Fantasy/RPG Novels

[MaDMaN_26]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Piers Anthony has long been my favourite author. His screwed up sense of humour is what got me into reading in the first place. And really, who else can write an entire book about what colour of panties a mermaid will choose as the central question in a wager with a Demon for one's soul? The first 15 Xanth books are classics.

Other great Anthony books: Battle Circle, Tatham Mound (a historical fiction, very good), Total Recall (the movie seems lame compared to his novel - which was written after the movie), Incarnations of Immortality series - gotta love a biography of Satan.

I'll give you Battle circle and Incarnations of Time... they are decent books and I may have to re-read battle circle now that you have reminded me of it. But unless you're trying to get your kid into reading for the first time or you are a kid your self your not going to enjoy the Xanth series much as an adult... certainly not past book 1 or 2. I'll give it nostalgic nod as I read them when I was about 14ish, but even at that age I think I was tired of the unrelenting theme and didn't find them Punny, er.. funny after the 8 or 9th book max... even those I think I read simply because I had read the previous ones. They do not compare with series like the Wheel of Time or the Shannara series imho.

If you are a kid or looking to get your kid into reading I would recommend the Myth books by Robert Asprin, I think I stopped at book 5 or 6 but it was the first series I ever read and got me reading period.
Book #1 http://www.amazon.ca/Another-Fine-My...0185331&sr=1-1

If you have not read the Memory Sorry and Thorn Series I'd highly recomend it as well.
http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_ss_b?u...rrow+and+thorn

[dissentowner]

Right now I am reading Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. I tried reading it before but the first book is a big pile of suck so I gave it up. Then just recently a friend told me if you can get past The Gunslinger it starts to get really good and he was right. Man, that first book is drab though...

[onetwo_threefour]

Originally Posted by Puxlut

All of David Eddings books are good. Like Bobblehead said, an easy read and very descriptive. The characters have very distintive and amicable personalities.
If you have a screwed up sense of humour: Piers Anthony.

One huge caution on Eddings. Do not read the Dreamers series. It is time from your life that you can never get back. I swear he was getting senile. Each book was 300-400 pages long but could have been told in about a fifth of that because Eddings literally decided to repeat the actual story being told from the perspective of several different characters. That may not sound bad, but he's not telling what they're thinking, he's literally repeating the dialogue you just read 10 pages ago. It was the most annoying series of books I have ever plowed through. (Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant previously held that distinction). I would put the book down one night, then pick it up the nextr and think I must have lost my place because I was reading the same stuff I just read.

I would almost recommend picking one of them up for the sheer novelty of the bad writing, but I can't advise someone to throw away all that time.

It was like watching a play where thwey repeat each scene three times before moving on to the next on, and simply move the characters to different spots on the stage to deliver their lines.

[onetwo_threefour]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Right now I am reading Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. I tried reading it before but the first book is a big pile of suck so I gave it up. Then just recently a friend told me if you can get past The Gunslinger it starts to get really good and he was right. Man, that first book is drab though...

He started writing the Dark Tower when he was in high school as I remember, and was trying to stick to the mythos of Browning's Childe Roland but that made it super dry and slow. Wizard and Glass is a bit of a bore as well, but the others are alll quite good.

My favorite series at the moment is the newest books of Terry Brooks Shannara series. It's quite cool how he is transforming the the world of the Word and the Void into the world of Shannara. I personally never cared that much fro the Word and the Void series, but I like more now as the prelude to what he's doing with it now.

[Sutter for Prime Minister]

I really enjoyed the original Shannara series by Terry Brooks (The Sword of Shannara, the Elfstones of Shannara, and the Wishsong of Shannara).

I also read the Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends a long time ago and enjoyed them as well.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by troutman

It's seven big books (so far), ten expected.

Start with Gardens Of The Moon to see if you like it.

Question. Do things get any clearer after Gardens because it is pretty hard to get into and understand just what the hell is going on. I can read it but I am having a hard time understanding the comparison to Martin's work. Anyone have anything else they are reading that has not been mentioned yet?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Question. Do things get any clearer after Gardens because it is pretty hard to get into and understand just what the hell is going on. I can read it but I am having a hard time understanding the comparison to Martin's work. Anyone have anything else they are reading that has not been mentioned yet?

It is very complicated, and you will never feel like you understand entirely what is happening. Neither do the characters. I often refer to the glossary and dramatis personae to remind myself what is what. There are on-line summaries available. Things start to come together the further you get ino the series, but you don't need to understand the big picture to appreciate individual chapters. This is the best written series (fantasy or otherwise) I have ever read.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

How about Frank Herbert's DUNE and to a lesser extent the rest of his work.

His son did a follow on prequel series House Atredies/Harkonnen/Corrino that weren't awful...but IMO DUNE stands alone as one of the best fantasy/sci-fi books ever...

Read the Dragonlance series as a teen and loved them as well...surprised no-one has made any movies/shows/video-games on their IP...

[Top Shelf]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Question. Do things get any clearer after Gardens because it is pretty hard to get into and understand just what the hell is going on. I can read it but I am having a hard time understanding the comparison to Martin's work. Anyone have anything else they are reading that has not been mentioned yet?

I started reading this series after the recommendations in this thread. I have not been disappointed at all.

I was thoroughly confused halfway through Gardens, and I almost put it down. But things did get better, especially once you get handle on the races, continents and cultures. Once I figured on the difference between Tiste Andii and T'lan Imass, I was a happy camper. So keep at it and I promise it will be worth it.

I am almost done the 6th book, The Bonehunters, and it has been an awesome read so far. Big thanks to troutman and caramon for letting us know about the series.

