# Point me towards some good trashy fantasy fiction? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2011, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723 "2011-12-19T10:34:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/1 "2011-12-19T10:34:57Z")
Hello all The desire to indulge myself with some good ol’ time-wasting, escapist fantasy reading has cropped up again. I tried digging up recommendations on the web, but you know how it is, you can’t really trust an opinion on the internets 😉 To give you an idea of my taste in books - I loved Name of the Wind, but was very disappointed with Wise man’s fear. I thought Butcher’s Alera series was average. I did not enjoy George Martin’s ASOIAF. I disliked Peter Brett’s Warded/painted man. Inspite of thinking I wouldn’t, I really liked Lois Bujold’s Vorkosigan novels. Steven Brust’s Taltos books were ok, but a little _too_ trashy. I like dragons. In fact, I’d love to read a great dragon story. Dragons and people, interacting. Like Eragon, only not crappy. Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series does a very good job of dragons, although her decision to mix them up with the napoleonic wars seemed…strange. So. Got anything for me? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/2 "2011-12-19T12:04:51Z")
Robin Hobb’s Liveship series has dragons in it, as does the series that comes afterward, whose name I forget. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/3 "2011-12-19T12:40:44Z")
If you like Dragons, have you tried Gordon R. Dickson’s series, starting with _The Dragon and the George_? Dragon Knight series The Dragon and the George (1976) The Dragon Knight (1990) The Dragon on the Border (1992) The Dragon at War (1992) The Dragon, the Earl, and the Troll (1994) The Dragon and the Djinn (1996) The Dragon and the Gnarly King (1997) The Dragon in Lyonesse (1998) The Dragon and the Fair Maid of Kent (2000) > **[Gordon R. Dickson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_R._Dickson)** > > Gordon Rupert Dickson (November 1, 1923 – January 31, 2001) was a Canadian-American science fiction writer. He was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2000. > Dickson was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1923. After the death of his father, he moved with his mother to Minneapolis in 1937. He served in the United States Army, from 1943 to 1946, and received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota, in 1948. From 1948 through 1950 he attended the University of Minne... Of course, there’s Anne McCaffery’s Dragon stuff, and _The Hobbit_, but I’m sure you’re familiar with those. I haven’t read any of the books in the OP, so I’m not precisely sure the type of thing you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/4 "2011-12-19T12:46:01Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Robin Hobb’s Liveship series has dragons in it, as does the series that comes afterward, whose name I forget. There are 3 Farseer Trilogy Liveship trilogy each of which stand alone, followed by a unifying Tawny Man trilogy ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/5 "2011-12-19T12:46:53Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Robin Hobb’s Liveship series has dragons in it, as does the series that comes afterward, whose name I forget. Did you like it? I read the Assassin series. That had dragons (of sorts), and was well written but somewhat, dare I say it, bleak and a tad boring. Which is not to say gritty or bleak is bad in itself. I loved Abercrombie’s First Law series, which I’d definitely recommend to people who haven’t read it. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/6 "2011-12-19T12:47:17Z")
For escapist fantasy I would suggest you can’t go wrong with David Gemmell. I love me some Drenai, or Sipstrassi tales ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/7 "2011-12-19T12:48:29Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > Did you like it? I read the Assassin series. That had dragons (of sorts), and was well written but somewhat, dare I say it, bleak and a tad boring. Which is not to say gritty or bleak is bad in itself. I loved Abercrombie’s First Law series, which I’d definitely recommend to people who haven’t read it. I loved the Farseer trilogy, I would say the Liveship books have a less bleak tone, but bad things do still happen to protagonists. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/8 "2011-12-19T12:58:41Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > If you like Dragons, have you tried Gordon R. Dickson’s series, starting with _The Dragon and the George_? > > Dragon Knight series > The Dragon and the George (1976) > The Dragon Knight (1990) > The Dragon on the Border (1992) > The Dragon at War (1992) > The Dragon, the Earl, and the Troll (1994) > The Dragon and the Djinn (1996) > The Dragon and the Gnarly King (1997) > The Dragon in Lyonesse (1998) > The Dragon and the Fair Maid of Kent (2000) > [Gordon R. Dickson - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_R._Dickson) > Of course, there’s Anne McCaffery’s Dragon stuff, and _The Hobbit_, but I’m sure you’re familiar with those. I haven’t read any of the books in the OP, so I’m not precisely sure the type of thing you’re looking for. I’ll check these out, they do sound interesting, thanks! And yes, I have read McCaffrey(who varied in quality) and the Hobbit(which was excellent). I used to recommend Name of the Wind very highly to people, but then Rothfuss went and lost all of the considerable respect I had for him with a turd of a second book. Has anyone read Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next or Last Dragonslayer books? I read ‘Shades of Grey’ by him and loved it, but unfortunately it’s only the first book of a trilogy that is not rushing towards completion. