Light Fantasy Reading

[Gaelbert]

I've emotionally burnt myself out on reading historical non-fiction for now, and I want some light fantasy reading for winter break.

I read a substantial amount of Dragonlance when I was younger, and I'm thinking of reading some again. I stopped reading Dragonlance about halfway through Weiss's Dark Disciple trilogy. Are there any new (released in the last 4-5 years) good Dragonlance books? Obviously I'm not asking for a masterpiece, just an entertaining light read. I particularly enjoyed Kang's Regiment and the Rise of Solamnia series, I don't know if the authors of those have released anything else or if there are any new books similar in theme/topic/mood/what have you. Recommendations aren't limited by that previous sentence, however. I'm looking for any good ones.

Also, playing Neverwinter Nights 2 has made me want to read more Forgotten Realms books. I haven't read nearly as much Forgotten Realms, mainly Salvatore's books of Drizzt and a couple random books about Elminster and Waterdeep. I'm looking for recommendations of FR books to read, bonus points if they're about Waterdeep or other urban centres. I love reading fantasy set in cities, don't ask me why.

And finally, Eberron. I've read a few Eberron books over the years, don't quite recall which specifically. If someone could recommend some good Eberron novels, I would be much obliged.

Okay, finally for real this time. If anyone could recommend other fantasy series I might check those out as well. I listed D&D based series because they tend to be light reading, but I'm open to other series as well. Just not Game of Thrones. I have nothing against that series, but that's not what I'm looking for right now.

[leakingpen]

Raymond Feist's midkemia novels. it gets heavy now and then, but its... well...
I like dragonlance and forgotten realms. They are rl stine to Feist's Stephen king, in terms of quality of writing and depth of characters. and theres lots of city stuff in the later novels. not the first two, but after, LOTS of city stuff.

FR, try the cleric quintent. Also Salvatore, but better than the Drizzt novels, imo.

[raitalin]

Discworld is the answer. I recommend starting with Guards! Guards!.

[Zeofar]

Mythadventures and Xanth books are also decent light fantasy.

[The J Pizzel]

I'd honestly have to second leakingpen's suggestions on Feist. Also, The Cleric Quintet by Salvatore was a very fun read. Drizzt books were good, but they get boring the more into it you read (subjective).

David Eddings's series is good to, but the name escapes me. It's the one with Belgareth and Polgara and Garion (Belgarion eventually), etc.

[Tazar]

Mistborn.

Mistborn, Mistborn, Mistborn.

It's a fantasy trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, the guy currently finishing the Wheel of Time. They're a relatively quick read (the books aren't very long) and are absolutely amazing in terms of characters and just messing with your head in general; just when you think you know what's going on, a curveball comes up. That said, they aren't difficult or intensive to read at all; there's just quite a few unexpected plot twists.


It's also got one of the most inventive and interesting magic systems I've ever seen.

[DomaDoma]

The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner. The book that came before it, Swordspoint, might have too many schemes by too many characters to count as "light", but if you feel otherwise, it is better if you read it first. The main reason I mention the series, though, is that it's set in a city. A very foppish city, for the most part.

Also, I would not inflict the whole Xanth series on my worst enemy, but A Spell for Chameleon is pretty good.

[Knaight]

The Journey of the Catechist by Alan Dean Foster.
The Damned by Alan Dean Foster.

The first is somewhat typical quest fantasy, on the surface. Then the characters are suddenly amazing, the prose draws one in well, and everything comes together for an excellent book. Among other things, there is the whole matter of moral greyness and a hero who isn't completely cocky and either tries to avoid going over their head or accepts the fact that they will lose and have to go into the loss anyways.

The second is a space opera series following an interstellar war, with an underlying theme of conflict between freedom and safety at every scale. There are also elements to be considered in the inherent nature of people, capacity to resist this, etc.

[Weezer]

David Eddings's series is good to, but the name escapes me. It's the one with Belgareth and Polgara and Garion (Belgarion eventually), etc.

Because Eddings is very creative the series is called the Belgariad.

I enjoy some of the old Fafird and the Grey Mouser books by Fritz Leiber. They're the epitome of light pulp fantasy, the origins of the whole Sword and Sorcery genre. Not particularly deep, but that seems to be what you're looking for.

