[Shef]

All right, I have not read either one of these series. I heard that they were both spin-offs of D&D and are supposedly good fantasy.

So here is my question. What series should I start reading, and where should I begin.

Thanks,
Shef, The Enigmatic Purple Penguin :D

[LeMort]

Well, they're not good fantasy.

They're uncomplicated, unoriginal spinoffs from an RPG. Most of the authors of the books are hacks who churn them out at a right rate. So don't read them if you're looking for quality fantasy.

But...

If you simply must read them then:

In Dragonlance, the best of the bunch are Dragonlance Chronicles (Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, Dragons of Spring Dawning) and Dragonlance Legends (Time of the Twins, War of the Twins, Test of the Twins). All by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

In the Forgotton Realms, look for the Icewind Dale trilogy (The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling's Gem) or the Dark Elf trilogy (Homeland, Exile, Sojourn), by R. A. Salvatore.

They're the best you'll find. Mildly enjoyable, overly simplistic, and kind of badly written. Strangely, a lot of people seem to like them. If you're a younger reader then you'll most likely enjoy them because they are targetted, and written for, teenagers mostly.

Hope that helps! :)

[Shef]

Thanks for the heads up Lemort. I shall now avoid them like the plague. I was primarily curious because they take up much of the science fiction and fantasy section in my local book store.

Thanks,
Shef

[ezchaos]

Shef, like the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms junk, unfortunately most of the other stuff on the Fantasy & Science Fiction selves these days. The other night I was at my local 'big box' bookstore. Almost a third of the selves were devoted to the D&D, X-Files, Star Trek books.:mad:

[Qin]

Originally posted by Shef
I was primarily curious because they take up much of the science fiction and fantasy section in my local book store.

That's because they're easy sells Shef. Stupidity sells. Thus there's what seems like fourty-thousand books ABOUT the Old/New Testament, Koran, Buddha, Wicca, etc in the religion/spirituality section of bookstores. But an actual Bible? Not a chance in Hell (excuse the pun). I had to go an Episcopalian church near school to obtain an actual legitimate Bible.

Anyways, that's why there're so many Star Wars, AD&D, Babylon 5, etc, novels on the shelves - they have a built in audience and there's a minimal risk involved in publishing them. They're not built to enlighten or provide some sort of intellectual discussion - they're cheap entertainment. And they're good if you want some cheap brain candy, but that's all they're good for.

[Kingslayer]

And is it just me or have the price of these books been on the increase in recent years?

[Qin]

Most mass market novels have hung around the $6.99/7.99 price range the last few years. If there's been a price hike, I haven't noticed it.

[Kingslayer]

The reason I asked was because alot of the books on my shelf that were published 5-10 years ago are alot cheaper(£2.99-3.99), whereas now you're lucky find find a book at £5.99.The standard price for fantasy is £6.99.Perhaps it's just a British thing
:(

[Qin]

It might just be a UK issue. After all, I've been raiding in a serious manner bookstores since the late-90's, and the prices have remained about the same throughout the last several years. I certainly can't speak for the rest of the country, but the prices of books here in Boston haven't changed much, if at all.

[allanon]

NOPE!
They are good fantasy, excellent and enjoyable reading in the traditions of the genre and without blood and sex to make them "realistic". IMHO Raistlin is one of the greatest fantasy characters and the books are GREAT! And they are bestsellers, because the people love them.
And "DragonLance" is better, BTW.