Favorite Books

[Svenrick]

In another thread it was suggested that I look for some Forgotten Realms books to read. I'm looking to expand upon the amount of books I own and read, but I don't get many book recommendations that are on par with what I'm looking for. What books do you recommend to one another? Personally I'm looking for Science Fiction or Forgotten Realms Fantasy for the familiarity as well as to get a better grasp of the lore.

[dolifer]

The Legend of Drizzt series as well as the five books in the Avatar story are by far my favorite in Forgotten Realms novels and books in general. Tons of good lore and great writing in both of those series, though there are so many more fantastic ones. I've also heard the War of the Spider Queen is a great few books also full of drow stuffs oif you're interested. I've just started that one now, so let's see how it goes! Oh, and there's also the Priests, four (I think) relatively short books each having to do with a different FR deity, if you're looking to broaden your knowledge on that front.

...I pretty much read any FR book I can get my hands on, and there are few I've not enjoyed and learned from. I could go on for pages. ^^

[Gwain]

Dragonlance is very good as an introduction to fantasy before going into fr. I'm more a discworld man myself.

[Xryon]

Sci-Fi: Anything Asimov, Dune series, Peter F. Hamilton (Reality Dysfunction)

Fantasy: Brandon Sanderson's stuff is fantastic. Recommend anything by him, but the Stormlight Archive books specifically. Recently finished Robin Hobb's trilogies, also fantastic. Glen Cook's Black Company books are great. Joseph Abercrombie does really good dark-fantasy. Finally started Raymond E. Feist's works a couple months ago, and those were all really good, as well.

[Sithiel]

From Forgotten Realms, I like the Legends of Drizzt and Starlight and Shadows-saga by Elaine Cunningham as great drow books. Also the Elminster books by the sage Ed Greenwood himself are great.

Outside FR I absolutely love Patrick Rothfuss (Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear) and The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson. And of course the Song of Ice and Fire is waayyy better than the TV-adaptation Game of Thrones.

[Alitar]

The five Avatar Series books are some of my favourites.

[Lirith]

I LOVE Robin Hobb, Mask actually sent me a few of those on Kindle otherwise I'd probably never have picked it up. I like Raymond E. Feist but I find him a bit wordy so I have to stick with it a bit.

I have never read a single Forgotten Realms book, so as someone who hasn't, there are a lot of ways to learn about the setting and lore without having to read the fiction. I prefer some of the source books for that, so my recommendation would be to look into a few of those.

[Xryon]

I LOVE Robin Hobb, Mask actually sent me a few of those on Kindle otherwise I'd probably never have picked it up. I like Raymond E. Feist but I find him a bit wordy so I have to stick with it a bit.

I have never read a single Forgotten Realms book, so as someone who hasn't, there are a lot of ways to learn about the setting and lore without having to read the fiction. I prefer some of the source books for that, so my recommendation would be to look into a few of those.

I was really impressed with Hobb (even though the first three books have, to me, terribly sad endings), especially since I just picked up one of her books sporadically. Had never heard of her before, and a female author I'm a true fan of is rare. Definitely recommend her stuff for anyone that hasn't already checked her out.

[Althasizor]

I LOVE Robin Hobb, Mask actually sent me a few of those on Kindle otherwise I'd probably never have picked it up. I like Raymond E. Feist but I find him a bit wordy so I have to stick with it a bit.

I have never read a single Forgotten Realms book, so as someone who hasn't, there are a lot of ways to learn about the setting and lore without having to read the fiction. I prefer some of the source books for that, so my recommendation would be to look into a few of those.

I tried to read a Forgotten Realms novel once, but things got weird with some book-y monks, and I noped right out of there. I second the source books suggestion so hard though. Mysteries of the Moonsea is a wonderful book, and Faiths & Pantheons is a gift straight down from Mount Celestia.

[Lirith]

I was really impressed with Hobb (even though the first three books have, to me, terribly sad endings), especially since I just picked up one of her books sporadically. Had never heard of her before, and a female author I'm a true fan of is rare. Definitely recommend her stuff for anyone that hasn't already checked her out.