[DomaDoma]

A major character in a famous series is called Garion? And here I thought contracting "Gamma Orion" to subtly say that my character is a total sadist was a good idea. Fine, back to the drawing board.

[Weezer]

A major character in a famous series is called Garion? And here I thought contracting "Gamma Orion" to subtly say that my character is a total sadist was a good idea. Fine, back to the drawing board.

Now I'm curious, what does Gamma Orion have to do with sadism?

[DomaDoma]

Now I'm curious, what does Gamma Orion have to do with sadism?

Gamma Orionis is also called Bellatrix.

Yeah, that does still boil down to referencing other works. But a) at least I've actually read Harry Potter and so know I'm not ripping anything off, and b) for some reason, I just love cloaking things in random layers of obscurity. (For instance, I roleplay a paranoid scholar named Lisbon Scrubb. If you realized that was a reference to Death Note... get help.)

[FoE]

If you're looking for a single book and not the first book in a series, can I recommend The War of the Flowers (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheWarOfTheFlowers) by Tad Williams? It's a fairly standard Fish Out of Water/Urban Fantasy plot about a musician pulled into the world of feykind who gets embroiled in their (extremely violent) politics. The story isn't as weighty as his other books — you don't need a chart to track all the characters — and it's quite funny in parts.

[Asthix]

Have you read any Brian Jacques? He's the writer with all his characters as animals and has an optimistic, delicious quality to all his books that I find very light fantasy. And by delicious I mean that his books will make you hungry. The way he describes food makes you think 'that's the best thing ever! why haven't I eaten that in so long!?

As for Drizz't, have you read the Sellswords Trilogy? Classic hack'n slash, without even a peep from Drizz't. Just all his enemies havin' fun.

[Cyrion]

How about Glen Cook's Garrett series, starting with Sweet Silver Blues? It's pulp detective fiction taken into a fantasy setting, and though it's rarely laugh-out-loud funny to me, it's consistently amusing.

[leakingpen]

A major character in a famous series is called Garion? And here I thought contracting "Gamma Orion" to subtly say that my character is a total sadist was a good idea. Fine, back to the drawing board.

I had a friend who created a character called Gojira (even how she spelled it). Had no idea it was the original name of Godzilla. Go ahead and use it!

[Chambers]

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera (http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/alera/) series is a pretty fast and entertaining read. There are 6 books in the series.

There's an unique style of magic in the books and it's based on the premised of a lost Roman legion that planeswalked to a different world. Yeah.

[Blue Ghost]

Have you read any Brian Jacques? He's the writer with all his characters as animals and has an optimistic, delicious quality to all his books that I find very light fantasy. And by delicious I mean that his books will make you hungry. The way he describes food makes you think 'that's the best thing ever! why haven't I eaten that in so long!?

As for Drizz't, have you read the Sellswords Trilogy? Classic hack'n slash, without even a peep from Drizz't. Just all his enemies havin' fun.

Seconding Brian Jacques. Not sure how fantasy he is, but wonderful for light reading.

[Brewdude]

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera (http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/alera/) series is a pretty fast and entertaining read. There are 6 books in the series.

There's an unique style of magic in the books and it's based on the premised of a lost Roman legion that planeswalked to a different world. Yeah.

No no no...it was the result of his failed attempt to win a bet that he could make a good story that mashed the tired concepts of "a lost Roman legion" with "pokemon", neither of which made it into the final product.

[The Glyphstone]

Having just picked up the latest in the series, take a look at the Temeraire series, by Naomi Novik. Napoleonic Wars WITH DRAGONS, but it ends up going into some pretty interesting explorations of how adding +Dragons to the world would actually change global culture and the development of different nations/societies.

[Serpentine]

I've got that one on my bedside table, but haven't gotten around to reading it.

If you like D&D books, I enjoyed the Ravenloft ones - and that was before I even knew about D&D.
Tamora Pierce is very light fantasy.
I've got various single books I could pick out for you. Sirena is the only one that readily comes to mind, but I can look in my shelf for others if you're interested.
I liked Raymond E. Feist, too. And Pratchett is definitely up there as an option.

[Jallorn]

I'd like to second Brian Jacques and Discworld. Also, the Young Wizards series is fun, by Diane Duane.

