Salvatore is good, all right. I'm not sure I would agree with you on "...storylines far more complex than JRRT." But the characters are troubled and yet have good relationships. The women in the stories are treated well and are strong and independent. My daughter introduced me to his work.

I have an amusing story about Salvatore. He came to a local bookstore to meet his fans and sign books. I had purchased a set of his books as a Christmas present for my daughter. My girlfriend had a backpack she used as a pruse so I put the books in a brown paper bag and she carried them for me. We (me, my girlfriend, my daughter, and my nephew) went to meet Mr. Salvatore. My daughter carried some of her books for signing. In the confusion around the table I managed to get him to sign the presents for me without my daughter being any the wiser. On Christmas morning she was pleased and surprised with the books and amused at what Salvatore had written. In the third book he wrote, "Watch out for your father, he's sneaky!"

I also very much enjoyed the Thomas Covenant books by Steven Donaldson. I haven't enjoyed many of his other books though.