recomend a good fantasy/sci-fi/steampunk book series
- Thread starter jaffrosheep
- Start date
For fantasy i would recomend the inheritance cycle, a series of four books first Eragon then Eldest, Brisinger and finally Inheritance. Its about a young farmboy Eragon in a Tolkein esque land which is being ruled by an immortal tyrannic dragon rider, Eragon while hunting comes across a saphire coloured stone which turns out to be a dragon egg,with him being the last free dragon rider. I love this series and reading how eragon deals with his new found responsibility and just watching the characters evolve infront of your eyes.
Also dont pay any heed to the monstrosity of a film that was produced a while back, it was very loosely based on the first book, VERY loosely based.
Also dont pay any heed to the monstrosity of a film that was produced a while back, it was very loosely based on the first book, VERY loosely based.
Sci-fi based on the Victorian era, with technology usually driven by steam and clockwork.snagli said:
also, airships
Retribution Falls
<spoiler=Review stolen fromhttp://myawfulreviews.blogspot.com/2011/12/retribution-falls-by-chris-wooding.html>Author: Chris Wooding
Publisher: Gollancz
Date: June 18, 2009 (paperback).
I have a confession to make. I first started reading this book when it came out in paperback a year and a half ago. I'd made it about 35 pages in when something else caught my interest more strongly, and this book fell by the wayside. After recently finishing Retribution Falls, I'm disappointed that I don't even REMEMBER what took me away from this book. I should have had this review up back in 2009, and I'm sorry that many of you have had to wait until now to hear about this great book.
Retribution Falls tells the story of Darian Frey, Captain of the Ketty Jay. She's not much for beauty, but she flies and Frey loves her. The crew...well, they don't quite hold the same place in his heart as the Ketty Jay, but they're all right.
Frey is a small-time smuggler, and occasional pirate (if the job's easy and not too messy, that is). When he gets offered a once in a lifetime opportunity, he's hesitant, but eventually takes the bait. Thus begins the great adventure of our crew, as they're soon on the run from just about everyone in the country, and trying to stay one step ahead of the headsman's axe.
Retribution Falls is a book that I'd immediately put on your to-read list if you're a fan of the "loveable rogue" archetype. I'm talking Locke Lamora, Tom Sawyer, Kvothe (sometimes), Silk, Mal Reynolds, etc. Darian Frey is right up there with them. He's a broken man who sometimes does some pretty low things, but you can't help but love him.
I'd also put this book on your Christmas wish list if you're a fan of adventure books. Peter F. Hamilton's cover blurb says it quite nicely: "Retribution Falls is the kind of old fashioned adventure I didn't think we were allowed to write any more..." I can't agree more. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a book like this, something lighter, but something that still has a deep world beneath it. Sure, the characters all have their problems, but you get a feeling that this is going to be a book where the characters' problems eventually push them closer together and form something special between them, and they do.
Finally, this book needs to go in your to-read pile if you're looking for fantasy with guns. It's nice to see a book where magic co-exists with pistols nicely. It's happening more and more lately, which I think is a good thing.
Speaking of the magic, there's a lot to like here. It's just complex enough to keep you interested, and the magic often has a light-hearted feel to it since it's often involved in some of the more comical aspects of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the Daemonist Crake and his...well, her name is Bess, and that's the best way to describe her.
Don't get me wrong, even though this book is bursting with adventure and there are some very good laughs to be had, there's plenty of serious talk going on as well. These characters are all flying for a low-life small-time pirate captain for a reason, and by the end of the book you'll know them all. They're not happy stories, but they really give depth to the characters, and make those final scenes of action much more meaningful.
I loved
*Frey. He's just so darned hard to hate!
*Guns & Magic. It's nice to see them getting along again.
*The excellent balance of humor and sadness.
*The characters. We're working heavily with archetypes in this book, but they all have a vibrant life of their own. Very well done.
I hated
Some small parts of the ending. It seemed like things just happened a little too fast in places for my liking.
Retribution Falls gets a 9/10. I'm already sailing my way through The Black Lung Captain, the second volume in the series, and it's just as enjoyable as the first. If you're a fan of capers, adventure, magic with guns, or the loveable rogue, you owe it to yourself to give this one a go.
Admitadly, that wasn't a very well written review, but it does agree with most of my thoughts.
<spoiler=Review stolen fromhttp://myawfulreviews.blogspot.com/2011/12/retribution-falls-by-chris-wooding.html>Author: Chris Wooding
Publisher: Gollancz
Date: June 18, 2009 (paperback).
I have a confession to make. I first started reading this book when it came out in paperback a year and a half ago. I'd made it about 35 pages in when something else caught my interest more strongly, and this book fell by the wayside. After recently finishing Retribution Falls, I'm disappointed that I don't even REMEMBER what took me away from this book. I should have had this review up back in 2009, and I'm sorry that many of you have had to wait until now to hear about this great book.
Retribution Falls tells the story of Darian Frey, Captain of the Ketty Jay. She's not much for beauty, but she flies and Frey loves her. The crew...well, they don't quite hold the same place in his heart as the Ketty Jay, but they're all right.
