# Recommend me some good FINISHED fantasy series... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849 "2006-12-19T23:47:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Penchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Penchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penchan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849/41 "2006-12-28T10:00:40Z")
[QUOTE=sturmhauke] Oh yeah, I forgot. Mercedes Lackey has a number of trilogies and single novels set in and around the kingdom of Valdemar. They refer to each other from time to time, but each one can be read and enjoyed independently of the others. The character of Vanyel is one of the few gay protagonists in fantasy - he is in the Magic’s Pawn/Promise/Price trilogy. [/QUOTE] I highly suggest Mercedes Lackey and her Valdemar series. Her books are very easy reads with clear writing and understandable plots and connections. I have read every book in the Valdemar series and I found it very fun to trace the little details that link each of the trilogies to each other. I’d personally start from the very beginning with the Black Gryphon since I like linear reading. But if you want stories with punch, I’d go with the Magic’s Pawn/Promise/Price trilogy or the Arrows of the Queen/Arrow’s Flight/Arrow’s Fall trilogy (which is my favorite). Have fun reading as this series as it’s 26 books long with two more books with Valdemar-related short stories. Fun to be had for a while! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849/42 "2006-12-28T16:43:09Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] However, having said that, her [Morgaine](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Morgaine_Stories&oldid=94446446) series was fantasy, and very good, IMO. I like Cherryh, and telling Morgaine’s story from the POV of her retainer Vanye adds an almost Quixotic note to her quest. I consider it a must-read. [/quote] The Morgaine Cycle is actually _technically_ science fiction, insomuch as it implicitly takes place in a universe where there is no magic. In fact it supposedly takes place in the exact same universe as the Chanur series and most of her books - the Union-Alliance universe. It’s just heavy on the sword and sorcery tropes, but within a framework where something like the stereotypical uber-powerful ‘magical sword’ is actually an extremely advanced technological artifact. But I recommend them as well. They’re close enough :). [QUOTE=EuroMDguy] Here’s my pick… **Lord Valentine’s Trilogy** by Robert Silverberg (Consisting of ‘Lord Valentine’s Castle’, ‘The Majipoor Chronicles’ and ‘Valentine Pontifex’) [/QUOTE] Also science fiction. Of course drawing a neat line between science-fiction and fantasy can be a little arbitrary. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849/43 "2006-12-28T16:46:18Z")
I’m a big fan of Robin Hobb’s, with basically no idea what her critics are talking about 😉 Anyway, her works revolving around FitzChivalry are divided into three; The Assassin’s Apprentice series is the start, introducing the set of characters (in an admirable way, the plot is kept quite neat and tight, with few ‘added at convenience’ characters and redundant mini-plots) and the basic premise for the world. The Liveship Trilogy is not really centred in the same way, as it’s basically set in another world, but reading it does give some insight in both the way the world’s set up and how Robin Hobb works. Quite good - actually really enjoyable - on it’s own, but not essential. The Golden Fool trilogy expands the focus to two central characters, and does quite a lot of things I’m surprised to see in a fantasy book. Some quite heart-wrenching, but all extremely enjoyable as a reader. Rereading what I’ve written, I see I haven’t brought much new to the table, so I guess all I can do is yet again heartily endorse Robin Hobb’s writing. You may want to skip the Liveship trilogy (or read it as a stand-alone) but her books are all greats and the 6-book Fitzchivalry saga (Assassin’s Apprentice/Golden Fool) makes a superb read. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849/44 "2006-12-28T18:35:14Z")
Anyone who likes Tolkien needs to read the works of E. R. Eddison. His first book [The Worm Ouroboros](http://www.amazon.com/Worm-Ouroboros-E-R-Eddison/dp/0486447405/sr=1-1/qid=1167330484/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-1154176-6524967?ie=UTF8&s=books) was written in 1921 and considered by many (inluding Tolkien) to be the high point of English fantasy. The writing is deliberately old-fashioned, somewhat moreso than Tolkien’s, but the dedication to the basic themes of heroism and love is similar to _The Lord of the Rings_. Eddison added three loosely related sequels: _Mistress of Mistresses A Fish Dinner in Memison The Mezentian Gate_ Or if that’s not sufficient, you can always use [The Random Fantasy Generator](http://fifthsorceress.tripod.com/fn.html) to get an infinite stream of top-quality fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849/45 "2006-12-28T19:03:37Z")
