Greatest Fantasy/Sci - Fi Series? (Books)

[Tips_of_Fingers]

hmmm Dune could be interesting....i played the game what feels like a BAZILLION years ago now.

God damnit, i love the Wheel Of Time. i think when Robert Jordan died, so did a little part of me. I think his son is doing a better job than i expected of wrapping things up, too. one more book to go...and in 2012 i hear.

i think of myself as a ''purist'' only because i find that Fantasy is the only genre that i truly lose myself in. sure, i liked the Motley Crue biography (''i thought i was a real drug addict. i popped pills in the morning, smoked weed all day, and shot cocaine into my arms till late at night. Then, then i met Ozzy Osbourne....) and i enjoy crime/noir novels too, but they don't even come close to something like the WoT.

Also, i study creative writing, and my only ambition in life is to write a high fantasy epic, with a scope of such magnitude that it will dethrone even the almighty Tolkien, and to a lesser extent, George RR Martin (the Tolkien of the modern age, in my opinion.

im only in my first year, but we all start somewhere, right?

EDIT - Logalog, and the shrews, my favs in Redwall

Robert Jordan's son has nothing to do with the last three books lol. It's Brandon Sanderson, an author that Jordan's wife (and, interestingly enough, editor) picked as the writer most capable finishing the series. I find that Sanderson's prose is so much tighter than Jordan's was in the final books before his death. I'm enjoying the slightly different style he brings to the series.

If you want to be a writer (even if you're specialising in a specific genre), I'd highly recommend branching out further. By reading a range of genres, you may find yourself developing ideas from those into a fantasy setting. If you limit your influences to fantasy, you run the risk of unconsciously copying ideas or - god forbid - not evolving the genre. If your aim is to surpass Tolkien, then you'd have to some up with something truly unique... In my opinion, only by reading a wide range of genres can you really hope to do that. But that's just me lol.

If you're willing to try other things, I'd recommend absurdist/surrealist fictions as a foundation for complex ideas. My favourite novel of all time is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. It's an anti-war novel, if you didn't already know and is unbelievably good. It's a difficult first read but does some mind-boggling things with narrative structure... not to mention your bloody emotions. The way I describe it is: "tragically hilarious, hilariously tragic." Google it, I guarantee you'll be intrigued.

Another absurdist author (with obvious Sci-fi elements) I'd highly recommend is Kurt Vonnegut. Slaughterhouse 5 is fucking incredible. It's about 'Jimmy Pilgrim', a man who has become "unstuck in time", causing him to inexplicably jump to various moments in his life throughout the novel. It's also an anti-war novel focusing on the Dresden fire-bombings during the WWII. Because of it's sci-fi nature, it may appeal to you more, so I'd urge you to at leats check it out if you don't fancy Catch-22.

 

[Mugen]

hmmm Dune could be interesting....i played the game what feels like a BAZILLION years ago now.

God damnit, i love the Wheel Of Time. i think when Robert Jordan died, so did a little part of me. I think his son is doing a better job than i expected of wrapping things up, too. one more book to go...and in 2012 i hear.

i think of myself as a ''purist'' only because i find that Fantasy is the only genre that i truly lose myself in. sure, i liked the Motley Crue biography (''i thought i was a real drug addict. i popped pills in the morning, smoked weed all day, and shot cocaine into my arms till late at night. Then, then i met Ozzy Osbourne....) and i enjoy crime/noir novels too, but they don't even come close to something like the WoT.

Also, i study creative writing, and my only ambition in life is to write a high fantasy epic, with a scope of such magnitude that it will dethrone even the almighty Tolkien, and to a lesser extent, George RR Martin (the Tolkien of the modern age, in my opinion.

im only in my first year, but we all start somewhere, right?

