The need to read.

[votemarvel]

I can easily recommend three books by David Gemmell. Legend, The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend, and The Legend of Deathwalker.

It's a trilogy of books that feature a character called Druss (oddly enough) and it can be easy to write him off as a Conan clone. I find the first book Legend to be the best, as it deals with how an old man deals with the legend that has built up around him while fighting an impossible battle.

Other than that if you have a Kindle, or phone/tablet that can run the app, then go hit the store and search the collection of cheap titles there. I'm on a zombie fix at the moment and there is a massive amount of titles from as little as 99p. Quality varies of course but it is well worth hunting for the gems.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Just realized I haven't had a good book to stick my nose in for, Christ, at least three months.

Looking for recommendations.

Not too fussy about genre. I've enjoyed a lot of stuff from a lot of genre's in the past, so it's all fair game. Oh, except no crime drama please. Not my thing.

Would be specially interested in any good sci-fi.

Fantasy... ehhhh. Sure, I guess. Just think twice. I've been burned before when it comes to geeks and fantasy.

Mostly looking for fiction, but if you happen to know of some great non-fiction then fuck it, throw that at me to.

I'd love to recommend my friend's book, Further Complications by Bryn Schurman. [http://www.amazon.com/Further-Complications-Bryn-Schurman-ebook/dp/B00X0BSAKI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455276580&sr=8-1&keywords=further+complications]

Its quite interesting and a little twisted. Funny in parts as well. I've known the guy who wrote it most of my life and it was surprisingly a good read. Its sadly only available in digital format though so if you're not into ebooks then I can't help ya on that front. But do give it a read if you don't mind ebooks, its only $4.

 

[Sonicron]

Seeing how you're a sci-fi fan, I guess the chance is slim, but... if you haven't tried it yet, I recommend you dive into the grimdark world of Warhammer 40,000. The books that drew me into this lore-rich science-fantasy universe were the stories about Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn; the trilogy is available in omnibus format, so no fuss about tracking down individual installments, and the author, Dan Abnett, is one of the Black Library's finest.
There are several ongoing series at the moment in W40k literature; the longest-running with 34 entries so far is the Horus Heresy, detailing the events of the ancient civil war that made the world of 40k the crapsack dystopia it is. Many novels, novellas and short stories by many authors - not all of them good, but most of them, and there are some absolute gems in there. These stories have the added benefit of being less grimdark than mainline 40k, since the HH stories (basically W30k) are set in a generally more optimistic age.
While there are many things worth reading (and listening to) in W40k, my favourite authors from that stable are (in order) Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill and James Swallow. Honorable mentions go to (again, in order) John French, Chris Wraight, Gav Thorpe and Nick Kyme.

 

[rcs619]

Seeing how you're a sci-fi fan, I guess the chance is slim, but... if you haven't tried it yet, I recommend you dive into the grimdark world of Warhammer 40,000. The books that drew me into this lore-rich science-fantasy universe were the stories about Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn; the trilogy is available in omnibus format, so no fuss about tracking down individual installments, and the author, Dan Abnett, is one of the Black Library's finest.
There are several ongoing series at the moment in W40k literature; the longest-running with 34 entries so far is the Horus Heresy, detailing the events of the ancient civil war that made the world of 40k the crapsack dystopia it is. Many novels, novellas and short stories by many authors - not all of them good, but most of them, and there are some absolute gems in there. These stories have the added benefit of being less grimdark than mainline 40k, since the HH stories (basically W30k) are set in a generally more optimistic age.
While there are many things worth reading (and listening to) in W40k, my favourite authors from that stable are (in order) Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill and James Swallow. Honorable mentions go to (again, in order) John French, Chris Wraight, Gav Thorpe and Nick Kyme.

Eisenhorn was pretty good overall, but personally I think most of 40k takes itself way, waaaay too seriously for how silly a thing it is. So I shall endorse the above poster's Eisenhorn recommendation, and raise you a Ciaphas Cain.

