Sci-fi/Fantasy recommendations - Page 3

DrNefario · 08-09-2014, 05:08 AM

Most people are pitching too young for a 15-year-old, in my opinion. I'm happy to read books aimed at any age now, but I was much more keen to be moving forwards then. I'd have said the Diane Duane is definitely pitched younger. I think the heroes are 11 in the first book.

I was basically reading adult fiction by then. I have a feeling the genre was typically more family-friendly in general, so anything published more than 25 years ago is probably OK.

I might have been in my David Brin phase around then: Startide Rising, The Postman, The Practice Effect, etc. I can't really remember if they're clean, but I think they are. To be honest, I was very much in favour of sexual content when I was 15.

Surfergirl · 08-09-2014, 06:28 AM

Hi

I'd recommend the Incarceron books (Incarceron and Sapphique). Excellent fantasy books for teenagers (and also written by my friend Catherine Fisher!)

Irene

pwalker8 · 08-09-2014, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Most people are pitching too young for a 15-year-old, in my opinion. I'm happy to read books aimed at any age now, but I was much more keen to be moving forwards then. I'd have said the Diane Duane is definitely pitched younger. I think the heroes are 11 in the first book.

I was basically reading adult fiction by then. I have a feeling the genre was typically more family-friendly in general, so anything published more than 25 years ago is probably OK.

I might have been in my David Brin phase around then: Startide Rising, The Postman, The Practice Effect, etc. I can't really remember if they're clean, but I think they are. To be honest, I was very much in favour of sexual content when I was 15.

I tend to agree with you on that, that's why I mentioned the Hunger Games. The older teen/young adult is who the series of vampire in high school romance novels that was so popular a few years ago was geared toward. While I might personally still enjoy a lot of the youth books (Tamora Pierce et al), I suspect that a 15 year old might like them, but wouldn't want to be caught reading them by her peers.

mgbino · 08-09-2014, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I tend to agree with you on that, that's why I mentioned the Hunger Games. The older teen/young adult is who the series of vampire in high school romance novels that was so popular a few years ago was geared toward. While I might personally still enjoy a lot of the youth books (Tamora Pierce et al), I suspect that a 15 year old might like them, but wouldn't want to be caught reading them by her peers.

I think the Tamora Pierce books would be ok for a 15 y/o, not too young.

Did anyone suggest the Inda books by Sherwood Smith, because I think they'd be a good intro to "grownup" fantasy for a youngish girl.

Garth Nix's Abhorsen books would be a good choice IMO,

Dngrsone · 08-09-2014, 10:22 AM

C.J. Cherryh has several series worth looking at and C.S. Friedman is one of my favorites.

pwalker8 · 08-09-2014, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgbino

I think the Tamora Pierce books would be ok for a 15 y/o, not too young.

Did anyone suggest the Inda books by Sherwood Smith, because I think they'd be a good intro to "grownup" fantasy for a youngish girl.

Garth Nix's Abhorsen books would be a good choice IMO,

I forgot about the Abhorsen series. Great suggestion. They just came out as ebooks several months ago.

My point with the Tamora Pierce books isn't so much that she might not enjoy them, but rather other kids might tease her for reading kids books. Kids can be that way. Of course, all you need to do is give her a ebook reader, and no one else will know what she's reading.

artifact · 08-09-2014, 09:47 PM

I remember enjoying Vonda McIntyre when I was in High School (possibly Jr. High.. so may books so many years ago. I inhaled the library.) IIRC she does touch on relationships/sex but nothing graphic. My favorites were Dreamsnake and Superluminlal. She self-pubs her old titles over on Book View Cafe where 95% of the price goes to the author.

I also remember liking the previously mentioned Patricia A. McKillip at that time so a second to that recommendation. Cygnet and the Firebrand, Forgotten Beasts of Eld, Moonflash.

eschwartz · 08-10-2014, 01:41 AM

I don't really believe there is any such thing as "pitching too young".

I have read most of these "too young" books and enjoyed all of them, and while I am not exactly old, I am by no means a 15-year-old anymore.

Part of the problem with Young Wizards, I think, is that they were written for an older time. That isn't quite so popular nowadays, with books that are set in the real world -- on the other hand, purely fantastic settings like ASOIAF, LotR, Eragon, Forgotten Realms, can easily get away with that for obvious reasons. And unlike Harry Potter, the action doesn't happen in a world that might as well be as foreign as Middle-Earth.

