With the arrival today of the third book in the Neverwinter Saga, Charon’s Claw, I got the chance to have the ever-popular author R.A. Salvatore answer a few questions. As you may know, he is one of my favorite authors and I never miss a chance to pick his brain regarding his novels and other works. I hope you find his responses as interesting as I did.

Note the spoiler near the end, however.

Geeks Of Doom: For long-time readers, how would you describe the shift in the way Drizzt acts in this series versus the way he was with the old Companions of the Hall? I felt it was a subtle movement maybe towards the average Drow persona of indifference (at times) and less of the do-gooder attitude we have all grown to know.

R.A. Salvatore: Drizzt is surrounded by cynicism, and maybe it’s wearing off on him. Worse, given the losses he’s suffered and the grief he’s experiencing… well, couple all of that with a world that’s grown darker and angrier and you have a formerly optimistic Drow who’s wondering if his morale code is no more than a sick joke. He adhered to what was right and just, despite great personal sacrifice, and for what? That’s the question he can’t shake.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Legend Of Drizzt: Neverwinter Tales #3
Written by R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore
Art by Agustin Padilla
Colors by Leonard O’Grady
Letters by Chris Mowry
Covers by Gonzalo Flores, Tim Seeley, Leonard O’Grady, Eric Deschamps
IDW Publishing
Release Date: November 9, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

It seems that R.A. Salvatore is everywhere these days. And I love it! He and his son, Geno Salvatore, are writing all-new adventures for Drizzt in The Legend Of Drizzt: Neverwinter Tales #3. I’m always a sucker for new dark elf adventures. I miss his old allies but, as with all stories, things change. As always he has Guenhwyvar with him, plus his unique unicorn steed. Dahlia, his dark-hearted elven companion, accompanies him as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t read the first two issues, so I’m playing catch up with this one…luckily, it wasn’t difficult.

In this, the second part from my interview with author R.A. Salvatore, I explore his writings and other projects in which he is involved. I wanted to split the interview in order to create some continuity regarding the subjects our conversation covered. Being a New York Times bestselling author with more than 15 million books printed in the United States, having him take the time to answer so of my questions was both an honor and a privilege. As we talked, we kind of bounced from subject to subject as most people do when talking. Bob was very relaxed and very down to earth which enabled me to relax a bit. He is, after all, one of my favorite authors of all time. Hopefully I didn’t gush too much while we talked. If you have ever wondered how he got started in the business or what inspired him, he was kind enough to reveal that to me. He also explained his connection to the Forgotten Realms, who his favorite character is, and whether or not we will be seeing a Drizzt movie in the near future. Be sure to check out Part 1 of the interview, where he gives his take on electronic books and media, his preference between digital and physical books, and explains why he hates talk radio.

And with that, here we go…

This is the first of two articles based upon an interview I did with R.A. Salvatore, New York Times bestselling author.

In this one, we explore his take on ebooks, publishing, and the world at large. I can only say that I was so excited to be offered the interview and just about wet myself during it. This man is cool. And not just in a nerdy, book-loving kind of way. I mean, he is passionate about everything he does. Needless to say, this is officially a highlight in my life. Not just a quick hello and scoring his signature…this was an hour of just the two of us chatting about a wide variety of things. I’ve been reading his work for twenty years and getting a chance to speak candidly with him was awesome. We discussed his take on electronic books and media, his preference between digital and physical books, and even why he hates talk radio! 

So without further ado, I present to you answers to questions you didn’t even know you wanted to ask.

R.A. Salvatore‘s first published novel, The Crystal Shard, exploded onto the book scene in 1988 and cemented his name as one of today’s greatest fantasy authors. His first trilogy, set in the Dungeons & Dragons‘s Forgotten Realms, was such a huge hit that he was signed to write both prequels and sequels in the years following. Now, after more than twenty years and over twenty New York Times bestsellers, he continues to excite and amaze his readers with his heroic tales in his latest book, Neverwinter: Neverwinter Saga, Book II.

His most popular character, Drizzt Do’Urden, has been featured in more than two dozen books with no real ending in sight. A Drow Elf ranger is probably not the first choice most people would have picked to write about, but Salvatore did just that. I recently had the chance to sit down the author to talk about various topics, but one subject we touched upon was Drizzt and his weapon of choice, the scimitar. See here below an excerpt for our interview where Salvatore reveals why Drizzt carries scimitars.