Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The New Musical Era
After seeing Mamma Mia recently, I've decide that a decidedly fun way of spending time would be to write musical scripts. Of course, Mamma Mia was inspired by the musical workings of ABBA, so thus, I wondered, could not other artists be taken and epic comedic stories put on stage as well? Say, what about a musical inspired by the works of Starship Jefferson, Journey, The Police, Queen, or even Boyz II Men? The possibilities are endless, simply either make a compilation of best of... or simply take an album and fit all the songs somehow into some sort of convoluted story line. It makes musical theater that much more interesting when you can sing along to the songs.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Fallibility of Doing
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
A pastor once said "We are called human BE-ings, not human DO-ings." It is in our inherent nature to want to do things, we feel that when we are inactive nothing is getting done, and that for anything to actually "happen" our hands need to be doing something. We want to feel "useful" and "productive". There's nothing wrong in that, but when that becomes our main focus, taken to an extreme, when we refuse to sit still because of the "unproductivity" it would cause, we cease to do God's work and we are doing our own. We forge ahead on our own grandiose crusade for God all the while ignoring his call for us to "Be still and know I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Often we cry out for God to show us His way, then rush off to do whatever it is we think God wants us to do before we even stop to hear what God has to tell us. Oftentimes I get in the mindset of "Well, I know what God's work is." and with that mentality our appeal to God for direction becomes merely some sort of formality to appease Him. I know I am often guilty of this, thinking of some idea that would supposedly further His Kingdom, His glory, His honor, and His name. Then justifying myself in saying that if God doesn't want this to work then it won't work out. What if, though, we were to first stop, and listen to God, hear what He has to say and then stepped out in obedience, how much more powerful and effective then would be our efforts? We don't do God's work, God does God's work through us. In recognizing this, we then realize the futility of our own efforts, and how our rush to action often hinders us from the importance of simply knowing God. God doesn't ask of us to do anything, there's nothing we can do that he can't (except sin if you want to be technical), He simply asks us to be still and know Him.
As Christians we often hear this phrase that we are to "bear fruit". My question then would be; what fruit are we to bear? If we look at apostle Paul's answer in Galatians 5:22-23 (see above) then we can see that none of these are simple results of action. We do not create love from some deed, nor patience, nor kindness, nor gentleness, etc... Bearing fruit does not mean working hard to achieve some sort of goal or quota. God does not dispense blessings on commission. He does not say to me "Good work Jonas, you've brought x number of people to eternal salvation." or "Jonas, I think you really need to start working a little harder, you're falling behind and it doesn't look like you'll meet your annual projection of souls saved". In Matthew 13 Jesus tells us the parable of the sower, and likens us to the soils. Now if we really think about what it means to be put into the parable of the sower, how do we bear good fruit? The answer is simply, to be good soil. When we start living life in the perspective of "who I should be" then the "what I should do" ought to come naturally to us. In living out this life, when I realize who I should be, I recognize then that I am not that person, and in doing so, I realize who I really am and the impossibility of becoming who I ought to be outside of the grace that is found in Christ.
Galatians 5:22-23
In our current state we're always in a constant struggle of what we are to do with our lives. To me, it often seems like we're living very much in a society that desires the ultimate "how-to"s to life in all its intricate aspects. Oftentimes it almost feels like the purpose of our lives has been reduced to what we've done and what we've yet to do. Accomplishments are the be all end all of our existence. Of course, I don't mean to downplay the importance of the "how"s in life, they're a very important aspect, how something is accomplished is easily as important as the end result of said accomplishment. However, in all our efforts to do the right thing we often forget the importance of why we're doing it. We're so caught up in the question of "what am I supposed to do?" and end up doing things just because. This I feel applies not only to the living of life (be it at work, in school, with your family) but also in the application of Christianity as well. Too often my Christian walk has consisted of "to-do"s that supposedly "ensure" my continuing faith and growth in my relationship with Christ. I need to pray, serve, read my Bible, attend church, minister, evangelize, etc... Please don't misunderstand, there is nothing wrong with anything above, and to exercise a strong Christian faith we all need said discplines in our lives. However, the point I make is that too often my focus in Christianity becomes what I can do, the Christian life becomes a process more than an experience. I believe that the question we ought to focus on isn't, "what do I do?" but "who should I be?"
