Everyone Dies. It Is How One Lives

The Most Common Criticism That I've Seen Is That I Write "popcorn Fantasy": Lightweight Action-adventure. Some People Call It That As They Explain Why They Love It For Exactly That Reason. I'm Cool With That, Either Way. I Just Nod And Let It Go.

I Don't Have To Prove My Worth And Value To Any But Those I Love, And That I Do By Being Who I Am, With Confidence That Those I Love Appreciate The Good And Accept The Bad. Does Anything Else Really Matter?

As I Became A Creature Of The Empty Tunnels, Survival Became Easier And More Difficult All At Once. I Gained In The Physical Skills And Experience Necessary To Live On. I Could Defeat Almost Anything That Wandered Into My Chosen Domain. It Did Not Take Me Long, However, To Discover One Nemesis That I Could Neither Defeat Nor Flee. It Followed Me Wherever I Went - Indeed, The Farther I Ran, The More It Closed In Around Me. My Enemy Was Solitude, The Interminable, Incessant Silence Of Hushed Corridors.

Farewell, My Friend," Drizzt Whispered, Trying Futilely To Keep His Voice From Breaking. :this Journey You Make Alone.

The Gods Of The Realms Are Many And Varied -- Or They Are The Many And Varied Names And Identities Tagged Onto The Same Being. I Know Not -- And Care Not -- Which.