# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/41 "2002-06-22T03:55:22Z")
I think you should rush right out and read [The Intercontinental Union of Disgusting Characters](http://www.netcom.com/~rogermw/ADnD) and its one-and-a-half sequels. One of the few fantasy serieses out there to present people like they **really** are: as a pile of hit points with a munchkin-level Armor Class and THAC0. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/42 "2002-06-22T07:30:32Z")
I second Kat with Steven Brust’s books. Then you can check out Katharine Kerr’s Deverry books. **Daggerspell** is the first one. Then you should check out Kate Elliott’s **Crown of Stars** series. The first book is **King’s Dragon**. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/43 "2002-06-22T12:13:29Z")
Nobody’s mentioned Barbara Hambly yet? Go forth and read _Dragonsbane_, if you can find it (I think it’s out of print). While there’s a couple of sequels to this novel, it was originally written to stand alone, and you will probably figure out whether she’s to your taste or not. [http://www.barbarahambly.com/](http://www.barbarahambly.com/) has a listing of her books. She has several series and some stand alones, as well. I second Robin McKinley, she writes EXCELLENT fantasy. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling edit a series of fantasy anthologies, which feature updated retellings of classic fairy tales. This is not precisely a series, but I think that any fantasy lover would enjoy it. Lawrence Watt-Evans has a few series, too. If you haven’t read Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea books you need to get them. These books are keepers, much like Tolkien. The first three books were written and published as children’s books, IIRC, but the fourth was written and published for the adult market. All of them, however, are worth reading and rereading. I could recommend more, but you really DO need to read Hambly and LeGuin, if you haven’t yet. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/44 "2002-06-22T15:18:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Smeghead \* > \*\*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? \*\* Eh. He’s mediocre…if he were a magazine, he’d be “People”. Ok for reading while taking a crap, but nothing you’ll remember 5 minutes later. And the main characters are always dull and irritating. And his other series (“The Soprano Sorceress”) features the single dumbest heroine in the entire history of the written word. The book \< cough \> “borrows” \< cough \> the premise of Alan Dean Foster’s Spellsinger books. But unlike Foster who knows and apparently loves music so he could get some funny/interesting uses of song-magic (“Fly like an Eagle” for a haste spell, frex), this bimbo can only figure out like two songs, and she’s adapted the lyrics one of 'em to burn people alive. Then she snivells for pages about how she’s a monster for burning people alive (not killing them, it’s the burning part that bothers her). Then she does it again and again. :rolleyes: I kept wanting to reach into the book and slap her saying "So if you’re a pyrophobe, **stop burning people, you moron!**. It’s just as easy to do something like Magic, if I may be so bold, Will make my enemies’ heads explode. or Blue, purple, yellow red The opposing army will now drop dead. or For good and right I do attest That phalanx will all have cardiac arrest. or Harmony, melody, dissonance and rhythms Give my foes all brain anurysms And that’s without any effort whatsoever. She’s supposed to be _trained_ at singing/song writing. I shouldn’t be better at it then her. I’d say: Don’t bother. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/45 "2002-06-22T19:07:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lok \* > \*\*I second Kat with Steven Brust’s books. > \*\*. \*\* I third it? Really, I think that Steven Brust is a must read. **Soulmurk** : I was confusing them. Really deliberate, I was just exxagerating how many books there are, and mentioned that many were indeed compilations of short stories. The first time I did not know that, and I spent forever trying to figure out what book was the first. LOL. Have not read it yet, will have to see about ordering it at the library. I have problems buying books that tiny. Under 200 pages. It is like buying a single short story. Yech. 6 bucks for a book that will take an hour to read. ---
**Author:** ![flickerwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/13edae/32.png) [@flickerwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickerwolf)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/46 "2002-06-22T19:49:38Z")
Two words… Tanith. Lee. She writes EXCELLENT dark fantasy. _gleee!_ I have no clue why she isnt more well-known…And her books lean to the shortish side. I recommend _Biting the Sun_ and \* East of Midnight\*. Oh, and remember Peter S. Beagle? The guy who wrote _The Last Unicorn_? I love his other fantasy stuff…but thats just me. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/47 "2002-06-22T20:14:21Z")
I will also recommened Weis and Hickman’s work in the _Dragonlance_ world. The beauty? They wrote so many books you will have a lot to read! Let’s see…what you need to read, in order, are: _The Chronicles Trilogy_: **Dragons of Autumn Twilight Dragons of Winter Night Dragons of Spring Dawning** During this time, or a little after, you might want to read **Tales of the Lance** , some short stories that takes place during this time, some of which have characters from the trilogy. Then… _Legends Trilogy_ **Time of the Twins War of the Twins Test of the Twins** Next… **The Second Generation** - a collection of short stories about the children of the heroes in the _Chronicles_ trilogy. and **Dragons of Summer Flame** - kinda a fourth installment to Chronicles that takes place after all these books inbetween. After that you might want to read a book or two that is set in Fifth Age (I think Weis and Hickman edited a collection of short stories that takes place during this time. Myself? I skipped past Fifth Age stuff, not interesting to me.) Finally, end with: _War of Souls Trilogy_ **Dragons of a Fallen Sun Dragons of a Lost Star Dragons of a Vanished Moon** (not out yet, but soon! Preorder your copy now!) ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/48 "2002-06-22T21:43:56Z")
