Dragons & Jetpacks discussion

What are some of your favourite sci-fi and fantasy series?
Mine are:
- Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (I've read it once a year since I was 10)
- A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
- The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons (still have to read the last one though)
- Guardians of Time trilogy by Marianne Curley
- Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
- Demon Cycle trilogy by Peter V. Brett
- House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

I can put up a lot of series, but from what I read lately ... I can give two thumbs up for:
- The First Law by Joe Abercrombie
- De duivels-trilogie (The devils-trilogy) by Adrian Stone
(a dutch writer who would like to get published in english)
Both are epic-fantasy.

Hmm a few now, although no doubt I'll end up adding to it! :D These are ones (bar Hobb) that I've read in the past, I'm not including series that I've only just started.

- The Dragons of Pern by Anne McCaffrey (not such a fan of Todd though)
- Realms of the Elderings by Robin Hobb (Still working my way through some of these)
- The Elenium by David Eddings
- The Belgariad by David Eddings
- Tortall series by Tamora Pierce (favourites from when I was younger!)

I like the Abhorsen trilogy too Rinn, did you know that a fourth one 'Clariel' is due out at some point?

Freya wrote: "I like the Abhorsen trilogy too Rinn, did you know that a fourth one 'Clariel' is due out at some point?"

Ooh really? I didn't know that - it's been a while since Abhorsen.

"Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen is the fourth book in the Old Kingdom series. It takes place 320 years before the events of Sabriel." Apparently coming out September 2014

My favourite series so far have been Memory, Sorrow & Thorn by Tad Williams or Iain Banks' Culture novels. I have a few series sat here at home that i've been meaning to get into but Game of Thrones got me sidetracked a bit and i'm having trouble deciding which to go for next. Has anyone read any of the following and can recommend and/or criticise any of the following:
-Dune, Frank Herbert (read the first and loved it)
-Foundation, Asimov
-The Liveship Traders/Farseer Trilogy, Robin Hobb
-The Black Magician, Trudi Canavan
-Hyperion, Dan Simmons
-Revelation Space, Alastair Reynolds
-Helliconia, Brian Aldiss
or The Hunger Games

I have read Dune, and loved it, although at the moment I am loathe to delve deeper into the other books (unless they turn up in a group read!) and I have other series I am focussing on sort of! However I have read Farseer, Liveship and am working my way through the Rainwild Chronicles which I am really liking, and I have the Tawny Man trilogy on my shelves to read, so I would say more Hobb is my vote seeing as I cannot read enough of it at the moment! :D Have you read any Eddings or Feist?

About 10 years ago when i started to read again as an adult, my manager lent me Magician, which i loved, but i've never read any others by him or anything by Eddings

Well there is Silverthorn after Magician if you wanted to continue with that series, or I can really recommend the two Eddings series that I have listed in my favourites above, so either Pawn of Prophecy or The Diamond Throne as starters :) I read them a number of years back and they were really well written stories with good characters and with the odd humourous moment which really had me giggling :)

I would have to say my favorite series is The Book of the Long Sun, by Gene Wolfe. It's one of the few series that I have read all the way through more than once. (with other series, I will often reread one book, but not the whole series)
The Gormenghast Trilogy would probably be a close second, followed by William Gibson's Sprawl & Bridge trilogies...and all of Douglas Adams' and Terry Pratchett's books of course.

