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Author	Topic: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
MarcusP2 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Jul '04	Date Posted: 5/20/06 7:41am Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	For those looking for some light fantasy (nothing epic on the scale of ASoIaF etc) I heartily recommend the six Sparhawk books by David Eddings. The first three are better, but all are good. -----signature----- Darth Revan Fan Club: Technical Specialist Uncle Eddie was my favourite wrestler Gentle Giant owns my bank account.
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Excellence Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 5/21/06 3:09am Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	I've heard mixed reviews over the Eddings' material. I lack a good review that's coldly objective, absent the biased sentiments of their fond childhood memories when this spurred their fantasy lust. I almost bought some, discovering the newer books were young adult. It was close, I tell you, close! I'm so suspicious of old books, and their limited vocab and stiff voice. Can anyone help me please, what did the couple do that's so highly regarded, that few other writers couldn't show as well? -----signature----- The Brits gave the world Doctor Who We owe them
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Zebra3 Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 5/21/06 8:16pm Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	Twinky_Stryder posted: Anyway, I want to really get stuck into some good fantasy, but didn't really know where to start, any suggestions? If you're more interested in light fantasy (I'm not really into anything epic or hard core so I can't suggest anything there) then I would suggest starting with a few books either in the Dragon Lance or Forgotten Realms series. For Dragon Lance you might want to try Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, and Dragons of Spring Dawning. For Forgotten Realms you might want to start off with Shadowdale, Tatras, Waterdeep, Prince of Lies and Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad. -----signature----- recipient of the coveted Corellian Ewokstripes with bronze cluster My icon archive -- > http://zebra3icons.bravehost.com/main1.html I'm currently reading Han Solo's Revenge I'm currently playing Tomb Raider Anniversary
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Excellence Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 5/22/06 12:58am Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	I'm actually tempted to read that Avatar trilogy, when deities were kicked out of the sky and the roster was reshuffled, but I've seen too many frown-class reviews on it. Sounds like a kicker, but was it truly breezy? -----signature----- The Brits gave the world Doctor Who We owe them
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Zebra3 Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 5/22/06 5:36am Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	Breezy? Not quite sure what you mean by that Ex. Most of the Forgotten Realms is light fatasy. Nothing particularly deep. Just fun adventure stories and that's all they're meant to be. But I have to admit that I had a lot of trouble reading Shadowdale and Tantras. For some reason I always have problems reading anything by Scott Ciencin. I could also barely get through The Night Parade. But Waterdeep was written by Troy Denning and is much better than the first two books. Prince of Lies and Crucible are both excellent. I really suggested the Avatar series because it, like those DragonLance books I suggested, is the major story around which pretty much everything in FR revolves. A ton of books make reference to it in some way or another. -----signature----- recipient of the coveted Corellian Ewokstripes with bronze cluster My icon archive -- > http://zebra3icons.bravehost.com/main1.html I'm currently reading Han Solo's Revenge I'm currently playing Tomb Raider Anniversary
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VadersLaMent Registered: Apr '02	Date Posted: 5/22/06 5:29pm Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	Anything by Asimov. Most anything by Arthur C. Clarke. Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man I recommend ben Bova's Asteroid Wars trilogy for good hard scfi, but I didn;t like the way it ended. Robert Howard's original Conan. When Gravity Fails, A Fire In The Sun, and The Exile Kiss by George Alec Effinger, good cyberpunk. Larry Niven: Most of the Man-Kzin War stories are good, 3 out of 4 Rongworld books are good, and IMO Protector is his best book. Lord Soth is the Darth Vader of Dragonlance. Knight of the Black Rose and Spectre of the Black Rose are two good books starring the character with the second being superior. If you can find them in used book stores there is a D&D series called Endless Quest books which are fantasy for young readers that are set up like the Choose Your Own Adventure series. Most of the Endless Quest books are fun to read through but there are a few stinkers in there. Recently I've read Allen Steele's Coyote trilogy and my nitpicks on it are minimal, it's a very good read. -----signature----- Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic--Arthur C. Clarke Any sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial intelligence is indistinguishable from God--Michael Shermer I am a sexy, shoeless GOD OF WAR!
