Fantasy Series

[Raistlin]

I use to make DragonLance threads here semi-regularly, but I haven't read the books myself in many years, so I figured I'd do this instead.

Like many here, I enjoy reading fantasy novels. So what fantasy series are your favorites and why?

I am obviously a big fan of the DragonLance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The characters, plot, and writing are all extremely well done, especially in the second trilogy (Legends). Raistlin Majere remains one of my favorite fictional characters.

Also by Weis/Hickman (and arguably better than DL) is the Death Gate Cycle series, which is phenomenal, and probably the best writing I've seen in any fantasy series. It also includes endearing characters, with Haplo, Alfred, and the ever-lovable dog. Weis/Hickman are also experts at injecting almost ridiculous humor into a serious story (see: Zifnab, a blatant and intentional ripoff of DL's Fizban).

A series Bunny recommended to me that I really liked is The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. It emphasizes stark realism, and is strikingly different from any other books I've read. None of the characters are good. Some of the characters are sympathetic and yet go on to do terrible things; some of the characters die ignobly; some of the bad guys seem to win. It is a very mature series that I found refreshing.

Discuss your favorite fantasy series.

[Bunny]

A series Bunny recommended to me that I really liked is The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. It emphasizes stark realism, and is strikingly different from any other books I've read. None of the characters are good. Some of the characters are sympathetic and yet go on to do terrible things; some of the characters die ignobly; some of the bad guys seem to win. It is a very mature series that I found refreshing.

Success. I have recommend this series to several people and all of them enjoyed it thoroughly. I've yet to hear of a case where someone absolutely hated it.

My favorite all-time series is The Runelords by David Farland. He introduces some interesting systems and ideas into the standard fantasy setting and does a good job balancing the new and the old together. From the moment I started the first book, I was pretty much in awe with it.

Although not yet a series, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is probably the only book to come close to knocking Runelords from my top spot. The character of Kvothe is entertaining, intelligent, and different from most heroes (or anti-heroes) in the books that I have read. The second book is still in the editorial process and won't be released for a little bit, but when it does I will be picking it up immediately.

I enjoy R.A. Salvatore's writing a lot too, even though it doesn't really bring anything new to the forefront of modern fantasy. His books surrounding Drizzt and friends are entertaining, fast-paced and easy to read, which are all pluses in my book. I also enjoy his Sellswords trilogy, because the characters of Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle amuse me.

There are several more series I could mention but then I have to write more.

[Freya]

The Obsidian Chronicles by Lawrence Watt-Evans. They are a bit more realistic to that whole fantasy thing. The main character just gets screwed over so much. I love the books and often re-read them. Watt-Evans is a good writer.

I heard that weis and hickman have some new books under something else like dragon ship or something. What's with that?

[Raistlin]

My favorite all-time series is The Runelords by David Farland. He introduces some interesting systems and ideas into the standard fantasy setting and does a good job balancing the new and the old together. From the moment I started the first book, I was pretty much in awe with it.

I'm going to have to check that out this summer.


I heard that weis and hickman have some new books under something else like dragon ship or something. What's with that?

I think they started a new series together (not related to DL). I don't pay much attention to their side projects.

[Ouch!]

A Song of Ice and Fire. Quite easily the best fantasy series I've ever read.

[Bastian]

Also by Weis/Hickman (and arguably better than DL) is the Death Gate Cycle series, which is phenomenal, and probably the best writing I've seen in any fantasy series.
! I'm rereading it right now. I read it back in middle school (which was a WHILE ago) and they've been staring at me on my shelf for a long time now. I loved them so much. I think I've been worried about rereading them and not liking them as much, but that's not the case at all. Some of the writing is a little heavy handed (the obvious Elf/Human = White/Black slavery on Pryan, for instance) but I LOVE the books so much. The developing relationship between Haplo and Alfred is amazingly well done. And Zifnab still makes me laugh out loud.

My other favorite fantasy series are the Valdemar Saga by Mercedes Lackey. Her characters are so extremely real. Good natured, but flawed. Her plots aren't the most amazing, but it's really all about her characters.

I also love the Wayfarer Redemption books which I think supplanted the Death Gate books as my favorite series ever.

I can't forget Xanth by Piers Anthony, just for the silly silly puns. Nor can I ignore the EarthSea books by Ursula K. LeGuin which are truly works of art.