EDIT - Logalog, and the shrews, my favs in Redwall

Robert Jordan's son has nothing to do with the last three books lol. It's Brandon Sanderson, an author that Jordan's wife (and, interestingly enough, editor) picked as the writer most capable finishing the series. I find that Sanderson's prose is so much tighter than Jordan's was in the final books before his death. I'm enjoying the slightly different style he brings to the series.

If you want to be a writer (even if you're specialising in a specific genre), I'd highly recommend branching out further. By reading a range of genres, you may find yourself developing ideas from those into a fantasy setting. If you limit your influences to fantasy, you run the risk of unconsciously copying ideas or - god forbid - not evolving the genre. If your aim is to surpass Tolkien, then you'd have to some up with something truly unique... In my opinion, only by reading a wide range of genres can you really hope to do that. But that's just me lol.

If you're willing to try other things, I'd recommend absurdist/surrealist fictions as a foundation for complex ideas. My favourite novel of all time is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. It's an anti-war novel, if you didn't already know and is unbelievably good. It's a difficult first read but does some mind-boggling things with narrative structure... not to mention your bloody emotions. The way I describe it is: "tragically hilarious, hilariously tragic." Google it, I guarantee you'll be intrigued.

Another absurdist author (with obvious Sci-fi elements) I'd highly recommend is Kurt Vonnegut. Slaughterhouse 5 is fucking incredible. It's about 'Jimmy Pilgrim', a man who has become "unstuck in time", causing him to inexplicably jump to various moments in his life throughout the novel. It's also an anti-war novel focusing on the Dresden fire-bombings during the WWII. Because of it's sci-fi nature, it may appeal to you more, so I'd urge you to at leats check it out if you don't fancy Catch-22.

hey, nice catch. I meant Sanderson, but was reading recently about the Children of Hurin, the un-finsihed Tolkien book that HIS son has now finished. its 3am....
i was very skeptical about Sanderson, but if i hadn't of known there was a new author, i dont think i would of noticed. in particular he handles Mat very well.

anyway, thank-you for the input. I understand what you mean, branching out is something i have to look into. Slaughterhouse 5 in particular looks good, but i do actually read a bit of sci-fi. i think my claim to want surpass Tolkien was a bit premature. again, its 3am and the anime i am watching may be influencing my outrageous claims.

i just had a thought. Rand is almost definetley going to die. this makes me sad.

 

[GrandmaFunk]

Another recommendation for the Culture series. Though all of Iain Bank's books are worth the read, even his non-genre novels are very surreal in style/content. The Bridge, for example, takes places mostly inside a coma patient's head.

Another scifi author I would recommend is Dan Simmons. His Hyperion series has some of the best world building out there and Ilium/Olympos has some really interesting characters and a novel take on classic Greek tales.

 

[WingedFortress]

Hmmm.

Well I feel like all my suggestion will come off as a bit obvious, but here goes.

Definitely 1984. I know we've all read it in school, but its definitely a contender for one of the greatest. Ditto for Brave New World. I could reread those books anyday of the week.

Neuromancer is certainly in the running.

I also really liked Out of the Silent Planet. Never read the rest of the series, so not sure how they fare in comparison, but I'm sure it cant be too bad.

And then, just because we're talking the greatest, we gotta mention the likes of Verne, Wells and Asimov. It still breaks my heart when I think about what Hollywood did to IRobot. Will Smith is even on the cover of my copy, for chrissakes.

Ender's Game also really piqued my interest when I was much younger too. I've since heard some shitty things about Orson Scott Cards politics though...which honestly has pretty much ruined his books for me.

 

[SckizoBoy]

But, Saga of the Seven Suns? Good? What reality is this? It was terrible! Useless! Appaling! (Don't take it personally, I know different strokes and all that. It's just that that series is the worst sci-fi series I've ever read. So seeing it recommended threw me.)

If you want space opera go Banks or Peter F Hamilton. Hamilton is not quite as good as Banks, IMO, but he has a writing style that is very similar to Tolkien and crafts an amazing universe.

Honestly... I've never read any Banks or Hamilton... and I honestly don't know why...

