Fantasy/Sci-fi Books. Any Suggestions?

[Meight08]

The gaunt´s ghost series dont worry it is in the 40k universe
Its truly great it sticks with you and the characters feel alive and there are no archtypes in characters.
It will make you cry its not for the weak of hearth

 

[CdnDemoniac]

Steven Erikson, Malazan Tales of the Fallen. Best. Fantasy. Ever.

...and I´ve been reading Fantasy for about 25 years...

I concur with this person over 9000%!

It is really deep, philosophical, and has some of the most intense battle sequences I've ever seen in any piece of fiction.

 

[One of Many]

The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell
The Destroyermen series by Taylor Anderson
The Elenium by David Eddings
The Tamuli, also by David Eddlings
The Tameraire series by Naomi Novik

*Edit*

Well damn, I forgot the Guant's Ghosts series by Dan Abnett and Space Wolves by William King

 

[Dafttechno]

Hmm...for Sci-Fi I'd suggest Alfred Bester's "The Stars, My Destination"(alternatively called "Tiger, Tiger."), a great relatively short book that has a Monte Cristo feel, but has a wonderful use of suspense and non-described action(sounds weird, but I love it ), and also at one point becomes a calligramme.
You could also try Matheson's "I Am Legend", which is almost completely different to that thing they call a film. A great feeling of solitude and pain, righteous anger and has one of the best "so what is truly evil?" turn arounds I've ever read.
I'd also suggest any sci-fi book by Stanislaw Lem. They're slow and ponderous, but they create a wonderful sense of unease.
And of course there's Isaac Asimov, who's foundation series I just love, and if you enjoyed Herbert's Dune, I think you'll like the Foundation series as well.

For fantasy, I could suggest Scarnight(can't remember the authors name), dark fantasy with really psychotic action sequences.
Terry Brooks' Shannara series is also good as a pretty classic but well written fantasy story, but I wouldn't go past the first trilogy (Sword of Shannara, Elfstones of Shannara, and Wishsong of Shannara), after that he kinda goes loopy.
David Farland's Runelord series is also fun, although that's mainly because of the intriguing "endowment" magic system.
Oooh! And I shouldn't forget anything by H.P. Lovecraft ; gothic cosmic horror fantasy greatest genre description ever.

I'll second the Shannara series by Terry Brooks and also recommend his Magic Kingdom of Landover series for a more lighthearted tone. (why is it, that despite meeting the author and hearing how he pronounces "Shannara," I still think it and pronounce it differently?)

Haha Out of curiosity, how is it meant to be pronounced? I've always thought of it as "Shun - Nara"

I'm the same way. Brooks pronounces it "Shan-era."

 

[Ironsouled]

Its not so overtly fantasy (think "magical realism") but the best book Ive ever read has to be American Gods by Neil Gaiman, its bleak, bittersweet and puts great twists on old myths.

Also The Gentlemen Bastards books by Scott Lynch are popcorn brilliance- think what it would be like if Tolkien had written Oceans Eleven and then add pirates for good measure.

You'll probably like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's work Good Omens then good sir. Superb book.

OT: Mercedes Lackey... I'd start with Valdemar but any of her worlds are good. A quite prolific writer who has yet to write a book I dislike... Specific good starting trilogy: Arrows of the Queen, Arrow's Flight, Arrow's Fall.

For Sci-fi... One series in particular. John Ringo and David Weber got together to write the series March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars, and We Few. A gripping set of stories, profound characters, and enough action for even the most hard core explosion junkie... There is no excuse for someone who likes military sci-fi not to read this series.

Anything by Weber (Honor Harrington series specifically), and Ringo's solo techno thriller series Ghost, Kildar, Choosers of the Slain, Unto the Breach, and a Deeper Blue are all fantastic... if not child's reading.

 

[Ironsouled]

"A Song of Ice and Fire"

I also enjoyed "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" but others I've spoken to didn't seem to enjoy it quite as much as I did...

They lack taste or the attention span to truly appreciate it then.

 

[Cyd0n1a]

Severian of the Guild by Gene Wolfe
Light by M. John Harrison
Excession or Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

Beyond awesome in every way. Especially Wolfe and Harrison defy genre limits and thus I cannot lob them into a single category of fantasy or scifi, they're a bit of both I guess.

Also Dan Simmons' Hyperion is well worth reading but avoid the sequels like the plague.

 

[Ailia]

Also The Gentlemen Bastards books by Scott Lynch are popcorn brilliance- think what it would be like if Tolkien had written Oceans Eleven and then add pirates for good measure.

