R. A. Salvatore

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Robert Anthony Salvatore
Born January 20, 1959 (1959-01-20) (age 53)
Leominster, Massachusetts
Pen name R.A. Salvatore
Occupation Novelist
Nationality American
Period 1982 to the Present
Genres Fiction
Subjects Fantasy, Science fiction
Notable work(s) Forgotten Realms and The DemonWars Saga novels
Spouse(s) Diane Salvatore
www.rasalvatore.com

Robert Anthony Salvatore (born January 20, 1959, Leominster, Massachusetts), who writes under the name R. A. Salvatore, is an American author best known for The DemonWars Saga,[1] his Forgotten Realms novels, in 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 USA alone[2] and twenty-two of his titles have been New York Times best-sellers.[2]

Contents

[edit] Biography

R.A. Salvatore at a book signing

Robert 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, he became interested in fantasy after reading J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, given to him as a Christmas gift.[3] He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications and later a Bachelor of Arts in English. Before taking up writing full time he worked as a bouncer.[4]

He is noted for his intense and descriptive battle scenes which have been attributed to his history as a bouncer.[5]

In 2000, Salvatore's collected papers, including correspondence and unpublished works, were donated to his alma mater Fitchburg State College to create the 'R.A. Salvatore Collection.'

[edit] Personal life

He and his wife Diane have three children: Bryan, Geno, and Caitlin. They also have three Japanese Chins named Oliver, Artemis, and Ivan as well as four cats, one being named Guenhwyvar.

His older brother, Gary Salvatore, died of pancreatic cancer in 2000.[6]

Salvatore is also a frequent contributor to the political blog Daily Kos. He supported Barack Obama in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election.[7]

[edit] Writing

In 1982 he started writing more seriously, developing a manuscript he titled Echoes of the Fourth Magic.[8] He created the setting of Ynis Aielle for the novel, writing it in longhand by candlelight.[9] 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 and several other publishers. TSR was looking for an author to write the second book in the The Forgotten Realms line and asked Salvatore to audition. In July 1987, Salvatore won the spot to write the book.[10] He 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, or dark elf, portrayed against the stereotypes of his race, who defied a nation of evil enemies with his swordsmanship and courage. He abandoned the Underdark, a merciless and 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.

In 1999, Salvatore was tasked with writing Vector Prime, the first novel in the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series. Vector Prime was extremely controversial among Star Wars fans in that its plot called for the death of Chewbacca, making the Wookiee the first major character from the original trilogy (and one of the most popular characters in the franchise) to be permanently killed off in the Expanded Universe novels. Salvatore was ordered by Lucasfilm Ltd. (specifically George Lucas himself) to kill off the character. Many fans thought that Salvatore himself had made this decision, but it was actually Randy Stradley, the then-editor at Dark Horse Comics.[11]

In February 2008, Devil's Due Publishing published Spooks, a comic book about a U.S. government anti-paranormal investigator/task force created by Larry Hama and Salvatore. Hama created the military characters and plots, and Salvatore covered the monster characters.[12]

In 2010, Wizards of the Coast announced a new deal with R.A. Salvatore to write six more Drizzt books, to be released between 2011 and 2016.[2]

[edit] Writing for video games

In addition to his novels, Salvatore wrote the story for the PS2, Xbox and PC video game Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone (2004), working with the design team at Stormfront Studios. The game was published by Atari and was nominated for awards by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and BAFTA. CDS books commissioned him to edit a four book series based on the interactive online Everquest game.[13] He also wrote the bot chat lines for the Quake III bots.

Currently, R.A. Salvatore is busy at work as Creative Director for 38 Studios, formerly named Green Monster Games, along with pitcher Curt Schilling and Spawn comic creator Todd McFarlane. He is responsible for the story and dialog for the game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which received praise for the storyline.[14]

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Forgotten Realms

Listed in order of publication

[edit] The Icewind Dale Trilogy

(chronologically subsequent to The Dark Elf trilogy)

[edit] The Dark Elf Trilogy

(chronologically precedes the Icewind Dale trilogy)

[edit] The Cleric Quintet

[edit] Legacy of the Drow

[edit] Paths of Darkness

[edit] The Sellswords

[edit] The Hunter's Blades Trilogy

[edit] War of the Spider Queen

Each novel in the series is written by a different author with Salvatore overseeing the development of the overall project.[15]

