[Fat Nerd]

Do you need to start on a certain book to follow the storyline? I'm thinking of trying out the FR series.

Were these book series RPG games first? I seem to recall seeing a FR RPG.

Is the FR series decent? Or any other massive fanasy series?

[KatG]

Do you need to start on a certain book to follow the storyline? I'm thinking of trying out the FR series.

Were these book series RPG games first? I seem to recall seeing a FR RPG.

Is the FR series decent? Or any other massive fanasy series?
As to whether something is good or not, it depends on who you ask. :)

If I'm correct, I believe that Forgotten Realms was part of the massive role-playing game movement, yes. They packaged the games as a trifecta with the board games, computer games, and tie-in books. A number of their authors then took the series further outside of the games or did new series. A lot of the FR series were done in trilogies or specific lines, so it's probably not necessary to start with the first FR novel ever, but you might need to start with Book 1 in any specific series. Most other long fantasy series, it is a good idea to start with Book 1 to keep from being confused but not absolutely necessary. Some of the big names at the moment are:

Epic Fantasy:

J.R.R. Tolkein (Lord of the Rings)
Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time series)
George R.R. Martin (Song of Ice and Fire series)
Robin Hobb
Terry Goodkind
Robert Feist
David Eddings
Terry Brooks
Tad Williams
George Pullman

Urban (Contemporary) Fantasy:

J.K. Rowling
Neil Gaiman
Laurell K. Hamilton
James Blaylock
Lemony Snickett

Comic Fantasy:

Terry Pratchett

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Recommendations Thread will have lots of suggestions and lots of opinions on those titles for you.

[vxcz]

yeah dip into fr, their not big books, youve nothing to lose. it started out as the private roleplay world for ed greenwood who is now some kind of mannager at tsr, you can tell the world has been patched together at convenience if you take a step back, but its nice to see (hundrereds?) of books conforming to same standards.

where to start? i think fair to say there is only one big author in FR - r.a. salvatore (stay away from anything writen by ed greenwood.. hes not an author jus a geek with a beard.) the first books he wrote where the icewind dale tirlogy which is where i think anyone should start, first book called 'the crystal shard'

not sure i would have liked the books on their own merit, but fun if your playing the computer games and AD&D at the same time. live the brand. fyi: baldurs gate 2 pwnzors joo all