Has anyone read any of the following and can recommend and/or criticise any of the following:

I read Hyperion a few months ago. I thought it was excellent as a series of short stories, but strangely I wasn't that interested in the larger framing story. The overall reasons for the pilgrimage seemed kind of vague...I wasn't immediately compelled to pick up the second book, but I'm sure I will eventually.
...I thought "The Priest's Tale" was very Lovecraftian, worth the price of the book alone :)

Nic wrote: "Has anyone read any of the following and can recommend and/or criticise any of the following:
-Dune, Frank Herbert (read the first and loved it)
-Foundation, Asimov
-The Liveship Traders/Farseer Trilogy, Robin Hobb
-The Black Magician, Trudi Canavan
-Hyperion, Dan Simmons
-Revelation Space, Alastair Reynolds
-Helliconia, Brian Aldiss
or The Hunger Games"

I've read the Black Magician trilogy (about 7 years ago maybe?), really enjoyed it. Also the first three books of the Hyperion Cantos - Hyperion really is outstanding, especially, as John said, the 'Priest's Tale'. That was definitely my favourite of the stories. I've also read the Hunger Games trilogy and personally really enjoyed it, but I do feel it might be one of those 'Marmite series'.

I plan on reading Relevation Space and Asimov's Foundation series also, as well as some Robin Hobb. I think I have the first Liveship book, actually...

Brandon Sandersons Mistborn series is very good, also The Dark Elf trilogy by RA Salvatore are really worth a read. Just reading the Apt Series by Adrian Tchaikovsky at the moment and am really loving it.

No Wheel of Time fans here?

I've only read New Spring and The Eye of the World as I'm waiting on borrowing the Great Hunt, so I'm working on it and am enjoying it, but I'm not listing it as a favourite just yet (until I've read a few more!) :D

I have also just started the Mistborn series, but I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of it! :D

Haven't finished reading the wheel of time yet! Kept catching up with the author and waiting for the next one! Will have to start from scratch and read them all again. ;) That will be such hard work haha!

Brendan wrote: "No Wheel of Time fans here?"

I've only read the first book, but plan on reading more!

Freya wrote: "Hmm a few now, although no doubt I'll end up adding to it! :D These are ones (bar Hobb) that I've read in the past, I'm not including series that I've only just started.

- The Dragons of Pern by A..."

I loved the Belgariad by David Eddings! I also read the follow up series the Mallorean (when the characters are older) these books were on of the first fantasy I read and they definitely got me hooked!

I like alot of the series mentioned already. Some others that I liked are:
-the Belgariad by David Eddings
-the Mallorean by David Eddings
-the Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop
-Rhapsody (and following books) by Elizabeth Haydon
- I've read some of H.G. Wells stuff like the Time Machine and te Island of Dr. Moreau and those were really good
- I read these small little books by Nancy Springer called I am Morgan le Fay and I am Mordred that I found in a used books store and were kind of hidden gems (they are the Arthurian legend from different perspectives)

-the Gunslinger (The Dark Tower series) by Stephen King, I know King is known for horror but he wrote an epic fantasy series called Dark Tower which is amazing!

Nick wrote: "-the Gunslinger (The Dark Tower series) by Stephen King, I know King is known for horror but he wrote an epic fantasy series called Dark Tower which is amazing! "

I have a friend who goes on about that series - does sound good!

Nick wrote: "I loved the Belgariad by David Eddings! I also read the follow up series the Mallorean (when the characters are older) these books were on of the first fantasy I read and they definitely got me hooked! "

I haven't read the Mallorean yet - but it is somewhere on my list to do so! :D

Brendan wrote: "No Wheel of Time fans here?"

I am a massive Wheel of Time fan. By far my favourite books. Such a well developed world... It was one of those series where you get engrossed to another level. I really didn't want to read the last book, mainly for the fact that I new it was going to be the end! I also thouoght Brandon Sanderson did an excellent job with finishing it.

I also love Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series and the Dragonlance Chronicles series, which certainly require a reread!

Those are probably my favourite series, but as you can see from my ratings I do tend to 5 star quite a lot of books. Maybe my approach needs slightly more thought! haha.

Kirsty wrote: "Those are probably my favourite series, but as you can see from my ratings I do tend to 5 star quite a lot of books. Maybe my approach needs slightly more thought! haha. "

I do the same! If I really enjoy it, it gets 5 stars, simple =) It can be 5 stars for totally different reasons though.