The best character in all of 40k, bar none, and I'll fight anyone who says different

So the Ciaphas Cain books are written by Sandy Mitchell, and they are a comedy series set within 40k. If you know 40k at all, you know that the idea of a comedy series within that setting is absolutely bonkers. It'd be like George R. R. Martin writing a comedy side-story to Game of Thrones. But it really, really works.

The main joke of the series is that Ciaphas Cain is an abject coward. He doesn't want to be in the military, he doesn't want to fight, he sure as hell doesn't want to die. He isn't even that religious (which can get you executed for heresy by the humans of that setting). He is extremely cunning though, and he uses that cunning to constantly try to weasel his way out of anything he perceives as dangerous. Unfortunately, that almost always winds up accidentally putting him in more trouble, and through the process of saving his own skin he winds up earning heaps of praise and awards along with this false reputation as a hero. Which only gets him assigned to more important, and more dangerous jobs. Repeat.

There's a lot of humor, and a lot of good laughs, and it's a wonderful departure from the usual sort of uber-seriousness that dominates 40k's literature. The first book in the series is called "For the Emperor."

 

[Cowabungaa]

Sci-fi you say? I'm currently enjoying the 4th book in the Expanse series and I can really recommend them.

They're light reads, a little pulpy even, but fun and action-packed with a very well-fleshed out universe; the cultural differences between Earth, Martian and asteroid belt people, the believable way space-travel works and the characters themselves. The plots of the books themselves are nice and operatic, with space battle scenes, political machinations, mysteries and plenty of drama.

The only real downside I've noticed so far is that they can get a little anachronistic. Don't tell me that in the 23th century "Zamboni machine" is still used as an idiom.

Oh and, if you haven't read it yet; Dune is pretty much the best sci-fi novel ever written. Read it.

Not really sci-fi, but Eric Flit's 1634 series is also pretty cool. Basically, an entire West Virginia town from the year 2000 suddenly gets transplanted smack-dab into the middle of Germany during the 30 years war. "1634" is the first book of the series, and it's split off into a ton of different sub-settings and side-stories through collaborations with other authors.

I haven't read it (yet), but the Nantucket series does something similar in which the entire island of Nantucket is transported back to 1250 BC. The comic book Pax Romana does it as well, but through deliberate time travel.

 

[Trivun]

House of Leaves. Seriously, go away and don't come back until you've read it to the end.

[small]Signs off with evil laughter...[/small]

 

[EyeReaper]

My personal favorite book is Callahan's Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson. Well, it's more of a collection of short stories he's published for a magazine, but there is an ongoing narrative throughout.

It's about a bar, owned by Mike Callahan, who takes all customers as long as they can pay. Alien Invaders, Vampires, Time Travelers, evil twins from mirror universes, and other mutants and freaks, who all have a story to tell, have found a place to tell it. And drink some booze too. The only flaw I have with the series is that there's sometimes have a strange emotional disconnect, thanks to the short story nature. One chapter will be about a talking dog becoming a radio dj and playing darts with his mouth, the next might be about a suicidal civil war era southern belle who has somehow turned immortal, who has grown cold and distant after seeing her entire family all die, the last of her bloodline.

The book is a bit on the brief side, so if you do take up my recommendation (and you really should) I'd go with the Callahan's Chronicles version, which is instead his first three bundles of short stories all tied together in one bigger bite.

 

[StormShaun]

I guess I have two series by the same author I could suggest.
It's mostly the adventure genre. Written by an Australian writer called Matthew Reilly.
Don't know if you like/heard of him, but I still like them.

The Jack West Jr series
Basically Australian Indiana Jones, except much, much more interesting, and the traps and such can get complex (not too much though) to an entertaining degree. It's made up of these three books...

Seven Ancient Wonders.
The Six Sacred Stones.
The Five Greatest Warriors.
(Personally, I'm still waiting on the next one, but the author himself said he doesn't know. ;_

The Shane Schofield series
Okay, this one is more about a American spec ops trooper. Right now, I can't say much about it, because I'm still reading the first book, but a trusted friend (in a writing major as well) likes it. The current books are...

Ice Station.
Area 7.
Scarecrow.
Hell Island.
Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves.