Another good one if you like Mercedes Lackey, but are bored with sword & sorcery as I am: She wrote a series in the early nineties about a witch/private investigator. The first one was called Burning Water, and the best one was Jinx High (set in my home town of Tulsa, OK), There was another one that I read but forget the title of- it was a prequel of sorts, about the college days of the witch when she falls in love with a vampire. I think there were only three books, but they were very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/49 "2002-06-22T22:02:54Z")
Just looked it up, the books I was talking about in my last post were the Diana Tregard mysteries (occult mysteries, really they are modern fantasy). The second book was called Children of the Night. I would recommend all three of them to Mercedes Lackey fans, especially Jinx High. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/50 "2002-06-22T22:13:44Z")
I liked Jack Chalker’s series, “The Four Lords of the Diamond”. My younger brother introduced me to the series. It’s pretty light reading, however. It took me about five days to read the four books. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/51 "2002-06-22T23:59:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Idlewild \* > \*\*Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionnavar Tapestry (a trilogy) is breathtaking. I cried while I was reading the second book. Kay helped in the preparation of the Silmarillion, which is pretty much sitting at the feet of the master. > > His other books are good, but the Fionnavar Tapestry is outstanding in my opinion. \*\* I VERY strongly agree. And then try Tiganna. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/52 "2002-06-23T00:08:17Z")
I recommend David Gemmel. He does have a few “series” but he is a prolific writer and I love his stuff. Try Morningstar and Legend first (Legend has several sequels, so be sure to get the first one.) Zelazny was one of the greats and I recommend him. ---
**Author:** ![king\_of\_spain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7cd45c/32.png) [@king\_of\_spain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/king_of_spain)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/53 "2002-06-23T01:24:27Z")
Ooh, two more. Diane Duane’s Wizardry series - technically they’re YA fantasy, but if you’re the kind of person that doesn’t mind that, they’re really very good. And Diana Wynne Jones. Her stuff is usually classified as juvenile fiction too, but I’m going to recommend it even if you don’t usually read juvenile fic, 'cause it’s _that_ good. Fantastic, unexpected plot twists and wonderful characters. You might start with _Fire and Hemlock_, a standalone retelling of “Tam Lin” which is probably the most “grownup” of her stuff. Oh, and if you’re a fantasy fan you really must read _The Tough Guide to Fantasyland_, a really hilarious satire on the cliches of the genre. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/54 "2002-06-23T04:33:11Z")
[Dave Duncan](http://www.daveduncan.com) Cruelly underrated. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/55 "2002-06-23T13:49:45Z")
A) Dave Duncan’s **A Man of His Word** and **A Handful of Men** series are both wonderful B) Lyndon Hardy’s **Master of the Five Magics** is fantastic, the sequel is good and the third is bleah. C) Lawerence Watt-Evan’s Esthshar books are uniformly fantastic. While they can be read more or less in any order, it makes sense to read **The Misenchanted Sword** first and **Spell of the Black Dagger** last. D) I also recommend Brust’s Jhereg stuff Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/56 "2002-06-23T18:48:56Z")
Thanks yet again, everyone. I’m putting these all in my Palm Pilot. In alphabetical order. Next time I’m at the used bookstore, I’m in trouble… ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/57 "2002-06-23T19:48:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*B) Lyndon Hardy’s **Master of the Five Magics** is fantastic, the sequel is good and the third is bleah. > > C) Lawerence Watt-Evan’s Esthshar books are uniformly fantastic. While they can be read more or less in any order, it makes sense to read **The Misenchanted Sword** first and **Spell of the Black Dagger** last. > > D) I also recommend Brust’s Jhereg stuff > > Fenris \*\* I never made it through the sequel to **Master of the Five Magics**. Which was disappointing since the first one was so good. You do know that Lawrence has a new book set in Ethshar out? **Night of Madness** tells about the night when warlocks were created. And he has more coming, thank goodness. You can get more info at his [Ethshar website](http://www.ethshar.com/). He also has other fantasy books out, including what I think is his best, **Touched By The Gods**. It is a completely seperate stand alone novel, out in paperback. I haven’t read any L.E. Modesitt, but your description of the magic sounds like it is right out of Piers Anthony’s **Blue Adept** books. The first of which was good, the next two were worth reading, and after that, **Run Away!** Which is a pretty good description of most of his stuff. grendel, I don’t think the Diana Tregarde stuff is still in print. She quit writing it because some of her fans were taking it too seriously. * * * Lok ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/58 "2002-06-23T20:22:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Idlewild \* > \*\*Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionnavar Tapestry (a trilogy) is breathtaking. I cried while I was reading the second book. \*\* I’ve reread that series I don’t know how many times, and there are parts of it where I **still** cry. ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208/59 "2002-06-23T20:24:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lok \* > **I don’t think the Diana Tregarde stuff is still in print. She quit writing it because some of her fans were taking it too seriously.** That’s sad. I knew there were only the three novels, but I thought they were just not popular enough to keep writing. Of her stuff I’ve read I would rank those books just below the Last Herald Mage series in quality. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-hankering-for-some-good-fantasy-series/115208.md?page=2)