Rinn wrote: "Kirsty wrote: "Those are probably my favourite series, but as you can see from my ratings I do tend to 5 star quite a lot of books. Maybe my approach needs slightly more thought! haha. "

I do the ..."

Yes! Exactly my thoughts :D I tend to see books for their good points opposed to the things I don't like!

I'm slowly becoming more urban fantasy than "high" fantasy in both my reading and writing.

That said, among my faves would be:
The Begariad, Eddings
Sword of Truth/Wizard's First Rule, Goodkind
Thomas Covenant, Donaldson--- note, the main character is a horrible, horrible, person, but the setting is AMAZING
Taran Wander, Alexander (billed as kids stuff, but I really liked it)
Dark Tower, King
Song of Ice and Fire, Martin

As to Wheel of Time, it's the only fantasy series I've ever given up on. Too many of the books seem to just repeat the ones before them, and many of the characters are just plain annoying. Plus, there's the whole "author died in the middle" issue. I can't recall exactly, but I think it was books 7-9 felt like the exact same story.

So Wayland, is there any Urban fantasy you'd recommend in particular? I recently thought about reading some Charles De Lint, but he's not available in e-book format which makes it less convenient for me.

I read a lot, 100 books a year, min, so I've seen a LOT. My all time second favorite series is the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, about a wizard in modern Chicago. First book is Storm Front, not his best, but it gets great as it goes. I'd check that out.

I loved American Gods, one of the first books i read as an adult and it's stuck with me, i'll be having a re-read sooner or later. Imajica sounds good, i'd not heard of it before but i might check that one out.

I have Red Mars on my shelf to read, and I intend to read American Gods one day!

Lizia troisi's Nobel Series are Not the worst, Not the best. But it has something intriguing.

For me it is all the books featuring Lazarus Long by Heinlein, Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, Mistborn by Sanderson, All the Ender's books, the Pern books, the Elderling saga by Robin Hobb, any of the companions books in Dragonlance, and Sword of Truth series.
I just started The Kingkiller Chronicles.

How did Androids get in there, seeing as it's just a novella? Not a big fan of series myself. Just haven't read many that rise much above the level of popcorn. But a few multi-part stories I love: The Lord of the Rings, including The Hobbit, which was not a series so much as a single book split into several parts. The Heechee Chronicles by Frederick Poul (I may be misspelling that), and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson, which many would deride me for, but which I found refreshingly original at the time.Rinn wrote: "What are some of your favourite sci-fi and fantasy series?
Mine are:
- Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (I've read it once a year since I was 10)
- A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
-..."

I prefer Heinlein's earlier works. Later in his career, his books became more and more mono-thematic paranoid diatribes in which all the characters were him.Jennifer wrote: "For me it is all the books featuring Lazarus Long by Heinlein, Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, Mistborn by Sanderson, All the Ender's books, the Pern books, the Elderling saga by Robin Hobb, any of..."

Conan is cool. I think L. Sprague DeCamp did an awesome job of bringing out those stories from Howard's notes and partial manuscripts. Since Howard only wrote one full-size Conan book (Red Nails?), we kind of have to credit DeCamp for the Conan series as it is known.

Darren wrote: "Brendan wrote: "No Wheel of Time fans here?"

Been reading the series since 1990, and have read most of the series more times than I have fingers and toes.

So at least one other fan, Brendan. I h..."

American Gods is fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Gamian really is a genius, and I don't use that word often, lightly, or easily.

I am using the comments here to try to figure out what to read next. I have two hundred pages to go on book two of the Kingkiller Chronicles so I want to line up my next book. Thinking about Abercrombie's First Law.

Has anyone read the Malazan series? I tried to give it a go and was hopelessly lost..curious if it gets more interesting and easier to follow.

And I posted earlier some of my picks for series, want to throw in there Time of the Dark by Barbara Hambly, Time Master by Louise Cooper, R. A Salvatore's Legend of Drizzt too!

I've got First Law to read as well - I'll keep an eye out for your rating! =)

I think Nick (one of... three in this group) is reading the Malazan series at the moment.