This, this, a hundred times this! As well as everything mentioned above, you have steam-punk and alchemy, which all combines into a very fascinating world. One of the best and most original series of the last decade.

 

[Ruagh]

I just finished reading a book called 'Pandora's Star' by Peter F. Hamilton and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It starts off slow but once it gets going, it gets really good.

Also, Game of Thrones. It's been mentioned several times by now, but seriously, it blew my mind when I read it.

 

[Susurrus]

Steven Erikson, Malazan Tales of the Fallen. Best. Fantasy. Ever.

...and I´ve been reading Fantasy for about 25 years...

QFAT: Quote for absolute truth.

I have like 20 years, not 25, but I absolutely agree. Makes Robert Jordan seem an amateur (and I LOVE RJ). Some AMAZING characters, more original ideas than any series I have ever read, majorly chunky books which I love, and some really interesting ideas about humanity/minds etc.

Gardens of the Moon is the first book. Read that. Then read Deadhouse Gates. I promise you you won't regret it.

 

[Susurrus]

Ender's Game, about a boy genius who goes to an orbiting military school to train commanders and soldiers to fight aliens called "Buggers" that have invaded earth twice before.
I like how he proves himself to be the best of the best, and the way the school does these things called "Battle Games" and how it organizes them, it's very interesting.

This is also an absolutely brilliant read, although don't bother with the sequels.

I personally also love Terry Pratchett; although he's not high fantasy, he's brilliant.

I actually DON'T like David Eddings - I used to, but since re-reading some of his stuff, I've decided his writing style is rather immature and inappropriate for fantasy. It just doesn't match with the material at all, and it jars (see, in particular, The Redemption of Althalus).

It's not really fantasy, but the Flashman books are also absolutely brilliant, and I recommend you read at least the first one. They're historical novels, really, but so so funny, and absolutely one of the best reads I've ever had (and I had to read a lot of the classics for my degree...)

 

[kurupt87]

A Player Of Games by Iain M Banks.

This guy can write Sci-Fi like no other and this is a story inspired by the Civilisation games. He creates a species that is ruled by the best player of the game.

 

[Susurrus]

The Risen Empire series by Scott Westerfeld. Those are my favorite books I've ever read, absolutely fantastic sci-fi/fantasy.

Also does anyone know if the third one is out yet?

Edit: Ender's Game is really good too. I haven't read any of the others in the series except Ender's Shadow (which is Ender's Game through the eyes of a different character).

Wait. There's more than one Risen Empire book? I thought it was a (brilliant) one off?! Could you chuck out a couple of the other titles for me (I've literally just read Risen Empire).

 

[trooperpaul]

For Science Fiction, try the Vorkosigan Saga. It's about a hyperactive dwarf in the space KGB that runs a mercenary fleet in his spare time.
EDIT:
. . .
That made more sense in my head.

 

[Sandwichboy]

Throwing in support for Naomi Novik, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Philip K. Dick and George R. R. Martin, but here's a bunch that haven't been mentioned:

John Scalzi: The Android's Dream. Hilariously funny and well written sci-fi satire mix of espionage/political thriller and almost Trey Parker/Matt Stone levels of crude humor.

Peter Watts: Blindsight. DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK book, about what first contact would be like with something REALLY alien. No good guys, no bad guys, just people being seriously screwed up and a lot of "very bad things" happening. Also one of the most fascinating, and frightening hard SF books I've ever read.

Martha Wells: Death of the Necromancer. Basically...James Moriarty and Irene Adler analogs run around in a magical fantasy version of 19th century London, AND BE AWESOME. Also, the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy continues the awesome by taking the setting to an analog of London during the Blitz. One of the very few fantasy settings I can think of that manages to take you through a world where magic and technology coexist, at multiple stages of development.

Connie Willis: To Say Nothing Of The Dog. If you ever thought that Jane Austen would be about a billion times better with time travel, you'd be absolutely right. Historian from the late 21st century has a bit of a breakdown from too many temporal research missions, and is sent to Victorian England for "a vacation." Hilarity ensues.

Charles Stross: Glasshouse. Right up there with Blindsight on the shelf of "books to keep you up at night." A very dark, chillingly told and incredibly imaginative look at what might happen if we're able to change literally anything about ourselves that we want, and the only thing that makes us really human is our minds...but what if even THAT can be messed with?

Tanya Huff: Valor series. Ripping good military SF from the grunt perspective, with a really sharp sense of humor.

Cory Doctrow: Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town. Eccentric, surreal modern cyberpunk fantasy as only Cory can write it.

