D&D Novels- best authors?

[Teflon Billy]

Have you read Paul Kidd's stuff? I don't have to qualify praise of it by saying "it's good...for game fiction." I've found it to be damned fine heroic fantasy. He's pretty much the only D&D author I can say that about (well, except for Gygax, but he's an acquired taste )

I'll give it a look. What are some of the titles?

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Kidd's gaming fiction that I've read:

White Plume Mountain, Descent into the Depths of the Earth, Queen of the Demonweb Pits.

EDIT: By the way, these books are breezy, and have a lot of humor. It's actually handled well, although getting used to the pixie-fairy co-protagonist of these books takes a bit of doing. But the action, when it comes (usually involving the kick-ass Justicar), is top-notch.

 

[lissilambe]

I agree with Teflon Billy. I really don't care much for the D&D books. At best, cookie-cutter stories largely kept within the same set of restraints that are average at best. I can't stand reading Greenwood, I liked Salvatore's early stuff but found that once I'd read him, I've read him (like a few other non-D&D authors out there), and I got bored. I still think Bob's a hell of a guy, but I've moved on from his books. Elaine Cunningham is one of those subjective authors for me...I don't care for her writing, but I'll admit I can see why others might like her stuff.

Granted, a few newer authors have slipped my notice, but then, I tend to avoid gaming fiction books in general anyway. None of them have ever really done a thing for me

Take care
Don

 

[Teflon Billy]

Are you saying that you don't even like Elaine Cunningham, TB?

I might be misremembering the author, but I'm not a big fan of "Plucky Young Woman" novels, nor am I much enamored of any book where the cover features someone witha magical harp

 

[madelf]

Troy Denning is fairly good.
Ed Greenwood, Elaine Cunningham, and Salvatore are all pretty decent, when they're at the top of their game. I get the impression that Greenwood and Salvatore are getting burnt out on the never-ending Drizzt and Elminster books though. Their older stuff is much better. There are others who pop up now and then who aren't too bad, though I can't remember all the names.

Most of the authors are mediocre, though a handful are downright awful.

 

[Shallown]

I love paul Kid's books myself. Its not high brow writing but is very entertaining.

I still read salvatores stuff but the main characters have lost their shine I enjoy the new people he introduce before the interact with the main characters. I still think he writes a character that grabs you even if his ability to maintain that hold drops off.

Later

 

[Shemeska]

It's much easier here for me to list people for whom you could not pay me to read their novels, and who should be banned by UN resolution from ever writing another novel or even considering themselves as a writer. I'll just say that some people are really great at game design, but they could not write themselves out of a cardboard box, and please for the love of God, WotC, stop letting them try.

However, that said, I like Weiss, Cunningham, Richard Lee Byers, Paul Kemp, and Monte Cook's one novel that I've read.

 

[Akrasia]

I love paul Kid's books myself. Its not high brow writing but is very entertaining....

I agree -- Paul Kidd's books are funny fluff. (I love the part where the pixie needs to keep taking 'enlargement potions' in order to 'get it on' with the main protagonist.)

Good reading before sleep.

Beyond that, though, anything else written for 'D&D' is complete shhiiitte.

The only decent game-based fiction to be found is in the Warhammer world.

Pick up anything by Jack Yeovil (Kim Newman) or C.L. Werner. The Warhammer world is close enough to D&D that you should enjoy their work.

 

[Aaron L]

I saw the thread title and was going to say "I like Elaine Cunningham", but I saw I was beat to it. But I'll say it anyway. I really can't stand any others I've read (Salvatore is OK I guess), althought I got some of the 3E iconics books for christmas last year and they weren't too bad, but I dont remember who wrote any of them.

 

[danbuter]

Another vote for Paul Kidd. That's it for DnD authors.
For good gaming-related fiction, I head to Warhammer or the old Shadowrun books.