I've read the first Malazan one and it was really good :) I was a bit confused by locations and stuff, but once I understood what on earth was going on it was fine :)

My ears are burning.

I'm on book 9/10 of the Malazan series, and thus far, it hasn't got any easier to follow, but it certainly gets a lot more interesting! If anything it gets more difficult as each of the later books is around 1300 pages and the plot gets larger and larger. The characters and continents switch back and forth with every book and it's all a bit of a nightmare at first. After book 6 the story-lines all begin to converge more as it approaches the ending, but it's still with an ensemble of several hundred POV characters so it's certainly not a casual read. I've thoroughly enjoyed the series, it has been been the most imaginative I have read by some distance and the writing is fantastic, but it's taken me around 8 months to get through it as it just gets too heavy at times.

I've read Abercrombie's First Law trilogy also; it's a brilliantly original series once you get past the opening book (which is still quite good), so I would definitely recommend it! He's released a few stand-alone novels in the same setting which I plan to read when I get a chance.

Brendan wrote: "No Wheel of Time fans here?"
Reading book ten of Wheel of Time. Great that series is complete. Unlike Game of Thrones. Will author live to finish this?

Right now, there's only one series that stands above ALL and it's sci-fi (aliens) but the main lead was so hilarious and witty irwas hard to put down.
That book is called:
Obsidian by jennifer L. Armenaut.

In fact, the whole series is just simply amazing. It was only published last year but there's like over 30000 reviews

Grace wrote: "Right now, there's only one series that stands above ALL and it's sci-fi (aliens) but the main lead was so hilarious and witty irwas hard to put down.
That book is called:
Obsidian by jennifer L. A..."

I've heard of that one - it was all over various book review blogs. I'm not sure if it's my sort of thing though :o

Wayland I love the Dresden Files!! Although the latest one (Cold Days) isn't my favorite, i love the characterization, but it was a bit uncomfortable to read at parts, which i felt could've been toned down a little bit while still getting the point across. But overall i love the series.
I also love Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore, they are a bit young adult, but they don't read that way too much too me. I haven't read Bitterblue yet.
I really liked The Host by Stephenie Meyer, i was part of the twilight craze, but have since reevaluated my opinion. However, The Host is still good.I like On The Edge and Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews although i haven't gotten a chance to read the other two in the series or her other series (Kate Daniels). I don't know that i've read much else. Up until recently i only young adult books and never thought about them as specific genres.

Rich wrote: "Brendan wrote: "No Wheel of Time fans here?"
Reading book ten of Wheel of Time. Great that series is complete. Unlike Game of Thrones. Will author live to finish this?"

No Dad, Robert Jordan passed away. Remember I told you that Sanderson helped with it?

Thanks to Nick and Freya for the info on Malazan. Finished book two of Kingkiller and Believe I will take advice given and read Abercrombie next.

Brendan wrote: "No Wheel of Time fans here?"

I loved Wheel of Time!

anyone ever read HG Wells stuff? classics and relatively short. I read Time Machine and Island of Dr. Moreau, I was really into them, they definitely played with my head a bit especially the morality themes

Nick wrote: "anyone ever read HG Wells stuff? classics and relatively short. I read Time Machine and Island of Dr. Moreau, I was really into them, they definitely played with my head a bit especially the moral..."

I've only read War of the Worlds, but I loved that one. I plan on reading some more though!

Hmm, I was thinking I could make a 'recommended' bookshelf in the group, since anyone can add books, and then people can add their recommendations with a little note saying why it's good/why it would appeal to us.

What do you think?

Jennifer wrote: "Rich wrote: "Brendan wrote: "No Wheel of Time fans here?"
Reading book ten of Wheel of Time. Great that series is complete. Unlike Game of Thrones. Will author live to finish this?"

No Dad, Robert..."
Was referring to author of Game of Thrones not WOT and who are you calling dad