Elizabeth Moon: The Speed of Dark. A story about an autistic man (from his own perspective) who is given the option to have his autism "cured."

Karen Traviss: ANYTHING. This woman has pretty much become the queen of really good character driven military SF in the span of about 6 years. She's even managed to make me read star wars books again FFS...check her out.

Nick Sagan: Idlewild, Edenborn & Everfree. Basically, what the Wachowskis WISH they'd written.

Philip Pullman: His Dark Materials series. Magic, technology and religion clash in a rather gripping (and quite dark considering it's usually shelved as YA) adventure story primarily about free will. Disclaimer: This series has a very clear, and very dim view of organized religion, Christianity in particular. If that doesn't bother you, it's an awesome read.

And, because I just re-read it on a whim:

Aldous Huxley: A Brave New World. Seriously, if you're over the age of 21 and you HAVEN'T read this book, you are wrong.

 

[Jodah]

Anything by R.A. Salvatore is tops for me. I recommend starting with the Drizzt series, I cannot recall off hand the first book but a quick google search should tell you. Its a somewhat easier read than many but his writing style can keep you interested without seeming condescending or trying to be smarter then is necessary.

If you want something more Sci-Fi the Warhammer 40k books are good. I'm working on the Horus Heresy atm.

The first trilogy book is the Dark Elf Trilogy. The second is the Icewind Dale trilogy. The first is actually a prequel as it was published later, but you should read it first. Fair warning, the 2 or 3 most recent trilogies kinda suck IMO. and I'm not alone in thinking that. I couldn't even read the most recent trilogy, and I barely choked down the one before it. Transitions trilogy, and the books after it are the disappointing one. Just looked it up. fist book of that trilogy is Orc King.

however, the first 12 or so books are very very good, with amazing Characters.

The most recent one (Neverwinter Saga) isn't as good as the rest, I agree. I'm hoping the first was just because he was pressured into killing off most of the characters, it just seemed...rushed. Hopefully the second book is better.

 

[Muffalopadus]

I second the Scott Lynch "Gentlemen Bastard" series. Its basically a fantasy/semi-steampunk heist series. Hilarious, well written, and Scott Lynch gets major props for being one of the few authors that don't recap his previous books in his sequels. I hate that.

Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrel was also quite good, but more in a classical European way. Its sort of like Temeraire, but with more magic.

Starship Troopers, the entire Ender's Game Saga, and Discworld are all good scifi reads.

 

[Akyho]

I have been enjoying the author Neil Asher. All but one of his books take place in the same universe. The polity universe, There is three serise. Agent Cormac serise, officaly starts with Gridlinked. There is a Polity (one book stories int he polity universe) book that is a prequal to Gridlink telling of Agent Cormacs rise to being an this legendery Agent.

Spatterjay serise. Set on the one planet that is extremly volatile and many vicious creatures.

Polity Stories can varey but are still intresting. In these universe he first and mainly only alien civilisation that humans met was the Prador. Giant (Enemy) Crabs. Very inresting and one book tells of the start of the Prador with Prador moon. VERY VERY good.

These serises can span hundreds of years between each other. Pador Moon tells of the war that Agent Cormac grew up in but spends his Agent days put of the war. While Spattejay novels can be a few hundred years apart from each other.

Its deep sci fi with great thrills and action. Its not a surprise when you get great detail of a human being stapled to the wall, having there chest cut open by a clawn and eaten alive.
Or an explosion blows up 5 people the descripton as one person mulls through the wreckage to find every kind of body part and organ you would expect.

Its always an enjoyable read.

 

[Sandwichboy]

Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrel was also quite good, but more in a classical European way. Its sort of like Temeraire, but with more magic.

I nearly threw Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell across the room. Apart from the writing style (yes I know what she was going for, and it annoyed me when Dickens did it too) I couldn't find anything remotely likeable about...anyone. And as much as I appreciate footnotes, having them constantly interrupt the already glacial pace with historical anecdotes that would be better served in an appendix (or, y'know, told through the story if they're that crucial,) drove me crazy. One footnote took up two and a half pages!

It's very popular and has a lot of critical acclaim, but be warned that it IS a very polarising book.

 

[Bleaghhh]

Terry Pratchett for some fantasy streaked with humour. All of his books, all of them.
Tom Holt for some humour streaked with fantasy.

And for some all out hardcore nerdy sci-fi I'd suggest Peter F Hamilton, specifically the Night's Dawn Trilogy. He's not the easiest author to read, but if you put in the effort, the reward will be worth it tenfold.