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/9 "2011-12-19T13:14:17Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > For escapist fantasy I would suggest you can’t go wrong with David Gemmell. I love me some Drenai, or Sipstrassi tales I vaguely remember having read some Gemmell. Wikipedia says its something called Heroic Fantasy. Will go back and give him a try. I wonder if making more escapist fantasy recommendations will give away too much about myself, but man, was Tarzan ever a good set of pulp ‘Heroic’ fantasy fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/10 "2011-12-19T16:35:35Z")
For dragons, I liked Patricia Briggs’s duology _Dragon Bones/Dragon Blood_. Also Barbara Hambly’s novel _Dragonsbane_. For gritty fantasy along the lines of Abercrombie and Martin, you might try Richard K. Morgan’s new fantasy series, starting with _The Steel Remains_. It’s a trilogy, and the second book has just been published. I liked _The Lies of Lock Lamora_, by Scott Lynch, which is sort of a mashup of _Oliver Twist_ and _Ocean’s Eleven_. A caper story in a fantasy setting. Bujold has written some fantasy. I like her Chalion books, but I did not like the first Sharing Knife book. ---
**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:** [December 19, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/11 "2011-12-19T16:37:43Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > There are 3 > > Farseer Trilogy > Liveship trilogy > > each of which stand alone, followed by a unifying > > Tawny Man trilogy There’s a fourth series, the Rain Wilds trilogy, which is set in the same world. This is centered on the re-emergence of dragons in the world. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/12 "2011-12-19T16:54:27Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > Has anyone read Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next or Last Dragonslayer books? I read ‘Shades of Grey’ by him and loved it, but unfortunately it’s only the first book of a trilogy that is not rushing towards completion. I’m reading the Thursday Next series now. They’re lots of fun but I wouldn’t call them trashy or fantasy. Not sure what I’d call them, actually. SF for book nerds? Have you read any Tim Powers? You’d probably like _The Anubis Gates_. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/13 "2011-12-19T17:37:47Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I’m reading the Thursday Next series now. They’re lots of fun but I wouldn’t call them trashy or fantasy. Not sure what I’d call them, actually. SF for book nerds? They’re at least half a dozen genres rolled into one. No dragons that I can recall, but just about everything else. For dragons (and griffins), I could suggest Diana Wynne Jones’s [Dark Lord of Derkholm](http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Derkholm-Diana-Wynne-Jones/dp/0064473368/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324315949&sr=1-1) (and its sequel). ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/14 "2011-12-19T21:05:09Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > I vaguely remember having read some Gemmell. Wikipedia says its something called Heroic Fantasy. Will go back and give him a try. I wonder if making more escapist fantasy recommendations will give away too much about myself, but man, was Tarzan ever a good set of pulp ‘Heroic’ fantasy fiction. I’m a huge fan of Gemmell, even though his plots are, after the first few, almost always redundant. I recommend that you start with Morningstar and Legend. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/15 "2011-12-19T21:28:02Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > Also Barbara Hambly’s novel _Dragonsbane_. I very much enjoyed _Dragonsbane_. It’s an excellent book. The other two books in the trilogy are tougher. Or, so I thought. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hambly#Winterlands) tells me there’s actually 4 books and a novella. Wikipedia also tells me that the second book, _Dragonshadow_ was written almost a decade and a half after _Dragonsbane_, which might explain the dramatic differences in them. _Knight of the Demon Queen_ is also superb, but it made me cry. That’s your fair warning. