Why do you love/hate Drizzt?

[BiggusGeekus]

Perpetual outcast & sworn to protect those who hate him.


Common hero archetype. Nothing wrong with it.

But, as others have said, there is a point where one would expect the artist to build from that.

 

[Oryan77]

If something is good, I will like it no matter if the majority of people think they're cool for badmouthing something that's popular. Society does this with everything. "Oh, I liked that band when they were underground, but now that everyone else likes them, I think they are played out". Whatever

Most people base their likes/dislikes on what the majority of other people say. If it's cool to badmouth it, they'll claim to dislike it. If it's cool to praise it, they'll be the biggest fan. Take Monty Python & LotR for example. The Holy Grail wasn't even as popular when it was out at the time. Now that internet geeks feel special knowing about the flick, everyone can recite it word for word. I have to hear quotes about the Holy Hand Grenade 100x's more than I have to hear about a dual weilding drow ranger...yet, no one has a problem with shrubberies & unladen swallows.

And personally, I think J.R.R. Tolkien had a brilliant imagination & is one of the most creative people I've read about. But his writing is almost as annoying to read as Shakespeares.

I'm actually surprised to see people saying R.A. is/was a terrible writer. He became my favorite author after reading his novels. I love his writing style. It's easy to read, very entertaining, & keeps you gripped into the story every single page. Tolkien spent too much time describing the color of leaves & how horses pranced around in Rohan. He was very creative, but his writing was all over the place & confusing at times. He also glanced over the good action scenes very quickly so he could get back to telling us how heavy the ring was around Frodo's neck. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Tolkien's story, just not his writing.

Drizzt is a cool character (I agree he could have been more developed as Artemis was). Anyone saying otherwise is just denying it so they'll look cool & fit in

 

[werk]

I love to hate Drizzt.

I, like the OP, pulled my first Salvatore book off the shelf in Jr. High. Crystal Shard for me. While I liked it, I like the rest of the series less, and his other works even less. I'll occasionally read the shard again and again, it's such a fast read with great character development and action sequences I can tear through it in an evening or weekend.

Post shard, Drizzt just got superhuman and wussy at the same time, but the main thing that makes me hate the dark elf is his seemingly endless legions of fanboys. You can't play ANY online RPG without seeing a tonne of Drizzt, drizzit, drzzt, tzzird, etc, ad infinitum. Same with Gandalf or Raistlin or whomever some uncreative person read about, but the Drizzt clones really get me.

He sorta personifies that emo, the world is against me, I'm so unique, I'm a cool, tough loner.

I also dislike rangers and light fighters in general.

Oh man, it's getting deep in here...

 

[Fifth Element]

Put me down as passionately indifferent.

Of course, I could say that about anything to do with the Realms.

 

[was]

Both.....I orginally enjoyed the character....however the legion of Drizzt clones that followed in the game worlds soured me on him

 

[Kae'Yoss]

*Important Announcement*
There is no ' in Drizzt! Please refrain from spelling it Drizz't. He's not Graz'zt. (I think you are required to seduce at least six hundred and three-score six mortals to earn your ' in the name *looks at his screen name* )

I read all the Drizzt novels* and I liked them all. Not necessarily the best the Realms have to offer, and not necessarily the best about Drow the Realms have to offer, but I can still enjoy the books. A lot. I don't care too much about character background there, Bob's combat descriptions rock!

*Well, I read all the FR novels except Sacrifice of the Widow, which I'm reading at the moment. That's what you get from being a completionist.

I never really got the urge to play a good drow ranger with two scimitars and a figurine of wondrous power, though. I did play some drow (and am playing one now), and even played one with two scimitars, but that one wasn't good, and he wasn't a ranger, either.



About the hate: Part of it surely is people who just don't like the stories. But I think that's not nearly all: There's a lot of people who got annoyed at all those guys who wanted to play a Drizzt clone, and of course there's some people who just have to hate everything that is successful. The more successful it is, the more people like that appear.

Today, I'm not nearly a fan as I was with the first two trilogies, but I get like that with all series that continue on ad infinitum. After awhile I think it just gets really old. Wheel of Time and 24 anyone?

Discworld anyone? There's almost 40 discworld novels now, and I haven't grown tired of them yet.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

I think the character has a lot in common with Wolverine - a decent character in and of himself but overexposure is a major problem with me. Wolverine seems to be in ever comic out of Marvel these days and Drizzt seems to have crept into a lot of gaming groups when I operhear conversations at cons.

And the idea that he is a cliche is absolutely correct. Gnome tinkerer, Halfling thief/rogue and now dark and brooding Drow elf.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Even without the legions of Drizzt fanboys and their clone PCs, I wouldn't be fond of the character. It seems to me he's just a bunch of cliches loosely taped together.

 

[Darklone]

The first book was ok. Afterwards, you gathered a new group and three of the players wanted to play a drow who is good and wields two scimitars.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Take Monty Python & LotR for example. The Holy Grail wasn't even as popular when it was out at the time. Now that internet geeks feel special knowing about the flick, everyone can recite it word for word. I have to hear quotes about the Holy Hand Grenade 100x's more than I have to hear about a dual weilding drow ranger...yet, no one has a problem with shrubberies & unladen swallows.

Actually, I think the movies are very disappointing compared to the brilliance of Monty Python's Flying Circus. If even a tenth of the people who go on and on about Life of Brian or Holy Grail knew what they were talking about . . .