They are really sad! I think all of them are, none of the characters end up how I want them to, but I think that is a lot of the reason why I like them.

I tried to read a Forgotten Realms novel once, but things got weird with some book-y monks, and I noped right out of there. I second the source books suggestion so hard though. Mysteries of the Moonsea is a wonderful book, and Faiths & Pantheons is a gift straight down from Mount Celestia.

Yes and yes. I'd be useless without Faiths & Pantheons. Okay, more useless. Powers & Pantheons is also good for lesser known deities and non-human pantheons. I love Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue too for browsing.

[Talos]

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi. The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield. The Tyranny of the Night by Glen Cook. Black Man by Richard K Morgan.

[Tyeslan]

I agree with Lirith's and Althasizor's selections of source books. I don't know what I would do without most of mine. It's good for little details, and selection faiths/races, and really good for general research about a lot of our settings.

Though, I have read through a lot of FR books, I started with the Legend of Drizzt, and I have branched off to several others. Kaaurk, and I have probably two or three shelves of just FR books. Richard Baker, Richard Lee Byers, and Ed Greenwood are some other good authors in FR. Elaine Cunningham has a couple good ones just about elves. You can google Forgotten Realms authors, and get a good variety.

Otherwise I fall under the Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time, Brandon Sanderson, and Patrick Ruthfuss group.

[Jerrel]

Co-signing the Jordan, Sanderson, Hobb, and Rothfuss recs as well. I recently read the first two books in the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks and enjoyed them.

Sci-Fi: I've liked reading John Scalzi. Redshirts in particular is a fun little stand-alone jaunt.

[Terageld]

I actually never understood any of the FR books when I first picked them up. I learned most of my lore through wikia-crawling before I could enjoy the books properly. I find the books to be more helpful for storylines, while the wikia is better for hard facts about the Realms.

[Yemin]

Always dangerous to take facts from books... if i remember right salvatore made several references to drow needing to SLEEP in his earlier work as well as star pupil drow fighter school graduate drizzt doerdan being so adept with his last 6 months of training in sorcere as to have mastered the lesser cantrips and eve a few level 1 spells... but bro where your grease at?

anyway... all time favourite book series I reread every couple of years.. or wel, partial reread is Wheel of time and naturally Sanderson's spiritual successor Stormlight archive. Best examples of High fantasy I've ever had the pleasure to read.

IN dnd though... I think both series of Abyssal plague takes the cake over even Drizzt and I'm working on getting into the Eberron setting more with Draconic prophecy

[Althasizor]

IIRC, drow -do- need to sleep. They don't have the peace to seek reverie, or some such. That, or they aren't favoured by the Seldarine to receive it. Maybe I made one of those up, maybei they're from differing sources.. Not sure. Whichever. I don't have my books open at the moment, but I'm fairly certain FR canon is that drow are incapable of reverie and sleep instead.

[Gwain]

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Drow

Has been a good resource for me of late for drow trance, sleep and general behaviours.

[Yemin]

Well there one has it. Interesting rumor/fact/not really fact I heard when I first played dnd a few years ago, I was given the reason elves don't sleep is that their afraid of the lack of control over their own minds and bodies or somesuch. But anyway.

I neglected to state that one of the funniest sci-fi books is probably the Nuclear bombshell series by Lawrence Ganem. Though only if your sense of comedy allows for just random silliness and only slightly above college level babe jokes.

Also I heard about a book set in 1600 DR that may or maynot have been accepted as FR lore, but I can't find the title. Anyone know it?

[Terageld]

But back on the topic of books, my favorite FRs are the classic Drizzt series. I find them to be good for the daily bedtime reading.
Outside of FR, I like books about politics and dystopias. Anthem by Ayn Rand is my favorite short read. I also really like Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, though it's a really long book.

[Jerrel]

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi. The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield. The Tyranny of the Night by Glen Cook. Black Man by Richard K Morgan.

Picked up The Tyranny of the Night because of this. Thanks Talos!