I wonder what the new editions look like, I've never seen them. I enjoyed the old versions long before I was aware of any new ones.

Yapyap · 08-10-2014, 02:46 AM

There's a lot of "children's" series where the fandom is full of 15-18-year-olds (and older) - Percy Jackson, Harry Potter obviously back in the day, Skulduggery Pleasant, etc. I don't think the lines between "childish" and "not childish" (or MG/YA) are that strict these days.

For other kids to make fun of someone for reading books that are "too young", I'd imagine the reading material would have to be something very young / aimed at 7-9-year-olds, not so much Tamora Pierce or Diane Duane (also, I'd doubt kids who haven't read those authors themselves would know to make fun about them, and kids who have, probably wouldn't make fun because they really aren't actually that "young"!).

Anyway, I'd agree with most of the suggestions made. I've only read one series by Tamora Pierce (The Immortals, which was okay although not outstanding) but I wouldn't consider her stuff "too young". Diane Duane ... I enjoyed the books (I haven't read the updated versions) when I read them a few years ago, well past the age of 15, but I think that will really depend on a specific 15-year-old: some will like them, others won't.

Sexuality in books is a tricky matter when picking things suitable for a 15-year-old. On the one hand, this is exactly the age where kids are figuring themselves out (and gender and sexual diversity is, as I've learned from being in fandoms with 15-16-year-olds, Very Important and they crave representation and diversity probably more than any other age group) so I'd never, ever go "these books handle diverse situations/characters and are unsuitable for teens" (you never know, the teens in question may be privately struggling over figuring out what they are - the parents are often the last to know!).

On the other hand, there are plenty of 15-year-olds who really don't want romance-focused books or books with more than a passing reference to sex or sexuality, and that should certainly be kept in mind, too.

In any case, a mature 15-year-old is basically what I'd consider ready for anything, so I'd just say whatever catches her fancy from MG books to YA to adult books, but a lot of adult fantasy / scifi books these days do have some more explicit stuff in them. I just skim those parts, but, well. This is probably why reccing MG/YA books seems like a safer bet.

For some specific recs, the fantasy / scifi books aimed at younger readers which I've enjoyed in recent years, being an adult who happily reads things like that (and finds that a lot of that doesn't work for older readers as well, while some does), include Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy), the Bartimaeus sequence (Jonathan Stroud), Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan), The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), Unwind (Neal Shusterman), Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro), almost anything by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Leviathan), the Chaos Walking trilogy (Patrick Ness), The Lunar Chronicles (Marissa Meyer), Earth Girl (Janet Edwards), Katya's World and Katya's War (Jonathan Howard), Half a King (Joe Abercrombie), and .. well, lots more, but those are all I've appreciated for actual deeper themes and that also aren't too heavy on romance (The Hunger Games and Lunar Chronicles are probably the romance-heaviest on the list but it's not the focus in neither series).

pdurrant · 08-10-2014, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I wonder what the new editions look like, I've never seen them. I enjoyed the old versions long before I was aware of any new ones.

The new editions are much the same as the old editions, with small modifications for the march of technology, small updates to the language, and with the timeline of the stories straightened out. The books were originally essentially set in the year they were written, meaning that the main characters pretty much aged one year for five-ten years of technological change. Now they have a proper baseline time (starting in 2008, IIRC), and characters age in linear fashion with the year the story is set.

It really just makes it less confusing for a new reader.

eschwartz · 08-10-2014, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The new editions are much the same as the old editions, with small modifications for the march of technology, small updates to the language, and with the timeline of the stories straightened out. The books were originally essentially set in the year they were written, meaning that the main characters pretty much aged one year for five-ten years of technological change. Now they have a proper baseline time (starting in 2008, IIRC), and characters age in linear fashion with the year the story is set.

It really just makes it less confusing for a new reader.

Which is important. Difficult to sell stuff if the hook looks weird.

Hey, I enjoyed the originals. Maybe the new ones would just end up confusing me.

Yapyap · 08-10-2014, 04:02 AM

I actually enjoyed the huge leaps in technology from one Young Wizards book to the next, while the kids weren't getting noticeably older - it added a fun new dimension (I read them all in a row over a couple of months, just before the most recent one came out).

