Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

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Smeghead
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Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Smeghead » 28 Nov 2014, 02:05

So while I don't read as much as I use to; I do listen to more audio books (when out walking/driving etc.), and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for me.

We can skip any books by Terry Pratchett because I've read/listened to them all.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby korvys » 28 Nov 2014, 02:52

The Lies of Locke Lamora (and sequels) by Scott Lynch.
The Blade Itself (and sequels) by Joe Abercrombie.
The Dresden Files (the whole series) by Jim Butcher.

And my personal favourite book of all time, The Name of the Wind (and sequels) by Patrick Rothfuss.

The latter I cannot recommend highly enough. If I had to read one book for the rest of my life, that would be it. I reread it every few months.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Elomin Sha » 28 Nov 2014, 03:54

Star Wars Empire Trilogy by Timothy Zahn.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Antitonic » 28 Nov 2014, 04:44

"The Deed Of Paksenarrion" by Elizabeth Moon.
It's a trilogy of volumes, or if you can find it, one compiled version consisting of Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold. There's also an audiobook version if that's how you prefer it.

Also, "The Redemption of Althalus" by David and Leigh Eddings.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Darkflame » 28 Nov 2014, 04:56

I assume Douglas Adams work is also too obvious. (I always prefered Dirk Gently to H2G2 mind).
Asimov's Foundation stuff I enjoyed and thats a fair amount.

More recent stuff I guess is Stross's "Halting State" - picked it up because I am heavily into AR tech and have friends who LARP a fair bit. Was an enjoyable read, interestingly structured.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby JayBlanc » 28 Nov 2014, 05:46

Carrie Vaughn's Kitty and the Midnight Hour, werewolf investigative journalism.
Max Gladstone's Three Parts Dead, noir fantasy murder mystery.
Wesly Chu's The Lives of Tao, science fiction secret-agent thriller.
(My copy of 'The Lives of Tao' is signed by Max Gladstone. It seemed a good idea at the time.)
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Arclight_Dynamo » 28 Nov 2014, 07:59

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds.
Gateway by Frederick Pohl.
The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby JustAName » 28 Nov 2014, 08:46

Well Korvys took the Dresden Files and Arclight_Dynamo took KSR, so...

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury - actually his least SF work, but it holds a special place in my heart
The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde

Separately - Korvys: Is Name of the Wind that good? I read the first one and it didn't grab me. The friend who bought it for me says the love interest stops being a manic pixie dream girl at some point, but the first one kind of rubbed me the wrong way...
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Fluffboll » 28 Nov 2014, 09:05

I have a few books to recommend, these are my top2 favorite Fantasy book series:

"The Riftwar Saga" by Raymond E. Feist
"Death Gate Cycle" by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

They seem to be book series not very talked about but they are by far my favorites :)
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby empath » 28 Nov 2014, 09:19

'anything' by John Scalzi ;)

Red Shirts especially, as it's narrated by Wil Wheaton, but his Old Man's War series, Agent to the Stars, etc. etc. etc.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Prospero101 » 28 Nov 2014, 09:32

They said this air would be breathable...get in, get out again and no one gets hurt...

While we're still on the Wil Wheaton train, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a fantastic romp through eighties nerd culture. It's the kind of book you read just to have fun. It's got quite a few problems, but it's having so much fun that it's difficult to care.

I'm just going to reiterate the Dresden Files again. DRESDEN FILES. They're so good. The audiobooks are narrated by James Marsders, who has an excellently raspy, noirish, subtly expressive voice.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby JustAName » 28 Nov 2014, 10:09

Even if he pronounces some things wrong. :P
Alja-Markir wrote:Andy is the LRR Heart-throb.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Arclight_Dynamo » 28 Nov 2014, 10:14

I mean, also, Smeghead... what do you tend to like in books? Narrowing it down would help in making recommendations.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby CaptainEnder7 » 28 Nov 2014, 10:22

The Magister Trilogy (Feast of Souls, Wings of Wrath, Legacy of Kings) by C.S. Friedman. Some of my favorite fantasy novels to come out in the past decade.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Metcarfre » 28 Nov 2014, 12:04

Elomin Sha wrote:Star Wars Empire Trilogy by Timothy Zahn.

