SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Hi guys. I'm busy compiling a wishlist of books I want to buy and would like some recommendations for new (to me) sci-fi and fantasy authors to try out.

I find myself sticking to authors I already know/like and want to expand my choices a bit.

Authors I already have on my reading list (in no particular order):
Sci-fi:
Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Stephen Baxter, Charles Stross, Peter F Hamilton, Neal Asher, Vernor Vinge, Ben Bova, Greg Bear, Alastair Reynolds, Robert J Sawyer, Scalzi, Kevin J Anderson, Iain M Banks (don't know how I forgot him).

Fantasy:
Feist, Eddings, Pratchett, Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks

Any recommendations would be welcome.

neil gaiman. tad williams. octavia butler. me.

Science Fiction: Elizabeth Bear and Iain M. Banks

Fantasy: Patrick Rothfuss

Phoenixfalls wrote: "Science Fiction: Elizabeth Bear and Iain M. Banks

Fantasy: Patrick Rothfuss"

How is The Name of the Wind, so good, what does everyone else understand that I do not, even though I have read the book.

Based on your list of science fiction writers, I'd recommend Larry Niven and possibly Ursula K. Le Guin.

I haven't yet read any of the fantasy authors you mention, except Eddings and I didn't like him that much, so I won't try recommending anything there.

I was in the same situation a year or two ago, of finding myself sticking too much to authors I knew. Since then my policy has basically been trial and error, and for me it's worked pretty well especially when I stay within my favorite genres and subgenres. I run into a lot of duds, but also find good authors that I didn't know about more often than I did when I was more cautious.

I would say Jim Butcher. He has a great series of books called the Dresden Files. Urban Fantasy.

Adam Santo

Iain Banks, Phylis Gottlieb, David Brin, John Wyndham all excellent

Kevin wrote: "How is The Name of the Wind, so good, what does everyone else understand that I do not, even though I have read the book. "

I recommend him as an example of traditional epic fantasy done well -- well-fleshed out world, well-fleshed out characters, good quality prose, classic structure and epic scope. He doesn't blow my socks off, but there's something very comforting in what he does, and he seemed (to me) to fit with the fantasy authors the OP mentioned.

Thanks guys. Iain M Banks is actually very high on my authors list. Don't know how I managed to leave him out.

The recommendations so far have been a good starting point, please keep them coming. Since I do all my book shopping online (I'm in the middle of nowhere) it's very difficult to actually browse and find interesting new authors so recommendations are the best guideline for me to use.

Unlike Bill, I am going to copy and paste my recommendations from the other thread and then add some SF ones to the end. ;)

Most of these are along the saving the world lines but different somehow: say, they involve anti-heroes, or they are fantasy of manners, or there are elements of the carrier bag style.

Steven Brust's Dragaera series. Starts with Jhereg (collected in The Book of Jhereg), but there's also The Phoenix Guards, which is set in the distant past of the same world.

Roger Zelazny's Amber series. The Chronicles of Amber collects the first five books.

Caroline Stevermer's A College of Magics and When The King Comes Home. If you like these I would recommend reading her collaborations with Patricia C. Wrede, which begin with Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot. And if you like those, give The Magicians and Mrs. Quent a try.

Ysabeau Wilce's Flora Segunda trilogy, for fantasy with a sense of humor (without descending into a Xanth-style punfest). This is nominally YA, but there are plenty of things adults will adore.

If you do like puns I would recommend The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump, a somewhat atypical Harry Turtledove book.

Robin McKinley, specifically The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. Blue Sword was published first, but is chronologically later than Hero, and IMO Hero is the better book.

Devices and Desires by K.J. Parker. This is a story about how personal motivations lead to world-shaping events. I will say that I didn't like where this trilogy ended up going, but YMMV.

Kage Baker: specifically The Anvil of the World.

Kage Baker also wrote some SF. It starts with In the Garden of Iden, but I'd recommend starting with the Black Projects, White Knights anthology to see if you like the concept.

Maureen F. McHugh. Mothers & Other Monsters is one of her collections.