[doeboyfresh14]

i am a huge fan of the Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore. It was the first fantasy books i ever read and i was hooked. I met him once at a book signing. Really cool and down to earth guy. And he grew up a couple of towns over for me.

Anyone read any of these books?

[Madonna]

One author I picked up in the couple of years is K. J. Parker, and this person wrote a few trilogies, one of which is The Engineer Trilogy! There are no dragons here, rather most of civilization is in a Dark Age and those who have technologically progressed are oppressing those without! I am not good at drumming up interest, but the characters are human and the story is one of epic revenge; a good series to be sure!

The First Law Series by Joe Abercrombie is definitely one series I took to heart from GHF! It is suitably twisted and cruel in comparison to other fantasy series, wherein there is no clear delineation between who is good, who is evil, and how you receive it depends entirely upon how you view the protagonists' actions! Did I personally thank Bunny yet?! Thank you, Bunny, for the recommendation!

I am not a big fan of reading too much of the same author who uses the same characters again and again, so R. A. Salvatore and Raymond E. Feist can go bite themselves, despite initially winning me over! But I do like reading things set in the same universe with different authors, so I will recommend Forgotten Realms' War of the Spider Queen series! Six different authors tackle one huge story, helping flesh out the realm of the Underdark and Drow society, and it was fantastic!

I will probably shut up before I talk about any more series!

[Freya]

I'm not a big fan of R.A. Salvatore. I tried the Drizzt series and couldn't get into it :/

[Shlup]

I am obviously a big fan of the DragonLance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The characters, plot, and writing are all extremely well done, especially in the second trilogy (Legends). Raistlin Majere remains one of my favorite fictional characters.

I think after I finish the Sword of Truth series (which I recommend mostly for the lulz), if I even finish it, I'll probably read... I forget the name of the latest Dragonlance trilogy. I haven't read it yet though and I ought to. I downloaded it for my Nook already. After that I'll be digging through this thread for new suggestions. So I hope I can find it in like three years. xD

[Raistlin]

I'll probably read... I forget the name of the latest Dragonlance trilogy. I haven't read it yet though and I ought to.

Are you talking about the Lost Chronicles (I think it's called), the trilogy that's set during some gaps in the original Chronicles? The first two have been out for years, so shame on you. :p But they were decent, as far as I can remember. The third one was very disappointing for being all about Raistlin. It seemed very haphazardly done and lame, which is plausible considering the contract dispute Weis/Hickman had with the publisher which stalled its release for a good year.

[Shlup]

Yes, that one.

I've been putting it off for fear of sullying my love for Dragonlance.

[Raistlin]

The first one (which recounts the journey to Thorbardin and the recovery of the Hammer of Kharas right after Dragons of Autumn Twilight) is actually decent. I thought some of it was a bit forced, but overall interesting. The second book, if I remember correctly, is largely about Kitiara meeting up with Lord Soth, who is badass. It's somewhat forgettable, but worthwhile to read.

The haphazard way in which the third book treats Raistlin is unforgivable, though. I won't spoil anything for you, but my biggest complaint is that it's like Raistlin was nothing but an above-average blackrobe for the majority of the book -- respectable, but nothing amazing. They pseudo-justify it at some point, but it's still crap.The book also takes obnoxiously forced detours in order to fit in some of the small scenes from Dragons of Spring Dawning (and another from Legends when Tas was all time-travelly), which actually don't fit at all with how the book portrays Raistlin. It's worthwhile for us Raistlin lovers to read because it's more Raistlin, but you won't read it again, ever.

[Shlup]

<s>I will take what I can to get more Raistlin.</s>

ETA: OH GOD!

[Raistlin]

I know you will, Amanda, but I told you: the swimsuit pictures were all the skin you get for now.

[NorthernChaosGod]

A Song of Ice and Fire. Quite easily the best fantasy series I've ever read.

Yeah, I've found myself really enjoying the series. It took a little while for me to get into the first book, but when I did I practically devoured the rest of the books. I wish the fat bastard would hurry up and release A Dance with Dragons. :mad2:

[Raistlin]

I think I'm the only person in the world who thought A Song of Ice and Fire was decent and entertaining, but grossly overrated and not anywhere near "best series ever." Some of the characters are interesting enough, but some of them are endlessly frustrating. The writing is usually pretty good, but some of the plot points seem very forced. I'd have to look back through my old LJ review to give specific examples since it's been a while, but those were my general thoughts. I also have not read at least the most recent book; I read all that was out as of a few years ago.

