D&D Icon R.A. Salvatore May Retire Drizzt to Play D&D with His Grandkids
R.A. Salvatore, the bestselling author best known for creating the drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden, says he may be done writing the character for now and wants to spend more time with his family — and play D&D with his grandkids. He’ll finish books he’s contracted to write, but beyond that he plans to largely step back from the character that has defined much of his career.
- Salvatore might stop writing Drizzt
- New book features Drizzt’s daughter Breezy
- Family life and tabletop gaming
- Social media, contracts and retirement plans
Salvatore might stop writing Drizzt
Salvatore has been writing about Drizzt since 1987, but in a recent Zoom interview he said, “I’m not saying I’m going back to Drizzt. I don’t know that I ever will. I don’t know that I ever need to.” He’s 66, and while he expects to complete the books he’s already contracted to write, he indicated he’ll decide later whether to return to the character.
New book features Drizzt’s daughter Breezy
His next Forgotten Realms novel, The Finest Edge of Twilight, shifts focus away from Drizzt and toward Briennelle Zaharina Do’Urden, also known as Breezy. The Finest Edge of Twilight will be released on Oct. 7.
Previously, Salvatore took breaks from Drizzt for other series such as The Cleric Quintet and The Sellswords Trilogy. However, this time feels different to him; he said he doesn’t know if he needs to go back to Drizzt at all.
Family life and tabletop gaming
Salvatore said he wants to spend more time with his family. “I have eight grandkids,” he said, and noted they live nearby. Consequently, he’s attending little league games, hockey games and drum lessons. Beyond that, he’s been sharing his passion for fantasy with the younger generation: his 8-year-old grandson is reading The Hobbit, and both of Salvatore’s sons run D&D games for the family.
Recently, he helped his five-year-old grandson play his first tabletop session with two 9-year-olds and a 6-year-old. He recalled the moment: “It got really fun when one of [my grandkids] said ‘I’m hitting him’ and he pointed to his cousin. They wanted to fight,” and added, “There’s too much story, there’s not enough action, not enough loot. It was really fun.”
Social media, contracts and retirement plans
Salvatore is currently working on the last book of the DemonWars Saga and has another contracted book he can’t discuss yet. After those commitments he plans to largely retire and focus on family time.
On social media, he said: “Social media almost makes me ill at this point, and since that’s where everybody is, I am not as tuned in as I was a few years ago and I think I’m healthier because I’m not.” He also said, “I don’t want to play this game anymore. It’s a destructive game in a life that’s too short to begin with.”
