Trying to Remember the name of a Book...

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**vipoid**

Hi all. There's a fantasy book I remember reading years ago but I can't remember what on earth it was called. I'm hoping that, if I provide what details I can remember, one of you might have read it and recognise it.

This is what I can remember:

- The main villain was some sort of dark wizard (pretty sure he was a Necromancer, but searching for such has gotten me nowhere thus far, it's possible I'm misremembering. Anyway, killing/defeating him was the main quest throughout the book.
- I think it might have been one of the later books in a trilogy or series.
- I don't *think* it was an actual D&D book, but the main characters were definitely along the lines of a D&D party.
- I remember the heroes being attacked near the beginning by two or three dragons. I remember the mage of the group using a spell that split one of the dragons from neck to tail, causing its guts to spill out (not sure why that detail stuck with me

).
- I believe at some point the heroes find a pair of magic healing gloves/gauntlets and a string of beads/pearls that can be crushed for protective magic.

Also, I remember some stuff about the ending:

Spoiler:

Does anyone have any idea what this book might have been?

**Chaos Legionnaire**

Is it one of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books?
I believe the setting was called Nehwon or something like that.
As I recall, a city called Lankhmar was central to a lot of stories as well.
Haven’t read it since the eighties so the details are a little fuzzy.

**BobtheInquisitor**

What do you remember about the cover of the book?

**vipoid**

Chaos Legionnaire wrote:
Is it one of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books?
I believe the setting was called Nehwon or something like that.
As I recall, a city called Lankhmar was central to a lot of stories as well.
Haven’t read it since the eighties so the details are a little fuzzy.

I've had a look at the wiki pages and I don't think it was from that series.

I think there were more than two central characters and at least one of them (a woman IIRC) was some sort of wizard/spellcaster.

Thanks anyway, though. I hadn't heard of that series at all, so it was worth a try.

BobtheInquisitor wrote:
What do you remember about the cover of the book?

Very little, I'm afraid. I might recognise it if I saw it again, but my recollection is too hazy to give any useful details.

**Lance845**

Fafhrd and the grey mouser are great. Highly recomend them. But i dont think they ever fought a dragon let alone 3 and while the mouser knows a little magic he mostly just knows enough to not mess with it.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
This sounds a bit dragon lance to me. Was there a mage in red or black robes who was all frail and physically weak but his brother who took care of him was a big wall of muscle but kind of dumb? Not like he couldnt speak dumb. Just not the guy solving the riddle.

**BobtheInquisitor**

Do you remember when you read the book? How did you find it?

For example, if it was recommended by your matronly aunt, I'd suggest scrolling through the Amazon pages for Robin Hobb, Melanie Rawn, Andre Norton and the like. If it was from your nerdy cousin, I'd wonder if it was by Terry Goodkind, Raymond Feist, or one of the DnD authors working outside the IP, as they often did.

Was it an old book? Relatively modern? Published after 1999?

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman wrote a bunch of similar novels that were not a part of the Dragonlance property/setting. Their bibliography is a good place to check first.

**Tannhauser42**

Can you remember the name of just one character or place from the book?

**OrlandotheTechnicoloured**

Lance845 wrote:
Fafhrd and the grey mouser are great. Highly recomend them. But i dont think they ever fought a dragon let alone 3 and while the mouser knows a little magic he mostly just knows enough to not mess with it.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
This sounds a bit dragon lance to me. Was there a mage in red or black robes who was all frail and physically weak but his brother who took care of him was a big wall of muscle but kind of dumb? Not like he couldnt speak dumb. Just not the guy solving the riddle.

I thought it sounded dragon lance-y too, written by Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman, there were a lot of books and I've only read some of them a long while back

**vipoid**

Sorry for taking a while to reply.

Tannhauser42 wrote:
Can you remember the name of just one character or place from the book?

Regrettably not. I have very faint recollections of characters and places, but nothing substantial, I'm afraid.

(You can probably see why I've struggled so much to find the book again.