[Breine]

I used to be a fan of Dragonlance as well, many years ago. When I say "used to be" I mean that I haven't read any of the books for a very long time.
Me and one of my best friends (she has read many of the books) used to nerd about them together and stuff back then. I think I've perhaps read 3-5 books in the series or something. I also own one of the books myself, but I don't remember which one, since it's now been packed away (because of me moving) - I think it's on the Chronicles ones, though.

Other than that I'm a big Lord of the Rings fan, and have also read the entire Harry Potter series. The Narnia books are also pretty good (at least the ones I've read).

But yeah, I like fantasy books. It's probably one of my favourite genres overall. A good friend of mine also recommended me the His Dark Materials trilogy, so I might give them a go at one point.

[Ouch!]

I think I'm the only person in the world who thought A Song of Ice and Fire was decent and entertaining, but grossly overrated and not anywhere near "best series ever." Some of the characters are interesting enough, but some of them are endlessly frustrating. The writing is usually pretty good, but some of the plot points seem very forced. I'd have to look back through my old LJ review to give specific examples since it's been a while, but those were my general thoughts. I also have not read at least the most recent book; I read all that was out as of a few years ago.
A Feast for Crows features only the most frustrating and obnoxious characters in the series (Cersei, Jaime, Breine, Sam, etc.) while only having brief mentions of or cameos from the best (Jon, Bran, Tyrion, etc.) and yet still manages to be the best book (as far as I'm concerned) in the entire series. Definitely worth a read.

[Raistlin]

I went back through my LJ. A Feast for Crows was the last book I read, and that was early 2006. If that's the last book, then Martin is sure taking his sweet time.

Anyway, I found it to be by far the worst book in the series. Between a sloppy plot contradiction no one in the story actually points out (Jamie being originally reluctant to push Bran out the window and only did so upon Cersei's demands; later, these positions somehow switch people) and the mind-numbing boringness of some parts, I just could not care. There were quite a few chapters that just dragged on with repetitive and/or irrelevant crap. Nothing actually happens in it until the end. It's partially that Martin decided to focus on only the boring/annoying characters, and partially that there are so many boring/annoying characters that for some reason warrant being focused on so much.

My complaints about the rest of the series, summarized: Catelyn Stark's character was retarded to the point of being unrealistic. In the first book, Edward's and Lady's deaths felt incredibly forced, as if those scenes were written as an afterthought to the rest of the story, or if Martin got there in the writing and all of a sudden decided he needed to kill someone. The "plot twists" were set up to the point of being predictable.

There are some good characters, which are the saving grace for the series (Tyrion, in particular), and the overall writing is fairly decent. I just don't see it rising anywhere near the level of a lot of the praises I see.

[Crowseye]

A Song of Ice and Fire has probably my three favorite books in the genre, but I'm at the point where I won't recommend the series anymore. Between the overrated fourth book, the author's treatment of his own fans (except the ones who pump his apparently fragile ego) and the people who spend their lives scouring the internet so they can get off over their own superiority at their infinite patience and supposed "insider knowledge" of the industry -- it's a terrible scene to even get involved with IMO. :irked:

I enjoyed Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind, but as the second book has now seen a multi-year delay when Rothfuss himself suggested the entire series had been mostly written already, I fear it could be GRRM all over again. Rothfuss has been a much better sport about it IMO, but who knows how long that can and will last?

The Prince of Nothing series by R. Scott Bakker might be interesting for more mature readers and/or those who are looking for some fantasy without the traditional Tolkien/D&D stereotypes. The main character is a pretty interesting study in the anti-hero archetype. There's very little redeeming about him, but sometimes you can't help but root for him anyway because the alternatives for the characters you actually like are often worse. Unfortunately, for newcomers, the series is a bit of a mess at the beginning with lots of invented/irregular place and people names thrown at you.

[The Man]

I really liked AFFC actually, but I'm getting extremely pissed off at the waiting times between books. At this rate I'm not expecting the series to ever get finished.