And since they're on my mind, I'll just throw out the fantasy suggestions.
The Assassin's Apprentice series/Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. (So far, seems to be low fantasy with more focus on the main character/first person perspective.)
Magician /The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond E. Feist. This is my high fantasy settings, and be warned, there are SO MANY books, but yet, I still keep reading. Basically, it is much more than your dungeons and dragons. It's more about magic, other worlds, and family... in a sense.

House of Leaves. Seriously, go away and don't come back until you've read it to the end.

[small]Signs off with evil laughter...[/small]

Oh man, I really want to read that one, but I keep forgetting the title.
Well, now I won't... and hopefully, it'll be an interesting experience when I grab it.

 

[hermes]

In the fantasy genre, and if you enjoyed the Discworld novels, I would recommend Good Omens. It is written by Pratchett and Gaiman and it made me pay closer attention to the output of Gaiman.

After that, and if you are still interested, I would recommend American Gods, and the collection of short stories by Gaiman (in that order, since some characters from American Gods appear in some short stories)

 

[Zhukov]

In the fantasy genre, and if you enjoyed the Discworld novels, I would recommend Good Omens. It is written by Pratchett and Gaiman and it made me pay closer attention to the output of Gaiman.

After that, and if you are still interested, I would recommend American Gods, and the collection of short stories by Gaiman (in that order, since some characters from American Gods appear in some short stories)

I've read them.

I actually got onto Gaimen's stuff in exactly the same way.

American Gods was alright, but I found it massively anti-climactic.

Fucking loved Neverwhere though.

 

[Fappy]

I'm in the same boat, man. I really, really need to get more books in my brain, but it's tough. I read and write all day professionally, so it's one of the last things I want to do when I get home after work. My other hobbies just take up too much of my time too.

I have a backlog of suggested books to read like the Kingkiller Chronicles and some of Joe Abercrombie's stuff. I'm a big fantasy fan but you're right, it's really hard to find a solid, well-written fantasy story. I've tried Song of Ice and Fire and just couldn't get into it.

 

[Frezzato]

The Forever War. The writer, Joe Haldeman, turned his Vietnam experience into a sci-fi novel, and he brilliantly weaved the feeling of his real-life time displacement after coming home to the US into his writing. I have (all?) three, but I recommend just the first book.

 

[Lord Garnaat]

I would second the recommendation to read The Expanse series, starting with Leviathan Wakes. They are not very hard sci-fi, as far as that scale goes, but they are gripping, action-packed, and very fun to read. Not a revelation in terms of prose-quality or deep messages, but you will have a good time going through them. Plus, there's a new and also very good TV adaptation as well.

For a more classic work, I can recommend very, very highly one of the best works of sci-fi I've ever read - A Canticle for Leibowitz. It's one of the earliest and greatest examples of post-apocalyptic fiction, with a huge scale that spans centuries of civilization in a post-nuclear dark age, then new Renaissance, then a new "modern" society that is on the path of repeating history's mistakes. The writing is magnificent, and the themes that it covers - war, religion, temporal vs. spiritual power, church and state, man's inability to grow past our inherent flaws - are so well-executed and thought-provoking that I can honestly say they have never been handled better by any sci-fi writer. Honestly, I cannot recommend this strongly enough - read it if you can.

 

[cleric of the order]

The lyre of Orpheus
What's bred in the bones
The first two parts of the Deptford trilogy
All of them by Roberson Davies, great fellow, they can get grotesque at times and nice they are based on Ontario they can get weird like World of wonders the last book in the trilogy (haven't read it but so i can't recommend it)
But i know the subject and fifth business hinted that the premature child who went off to join the ciruis after his mother fucked a hobo was molested by the magician.
Same with the rebel angels of the Cornish trilogy, don't know a lot of it.
That's the general feel of those novels, got a lot to do with Jungian psychology since Davies had a massive breakdown that it helped solve. Large focus on the weird corners of rural Canadian cities and never shying away from the dark ro weird.

