I've bled my Harry Dresden series dry, so I want to try another author. I've heard Salvatore is amazing, and has quite a lot of books under his belt. I'm unsure as to where to start though. According to my Nook shop, Homeland is book #1. But according to the wikipedia bibliography for Salvatore, I should start with Crystal Shard. So I figured I'd ask here. If I want to get the most out of Salvatore's books, where should I start?
A Question for readers of R.A. Salvatore
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Crystal Shard was the first one Salvatore wrote and he made the prequel trilogy later. Canon-timeline-wise, Homeland (Dark Elf Trilogy) takes place before Crystal (Icewind Dale Trilogy). I have not read the newest Drizzt trilogy (I intend to eventually) but the series does get a bit stale. That's not me saying that I didn't enjoy them but a series that has been running THAT long without any major shake-ups will get stale.
Start with Homeland and go from there.
Also, Dresden freaking rocks. Easily one of my favorite book series and I eagerly await "Cold Days" whenever that comes out...
Start with Homeland and go from there.
Also, Dresden freaking rocks. Easily one of my favorite book series and I eagerly await "Cold Days" whenever that comes out...
Other authors - Terry Pratchett, Stephen King. Go for them.
Not really the wizardly stuff you might want (seeing as you read TDF and want Salvatore) but still very good, I assure you.
By the way, I'm hearing good stuff about the Codex Alera (by Jim Butcher again) series but I haven't picked them up yet. I should probably check if they have any books in the library to see if it's what I'd like.
Oh, also, check this new author I recently found. Goes by the name of "Yahtzee Croshaw". You probably wouldn't have heard of him. I liked his first book - Mogworld was a pretty cool guy.
Not really the wizardly stuff you might want (seeing as you read TDF and want Salvatore) but still very good, I assure you.
By the way, I'm hearing good stuff about the Codex Alera (by Jim Butcher again) series but I haven't picked them up yet. I should probably check if they have any books in the library to see if it's what I'd like.
Oh, also, check this new author I recently found. Goes by the name of "Yahtzee Croshaw". You probably wouldn't have heard of him. I liked his first book - Mogworld was a pretty cool guy.
I read the Drizzt Do'Urden prequels (all three because I bought a collected edition) and hated them enough that I couldn't stand to try anything else the man wrote. If only in those three books, Drizzt is such a complete, unbelievable pile of wish fulfillment I couldn't stand him; the closest thing he has to a personal flaw is that he can go into a berserker rage that helps him take a magic missile spell to the face without slowing down (no, I am not joking there). I never cared about anything that happened to him because it was obvious he was the best at everything and nothing would ever be able to harm him or present a meaningful conflict.
If his other books are better than these, that's great, but otherwise, I'd give him a pass, man.
If his other books are better than these, that's great, but otherwise, I'd give him a pass, man.
I'll warn you that his Legend of Drizzt stuff can get very very "philosophical" at times, but they're fun reads and he does action scenes well. I'd advise (story) chronologically on reading them. Homeland and just go on up to whatever 13's called again, then there's another book or two, then the transitions trilogy, then the Neverwinter Night books. Throughout the whole thing though, you'll learn one thing: Salvatore has the best dwarves. Like Bruenor, and Pwent, and the Bouldershoulders, and Athrogate, all of which are awesome, especially Pwent and Athrogate.
Check out Vector Prime from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Salvatore does a really good job of introducing the Yuuzhan Vong invaders.
I don't think I ever got to read it, but I never realized Salvatore wrote any of the New Jedi Order, though from the looks of it he only started it off. I knew Chewie bit the dust, but that's because I never read the books in order, coming from a multitude of libraries, it's not surprising.Soviet Heavy said:
I seem to be getting a lot of negative opinions on his books. I won't be reading them immediately, I have other priorities as far as fantasy novels atm. I'm working on The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and this first book is really good, so I should keep going. I finished the first of the Codex Alera. It was good, but it didn't really catch me the same way that the Dresden Files did.I have the first book by Erikson, Gardens of the Moon, but I haven't read it. I have a lot to go through, and I always struggle at picking what to read first.
He also wrote the novelization of Attack of the Clones. If there is one thing you can say about the Expanded Universe, it's that the prequel novelizations are equal if not superior to the films they are based off of. Matthew Stover's version of Revenge of the Sith blows the film out of the water. I doubt that Salvator's Attack of the Clones reaches the same heights, but considering what material he has to work with, the book can only be an improvement.JaceArveduin said:
The Republic Commando Novels blow most of the other books out of the water in my opinionSoviet Heavy said:
But yeah, I never really looked into what other books he wrote, and hadn't started reading Legend of Drizzt until a few years ago.EDIT: Yeah, read Karen Traviss's Republic Commando books before Salvatore's stuff.