Wanted- Something epic... (SF/ Fantasy)

[Kindoll]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Fantasy:
David Eddings: Belgariad

I was lucky enough to pick this up in a charity shop a few years ago, the complete set for around £3.

[cearbhallain]

Have I mentioned the Black Prism lately? By Brent Weeks, best fantasy I've read in a very long time. Well thought out magic system and plot with enough twists and turns to keep the most jaded reader intrigued.

There will be a sequel - I should go check on the status of that

[rhadin]

If you are willing to read indie authors, try the In Her Name series by Michael Hicks at Smashwords. The first book in the series, First Contact, is free.

Also well written is Tracy Falbe's Rys Chronicles series, also available at Smashwords. Again, the first book in the series, Union of Renegades, is available free.

Vincint Trigili's Lost Tales of Power series is also excellent and from Smashwords. The first book, The Enemy of an Enemy, is free.

Joseph Lallo's trilogy, The Book of Deacon (which is free), The Great Convergence, and The Battle of Verril, available at Smashwords, is very good.

Also very good is Jason Morrow's The Marenon Chronicles, available at Smashwords, of which the first book, The Deliverer, is free.

[techiemonkey]

The Malazan Book Of The Fallen ( Is a difficult to understand mammoth 10 book series but if you understand it you are good to go and would have enormous fun reading this book )

[Fidney]

If you are after harder SF I would recommend you try:

Peter F. Hamilton (who is by far and away my favourite author at the moment) has three fantastic series:

1. "The Night's Dawn" trilogy - The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, The Naked God - these first got me hooked on the guy (although I almost gave up on the first one, but then BLAM, about half way in it goes from "ho-hum" to absolutely fantastic).

2. "The Commonwealth Saga" - Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained

3. "The Void" trilogy (set in the same universe as the Commonwealth Saga) - The Dreaming Void, The Temporal Void & The Evolutionary Void (though I've still to read this last one)

I also heartily recommend Alastair Reynold's "Revelation Space" series - there are three in the main ark - Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, Absolution Gap and a few others set in the same universe.

There's also Kim Stanley Robinson's "Mars" trilogy -Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars

Not quite as hard, but well worth a read is Dan Simmons "Hyperion Cantos" - Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, The Rise of Endymion.

Fantasy wise (hard as in brutal and adult) you could do much worse than George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series - 5 books out to date - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons and two more on their way. These are FAR, FAR, better than the HBO series(es) and are, in my opinion unputdownable - I'm currently half way through the 4th book, having read them all back to back so far (these are keeping me from The Evolutionary Void, which I really want to read!).

That lot should keep you busy for a while!

[leezer3]

Originally Posted by Fidney

If you are after harder SF I would recommend you try:

Peter F. Hamilton (who is by far and away my favourite author at the moment) has three fantastic series:

1. "The Night's Dawn" trilogy - The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, The Naked God - these first got me hooked on the guy (although I almost gave up on the first one, but then BLAM, about half way in it goes from "ho-hum" to absolutely fantastic).

2. "The Commonwealth Saga" - Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained

3. "The Void" trilogy (set in the same universe as the Commonwealth Saga) - The Dreaming Void, The Temporal Void & The Evolutionary Void (though I've still to read this last one)

I also heartily recommend Alastair Reynold's "Revelation Space" series - there are three in the main ark - Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, Absolution Gap and a few others set in the same universe.

There's also Kim Stanley Robinson's "Mars" trilogy -Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars

Not quite as hard, but well worth a read is Dan Simmons "Hyperion Cantos" - Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, The Rise of Endymion.

Fantasy wise (hard as in brutal and adult) you could do much worse than George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series - 5 books out to date - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons and two more on their way. These are FAR, FAR, better than the HBO series(es) and are, in my opinion unputdownable - I'm currently half way through the 4th book, having read them all back to back so far (these are keeping me from The Evolutionary Void, which I really want to read!).

That lot should keep you busy for a while!

Have to say I've read most of those other than Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars books

My opinion on Peter F. Hamilton is very good most of the time, but he suffers distinctly from a tendancy to invent a technology without thinking too much about the consequences and actual mechanisms behind it
The Evolutionary Void isn't quite as good as the first two either, the direction he chooses to take the Void itself in whilst not unexpected (If you've been following the clues in the previous books, and the way he's taken other concepts of this nature) doesn't quite fit with the way he's previously setup Edyard and the others living in there.

[DiapDealer]

So in other words, you've already read everything worthwhile and are more or less waiting on new stuff to be written?

[dworth]

Another shout for Alastair Reynolds. The man used to work for the European Space Agency so his books feature technology that feels a little more plausible than most. No faster than light ships, for a start (well okay, one).

[Nancy Fulda]

Dang. That's the third time I've seen Alastair mentioned in discussions like this. I'm in an online authors' group with him. Maybe I really ought to check out his stuff.*

I'll add my vote for Brandon Sanderson and Lois McMaster Bujold. They are fabulous authors. Also, has anyone mentioned The Mote in God's Eye by Niven and Pournelle?

*There are like, 150 people in the group, which is why I'm not familiar with all the members' work. I'm not a jerk, honest! Just a typical mortal with limited reading time.

[WillAdams]

Jack Vance's _Lyonesse Trilogy_ (Suldrun's Garden, The Green Pearl, Madouc).

Michael Moorcock's ``Eternal Champion'' books

H. Beam Piper's Terro Human Future, available here in a fabulous omnibus edition:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47980

[Freeshadow]

Re Niven: could it be that his Dreampark trilogy (with Barnes) seems to be lesser known?
Crime investigation in a "role players Disneyland" with star trek holo deck tech combined.

[Namekuseijin]

There's that epic series by Homer called The Illiad. The series concluded with The Odyssey, a high-water mark.

[leezer3]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

So in other words, you've already read everything worthwhile and are more or less waiting on new stuff to be written?

Cheeky
I've sure read a lot of stuff, but how much of it I'd consider truly worthwhile is another kettle of fish entirely.

Oddly enough, I actually studied some small bits of the Oddyssey and the Illyad in the original Latin back in secondary school. Very flowery stuff

Some really good ideas coming out of this thread, as well as some stuff I probably should try reading again, so thanks to all who've contributed!

[Freeshadow]

From a bookworm's point of view: isn't making someone read a book previously unknown to him the essence of a good deed?
It's not without reason that I said in an other thread here about being disturbed while reading that I see asking for reading material hints as one of few valid reasons to do so.
Others have done same favours to us over the years, gifting us with pleasure during the 1st and then every reread. The only way to pay that back is to give it forth.

[Toxaris]

Jack Vance's Tschai series is also very good. You can pick up the first part for free at his site at the moment.