A pastor once said "We are called human BE-ings, not human DO-ings." It is in our inherent nature to want to do things, we feel that when we are inactive nothing is getting done, and that for anything to actually "happen" our hands need to be doing something. We want to feel "useful" and "productive". There's nothing wrong in that, but when that becomes our main focus, taken to an extreme, when we refuse to sit still because of the "unproductivity" it would cause, we cease to do God's work and we are doing our own. We forge ahead on our own grandiose crusade for God all the while ignoring his call for us to "Be still and know I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Often we cry out for God to show us His way, then rush off to do whatever it is we think God wants us to do before we even stop to hear what God has to tell us. Oftentimes I get in the mindset of "Well, I know what God's work is." and with that mentality our appeal to God for direction becomes merely some sort of formality to appease Him. I know I am often guilty of this, thinking of some idea that would supposedly further His Kingdom, His glory, His honor, and His name. Then justifying myself in saying that if God doesn't want this to work then it won't work out. What if, though, we were to first stop, and listen to God, hear what He has to say and then stepped out in obedience, how much more powerful and effective then would be our efforts? We don't do God's work, God does God's work through us. In recognizing this, we then realize the futility of our own efforts, and how our rush to action often hinders us from the importance of simply knowing God. God doesn't ask of us to do anything, there's nothing we can do that he can't (except sin if you want to be technical), He simply asks us to be still and know Him.
As Christians we often hear this phrase that we are to "bear fruit". My question then would be; what fruit are we to bear? If we look at apostle Paul's answer in Galatians 5:22-23 (see above) then we can see that none of these are simple results of action. We do not create love from some deed, nor patience, nor kindness, nor gentleness, etc... Bearing fruit does not mean working hard to achieve some sort of goal or quota. God does not dispense blessings on commission. He does not say to me "Good work Jonas, you've brought x number of people to eternal salvation." or "Jonas, I think you really need to start working a little harder, you're falling behind and it doesn't look like you'll meet your annual projection of souls saved". In Matthew 13 Jesus tells us the parable of the sower, and likens us to the soils. Now if we really think about what it means to be put into the parable of the sower, how do we bear good fruit? The answer is simply, to be good soil. When we start living life in the perspective of "who I should be" then the "what I should do" ought to come naturally to us. In living out this life, when I realize who I should be, I recognize then that I am not that person, and in doing so, I realize who I really am and the impossibility of becoming who I ought to be outside of the grace that is found in Christ.
Monday, February 25, 2008
New Blog
For the 3 (maybe 4) readers of my blog:
As you may have noticed I have begun a trend of NBA blogging, thus, as it has become quite prevalent, I have decided to start another blog for it. Please visit jacemannba.blogspot.com to see the new ones. This will be fed to my Facebook profile as well. Meaning this blog no longer will as you can only have one feed to Facebook at a time.
As you may have noticed I have begun a trend of NBA blogging, thus, as it has become quite prevalent, I have decided to start another blog for it. Please visit jacemannba.blogspot.com to see the new ones. This will be fed to my Facebook profile as well. Meaning this blog no longer will as you can only have one feed to Facebook at a time.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Future of Computer Portability
Well, I'm no expert on any thing, but here's my take on what would be cool for future laptop development. I was inspired this morning after a brief discussion regarding the Macbook Air. Simply put, I believe that the future computer ought to be a Nintendo DS with holographic projection. Interface could be done using the stylus and switching between the screens, and standard use could be a keyboard projection from the touch screen and the monitor projection from the second screen. Dunno, I think it'd work.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
My Reads: Fantasy (continued from Nov 12, 2007 post)
As promised, I am continuing my recommendations on fantasy novels to read and why you should read them. I apologize that it's been a while since I've continued this, so please forgive me. Let me continue:
C.S. Lewis:
A classic, I'd read anything by him, not just fantasy, but that's where I started. He only really wrote one fantasy series, the Space Trilogy being something of Sci-Fi which I venture into every now and then. Great narrative and character development, excellent, quick reads.
The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician's Nephew; The Last Battle
Contrary to whatever genius that decided after the fact of reading the series that the books have to be in chronological order, this is how the series should be read. Chronologically The Magician's Nephew occurs first and The Horse and His Boy occurs before the end of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe but, you should read it in this order. Simply because, it's the order Lewis wrote them in and he writes each one assuming you've read his previous books. Book 6 (The Magician's Nephew) doesn't make a lot of snese if you haven't read book 1 (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). Overall, the stories are very well developed and fun to read, I also really appreciate how Lewis puts the Gospel into his work.
