As a long time train commuter i read a lot of fantasy books from my teenage years onwards, but in the last decade or so i have read much less. I am ranking the various book series i have completed, combining nostalgia with what is a great read, and grouping roughly in reading era starting with the early years in the 80’s.
Shannara – Terry Brooks (1977)
The Shannara series started my love of fantasy questing adventure stories. The original trilogy Sword, Elfstones and Wishsong remain among his best releases and feature a journey of discovery for the younger heroes along an epic journey adventure across the lands, seeking out special artifacts. Sword of Shannara still has my fondest memories, but Elfstones has more threat and urgency about it, and Wishsong has one of my favourite characters.
Split Infinity – Piers Anthony (1980)
A lighter fantasy series, originally three books but later expanded, and set on a world of twin realms, one of magic and the other science. I so liked this series, with the robot love affair, the game system the hero has to play to try and win freedom, and moving between the two worlds. I have read these twice and i am hooked into wanting to read again.
Dragonlance – Weiss & Hickman (1984)
The Dragonlance books consist of two series of three books, which begin with Autumn, Winter and Spring titles. This is dungeons and dragons adventure in book form and i adored the characters and the world it created, and it contained one of the great character shocks i can recall. The original series was followed by the Twins trilogy which was still good but not quite as momentous as the originals.
Xanth – Piers Anthony (1977)
This series now spans over forty books, however my personal interaction was with the initial six stories. The greatest reads for me were the opening two, A Spell For Chameleon and Source of Magic, backed up by the enjoyable sixth Night Mare. This series was an easy read, fun, adolescent and used puns and clever magical ideas. The early books remain ones i remember.
Discworld – Terry Pratchett (1989)
A series of over forty books, spread over different series arcs such as the wizards, city watch, witches and death. These have amusing themes and characters, and I enjoyed reading the initial twenty or so books before i ran out of steam. My personal favourites were the early Rincewind novels and the City Watch stories, with Guards Guards probably being the best.
War of Powers – Vardeman & Milan (1984)
Originally a six book series which was condensed into a two volume set, which is when i read it. Featuring floating sky cities and giant eagles, this is a little more adult than most on this early list, with loads of fighting and some sexual encounters if i recall rightly. I remember really enjoying reading these books at the time.
Moonshae – Douglas Niles (1988)
A trilogy from the forgotten realm series and read at a similar time to the Icewind Dale troligy. It may not have held the popular exposure of the Crystal Shard, however i recall it feeling slightly more menacing and darker and i still retain the book series for a future re-read, which includes Black Wizards and Darkwell.
Icewind Dale – R A Salvatore (1988)
The forgotten realm was a role playing dungeons and dragons series which spawned many novels, and early on a trilogy introduced the legendary dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden and his companions. The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver and Halfling’s Gem were great reads, and remain fondly remembered, even though the story is pretty vague to me now. I probably need to read this again.
Magic Kingdom Of Landover – Terry Brooks (1986)
A fantasy kingdom purchased by an earthly lawyer, he becomes their king with a small but strange mix of loyal subjects. He must gain the trust of his land and meet the evil threat seeking to overthrow his power. An easy to read series of six books where discovering the world is part of the charm. This is light fantasy storytelling.
Spellsinger – Alan Dean Foster (1983)
A series of eight books where a human earth dweller is transported into a magical world and has to help defeat a looming threat, while finding a way to return, which was a popular genre of the time. It features sentient animals as characters and overall remains an enjoyable read, although my memory of it is sketchy now, and i can only ever recall reading the first four volumes.