Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Only Thread

[Buck]

There is a great thread in the lounge about Books in general, but to be honest, all I really want to read is Sci-Fi (including post-apocalyptic), and Fantasy.

In this OP I will compile every poster's top 3 Fantasy/SciFi suggestions if they give me them. I will try to keep the posters in alphabetical order in case you want to find someone's suggestions easier.

CP POSTER SUGGESTIONS

Baby Lee
1. Fritz Lieber's Swords Against series.
2. George R.R. Martin's SoIaF series [no brainer that will probably make tons of other lists]
3. Umberto Eco, Foucalt's Pendulum [a little more obscure/forgotten to make up for GRRM]

Frosty
1.Raymond Feist - Riftwar Saga
2.Terry Brooks - Shannara series (starting with the Knight of the Word books)
3.Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow and Thorn

Huffmeister
(1) Dune - Frank Herbert
(2) The Stand - Stephen King (1000+ page unabridged)
(3) Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein (checkout the song by Yes, too. lots of great bass)

Jawshco
1. "Book of the Long Sun" by Gene Wolfe
2. "Paradise War" by Stephen R Lawhead
3. "The Dragonbone Chair" by Tad Williams

listopencil
1. Edgar Rice Burroughs, any series
2. Robert Heinlein, everything he has written in chronological order (but read Starship Troopers first)
3. Doc Smith's Lensman series

vailpass
1. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume 1, 2A & 2B books are a gold mine for sampling the evolution of sci-fi. (below)
2.The Nebula Awards and Hugo Awards (selected yearly, pick a year)
3. Years Best SF Annual publication, pick any volume from 1 to the current volume 17
See Post 142

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by NewChief

It really is. I'm kind of amazed at his ability to make each book stand on its own merit without a lot of dropoff. I kept expecting the next book to be the one that wasn't as good. But each one was excellent.

I'm reading these on your recommend. On the second one now. It's better than the first...

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by vailpass

I'm reading these on your recommend. On the second one now. It's better than the first...

Glad you're enjoying. In retrospect, the third might be the weakest, but..... Not really. Hell. Maybe the 1st is the weakest , and Therein lies the mystery.

[keg in kc]

The third was quite a bit different from the first two. Quentin was quite a bit different, and although it's still his story it was almost like he was a side character. But not, at the same time.

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Random tip: If you decide to check out Sanderson's other works, read Warbreaker before you read Words of Radiance.

It's a minor spoiler, but...

Spoiler!

Sanderson's books are all in the same universe (just on different worlds), and it turns out people can move between them.

It's not vital that you are "in the know," but it makes things a bit more fun.

I just finished Words of Radiance last night. I really enjoy his writing, but now begins the excruciating wait for the next one.

Crap, it's been too long since I read Warbreaker, which character crosses over?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by lawrenceRaider

Crap, it's been too long since I read Warbreaker, which character crosses over?

Minor spoilers about the overall universe, but don't spoil anything about an individual book for the most part:

Spoiler!

The character that shows up in pretty much all Cosmere books is named Hoid. He's a minor character is most of the books (sometimes not even named - we only know that's who he is because Brandon has admitted it in interviews). In Warbreaker, he is a storyteller who answers a bunch of questions Siri has when she is meeting with Lightsong. He has a much larger role in the Stormlight Archive books as Wit.

But the bigger reason for reading Warbreaker first is that Vasher from Warbreaker shows up in Words of Radiance as a swordmaster named Zahel. This is irrelevant to the plot, but you notice a few things about him that seem out of place. Also, toward the end of the book, a sword shows up that greets its new holder with the phrase "Hello. Would you like to destroy some evil today?" As of this point, there's no explanation of why or how.

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Minor spoilers about the overall universe, but don't spoil anything about an individual book for the most part:

Spoiler!

The character that shows up in pretty much all Cosmere books is named Hoid. He's a minor character is most of the books (sometimes not even named - we only know that's who he is because Brandon has admitted it in interviews). In Warbreaker, he is a storyteller who answers a bunch of questions Siri has when she is meeting with Lightsong. He has a much larger role in the Stormlight Archive books as Wit.

But the bigger reason for reading Warbreaker first is that Vasher from Warbreaker shows up in Words of Radiance as a swordmaster named Zahel. This is irrelevant to the plot, but you notice a few things about him that seem out of place. Also, toward the end of the book, a sword shows up that greets its new holder with the phrase "Hello. Would you like to destroy some evil today?" As of this point, there's no explanation of why or how.

Thanks. I've read most of what Sanderson's put out. None of the YA stuff.

[keg in kc]

Just FYI for everyone:

The kindle version of Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie is on sale on amazon today (Christmas...) for 2.99. I haven't read it, but it won basically every award there is (Hugo, Nebula, British Science Fiction, Locus and Arthur C. Clarke Awards) so I'm going to go ahead and pick it up.

