D&D Icon R.A. Salvatore May Be Done Writing Drizzt

R.A. Salvatore introduced readers to the drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden in 1987. For his forthcoming Forgotten Realms novel, The Finest Edge of Twilight, Salvatore turns the spotlight to Drizzt’s daughter, Briennelle Zaharina Do’Urden — affectionately Breezy — rather than his long-running protagonist.

Though Salvatore has temporarily set Drizzt aside before — most notably for The Cleric Quintet and The Sellswords Trilogy — this latest pivot feels more deliberate. In a Zoom interview with Polygon he said he isn’t committed to returning to Drizzt indefinitely: he plans to complete his contracted projects and then write what genuinely compels him next.

Salvatore is currently finishing the final volume of the DemonWars Saga and has another undisclosed contract pending. The 66-year-old author says he envisions stepping back afterward to spend more time with family.

“I have eight grandkids,” Salvatore says, smiling at the idea of a bustling household. They all live nearby, which fills his calendar with little-league games, hockey practices and drum lessons — moments he treasures.

Family life has also kept his love of fantasy alive. His first exposure to the genre came in 1977 when his sister gifted him J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and now his 8-year-old grandson is reading the same book. Both of Salvatore’s sons run Dungeons & Dragons games for relatives, and he recently guided his five-year-old grandson through his first tabletop session alongside two nine-year-olds and a six-year-old.

That first session was chaotic and delightful: one child shouted, “I’m hitting him,” while aiming at a cousin, and the group immediately clamored for more action and treasure. Salvatore laughed at the energy — a reminder that storytelling thrives when kids bring their own playful brutality to the table.

He’s heard little criticism about centering the new novel on Breezy, in part because he’s stepped away from the constant churn of social media. Salvatore says he feels healthier since reducing his presence online; he found the negative back-and-forth wearing and prefers to spend his time on things that matter to him.

Publication date: October 7, 2025.

Source: Polygon