Glen cook
The black company series
Darkwar is also good if you have some time
If you have the stomach for historical fiction and glen cook when he's slow then the instrumentalitie of the night is
He can be a bit weird, got a military feel, tends to take fantasy things and make them into military hardware and stuff like that.
Kinda jerks himself off sometimes otherwise solid, read Black company first, if you don't like the first 3 novels then you probably don't like him

find Malus darkblade is nice if you can stomach the warhams, it's great they find away to balance the villainous protagonist
And same for anything by Aaron Dempsky Bowden, seriously he is great.

 

[Sonicron]

-SNIP-

My word, how could I forget Ciaphas Cain, Hero of the Imperium?! Yes, absolutely, his exploits need to be added to the 'must read' list.
Damn, now I want a mug of tanna leaf tea.

 

[Zhukov]

I have a backlog of suggested books to read like the Kingkiller Chronicles...

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WUpYkhzzyaokYjEuO6joB6rqeiZQkAUoSBdAKCwgSFOQucqLJOS1WHAKGasP5Q53oDChQtJ2LoS6oekf7ST9UvI6i2XxRuaRsOy9Lf+b6K6rw+tl8T4AWH0nzVfwKllh0WcAfOE82rFZ17yfzXPb2ditUU/EuCszHISCRl52mTrfcq04Vw1rAARIHPT00S1hmfIufmpkgQDryGqt6j+SI4op2iVlYbZGEDWWjouanB6bxI7pA0PebrOh0GmkLmnM6fqpjQIsLqvIfx+yix7XMa+bEaBukAgkt8IJ+5TfAqme4Me9A/rt53F1dYimHtLSBG/5Khdwyqx5cw5gSDrlNp7vmd7TA0i7ITi9SMmTHKLUoGp4fVIzNO1x+acrvkHXRV3D2ublLzfQn5xyIH5qexuZ4HikSjTNMJuStgw92VUcTqzYfZVnVfEqlxzvqq/ISKqu+AbXUalhy9wFoMzOgH3CddefQKdwrDEtL5j3stpu1rjYeIAToNpiMkU0PYPC1g/2YaDIzZ7AsGnu+kQpjqJktLi5oOhg69Ysp5wppMD/iLe8d3HqmMPi6dOg6pVIAIL3E/CwXJ/REpXKi2OFRtHh/a6gKeLrMGgefnf81TKw4/xD9oxFWtEB7yQOQ+EekKvC6cNRRxcrTm2hQhCFIsmITrgPvqkLeSkBtsJSUZY80phACJcyJSwgDtjvXkuwmNF0HqrRbkduWp7FVO69o1zf+TSB8xCyhqBT+B411OqCASHENIaJJkjLA3IMW3VJwcotDceRRkmet8JeDTA6KuxBPtn9LfqnMBWgZ22O7eo1HRJjzLhUGjrHoVz3Gns6/NNWiVhWHXc6KwpYQCSbncndN8KAgT+qsqrFDQyL+SPToJKZglp0IUxgsEj6Mjr9PNVaGOVkTFDlEfYKKLN51su6utyo7qkaafmoIbJD3S5rReLqVQJlzo2gcuqhYYSZ5/IKwcYHIRb7KGQivx7w0E7qhq1JEzspfFcSXOyN8yq/GENaG9PslSkLkyIJgNHvOIA8TZaXBU20wGmZygd4aAXgfruqbguFzue86U2w3/Ud/vmritWc8NtOW5/tIE+qv0QleyfxbGFzGUW3c/Xo3n+S8q/EjtDmd+x0ndymf3rh8dQWy/6W6eMrTdquPfstF1QOBrVBlpx8I3PkvHnvJJJuTclaPGx2+bM3m5uK9OJyUBASrackEJYQoILFJCRBViRT97/AHaFyQlJ+/0XMqAFcEgt9wlnwSEoAVIEJQgBwAQT97rW/hnwv21c13DuUbNGxeR+Q+oV52Y7HURhBWxFNtSq8yKb/gafdtvzK13ZzhLKLMtNoa2SYaLSdT98k3h8lOaeh3G8ED5qU4bU32DwNnfzciqN1PVpBF+806g/ktuxiTHcMZVEOEEWDh7w89x0KTlwKe12aMPkOGn0Y7BlzbajZWlOs46jbzTWLwD6BhwBbNnj3T4/wnp9U7hqvNYJwcezp48ikrTO3PyRE+h85TdTHzoY5nRWbXgi+6aq4RpmQJ5wlMerZTOxUm5sNEuH73wuI5qxdg2xoLJW0+tuiq2iVF3sMOzKI1A5apcTVbBJdCYqtOxjzKpsfRBvUeSOW3mq0XbpEZ+LkktED+LmqvH4ixcTDR8R38FJNTNcjuDQaeZ+iyPajjYLvZs90e9+ifjhydIyZZ8FbJHBu1pw9aoajSaVSLalsWB6yFc4z8QMM1hNPM9xEAZS0eZK81xWIzbAHpYeQUWVteGD7MMfKyJUiZxTiT6789QzsBsByChIQmJVpGdtt2xQlQlIQVEQlhCCCw+/8JHLkFLKkkCUBclCAFISJUoQAi1vYDss/F1w4tJo0nAvP8RBkUx8ieniqbs9wari67MPSHeebnZrRd73dAJ+m6+jeznZ4YSi2jTbDWiJ1M7uIGpNyfFT0gK3EYPO61gI8DzhTKVHLYDoFOfSbJ7tUnn+6Hyc4KPVdlMexxHjFCPX2qnlIhxiOMZzhS6L2hpcYDGiXOMAAbkk2A6lRBTe7/pNYDzquLz/AGMhs/1FeV/iRi8VSrtbic9Sme9SzHJRsZhrGDKHt9dD4XjFv+FXJLSNZ2j/ABE4fSlrBUxJ0Ps2/uj/AF1Ia4f6Q5efYvt632mahhnU2fE01c/9vcGXwmFTP4/Uv3GX6H9U5hqorvFGtTDXPs1wkOkA6g3Ex56QonCL12XhJra0bTg/bOhU+LKeT7fWx8lqcLjw4SDryXhWNoGjULZgg2P39F6L2L7RUWtpsxLKZY5hDHFgzhzJmnmAkzHdcdCIJgiMz8VPo1R8yUe9m1fiBFvmotTFgbq+HBMPVaH0y7K8BzS17oLXXBAKrcX2ZbtUf8vzalezf2P9+voosXxCdB+iosZWm7neVlosR2an/uVfIs/9Vg+3dGlh2im2pUdVdeC8d1u5IaBroAp9m120Vfnplf2g48Gj2dM3OpGwWRxNSfv80tfS3NRiU6EFEy5MryO2IhCFcWCVIn8PQLjZADbWypdDBOcr3hnBCYkLR4ThAGyTLKkPx4G9sxreEFC9BGBHJKl+qx3t4nmKISkeqRajCLdcpURdAAF00IYt9+FnZb9oq/tNRs0qTu6DMPqC8+DbHxI5FSkB6D+FfY92Doe3fAr1mjM1wvTZq1hIgg3BPW2y37a8Wc0jq05h+R+qjYfM0CCXDkbqfQIdBH2UNgkcwx42KhV8OWXbcclY1qQN9Oo1TPtIs6L6O28+RVWWTIQoB92EtPRZ7thhw/D1KWLa32UT7QwDTdEB4d05HXRHa7tlg8CSDVzVh/2acOf/AFbM/qK8V7YdssTxF49octMHuUGE5