Anyway, SSS was mindless/harmless fun. Packed full of unfleshed characters, intrigue, stupid macguffins etc. I considered it the sci-fi equivalent to Harry Potter... rollicking great read but eminently forgettable... ¬_¬ (basically 'nothing' there)

 

[Hal10k]

So Christmas has come early, through fate/cosmic alignment/blackmail i received a Kindle today.

(this is what happens when your to too lazy to get the mail yourself, Mother....

What i need from you, fellow Escapists, are recommendations for some awesome books that i can lose myself in. Now, I'm kind of a purist, and i only read Fantasy / Sci-Fi.

I am a big reader, so i would prefer series....the longer the better.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Some things i have read and enjoyed include:


The Lord Of The Rings
The Wheel of Time
A Song Of Ice And Fire
Magician (Ive read a few others set in that world also)
The Elenium & The Tamuli



An example of what i don't like - Harry Potter.

If i wanted to read about a Dark Lord whose name is not spoken (born with the blood of those he persecutes), culling those of impure blood with his army of black-clad sociopaths, i will read the journal my grandfather kept whilst fighting in WW2. At least his version wont contain so much teenage angst.

And people think those books are original (sigh)

Oh and Dumbledore is clearly Winston Churchill (The only one he ever feared, anyone?). Except less awesome. And queer

But jokes aside, what is your favorite series, and why? A short description of your recommendation would be greatly appreciated. Thank-you, and Happy Holidays!

Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy is probably my favorite science fiction book series. It's responsible for establishing about half of the tropes used by space sci-fi today, and it still uses them better than a good portion of its derivatives. The overarching plot concerns a small colony specifically designed to ride out the political collapse of a galactic empire. Give it a look if you don't mind that the characters actually have responses to conflict other than "Kill them all and make sarcastic remarks".

His Robot series is also brilliant. It's unique in that his stories were the first to treat robots as actual machines instead of metaphors for man's hubris. He thought about the concept, gave his robots a system of checks and balances to work around the potential errors that might make a calculator omnicidal, and as a result produced an entertaining and well-thought-out book series. The first book is basically an anthology of short-stories with a loose overarching plot about the development of human civilization. The second book is a detective novel. I kid you not.

 

[TehWinged]

Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy book? Hm. On the Sci-Fi side, I liked Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials, both depict "Lord of the Flies"-esque scenarios beautifully. With fantasy, I'd either suggest the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker and The Fisherman's Children series, both by Karen Miller, and Retribution Falls, which is a pretty good Steam-punk book. It's the second book in the series, and I have yet to read the first but it's decent as a stand-alone novel.

 

[Sleepingzombie]

I recommend The Dresden Files if you want a great mix of Magic, vampires done right and gangsters, especially if you arent a fan of Mr potter. The writing is funny, the characters entertaining and it all just. . .fits good, realisticaly even.

All in all a very entertaining book series. If you do take a peek at it, start at the third entry. The books are slightly episodic so you don´t need to read it from the beginning to end. The first two are mainly side stories, things get in gear at number three.

 

[Slycne]

The Prince of Nothing series by R. Scot Baker, though only if you enjoy very dark settings.

Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust, it's been waffling with some of the latest novels, but I challenge almost anyone to not be entertained by the first book Jhereg. It plays out as this crazy reverse murder mystery as the protagonist needs to figure out how to kill someone under some precarious conditions. It also has a refreshingly practical and fleshed out inclusion of how a high-magic society might actually run and behave.

 

[Sonicron]

If you like dystopian sci-fi, check out some Warhammer 40.000.
There's a (mostly) excellent ongoing series of novels, spanning 17 entries so far, called the Horus Heresy. It basically relates the events of Warhammer 30.000, presenting quite personal accounts from both sides on what transpired to make the far future such a horrendously crapsack place to live in.
If you're interested, the first three novels (comprising the first main story arc) are - in order - Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy in Flames.