I am already looking forward to a re-read, there is lots happening in these books!

[Top Shelf]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

How about Frank Herbert's DUNE and to a lesser extent the rest of his work.

His son did a follow on prequel series House Atredies/Harkonnen/Corrino that weren't awful...but IMO DUNE stands alone as one of the best fantasy/sci-fi books ever...

Read the Dragonlance series as a teen and loved them as well...surprised no-one has made any movies/shows/video-games on their IP...

I found Dune to be a little more on the Sci-Fi side of things. The first book was good, but even it got a bit technical for me. Haven't picked up the rest of the series.

I read quite a few of the Dragonlance books when I was younger. They were a pretty good read, although on a very different level then Martin and Erikson. I might pick them up again though as I now have a hellishly long c-train commute and I need lots of reading material.

Are they still releasing new titles from Dragonlance? I can't remember much about them, but wasn't it the Hickmans who wrote the first bunch of books and then other writes wrote some of the other sets?

[Bobblehead]

I'm actually in the midst or re-reading. I last read them quite a while ago, so long ago that while I can recall some of the major plot points, the rest seems totally fresh.

Does this happen to anyone else? I seem to get so "lost" in a good book that when I put it down it is almost like I feel like I step out of the story. And it seems like feel like I experience the book in the moment, but don't retain a lot of the story long term. It is kind of weird when I know I have read a book, but 5 years later it is almost like I am reading something new.

I just finished "Memories of Ice" the other night (again), but outside of the Whiskyjack storyline, I didn't recall very much from the first read through.

I guess that helps save money on books!

[Cain]

You all need to give Bernard Cornwell a try. He is simply fantastic.

His Sharpe books are alright, but the real good books are two trilogies. One is about an archer and the other is about Arthur.

http://www.bernardcornwell.net/index...e=1&seriesid=6
The archer series

http://www.bernardcornwell.net/index...e=1&seriesid=4
The Arthur series

Really cool take on Arthur and a neat POV in writing it as well.

Can't recommend this guy enough.

[JerzeeGirl]

Some other quick recommendations:

The Heralds of Valdemar series (specifically the Arrows & the Last Herald Mage trilogies) by Mercedes Lackey are excellent. I've read pretty much everything she's written and while it isn't overly elevated reading, her characters come to life and you really feel like you get to know them. These are seriously the only books to ever make me cry.....and make me cry as I read them over and over again even tho I already know the storyline.

Melanie Rawn's Exiles books were pretty good.

I started reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy because of a Robert Heinlein book I read in high school and have read/own pretty much his entire library now. Stranger In A Strange Land, To Sail Beyond The Sunset, I Will Fear No Evil, Job: A Comedy Of Justice are just some of the novels that people should read of his.

[Bobblehead]

Has Rawn completed the Exiles series?

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by troutman

It's seven big books (so far), ten expected.

Start with Gardens Of The Moon to see if you like it.

Amazon has some different book covers based on printing dates. Just wondering if there a specific printing date we should look for.

Also, any idea if the hardcover is worth it?

[GreenLantern]

My favourite fantasy novel series would be:

J.R.R. Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings

Glen Cook - The Black Company

Robert Jordan - The Wheel Of Time

All three are very popular and very well done. If I had to rank them it would be in that order as well.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

I found Dune to be a little more on the Sci-Fi side of things. The first book was good, but even it got a bit technical for me. Haven't picked up the rest of the series.

I read quite a few of the Dragonlance books when I was younger. They were a pretty good read, although on a very different level then Martin and Erikson. I might pick them up again though as I now have a hellishly long c-train commute and I need lots of reading material.

Are they still releasing new titles from Dragonlance? I can't remember much about them, but wasn't it the Hickmans who wrote the first bunch of books and then other writes wrote some of the other sets?

Yes, they have released many books after the original Four Seasons books that are very good indeed. I have every Dragonlance book in my collection and there are a lot! Another great one is the DeathGate Cycle.

[JerzeeGirl]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Has Rawn completed the Exiles series?

Well I actually thought she had abandoned it, it's been so long since The Mageborn Traitor came out (back in 1997).

Checking her website tho, there's an indication that Book 3, titled The Capital's Tower is "forthcoming".

And going further, looking one the message boards, don't hold your breath on that happening anytime soon. Apparently she'll be finishing her Spellbinder series before looking at doing Capital's Tower - so it's likely to be sometime in the 2012/2014 area for the 3rd book.

[TSXCman]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Always looking for more series to read so post your fav's and maybe I can find something new. I have read pretty much every Dragonlance novel, The Drizzt series in Forgotten Realms, The Sword Of Truth, The Wheel Of Time, and my favorite of all the Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin. I also have read the Deathgate cycle too. Can't think of any others off the top of my head. What have you read that is good?

Im with ya on the forgotten realms/dragonlance

My all-time 100% top series is Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of Truth' saga. I have not read the last 2 books out, but I can vouch for the first 5 or so being the most interesting of all reads.

[TSXCman]

Originally Posted by Aeneas

e (and all that follow) brilliant stuff


Michael Moorcock: Elric series, Chronicles of Corum, etc.

+1



Peirs Xanthony as well. The reason I have any interest in the genre. A Spell for Chameleon and onwards are all amazing. And his series with Death, Time, War, etc. are amazing.

I fully recommend 'A Wizard's First Rule' by Terry Goodkind, and 'On a Pale Horse' Peirs Anthony.


on a side note, google just told me that Goodkind's series have a movie coming out this year called 'Legend of the Seeker' if anyone is interested.