J.R.R. Tolkien:
Like Lewis, Tolkien is another classic that I consider a must read. Of course given Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, many people feel this unnecessary. I only have to say, Peter Jackson's movies, as great as they are, hardly do the novels justice. I feel that the movies are even greater in the context of having read the novels, but as a replacement, they are a poor subsitute. Tolkien does so much in depth character development, and touches on so many issues, that he inspires you with the epicness of his story. There's really not a whole lot I can say about it except you have to read it.
The Hobbit
Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, Return of the King
The Silmarillion
A good starting place for Tolkien is always The Hobbit. While his greatest work remains Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, a prequel, is really a wonderful introduction to Tolkien's Middle Earth. The Silmarillion similar to David Edding's Rivan Codex is something of a history book denoting everything that happens before his acclaimed series. The reading can be a little dry, but it does provide a lot of good contextual information.
These are basically all of the "must read" authors from my perspective currently. I'll toss up another list of stuff I've read that you might like (despite my being less enamoured of them than the previously mentioned series and authors) as well.
C.S. Lewis:
A classic, I'd read anything by him, not just fantasy, but that's where I started. He only really wrote one fantasy series, the Space Trilogy being something of Sci-Fi which I venture into every now and then. Great narrative and character development, excellent, quick reads.
The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician's Nephew; The Last Battle
Contrary to whatever genius that decided after the fact of reading the series that the books have to be in chronological order, this is how the series should be read. Chronologically The Magician's Nephew occurs first and The Horse and His Boy occurs before the end of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe but, you should read it in this order. Simply because, it's the order Lewis wrote them in and he writes each one assuming you've read his previous books. Book 6 (The Magician's Nephew) doesn't make a lot of snese if you haven't read book 1 (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). Overall, the stories are very well developed and fun to read, I also really appreciate how Lewis puts the Gospel into his work.
J.R.R. Tolkien:
Like Lewis, Tolkien is another classic that I consider a must read. Of course given Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, many people feel this unnecessary. I only have to say, Peter Jackson's movies, as great as they are, hardly do the novels justice. I feel that the movies are even greater in the context of having read the novels, but as a replacement, they are a poor subsitute. Tolkien does so much in depth character development, and touches on so many issues, that he inspires you with the epicness of his story. There's really not a whole lot I can say about it except you have to read it.
The Hobbit
Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, Return of the King
The Silmarillion
A good starting place for Tolkien is always The Hobbit. While his greatest work remains Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, a prequel, is really a wonderful introduction to Tolkien's Middle Earth. The Silmarillion similar to David Edding's Rivan Codex is something of a history book denoting everything that happens before his acclaimed series. The reading can be a little dry, but it does provide a lot of good contextual information.
These are basically all of the "must read" authors from my perspective currently. I'll toss up another list of stuff I've read that you might like (despite my being less enamoured of them than the previously mentioned series and authors) as well.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Much Apologies
So this is for the 3 readers that might be out there avidly following my blog and are wondering where the updates have been over the past week or two. I humbly apologize to them. I have been neglect in updating this post for a while, and while I blame webcomics, I also my blame myself for being lazy. I will attempt to do something more substantial after this cop-out of a post. So again, my humble apologies.
Monday, November 12, 2007
My Reads: Fantasy
So this is going to be a fairly comprehensive list of the authors that I recommend you read if you're interested in broaching the genre of fantasy. Normally I would give you a synopsis, but I figure you can probably find a better one on Amazon or something, so I'll kind of give you my personal review in what I like and don't like about certain series.
Raymond Feist:
I haven't actually read all of his stuff, but I hear things he co-writes with other authors generally isn't as good as things that he writes himself. Overall he has an amazing sense of story and character-development that I really enjoy. His series usually will tie certain consistent characters together and always the same universe that he's built. He moves though, on a very large timeline, so you don't get too bored by the same characters over and over, and you still have a sense of what's familiar. I won't add any further comments to any of the series because I think this sums it up quite nicely.
Riftwar Saga - Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon.
Ok, I lied, I have to make a remark here. The first two books are actually two parts of one book simply titled Magician. I've read though that there are certain additions in the two volume addition not originally included in the single volume version. There is a little bit of extra story development, but if you read either the single volume or the two volume versions, both are good (it's kind of like bonus scenes in a movie).
Krondor's Sons - Prince of the Blood, The King's Buccanneer
I didn't expect to do this this much, but as a note, I'm listing these in the order I think you should read them. They aren't exactly chronological, but I believe this is the order that Feist originally wrote them in so sometimes he might refer to stuff or people or places or events that make more sense if you've read the books he wrote earlier.
