Is Drizzt destined to become a Classic?

[Orius]

My problem is not with Drizzit, but all the people that want to play Drizzit clones in RPG's. Think of something orginal.

Yeah, I think that has a lot to do with people's opinions here. A lot of DMs are simply disgusted with Drizzt clones.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Yeah, I think that has a lot to do with people's opinions here. A lot of DMs are simply disgusted with Drizzt clones.

I've noticed that whenever the subject of Drizzt or R.A. Salvatore comes up on RPG-related internet forums, people start bashing him with such fervor that you'd think R.A. Salvatore had taken the last beer out of their fridge and run off with their girlfriends. And one of the most frequent things people complain about are players who create Drizzt clones.

In fact, I'm willing to bet that a lot of the knee-jerk RAS bashers out there haven't even read any of his novels, they're just tired of seeing good-aligned drow pop up in their campaigns.

 

[Numion]

Hmm... I heard nobody ever make a good remark about Salvatore's writing style. I always hear "dull", "bland", "lifeless". I don't really know why he is so popular.

So the answer to the original question would be: if the definition "classic" includes anything like quality, definitely no! If you go for sales figures and invention of one of the most overused fantasy stereotypes to day, then yes .

Salvatore has his moments. He's defined much of the feel of Forgotten Realms for me - not the high-powered stuff of Elminster and company, but a harsh, unforgiving and sometimes racist land. But my feelings are minors as far as his achievements go.

People claim his characters to be lifeless. I don't think so. His approach is that he tells very deeply about the inner feelings of his characters. If the characters are intresting, thats a good thing. And Salvatore has created some excellent villains. At best his style works very well for these kind of books. If the characters are dull (Wulfgar, anyone?), the result is a very boring book.

Overally I am very happy about the better ones of his books. It's nice to know the inner feelings of the characters sometimes. LotR for example doesn't bother to tell much about the characters. Im not saying that it should, but most we know about Aragorn is that he's got long legs (from the description at the prancing pony). Whoop-ti-doo.

Homeland trilogy is an excellent read IMO - from there it goes downhill (except for Silent Blade - that was good).

Classic status? Probably not.

EDIT: Just to start a DL vs. FR war, I'dd say that the Drizzt trilogy is much better than the DL one. Both series have had decreasing quality over the years, so it's a fair comparison. I'm hoping for a Tanis vs. Entreri match ..

 

[Ackem]

Yes, this is because fantasy readership and acclaim is inversely proportional to the quality of the novel.

 

[Numion]

Bravo!!

Heh, heh. Those who cannot come up with something original, play Drizzt. LOL

Because we know for a fact that all the roleplaying game characters created before the year 1989 (when Drizzt was first published) were all completely original, not one borrowing from existing fiction or fact

 

[Numion]

Yes, this is because fantasy readership and acclaim is inversely proportional to the quality of the novel.

Soo .. Lord of the Rings is the worst, and some anonymous messageboarders' sailor moon fan fiction is the best in quality?

 

[Dark Jezter]

Because we know for a fact that all the roleplaying game characters created before the year 1989 (when Drizzt was first published) were all completely original, not one borrowing from existing fiction or fact

That's a good point. Now that I think about it, gamers tend to be far more accepting of Conan, Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, and Elric knock-offs than Drizzt knock-offs.

 

[KenM]

Because we know for a fact that all the roleplaying game characters created before the year 1989 (when Drizzt was first published) were all completely original, not one borrowing from existing fiction or fact

You have a point, but the fact is lots of people think Drizzit is cool, and copy the character. One game I played in, the DM said "No Drow", but a player really wanted to play one, so the DM let him bring one in, said he was an outcast, lost his powers, ect.. Two sessions later that character died and the player wanted to bring in ANOTHER Drow clone. The DM put his foot down and said no, the player got so mad he left the group right there, no big loss IMO. But it shows how popular it hasd become for players to play Drizzit clones.
Before drizzit, people would think more about roleplaying they're characters and not just say "Drizzit clone", and people alspo draw inspration from alot other sorces, so it does seem as bad.

 

[Desdichado]

Salvatore's Drizzt novels consistantly make the New York Times bestseller list, something unheard of for gaming novels. I even know several non-RPGers who love the Drizzt novels and pick up the new ones whenever they come out.

So yes, I think Drizzt could be considered a famous fantasy character. He might not be as famous as, say, Conan or Gandalf. But I'd definately place him on the same level as Elric or (shudder) Rand Al Thor.

Actually, that's fairly common for D&D novels -- Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms novels are almost routinely on the New York Times bestseller list. Not that they stay there long, or are much remembered after they fall off, though.

No, Driz'zt is no classic.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

If the characters are dull (Wulfgar, anyone?), the result is a very boring book.

Hey, i like Wulfgar.