Maxine McArthur, Less Than Human.

How about some Philip K. Dick? I'd start with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? just to have your mind blown by the differences from the movie (if applicable).

While we're talking classics, there's also Alfred Bester. The Demolished Man is where I'd suggest starting, especially if you like police procedurals.

If you like zombies you must read World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. Actually, even if you don't care for them much I'd read that. It's filled with awesomeness. But if you do like zombies I'd also add Feed.

I reserve the right to think of more and come back later.

Nice list, a few other authors I would add.
Richard K. Morgan, Robert Silverberg, John Steakley, Joel Shepherd, Theodore Sturgeon, Jeff Somers

Also check award winners - some great books there:
hugo
http://www.thehugoawards.org/2010/09/...
http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-his...

nebula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebula_A...

phillip k dick
http://www.philipkdick.com/links_pkda...

author c clark
http://www.clarkeaward.com/PreviousWi...

I would add

1) Paul Melko (only two books out that I know of but they're both good),
2) Charles Stross--I've only read the series that starts with the Atrocity Archives from him, but they are good--an improbable but workable combination of a pseudo-James Bond, Lovecraft, and Dilbert,
3) Dale Cozort, because that's me and I've been sternly ordered by my publisher to never miss a chance at self-promotion, no matter how tacky I might appear,
4) SM Stirling, but read the reviews first and be selective. At his best he is quite good. At his worst he is still pretty good but needs more editing. I thought Island in the Sea Of Time was quite good, as was In the Court of the Martian Kings (except for the last chapter, which needed to be edited out)
5) Some Harry Turtledove. Here again I would be selective. My rule of thumb is that if it's a stand-alone book I seriously consider it. If it's part of a series I stay away from it. The big Turtledove series tend to have a truly gigantic number of POV characters with little in the way of a central plot except for the telling of an alternate history event. Some people like that. I don't. The stand-alones tend to be more standard novels. Ruled Britannia is excellent in terms of pacing, building of suspense and a great payoff, though it goes on about 40 pages too long after the climax.

How about Post-Human, could can buy an ebook for $2.00 on my website

http://post-humannovel.com/HOME.html

I've read some John Wyndham and second Bill's recommendation of him.

Silvio wrote: "I've read some John Wyndham and second Bill's recommendation of him."

Silvio - My favourite Wyndham stories are Day of the Triffids, The Chrysalids, The Kraken Wakes and The Midwich Cuckoos (filmed as Village of the Damned)

Nikki wrote: "Unlike Bill, I am going to copy and paste my recommendations from the other thread and then add some SF ones to the end. ;)

Most of these are along the saving the world lines but different someho..."

Nikki - The Chronicles of Amber was a super series. I enjoyed so very much. I agree totally with your recommendation of World War Z, it was fascinating..

In a similar vein to the style of World War Z, you might also try Warday and the Journey Onward by Whitley Streiber and James Kunetka

Like I said in all the recommendations, just read R.A. Salvatore's dark elf, starting with book four, the first book published, The Crystal Shard, the only book your need to add to your wishlist and read.

Thought of some more.

Neal Stephenson. In increasing order of density, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and Anathem. (If you care for steampunk, add The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, and if you like chemistry add Zodiac, which is arguably not actually SF until very near the end.)

Laura Anne Gilman's Vineart War trilogy, which starts with Flesh and Fire.

SciFi: I'm not that well traveled in SciFi, which seems to be what you prefer, but as you have Listed Pratchett I have to wonder if you managed to miss Douglas Adams. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a must read if you like SciFi and humor. The Complete Roderick is also a personal favorite in the same genre. (Neil Gaiman has already been mentioned)

Fantasy: Based on Feist and Eddings I would recommend L.E.Modesitt and Terry Brooks. Both have nice and long (epic) series that should provide months and months of entertainment.

If you're feeling brave and want to try something new, such as Urban Fantasy, take a look at Jim Butcher and Mike Carey.

Wow. Great recommendations all round.

Douglas Adams goes without saying. Loved the Hitchhiker's Guide and I've got the omnibus edition in ebook form.