[edit] Transitions

[edit] Stone of Tymora

[edit] Neverwinter

[edit] Other series

[edit] The Spearwielder's Tale

[edit] Saga of the First King

[edit] The DemonWars Saga

[edit] Chronicles of Ynis Aielle

[edit] Crimson shadow series

[edit] Star Wars

[edit] Star Wars: The New Jedi Order

[edit] Graphic novel adaptations

  • Homeland
  • Exile
  • Sojourn
  • The Crystal Shard
  • Streams of Silver
  • Trial by Fire (2001)
  • The Halfling's Gem
  • Eye for an Eye
  • Legacy
  • Starless Night (Incomplete, only 1 of 3 issues published)

[edit] Other novels

[edit] Short stories

  • "The First Notch" (in Dragon magazine #152, 1989)
  • "A Sparkle for Homer" (in Halflings, Hobbits, Warrows, and Weefolk, 1991)
  • "Dark Mirror" (in Realms of Valor, 1993)
  • "The Third Level" (in Realms of Infamy, 1994)
  • "Guenhwyvar" (in Realms of Magic, 1995)
  • "The Coach With Big Teeth" (in Otherwere, 1996)
  • "Gods' Law" (in Tales of Tethedril, 1998)
  • "Mather's Blood" (in Dragon magazine #252, 1998)
  • "That Curious Sword" (in Realms of Shadow, 2002)
  • "Three Ships" (in Demons Wars: Trial By Fire Comic TP, 2003)
  • "Empty Joys" (in The Best of the Realms, 2003)
  • "The Dowry" (in The Highwayman, 2004)
  • "Wickless In the Nether" (in Realms of Dragons, 2004)
  • "Comrades at Odds" (in Realms of the Elves, 2006)
  • "If Ever They Happen Upon My Lair" (in Dragons: World Afire, 2006)
  • "Bones and Stones" (in Realms of War, 2008)
  • "Iruladoon" (in Realms of the Dead, 2010)
  • "Hugo Mann's Perfect Soul" (in The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction: 6 Steps to Writing and Publishing Your Bestseller, 2010)

"To Legend He Goes" (in 'Legend of Drizzt Anthology', 2011)

[edit] Comics

[edit] Other media

  • The Accursed Tower, A 2nd Edition AD&D Module
  • Demon Stone role-playing Game released on PS2, Xbox, and PC
  • In collaboration with Seven Swords, R A Salvatore created the bot chat responses for the computer game Quake 3 Arena
  • Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning role-playing Game released Xbox 360, PS3, and PC February 2012

[edit] References

  1. ^ Shippey, T.A. eds. Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy vol I. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1996.
  2. ^ a b c Wizards of the Coast press release
  3. ^ Clute, John. And John Grant. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. NY: ST. Martkin’s Press, 1997
  4. ^ Clute, John. And John Grant. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. NY: ST. Martkin’s Press, 1997 . Publishers Weekly. 5/17/2004, Vol. 251 Issue 20, p23
  5. ^ Pringle, David eds. St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 1996
  6. ^ Interview with Author R. A. Salvatore - FlamesRising
  7. ^ R. A. Salvatore's Daily Kos blog
  8. ^ Shippey, T.A. ed. Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy vol II. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 1996.
  9. ^ Varney, Allen (October 1998). "Profiles: R.A. Salvatore". Dragon (Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast) (#252): 120. 
  10. ^ Project Fanboy Interview
  11. ^ Randy Stradley on DarkHorse.com message boards
  12. ^ Devil's Due Publishing press release: "Special San Diego Comic-Con Announcement", July 36 2007
  13. ^ Raugust, Karen. "*The Expanding World of EverQuest". Publishers Weekly. 5/17/2004, Vol. 251 Issue 20, p23
  14. ^ http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/121/1218070p1.html
  15. ^ About War of the Spider Queen
  16. ^ Facebook post by R.A. Salvatore on January 10, 2012 http://www.facebook.com/pages/RA-Salvatore/54142479810?sk=wall&filter=2

[edit] Reviews

  • Cassada, Jackie. “The Lone Drow (book).” Library Journal 9/15/2003, Vol. 128 Issue 15, p95
  • Cannon, Peter. Zaleski, Jeff. THE THOUSAND ORCS (BOOK) Publishers Weekly. 10/7/2002, Vol. 249 Issue 40, p57
  • THE HIGHWAYMAN: a Novel of Corona Publishers Weekly. 3/1/2004, Vol. 251 Issue 9, p54.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: R. A. Salvatore

[edit] Interviews

R. A. Salvatore Forgotten Realms series
The Dark Elf Trilogy
The Icewind Dale Trilogy
Legacy of the Drow
Paths of Darkness
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
Transitions
The Cleric Quintet
The Sellswords
Neverwinter
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