D&D 5E Best FR novels of all time?

[Li Shenron]

There is a large number of old FR novels at our local library and I have been thinking already years ago whether I should try to read one or two...

I have no idea which ones are good or particularly famous, but just recently someone mentioned The Crystal Shard.

So which FR novels (excluding the most recent ones) would you suggest?

Consider that partly the purpose is to find some inspiration for our 5e campaign, but partly is just for a good read,.

 

[PMárk]

The older Drizzt books are very enjoyable IMO. From a certain point however, they are getting a little... repetative. I was actualy getting somewhat excited during the Neverwinter-era, because I hoped for fresh opportunities with the new characters after the old crew's death and more interesting character-developement and connections between Drizzt-Entreri-Jarlaxle-Dahlia-Athrogate and so on, but no, currently everything goes back to the same old, because people want hamburger. Things aside, the former books are good, as the Sellblades spin-off (story-wise not so much but I like the characters). An odd things about all of these books is that I'm avare that salvatore can write good books and I see a tons of interesting characters, backstories and plot elements which haven't got expanded for some reason I don't get.

And Cunningham's books. They are all good. Also the War of the Spider Queen and spin-offs. And Paul S. Kemp and Dave Gross and Tim Pratt

To be honest, I didn't get hooked up by Greenwood's books, but that's maybe because of the hungarian translation.

 

[Pragmatic]

The three Homeland books (Drizzt's time in Menzoberranzan, his time as a half-mad predator of the Underdark, up until his journey to the surface).

The first three Drizzt books (the Icewind Dale trilogy; they get annoying after that).

The Cleric Canticle quintet (following an innovative priest of Deneir).

The three books of the Finder's Stone series (Azure Bonds, The Wyvern's Spur, Song of the Saurials).

The first Spellfire book. (The second book was okay. The third book, so I've read, was just dreadful.)

 

[Mouseferatu]

How recent is too recent? Because honestly, for all the controversy surrounding the game itself, some truly fantastic FR novels came out of the 4E era.

 

[PMárk]

How recent is too recent? Because honestly, for all the controversy surrounding the game itself, some truly fantastic FR novels came out of the 4E era.

Hmm, we didn't get much beyond Drizzt here, so I pretty much missed the 4e era novels. Now, reading in english is not a problem any more, so what are your suggestions?

I enyojed Drizzt probably 'til Sea of Swords. After that, as I sayed it gets repetative. Oh, look, another orc war. And Bruennor wants to find another long-forgotten dwarven gingdom. At some point even Dahlia says to Drizzt that she's pretty much getting fed-up with Drizzt's contemplations about the same things over and over. Salvatore's style is still readable mostly. As I wrote, I don't get, why a lot of excellent hooks and backstories don't get spotlight.

 

[Shasarak]

I would have to agree with anything by Elaine Cunningham, although I particularly enjoyed the Starlight and Shadows series.

The Moonshae Trilogy was a great introduction to the Realms by Douglas Niles.

The Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A.Salvatore was good for introducing the Drow and I also loved:

War of the Spider Queen series for shaking everything up.

I would also second Spellfire by Ed Greenwood especially for the Knights of Myth Drannor.

 

[Shiroiken]

If you (or your players) like Elves, then EVermeet is a fantastic source for inspiration, as well as a fun read. Cormyr is the same, but for said region. Murder in Cormyr was also quite good, and can give you some inspiration on mysteries. The various "Realms of" books are pretty good, and can be useful for inspiration, but the quality is totally hit or miss.

It's kinda hard, though, to stick to a single book. Most of the books are either trilogies or series. The Elminster series if f pretty good read, but probably not a great source for inspiration for a game. The Pools series wasn't that great of a read, but I was able to find some bits on inspiration from in them. Councilors and Kings (sometimes called the Wiz War) is really good, both as a read and for source material, but it's placed in Harrulla (sp?), which is far from most FR games.

 

[PMárk]

I would have to agree with anything by Elaine Cunningham, although I particularly enjoyed the Starlight and Shadows series.

Agree. An interesting and very good alternative to Drizzt as how a not-so-goody drow find a different faith, love and friendship on a surface world absolutely different from her homeland while not going full, well, Drizzt. Liriel keeps being a drow across the series.

Song&swords: how elves are jerks with half-elves...

War of the spider queen: that's totaly "Lets do drow ass badass and backstabbing as possible!". Very refreshing.

 

[Irennan]

Agree. An interesting and very good alternative to Drizzt as how a not-so-goody drow find a different faith, love and friendship on a surface world absolutely different from her homeland while not going full, well, Drizzt. Liriel keeps being a drow across the series.

Song&swords: how elves are jerks with half-elves...

War of the spider queen: that's totaly "Lets do drow ass badass and backstabbing as possible!". Very refreshing.

I would also suggest ''Starlights and Shadows''. One of the reasons I particularly like Liriel is (beside her personality) that IMO she feels like a concrete character. In the story, she goes off chasing her own wish, to create her path, and throghout the series you can see a change and growth that is just natural. Some say that Liriel ''stays a drow'', but in truth I just see someone who acts very much like an actual person would.

She doesn't start with a drastically different moral code if compared to her people: from that standpoint she isn't ''perfect'' as Drizzt is portrayed (as far as I've read), she's just what someone who has been raised in her context would be, minus the sadism. On the other hand, she isn't blind, self-destroying and... well, parodically and farfetchedly ''ebil'' like the other drow are portrayed. So she will open up to alternatives that offer a life that is actually better than that possible in a drow society, even if that means defying Lolth for Eilistraee (or, later, Mystra), or using Lolth's power for non evil purposes.

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

The updated version of Spellfire, by Ed Greenwood, is a good novel to start with. Don't checkout the original first edition; it's a bowdlerized version of an otherwise great Realms story, thanks in part to TSR's outdated Code of Ethics.

The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore is another good Realms read.

Darkwalker on Moonshae by Douglas Niles rounds out my list of recommendations.

EDIT: The Night Parade by Scott Ciencin is on par with my first three recommendations, as is Azure Bonds by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb.