# recommend me some (fairly) mindless fantasy/sf **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-fairly-mindless-fantasy-sf/498737 "2009-06-04T19:28:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-fairly-mindless-fantasy-sf/498737/41 "2009-06-08T04:51:59Z")
I don’t think I’d call it **mindless** , but one of my favorite series was **A Dream of Eagles** , by **Jack Whyte**. It’s an interesting… theory, if you will, behind the legend of King Arthur and Camelot. Apparently, outside Canada, the series is titled **Camulod**. Mind you, it seems he’s fond of spiritual debate, of which there was quite a bit in the series. I wouldn’t mind re-reading it, and then get into his other works. S^G ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-fairly-mindless-fantasy-sf/498737/42 "2009-06-09T00:07:40Z")
Dave Duncan is a bit like Lackey in readability, while also dealing with some fairly serious and dark stuff. He also has a lot of lighter moments mixed in with his stories. I highly recommend anything by him, particularly the [Seventh Sword](http://www.daveduncan.com/ss/index.html), [A Man of His Word](http://www.daveduncan.com/mw/index.html), and [King’s Blades](http://www.daveduncan.com/blades/index.html) series. Those are his best, I think, and will probably get you hooked on his other stuff. The Seventh Sword features an unusual fantasy setting, India-esque, and subverts many of the usual fantasy tropes at the same time as it uses the familiar one of a person from our world dealing with a fantasy world. A Man of His Word takes the idea of a word of power and not just runs, but sprints with it. The cultures and settings are, again, very different from your usual Northern European elves and trolls and forests. The King’s Blades’ setting is reminiscent of England, particularly the king who is quite a bit like Henry VIII. He introduces yet another unusual magic system and a compelling central character. The covers look like they belong on bad romances, but the stories are nothing at all like that. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-fairly-mindless-fantasy-sf/498737/43 "2009-06-09T16:17:22Z")
> [@satoridt](#): > > I tried Eddings once, elder gods I think it was, and was not impressed I will definitely give him another try though. Definitely stick with the four series (which could be considered two series, each of which has an original set and a sequal set) that people have specifically recommended: The Belgariad and The Mallorean, and The Elenium and The Tamuli. Oh, and I’m another who’s going to tell you to avoid Piers Anthony. It’s funny when you’re 12, much less so when you’re an adult. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-fairly-mindless-fantasy-sf/498737/44 "2009-06-09T22:21:28Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > The Malazan series by Steven Erikson isn’t mindless Malazan quickly turns into a fantasy version of “Fantastic 4 vs. Galacticus”, combined with an equal helping of “Dragon Ball Z”. I’d say it epitomizes “mindless fantasy” ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-fairly-mindless-fantasy-sf/498737/45 "2009-06-10T01:06:56Z")
I’m going to have to disagree with you there. Not that I’ve ever read the other two works that you’ve mentioned, but I think the Malazan books are anything but mindless. ---
**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:** [June 10, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-fairly-mindless-fantasy-sf/498737/46 "2009-06-10T01:20:55Z")
> [@bleu\_ewe](#): > > Has anyone said Piers Anthony’s Xanth series? That’s like the model “mindless” fantasy series, I should think. I considered mentioning it. With Xanth or any other series by Piers Anthony, you should start at the beginning and stop when you get to the first book that lets you down, because they only get worse from there. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-fairly-mindless-fantasy-sf/498737/47 "2009-06-10T12:50:39Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I considered mentioning it. With Xanth or any other series by Piers Anthony, you should start at the beginning and stop when you get to the first book that lets you down, because they only get worse from there. Usually the 3 or 4 book. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-fairly-mindless-fantasy-sf/498737/48 "2009-06-10T13:12:46Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Usually the 3 or 4 book. Yep. _A Spell for Chameleon_, _The Source of Magic_, _Castle Roogna_ and _Centaur Aisle_ are excellent. It’s still GOOD up through about _Dragon On A Pedestal_. Starting with _Crewel Lye_, it becomes mostly puns (fueled by Anthony’s compulsion to use as many lousy fan-submitted ideas as possible). All the books after that seem really paint-by-numbers, as the actual plot is likely to be turned aside in order to shoehorn in another fan idea. The Humbert Humbert stuff, while very occasionally present earlier, also starts to get out of hand after _Crewel Lye_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-fairly-mindless-fantasy-sf/498737.md?page=2)