Which ones would you guys recommend to someone who grew up reading most of the Forgotten Realms novels and is looking for some boredom relief? Which stories are good, who're the characters involved, why should I read it, that kind of thing.
"The Illusionist" because it's quick, really good, and by Elaine Cunningham, whose work is probably familiar to a FR fan.
"Passage to Absalom" because it's also really good, is by Dave Gross (likely also familiar to a FR fan), and introduces Varian and Radovan, two of the most fun and popular characters in Pathfinder Tales. (Edit: If you want to go in chronological order, then "A Lesson in Taxonomy" is [I think] the first one in the sequence, BUT I like "Passage" better as a starting point because I think that's the best single story that captures their dynamic.)
Sample chapters from all the novels are available too, which is great because if you like any of those, well hey!, there's a lot more to read about those characters.
Beyond that -- well, what kind of stories do you like? Humorous or serious? Action-packed, mystery-focused, or character studies? There's a little bit of everything available in the line, but it's easier to make recommendations if you tell us what you like. :)
I have not read any Forgotten Realms but I have read ALL of the Pathfinder Tales. I'll echo Liane Merciel:
Let us know what you are interested in reading and we can make recommendations. If you are like me and like to read things in Chronological Order, you can take a look at the Pathfinder Tales Chronology.
There is a notable difference between the Pathfinder Tales and some other book series (like Forgotten Realms and Star Wars EU). The Pathfinder Tales are connected in that they all take place in Golarion and sometimes characters will cross from one story to the next. However, stories are mostly taking place in the "literary present" which means that they are all (sort of) happening at the same time all over. That means that you don't have to know what happened in Prince of Wolves to understand what is going on in Liar's Blade. However, individual series (like Dave Gross' books) are internally consistent and there is a benefit to reading those in order, though they are written in such a way that you don't NEED to do so.
So, what do YOU want to read?
Pirate Adventures?
Sherlock and Watson?
A Buddy Comedy?
A Heist?
A Spaghetti Western?
Dark Moody Angst?
A Travelogue?
A Party of Adventurers?
Both 'A Matter of Knives' and 'Guns of Alkenstar' are written by Ed Greenwood...who I hope you know as a FR fan.
I have been slowly reading these but I have not read much of them. Though having read a lot of the novels and also having grew up on the FR novels I would say they are very similar in style. And they definitely share the same roots.
I was mainly wanting to read something along the lines of the Drizzt novels series by Salvatore, or the War of the Spider Queen series, but in all honesty, I like just about anything as long as the action is good and the characters are interesting. I'd prefer to start with the web fiction available on Paizo's site before buying any of the novels, so recommendations for those would be what I'm looking for most.
I'm a big fan of lycanthropes/therianthropes and skinwalkers, the technic league and most, if not all, of the Iron Gods/Numerian stuff, and any and all things barbarian-ish as well as Cheliax, who's fluff I very much like.
Weelll, let's see.
It would be easy to recommend novels based on what you've described (Tim Pratt's City of the Fallen Sky and Reign of Stars both have some awesome Numeria-centric material, plus tons upon tons of witty banter and fun, colorful characters; Wendy Wagner's Skinwalkers is exactly what it advertises on the box), but I don't know that there are any web fictions centered around Numeria or lycanthropes. Or barbarians, for that matter, although "Mother Bears" might come close.
"Faithful Servants" is a great story with vivid and compelling characters, so I'll put that out as a recommendation. I think that's one of the best all-around web fiction stories and well worth a read. It's also a nifty demonstration of how Golarion ties together disparate settings (plane-hopping through the multiverse one day, straight to Gothic horror in Ustalav the next) in surprisingly smooth fashion.
"The Fencing Master" is another really good one that kinda-sorta fits in with your criteria. It's set in Korvosa, not Cheliax, but it's Korvosa at a slightly earlier point in the timeline when its culture was more heavily influenced by Cheliax than it is in the present day (which I enjoy for the purely nerd-tastic reason that it's fun to see culture evolve in the setting). Plus it's always fun to see AP characters pop up in fiction, and Blackjack's a particular favorite of mine.
Have there been any stories written involving any Summoners as a key character?
Stalking the Beast and King of Chaos both have summoners in major roles (one as an antagonist, one as a friendly), but again, they're novels.
"Faithful Servants" has a summoner in a major role.
There are probably others that aren't coming to me right now.
Stalking the Beast and King of Chaos both have summoners in major roles (one as an antagonist, one as a friendly), but again, they're novels.
"Faithful Servants" has a summoner in a major role.
There are probably others that aren't coming to me right now.
I think that is the only Web Fiction with a Summoner in it...
If you liked Army of Darkness, you might enjoy Fingers of Death - No Doom! and Tides of Blood!.
The Illusionist has some really fun intrigue, and is a really quick read.
Guns of Alkenstar is big on guns, action and intrigue, but REALLY low on magic. It's more of a western than a fantasy story, but it's still good.
The Irregulars is one of my favorite Web Fiction peices. Lots of action and adventure from a bit of a band of misfits!
The Weeping Blade is phenomenal writing! Less action, though. It's about a group of adventurers who retired after they were all disabled in their last adventure. One is blind, one has no legs and one is insane. They get to have one more adventure!