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The only fantasy books I think I should denote are the Lord of the Rings books...While they are incredibly boring at times and there's way too much singing as well, they do a good job of becoming fully immersing and bringing you into their own world, which is what a fantasy should be, as I see it. I mean, Harry Potter is good, but I never really dig that attachment to the real world. Maybe it does give that cool sense of what lingers in the unknown, and it does evolve within its initial concept of a dreamer's journey, but the attachment to the real world sort of throws it off for me. It could be because the real world and magic conflict so harshly that I can't really grasp it as much as others do.

But, anyway, the LOTR books are really great in building their own world and detailing it. Maybe the languages and folklore are too much, but they still do well to construct all the world and its contents. It would be cool to see another series like it.

Eh, well, it's not for everyone. Don't sweat it. The movies are really great adaptations, though. One might complain that they are very slow-going, but the pace builds up from the beginning and always delivers a great ending through doing so. Fellowship of the Ring is probably the best one, actually. If you hate reading the books, then definitely watch the movies. They avoid all the song-singing and the poetic mantra of the book's structure. They drive along the plot and the character development, all of which is really, really, good stuff.

Also, The Hobbit is alright, but I think I would appreciate it much more as a movie because the book is incredibly slow-going and doesn't serve to carry out many events. It's still good, but the pacing couldn't be worse.

I've read the R.A. salvatore books, their not bad, especially the icewind dale ones, but having read some of the later drizzt ones they got a little silly
As for the lord of the rings the only bit i almost couldnt read was the bit with tom bombadil (?) in the fellowship of the rings. I usually skip it now

I agree with you about the legacy of the drow. Perhaps Im just conservative, but in the later books after the legacy books, where they all split up and stuff I didnt like it, perhaps because I felt they were better in a team.
Fell free to tell me if im making no sense wink

Heehee...I got the LOTR books for christmas a few years back and i tried to read them [actually, I got it in one HUGE book, so it was kindof scary to look at] but it wasn't interesting. But then my grandpa sent the Fellowship of the Ring movie because he didn't want it, and one day I sat down and watched it. Once I felt like I had a handle on what was going on, I tried to sit down and read the book again...And I could! Although, I ended up pausing and reading The Hobbit because I wanted to know what they kept reffering to and how the Ring came about to being in Bilbo's hands. ^-^
Maybe now that you've seen the movie and can understand a bit about what's going on, the book won't seem so bad. Oh, and my advice [although its probably not very good advice, but it's what i tend to do all the time] when it gets to a part that's just going on and on and on about what some forest or grassy knoll looks like, skim that to make sure you don't miss anything important, and then continue when the action picks up again. I swear writers [especially the older ones] put in so much detail about the how the grass waves just so with the wind that it makes you want to pull your hair out!!! Or at least it makes me want to do so...lol

I've actually read quite a few of her books and I've enjoyed them... let's see, I got the Tricksters, I think I read the Will of the Empress, and the four books in the Circle of Magic, but I totally skipped the Circle Open quartet. There were the other book by her, about the two female knights, i read those, AWESOME!!! Thank you for mentioning, i totally forgot about those, i almost forgot I read them, let alone that they are infact fantasy, lol! Do ou know if she put out anything new recently, besides Empress?

Sorry but no. Yet another book to look for when I go to Borders next, lol! Eragon and Eldest were pretty exiciting, but the movie? They failed. The book was sooooo much better than that. That happens, though. Can't wait for that third book to come out! Heard it'd be yellow!