I really liked the first two books of The First Law, but for some reason I stopped reading about halfway through the third. I don't know why; I didn't dislike it or anything. I probably just got distracted by a bunch of other stuff.

A series I'm surprised no one has mentioned yet is Discworld. It's not exactly a standard fantasy series since it uses common fantasy tropes to satirise the real world, but it's one of the longest running series that has actually managed to maintain a high level of quality throughout its entire existence, and it gains points for not taking itself too seriously.

I used to read Dragonlance but I haven't read any of the new series that have come out since Amber and Ashes, and don't really feel like I'm missing anything either.

I'm currently reading Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, which mixes modern urban fantasy with noir detective fiction. It's light entertainment, but it succeeds admirably at what it sets out to do.

I also agree with Bunny about Salvatore and Rothfuss. Though I haven't read any of Salvatore's works since the trilogy that began with The Thousand Orcs either.

[Madonna]

The Prince of Nothing series by R. Scott Bakker might be interesting for more mature readers and/or those who are looking for some fantasy without the traditional Tolkien/D&D stereotypes. The main character is a pretty interesting study in the anti-hero archetype. There's very little redeeming about him, but sometimes you can't help but root for him anyway because the alternatives for the characters you actually like are often worse. Unfortunately, for newcomers, the series is a bit of a mess at the beginning with lots of invented/irregular place and people names thrown at you.Oh hey, good man! I have only picked up the first two books, but this is another rather bleak series which demands more reading! The world built is very in-depth, names scattered like leaves in the four winds, loaded with a rich history, and makes you feel as if you are following a story within a world versus a story with a world kind of attached and unbelievable! I absolutely second this!

[Rodarian]

Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestries and Weis' Death Gate Cycle are my two fav serious...

I thought they were much better than the LoTR because for me that had a lot more emotion in it especially Fionoavar (sp) ..Of course I am also slight biased with he former because the beginning scenes were set in downtown Toronto!

[Bastian]

I'm on the second to last book of Death Gate and then I decide to pick up the first Percy Jackson book. Oops. I read 120 pages in one sitting. I guess I like it. HOWEVER, I was taking mental notes about all the things about it that I thought were poorly written. :P

And I LOVE Discword. I forgot about ti! I need to read some more of those.

[The Man]

Death Gate Cycle was pretty good. I liked it more than Dragonlance and may actually bother re-reading it one of these days.

I've heard good things about Guy Gavriel Kay; I guess I should probably check him out. Brandon Sanderson's another one I keep hearing good things about (and he writes at an absurd rate, too).

[Madonna]

We read Tigana for God Hates Fraggles, and while it was an okay book, I think Dr Unne happily pointed out all the disappointing bits for everyone with Guy Gavriel Kay! Tigana was alright, but I will not be reading it again or buying more books by the author!

[Raistlin]

I agree completely with Lynx about Guy Gavriel Kay. Tigana was mediocre at best.

[qwertysaur]

Wheel of time.

[G13]

I'm a big fan of Raymond E. Feist. The Riftwar Saga was the best thing I've ever read, but that's not really saying a lot. Most of the books I own I've had since I started readin in middle school.

I was really into Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame when I joined EoFF, but after the first five books the series went away from it's roots in a bad way.

I just got into R. A. Salvatore's work. I avoided his stuff like the plague but now that I like it I can't remember why.

All the other stuff I've read is young adult fantasy. I should check into some of the stuff you guys have listed. I need to expand my horizons.

[Bunny]

I just got into R. A. Salvatore's work. I avoided his stuff like the plague but now that I like it I can't remember why.

His stuff isn't super amazing and it doesn't really add anything to the genre itself, but the books are easy to read and the characters are likable. He does a really good job with fight scenes, as well. I can understand some of the complaints against him, but he is a pretty good writer nonetheless. I first got into him because I was a huge Dungeons & Dragons nerd when I was younger.

[G13]

Yeah, I wouldn't say he's my favorite author but right now he's in the lower top ten. His books are the first Fogotten Realms books I've read so some of the stuff in them I feel a bit left out of the loop on, like piwafwi's (wtf are they, seriously). I think maybe I stayed away from his stuff mainly because he has so many books and I'd want to read them all if I got into just one.

[Bunny]

Piwafwi is just the drow word for cloak.