Robert Anthony Salvatore, born January 20, 1959, is a distinguished American author, celebrated for his profound contributions to the fantasy genre. Salvatore is best known for The Legend of Drizzt, a series of fantasy novels set in the Forgotten Realms, featuring the iconic character Drizzt Do'Urden. His literary repertoire extends to The DemonWars Saga, encompassing a series of high fantasy novels, several other novels set in the Forgotten Realms, and Vector Prime, the inaugural novel in the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series.

Salvatore has achieved remarkable success, with more than 15 million copies of his books sold in the United States alone. An impressive tally of 22 of his titles have claimed spots as New York Times best-sellers. His first published novel, The Crystal Shard (1988), not only introduced the beloved character Drizzt Do'Urden but also set the stage for Salvatore's prolific writing career, making a significant mark on the fantasy genre.