Can anyone recommend a good multi-volume fantasy series a la LOTR

[Mike Daniels]

Just wondering if anyone can give me a name or two of a good serial style fantasy series.

After finishing LOTR I started on the "Wheel of Time" series but found the astral projection/reincarnation angle to be tiresome around Part 4 and I now would need to start all over from Part 1 if I wish to pick the series up again since I'd be lost if I started up from where I quit the first time around.

I just started George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones" and am enjoying the political/faction elements of the story and where it promises to lead with the other books of that plotline.

Are there any other series out there that cover similar territory that may be good choices for future reading. I prefer the D&D style fantasy genre more than Sci-Fi and would prefer something with a sprawling story line vs. one volume but am open to suggestions of either type.

Thanks.

[LynzM]

1. Doh!

I was going to recommend Martin's series. It's excellent, IMO.

Also, the series that starts with Daughter of the Forest, by Juliet Marillier, is good so far! (Starting into book 2...)

[democracyindanger]

2. Thieves' World

Edited by Robert Aspirin. Same characters are used by different authors. Really well done. About a dozen books in the series, I think, but I haven't read it in years.

[ET Awful]

3. Two that I highly recommend

Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind

Both excellent :)

Of course, as you've already discovered, Martin's stuff is a lot of fun.

Oh, and before I forget, the entire Mithgar series by Dennis L. McKiernan is also exceptional.

[markbark]

4. It's crap, but entertaining crap nonetheless....

Jack Chalker's "Wellworld" series.

A Sci-Fi/Fantasy romp with Ian Fleming's pacing.
Mental masturbation of the highest order. (grin)



--MAB

On edit....

The series you're looking for are the ORIGINAL series...
Midnight at the Well of Souls
Echoes From the Well of Souls,
Questfor the Well of Souls,
Return to the Well of Souls and
Twilight at the Well of Souls

amazon him @ http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/14910/ref=br_dp__4/103-1499131-0418230

[proud patriot]

5. the " Dragon's of Pern " series is one of my moms favorites

:hi:

[Liberal Veteran]

6. Go for the heavy stuff like the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

It's good stuff, but with the most unlikable protagonist EVER.

[buczak]

8. Thomas Covenant.

I second that.

I read LOTR in high school and shortly picked up the Chronicles of
Thomas Covenant. I didn't like Dune or many of the other fantasy.

But I really like Thomas Covenant. I second that suggestion

I like the Pern series as well..

What about Xanth? Any fans of that series. I really like the Hitchhikers guide to the universe vs. Fantasy angle.

Tim

[Chovexani]

15. Dune is sci-fi

But despite Herbert's dry writing style I find it the most accessible of the sci-fi I have read because it does resemble fantasy in that there is a lot of political intrigue and mystical elements in the story. Even though I am a fan of both genres I lean more towards fantasy, so it really appealed to me.

Although there are similarities between them I think it's a mistake to lump fantasy and sci-fi together, they are two very different genres (especially when you start getting into stuff like "hard" sf vs. "soft" sf, etc.).

I like what David Eddings said about it: SF spends 20 pages explaining how the watch works, fantasy tells you what it looks like and then gets on with the story. :P

(Edit: I'm not terribly fond of any of Piers Anthony's stuff but the Xanth books are the absolute bottom of the barrel. They're some of the worst crap I've had the misfortune of reading--they're not funny, they're just unbelievably corny. If you want fantasy that brings the funny, read Terry Pratchett instead.)

[Worst Username Ever]

7. Dark Tower

[Beetwasher]

9. Robin Hobb: Assassins Quest Triology

Is really good and it's followed up by the Liveship Trilogy and then the Tawny Man Trilogy.

If you like D&D then read the Weiss & Hickman Dragonlance series too.

[reprehensor]

10. Any series by...

Michael Moorcock.

I recommend: 'Elric' saga, and the 'Chronicles of Corum'. Brilliant stuff.

For Tolkien derivative, Terry Brooks 'Shannara' series starts out good, but after the 3rd book I lost interest.

And believe it or not, the original Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard are really well done. He wrote in more of a pulp vein, but each book of collected stories is suprisingly good, and has held up well over 60 years.

But don't start any of these books before the election. Get your ass out there and volunteer.

Of course, if you already are doing that, that's cool. :)

[arenar]

11. Try the early Raymond E. Feist. stuff....

The Riftwar books.

The Empire Trilogy.

pretty good and same style as LOTR.

