Topramesk
Explorer
I read or re-read a sizeable amount of "quest fantasy" books quite recently, while writing Against the Darkmaster, part for research purpose and part for personal enjoyment.
Besides lotr itself, my personal favorites are the Belgariad series by David Eddings, and The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. I think The Belgariad in particular may be the best example of this sub-genre of fantasy out there, in terms of how the author crafted the story and the characters, knowingly using or subverting all the various tropes. Eddings clearly wanted to write a "quest fantasy" series, and did so in a very meticulous manner, in my opinion. It's a bit simplistic, that's true, but I see it as a plus in this particular sub-genre.
Prydain is more YA oriented, but still very enjoyable and has some awesome moments.
I never managed to go past book 3 of the Wheel of Time. The first one was nice, and I love the worldbuilding and the way magic is portrayed, but the series is just too long, and there's only a limited amount of braid-tugging I can stomach.
Shannara has its moments (at least the first three books, I haven't read the others). Sword isn't that bad, despite clearly ripping off lotr in both structure and several scenes, but Song and Elfstones are where the series really shines IMO.
I simply loathed The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant when I re-read them. In fact, I dropped the series about halfway through the first book. Which is strange, because I loved them as a kid! But yeah, I just couldn't bear the protagonist constant whining.
Finally, Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy is IMO a great subversion of the genre, really loved the series!
So, hear me out, really: Horror on the Orient Express. You play a party of companions who have to travel through the "wilderness", visit a bunch of different places, find the pieces of the evil MacGuffin and destroy it. All while hunted by the servants of darkness.
Besides lotr itself, my personal favorites are the Belgariad series by David Eddings, and The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. I think The Belgariad in particular may be the best example of this sub-genre of fantasy out there, in terms of how the author crafted the story and the characters, knowingly using or subverting all the various tropes. Eddings clearly wanted to write a "quest fantasy" series, and did so in a very meticulous manner, in my opinion. It's a bit simplistic, that's true, but I see it as a plus in this particular sub-genre.
Prydain is more YA oriented, but still very enjoyable and has some awesome moments.
I never managed to go past book 3 of the Wheel of Time. The first one was nice, and I love the worldbuilding and the way magic is portrayed, but the series is just too long, and there's only a limited amount of braid-tugging I can stomach.
Shannara has its moments (at least the first three books, I haven't read the others). Sword isn't that bad, despite clearly ripping off lotr in both structure and several scenes, but Song and Elfstones are where the series really shines IMO.
I simply loathed The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant when I re-read them. In fact, I dropped the series about halfway through the first book. Which is strange, because I loved them as a kid! But yeah, I just couldn't bear the protagonist constant whining.
Finally, Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy is IMO a great subversion of the genre, really loved the series!
What are some good Quest Fantasy RPG campaigns? They seem rather thin on the ground. There's Dragonlance of course, and I'm GMing Odyssey of the Dragon Lords which is a Greek-themed Quest Fantasy.
So, hear me out, really: Horror on the Orient Express. You play a party of companions who have to travel through the "wilderness", visit a bunch of different places, find the pieces of the evil MacGuffin and destroy it. All while hunted by the servants of darkness.