science fiction fantasy suggestions

[Tomtomkent]

Oooh, oooh, I'm too lazy to read three whole pages of recommendations, but I just have to say who ever (and I'm sure somebody must have) said The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is spot on. Fantastic book!

 

[Chaos]

I realize this may have been posted before, and it's not precisely SF, but I've always enjoyed The Dresden Files. The great thing about it is Jim Butcher's rather trenchant observations, as well as his very clear notes covering human behavior...

"I am an American. I can eat anything as long as it's between two slices of bread, and covered in enough mustard."

I second that one.

 

[asydhouse]

Aargh! I just wrote a long post, but for some reason I was logged out by the time I tried to post it, and it vanished!

I don't have the energy to try to recompose it all, but let me simply beg you all to check out Justina Robson's series of fantasy/sf crossover books in her Quantum Gravity series, first book called Keeping It Real.

She's really enjoying herself writing these books, and that pleasure glows through the text. Strong and sexy character development coupled with unique world-building and fresh ideas about elves, fairies and demons which owe nothing obvious to anything you've seen before, plus a real science fictional sensibility involving intriguing tech (her heroine is a secret agent sent into the recently discovered other dimensions wherein an alternate physics holds sway, each "world" having given rise to alternate forces we call magic, which have in turn evolved a different dominant 'species'... things went wrong and she's been revived as a cyborg, saddled with incredible tech body incorporating super weaponry etc... which gives her plenty to think about in her body image psychology... she's tough, but she's a woman first and foremost! Justina is a great writer, and developed all this so intimately that all this stuff follows as a natural tale of her inner and outer adventures and developments, including sexy interactions with unforgettable characters she gets involved with in the "magic" realms... her ideas are just so original and fun, and moving, and... just read it, ok?

 

[SpitfireIX]

Aargh! I just wrote a long post, but for some reason I was logged out by the time I tried to post it, and it vanished!

I don't have the energy to try to recompose it all, but let me simply beg you all to check out Justina Robson's series of fantasy/sf crossover books in her Quantum Gravity series, first book called Keeping It Real.

She's really enjoying herself writing these books, and that pleasure glows through the text. Strong and sexy character development coupled with unique world-building and fresh ideas about elves, fairies and demons which owe nothing obvious to anything you've seen before, plus a real science fictional sensibility involving intriguing tech (her heroine is a secret agent sent into the recently discovered other dimensions wherein an alternate physics holds sway, each "world" having given rise to alternate forces we call magic, which have in turn evolved a different dominant 'species'... things went wrong and she's been revived as a cyborg, saddled with incredible tech body incorporating super weaponry etc... which gives her plenty to think about in her body image psychology... she's tough, but she's a woman first and foremost! Justina is a great writer, and developed all this so intimately that all this stuff follows as a natural tale of her inner and outer adventures and developments, including sexy interactions with unforgettable characters she gets involved with in the "magic" realms... her ideas are just so original and fun, and moving, and... just read it, ok?

Welcome to the forum, asydhouse! Possibly you were logged out because you didn't check the "keep me logged in" box. I have that problem when I log on from public access computers at my university or the public library. If you select all of your text and copy it to the clipboard before you try to post, you'll be able to recover if your post disappears.

And thanks for the recommendation. I'm a man who enjoys SF/Fantasy with strong women as protagonists.

 

[lomiller]

But then you would miss the unbelievably brazen ripoff of World of Warcraft he's done lately. He added blood elves complete down to the color scheme. I keep waiting to hear a lawsuit has been initiated.

Because the entire Warcraft series isn't a head to toe ripoff of Warhammer...

 

[TragicMonkey]

Because the entire Warcraft series isn't a head to toe ripoff of Warhammer...

I wouldn't know. But Feist actually listed "plays World of Warcraft" as a hobby in an author blurb once, then suddenly he has warlocks that summon demons, tall red-haired arrogant city-dwelling elves ruled by a Regent Lord, and like about fifty other things that made it sound exactly like he was issuing dictation while playing. It's one thing to borrow from Tolkien because everybody has a Moria, but it's going a bit far to explain your character's backstory in terms of where he put his talent points. I was actually expecting to find a coupon for a month of free play printed right in the book.