[Chovexani]

12. Sure I can

If you like D&D stuff, and enjoy political intrigue, you owe it to yourself to check out R.A. Salvatore's work in the Forgotten Realms setting--particularly the Drizzt Do'Urden books which made him famous (Drizzt is a dark elven ranger who rejected the evils of Drow society and went to the surface). There are a few Drizzt series and the neat thing is most of them are available in a single volume now. This is the order you want to read them in:

-Icewind Dale Trilogy
-Dark Elf Trilogy
-Legacy of the Drow (4 books)
-Paths of Darkness (4 books)

There's a new trilogy after Paths of Darkness called the Hunter's Blade Trilogy which I haven't gotten a chance to read yet. I'm not sure if book 3 has come out yet. Another good FR series is War of the Spider Queen which is still in the process of coming out (it's supposed to be six books and I think book 5 is out in hardcover or should be soon). R.A. Salvatore is the editor in charge of it and each book has a different author. It's pretty good so far, I just finished book 3 and though it's the weakest one so far the story is excellent. All the "heroes" are undeniably evil, so the inter-group dynamics at play are much different than in your average fantasy novel. It's great stuff.

If you like more traditional Tolkien-esque elves you should also try Elaine Cunningham's FR books. Songs & Swords is the series she is most known for. That's another 5 book one. She also did a Drow trilogy called Starlight & Shadows that is worth reading just to get a different perspective than Salvatore's on Drow life. Ever since Drizzt was introduced, the good-hearted drow fleeing to the surface has become almost cliche, but Cunningham manages to do it in a fresh and interesting way. I would suggest reading this trilogy after Legacy of the Drow though, because it takes place a few years after the events in the LotD books and makes references to things that happened in them.

As for non-D&D fantasy books, try David (and Leigh) Eddings' stuff. A lot of people (esp. Robert Jordan fans) trash his stuff as being derivative (and to some extent that is true) but he likes to skewer Ye Olde High Fantasie stereotypes and I love it. He especially has a gift for writing snarky dialogue. Try the Belgariad first and then the Malloreon, which are both 5 book series. Then try the Sparhawk books, which I actually prefer...they are two trilogies, the Elenium comes first and then the Tamuli.

Ok I just gave you like over 40 books to read. If that's not enough come back and I'll give you some more. :)

[Caution]

13. Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams

[Caution]

14. Terry Pratchett's Discworld

My absolute favorite.

[Christof]

16. The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice.

Great series of books. :thumbsup:

[Chovexani]

17. I like them but those are definitely horror.

And he specifically asked for Tolkien-esque fantasy.

Though you could argue Memnoch sort of wandered off in that direction. :crazy:

[Christof]

19. Tolkien is rather boring.

I was trying to liven up his book choices. :)

[Chovexani]

20. Tolkien and Tolkien-esque are two different things

Despite the fact that 99% of modern fantasy is somehow derivative of Tolkien, there are a breadth of different styles in the genre. "High fantasy" in the vein of Tolkien need not be boring.

It's sort of a moot point because Rice isn't in the same zip code as that stuff. I'm not even sure she's on the same planet. :P

Of course this is entirely subjective but I don't think Tolkien is boring. I'm a fan of both authors (or, at least I was an Anne Rice fan until she lost her fucking mind), and their styles are as different as night and day--I wouldn't suggest one to a fan of the other if they were looking for similar stuff.

My point is, if someone asked me where a good BBQ joint was, I wouldn't send them to Benihana's. :silly:

Don't mind me, I'm just anal retentive and I don't want to hijack the thread.

[politicat]

18. Peake, Pullman, Dunsany.

Two older, one new.

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is an incredible trilogy. Heartbreaking in many ways and far better written than many books that are currently aimed at children and teens.
These are The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

Lord Dunsany (Edward J.M.D. Plunkett) was very much one of the godfathers of modern fantasy. His works are available at Gutenberg, and there are 11 books available. Most are still in print, as well. http://www.gutenberg.net/catalog/world/authrec?fk_authors=2685

Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast series (3 books) are harder to find, but far better than many of the authors you mentioned. http://www.mervynpeake.org His stuff is quite wonderful.

Pcat

[DrWeird]

21. Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series.

They're collections of short stories. The first few you can find at Borders. The later stories might be a bit trickier to find.

Really entertaining.

[dancing kali]

22. Sprawling storyline?

David Eddings. The five volume Belgariad followed by the five volume Mallorean. He has other multi volume books out but they all are pretty much like the original Belgariad/Mallorean books. I love his characters - especially the women and his dialogue is wonderful. He also has a tendency write endless sentences... one sentence can be half a page long.