 

[Cowabungaa]

hmmm Dune could be interesting....i played the game what feels like a BAZILLION years ago now.

I adored the first book. The first book ever to have a scene that made me hold my breath in tension. After the first one the books become very esoteric. A bit too much for my taste.

As for fantasy, read the Kingkiller Chronicles. Just do it. Like, right this very moment. It's hands down, bar none the best fantasy series I've ever read, sadly just two books at the moment. Yes, I reckon that the Kingkiller Chronicles is even better than the Wheel of Time. Okay, that's provoking things a bit, seeing as they're both very different kinds of fantasy and I adore both, but I must say that WoT still hasn't (I've just started book 5) dethroned the Kingkiller Chronicles for me. Gods waiting for the third book is awful... To illustrate, this basically describes how the books feel:


I also second the endorsement of the Dresden Files. Jim Butcher is one of the few writers that does urban fantasy right, they're incredibly fun to read, and the character development is really good.

Also Terry Pratchett. That man is so damn funny.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Dune is probably the best sci fi book series ive ever read.

And something less well known that i read recently, The half Orcs. Pretty good.

 

[sturminator77]

Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust, it's been waffling with some of the latest novels, but I challenge almost anyone to not be entertained by the first book Jhereg. It plays out as this crazy reverse murder mystery as the protagonist needs to figure out how to kill someone under some precarious conditions. It also has a refreshingly practical and fleshed out inclusion of how a high-magic society might actually run and behave.

This is a decent series, its been a couple of years since I read them, but they're short and for the most part fun.

I like the Terry Goodkind stuff. Wizard's first rule, temple of the winds and faith of the fallen are my favorites.

Is "Magician" referring to the Feist series? Cause I like almost all of those books, even though he has kinda reused the same plot for the past 2-3 series: something threatens the world then there is an adventure to find some tool to fight off an invasion. Still i really enjoy the characters and have fun seeing how Pug and his companions fend off the new adversary.

 

[The Madman]

The lies of Locke Lamora, aka the Gentlemen's Bastard series.

It's like a Song of Ice and Fire, only better! This series seriously deserves more attention than it's getting, there have only been two books released so far but they're both damned brilliant. Some of the best fantasy I've read in years.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Well, I'll just list my favorites:

The Revelation Space trilogy by Alastair Reynolds. Amazing space opera books, with an enormous scope and good writing and some of the best sci-fi weapons. Quite hard sci-fi too. Actually, I'd recommend any of Reynolds' books. All amazing stories (most hard sci-fi) with a mind-boggling scale.

The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. Very soft but enjoyable sci-fi with a strong story and great characters. The first two books (Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion) are the best IMO.

The Old Man's War series by John Scalzi. Again, great scope, great writing and cool concepts. But stay away from Zoe's tale. It's horrible.

The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. Star Wars books deserve a mention and these are just the plain best.

The 2001: A Space Odyssey series. All great books, that add a lot to the movies and explain the story way better.

I don't read a lot of fantasy so A Song of Ice and Fire and The Lord of the Rings are the only ones I'd mention, but of course every fantasy reader knows those.

 

[Meredith999]

For fantasy I'd recommend the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson, and also the accompanying books by Ian C. Esslemont.

Sci-fi I'd second the Culture books and the Gap cycle. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is al excellent.

Beyond that, pretty much anything by Jon Courtenay Grimwood - it's mostly alternate history cyberpunk. His fantasy book isn't up to the rest of his stuff, but it's a good read.

 

[Meredith999]

Double post.

 

[Kahunaburger]

Book of the New Sun. It's definitely sci-fi, whether it's also fantasy is left as an exercise for the reader.

 

[jakeblues69]

The War World series by Jerry Pournelle
Hammer's Slammers by David Drake
The Thrawn Trilogy
The Swords series by Fred Saberhagen
Star Wars Tales of the Bounty Hunters
Star Wars Bounty Hunter Wars