Is Drizzt destined to become a Classic?

[hunter1828]

Two things:

1) 1987 - I started a new campaign, a friend wanted to play a good drow, outcast from his family. He had unusual eyes (green) and wielded two longswords. The next year when the Crystal Shard was released we both felt ripped off.

2) I like Salvatore. A lot. I also find it very fascinating that when the topic of his books come up no one ever brings up anything but the Drizzt books. I like Drizzt, but he is limited by WotC as to what he can and cannot do with the character and how "kid-friendly" the book has to be. Go read his Demon Wars series. Damn good. What about The Chronicles of Ynis Aielle trilogy or the The Crimson Shadow trilogy? All of these are original worlds, not Salvatore writing in someone else's world and all are fantastic.

hunter1828

 

[Nightfall]

Of the characters on that list, A-list characters are Conan and Gandalf. Elric, the Grey Mouser, John Carter, and Drizzt are B-list characters.

Druss should be on that list. That and my name sake, Nightfall.

 

[johnsemlak]

Let me suggest another definition of a classic--what gets taught.

Tolkien is now frequently reading material in schools. I don't know what other fantasy writers (other than HP Lovecraft) are but I can't imagine Salvatore's books appearing on a school reading list.

 

[Nightfall]

Nope but I'd imagine Leiber getting on that list along with Moorcock.

 

[hunter1828]

"Classic" and "Classic of [genre type here]" are two different things.

And with American public schools the way they are today, I don't use anything taught in them as an indication of quality.

hunter1828

 

[Eosin the Red]

Those lists seem to be counting different things. The Almanac is released yearly or better so of course it will have more sales than a 4 book series. Dr Spock has been revised and updated everyfew years.

The list needs to compair apples to apples. I am sure The Red Book has an astounding print run.....I don't think I would consider it to be in the all time best seller list


Interesting though. I would have never thought that Valley of the Dolls would be so highly placed.

 

[Nightfall]

Neither would I. Especially since I hated the movie.

 

[Gnarlo]

I also find it interesting the amount of scorn heaped on RAS as "fanboys buying reprints and collections" (not a quote, just the impression) for his popularity and amount of books sold, but a blind eye seems to be turned to JRR.

*looks at the shelf behind him with the 4 different sets of LOTR books*
*thinks of the 2 sets he's given away over the years*
*thinks of the 2 sets he's wore out and had to trash*

Anyone else want to pony up their collection, and speculate on how many of us "fanboys buying reprints and collections" are responsible for JRR's numbers?

/edit: To keep on topic , I think it's too early to judge Driz, especially with the knee jerk animosity/worship that comes up with his name. I think he's well on the way to getting Conan/Elric status, certainly; his pulp is at least as good as their pulp

 

[johnsemlak]

I also find it interesting the amount of scorn heaped on RAS as "fanboys buying reprints and collections" (not a quote, just the impression) for his popularity and amount of books sold, but a blind eye seems to be turned to JRR.

*looks at the shelf behind him with the 4 different sets of LOTR books*
*thinks of the 2 sets he's given away over the years*
*thinks of the 2 sets he's wore out and had to trash*

Anyone else want to pony up their collection, and speculate on how many of us "fanboys buying reprints and collections" are responsible for JRR's numbers?

/edit: To keep on topic , I think it's too early to judge Driz, especially with the knee jerk animosity/worship that comes up with his name. I think he's well on the way to getting Conan/Elric status, certainly; his pulp is at least as good as their pulp

That's a good point, but Tolkien is always attracting new readers to his original works, both now and before the LotR movies. So many people buying those reprints are buying books to be read for the first time (often as gifts for children for example).

I just don't see that happening to Salvatore's books 50 years after tehy are published and 25+ years after the death of the author.

I could be proven wrong though, Wel'll hve to wait and see.

 

[CCamfield]

Does anyone have actual sales figures for Salvatore? I wouldn't have expected his to be close to Tolkien, just on the general principle that most fantasy doesn't sell all that well. Then again if he hits bestseller lists...

I probably can't judge his writing fairly, because what I read of his was the Crystal Shard(?) trilogy and a couple of books after that, years ago. I felt that they were enjoyable but not of lasting merit. Now, that doesn't necessarily reflect on the character, but in my somewhat limited experience of Drizzt and Salvatore, I wouldn't put them in the same class as, say, Elric and Moorcock.