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

[Celtavian]

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/The_Empires_trilogy

One of the series that stands out in my mind as very well done was The Empires Trilogy.

 

[Fractal Rabbit]

I always loved Elaine Cunningham's work. I even liked her trilogy set in Halrua (sp?)(I can't remember the name right now...). I also liked her novel in the Pathfinder/Golarion universe, The Winter Witch.

I think Cunningham is one of the masters of Tie-in/Shared Universe fiction. (Along with Karen Traviss, whose Star Wars work is pretty good too)

I have to be honest, while I loved Salvatore's Cleric Quintet (Cadderly is like a FR MacGyver) and his non D&D work (The Demon Wars rocked) I just don't get Drizzt. Or his books. I was only barely able to complete two of them. The Crystal Shard and the one after it (a book that made almost no impression on me since I can't even remember the name.)

 

[CrusaderX]

Elaine Cunningham's books were a huge disappointment for me. I had heard quite a bit of praise for her work, so I read the Songs and Swords series. And I thought those books were mediocre at best.

The early Drizzt books are the most entertaining FR reads, IMO.

 

[Grimstaff]

I heartily recommend the Swordmage and Last Mythal trilogies. They really get into the Realms lore in a way that makes you want to jump right into a FR campaign.

 

[MechaPilot]

All four of the R.A. Salvatore FR books that I've read have been good (The Crystal Shard and the Dark Elf Trilogy). I wouldn't call them great literature, but they were enjoyable and easy to read.

 

[rollingForInit]

Second whoever mentioned Erin M. Evans. Her books about Farideh the Warlock (starting with Brimstone Angel) are really well-written, have nice characters, good story. They feel a bit more modern in a sense as well, there's one character that's gay (nothing that's made a fuss of, the person just happens to be).

The first 6 Drizzt novels are really great. I've read a few of the Sundering books (the transition between 4e and 5e), they're really good. I like The Reaver and The Godborn especially, in addition to Evans's The Adversary.

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

I read them in English, and I didn't like them at all. Think I read 1½ books. His writing felt dreary and ... pretentious.

 

[dracomilan]

Homeland is the best FR book by far. All Salvatore books until Sea of Swords are enjoyable, as well as the Elaine Cunningham books about Liriel. If you arr interested in a great tour of the Realms I also suggest you the short story collections, starting with Realms of Valor and Realms of Mystery.

 

[Shemeska]

Anything by Paul Kemp (his 3.x era Eravis Cale novels are his best IMO). He's just that damn good of writer that I'll pretty much read anything he writes even if I don't like the world he's writing in. Some authors I can't get into because of the setting (I can't get past the trainwreck that 4e did to tieflings to get more than chapter into Evans' work), but Kemp is spectacularly good to the point of making me just not care. I really do need to read his latest Star Wars novel.

 

[Mephista]

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

The Brimstone Angels series, by Erin M Evans. Newer author, newer books, but they're very good, and it seems like there's a lot of fresher ideas with her than the older stories. A lot of D&D novels are stuck in the same rut, same stories, little to no character development, and that's something Erins avoids.

 

[Queer Venger]

Im a big fan of the Drizzt novels, absolutely love the Icewind Dale trilogy and the Drizzt prequels, although Crystal Shard remains the best IMO.

Beyond these I am a big fan of Grubb, Novak and their Azure Bonds trilogy.