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/16 "2011-12-20T06:53:09Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > For dragons, I liked Patricia Briggs’s duology _Dragon Bones/Dragon Blood_. Also Barbara Hambly’s novel _Dragonsbane_. > > For gritty fantasy along the lines of Abercrombie and Martin, you might try Richard K. Morgan’s new fantasy series, starting with _The Steel Remains_. It’s a trilogy, and the second book has just been published. > > I liked _The Lies of Lock Lamora_, by Scott Lynch, which is sort of a mashup of _Oliver Twist_ and _Ocean’s Eleven_. A caper story in a fantasy setting. > > Bujold has written some fantasy. I like her Chalion books, but I did not like the first Sharing Knife book. I’ve added Briggs to the to-read stack, and realised that I’ve read Dragonsbane. Isn’t it the one where The woman either turns into the dragon at the end, or takes his power? . I’ve read Lynch, and liked the books, but unfinished fantasy series, especially after Rothfuss’ epic let-down, are a tough sell for me to myself right now. I read a synopsis of Chalion, and the premise sounded so similar - scrawny character in a terrible situation who then works things out - I figured I’d just wait for another Miles book. > [@AuntiePam](#): > > I’m reading the Thursday Next series now. They’re lots of fun but I wouldn’t call them trashy or fantasy. Not sure what I’d call them, actually. SF for book nerds? > > Have you read any Tim Powers? You’d probably like _The Anubis Gates_. SF for book nerds sounds _right_ up my alley 😃 I think I’ll definitely read Thursday Next, especially since I enjoyed Shades of Grey by Fforde so much. Powers I haven’t read, will check him out. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > They’re at least half a dozen genres rolled into one. No dragons that I can recall, but just about everything else. > For dragons (and griffins), I could suggest Diana Wynne Jones’s [Dark Lord of Derkholm](http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Derkholm-Diana-Wynne-Jones/dp/0064473368/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324315949&sr=1-1) (and its sequel). Sounds a bit like Pratchett, this book does. And as such, definitely worth a whirl. > [@Khadaji](#): > > I’m a huge fan of Gemmell, even though his plots are, after the first few, almost always redundant. I recommend that you start with Morningstar and Legend. Yes, that was the memory I have too. Will pick up Morningstar or Legend first, thanks. > [@BlueKangaroo](#): > > I very much enjoyed _Dragonsbane_. It’s an excellent book. The other two books in the trilogy are tougher. > > Or, so I thought. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hambly#Winterlands) tells me there’s actually 4 books and a novella. Wikipedia also tells me that the second book, _Dragonshadow_ was written almost a decade and a half after _Dragonsbane_, which might explain the dramatic differences in them. > > _Knight of the Demon Queen_ is also superb, but it made me cry. That’s your fair warning. And knowing is half the battle 🙂 Thanks all. Much appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/17 "2011-12-20T06:59:03Z")
The YA series The Enchanted Forest Chronicles is chockful of dragons and other fantasy stuff wonderfully subverted. There are no dragons in Tanya Huff’s Summon the Keeper series but I can’t think of a series that does a better job of epitomizing trashy urban fantasy. ---
**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:** [December 20, 2011, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/18 "2011-12-20T07:12:22Z")
> [@BlueKangaroo](#): > > I very much enjoyed _Dragonsbane_. It’s an excellent book. The other two books in the trilogy are tougher. > > Or, so I thought. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hambly#Winterlands) tells me there’s actually 4 books and a novella. Wikipedia also tells me that the second book, _Dragonshadow_ was written almost a decade and a half after _Dragonsbane_, which might explain the dramatic differences in them. > > _Knight of the Demon Queen_ is also superb, but it made me cry. That’s your fair warning. Hambly wrote the Dragonsbane sequels right after her ex-husband, her soul mate, died. He was her ex for legal reasons, but she still loved him very, very much. She was in a great deal of pain when she wrote those books, but she had a contract. ANY book that she wrote during that time would have been very painful to read. Or at least this is what I’d heard. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/19 "2011-12-20T07:31:26Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The YA series The Enchanted Forest Chronicles is chockful of dragons and other fantasy stuff wonderfully subverted. Ah yes–good call. ([link](http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Forest-Chronicles-Dealing-Searching/dp/0152050523)) ---
**Author:** ![spanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@spanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spanna)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723/20 "2011-12-20T09:54:33Z")
I started David Gemmell with White Wolf which I would recommend (I loved his books though some more than others) Other “trash” fantasy I would recommend David Eddings - Belgariad & Mallorean Maria V Snyder - Poison Study Raymond E Feist - The Riftwar Saga & The Empire Trilogy (Loved the Empire Trilogy) I only read The Alera series this year and loved it so we may have different tastes [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-me-towards-some-good-trashy-fantasy-fiction/606723.md?page=2)