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Excellence Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 5/23/06 1:55am Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	But why must Forgotten Realms be written light with brevity? Why not focus on two main ongoing series, where events and books are loosely connected to one another, but with deeper writing. I actually wouldn't mind reading a FR book, despite the despicable cliche elf and dwarf and dragon I'm sure to headbutt into. But why not make the books deeper? Costs more, in time and new sale qantities? -----signature----- The Brits gave the world Doctor Who We owe them
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Zebra3 Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 5/23/06 5:22am Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem! - Date Edited: 5/23/06 5:31am (1 edits total) Edited By: Zebra3
	Surprisingly Ex, not everyone likes to read material wherein you find deep philosophical discussion every which way. Not everyone likes epic fantasy. Forgotten Realms (and other shared fantasy worlds like it) fills a niche in the market of readers who WANT light fantasy reading. I know I certainly wouldn't want to find Forgotten Realms turned into anything like, let's say, Robert Jordan or George Martin. -----signature----- recipient of the coveted Corellian Ewokstripes with bronze cluster My icon archive -- > http://zebra3icons.bravehost.com/main1.html I'm currently reading Han Solo's Revenge I'm currently playing Tomb Raider Anniversary
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jangoisadrunk Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 5/23/06 5:16pm Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	VadersLaMent posted: I recommend ben Bova's Asteroid Wars trilogy for good hard scfi, but I didn;t like the way it ended... ...Recently I've read Allen Steele's Coyote trilogy and my nitpicks on it are minimal, it's a very good read. I've read several Ben Bova novels. The Mars duology is my favorite; however, I've never even heard of the Asteroid Wars trilogy. I'll keep an eye out for it. I'm also interested in Allen Steele's Coyote trilogy. I almost bought book two (the only one they had) a few weeks ago, but got Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space instead. Anyone who hasn't read that needs to check it out asap. It totally transended the average sci-fi novel experience for me. -----signature----- When in doubt, thow it in a freezer and call it Bigfoot.
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VadersLaMent Registered: Apr '02	Date Posted: 5/23/06 5:29pm Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	The Asteroid Wars are actually a part of Bova's Grand Tour series. The Precipice, The Rock rats, and The Silent War make up the three asteroid books. -----signature----- Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic--Arthur C. Clarke Any sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial intelligence is indistinguishable from God--Michael Shermer I am a sexy, shoeless GOD OF WAR!
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Excellence Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 5/24/06 4:02am Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	I was so close, Zebra, you would have been almost proud of me. I had that Forgotten Realms anthology in my hand. Only $15, five less than what it should be. And despite that Cunningham story starting it, I was seriously thinking of getting it. The thinness and laconic page format scared me off. It didn't look like a serious read. But I have been doing research on the matter. Sembria seems to be a deliberately written starting point for entrants. I cocked an eyebrow at Cormyr. But a giant dragon? Please! I met the shark race in Shadows of Amn. There was a wisecracking Beholder there. So many choices . . . I was considering Keyes' Charnel Prince, despite the audacity of the skeletal Rebirth . . . What's Salvatore's best? Might as well microscope him. All I hear are rolling blade fights. -----signature----- The Brits gave the world Doctor Who We owe them
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MarcusP2 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Jul '04	Date Posted: 5/24/06 9:29am Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	There was a wisecracking Beholder there. I love that guy. I will also recommend the Evergence Trilogy for anyone looking for some good sci-fi. -----signature----- Darth Revan Fan Club: Technical Specialist Uncle Eddie was my favourite wrestler Gentle Giant owns my bank account.
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Excellence Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 5/25/06 4:00am Subject: RE: ~Official Suggestion Thread~ New to Sci-Fi/Fantasy? No Problem!
	If you can make it to the end of the trilogy, the revelation is an absolute kicker. Right in your face all along. -----signature----- The Brits gave the world Doctor Who We owe them
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