Aebv/0f1PkApjyvRDSKjE12t7lIyZ71WCC7kGA+435nmNEzSbF/mNZ5+Kt+Hdla9S5AZ0MufHPKNPUKz/8AqMC73EgT7oaOtiSdfonxi+xbM5xfGe0LCR3wyHuvLnAm9+kIxDstCkw6nM/qGunLpzC0nCOxFWvUJEezabl8iT/CQ25209brTj8Kahcav7SX1ZDhNMMZI0FnOIFhHKNENbCyd+DXGzUwtTCuPfw7szetKoZ/2vB8iFr3VyV592f7MYvhmOp4hzAaDyadVtMyG0qggnvGSGuyusJhu63mMBZmB+En/lVbVktaM9234+MHQLmwaj+7TB0mJLj0H6Lw3F13VHuqPJc5xJJOpJWr/EviJqYrLNqTA2OTnd4/LIsgVWbCPQ1VEiFHNIqYgqhchFp5LlTyEj2N5IAisYtZ2e4STBIKz9ANa4GDbaVsuAcboAhrnZTb3rfPRUnZfG0nbNLhsKGjRPBibpVg4S0gg7gyPku86zNfZujKxcqEZkKNF9nkg+/v70XKVw33/TzSFbTlAEBACcY2SBE7QLk7AADraOqALLs1wZ+LxDKFOe8e84fA0e84/kOZC+j+DcJp4ekylTblawQBv1JO5Jkkqg/DLsiMJQz1B+/qgGp/KI7rB0F/MlbUsV3rQI6w7bQlfTI7zTH5oZZS23VOySPhsaJyusvK/wAXu3ppOdgcI/K6P39VpgskT7Nh2dBu7Uaarbdt8YaFAmmAaz5bSBsM27j0aL+g3XiFRuGwpL6zjiMTmJLQQYdMy43DJN5Mu6KYr7BsrOD9nKtbvOHs6epc6Ba5MTYeJgbiVZN4rhMLbDUhVfEGo4w2/J5GZwvoIHVUnFeM1a577srdRTZIpif/ACPV0+SggpiKlri+0GIqWNVzWn4aX7tg/tv6knqq1zibm56/PVOYfDPqf9NrneAJF+Z0CsGdna5E91vi7/1BV0mQz1H8D8SX4fEUyZNOsHXucr2AAX6sK9UoVBEGxXl/4OcFrUqddxdAqVGgZbzkbO45vI8l6JWpVRuHeUFKyOmTFE7E4dr2lpAIKyvamiGUjUOjBDj/ACgWPoI8lcNdUbqPmsf+KvG3UcBUabOrkUm+Bu//AGtInqqpktHgfEcSalV9Q6ve53qbfK3kohXZC5JUAIUgH3qllBQAk3SgpEQgAKMqJSygB7C4p7DLHuaf5THy0V1ge1tVtqgFQc9HfoVnyUhUOKZZSa6NwztfQi4eDyifnKFh58UKnpRG+4mdz1/yk+7ISsF4TBB0B69eWy9L/CHsl7aoMbVbLKZ/dcnPGrxtDSYH83+lYbs7ww4nEUcOHZfaujNrAALnEDnlBjrEr6Z4RgmUabKVNuVjGhrRyA0E7+O6utKyGWLGwLLoNXbUsKpY4cEodHRK8LH/AIp8bdhuHvLJzVSKII+HOCXH+0EeagDzL8Se3L8TiHMoOikzuZxq6Peyn4WzuLmFgJSha3s/2YY7I6rDi8ZmtF2xBjNOptpp4pqiVbM/w7hdSse63uzBebMGxvv5LS0+zeHw4DsVUEkGA+3PSmO87TedrKNxLtWWyzCs9m0S3O4NLxBIOVl2t01v5LNuqFxLnEuc65c4kuPKSbqb+iDT4ntRTaMtClIGjqndb5U2RYjmQq2t2lxJ/wC4GgScrWsDediQTr1VU0ffr+incGwXta9KiYh9WmwzpDnAHbkrL+kPR9I9jMC+lg8Oyp/1PZtc/wD1uGZ3oSR5K/qA7BVeFpVCAS/0ClChPvOcfE2SZbZZIaxNRjNe87lsF4Z+NHHBXr0qLIiiwl0fxPj6Bo/uXtXEqADTFv8AJj818x9q8T7TF1386rh1gHKPkAqplioIQgpIQQIUiVISgABSkJCYRKABKgJHffkgDlyXwQ0roNQA2WoXYCEAf//Z
Hsssssssss!

