken bonds with TSR's authors. Wizards decided to shelve Anthony's novel and not publish it, and to lure Salvatore back. The result was Salvatore returning to the Drizzt series with ''The Silent Blade
''The Silent Blade'' is the first book of the Legend of Drizzt grouping Paths of Darkness. It is the eleventh book in the ever expanding Legend of Drizzt series and is followed by ''The Spine of the World'' which came out the next year. It was rel ...
'' (1998). ''The Silent Blade'' won the Origins Award that year. Salvatore went on to publish several more series of books in the ''Forgotten Realms'' campaign world.
Salvatore wrote ''Vector Prime
''Star Wars: The New Jedi Order'' (or ''New Jedi Order'' or ''NJO'') is a series of 19 science fiction novels, published from 1999 to 2003, set in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe. The series revolves around the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of ...
'', which was published in 1999 as the first novel in the ''Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
: The New Jedi Order'' series. ''Vector Prime'' was controversial among ''Star Wars'' fans because its plot included the death of Chewbacca
Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and firs ...
the Wookiee
Wookiees () are fictional humanoid aliens in the ''Star Wars'' universe, native to the forest planet Kashyyyk. They are distinguished from humans by their gigantism, hirsutism, and physical strength. The most prominent Wookiee is Chewbacca, c ...
, who became the first major character from the original trilogy to be permanently killed off in the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe novels. Many fans thought that Salvatore himself had made this decision; however, the decision to kill Chewbecca did not come from Salvatore. Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
and the editors at Del Rey had decided they needed to kill a character to sell the new threat of the Yuuzhan Vong; the editors wanted to kill Luke Skywalker, but were refused permission by Lucasfilm. Randy Stradley
Randy Stradley (born March 4, 1956) is an American comic book writer and editor, who spent 35 years in an executive position at Dark Horse Comics. He has written under pseudonyms Mick Harrison and Welles Hartley.
Career
Stradley began working ...
, then an editor at Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
, suggested killing Chewbacca, and the decision came down that he would die in the novel. Much later, after Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
bought the rights to ''Star Wars'' in 2012, Disney declared in 2014 that all Expanded Universe works released before 2014 were non-canon. The death of Chewbacca in ''Vector Prime'' was cited as a major reason why they revoked the canonical status of so many works.
2000s–present
In February 2008, Devil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing (often abbreviated as DDP) is an independent comic book publisher in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned proper ...
published '' Spooks'', a comic book about a U.S. government anti-paranormal investigator/task force created by Larry Hama
Larry Hama (; born June 7, 1949) is an People of the United States, American comic-book writer, artist, actor, and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s.
During the 1970s, he was seen in minor role ...
and Salvatore. Hama created the military characters and plots, and Salvatore covered the monster characters.
In addition to his novels, Salvatore has written for video games. He wrote the story for the PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
, Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
and PC video game '' Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone'' (2004), working with the design team at Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. In 2007, the company had over 50 developers working on two teams, and owned all its proprietary engines, tools, and technology. As of the end of 2007, ...
. The game was published by Atari
Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...
and was nominated for awards by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...
and BAFTA. CDS books commissioned him to edit a four book series based on the interactive online '' EverQuest'' game. He also wrote the bot chat lines for the '' Quake III'' bots.
Salvatore was hired as creative director for the newly created game developer 38 Studios
38 Studios, LLC, formerly Green Monster Games, LLC, was an American entertainment and intellectual property, IP development company founded in 2006 by Major League Baseball player Curt Schilling and named for his jersey number. Originally based in ...
, owned by former baseball player Curt Schilling. He wrote the dialogue and created a backstory spanning ten thousand years for the fantasy game '' Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning'', which was released in February 2012, and sold over one million units. However, three months later 38 Studios declared bankruptcy and ceased operations. The company laid off its entire staff, including Salvatore, with the $2 million fee for his services having never been paid. Salvatore claimed he harbored no ill will toward Schilling in a 2014 interview with '' The Escapist''. "Why would I sue Curt or the $2 million Maybe he made a couple of bad business decisions ... uthe didn't do anything nefarious, and he got wiped out. He's lying in the gutter and you want me to kick him in the head? Why would anyone do that?"
In 2010, Wizards of the Coast announced a new deal with Salvatore to write six more books featuring Drizzt the dark elf; the books were released between 2011 and 2016.
Bibliography
Salvatore's most famous and popular character is Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden () is a fictional character appearing in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the ''Icewind Dale ...
, a 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.
References
External links
*
R. A. Salvatore at Fantastic Fiction
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salvatore, Robert Anthony
1959 births
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American novelists
American fantasy writers
American male novelists
American science fiction writers
American writers of Italian descent
Fitchburg State University alumni
Living people
Novelists from Massachusetts
People from Leominster, Massachusetts