# I'm hankering for some GOOD fantasy series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2002, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208 "2002-06-21T04:58:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/1 "2002-06-21T04:58:17Z")
There are plenty of fantasy series out there, but good ones are few and far between. Sadly, I’m beginning to think I’ve found them all, so I turn to the vast resource that is the Teeming Millions. Tell me what to read! For reference, I give you a comprehensive list of series I’ve read that I can remember right at the moment and what I thought of them: Tolkein. It’s Tolkein! 'Nuff said. David Eddings. Loved his stuff in junior high school, was dismayed later in life to realize that he royally sucks. Robert Jordan. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m well aware of his faults and shortcomings, but I still like him, DAMMIT! The fact that I’ve been waiting fifteen years for him to finish has nothing to do with it. George RR Martin’s _Song of Fire and Ice_. Love it. Can’t wait for the next one. Both of Robin Hobb’s series. Great stuff, if a little dark and out there. Tad Williams’ Green Tower Angel Whatever-it-was. Pretty good, but forgettable. Obviously. Michael Moorcock. Eh. Not bad, but it doesn’t really grip me that much. I’m giving him another chance, though - I’ve got another of his books waiting for me in the bedroom. Terry Goodkind. I was very excited when I ran across the first book, then sadly watched it quickly degenerate into complete and utter crap. Didn’t even bother with the last one. Harry Potter. Decent, if mindless. So. Suggest! Give me ideas! Oh, I also picked up the first book of L.E. Modesitt’s Recluse series, but haven’t got around to reading it yet. Is it worth bothering with? At this point, I’m not willing to even give a series a chance unless I hear lots of good stuff about it first. I really just want another Tolkein, but then, don’t we all? ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/2 "2002-06-21T05:40:06Z")
Mercedes Lackey early stuff _The Last Herald-Mage_ and _The Heralds of Valdemar_ as well as the first couple of _Vows and Honor_ books are pretty good, but though she stays in Valdemar, after the first couple of series, they get pretty formulaic. I’d also recomment Nancy Springer–if you can find her–[/iThe White Hart, The Silver Sun, The Golden Swan\* (three separate books). Not as complex as Jordan, but then, what is? I’ve also enjoyed Raymond Feist _RiftWar_ series, in fact, i may re-read them next. And I always recommend Charles DeLint. he’s nothing like the authors you mentioned, but he’s well worth reading. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/3 "2002-06-21T05:46:25Z")
Fantasy only? That leaves out Dune… I’m on a sci-fi kick right now but some of might favorite series (these are old but you should still be able to find them): Fahfrd & The Grey Mouser _Swords of \_\_\_\_\_\__ series - **Fritz Lieber** _World of Tiers_ - **Philip Jose Farmer** ; He also sponsored a series written by other authors called _The Dungeon_ which was quite good until the last two books. I’m at work so they’re not coming to me too fast. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/4 "2002-06-21T06:08:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Horseflesh \* > \*\*Fantasy only? That leaves out Dune… > > I’m on a sci-fi kick right now \*\* Yeah, so am I. That’s why I want to change gears a bit. Thanks for the replies and keep them coming. I’m writing them down. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/5 "2002-06-21T06:27:17Z")
Roger Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles is really the only fantasy I’ve (re)read in awhile because I have been on a Sci-Fi and general Fiction kick as well. It being late and me being strung out of (legal) drugs, that’s all I can think of right now. I’ll come back later when my brain is functioning properly. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/6 "2002-06-21T06:33:49Z")
The writings of L. Sprague de Camp and Peter Beagle. Not necessarily series but they’re still worth reading. ---
**Author:** ![Cataclysm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Cataclysm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cataclysm)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/7 "2002-06-21T08:03:50Z")
Phillip Pullman - especially His Dark Materials trilogy. And anything by Tamora Pierce - but I especially recommend her “Song of the Lioness” quartet. Sure, it’s aimed at a younger audience, but it’s still a good read. ---
**Author:** ![Summers\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Summers\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Summers_Son)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/8 "2002-06-21T08:11:09Z")
Wow, u names all those fantasy stories but left out the best fantasy authors ever … weis and hickmann go read the Dragonlance Cronicles or the Death Gate Cycle ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/9 "2002-06-21T08:16:40Z")
I don’t know if it would fit your definition of fantasy, they aren’t sword & sorcery by any means, but all of the novels of Jonathan Carroll (Bones of the Moon, Outside the Dog Museum, etc…) are interrelated. They are sort of modern “magical realism”, and are very good, with strong fantasy elements to them. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowWarrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@ShadowWarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowWarrior)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/10 "2002-06-21T09:26:50Z")
How About: Terry Pratchett - Fantasy with a Funny twist RA Salvatore - Classic D&D Fantasy Raymond E Feist - Riftwar /serpentwar sagas Robin Hobb - very gritty, ‘real’ fantasy Weis/Hickman - Dragonlance chronicles/tales etc ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/11 "2002-06-21T09:36:38Z")
Avoid Fred Saberhagen at all costs. His “swords” series is so mindlessly stupid and formulaic that all of the books are within 10 pages of being the exact same length. I really enjoyed _The Mists of Avalon_ quite a bit. I’m in the same boat, though… looking for more good stuff and wary of picking things without a recommendation. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/12 "2002-06-21T11:20:07Z")
Although it gets to a formula the shadowrun books are ok for a while as a mix of sci fi fanatasy And it does explain a lot of the back story so you dont have to know the book rpg its based on ---