 

[FattyCatty]

So many discerning people already have mentioned many of my favorites; I can only second (or third) them:

• Lois McMasters Bujold^WP: Miles Vorkosigan series (an always-buy favorite)
• Randall Garrett^WP: Lord Darcy books
• Simon R. Green^WP: Nightside series
• Charlaine Harris^WP: Sookie Stackhouse series (an always-buy favorite)
• Naomi Novik^WP: Temeraire series (I just discovered these and read them all at once)
• J.R.R. Tolkien^WP: Lord of the Rings
• David Weber^WP: Honor Harrington series; the War God series is good as well

Not yet mentioned are:

• Steven Brust^WP: The Dragaeran novels (especially the Vlad Taltos series; Jhereg is first)
• C.J. Cherryh^WP: Foreigner series
• David Drake^WP and Eric Flint: The Belisarius series (An Oblique Approach is first)
• Eric Flint^WP: 1632 series
• Tanya Huff^WP: Enchantment Emporium and sequel; Blood Price; Smoke and... series; Confederation series (Valors Choice is first)
• Sharon Lee^WP and Steve Miller^WP: Liaden Universe novels (Agent of Change is suggested first)
• Robin McKinley^WP: The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword; Deerskin; Sunshine
• Elizabeth Moon^WP: Deed of Paksenarrion and others in that world; the Serrano Legacy series (Hunting Party is first); Vatta's War series (Trading in Danger is first)
• Fletcher Pratt^WP and L. Sprague de Camp^WP: The Incomplete Enchanter and others in that world
• Christopher Stasheff and L. Sprague de Camp: Harold Shea books (continuation of The Incomplete Enchanter books)
• Christopher Stasheff^WP: Warlock of Gramarye series (The Warlock in Spite of Himself is first); Starship Troupers (who can resist the combination of science fiction and theatre?)

ETA: Tanya Huff, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Robin McKinley, and Elizabeth Moon are also always-buy favorites for any of their books.

 

[Lurker]

Just finished re-reading The First Law trilogy again. Logan and Glokta - what characters!

Yes, his characters are great. If you have not read his two other books "Best Served Cold" and "The Heroes" I highly recommend them. Perhaps better than the original trilogy. "The Heroes" has a great battle scene where the POV moves seamlessly from one person to the next in a unique way.

I occasionally think Lies would make a great movie if Hollywood trusted a good director rather than focus groups. One of the few fantasy books that has pulled a chuckle from me

It has been optioned but I don't see any progress.

The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman. A bit like Abercrombie in that you have some sympathy with a dark wounded character.

I'll check that out. Always looking for a good book similar to ones I have already enjoyed.

ETA: I just looked up "The Left Hand of God". What a coincidence. I had just returned "The Last Four Things" last week to the library unread because I noticed it was the second in a series. Now I see it follows "The Left Hand of God" so shall start from the beginning.

 

[Mark6]

One of the best things about the series is that the villain you hate in one book becomes totally understandable and sympathetic once you see the world from his point of view. I find that a welcome change from the Entirely Good vs Absolutely Evil endemic to most fantasy.

While Song of Ice and Fire is most certainly not "Entirely Good vs Absolutely Evil", I can think of only one character to whom TragicMonkey's description applies. All other "villains from the start"... pretty much remain that way.

 

[gumboot]

But then you would miss the unbelievably brazen ripoff of World of Warcraft he's done lately. He added blood elves complete down to the color scheme. I keep waiting to hear a lawsuit has been initiated.

I think you'll find Feist established his Elven races long before World of Warcraft ever existed.

 

[gumboot]

While Song of Ice and Fire is most certainly not "Entirely Good vs Absolutely Evil", I can think of only one character to whom TragicMonkey's description applies. All other "villains from the start"... pretty much remain that way.

The book has very few villains at all, but I can think of at least three that I became sympathetic to once I knew them better.

 

[TragicMonkey]

I think you'll find Feist established his Elven races long before World of Warcraft ever existed.

And I think you'll find if you read this latest few offerings that he's added one more, and it's the blood elves. I'm not making this up.

If Chelsea Quinn Yarbro were to publish, tomorrow, a new novel where her vampires sparkle in the sunlight and pursue Mormon virgins and happen to exactly resemble actors in a recent vampire movie based on someone else's vampire books, could she claim immunity for claims of knockoffery because she'd written prior vampires that were very different decades earlier?

 

[gumboot]

And I think you'll find if you read this latest few offerings that he's added one more, and it's the blood elves. I'm not making this up.

What does he call them?

If Chelsea Quinn Yarbro were to publish, tomorrow, a new novel where her vampires sparkle in the sunlight and pursue Mormon virgins and happen to exactly resemble actors in a recent vampire movie based on someone else's vampire books, could she claim immunity for claims of knockoffery because she'd written prior vampires that were very different decades earlier?

