Drizzt’s Daughter Goes Rogue: Salvatore’s New D&D Novel Pulls from Online Kaepernick Wars
R.A. Salvatore has released a new Forgotten Realms novel, The Finest Edge of Twilight, which follows Drizzt Do’Urden’s daughter as she tries to prove herself apart from famous parents. The book was published on Oct. 7, and Salvatore has discussed writing it before securing a new contract and while he contemplates spending more time with family.
- About the book
- Character and backstory
- Online debate influence
- Setting and inspirations
- Genre and growth
About the book
The Finest Edge of Twilight was published on Oct. 7. The novel follows Briennelle Zaharina Do’Urden — who goes by Breezy — as she trains, explores shadow magic, and seeks her own path in the Forgotten Realms. Meanwhile, Salvatore wrote the book before he had a new contract with Wizards of the Coast and Random House, and he has said he is focusing more on family and may retire from writing the series.
For more details about the title, see the book’s listing on Amazon.
Character and backstory
Breezy was introduced at the end of Salvatore’s 2020 novel Relentless. Salvatore said he nicknamed her because he did not want to write out her full long name repeatedly: “I didn’t know that I was ever going to develop this character more than the baby introduction. I thought that was the last book, because [Wizards of the Coast] had stopped publishing.”
In the new novel, Breezy trains with monks, learns shadow magic, and nearly destroys a forge while attempting to make a powerful weapon. She is portrayed as both frustrated by her parents’ protection and conscious of the advantages she receives, such as access to magical items and top-tier training.
Online debate influence
Salvatore said one scene in the book — where a character claims past friendship with Drizzt and is contradicted — was inspired by a real online argument he had about Colin Kaepernick taking a knee. He described calling out people who praised Muhammad Ali after opposing Kaepernick, and included the exchange directly in interviews: “When Muhammad Ali died, these same guys that wanted Colin Kaepernick thrown out of the country were saying ‘I loved him. It’s so sad.’ I called them out. I said, ‘Excuse me, you hate Colin Kaepernick, but you’re calling Muhammad Ali your hero? Did you ever actually listen to the things he said? Do you even understand why he went to prison and lost his title ?’”
He added: “‘Now you’re pretending that he was your hero. If that’s true, you’ve changed an awful lot, buddy.’”
Also, the article referenced national coverage of Kaepernick’s protest; for background on those events see reporting about Colin Kaepernick taking a knee in this New York Times piece.
Setting and inspirations
Much of the story unfolds in Icewind Dale, where Bruenor Battlehammer — Breezy’s grandfather — wants to build a teleportation gate to bring safety and prosperity. However, locals oppose the plan because they value the region’s isolation and the sense of accomplishment that comes from surviving a harsh life. Salvatore compared that tension to real-world choices like climbing mountains or living in remote wilderness.
Salvatore also cited television influences for parts of the story, naming the 2012 neo-Western series Longmire and the Yellowstone prequel 1883 as inspirations. For reference to the latter, the article included a photo credit: Photo: Emerson Miller/Paramount Plus.
Genre and growth
Finally, Salvatore noted that fantasy as a genre has broadened since he started in 1988. He said he enjoys reading authors who move beyond Western medieval fantasy, and he named S.A. Chakraborty, R.F. Kuang, and N.K. Jemisin as writers whose work he appreciates. In his words: “The widening of the fantasy genre is a wonderful thing that has led to so many more people finding the enrichment that you can get in a world where you can be a hero.”
He also acknowledged his own perspective on privilege: “I think a lot of people take offense about privilege and delude themselves,” Salvatore said. “I know that if I wasn’t a white man, my road would have been harder.”