I've tried Song of Ice and Fire and just couldn't get into it.

Burn the witch!

 

[Cowabungaa]

Hsssssssss!

Shit's great though. The best thing about the Kingkiller Chronicles is how it doesn't feel like regular fantasy, and definitely isn't epic fantasy. Its world is reasonably original, its writing feels personal and intimate. And even though at one point you're sort of done with hearing about the main character going on about paying tuition again, it's a refreshing, personal story. The downsides is that the main character, Kvothe (worst name in literary history), feels a bit like a Mary Sue. However, you do know that he's heading towards his comeuppance from the get-go.

If you want fantasy that's even more light on the fantasy bits I wholeheartedly recommend The Lies of Locke Lamora and the other subsequent Gentlemen Bastards books. Its world is awesome, refreshing and quite original, a sort of fantasy version of Renaissance Italy (notably Venice in the first book) and the Mediterranean and for once the main character is wholly mundane in his abilities. Sure, he's a fantastic con artist, but there's no supernatural abilities going on for once.

Like, even in the Kingkiller Chronicles, where magic is very a-typical and mostly non-existent, the main character plays around with it. But in TLOLL? Nope. He just has his hands and his noggin. It's also great to read about a true magnificent bastard for once, where you grin and shout "Oh you sneaky fuck." when the true nature of his plans unfold. It's like a Renaissance Ocean's Eleven.

Oh and sci-fi-wise, next to The Expanse and Dune, I'd also like to give a shout-out to the world's cyberpunk classics if you haven't read those. Gibson's Neuromancer trilogy (does feel rough, they're his first books), Stephenson's Snow Crash and the first two books of Phillip K. Dick's 'Ware series, Software and Wetware, are the ones I enjoyed the most.

 

[Zhukov]

The downsides is that the main character, Kvothe (worst name in literary history), feels a bit like a Mary Sue.

A bit like a Mary Sue?

*sputter*

A bit?!

It was awhile since I attempted Name of the Wind so correct me if I'm wrong on any of the following points.

So, we're talking about Kvothe.

Kvothe the amazingly good looking guy with awesome exotic hair (crimson as I recall) and awesome exotic eyes (green was it?).

Kvothe who is both the best swordsman and the best magic user of all time.

Kvothe who owns the most special sword with a special name and forged with special stuff.

Kvothe who is taught to be the best lover in the world by an angel.

Kvothe who is considered a revered figure of legend within his own lifetime.

Kvothe who is literally a natural prodigy at every single thing he turns his hand to. He's effortlessly good at everything.

Yeah. Just a bit of a Mary Sue.

Just a bit.

A tiny wee bit.

I don't remember much about the prose or the setting. My sole, overriding memory of the book is Kvothe resembling something I would have come up with at the age of 13. And I'm pretty sure 13-year-old me would have chosen a better name.

 

[BlackBark]

Have you read any of Haruki Murakami's books? They can be pretty weird, but most of them are worth reading. The main thing I enjoyed was his writing style, and while some of his books are very long, they are so easy to read and I was quite content to sit there for a whole afternoon reading them. I think The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is his best, and I recommend it above all others, although it is around 600 pages (not sure if you have a preference on book length).

EDIT: Just thought I'd mention Wind Up Bird is basically set in reality, but elements of the story kind of border on the supernatural. It's quite difficult to describe without giving part of the story away.

For something much shorter, I also recommend Strangers by Taichi Yamada, although for the love of God don't read the blurb or any reviews or even those small one sentence recommendations that they put on book covers...it's best read if you know absolutely nothing about it in advance. It really annoys me when the blurb ruins the crux of the story.

 

[JemothSkarii]

Well, as I've been trying to write my own book I've been slowly getting the rust off of me and getting back into reading. I used to do it voraciously when I was younger then just sorta stopped reading fiction after a while. Then a year ago I knocked down all the Spice and Wolf novels in a week and a half and I've been working my way back to my old self.

However, since my reading list hasn't been huge recently I don't have much to recommend. I've mainly been going through literary classics; recently finished Dante's Inferno, Alice in Wonderland (along with Through the Looking Glass) and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is now easily a favorite of mine, and I'm not usually into... that.

So you could try those. I've also been reading 'A Crucible of Souls' by some chap called Mitchell Hogan. Pretty neat, picked it up because it seemed like magic heavy fantasy and that's what I'm attempting to write. Oh, I'm also reading American Psycho, because I want to see how good the book is.

... If you guys could recommend me some books that would be lovely. Especially if it's Fantasy.