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Looking for a new book

Discussion in 'Booktalk' started by Foradasthar, Aug 16, 2004.

  1. Foradasthar Gems: 21/31
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    I asked this question once before, about a year or two back I think, and got some real good advice. Now I ask again.

    I'm looking for a new book. Several actually. Preferably stand-alone or trilogy, not really that much difference as long as it isn't one of those 30-book sagas (too much time invested unless you know you're going to get the time's worth of enjoyment).

    The style should be similar to:

    - Ed Greenwood: Making of a Mage
    - R.A.Salvatore: Dark Elf Trilogy
    - Richard A. Knaak: The Legend of Huma
    - Elaine Cunningham: Rite of Blood (Best of the Realms)

    What I'm looking for, more specifically, is any Forgotten Realms / Dragonlance book that tells a tale of a rather uncommon hero. Like sea-elves or mountain dwarves or somesuch. Something serious and immersive. Guess those match the description of pretty much 50% of the books out there eh? Well that's the best description I can give anyway. :) Try to match your suggestions with the description, but because tastes are never alike, any suggestions that you think come near enough are good enough for me.

    Thanks in advance people.
     
  2. Equester Gems: 18/31
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    well like I already suggested, get the warcraft books of Richard A. Knaak ; "Day of the dragon" and "the well of eternity". Also I think Ursula K. Leguin's "A wizard of earthsea" is great, but Looking ad which stile you suggested this one might not be your taste of fantasy. I would also suggest "the fionavar tapestry".
     
  3. Son of Bhaal Gems: 17/31
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    I haven't read enough fantasy trilogies to comment, so you can make your own judgements after looking through this site.

    http://www.robinhobb.com/
     
  4. joacqin

    joacqin Confused Jerk Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I am reading some new Michael Moorcock here and he is always interesting. I recommend most of anything he has written. Not FR or something like that but he does usually have some rather unusual protagonists.
     
  5. Enagonios Gems: 31/31
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    the glass prison by monte cook has a half-cambion as a protagonist, its the first time i've seen a half-demon protagonist in an FR novel, can't get any more uncommon than that. wasnt anything great, but it was readable.
     
  6. Splunge

    Splunge Bhaal’s financial advisor Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I'm about to start book 2 of Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy. Based on book 1, I can heartily recommend it.

    Note: I started the series because of an earlier thread on S.P. (maybe yours :) )
     
  7. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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  8. Enagonios Gems: 31/31
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    Tal, is the torment novelization any good? bec, judging from the BG adaptations, novels in this genre(?) usually tend to be quite crappy.
     
  9. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    It's much better than the BG ones, but still nothing special. Decent enough, though mostly because I just love the Planescape setting, and getting any novels set in it is bloody hard.
     
  10. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I thoroughly recommend Jack Vance's Lyonesse trilogy which I have just finished. It's not forgotten realms but it is a pretty cool "stand-alone" fantasy trilogy with no risk of being drawn into a never ending cycle of books (a la Robert Jordan).
     
  11. Enagonios Gems: 31/31
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    oh all right, just checked out the reviews on amazon too, not very bright. guess i'll just save my money for the rest of the WotSC series. (if it ever gets here)
     
  12. BigStick Gems: 13/31
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    Not DnD, but I very much liked Andre Norton's Gryphon trilogy; The Crystal Gryphon, Gryphon's Eyrie, & Gryphon in Glory. One of the protagonists is human, but with cloven hooves for feet and slitted, amber eyes.

    These stories take place in Norton's Witch World setting and the characters can be seen in other novels in the same setting.

    The Jargoon Pard was good as well, featuring a shape-shifter protagonist.
     
  13. Foradasthar Gems: 21/31
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    A shape-shifting protagonist you say? Now that does sound interesting.

    Thanks for the suggestions in general people. But isn't there really any book about sea-elves or dwarves? Dwarves would be really good, wouldn't have to be mountain dwarves either, just dwarves with dwarven smithing, temper and attitude thrown in. :)
     
  14. Wildfire Gems: 23/31
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    If you want to go beyond FR/Dragonlance books, you really ought to check out the 'A Song Of Fire and Ice' books by George R. R. Martin. It's still a work in progress, but he's got 3 books out so far with a fourth out relatively soonish, and they're probably the best fantasy novels I've read.
     
  15. Enagonios Gems: 31/31
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    Thornhold by Elaine Cunningham has a mountain dwarf "co-protagonist" hehe. you could try that if you haven't already. The closest thing I can think of regarding sea elves would be the Starlight and Shadows trilogy and the Threat from the sea trilogy. They don't really have sea elf protagonists, but both trilogies are flush with them.
     
  16. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    [​IMG] Oh, dwarves and sea elves you say? That's easy enough to find in Dragonlance, along with other more unusual heroes.

    http://www.sorcerers.net/Books/index_dl.php
    -Stormblade
    -The Gates of Thorbardin
    -Flint the King
    -The Irda (high ogres, how's that for unusual?)
    -The Dargonesti (sea elves)
    -The Gully Dwarves
    -The Last Thane
    -The Siege of Mt. Nevermind (gnomes!)
    -The Minotaur Wars (well, minotaurs)
    -Conundrum (gnomes)

    There are many more books with non-typical characters, but this should be enough for starters. The only problem here is that many of the protagonists in these books first appear in the main storyline novels (those marked with the yellow star on SP), so reading the central books first is a good idea, though not essential.
     
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