God forbid I defend Feist (used to be a fan, no longer) but I just can't find any reference to a "new" Elven race, nor to his elves having different physical characteristics.

 

[Beelzebuddy]

Blizzard tends to work like that, though. They shamelessly ripped off 40k for their Zerg and Space Marines, and then turned a blind eye when the next edition of Tyrannid models looked remarkably like the Zerg, down to a new unit that was a hydralisk with a fresh coat of paint.

They swap concepts like teenagers swap spit.

 

[gumboot]

Never mind. Found it.

 

[gumboot]

Blizzard tends to work like that, though. They shamelessly ripped off 40k for their Zerg and Space Marines, and then turned a blind eye when the next edition of Tyrannid models looked remarkably like the Zerg, down to a new unit that was a hydralisk with a fresh coat of paint.

They swap concepts like teenagers swap spit.

Green-skinned Orcs, anyone?

 

[Roadtoad]

Green-skinned Orcs, anyone?

Sorry. I'm more turned on by a pale skinned Olivia Wilde. (Saw the end of Tron: Legacy. Rrraaaaawwwwrrrrrr.)

 

[TragicMonkey]

Never mind. Found it.

And it's not just the new tall red-haired elves who wear red and live in a red-and-gold city and overuse magic and are ruled by their Regent Lord. The explanations of how warlock demon-summoning works, the classes of demons they summon and their descriptions, the description of a water elemental, the secret race of benevolent shiny lights that speak by projecting wonderful music and light into people's minds, it just went on and on. Starting with Dread Legion, it's just sad. Yes, fantasy genre is incestuous, but this is openly banging one's sister in the living room in front of guests.

But that's not even the biggest problem with Feist lately.

I have a pet theory that authors shouldn't write too long in one world, they get stale and repetitive. Not only has Feist had to keep dreaming up a bigger Big Bad for each series, now he's trying to circle back to the beginning and make everything a vast conspiracy or something. Everything then is something now again! That unique guy from the first book? How coooooool would it be to have another unique guy exactly the same but opposite, so they could fight! Wow! Nobody would ever see that coming!

He should have stopped a while ago. He's got Terry Brooks Disease.

 

[Smackety]

hmm...hard to think of anything not already mentioned.

Christopher Bunn's series - The Tormay Trilogy, was pretty good.

Suzanne Collins is popular right now and a bit childish but the Underland series was a fun read. Hunger games was also readable, if not great.

for hard sci-fi, I have enjoyed the following series recently:
Randolph Lalonde - Spinward Fringe series was interesting until the end,
Thomas DePrina - Galaxy Unknown was good,
Vernor Vinge - Deepness in the sky and his other books were good.

ETA: I third Dresden Files as a decent series, reminds me of Buffy.

 

[gumboot]

And it's not just the new tall red-haired elves who wear red and live in a red-and-gold city and overuse magic and are ruled by their Regent Lord. The explanations of how warlock demon-summoning works, the classes of demons they summon and their descriptions, the description of a water elemental, the secret race of benevolent shiny lights that speak by projecting wonderful music and light into people's minds, it just went on and on. Starting with Dread Legion, it's just sad. Yes, fantasy genre is incestuous, but this is openly banging one's sister in the living room in front of guests.

But that's not even the biggest problem with Feist lately.

I have a pet theory that authors shouldn't write too long in one world, they get stale and repetitive. Not only has Feist had to keep dreaming up a bigger Big Bad for each series, now he's trying to circle back to the beginning and make everything a vast conspiracy or something. Everything then is something now again! That unique guy from the first book? How coooooool would it be to have another unique guy exactly the same but opposite, so they could fight! Wow! Nobody would ever see that coming!

He should have stopped a while ago. He's got Terry Brooks Disease.

Personally I think he jumped the shark when he decided it was a good idea to write a novel of the computer game that was made of his world. Having to help the villagers clear some zombie bees from the east orchard so they'll ferry you across the river is fine in an RPG. But in a novel?

(This specific side-quest didn't occur, but you get the idea)

I don't entirely agree with your theory, rather I think it's a trap you fall into with the cliche "good vs evil" fantasy where the enemy is "The Big Bad Dark Lord".

Of course, the thing that appealed to me originally about Feist was there wasn't a big bad evil. He started out with a world where shifting alliances of human kingdoms fought each other, and that sort of environment can be written about forever without getting stale. But somewhere along the way he made it about "evil" and at that point you have a very limited timeline in which to work.