The Fionavar Tapestry, damn it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849/46 "2006-12-28T21:43:16Z")
[QUOTE=Tamerlane] The Morgaine Cycle is actually _technically_ science fiction, insomuch as it implicitly takes place in a universe where there is no magic. [/QUOTE] As the Wikipedia article addresses, Cherryh herself explicitly calls it Fantasy. While I’m all for the Speculative Fiction umbrella genre myself, in this case I actually thought about it, and went with authorial _dictat_. [QUOTE=Tamerlane] In fact it supposedly takes place in the exact same universe as the Chanur series and most of her books - the Union-Alliance universe. [/QUOTE] That I’d love a non-Wiki cite for, I can’t really think of a good link between the Alliance/Union metaseries and the Morgaine one. I know there’s mention (even in that Wiki article) of Morgaine being sent by the “Union Science Bureau”, but that’s it. Yet she’s described as decidedly non-human, and the tech level of her antecedent civilization is far outside the scope of the A-U series. Not that I can’t see it as possible for it all to be linked (I read King:)), but it definitely isn’t usually listed as A-U. Not in the [Wiki bibliography](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._J._Cherryh_bibliography) nor in Cherryh’s [own site](http://www.cherryh.com/www/univer.htm) The Foreigner series, which seems to be her current playground, ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849/47 "2006-12-28T21:49:37Z")
> [@](#): > > The Foreigner series, which seems to be her current playground, …also seems to be standalone, I was going to say. Funny, I still think of the A-U setting as the “Downbelow Station” Universe. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849/48 "2006-12-28T22:35:09Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] I know there’s mention (even in that Wiki article) of Morgaine being sent by the “Union Science Bureau”, but that’s it. [/QUOTE] That would be my sole cite as well - it’s from the first book. I consider it sufficient insomuch as she’s ( somewhat ) retroactively shoehorned so much of her stuff into that milieu. Cherryh may call it fantasy, but I disagree and am going to go with the “trust the story, not the storyteller” philosophy on this one :p. But YMMV, obviously ( and comfortably so - I could argue either side myself ). Oddly enough I have only just recently re-read the first three. My old copies were among the several hundreds of semi-trashed paperbacks I recycled during my last move, so I picked up the omnibus of the first three on a whim a month or so ago. They still hold up pretty well. Gates of Ivrel was in fact the first Cherryh I ever read. I guess I’m going to have to start digging through my garage for the fourth one, which I believe I hung onto ( good thing - looks like it might be temporarily out of print ). - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Asgardking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Asgardking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asgardking)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849/49 "2006-12-29T00:12:44Z")
A good long series that’s finished is Sherri S. Tepper’s True Game Series. It’s three trilogies, each centering on a different character. The Peter series: King’s Blood Four Necromancer Nine Wizard’s Eleven The Mavin series The Song of Mavin Manyshaped The Flight of Mavin Manyshaped The Search of Mavin Manyshaped The Jinian series: Jinian Footseer Jinian Dervish Daughter Jinian Stareye ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849/50 "2006-12-29T00:28:52Z")
Have you considered John Varley’s “Titan” trilogy? Sure it starts out as hard science fiction, and remains “plausable” (as opposed to fantastic), but it contains, wizards, goddesses, musical centaurs, spirits/ghosts, demons, witches, and a plethora of other typical fantasy elements, plus lots of fighting/battles (Imagine a 15 m tall Marilyn Monroe (50 ft 2, eyes of blue) fighting a gigantic anaconda…). What makes it outstanding (IMHO), is that it manages to do this in a way that just could be plausable. No “alternate universes, fractured physics, or other “cheats””. Oh, and there is a nice smattering of sex, too. The names of the books in the series are TITAN WIZARD DEMON And they have just been re-released! Check em out! regards FML [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-finished-fantasy-series/384849.md?page=2)