**Author:** ![jmizzou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/edb3f5/32.png) [@jmizzou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmizzou)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/13 "2002-06-21T14:02:26Z")
Elizabeth Moon, _Legacy of Gird_ and _The Deed of Paksenarrion_ - two related series (same land, different times) that I really enjoyed. I highly recommend these. Terry Brooks, _Shannara_ series - also good, but storylines can be a bit repetitive Joel Rosenberg, _Guardians of the Flame_ - I really liked this series, especialy when I was younger. It has an interesting premise, although I did lose interest after the first 6 books or so. Stephen R. Donaldson, _Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever_ - some people like it, some people hate it. I’m somewhere in the middle, and am currently re-reading the series for the first time in about 10 years. It seemed a bit wordy and tedious when I first read it, but that might have been because I was so young. Piers Anthony, _Xanth_ - this twenty-ish book “trilogy” is set in an. . .interesting. . .land. I liked the earlier books, but they get steadily worse (for the most part), becoming more and more outlandish. Anne McCaffrey, _Dragonriders of Pern_ - I liked this popular series, but the chronology can be a bit confusing (lots of prequels and short stories set in different times). I think the “suggested” reading order is the order they were published. ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/14 "2002-06-21T14:06:07Z")
I have read everything in your OP, was gonna suggest Robin Hobb, but since you’ve read her already…try [this](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0765342987/qid=1024666647/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-9775421-3915335/) So far there is only one more book, with more forthcoming. It is different, to say the least. You may also try _The Ill Made Mute_ by Cecilia Dart-Thornton. Sorry, but that is all I can come up with at the moment. I am having trouble finding anything worth reading in this genre. Looks like it may be a good time for a run to Borders. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/15 "2002-06-21T14:20:12Z")
And don’t forget Jack Vance’s fantasy novels. They start out fairly slow, but some of the later ones are hysterical. ---
**Author:** ![Rosebud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rosebud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosebud)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/16 "2002-06-21T14:41:36Z")
Great choice, **Lyllyan**! I loved _Kushiel’s Dart_ and am waiting for the second one to come out in paperback-- waiting for paperbacks is the only way I seem to be able to get a handle on my rampant book buying. **Smeghead** , you might like P.C. Hodgell’s writing. Not incredibly easy to find, but worth the effort. [Dark of the Gods](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1892065266/qid=1024669766/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/002-9915957-5484058) is an omnibus featuring two books, _God Stalk_ and _Dark of the Moon_. Amazon also has the sequel, _Seeker’s Mask_ and OHMYGOD! Looking this up for you just now, I see that I can preorder the long-awaited next installment, _Blood and Ivory_! WHOO! ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/17 "2002-06-21T15:10:57Z")
I’ll second Philip Pullman and Zelazny’s Amber series. In fact, I might just go dig up the Amber books and give 'em another read myself! ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/18 "2002-06-21T15:24:37Z")
Try Elizabeth Haydon’s _Rhapsody_ series. Great read. _Cycle of Fire_ by Janny Wurts is a good trilogy Greg Bear’s _Songs of Earth and Power_ is a good duology consisting of his _Infinity Concerto_ and _The Serpent Mage_. And of course you can’t forget the Black Company. I have only read the first three books, _The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose_ but plan on reading the rest of them soon. A couple other good reads are Carol Berg’s _Transformation_ and _Revelation_, Jennifer roberson’s _Cheysuli Cronicles_, and Mickey Zucker Reichert’s books. (_Bifrost Guardians_ and _Renshai_ series are great) Oh, and what everybody else said. ---
**Author:** ![Lao\_Tsu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lao\_Tsu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lao_Tsu)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/19 "2002-06-21T15:40:32Z")
Harry Potter mindless?? You are a smeghead. (kiddin’) You may want to check some of these out. I find most new fantasy isn’t very good. The Misplaced Legion by Harry Turtledove. A Roman legion is magically transported to a magical world. Turtledove has a PhD in Byzantine history and all his Videssos novels have a very strong Byzantine feel. (No, not Byz the doper, Byzantine as in the Empire.) Four books in this series. Two or three other Videssos series. Fafrd and the Grey Mouser series was mentioned. Very good fantasy series. If it seems too familiar it because so many people steal from Fritz Lieber. Elric of Melnibone series by Michael Moorcook. Pretty good, gets a little tiring by the sixth book. Moorook returns to Elric repeatedly over the years. I have no idea exactly how many Elric books there are. Anything by Robert E. Howard, or based on Robert E. Howard’s outlines. Howard is a definite favorite for me. He developed his fantasy world about the same time as Tolkien, but it’s a drastically different type of world. These include Conan I think there’s about 15 good Conan books. If it doesn’t list Robert E. Howard one of the authors, don’t bother. Although you did mention you liked Jordan, who got his start writing some moderately decent Conan novels. Cormac MacArt and Kull are also good, but can be very difficult to find. Try used bookstores if you catch the Howard bug. You can’t go wrong with the very pulpy Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan is better than you may think. John Carter of Mars is a classic. (See how many dopers have these handles.) The first in this series is A Princess of Mars. H.P. Lovecraft doesn’t have much, but an antholodgy of his short stories is always fun. Most of these are classics of fantasy (IMHO) and if I’ved wasted your time with a list you’re familiar with, sorry. Oh and ditto what Opalcat said. ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/20 "2002-06-21T15:49:17Z")
A couple of old ones I remembered loving at the time… Jack Chalker’s _Well World_ series and _The Deryni Trilogy_ by Katerine Kurtz. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208.md?page=2)