Would anyone here recommend reading R.A. Salvatore's novels?

Read a couple of his books at one time or another. They were fine :cool: Nothing spectacular but a decent read.

Here's a great site btw for finding books and such: <a href="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk" target="top">Fantastic Fiction</a> Can see what various authors recommend, related authors, what others have checked out, etc. It's really fun to browse before you head to the book store or library.

Tia

I've read pretty much every single thing he has put out.

I enjoy his works. As for my favorite.. its hard to say.. I liked the Cleric Quintet though.

Ooo.. thank you everyone, thank you :)

I definetly think the story line is great. I highly recommend reading his novels.

The Cleric Quintet is good and the Drizzt ones are pretty decent. Just get the two trilogies there, though. The ones after that degrade in terms of plot - at least in my opinion.

I don't read the Forgotten Realm or many D&D books myself, but I've got a lot of friends who do. Most seem to like Salvatore's novels, but have you considered Weis and Hickman instead? I seem to hear a lot more positive comments about those two than Salvatore.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>The Cleric Quintet is good and the Drizzt ones are pretty decent. Just get the two trilogies there, though. The ones after that degrade in terms of plot - at least in my opinion.[/quote]

True, but you do get some cool characters.

Artemis Entreri is one bad dude :) .

Salvatore's "Dark Elf" trilogy was good, and the story was continued into "Crystal Shard" trilogy and beyond (but the books after "Legacy" were somewhat dissapointing to me.

The "Cleric Quintet" 5-book series started out ok, but by the end it seemed to drag on.

If you like fantasy novels I suggest "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind.

The book is the first in the "Sword of Truth" series, and arguably still the best in the series.

(Many compare these books to the "Wheel of Time" series, and I agree they do seem similar, but the SoT series seems to have better action/adventure then WoT.)

I"ve never been a huge fan of Salvatore. He's a decent read, but his books are geared for a younger audience, much like Weis and Hickman.


<strong>If you like fantasy novels I suggest "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind.

The book is the first in the "Sword of Truth" series, and arguably still the best in the series.

(Many compare these books to the "Wheel of Time" series, and I agree they do seem similar, but the SoT series seems to have better action/adventure then WoT.)</strong>

I enjoyed the first four of five of the Sword of Truth series...but if you read it expecting a well written novel, you'll be dissapointed. And don't read it too soon after reading the Wheel of Time because you'll get just upset at how blatantly Goodkind rips off Jordan.

y recommendation for a fantasy series? Bar none, my absolute favorite is the "Misery, Sorrow, and Thorn" series by Tad Williams (The Dragonbone Chair, The Stone of Farewell, and To Green Angel Tower [pt 1 and 2 in paperback form]).

Extremely well written, very good story, all around an excellent series.

One of these days I'll have to get around to reading the Otherland series by him as well, but I'm horribly afraid it won't live up to my expectations after Misery, Sorrow, and Thorn.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>If you like fantasy novels I suggest "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind.

The book is the first in the "Sword of Truth" series, and arguably still the best in the series.[/quote]

Sure, if you like a lot of rape. I never understood why every single one of his books have women getting brutally raped in them. Sure, maybe that is some people's dark fantasy thing, but seriously now. I don't know why Goodkind is so facinated with it, but there are plenty of good fantasy novels out there and they don't have to resort to getting nasty.

edit: I read the first three and then stopped after that. Not my kind of thing.

I enjoy reading fantasy novels that are not geared for children.

The Fantasy novels I enjoy take me to a time where the rules are different and usually a lot more brutal and unfair.

In todays world of Star Wars, He-Man, Gi-Joe, X-Men, Comic Book nonsense.. It is nice to see a fantasy novel be unappologetic about its grim reality.

If you feel uncomfortable about a scene in a book, then skip a few pages.

David Gemmell's still my fantasy favorite, but unfortunately I'm a big patterns person, so many authors get very redundant for me, really quickly. That's why I can't read John Grisham anymore, every book just read like "The Firm" rehashed over and over again.

If you're up for a non-fiction read, I'd recommend Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. Funny as heck, and it'll make you think about who's making your food.

I read about anything I can get my hands on.
Some of my fav's you might like.

David Gemmell (Druss , Waylander series are good)
R A Salvatore. (Dark Elf Triliogy, Crystal Shard)
Peirs Anthony (Dragons Gold, Serpents Silver etc.)
Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time , also has done conan)
David Eddings (Belgariad )
Tad Williams (memory, sorrow, and thorn)
Robert Howard (Conan)
Terry Brooks (Shannara series)
E B White (once and future king)
J R R Tolken (duh)
Ed Greenwood (also does forgotten realms and other titles)

Also I cant recall off hand who did it, but The Death Gate Cycle is one of my favorite series.

The Death Gate Cycle was another Weis and Hickman creation ; they of Dragonlance fame. I really liked Death Gate but the 7th and final book left me wanting far, far more.

Salvatore's books read just like the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale games from Bioware play - lots of hack and slash with a good bit of humor throughout. I find them enjoyable.

I tried to get through the first Sword of Truth book but couldn't do it. The writer came off as a complete hack job to me. Jordan's wheel of time is far superior but that latest book of his was a really poor effort.

If you are looking for a lighter-fare fantasy series, I would highly recommend the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. It's very punny :)

I agree with the poster that loved Tad William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series. Great series but LONG. That boy can write and write and write some more. His Otherland series is LONG as well but I'm only through the 1st book there. Good so far, but not as good as MS&T.

I read Edding's stuff just to say I did it but I'll never do it again. I felt brain cells dying as I progressed through the series. I think reading those book does make one stooooopid.

Other series/authors I would recommend:

Robin Hobb - Read the Farseer trilogy first

J.V. Jones - The Book of Words trilogy - start with The
Baker's Boy.

George R. R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire series. Almost to book 4 of 6 now. I have read book 1 and it was absolutely fabulous! This will probably be best of the best when 6 wraps up. It can't happen soon enough.

-Perryn
Level 53 but can't wait for WoW.

It's T. H. White that wrote The Once and Future King, just so no one goes looking for the wrong guy. Great book though, classic fantasy from before it was anywhere near a genre. He predates Tolkien. Arthurian legends stuff.

For some reason, X2 makes several references to it.

If you are looking for something good, try George R.R. Martin. The fantasy trilogy he has out now is superb.

As I was reading through this, I decided I was going to post a recommendation about George R. R. Martin. It's good to see that someone else thinks the same. His books are a fun read. They are some of the best that I've read in a while. Just don't get attached to <strong>anyone</strong>.

Personally, I outgrew Salvatore a long time ago. His books are a little too preachy for me. If you want compelling characters, read anything by Glen Cook. Cook's Black Company series has held up well, and the Garrett books are great when you just want something light.

I agree with the posters about Goodkind. He's a somewhat poor ripoff of Jordan, although if you are in to sadism, masochism, and rape, you might like it. I buy them in hard cover from the B&N bargain bin and read them when I have absolutely nothing else.

Eddings... arg! They where somewhat interesting at first, but like Salvatore, it got too repetitive and preachy. Like someone else posted, the IQ level was lower than what you find in Salvatore's books.

Although his books also fall in the repetive and preachy category, I am still entertained by L. E. Modesitt's Recluse series. They seem to have gained new legs now that he is writing them from the chaos perspective instead of order.

YMMV.