A few more other deals today as well, but that's the one that stood out to me...

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link...d_i=1000677541

[Frosty]

Amazon has a book called The Mermaid's Sister available for free for its Prime members through the Kindle First benefit. It is a nice little fairy tale fantasy that is a quick enjoyable read. It's technically a YA book but doesn't read like a kid's book.

I also recently finished Gaiman's Neverwhere. I really enjoyed it though it is kind of a typical "fish out of water on a fantasy quest" story. I actually liked it better than American Gods and probably on par with The Anansi Boys.

I was wondering if anyone has seen the BBC mini-series that the book was based on? Amazon has it pretty cheap with generally positive reviews, though the main criticism is that the effects are pretty cheap.

Currently, I'm reading Brian Keene's Dark Hollow. I planned on following it up with the sequel, Ghostwalk but the bad guy in Dark Hollow has me rolling my eyes, so will have to see if it gets better.

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by listopencil

Edgar Rice Burroughs, any series

Robert Heinlein, everything he has written in chronological order (but read Starship Troopers first)

Doc Smith's Lensman series


If those are taken:

Jack L. Chalker, any series

Piers Anthony's Bio of a Space Tyrant, or Battle Circle (Sos the Rope, Var the Stick, Neq the Sword)

Orson Scott Card's series starting with Ender's Game, or the Tales Of Alvin Maker

Larry Niven's Ringworld series

Nothing from Ray Bradbury. He annoys the shit out of me typically

Asimov is a typical Russian author. Very dry

I was just now thinking that I'm disappointed that Jack L. Chalker's Well World series was never made into a TV series or a movie franchise. There are ten books in the series. I'd love to see NetFlix pull it off along the lines of HBO's GoT. Or some studio doing it up as a movie franchise with a movie for each book.

Same thing for Piers Anthony's Bio of a Space Tyrant series. Anthony was ridiculously prolific, and some of his stuff was just so-so, but his good stuff was really good. There are 6 books in the series but the last book is a retelling from a different point of view. It could be blended back in to make the thing a 5 season series.

Now that an Ender's Game movie has been made maybe Card would be open to allow a treatment of Tales of Alvin Maker. I think it would make a great fantasy/western combo for a cable series. This one could get by on a lower budget.

I don't really see Ringworld becoming a series. It could be done, and I would love to see the Kzinti on screen, but I don't know if it's workable.

[FlintHillsChiefs]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

We'll be lucky if he finishes stormlight archive in the next 15 years.

Those books to me mark the best work he's done so far, and I think they're the only thing worth a re-read. I couldn't even make it through the last wheel of time book. The mistborn stuff is okay but he spends too much time with the magic systems and his early fight sequences come across more like tabletop DnD than visceral fight scenes. His character work is also much stronger in the Stormlight books.

I'm a big fan of the writing excuses podcast he does with dan wells, howard taylor and mary robinette kowal. Although they still haven't motived me to actually write after all these years. But that's my failure more than theirs of course.


Along the lines of Sanderson's lighter fare, Jim Butcher's Codex Alera is pretty entertaining. I don't remember the exact story, but he basically wrote the series based on Pokemon and Roman Legions (it was a bet or something along those lines, somebody else set the parameters). Funny way to start, but a good series.

I love Sanderson. His The Way of Kings books (2 so far) are some of the best fantasy work I have ever had the chance to read. I'm going to have to disagree with you on the Mistborn books though. His three magic systems (metallurgy, hemallurgy, and ferrachemistry) in Mistborn are some of the most unique and well thought out magic systems I have come across. Keslier's fight against the Steel Inquisitor was jawdropping. There are some many things that magic system can do with compounding, etc.

[Buck]

I started reading this book called The City and The City. I thought it was Sci Fi, but so far it's reading like a Crime Mystery Story. I'm not far in though, so it may end up being Sci Fi.

[ThaVirus]

I looked into the Way of Kings series because I've heard great things but apparently it's a planned 10 book series. **** all that.

[Loneiguana]

Originally Posted by Buck

I started reading this book called The City and The City. I thought it was Sci Fi, but so far it's reading like a Crime Mystery Story. I'm not far in though, so it may end up being Sci Fi.

It is.

Mieville wants to write a story in each genre, but with his usual "New weird" tilt.

[Loneiguana]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I looked into the Way of Kings series because I've heard great things but apparently it's a planned 10 book series. **** all that.

He writes faster than most other authors.

Hell, Sanderson has two books out this year already.

[DaFace]

Sanderson has become my favorite author. I'm on my third re-read of the Wheel of Time books and just got to Sanderson's first. Nothing against Robert Jordan at all, but man...Sanderson knows how to write a climax like none other.