TOP 10 FORGOTTEN FANTASY SERIES COUNTDOWN.

Overview

Brian Lee Dery kicks off the video by pitching himself as the host/collector of “forgotten” fantasy—series he read as a kid/teen/college and still owns—then sets the rules: older fantasy books that were once popular but are now rarely discussed or are out of print.

Honorable Mentions (mostly “not quite forgotten,” but deserving a nod)

• Steven Donaldson-adjacent pick: The Mirror of Her Dreams / The Man Rides Through (Maggie?; framed as “more forgotten” than the Thomas Covenant series).
• Kristen Britain — Green Rider (often overlooked despite still running).
• Fritz Leiber — Fafard and the Grey Mouser (Conan-like sword-and-sorcery).
• Lawrence Watt Evans — Lords of Dust (featuring the “Overman” riding a massive catlike creature).
• Deborah Turner Harris — The Burning Stone (a once-buzzy trilogy that never truly caught on).
• Katherine Kurtz — The Fane series (high-quality fantasy, not widely discussed).

Dery repeatedly frames these as “great books you can still rediscover.” In a few places he notes he’ll show book covers/editions, and a couple of times he admits he misremembers details—joking that the video will be edited.

The “Top 10” Countdown (core picks and why they stand out)

#20 — Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman: Deathgate Cycle

Positioned as their big “next” magnum opus after Dragonlance, with ~7 books, but still less talked about than Dragonlance.

#19 — Jennifer Roberson: Sword Dancer

A Conan-style setup with two leads (Dell and Tiger) and a multi-book arc.

#18 — Joel Rosenberg: Guardians of the Flame

A classic D&D premise: a group gets pulled into the world they’re playing—cliché, but Dery calls it absolutely fantastic.

#17 — Sarah Douglas: The Wayfairer Redemption

Big in the 1990s, then faded; praised for its cover art and consistency.

#16 / #15 — Michelle West, then Elizabeth Moon: The Sheep Farmer’s Daughter

• Dery frames Michelle West as having a long series, referencing The Hunter’s Oath and acknowledging some naming confusion around Suns Sword.
• Elizabeth Moon is praised for epic breadth and multiple spin-off storylines.

#14 — John Marco: The Jackal of Nar

Dery emphasizes that he bought it immediately on release and calls it a strong, darker (grim, R-rated-leaning) series. He also mentions a related trilogy by the same author (Tyrants and Kings).

#12 — David B. Coe: The Winds of the Four Lands

Compared to a “Game of Thrones” vibe (minus the same level of explicit content). Dery admits he “broke [his] rules” about publication timing (he thinks it may be early 2000s) and jokes it will be edited out.

#11/#12 — J.V. Jones: The Baker’s Boy / Book of Words series

Also mentions the related Sword of Shadows continuation (described as more than a trilogy).

#10 — David Gemmell: Legend

Included partly as a “why not” tribute: Dery claims Gemmell may not truly be forgotten, but includes him due to an older-era legacy.

#9 — C.S. Friedman: Black Sun Rising

A trilogy highlight praised through memorable DAW-published artwork and overall quality.

#8 — Jennifer Roberson: Chesiliu/Chesuli series (starting with Shape Changers)

Another Roberson entry, credited for multiple magnificent books.

#7 (implied) — Melanie Rawn: Dragon Prince series

Dery describes it as long-forgotten and praises worldbuilding, plot, and characters. He also mentions meeting the author and getting signatures.

#6 — Dennis L. McKiernan: The Dark Tide (Iron Tower trilogy)

Presented as high-epic fantasy akin to big classics, but neglected by modern readers.

#5 (implied) — Mickey Zucker Reichert: The Last of the Renshai

A nine-book long series praised as some of the best fantasy Dery thinks people no longer read.

#4 — Kate Elliott: The Crown of Stars (starting with The King’s Dragon, volume one)

Dery calls it deservedly epic—on par with genre mega-hit accolades—yet relatively “forgotten.”

#3 — Steven Brust: Vlad Taltos series

Still ongoing, but undercredited. Dery highlights the cleverness and humor of Vlad Taltos and his crew (thief/spy/occasional assassin type vibe).

#2 — Robert Asprin: Thieves’ World

A late-1970s series with a famously “badass crew” feel. Dery especially wants it rediscovered and notes he’s made multiple videos about it.

#1 — Katherine Kurtz: Deryni/Darwini series (starting with Darwini Rising)

Declared as Dery’s #1 “forgotten” pick: highly praised writing, multiple books (he says he owns nine and suspects more total), and he argues these titles “need to be resurrected” and re-circulated. He also notes he personally met Kurtz and got signatures.

Standout Tone, Recurring Bits, and Jokes

• The video is less about strict accuracy and more about nostalgia + advocacy: “I still own these,” “some are out of print,” “pick them up if you can.”
• Dery’s humor often comes from forgetting details mid-sentence and casually acknowledging it (“edit that part out,” “broken my rules”).
• He repeatedly praises specific eras/publishers (notably DAW) and famous cover artists, making the countdown feel like a fan-collector showcase.

Main Takeaway

A love-letter to fantasy history: Dery’s central plot is a top-10 countdown of fantasy series that deserve attention, arguing that many were once major reads but have since slipped out of mainstream conversation due to declining reprints and fading reputations.

Personalities Mentioned (Authors)

Brian Lee Dery (host), Steven Donaldson, Kristen Britain, Fritz Leiber, Lawrence Watt Evans, Deborah Turner Harris, Katherine Kurtz, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, Jennifer Roberson, Joel Rosenberg, Sarah Douglas, Michelle West, Elizabeth Moon, John Marco, David B. Coe, J.V. Jones, David Gemmell, C.S. Friedman, Melanie Rawn, Dennis L. McKiernan, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Kate Elliott, Steven Brust, Robert Asprin, Katherine Curts/Kurtz (spelling varies in subtitles).