Frey is a small-time smuggler, and occasional pirate (if the job's easy and not too messy, that is). When he gets offered a once in a lifetime opportunity, he's hesitant, but eventually takes the bait. Thus begins the great adventure of our crew, as they're soon on the run from just about everyone in the country, and trying to stay one step ahead of the headsman's axe.
Retribution Falls is a book that I'd immediately put on your to-read list if you're a fan of the "loveable rogue" archetype. I'm talking Locke Lamora, Tom Sawyer, Kvothe (sometimes), Silk, Mal Reynolds, etc. Darian Frey is right up there with them. He's a broken man who sometimes does some pretty low things, but you can't help but love him.
I'd also put this book on your Christmas wish list if you're a fan of adventure books. Peter F. Hamilton's cover blurb says it quite nicely: "Retribution Falls is the kind of old fashioned adventure I didn't think we were allowed to write any more..." I can't agree more. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a book like this, something lighter, but something that still has a deep world beneath it. Sure, the characters all have their problems, but you get a feeling that this is going to be a book where the characters' problems eventually push them closer together and form something special between them, and they do.
Finally, this book needs to go in your to-read pile if you're looking for fantasy with guns. It's nice to see a book where magic co-exists with pistols nicely. It's happening more and more lately, which I think is a good thing.
Speaking of the magic, there's a lot to like here. It's just complex enough to keep you interested, and the magic often has a light-hearted feel to it since it's often involved in some of the more comical aspects of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the Daemonist Crake and his...well, her name is Bess, and that's the best way to describe her.
Don't get me wrong, even though this book is bursting with adventure and there are some very good laughs to be had, there's plenty of serious talk going on as well. These characters are all flying for a low-life small-time pirate captain for a reason, and by the end of the book you'll know them all. They're not happy stories, but they really give depth to the characters, and make those final scenes of action much more meaningful.
I loved
*Frey. He's just so darned hard to hate!
*Guns & Magic. It's nice to see them getting along again.
*The excellent balance of humor and sadness.
*The characters. We're working heavily with archetypes in this book, but they all have a vibrant life of their own. Very well done.
I hated
Some small parts of the ending. It seemed like things just happened a little too fast in places for my liking.
Retribution Falls gets a 9/10. I'm already sailing my way through The Black Lung Captain, the second volume in the series, and it's just as enjoyable as the first. If you're a fan of capers, adventure, magic with guns, or the loveable rogue, you owe it to yourself to give this one a go.
Admitadly, that wasn't a very well written review, but it does agree with most of my thoughts.
I'm gonna have to second this one as well. Actually, it seems like all my favourite fantasy series are getting a mention.That Guy Ya Know said:
Also, now that I think of them, Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon series is a good ready. It's the Napoleonic War with dragons - what more do you need? Well, except the Napoleonic War with magic (in that case you need Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.)
Gonna third Bas-Lag Cycle. I've just started Iron Council, and I'm this close to declaring Mieville the next Lovecraft. Grotesque monsters, bizarre cultures and wierd technology; its the most imaginative fantasy I've ever read. It's also probably the darkest and grimmest...
i cant beleave im the first to recomend this but wheel of time series by Robert Jordan, its just a great fantisy series.jaffrosheep said:before you say that this has been done to death YES i know
anyways im going on holiday in a couple of days and i need some books to stave off the boredom so im asking you escapist if you can recomend me any good book series in the genre of fantasy (a song of ice and fire,the kingkiller Chronicles) sci-fi (cant think of anything at the moment) or steampunk (boneshaker) thanks
mistborn series by brandon sanderson again fantisy but its more steam punky then magic.
thats 16 book worth of good fantisy right there hope it helps
Leviathan! Great trilogy with a really great story about an alternate universe set during the start of World War 1. Even if you don't find that to be your cup of tea, Keith Thompson's mindblowing pictures alone are worth reading it. It's more Decopunk or Biopunk than Steampunk, but close enough.
Fourthed the Bas-Lag cycle.
Have read first two books and have Iron Council in my shelf ready to start when I finally feel like it. But the first two already blew me away for good:
[ul]
[li]They are extremely creative with the world they built. I have yet to see something that even remotely comes close to to the ideas in there. An example: A race of humans whose blood clots so fast and hard that they actually use it as substitute for armor in ritual gladiator tournaments...[/li][/ul]
[ul][li] The narratives usually work well in connecting all those different facets of the world while always staying interesting enough to move the plot forward. [/li][/ul]
[ul][li] Very political in it's attitude: always mixes political intrigue into the actual story, making it both more exciting and simultaneously interestingly deep.[/li][/ul]
So, buy them! They are really worth it!
Have read first two books and have Iron Council in my shelf ready to start when I finally feel like it. But the first two already blew me away for good:
[ul]
[li]They are extremely creative with the world they built. I have yet to see something that even remotely comes close to to the ideas in there. An example: A race of humans whose blood clots so fast and hard that they actually use it as substitute for armor in ritual gladiator tournaments...[/li][/ul]
[ul][li] The narratives usually work well in connecting all those different facets of the world while always staying interesting enough to move the plot forward. [/li][/ul]
[ul][li] Very political in it's attitude: always mixes political intrigue into the actual story, making it both more exciting and simultaneously interestingly deep.[/li][/ul]
So, buy them! They are really worth it!