[Klose_the_Sith]

Naomi Novik has a series on Napoleonic dragon wars that are currently striking me as pretty much the ultimate in light fantasy reading.

Seriously, Napoleonic dragon wars. You cannot deny the British Sky Cavalry's badass quotient :smallcool:

[KillItWithFire]

Seconding Temeraire. Temeraire himself is a great charcter, I love him to death. Plus Naomi Novik is a great writer who keeps realism in mind when she writes. Plus the characters are British. Picture a 20 ton dragon with an English accent!

[The Glyphstone]

Seconding Temeraire. Temeraire himself is a great charcter, I love him to death. Plus Naomi Novik is a great writer who keeps realism in mind when she writes. Plus the characters are British. Picture a 20 ton dragon with an English accent!

He speaks English with a British accent, at least. It's never stated, but I wouldn't be surprised that his French is French-accented, and his Chinese in a native accent as well, due to how dragons learn human speech.:smallsmile:

[Blue Ghost]

Oh, how about Tamora Pierce? I've read a few of her books, they're quite good for light reading.

[Gaelbert]

I've read large amounts of Terry Pratchett, Brian Jacques, and the Temeraire series and liked them all.
I picked up the Sellswords Trilogy at the bookstore today, it was conveniently on sale and caught my eye. I'm thinking I'll finish that within a few days, but I'm enjoying it very much so far.
I'm looking into the other authors, I'll see what my local bookstore has when I go home in a few days.
I do have to say that books marketed to "young adults" tend to upset me. I don't know if I'm just being a snob or whether I genuinely don't like that style, but they don't sit too well with me. I realize that the Redwall series was intended for "young adults" and I enjoyed them very much, but I did read them when I was 9 or so and I don't know if I would enjoy them if I read them now for the first time. I might, I just don't know.
Isn't Ravenloft pretty dark? I thought it had pretty heavy "gothic" influences and was rather depressing.

[DomaDoma]

I had a friend who created a character called Gojira (even how she spelled it). Had no idea it was the original name of Godzilla. Go ahead and use it!

Nah. When I first read Sword of Shannara, the presence of an elf named Durin jarred me but hard. As far as I'm concerned, jarring your reader is even worse than boring them.

PS: Sword of Shannara is not light fantasy, and also lifts way too much from Tolkien. But if you ever feel in the mood for Great Thudding Epic Fantasy, Elfstones of Shannara is a pretty good one.

[Serpentine]

Isn't Ravenloft pretty dark? I thought it had pretty heavy "gothic" influences and was rather depressing.Hm... I suppose so.
And I don't know why Young Adult bothers you. There's some really great stuff in that category.

[factotum]

Not sure how light you'd consider them, but I would definitely try Tigana and A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay. Tigana in particular is one of my favourite fantasies--it's based more on Italian myth than the usual Germanic sources and has a very different feel because of it.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

If you can find then, I highly recommend the Paul Kidd "Justicar and Escalla" novels. Published by WoTC, and based on three of D&D's early adventures, specifically White Plume Mountain, Descent into the Depth of the Earth and Queen of the Spiders.

Fast, funny and light. Paul also writes a lot of other stuff, but those three are the ones I read when I get tired of heavier reading.

[leakingpen]

Nah. When I first read Sword of Shannara, the presence of an elf named Durin jarred me but hard. As far as I'm concerned, jarring your reader is even worse than boring them.

PS: Sword of Shannara is not light fantasy, and also lifts way too much from Tolkien. But if you ever feel in the mood for Great Thudding Epic Fantasy, Elfstones of Shannara is a pretty good one.

That particular Durin is the only one I'm familiar with... why was it jarring?

[factotum]

That particular Durin is the only one I'm familiar with... why was it jarring?

Maybe because there's a famous Dwarf of that name mentioned in LOTR? Anyway, my main issue with the Sword of Shannara was that Brooks didn't even bother to file off the serial numbers of his Tolkien rip-off...

[leakingpen]

Ahh, wait, I do know the name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durin_%28Norse_mythology%29

Perhaps they got it the same place. Since most of Tolkein was stolen in whole cloth from norse and celtic mythology and weaved in. You really cant call LOTR "original" in any way. Its like calling Matrix original.

[factotum]

I notice that even in that link he's STILL A DWARF... :smallwink: