The Best Novels?

[PaulKemp]

I was sort of wanting a good, light fantasy read D&D style, and i don't want to wade through the mountain of bad books i know are out there to find a few gems.

SO, i turn to Enworld, to post your opinions on what you feel are the very best books and series to come from Wizards.

Nebulous,

With regard to Forgotten Realms novels, you might consider asking your question on the forums at Candlekeep.com. For Eberron novels, you could try the essential eberron forums . Not sure where you could get a Dragonlance recommendation, but I'm sure someone at one of the foregoing sites can point you to a DL board.

The Paul Kidd novels are mildly to severely farcical (depending upon your point of view) and many readers like that about them. If that style appeals to you, they would probably be a good fit. It is my opinion, however, that there are many novels in the WotC line that are both non-farcical and excellent. I hope you'll ask around at the sites I mentioned.

Paul

 

[jonesy]

Not sure where you could get a Dragonlance recommendation, but I'm sure someone at one of the foregoing sites can point you to a DL board.

Ahem. Sig.

 

[Klaus]

I must heartily recommend Keith Baker's City of Towers, the first Eberron novel. Even though it's the first in a trilogy, the story is self-contained (but if you like it, The Shattered Land is out already). I must say, I read it after just re-reading the Dragonblance Chronicles, which I loved when I was 14, and I like City of Towers much more. It is a bit of a departure from Tolkienesque settings and leaning more towards pulp stories.

 

[JustaPlayer]

There not alot of novels put out by WotC that I would consider; however, I have found a few gems.

I like Paul Kidd's "White Plume Mountain," "Descent into the Depths of the Earth," and "Queen of the Demonweb Pits." They are by far the best novels in the recent (2000ish) Greyhawk series of books.

I thought Return of the Archwizards series by Troy Denning was good. (Forgotten Realms).

I liked the War of the Spider Queen (Forgotten Realms) series right up until that last book, which IMO was crap, crap, crap, crap, crap.

 

[JustaPlayer]

Not sure where you could get a Dragonlance recommendation, but I'm sure someone at one of the foregoing sites can point you to a DL board.

Dragonlance.com, you can talk to the creators there as well. Everything from the novels to role-playing. Plus you can see what new stuff is coming up for both books a the game.

 

[Asmo]

I must heartily recommend Keith Baker's City of Towers, the first Eberron novel. Even though it's the first in a trilogy, the story is self-contained (but if you like it, The Shattered Land is out already). I must say, I read it after just re-reading the Dragonblance Chronicles, which I loved when I was 14, and I like City of Towers much more. It is a bit of a departure from Tolkienesque settings and leaning more towards pulp stories.

Seconded. I quite liked this book.

Asmo

 

[Hand of Evil]

I second the recommendation for Paul Kidd's novels. Good reads that don't make you feel guilty about reading a gaming novel.

And I'll bop this over to the fiction forum...

second this.

 

[Eridanis]

I have to vote against the CITY OF TOWERS. I read it recently, and though it only took me a day to chew through it, I still wish I had that time back. I found the characters to be uninteresting, the plot to be railroadish and predictable ("OK, we need to go talk to so-and-so." "Let's go, then." Repeat for 200 pages), and the writing style merely adequate. I bought it in hopes of getting ideas for an Eberron campaign, but after reading it, it made me want to sell my Eberron books - or at least, the Sharn book - at a loss.

 

[Klaus]

I have to vote against the CITY OF TOWERS. I read it recently, and though it only took me a day to chew through it, I still wish I had that time back. I found the characters to be uninteresting, the plot to be railroadish and predictable ("OK, we need to go talk to so-and-so." "Let's go, then." Repeat for 200 pages), and the writing style merely adequate. I bought it in hopes of getting ideas for an Eberron campaign, but after reading it, it made me want to sell my Eberron books - or at least, the Sharn book - at a loss.

Which, of course, is where we disagree. I liked it more than Chronicles of Dragonlance, it read like a cool noir fantasy movie, and made me want to play, like, RIGHT NOW! I liked it more than the second part, Shattered Land, and the other Eberron novels I've read (Marked for Death gets the bottom rank, and I didn't buy the sequel to that one).

 

[BadMojo]

Which, of course, is where we disagree. I liked it more than Chronicles of Dragonlance, it read like a cool noir fantasy movie, and made me want to play, like, RIGHT NOW! I liked it more than the second part, Shattered Land, and the other Eberron novels I've read (Marked for Death gets the bottom rank, and I didn't buy the sequel to that one).

I actually enjoyed "City of Towers" and I'm not a big fan of most of the WotC novels.

Paul S. Kemp's books are my hands down favorites and some of the best fiction I've read in quite some time. I'd start with "Shadow's Witness" and then move on to "Twilight Falling", "Dawn of Night" and "Midnight's Mask".

I haven't read it yet, but I've heard good things about Erik Scott de Bie's "Ghostwalker".