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DrNefario · 03-18-2015, 01:10 PM

Tie-in fiction tends to get a pretty bad reputation. I suspect most of us went through a phase of it, even if we later turned to original work.

What are the most notable works of tie-in fiction? Which ones ought to save its reputation? Which ones are historically significant?

Here's a few examples that I think probably count:

The Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (Dungeons & Dragons - Dragonlance) - I'm not sure these stand up too well any more, but I think they were a significant influence on the field at the time. A good few of the current crop of fantasy writers will mention them as an early influence. I think Dragonlance worked better as a set of novels than it did as a D&D setting, and I also feel that the subsequent Dragonlance Legends trilogy about the twins was probably more interesting.

The Icewind Dale trilogy by RA Salvatore (Dungeons & Dragons - Forgotten Realms) - I haven't read these myself, but I've heard of them, and their leading character, who became very popular.

The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn (Star Wars) - Again, I haven't read these, and again their influence seems quite large, making the NPR Top 100 SF&F books.

Any other suggestions? Star Trek? Doctor Who? Warhammer? Warcraft? Pathfinder? Something non-SF/F that I can't think of right now?

03-18-2015, 01:10 PM	#1
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,099 Karma: 11315768 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	Tie-in fiction - what are the greats? Tie-in fiction tends to get a pretty bad reputation. I suspect most of us went through a phase of it, even if we later turned to original work. What are the most notable works of tie-in fiction? Which ones ought to save its reputation? Which ones are historically significant? Here's a few examples that I think probably count: The Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (Dungeons & Dragons - Dragonlance) - I'm not sure these stand up too well any more, but I think they were a significant influence on the field at the time. A good few of the current crop of fantasy writers will mention them as an early influence. I think Dragonlance worked better as a set of novels than it did as a D&D setting, and I also feel that the subsequent Dragonlance Legends trilogy about the twins was probably more interesting. The Icewind Dale trilogy by RA Salvatore (Dungeons & Dragons - Forgotten Realms) - I haven't read these myself, but I've heard of them, and their leading character, who became very popular. The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn (Star Wars) - Again, I haven't read these, and again their influence seems quite large, making the NPR Top 100 SF&F books. Any other suggestions? Star Trek? Doctor Who? Warhammer? Warcraft? Pathfinder? Something non-SF/F that I can't think of right now?