Recommend me some Fantasy/SF, if you have a free moment

[ErwinOtten]

Originally Posted by pshrynk

I thought it was a Betty and Veronica panel. Actually, I just chose it becasue of the on-going Vera and Harv Saga in the Naming e-reader devices thread. (The llounge llamas have a hard time sticking to just one topic.)

No it's definitely a drawing by Henk Kuijpers, look at the similarities with this attachment. I guess you'll have to learn dutch if you want to read the comics though..... I don't believe they have been translated

[BlackVoid]

I am reading now The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. It is the first part of a trilogy called The First Law trilogy.
I am a bit more than halfway through the first book and it is VERY interesting.

[MdB]

"off-topic" - nope guys, that's the captain dude (I forget his name) from The Adventures of Tintin. I was a huge fan when I was a kid - recognize him anwhere: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:T...intin_Cast.png

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by MdB

"off-topic" - nope guys, that's the captain dude (I forget his name) from The Adventures of Tintin. I was a huge fan when I was a kid - recognize him anwhere: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:T...intin_Cast.png

you mean the Capitaine Haddock ?

[MdB]

Yes! Thanks very much!

Ah TinTin...gone are such simple times...

[cyberhh]

Most of my recommendations are already on the list but:

1. David Eddings:
a. the Elenium Trilogy (my personal favorite)
b. The Belgariad (5 book series)
c. The Tamuli (3 books, sequel to the Elenium)
d. The Mallorean (5 books, sequel to the Belgariad)
e. Belgarath, The Sorcerer and Polgara.

2. Raymond Feist
a. Riftwar Saga (The Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, Silverthorn, Darkness at Sethanon
b. The Empire Trilogy (Daughter of the Empire, Mistress of the Empire and one other I cannot remember)
c. Anything else he has written. They are all good, even the one based on the Krondor video game.

3. Zelanzy - the Amber Series (an all time favorite)

4. Glenn Cook - the Black Company

5. Laurel K. Hamilton - pure pulp, but fun quick reads

6. Brent Weeks - Assassin Trilogy (Best series I have read in years. Third book released on 11/30 and I finished it.)

I am sure there are more, but...

Eliminated from the list:

Wheel of Time - should not need to explain, this guy is terrible.
Sword of Truth - started great, became a way for the author to deliver his own political message
Ice and Fire - as far as I know the series is not complete, I will not recommend anything that is not complete (if I am aware that it is not finished.)

[cyberhh]

Originally Posted by Elsi

Lord Foul's Bane, the first book in the series, is the book that taught me it would be OK to just quit reading a book. After finishing it, I vowed I'd never again force myself to finish a book that I wasn't enjoying. I kept reading thinking "it's got to get better". I mean, after all, so many people were raving about the series and how wonderful it was. At this point, all I remember is that Thomas was sad/morose/depressed and he moaned and whined all the time about how miserable he was and how misfortunate his life was. I just wanted to reach over, slap him across the face and shout "SHUT UP! I'm tired of hearing you complain."

I agree completely, it was like a fantasy version of Judge judy, felt like a total waste of time, I even had a very limited edition signed set of the Thomas the Covenant Original Trilogy that I gave away for free because I hated it so bad.

[cyberhh]

Originally Posted by Dave Berk

I will restrict my recommendation to complete series / standalones which you can get as ebooks. I will also try to stay away from books which had already been recommended.

Bernard Cornwell's Lord of the North Series.
Though ongoing, each book can be read as standalone, much like his sharpe series.

Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series.
There are two sequels. Haven't read them so I can't vouch for their quality.

Interesting Cornwell and Hearn's are not standalone, nor complete..... just bustin your eBalls

The Otori trilogy is Great, it ended after the third even if he keeps writing - and no, I have not read the 2 additional books, but I will.

[deathpack]

Check out www.bestfantasybooks.com, it's got a pretty detailed recommendation list for the best fantasy books (no sci fi books though).

[Elsi]

I just picked up a new-to-me book which I'm really, really enjoying. It's After Long Silence by Sherri S Tepper. I can't believe that I hadn't already read this book -- originally published in 1987 -- since I thought I had consumed every book she has ever written. My absolute favorite of her books is The Gate to Women's Country, which does not appear to available as an eBook. But if you take yourself to a used book store, you should be able to find her books at a reasonable discount.

[PKFFW]

Haven't read the entire thread(yet) so apologies if these have been mentioned....

