R.A. Salvatore is the man!!!!!!!

[Cerek the Barbaric]

<font color=deepskyblue><font color=lime>Encard</font> - Although I haven't read any Salvatore books in a long time, I agree with some of your criticisms. The cookie-cutter generic heroes and the same old plot lines so get old after awhile. And a drow ranger was a very unique concept - 14 years ago when Drizzt first appeared. NOW - with WOTC lifting racial restrictions - it isn't anything special and is far less odd than an elven paladin or halfing barbarian. But I think Salvatore paved the way for those changes when he created Drizzt.

You're also right about newbies wanting to have characters like Drizzt, then realizing it is impossible - even with the new, looser rules. I REALLY wonder how these kids would have reacted to the 1st Edition game where you might be lucky to have a +1 weapon by 5th level.

As for Salvatore's style becoming boring and repititious, keep in mind that he has written around 40-50 books. It is hard to keep meeting the deadlines for that many books and also come up with original content, plots, and characters. I once read an iteresting fantasy series about a neophyte mage that got thrust into being the hero. The author would post a little philosophical quote at the beginning of each chapter. That was fun at first, but after the series stretched into 4 or 5 books, he started having a REALLY hard time coming up with new quotes. He finally got so frustrated that the "quote" at the beginning of one chapter was "Never get in the habit of putting philosophical quotes at the beginning of chapters"

I think it would be good to see Drizzt, Bruenor, Wulfgar and Cattie-Brie all decide to settle down or go of on some unchronicled adventures...then let Salvatore take about 2 years off from writing. During that time, he could create an entirely new set of "heroes" and start a new set of adventures for them.

While Salvatore may not be in Tolkien's league, keep in mind that J.R.R. spent several years working on the LOTR series...and his entire work consisted of just 4 books (5 if you count The Silmarillon). If Salvatore had ONLY written the original IceWind Dale Trilogy, I think he would be much more revered than he has become. But since he IS still around and his original books were so popular, the fans have DEMANDED more books with Drizzt and more books with Salvatore's style. That was good back in the early 90's when he still had lots of fresh ideas - but then he became a victim of his own success and was put under pressure to start cranking out books at a very quick pace.

It's like a tried and true business axiom that says <font color=yellow>"We do two kinds of work here - Good and Fast. If you want it to be Good, it won't be Fast. If you want it Fast, it won't be Good."</font></font>

[Luvian]

It's been years since I read them but I look back fondly on the first two Drizzt Trilogy. Things started going down since them. I Salvatore would have stoped writing about Drizzt then.

I also wish Drizzt and Catie Brie would have ended up together. The love triangle was the best character interaction there was.

[Jerr Conner]

So I got to the scene where they finally blow up a person, as mentioned before.

There really was no mention of Jarlaxle ordering this person killed the way they were. However, there was mention that he sent Rai-Guy and Kimmuriel to take Berginyon out on a field patrol-training mission. He may have ordered the woman killed, since she was in a Rival Guild, however he probably left it up to them on how to kill the girl. I can only assume that since there's no mention of Jarlaxle saying to kill her 'this way' or 'that way'.

So if anything, yes Rai-Guy and Kimmuriel are really evil. And even though Jarlaxle and Entreri are evil, I've only mentioned they're not as evil as they seem. I've seen worse villians, in other books

Plus, they have a degree of honor I haven't seen in too many villians.

As far as overpowering, maybe, maybe not. After I ordered the Icewind Dale Trilogy and read it, I went straight to the Legacy. It seems most of the time the party is up against kobolds or goblins or orcs, not very hard enemies for experienced adventurers.

However, the Drow, Giants, and Demons. Yea. And with each of those, they barely escaped.

With Errtu alone, it was pure dumb luck that aided them each time.

Legacy was the best, IMO. For one, they did kill off Wulfgar (And like someone mentioned here, maybe Salvatore caved into the Wulfgar fans). Although I will admit, I'd reread Icewind Dale over and over when I get it back...

Spine of the World wasn't the best after I got done reading it, but I've read some very very bad fantasy, and Spine of the World was very enjoyable compared to some of the books I've intentionally forgotten. I liked watching Wulfgar becoming his old self again near the end. Especially when he kept getting Morik to do 'good' with him!

Now, who would describe Regis as being 'over-powered'?

[slicer15]

I have to agree with you, Jerr, about Spine of the World. I personally found it hard to get into, but once I was there it seemed to flow quite nicely. I especially liked how he started a second storyline from the main one with the small village, eventually linking them in. That kept me going, cos after one section finished I'd want to know what happened next, got into a Wulfgar part, then finished that and wanted to know more from there! Really clever the way Salavatore keeps you going like that.

