I posted this question in the hidden gems section before I saw the Fantasy gendre section (new to the site so please fogive me) 

I have finished Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series and tRowling's Harry Potter series.  (Loved both!)  I have also finished Irene Radford's Dragon series and Eragon/Eldest (waiting on book 3 to come out and eventually 4) so what would you suggest as new reading material?  I like the fantasy gendre but mainly dragons, wizards sort of stuff not the space alien stories.  I'm also not into the romance novels as most of my female friends are.  I read other gendres but nothing had grabbed my attention like the series mentioned before have.  All suggestions are appreciated!

I haven't read too much variety in the fantasy genre... but what I have read has been fantastic.  I stumbled on RA Salvatore's Forgotten Realms series featuring Drizzt Do'Urden and really loved it.  Right now it's an 18 book series but I highly recommend it.

Here's the breakdown, if you're interested:

The Dark Elf Trilogy:  Homeland,  Exile,  Sojurn

The Icewind Dale Trilogy: Streams of Silver,  The Halfling's Gem,  The Crystal Shard

The Legacy of the Drow: The Legacy, Starless Night,  Siege of Darkness,  Passage to Dawn

Paths of Darkness: The Silent Blade,  Spine of the World, Servant of the Shard,   Sea of Swords

The Hunter's Blades Trilogy:  The Thousand Orcs,  The Lone Drow,  The Two Swords

Book 1 of the newest trilogy:  The Orc King (out in HC now, MMPB in June)

Hope that helps!  :)

Edited to add:  Regardless of whether you read the whole series or not, Homeland is one of those books I think everyone should read.  Despite the fact that it's good fantasy (IMO), it goes beyond fantasy and deals with real life cultural and social issues regarding race, society, personal identity, moral deliemmas... it's food for thought as well as great fantasy entertainment.  And the series itself is like potato chips.  'Bet you can't read just one!

I too read Forgotten Realms and I agree that Homeland should be required reading for America. I also recommend books from the DragonLance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. A few of them are Dragons of the Autumn Twilight, Dragons of the Winter Night, Dragons of a Spring Dawning, Dragons of a Summer Flame, City of a Fallen Sun, Dragons of a Lost Star, and Dragons of a Vanished Moon. Hope this helps! :)

A fantasy series (actually two) I really liked are by David Eddings.  The first series is The Belgariad, which begins with "Pawn of Prophecy".  The followup series is called The Mallorean.  Definitely read the books in order, starting with Pawn of Prophecy.  There's also a couple of "background" novels involving two of the main characters you can read after the two series.

Robin Hobb's Assassin trilogy is very good.

Oh my goodness. Give Anne McCaffrey's PERN series a try!

The dragons of Pern have a telepathic link to human riders who they 'Impress' at hatching. The dragons resemble the western-type legendary dragon, and can breathe fire, though they require a phosphorus-bearing rock to chew before hand. But they have one ability never before matched with the dragon - that of teleportation, the ability to go "Between" two places in the time it takes to cough three times. The Dragonriders of Pern protect the planet from the threat of Thread - Thread falls for fifty years out of every two hundred, based on the orbit of the Red Star, a sister planet to Pern with an 'erratic' orbit.

They were published in this order:      

• 1968                 Dragonflight
• 1971                 Dragonquest
• 1976                 Dragonsong
• 1977                 Dragonsinger
• 1978                 Dragondrums
• 1979                 The White Dragon
• 1983                 Moreta, Dragonlady of Pern
• 1986                 Nerilka's Story
• 1988                 Dragonsdawn
• 1989                 Renegades of Pern
• 1991                 All The Weyrs of Pern
• 1993                 Chronicles of Pern: First Fall
• 1994                 The Dolphins of Pern
• 1996                 Red Star Rising/Dragonseye
• 1998                 The Masterharper of Pern
• 2001                 The Skies of Pern
• 2003                 Dragon's Kin (with Todd McCaffrey) 
• 2005                 Dragonsblood (by Todd McCaffrey)

If you don't like science fiction-type stories, just skip the one called White Dragon (although Ruth the White Dragon is a hoot! And you find out how people got to Pern). But I think you'll be so hooked by then, you won't want to skip one. I can guarantee that Masterharper of Pern will have you crying in your chair. And everyone wants to own a fire-lizard!

Yes, I'm enthusiastic about the series :-)

The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson is really good. Book three isn't out yet. Also the Riftwar saga by Raymond Feist, very, very good. Good luck!

-Rebekah

a really fun read is Jim Butcher's Dresden files; it was recommended to me on another forum & i absolutely have really enjoyed it! just a great fun read! the only professional wizard & he has a spirit named Bob who lives in a skull & loves to read erotica! It is for adults but just a lot of fun to read.

Didn't know you'd already moved over here, so replied  to question on Hidden Gems,  are you watching that site?

Hi Bkxchange,

I did see your post and thanks for the suggestions!!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions - I'm really excited about starting a new author/series and you guys have given me plenty to dive in to.  Just in time too!-my local library does a book sale every April where on the last day you can buy books that you pick out for $2 a bag.  That was how I discovered Terry Goodkind-so I will be scrounging around there to find ones that I can't find posted here! 

I made comment on the other post that I'm glad to know that there are other women out there that love this gendre.  None of my (female) friends are in to it and neither is my husband so for a few (guy) friends of his and at my workplace there wasn't anyone to get suggestions from. 

Thanks again everyone!

we like Salvaore a lot and had a great time as a family reading The Wood's Out Back series and then we read The Hobbit to see what Mickey McMickey was reading LOL. It has dragons and a witch and a lot of fun...it is like The Hobbit meets Rip Van Winkle.

I have to agree with deltatiger.  I started with Asassins Aprentice by Robin Hob.  A recomendation from a worker at a bookstore.  I loved the book and series and have since devoured everything she has written.

Heyla Dawn,

I'm another one like you who likes the fantasy and some paranormal type stuff but could do without the romance angle of (and yes I'm female too) I'd add a couple of suggestions to the list. There are a couple of fun light fantasy series I'm fond of about dragons One being Gordon R. Dickson's that starts with "The Dragon and the George" and The Wizard in Rhyme series by Christopher Stasheff. And if you like the Stasheff he has another series Warlock of Gramarye that is a hoot as well.

And I would add my voice to suggesting The Pern, Dragonlance, Belgariad/Mallorean and Dresden books as well. If you would like some more suggestions feel free to PM me since it sounds like we have similar reading tastes and I have over 200 books on my keeper pile...

OH I almost forgot two of my all time favorite old friend reads are by Robin McKinley a duology The Blue Sword and Hero and the Crown.

Another series that's a little offbeat but I loved is the Ethshar series by Lawrence Watt-Evans.  The first one is "With a Single Spell" and I did find them easier to read in order, though they're possible to read alone.  He published 8 ? of them through mainstream publishers, and is now self-publishing further volumes on his website and via subscription for hard copies.