1: Dan Simmons - Hyperion and Endymion
2: Peter F Hammilton - Almost anything but I prefer Pandora's Star and the rest in that series
3: David Zindell - A requiem for homo sapiens
4: Iain M Banks - Pretty much anything but I particularly like The Algebraist
5: Larry Niven - The Integral Trees

Cheers,
PKFFW

[wayspooled]

Heya

Well, you're asking about what the "must read" fantasy- sci/fi stuff is and for me it's -

Robert Jordan (the Wheel of Time series)
Vernor Vinge (Fire In The Deep, A Deepness In The Sky)
Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman (Chronicles and Legends which are the 1st 2 Krynn Trilogies)
Raymond Feist (Magican, Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon - the original Riftwar Saga)
Terry Brooks (The Sword of Shanarra and The Elfstones of Shanarra)
Stephen R. Donaldson (The Gap Cycle, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever)
CJ Cherryh (The Pride of Chanur, Devil To The Belt duology, Downbelow Station)
JRR Tolkien (The Hobbit, The Lord Of The Rings)
David Brin (the Uplift Novels),
Dave Duncan (The Reluctant Swordsman),
Issac Asimov (Foundation, Fantastic Voyage),
Lois McMaster Bujold (The Vor Game, Barrayar)
Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash),
Anne McCaffrey, (Dragonflight, Dragonquest)
Tad Williams (Memory, Sorrow And Thorn),
Jennifer Roberson, (Sword Dancer books)
Larry Niven (Ringworld, The Mote In God's Eye, Dream Park, Lucifer's Hammer)
John Varley (Titan),
Dennis L. McKiernan (Silver Call Duology, Iron Tower Trilogy),
Julian May (The Many Colored Land),
Frank Herbert (Dune),
Terry Pratchett (pretty much everything)
Terry Goodkind (The Sword of Truth series, first 3 books anyway are must read)
Arthur C. Clark (Rendevous With Rama)
Frederick Pohl (Gateway)
Piers Anthony (Split Infinity, A Spell for Chameleon, On A Pale Horse)
Robin Hobb (Assassin's Apprentice Trilogy, Mad Ship Trilogy)
Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game)
Philip Jose Farmer (To Your Scattered Bodies Go)
R.A. Salvatore (Homeland)
George R.R. Martin you already know,
David Eddings (the 5 books of the Belgariad, nevermind the 25 later books which are good reads but not great reads),

Also, I wouldn't hesitate to check out Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Many of these popular movie things came from excellent books and it is fantasy.

Kinda like The Three Musketeers and Scaramouche - if you go by the movies, they're just adventures but if you read the books you find out 1) they're really political satire and social commentaries and very well done satire to boot. And 2) the stories are very different from the movies.

In lots of cases, just listed the 1st book in a trilogy or duology or series because if you don't like it, you won't like the others. I've read lot of other books by those authors because I loved the one I listed. In other cases, the whole series stands as one enormous story and may get continuously better as you go through it. For example Donaldson's Gap Cycle is an acquired taste in that it gets continuously better as you go on and turns brilliant in the last 2 books of the 5. In fact, Donaldson's subject matter and style are an acquired taste and not for everyone but he can paint a new world as well as anyone.

[kaas]

Interesting to see so many books which helped me ruin my grades because of staying up late...
Another great series -and totally free- is the Firestaff series by James Galloway. Containing five (5!) long books, we follow the hero as he struggles against his enemies, the world, himself, and gods.
This is high fantasy with abundant sorcery and gritty fights.
I have already recommended this series and can only do it again ( and again, and again )

well worth the reading!

Another Author whom I an only recommend is Tamora Pierce, even though her books are rather for teens (at that time I greatly enjoyed them). Has anybody else read her?

cheers,

kaas

oh yes, here the link: http://sennadar.plebian.net/

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by wayspooled

Also, I wouldn't hesitate to check out Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Many of these popular movie things came from excellent books and it is fantasy. Kinda like The Three Musketeers and Scaramouche - if you go by the movies, it's just an adventure but if you read the books you find out 1) it's really political satire and very well done satire and 2) the story is very different.

Tarzan as political satire? I'm afraid I'd have to disagree with you about that! Superb adventure stories, but where does the political satire come into them?

[radius]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Tarzan as political satire? I'm afraid I'd have to disagree with you about that! Superb adventure stories, but where does the political satire come into them?

When he returns "home" to England and contrasts English society with jungle society?