The Dragonbone ChairFollow

I've never heard of them but the Dhampir series is one of the best I've ever read. Also you might want to read books by David Eddings and Anne McCaffrey, they are great fantasy writers.

Yup. Otherland is great. For my favorite fantasy series, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. 4th book is coming out this month I think. Can't wait /drool

Yeah well the "Memory, Sorrow & Thorn" - Series is one of my favorite in Fantasy... I also read Otherland, but didn't like it that much. Of course it's more Sci-Fi, but it's just a little bit too over-the-top for my liking. Still pretty well written.

I don't know too many other fantasy series, but just recently I read the "Liveship Traders"-Trilogy by Robin Hobb... It's a bit different from "your average fantasy story", mostly because it evolves around (as the title says) ship traders a lot, is definitely a bit more political (in a fantasy sense lol) than most other books, also pretty rough (content-wise) at times; all the more interesting as the books have been written by a woman...

So it would be nice for a change from the ever-popular "teenage do-no-good discovers he is actually descendant of some legendary knight/king/warrior/wizard and saves the world" - spiel of so many fantasy novels... Definitely a worthwile read (although it is by no means similar to Dragonbone Chair ;) )

Oh yeah, maybe another thing worth mentioning... The Dark Tower - Saga by Stephen King... it's a bit weird and confusing at times, but especially if you like (and know some) King in general, it's a pretty nice read... a lot of cameos and such.
I haven't read the final two parts yet, plan on doing so asap... A lot of people were a bit disappointed with the end, but I can't say anything about that yet lol. At least it is an interesting Fantasy / Post-Apocalyptic / Western / Horror - Series with some memorable moments...

Edited, Sun Dec 18 15:50:24 2005 by TheDragonslayer

What about C.S. Friedman? Her Coldfire Trilogy is one of the best out there. Not to mention the famous In Conquest Born.

Also, you might want to consider the Dragonlance saga. It was based on D&D, but developed to stand on its own. Yes, it is a little simple, especially when compared to the complexity of Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin. However, the original Dragonlance novels by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, while amateurish, have something lacking in more complex novels: content. Think about it; while Robert Jordan may write thousands of pages that span dozens of characters, little ever happens in his novels. They have gotten so complex that plot developement has slowed to almost a halt. The Dragonlance Chronicles is made of three books, each about three hundred pages long, and each are better than the combined whole of Robert Jordan's work.

The modern tendency seems to be towards thicker books, because readers assume that thicker=longer to read=better. It does not.

Sorry, went on a rant. Tad Williams is an excellent writer (I've re-read Memory, Sorrow and Thorn thrice), and I did enjoy the Wheel of Time and Song of Ice and Fire.

Also check out Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (a classic), Robert H. Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Melanie Rawn's Exiles, R.A. Salvatore's Drak Elf Trilogy (stop after the sixth book about the character, Salvatore does not know how to kill an idea) and finally everyone must read The Chronicles of Narnia (I will NEVER see that accursed movie, just ignore the religious stuff in it--you can only see them if you look). Oh yeah, the first Dinotopia is good for all ages.

These were a very fun read, I enjoyed the character development throughout and was hoping for another look at that world. Tad Williams is a brilliant writer which shows if you have read Tailchaser's Song, Dragonbone Chair series, and OtherLand series. His mastery of what he chooses to tackle is impressive, as is the amount of research he puts into writing beliveable stories. OtherLand reminds me of a lot of online games right now, lol, eating up the time and minds of our youth. No complaints though, I fed the same beast my brain matter!

For a similar series, in my opinion Shawchert, is Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy+. It was a fun read, and about the same length. The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment, and The Wicked Day.