But I do think it'd ... well, not so much confuse readers as just throw many of them out of the story, so while I am generally not in favour of updating books just to reflect changes in modern society or technology, for this specific book series updated versions do make sense IMHO.

eschwartz · 08-10-2014, 04:09 AM

Considering one of the main characters was basically a computer wizard, it was kinda funny.

gbm · 08-10-2014, 11:06 AM

If finances are a concern then might I suggest the 1635 The Eastern Front CD at the BaenCD at the Fifth Imperium , has a good bit of the 1632 series and a big list of classic SF/Fantasy, over 60 Ebooks in all. Most on the publisher's Young Adult Reading List. Also the Scepter'd Isle CD.

bernie

hildea · 08-11-2014, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pearsjd

My only request is no graphic sex.

I interpreted "graphic sex" as explicit sex, ie. describing exactly which body parts are involved, how tab A fits into slot B, and which bodily fluids are exchanged (not necessarily just the expected ones, in paranormal/fantasy/SF stories

).

If you mean "no graphic sex" a bit wider, some of the books I suggested might not be a good fit. As others have mentioned, there's some sex in Bujold's books. The Sharing Knife series has some non-explicit sex scenes of some length (very romantic and sweet, and emphasising the huge difference between sex between people who care about and trust each other, versus sex with someone who doesn't deserve trust and only wants to get off).

Others of Bujold's books have some short, but very un-detailed descriptions of sex, typically a few sentences, like:

Spoiler:

And a far less happy one, involving a crazy sadist:

Spoiler:

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Ooooh Free story! Thanks! (I didn't realize there were any.)

I found the full list here: http://sarahreesbrennan.com/extras/

Yeah, they are great

As I mentioned, all the Demon's Lexicon ones except "Quite in the House" spoil the first book.

The Turn of the Story is more novel length than short story. There are a couple of chapters left to be published. It's really, really good -- her Jane Eyre parody too, and basically everything she's written

08-09-2014, 09:47 PM	#37
artifact Addict Posts: 276 Karma: 3569616 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: jetBook (RIP), Kobo Touch	I remember enjoying Vonda McIntyre when I was in High School (possibly Jr. High.. so may books so many years ago. I inhaled the library.) IIRC she does touch on relationships/sex but nothing graphic. My favorites were Dreamsnake and Superluminlal. She self-pubs her old titles over on Book View Cafe where 95% of the price goes to the author. I also remember liking the previously mentioned Patricia A. McKillip at that time so a second to that recommendation. Cygnet and the Firebrand, Forgotten Beasts of Eld, Moonflash. Last edited by artifact; 08-09-2014 at 09:53 PM.

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08-09-2014, 05:08 AM	#31
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,203 Karma: 12029046 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	Most people are pitching too young for a 15-year-old, in my opinion. I'm happy to read books aimed at any age now, but I was much more keen to be moving forwards then. I'd have said the Diane Duane is definitely pitched younger. I think the heroes are 11 in the first book. I was basically reading adult fiction by then. I have a feeling the genre was typically more family-friendly in general, so anything published more than 25 years ago is probably OK. I might have been in my David Brin phase around then: Startide Rising, The Postman, The Practice Effect, etc. I can't really remember if they're clean, but I think they are. To be honest, I was very much in favour of sexual content when I was 15.

08-09-2014, 06:28 AM	#32
Surfergirl Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 299 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: PRS-505 (Blue)/PRS-505 (Red)/iPhone 3GS	Hi I'd recommend the Incarceron books (Incarceron and Sapphique). Excellent fantasy books for teenagers (and also written by my friend Catherine Fisher!) Irene

08-09-2014, 10:22 AM	#35
Dngrsone Almost legible Posts: 1,457 Karma: 4611110 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: In a high desert, CA Device: Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy Tab A (2017), Likebook P78	C.J. Cherryh has several series worth looking at and C.S. Friedman is one of my favorites.