I already have Cryptonomicon waiting to be read.

At the moment I'm torn between getting some Wheel of Time box sets or getting a couple of Drizzt box sets.

Bill wrote: "Silvio wrote: "I've read some John Wyndham and second Bill's recommendation of him."

Silvio - My favourite Wyndham stories are Day of the Triffids, The Chrysalids, The Kraken Wakes and The Midwi..."

I read the same ones, plus Chocky and one which I don't remember the title of, with a lichen extract that made people live longer.

I gave in last night and ordered the first two WoT box sets together with Ilium an Olympos by Dan Simmons.

I figure that should keep me busy for quite some time. Once I get to book 6 of WoT I'll know if I want to continue the series or not (which should be done by then as well).

Jim Butcher's urban fantasy have been mentioned, but not his high fantasy Codex Alera novels. Check those out too.
I finally got around to Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan which is a reimagining of the conflict in the first World War. It's bangup steampunk.
Another steampunk series, but with a more fantasy feel is Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon. It is set during the Napoleonic Wars.
No one's mentioned Lois McMaster Bujold who is best known for her Vorkosigan series, which is among many other things military science fiction. The first book is Shards of Honor, The Warrior's Apprentice or one of these omnibuses: Cordelia's Honor or Young Miles. She's also got two fantasy series that are now completed.
While I quite like Jim Butcher's urban fantasy, if you're going to try some, check out Charles de Lint who writes his fantasies set in the made-up Northeastern city called Newford, that is somewhat Canadian and a little like an American city, but there's magic there. There's no necessary order to his books, but these are books I like: Memory & Dream (Newford Book 5)Someplace to Be FlyingMoonlight and Vines and this one that just came out last month: The Painted Boy. (His most recent stuff is set in the southwest.)
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is as good as people have been saying.

I can't believe Orson Scott Card isn't on your Science Fiction list!
Sorry if someone else already mentioned him. I love all of his books.

Actually he should be. Loved the Ender series!

I thought Bujold had been mentioned already, but apparently that was the other thread.

If you don't care for romance I'd skip the Sharing Knife series. And as far as I know the Chalion series is 3/5 done, with no idea when 4 and 5 will appear. Those books are standalones, though, so it doesn't really matter. I liked 1 and 2 a lot but thought 3 was pretty meh.

Her Vorkosigan series is not to be missed, though.

I used to love Charles de Lint ... I'd start with Dreams Underfoot if you want to read his Newford books.

Fantasy:

Joe Abercrombie

The First Law series, starting with The Blade Itself is excellent.

The Sparrow and Children of God by Mary Doria Russell have some of the same good points as the original Ender Quartet.

Robert Heinlein, hands down. Before he assumed room temperature, he was "the Dean" of SF.

New guys: John Bowers, Gene N. McMurtry, Bruce Davis.

New Fantasy Author: (juvenile), Kriss Erickson.
Old Fantasy: David Eddings (epic), Piers Anthony.

Julia wrote: "Jim Butcher's urban fantasy have been mentioned, but not his high fantasy Codex Alera novels. Check those out too.
I finally got around to Scott Westerfeld's Le..."</i>

I never tried the Codex Alera series. I have heard of it but somehow forgot to pick a copy up. Thanks for reminding me about it.
As for the list here - I don't think I would want to add anymore at this time. Crusader should be busy for some time filtering thru what is already posted. Good luck Crusader!

[author:Adam Santo

Author of Temperature: Dead and Rising

Yes. I think I'm all set for a long while. I actually blew my complete book budget for the year already so I'll have to investigate some of those at a much later stage.

Adam wrote: "Julia wrote: "Jim Butcher's urban fantasy have been mentioned, but not his high fantasy Codex Alera novels. Check those out too.
I finally got around to [author:Scott Westerfeld|139..."
It is just me, Codex Alera is has too much fantasy cliche in them for me to read them. I read 1/4 of the first one, it was not that good, not for my taste. He says that if Codex Alera were going to be made into anything, it would be an anime.