jasonw1239 wrote:Harlan Ellison in protest of the poor production qualities refused to allow his name to be placed on the product and had it replaced using Cordwainer Bird.

I think I just found my new internet handle!

Terry Pratchett and Michael Moorcock, especially Terry Pratchett. Sadly, he doesn't have a big following here   , but I read his works in English (and I but the Italian editions when they come out, usually one book once a year   ).

Terry Pratchett is absolute genius and, like Bombadil, I think Robert Asprin's Skeeve series is great for a fun read.  

Leiber was the first series of fantasy books I read after Tolkiens and being so different it was great to really get me into things.

Brooks Shannara was ok to begin with but became too samey too quickly and I'm still working through Robert Jordans Wheel of Time series, although it's certainly a shame with his passing.  

Craig Shaw Gardners various series of books are just madness but can be very, very funny too!

Bumpity bump bump...

Not strictly speaking fantasy, but definitely worth reading:

THE MYSTERY OF DR FU MANCHU

By Sax Rohmer.  I just picked up an omnibus edition, and it is great rollicking pulpy goodness, full of mysterious conspiracies, wild cult mysteries and heroic investigators.     Great bedtime reading.

Terry Brooks - The Shanarra Series, didn't like magic kingdom series. I really enjoyed Lloyd Alexanders 5 book Black Cauldron series. Always reading the Forgotten Realms books, Elaine Cunningham being one of the better authors.

sauromatian wrote:Other than Tolkien.. does Bored of the Rings by the Harvard Lampoon count?

I was bought that but never read it any good?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... :IT&ih=015



I came across this lot today. I have never heard of these novels before. Who is the publisher? And when were they released? I checked out WotC web site but could find nothing in the novel section.

xraygord wrote:I came across this lot today. I have never heard of these novels before. Who is the publisher? And when were they released? I checked out WotC web site but could find nothing in the novel section.

They are pretty much exactly what you see; the series is pretty straightforward. They are "fleshed-out" versions of the classic 1e adventures, told from the point of view of an adventurer or adventurers, and with lots of background detail and new stuff to get the books up to novel length.

White Plume Mountain was the first one by a "real" author; it is from the fall of 1999. Author Paul Kidd went on to write two more books in the series, and many fans consider them to be the high-water mark of the series. I agree, FWIW: Kidd spins an entertaining yarn.

The series is lucky to have survived Ru Emerson's debut with the Giants novel. It is truly God-awful. Despite being completely predisposed to like the book (D&D fan, played the actual adventure, fantasy fiction fan, etc.), I did not even reach the halfway point. I found out later that I wasn't the only one.

The series just pretty much stopped, nor did it ever receive a lot of publicity from WotC. It always struck me as a pretty easy money-maker for WotC, as the books were by relatively unknown authors and were casually edited at best ... I figured they might just keep going.

There might have been some sort of anniversary or celebration of the Greyhawk setting going on about this time, too. Our own Grodog could probably shed more light on that; if there was something specific these books were supposed to celebrate, I don't remember what it was.

xraygord wrote: Funny thing is I know I will still buy and read them.

I think you'll have a good time, overall.

A couple of last thoughts: Kidd's three books form a rough sort of trilogy, in that they feature the same characters, have some of the same running jokes, etc. I would argue that it is best to read those in order.

Emerson's two books ... well, the kindest thing I could say is that she got a bit better with the second one.

The other two are stand-alones and can be read in any order. I remember liking both, particularly Tomb of Horrors.