08-10-2014, 01:41 AM	#38
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85400180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	I don't really believe there is any such thing as "pitching too young". I have read most of these "too young" books and enjoyed all of them, and while I am not exactly old, I am by no means a 15-year-old anymore. Part of the problem with Young Wizards, I think, is that they were written for an older time. That isn't quite so popular nowadays, with books that are set in the real world -- on the other hand, purely fantastic settings like ASOIAF, LotR, Eragon, Forgotten Realms, can easily get away with that for obvious reasons. And unlike Harry Potter, the action doesn't happen in a world that might as well be as foreign as Middle-Earth. I wonder what the new editions look like, I've never seen them. I enjoyed the old versions long before I was aware of any new ones.

08-10-2014, 02:46 AM	#39
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	There's a lot of "children's" series where the fandom is full of 15-18-year-olds (and older) - Percy Jackson, Harry Potter obviously back in the day, Skulduggery Pleasant, etc. I don't think the lines between "childish" and "not childish" (or MG/YA) are that strict these days. For other kids to make fun of someone for reading books that are "too young", I'd imagine the reading material would have to be something very young / aimed at 7-9-year-olds, not so much Tamora Pierce or Diane Duane (also, I'd doubt kids who haven't read those authors themselves would know to make fun about them, and kids who have, probably wouldn't make fun because they really aren't actually that "young"!). Anyway, I'd agree with most of the suggestions made. I've only read one series by Tamora Pierce (The Immortals, which was okay although not outstanding) but I wouldn't consider her stuff "too young". Diane Duane ... I enjoyed the books (I haven't read the updated versions) when I read them a few years ago, well past the age of 15, but I think that will really depend on a specific 15-year-old: some will like them, others won't. Sexuality in books is a tricky matter when picking things suitable for a 15-year-old. On the one hand, this is exactly the age where kids are figuring themselves out (and gender and sexual diversity is, as I've learned from being in fandoms with 15-16-year-olds, Very Important and they crave representation and diversity probably more than any other age group) so I'd never, ever go "these books handle diverse situations/characters and are unsuitable for teens" (you never know, the teens in question may be privately struggling over figuring out what they are - the parents are often the last to know!). On the other hand, there are plenty of 15-year-olds who really don't want romance-focused books or books with more than a passing reference to sex or sexuality, and that should certainly be kept in mind, too. In any case, a mature 15-year-old is basically what I'd consider ready for anything, so I'd just say whatever catches her fancy from MG books to YA to adult books, but a lot of adult fantasy / scifi books these days do have some more explicit stuff in them. I just skim those parts, but, well. This is probably why reccing MG/YA books seems like a safer bet. For some specific recs, the fantasy / scifi books aimed at younger readers which I've enjoyed in recent years, being an adult who happily reads things like that (and finds that a lot of that doesn't work for older readers as well, while some does), include Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy), the Bartimaeus sequence (Jonathan Stroud), Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan), The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), Unwind (Neal Shusterman), Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro), almost anything by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Leviathan), the Chaos Walking trilogy (Patrick Ness), The Lunar Chronicles (Marissa Meyer), Earth Girl (Janet Edwards), Katya's World and Katya's War (Jonathan Howard), Half a King (Joe Abercrombie), and .. well, lots more, but those are all I've appreciated for actual deeper themes and that also aren't too heavy on romance (The Hunger Games and Lunar Chronicles are probably the romance-heaviest on the list but it's not the focus in neither series).

08-10-2014, 04:02 AM	#42
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	I actually enjoyed the huge leaps in technology from one Young Wizards book to the next, while the kids weren't getting noticeably older - it added a fun new dimension (I read them all in a row over a couple of months, just before the most recent one came out). But I do think it'd ... well, not so much confuse readers as just throw many of them out of the story, so while I am generally not in favour of updating books just to reflect changes in modern society or technology, for this specific book series updated versions do make sense IMHO.

08-10-2014, 04:09 AM	#43
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85400180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Considering one of the main characters was basically a computer wizard, it was kinda funny.

08-10-2014, 11:06 AM	#44
gbm Wizard Posts: 2,185 Karma: 8888888 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Kobo Clara HD,Hisence Sero 7 Pro RIP, Nook STR, jetbook lite	If finances are a concern then might I suggest the 1635 The Eastern Front CD at the BaenCD at the Fifth Imperium , has a good bit of the 1632 series and a big list of classic SF/Fantasy, over 60 Ebooks in all. Most on the publisher's Young Adult Reading List. Also the Scepter'd Isle CD. bernie

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