Riftwar Legacy - Krondor: The Betrayal, Krondor: The Assassins, Krondor: Tear of the Gods
The Serpentwar Saga - Shadow of a Dark Queen, Rise of a Merchant Prince, Rage of a Demon King, Shards of a Broken Crown
Conclave of Shadows - Talon of the Silver Hawk, King of Foxes, Exile's Return
Darkwar Saga - Flight of the Nighthawks, Into a Dark Realm, Wrath of a Mad God
Ok, so I've only read the first book in the series because book 2 hasn't been released in paperback yet and book 3 hasn't even been released, but it's typical Feist writing so I enjoyed the first book and thoroughly expect to enjoy the second and third when I get them.
David (and Leigh) Eddings:
Another one of my favorite authors. I put Leigh in there because Eddings wrote that many of his books he could not have finished without the help of his wife, yet he didn't start attributing her until later in his career. Eddings is somewhat of your stereotypical formula writer. If you read enough of his works you realize that all his characters are exactly the same from series to series. Furthermore, his plots become increasingly similar as time progresses as well. However, what I so enjoy about Eddings is his quick wit in his narrative. Very few authors have gotten me to laugh out loud at their story, Eddings is one of them. The style in which he writes and tells the story is very enthralling and reader friendly, making it a very fun, quick, and relaxing read.
The Belgariad - Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, Enchanter's End Game
The Mallorean - Guardians of the West, King of the Murgos, Demon Lord of Karanda, Sorceress of Darshiva, The Seeress of Kell
Belgarath the Sorcerer
Polgara the Sorceress
The Rivan Codex
So all of these books follow the same characters in the same world. The two series and the three stand-alones. This I feel is probably the epitome of Eddings's work, the originals of all his characters. The stories are great and at least two of the three stand alones (Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress) are good stories that provide a lot of background information referenced in the two series. The Rivan Codex is kind of like Eddings's history book in creating his world as it is, so it can be a little dull.
The Elenium - The Diamond Throne, The Ruby Knight, The Sapphire Rose
The Talmuli - Domes of Fire, The Shining Ones, The Hidden City
Eddings's second set of series which follows a different set of characters with pretty much the same characterizations. Fortunately, since Eddings writes series, we haven't seen too much of his formula and so his characterization style is still somewhat novel.
The Redemption of Althalus
I think that this is probably the greatest Eddings work out there. While he is obviously following his formula again in terms of characterization, this I believe is an excellent summary of his work and writing style. The story is extremely well developed and his narrative again is the draw for most readers. If you fail to read anything else by Eddings, you must read at least this.
The Dreamers - The Elder Gods, The Treasured One, Crystal Gorge, The Younger Gods
At this point in time you can kind of tell that Eddings doesn't really have much else going for him other than his formula and narrative. While he is still enjoyable to read the series story isn't extraordinarily well developed and he has a tendency to repeat events for lack of better things to write about. It's a fun read, but it's definitely not the best that he could do.
R.A. Salvatore
What draws me the most about Salvatore is his ability to bring the story to life. His vivid descriptions of actions and scenery oftentimes make it feel like you're living in his world. His characters are of the "ridiculously amazing" category in that there seems to be nothing that can stop them, so Salvatore is required to also make "ridiculously amazing" villains to counter them. All-in-all, a great author.
Icewind Dale Trilogy - The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling's Gem
This series introduces you to the main characters that Salvatore develops and likes to play around with. They've sort of become a cornerstone in the Forgotten Realms universe.
The Dark Elf Trilogy - Homeland, Exile, Sojourn
Legacy of the Drow - The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, Passage to Dawn
Paths of Darkness -The Silent Blade, The Spine of the World, Sea of Swords
I really couldn't bring myself to reading this series. Salvatore does a lot of kind of soul-searching character development, and while interesting, this series is almost entirely devoted to it, so it's hard to read.
The Cleric Quintet - Canticle, In Sylvan Shadows, Night Masks, The Fallen Fortress, The Chaos Curse
This, while a Forgotten Realms series follows a different set of characters that Salvatore has developed. The two sets of characters do meet within the universe.
The Hunter's Blad Trilogy - The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow, The Two Swords
The Sellswords - Servant of the Shard, The Promise of the Witch King, Road of the Patriarch
Servant of the Shard was originally part of the Paths of Darkness series, but because of the popularity of these two "villains" that Salvatore created, he decided to dedicate an entire series to them. Different characters, same overall problems and action.
