Forgotten Realms Novels...which ones are good?

[diaglo]

Here is an exhaustive list of good FR novels:

Gay,

you forgot the link.

here it is: http://www.candlekeep.com/bookshelf/novels.htm

 

[Gez]

igloo,

I forgot nothing.

 

[MetalBard]

The two best ones that I've read are Evermeet by Elaine Cunningham and Cormyr by Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb. It looks like the Waterdeep novel will be in that category when it comes out later this summer. It is written by Ed Greenwood and Elaine Cunningham.

There are a lot of other decent to good ones (many mentioned already), but those three novels would give you a relatively well-written immersion into the flavor and history of the Realms.

 

[Arnwyn]

I'm working on a tabletop D&D campaign set in my longtime favorite D&D setting, and I'm trying to gather a little more flavor information about the setting,

If this is your goal, you have (thankfully) only a couple of options: any book by Ed Greenwood, with Elaine Cunningham a distant second.

History has proven that these two authors seem to be the only ones that truly "get it". Everything else is very much hit & miss. (Paul Kemp might run a very distant third.)

Here is an exhaustive list of good FR novels:

This is, of course, the actual correct answer.

 

[Neo]

I like the Moonshae Trilogy and the Cleric Quintet above most of the novels, but there are some real gems amongst the ever expanding list of titles and trilogies.

 

[Illvillainy]

I'm sorry, but Ed Greenwood cannot write decent novels. I love his Realmslore but... no.

Richard Baker and Elaine Cunningham are more than competent authors, imo.

 

[Blue Sky]

Gotta second Elaine Cunningham's books, especially the Elfsong line.

I liked the Shade books, but I can't remember who they're by.

Avoid any Elminster books like the plague. Couldn't stand em.

 

[devilbat]

The "War of the Spider Queen" series is very nice

I really like 'Cormyr: A Novel' by Ed Greenwood & Jeff Grubb

I'd go with the Avatar Trilogy (Shadowdale, Tantras, and Waterdeep)

I like the Moonshae Trilogy

I agree with these quotes

Any of the Salvatore books, including the Cleric Quintet

I enjoyed the first two Drizzt trilogies, but I felt it got weak after that. I did enjoy the Cleric Quintet.

I prefer the novels the delve into Realmslore, so I would add "Beyond the High Road" and Death of the Dragon" by Troy Denning and Denning, Greenwood respectively.

 

[Willowhaunt]

Here is an exhaustive list of good FR novels:

I'm not looking for nobel prize winners or literature that will be taught in College English classes twenty years from now, if I wanted to read that I'd take a college english class. I'm jjust trying to avoid the books that have ridiculous product placement or clumsy real-world analogs (Bruenor on clerical "life support" and Wulfgar and Cattie-Brie debating euthanasia made me cringe). I really wanted to like Forsaken House, but it seemed that Rich Baker wrote that with the Player's Handbook open on his desk at every page. I could almost feel WotC sitting over Rich's shoulder as he wrote...I couldn't even figure out if he was good because there was so much that was obviously forced by WotC...

I haven't read any of the Greenwood books yet, but Spellfire is sitting in my "to read" pile. I'm looking forward to checking out more by Elaine Cunningham, as I read a short story by her (The one about Liriel as a child from "Best of the Realms, pt. 1) and she seemed to be the best of the authors that were featured there.

I'm wary of Phil Athans because he wrote the Baldur's Gate novels. Maybe my caution is unjustified because I imagine he wasn't given much freedom in writing those, but the time I spent reading the BG novels is hours of my life I can never have back...I never, ever wanted to read about "Abdel" making out with vampires. Ever.

Never, ever.

-Willowhaunt

 

[IronWolf]

Elaine Cunningham's books make for great reading in my opinion. I read a fair amount of the Realm's novels and her books are always at the top of my list.