I recently read Luck in the Shadows, Stalking Darkness and Traitor's Moon (the "Nightrunner" trilogy) by Lynn Flewelling. Books 1 and 2 were especially good, but not recommended for the homophobic.
For fantasy of a different (literary) kind, I would recommend the The Stolen Child by Keith Donahue. Beautiful book, a bit unsettling. Try also Little/Big by John Crowley (if you can find a copy). Also Crowley's Engine Summer, which really pays off if you stick through to the end.
Commenting on a few others already named:
I also just finished reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss -- I loved it, but it is an unfinished tale (frustrating) and the sequel is already overdue!
Dune of course is great, I never finished the series because the sequel was so poorly written in comparison to the original.
Neal Stevenson - loved The Diamond Age and Snow Crash and most of his other early work. Stopped reading him after Cryptonomicon. It may be the work of a genius, but I didn't find it involving at all.
You must, must, must read the Otherland series by Tad Williams.
ETA: I recommend it because it's a brilliant blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and held me captive the entire time.
I second K10DGuy on the Otherland series.
I'm a little confused about the Otherland series, which I read some time ago. In my memory, it was supposed to be a trilogy that he then expanded into a fourth book and then even a fifth. But I only see four books listed on the Otherland/wikipedia entry. Did the fourth book indeed "conclude" the tale satisfactorily?
I also agree with the Asimov and Clarke recommendations. These guys were the original sci-fi masters imho.
Originally posted by HeiSch:
Yepp, got them all :)
A must read if you're into SciFi
Originally posted by chromeydome:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy: Foundation, Second Foundation, Foundatuion and Empire. Arguably the greatest of all SF sagas, even more arguably the most influential, and incredibly thought-provoking. Arthur C. Clarke's Rama books, Larry Niven's Ringworld books; these also are great. The Foundation books are more social-sciences than technology, the other two are really rich in the techie aspect.
Heinlein is good but be prepared for some pretty out there ideas.
Just remember that he's a committed Libertarian and it all makes sense. If you want a novel which summarizes his views pretty well, I suggest The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.
I see where you're coming from for a lot of his work, but you can't just sum him by saying he's a libertarian. There are obvious totalitarian influences in Starship Troopers (written during a break in writing Stranger in a Strange Land), and the work is largely criticized for simply being an embodiment of his views. I'm not saying he isn't libertarian, but that's a gross oversimplification of an author who often had ideology that was contrary to other expressed views. Perhaps his views just changed over time, but it isn't as though every work is lockstep single political stance. Book topics and ideas evolved, as you see with all (all but the hacks)authors.
Arthur C. Clark's works are pure space/futuristic goodness. I like his works because they are usually based on existing or conceivable technology, which makes the stories believable, even if it's set a billion years into the future!
* Childhood's End
* The City and the Stars
* Rendezvous with Rama
* The Fountains of Paradise
* The Songs of Distant Earth
* The Trigger
* The Light of Other Days
It's geared more for younger people, I think, but the Eragon series ("officially" the Inheritance series, I believe) by christopher paolini is a fun read.
You must, must, must read the Otherland series by Tad Williams.
ETA: I recommend it because it's a brilliant blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and held me captive the entire time.
I second K10DGuy on the Otherland series.
I'm a little confused about the Otherland series, which I read some time ago. In my memory, it was supposed to be a trilogy that he then expanded into a fourth book and then even a fifth. But I only see four books listed on the Otherland/wikipedia entry. Did the fourth book indeed "conclude" the tale satisfactorily?
It finishes it all up quite satisfactorily, IMO. From what I can remember, the 4th book was supposed to be two more, but the decision was made to make it into one because of time restraints or something. I read about it a long time ago.
Jack of Kinrowan by Charles De Lint (fantasy world overlayed on Ottawa, Ont.)
Pretty much anything else by Charles De Lint. A lot of his novels are based on Native American/Canadian legend.
Also, once you tire of all this amazingly heavy reading that people are sending you towards, I'd suggest lightening it up a little and getting into Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" series.
(Otherland) finishes it all up quite satisfactorily, IMO. From what I can remember, the 4th book was supposed to be two more, but the decision was made to make it into one because of time restraints or something. I read about it a long time ago.
Thanks, Edward.
By the way, another "dystopian" novel that I loved was This Perfect Day (1970). It's a great story, well written. It's a bit dated, and so many sources have apparently borrowed from it (e.g., the movie "Logan's Run") that it no longer seems so fresh, but I highly recommend it anyway.
HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Doublas Adams
Armor, by John Steakley
The Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy by Patricia McKillip
Lens of the World (or anything) by R.A. MacAvoy
A Fine and Private Place by Peter Beagle
The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington
HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Doublas Adams
Armor, by John Steakley
The Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy by Patricia McKillip
Lens of the World (or anything) by R.A. MacAvoy
A Fine and Private Place by Peter Beagle
The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington
Armor was a really intriguing novel. A lot like Starship Troopers in theme, but much deeper.
Also, once you tire of all this amazingly heavy reading that people are sending you towards, I'd suggest lightening it up a little and getting into Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" series.
Also, once you tire of all this amazingly heavy reading that people are sending you towards, I'd suggest lightening it up a little and getting into Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" series.