By far the best of the SW EU.

Antitonic wrote:"The Deed Of Paksenarrion" by Elizabeth Moon.


I'll put my weight behind this as well. Great book.

For myself, I'd say (yet again);

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby JustAName » 28 Nov 2014, 13:43

Le Guin is good but she's not exactly readable. Don't start Left Hand unless you've got some time and attention to invest.

Along those lines, though, The Dispossessed is very thought-provoking.
Alja-Markir wrote:Andy is the LRR Heart-throb.
Morgan is the LRR Crotch-throb.


And all I can do is read a book to stay awake. And it rips my life away, but it's a great escape.

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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Volafortis » 28 Nov 2014, 14:12

If you have time and attention to invest (lots of it), I'd highly recommend Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It's a humorous book with sci-fi elements to it (although, in my opinion, it just barely qualifies as sci-fi, but I really enjoyed it, as someone who personally is a big fan of sci-fi).

That said, it's a book that, for various reasons, wouldn't work as an audiobook, and it can't really be used as something to read in a few minutes of down time, so that recommendation doesn't really apply here.

You've probably read it all, but just because it hasn't been mentioned yet; Have you read any Niel Gaiman?
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby korvys » 28 Nov 2014, 14:41

Fayili wrote:Korvys: Is Name of the Wind that good? I read the first one and it didn't grab me. The friend who bought it for me says the love interest stops being a manic pixie dream girl at some point, but the first one kind of rubbed me the wrong way...

Well I think it is, but that's subjective. I recommend that everyone read it, but I can't exactly insist that everyone like it. All I can say is how much *I* like it. I'm not kidding when I say I reread it every few months.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Gap Filler » 28 Nov 2014, 15:14

Needle by Hal Clement.
Swan Song by Robert McCammon.
Holy Fire by Bruce Sterling.
More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon (he of Sturgeon's law).
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (randomly singling that one out of Dick's work overall).

And depending on the plastic flexibility of your definition of SF/Fantasy might also recommend J.G. Ballard, starting with, say, Concrete Island or High Rise.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Darkflame » 28 Nov 2014, 15:46

You know, this might be another obvious suggestion, but you could try the
Red Dwarf novels.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Elomin Sha » 28 Nov 2014, 16:05

Lost Earth by Elomin Sha when I finish writing it.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Smeghead » 30 Nov 2014, 04:19

I'm currently going through the Foundation trilogy (a old BBC radio dramatisation) but also iRobot.

And yeah, I've read all the Douglas Adams books, so it is a bit rudundant to suggest them to me. But then it is not like I'm the only one who might pick something up from this thread.

I did buy The name of the wind (It is 27 hours long!) and I think it is se eral books in one
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Elomin Sha » 30 Nov 2014, 04:56

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner) is good. As was the The Planet of the Apes.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby leapy » 30 Nov 2014, 15:53

Space Captain Smith (and all subsequent sequels) by Toby Frost.

If you're a fan of Pratchett then I think you'll like this, it's a send up of pretty much *every* SF/fantasy trope there is.
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Re: Looking for SF/Fantasy book recommendations

Postby Hekla » 02 Dec 2014, 11:59

Firstly, I have a really bad memory for what I read, so although I know it was good at the time, I can rarely identify why. Anyhow, here is a selection of my favourites.

Acacia trilogy – David Anthony Durham – This is one of those trilogies where the first book seems like the entire story, but everything opens up afterwards..

Almost anything by Tad Williams – The Otherland tetralogy was interesting. His other books are easily readable and quite vast fantasy worlds that I really enjoyed.

As for something a little more difficult, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant are quite a handful, with what I found to be a beautifully constructed world. It is very wordy, depressing, and has just finished at a total of 10 books.

Also, Robin Hobb. Enjoyable but quite fleeting in my memory.
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