[Jerr Conner]

Yea, I've seen other authors do it too. Dennis L. McKiernan did it in The Silver Call.

It's a good way of writing.

[Cerek the Barbaric]

<font color=deepskyblue>The first time I saw that technique used was in a fantasy trilogy written by a fellow named J.R.R. Tolkien.

Seriously, that was the first time I ever saw two (and sometimes more) separate storylines within one book - yet both storylines were integral parts of the overall story being told.</font>

[Kaltia]

I'll say this for Salvatore-he's not Ed Greenwood.

And in a similar way, Drizzt is not Rhapsody or Richard Rahl.

Thank God.

[Sythe]

I am glad I am not the only one that found the Spine of the World decent. Because I heard it was the worst but I can't decide whether sea of swords or silent blade. But after what I have read I agree with Timber. Drizzt is nothing but a goody 2 shoes overpowered paladin. And he always brings back his the major good guys.

Contains major spoila!

Vander when he got killed by that monster thing. And he became alive again by the regenerative ring [img]graemlins/rollsay.gif[/img] Thus making him immortal really!

Danica when she stopped her hearbeat and feigned death and made the reader think she was really dead. But came back to life after all the commotion

Drizzt and Entreri when that chamber where they first fought collapsed.

Wulfgar when he was fighting that demon and the rocks fell.

Bruenor when he was on that Shadow Dragon.

And I think there were others but I don't remember. But the main good guys never Good Gravy die! I hate books like that. And you know what the sad thing is? I keep on purchasing Salvatore books! I heard Greenwood is worse! Hopefully someone will buy it and I can read it and have a good laugh.

[ 03-25-2004, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: Sythe ]

[Jerr Conner]

Drizzt and Entreri when that chamber where they first fought collapsed.

Actually, I didn't think they died when I first read it. I assumed they survived, because there was plenty of pages left in the book.

So that didn't surprise me.

He was just describing the scene through the eyes of Regis, Wulfgar, Cattie-Brie, and Bruenor. They thought he died.

Wulfgar when he was fighting that demon and the rocks fell.

As someone said, he meant to keep Wulfgar dead at first. It's just too many fans wrote in the opposite, so he complied.

Bruenor when he was on that Shadow Dragon.

I'm not so sure about this either. I always assumed that Drizzt's Icingdeath Scimitar had powers that would protect people from fire, as it had Ice Powers. It just seems to me that most Element-Based weapons have some sort of protection from the opposite element.

So I assumed that Bruenor would survive, just that by the scene his friends were seeing they thought him dead.

I still don't think Drizzt is a Paladin. I'm under the assumption that a Paladin has a code of honor that involves fighting fairly if he/she has to.

Well, Drizzt doesn't fight fairly. In fact, he fights quite dirty when he has to. He backstabs (Not like a thief of course), he uses advantages when he sees them, he's just not as honorable as how I envision a Paladin.

As far as his alignment, I see him more as Neutral Good, until he blatantly decides to break a law of a city, which he's never gotten a chance to. Silverymoon doesn't count either. It just would have been stupid for Drizzt to walk into the city full of guards when he couldn't go in by Alustriel's words. They had no real need to go through the city.

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Sythe: Danica when she stopped her hearbeat and feigned death and made the reader think she was really dead. But came back to life after all the commotion

<font color=deepskyblue>You said it yourself, Danica feigned death - she didn't actually die. Stopping her heartbeat to "feign death" is a class ability that monks can do.</font>

Originally posted by Sythe: Drizzt and Entreri when that chamber where they first fought collapsed.

<font color=deepskyblue>As said before, they didn't die. Drizzt's companions just thought they did.</font>

Originally posted by Sythe: Wulfgar when he was fighting that demon and the rocks fell.

<font color=deepskyblue>OK...this one's legit. I was apparantly one of the first fans to suggest to Salvatore that Wulfgar could be brought back to life (although I suggested that Drizzt and Bruenor would seek out this new cleric named Cadderly that had gained so much fame). At that time, R.A. Salvatore replied to me that Wulfgar was dead and he had NO plans to bring him back. I still believe the fans were the ones responsible for "resurrecting" him.</font>

Originally posted by Sythe: Bruenor when he was on that Shadow Dragon.

<font color=deepskyblue>I don't remember this incident. What I do know is that Drizzt's sword is a <font color=white>Frostbrand</font> as per 1st Edition rules. It is +3 normally, but +6 against <font color=red>fire-based creatures</font>. It also provides 50% reduction of any damage from <font color=yellow>fire-based attacks</font>. </font>