The Spearwielder's Tales - The Woods Out Back, The Dragon's Dagger, Dragonslayer's Return
This is a standalone series that Salvatore wrote, not in the world of Forgotten Realms. It's a pretty standard fantasy tale with the great Salvatore narration.
Crimson Shadow - The Sword of Bedwyr, Luthien's Gamble, The Dragon King
See above.
The Demonwar Trilogy - The Demon Awakens, The Demon Spirit, The Demon Apostle
I differentiate this from The Demonwar Saga because I feel they are two different stories. While they happen one after the other, I feel that the story in these three novels comes to a conclusion, and the second series is just not as well developed.
The Highwayman
This is kind of a "prequel" to the The Demonwar Saga in that it takes place before. A good story giving a lot of background information to the series.
Brian Jacques
I've been reading Brian Jacques's work since fourth grade and I've honestly enjoyed all of the books I've read. The stories are somewhat formulaic in that you always have a general idea of what to expect despite the characters. They all serve somewhat as a standalone, though it oftentimes helps to have reference of his earlier works. The best part I think I like about Jacques is just how well he writes about food. Every book has a feast of some sort and makes you just want to jump in and join the characters in eating.
Redwall - Redwall, Mossflower, Mattimeo, Mariel of Redwall, Salamandastron, Martin the Warrior, The Bellmaker, Outcast of Redwall, The Pearls of Lutra, The Long Patrol, Marlfox, The Legend of Luke, Lord Brocktree, The Taggerung, Triss, Loamhedge, Rakkety Tam, High Rhulian, Eulalia
I haven't actually read Eulalia yet as it's not out in paperback quite yet, but as with Feist, I know I'll like it when I get it.
Those are kind of the big ones right now, I'll add more when I get the chance.
Raymond Feist:
I haven't actually read all of his stuff, but I hear things he co-writes with other authors generally isn't as good as things that he writes himself. Overall he has an amazing sense of story and character-development that I really enjoy. His series usually will tie certain consistent characters together and always the same universe that he's built. He moves though, on a very large timeline, so you don't get too bored by the same characters over and over, and you still have a sense of what's familiar. I won't add any further comments to any of the series because I think this sums it up quite nicely.
Riftwar Saga - Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon.
Ok, I lied, I have to make a remark here. The first two books are actually two parts of one book simply titled Magician. I've read though that there are certain additions in the two volume addition not originally included in the single volume version. There is a little bit of extra story development, but if you read either the single volume or the two volume versions, both are good (it's kind of like bonus scenes in a movie).
Krondor's Sons - Prince of the Blood, The King's Buccanneer
I didn't expect to do this this much, but as a note, I'm listing these in the order I think you should read them. They aren't exactly chronological, but I believe this is the order that Feist originally wrote them in so sometimes he might refer to stuff or people or places or events that make more sense if you've read the books he wrote earlier.
Riftwar Legacy - Krondor: The Betrayal, Krondor: The Assassins, Krondor: Tear of the Gods
The Serpentwar Saga - Shadow of a Dark Queen, Rise of a Merchant Prince, Rage of a Demon King, Shards of a Broken Crown
Conclave of Shadows - Talon of the Silver Hawk, King of Foxes, Exile's Return
Darkwar Saga - Flight of the Nighthawks, Into a Dark Realm, Wrath of a Mad God
Ok, so I've only read the first book in the series because book 2 hasn't been released in paperback yet and book 3 hasn't even been released, but it's typical Feist writing so I enjoyed the first book and thoroughly expect to enjoy the second and third when I get them.
David (and Leigh) Eddings:
Another one of my favorite authors. I put Leigh in there because Eddings wrote that many of his books he could not have finished without the help of his wife, yet he didn't start attributing her until later in his career. Eddings is somewhat of your stereotypical formula writer. If you read enough of his works you realize that all his characters are exactly the same from series to series. Furthermore, his plots become increasingly similar as time progresses as well. However, what I so enjoy about Eddings is his quick wit in his narrative. Very few authors have gotten me to laugh out loud at their story, Eddings is one of them. The style in which he writes and tells the story is very enthralling and reader friendly, making it a very fun, quick, and relaxing read.
The Belgariad - Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, Enchanter's End Game
The Mallorean - Guardians of the West, King of the Murgos, Demon Lord of Karanda, Sorceress of Darshiva, The Seeress of Kell
Belgarath the Sorcerer
Polgara the Sorceress
The Rivan Codex
So all of these books follow the same characters in the same world. The two series and the three stand-alones. This I feel is probably the epitome of Eddings's work, the originals of all his characters. The stories are great and at least two of the three stand alones (Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress) are good stories that provide a lot of background information referenced in the two series. The Rivan Codex is kind of like Eddings's history book in creating his world as it is, so it can be a little dull.
