Fantasy Books

[Ifirit's Fury]

Has anyone read any books (other than Lord of the Rings) that sort-of has the feel of Final Fantasy? I've gone to the local bookstore to pick up a new book and everything I see is related to D&D or Magic: The Gathering.

I'm just looking for a good read that would relate to the final fantasy genre. Any ideas?

[~SapphireStar~]

Ive personally never read any fantasy books that sort of relate to the FF series. The only fantasy ones Ive read are the LOTRs series, HP series and the Discworld series.

[Bart's Friend Milhouse]

The other FF series 'Fighting Fantasy'. It's not actually a story it's a role play in which you get to make your own decisions as to which direction to head down what actions to make and risks to take. It has a Final Fantasy feel since there is an element of random battling with dice and special items to find. In some books of the series they've chucked in certain specialities that are not normal to other books so there is some variety in what you're getting

[Brian The Pink Shark]

David Gemmel's series of books are similar to Lord of The Rings and are rather good :choc:

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

Lord of the Rings is hardly comparable to Final Fantasy. I've yet to see a book like Final Fantasy out there, and I'm not so sure that Final Fantasy games would make good books. The plots seem designed for that visual effect, and are generally pared down in some areas. I would be hesitant to read a novelization of Final Fantasy, it doesn't strike me as something that would come out well.

[Ifirit's Fury]

I agree, I wouldn't want to read a FF novel based on a game. I also would not compare the LOTR to FF, I just figured that would be the intial response. I just don't know too much about the Fantasy Fiction genre, so I end up going to the bookstore and not buying anything. It seems that every "good" fantasy novel is part of a massive series in which I'd end up reading 3,000 pages

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

Well, it really depends on the fantasy you want. I actually very much enjoy the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance series, despite their roots in Dungeons and Dragons. The concept of Dungeons and Dragons and the ensuing book series that follow were actually very much based on Tolkein's work, Tolkein defined that brand of High Fantasy that you see in many works today.

Of those two series, Faerun, the world of Forgotten Realms, can get somewhat rediculous (Waterdeep is a medieval fantasy city that's as big as New York. Enough said.), but I really took to Krynn, the Dragonlance world. It's much more original, has a lot more fun with its concepts, and is generally just better written (the core books, anyway). I'd highly suggest reading the first trilogy, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, and Dragons of Spring Dawning. They don't disappoint.

Do be aware though that magic in both of those series is much more prevalent than in Tolkein's world, which is fairly low magic.