)

BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Do you remember when you read the book? How did you find it?

For example, if it was recommended by your matronly aunt, I'd suggest scrolling through the Amazon pages for Robin Hobb, Melanie Rawn, Andre Norton and the like. If it was from your nerdy cousin, I'd wonder if it was by Terry Goodkind, Raymond Feist, or one of the DnD authors working outside the IP, as they often did.

Was it an old book? Relatively modern? Published after 1999?

I read it back when I was in school, so about 15 years ago now. I don't think it was a recently published one when I read it, but I can't guarantee that.

BobtheInquisitor wrote:

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman wrote a bunch of similar novels that were not a part of the Dragonlance property/setting. Their bibliography is a good place to check first.

That's a good point. I've actually read some Dragonlance books, but I'm aware that there are a ton more I haven't read, so I'll take a look and see if they spark any memories.

**BobtheInquisitor**

If you can remember the color of the spine or the text or the color tone of the cover, that would be useful. Certain publishing houses have their own look, and if you have a publishing house or time period, it can really narrow down the author.

**Tannhauser42**

One other thing I can recommend: go to the local used book stores and just start looking at the books there. You might get lucky.
Here's another possibility to help narrow things down: do you recall if the book was written in British or American English?

**Just Tony**

I had a random book that I was reading decades ago that my Mom threw away before I was finished with it. For the life of me, I can't get ANYONE to place it. I gave up. I wish you luck in your search.

**BobtheInquisitor**

Just Tony wrote:
I had a random book that I was reading decades ago that my Mom threw away before I was finished with it. For the life of me, I can't get ANYONE to place it. I gave up. I wish you luck in your search.

What was your book about?

**Just Tony**

Humans had evolved into gods, the rats had evolved into the current "humanity", and there was this silver life form know as "Sheen" that begun in the story by essentially taking over a terrified rat person. It was trying to possess a "god" and was dismissed, and that's as far as I got in the book.

**vipoid**

Tannhauser42 wrote:
One other thing I can recommend: go to the local used book stores and just start looking at the books there. You might get lucky.
Here's another possibility to help narrow things down: do you recall if the book was written in British or American English?

I'm afraid I don't. remember. Literally all I can remember are a few events, but only in vague terms - I don't remember the actual prose or anything.

Scouting out second-hand bookstores is a good idea, though.

Just Tony wrote:
Humans had evolved into gods, the rats had evolved into the current "humanity", and there was this silver life form know as "Sheen" that begun in the story by essentially taking over a terrified rat person. It was trying to possess a "god" and was dismissed, and that's as far as I got in the book.

Is this the book you're thinking of:

https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2011/06/21/book-review-a-billion-days-of-earth-doris-piserchia-1976/

**Just Tony**

Bam, first time go. Now I get to go get it...

**Azreal13**

I'm pretty sure the OP's book isn't Dragonlance.

Those books hold a special place in my heart and I've read (I think) every book that would have been published by the time it would be relevant, and it just doesn't ring any bells.

It's not imposssible, we're talking 20+ years here and there might be a book I've missed (being a kid in pre internet days, even being aware of what books in a series were available pretty much relied on those lists inside the front of the book you were reading) but it doesn't ring any bells. Plus the only prominent "necromancer" I remember would be Dalamar, and the description of the death of the dragon doesn't ring true for the setting (dragons pretty much only die to other dragons or significant effort and trickery, that I remember, it a simple spell, even by a powerful mage.)

Not as helpful as saying what it is, but maybe eliminating what it probably isn't moves things forward a little.

**Chaos Legionnaire**

Perhaps it was "Conan the Conqueror" as known as "Hour of the Dragon".
I remember enjoying that novel, although it has been about 35 years since I read it.

**BobtheInquisitor**

I'm just hoping it's not one of those obscure authors who put out a few books and disappear. I mean, it's bad enough if it's an Ed Greenwood or Dave Farland or Eric van Lustbader novel, but if it's someone like the Dragonseed guy or one of those Terry Brooks knock off guys...