Heh, I guess I don't :)

Shortest one I can recommend would be either The Mist by Stephen King or The Gunslinger graphic novels -- both are prettaahhhh prettahhhh good.

I am a big fan of alt history, not really Sci Fi / Fantasy but it gets lumped in at most book stores.

Completed the full Harry Turtledove 11 book series that starts after the civil war where the Confederacy successfully secedes from the Union. In order;

How Few Remain

The Great War Trilogy
- American Front
- Walk in Hell
- Breakthroughs

The American Empire Trilogy
- Blood and Iron
- The Center Cannot Hold
- The Victorious Opposition

The Settling Accounts
- Return Engagement
- Drive to the East
- The Grapple
- In at the Death

In more of his sci fi vein I have also read all but on book of Turtledove's Worldwar & Colonization (aliens invade Earth at the start of WWII) series. In order;

Worldwar
- In the Balance
- Tilting the Balance
- Upsetting the Balance
- Striking the Balance

Colonization
- Second Contact
- Down to Earth
- Aftershocks

Still need to read Homeward Bound which is the final book in the series.

Worldwar was great, Colonization a let down.

I won't disagree with you. Turtledove seems to skip over plot lines between books that would be compelling but only get one or two paragraphs. For example; when the wife of the character that raises two aliens as humans dies the whole alien reaction is passed over.

He's not the greatest writer (repeats lines over and over, blunt as a 2 X 4 at times) but I think he puts more thought into the "what if" aspect of the storylines and takes them further than other writers in the genre.

There are a couple of older series that I like.

The first is David Eddings Belgariad and Malloreon series (each are five books long). These are of the "peasant finds out he is actually a key part of saving the world" genre but I found them very entertaining, with fun character interaction. The problem with Eddings, though, is that everything he has done since has basically recycled these characters into different plots, even down to the same banter between characters. The Sparhawk series is okay but derivative.

Another is Barbara Hambly's Darwath books or the Winterlands series. Actually, I enjoyed all of her fantasy novels that I have read (she also writes historical fiction and mysteries).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hambly

David Duncan has written several series that I have really enjoyed. The Seventh Sword is about a dying young man (in our time) who finds himself transported to a different world in the body of a master swordsman.

The Pandemia books are good too. I didn't really care for his King's Blades books, though.

http://www.fantasyliterature.com/duncandave.html

Forgot to include one of my favorites, The Lathe Of Heven by Ursula Le Guin.

Brian Keene is good, with shorter novels. Ghoul is really good, as is The Conquering Worm.

You might want to try some H.P. Lovecraft. He's considered one of the grandfathers of modern horror. He's the guy that came up with Cthulhu and the Elder Gods (you've probably run across references to them). And he mostly wrote short stories, so they're usually quick reads. The only issue you may have is that he wrote most of them in the 20s and 30s, so the writing style can be a bit archaic at times, which some people love and some people hate. I enjoy reading his stories.

You haven't read A Song of Ice and Fire yet? WTF MAN???

Good call.. I'd recommend At the Mountains of Madness.

The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons. These books really pulled me in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos

Great idea for a thread. :thumb: I love sci-fi and tend to pick those types of books to read.

Those are really good, although much like Dune, I find myself losing interest with the later books.

David Eddings Belgaraid series