The Elenium - The Diamond Throne, The Ruby Knight, The Sapphire Rose
The Talmuli - Domes of Fire, The Shining Ones, The Hidden City
Eddings's second set of series which follows a different set of characters with pretty much the same characterizations. Fortunately, since Eddings writes series, we haven't seen too much of his formula and so his characterization style is still somewhat novel.
The Redemption of Althalus
I think that this is probably the greatest Eddings work out there. While he is obviously following his formula again in terms of characterization, this I believe is an excellent summary of his work and writing style. The story is extremely well developed and his narrative again is the draw for most readers. If you fail to read anything else by Eddings, you must read at least this.
The Dreamers - The Elder Gods, The Treasured One, Crystal Gorge, The Younger Gods
At this point in time you can kind of tell that Eddings doesn't really have much else going for him other than his formula and narrative. While he is still enjoyable to read the series story isn't extraordinarily well developed and he has a tendency to repeat events for lack of better things to write about. It's a fun read, but it's definitely not the best that he could do.
R.A. Salvatore
What draws me the most about Salvatore is his ability to bring the story to life. His vivid descriptions of actions and scenery oftentimes make it feel like you're living in his world. His characters are of the "ridiculously amazing" category in that there seems to be nothing that can stop them, so Salvatore is required to also make "ridiculously amazing" villains to counter them. All-in-all, a great author.
Icewind Dale Trilogy - The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, The Halfling's Gem
This series introduces you to the main characters that Salvatore develops and likes to play around with. They've sort of become a cornerstone in the Forgotten Realms universe.
The Dark Elf Trilogy - Homeland, Exile, Sojourn
Legacy of the Drow - The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, Passage to Dawn
Paths of Darkness -The Silent Blade, The Spine of the World, Sea of Swords
I really couldn't bring myself to reading this series. Salvatore does a lot of kind of soul-searching character development, and while interesting, this series is almost entirely devoted to it, so it's hard to read.
The Cleric Quintet - Canticle, In Sylvan Shadows, Night Masks, The Fallen Fortress, The Chaos Curse
This, while a Forgotten Realms series follows a different set of characters that Salvatore has developed. The two sets of characters do meet within the universe.
The Hunter's Blad Trilogy - The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow, The Two Swords
The Sellswords - Servant of the Shard, The Promise of the Witch King, Road of the Patriarch
Servant of the Shard was originally part of the Paths of Darkness series, but because of the popularity of these two "villains" that Salvatore created, he decided to dedicate an entire series to them. Different characters, same overall problems and action.
The Spearwielder's Tales - The Woods Out Back, The Dragon's Dagger, Dragonslayer's Return
This is a standalone series that Salvatore wrote, not in the world of Forgotten Realms. It's a pretty standard fantasy tale with the great Salvatore narration.
Crimson Shadow - The Sword of Bedwyr, Luthien's Gamble, The Dragon King
See above.
The Demonwar Trilogy - The Demon Awakens, The Demon Spirit, The Demon Apostle
I differentiate this from The Demonwar Saga because I feel they are two different stories. While they happen one after the other, I feel that the story in these three novels comes to a conclusion, and the second series is just not as well developed.
The Highwayman
This is kind of a "prequel" to the The Demonwar Saga in that it takes place before. A good story giving a lot of background information to the series.
Brian Jacques
I've been reading Brian Jacques's work since fourth grade and I've honestly enjoyed all of the books I've read. The stories are somewhat formulaic in that you always have a general idea of what to expect despite the characters. They all serve somewhat as a standalone, though it oftentimes helps to have reference of his earlier works. The best part I think I like about Jacques is just how well he writes about food. Every book has a feast of some sort and makes you just want to jump in and join the characters in eating.
Redwall - Redwall, Mossflower, Mattimeo, Mariel of Redwall, Salamandastron, Martin the Warrior, The Bellmaker, Outcast of Redwall, The Pearls of Lutra, The Long Patrol, Marlfox, The Legend of Luke, Lord Brocktree, The Taggerung, Triss, Loamhedge, Rakkety Tam, High Rhulian, Eulalia
I haven't actually read Eulalia yet as it's not out in paperback quite yet, but as with Feist, I know I'll like it when I get it.
Those are kind of the big ones right now, I'll add more when I get the chance.
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