Recommend to me a sci-fi or fantasy book

[PoppaGunch]

I agree Niven is a great read. Also try his collaborations with Jerry Pournelle.
Also I am a huge Hubbard fan. Battlefield Earth is still a wonderful read (forget that crap that was puit out in the theatres a few years ago, hell that was barely half the book to begin with, and didn't even follow that correctly).
Right now, I am reading his decology (yep 10 books), from Mission Earth. They are funny as hell. And have interesting situations. Fast paced reading, but watch out. They are not rated PG books. A lot of sexual situations. Some of those old Sci-fi writers (hubbard and Heinlein to name a few) were a bit preverted in their day. Heh.

 

[Capellan]

Authors:

Tamora Pierce
Philip Reeve
Iain M Banks (anything by just Iain Banks, without the M, is not SF, but still worth reading too)
David Drake

 

[Mark]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...

If you haven't read this book you are merely a pretender of a Sci-fi/Fantasy literature fan!

A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959)

Study Guide for Walter M. Miller, Jr.: A Canticle for Leibowitz

Review of A Canticle for Leibowitz (Spoilers)

"Extraordinary ... chillingly effective." - Time

"Angry, eloquent ... a terrific story." - The New York Times

"An extraordinary novel ... Prodigiously imaginative, richly comic, terrifyingly grim, profound both intellectually and morally, and, above all ... simply such a memorable story as to stay with the reader for years." - Chicago Tribune

"An exciting and imaginative story ... Unconditionally recommended." - Library Journal

Read it next or I will send rabid tribbles to invade your personal space!

 

[Richards]

CCamfield: Ah yes, I had forgotten about Ascending; thanks! By my estimate, aren't we about due for a new James Alan Gardner book about now?

Johnathan

 

[Karl Green]

WFRP - Warhammer Fantasy Role-Playing game BUT I think he meant to say look at the Black Library's books of Warhammer. This is the Slayer series. There have been 7 or 8 so far and they are all GREAT reads. They start with the Trollslayer which is the weakest IMO but it helps set the tone. After that they great REALLY good.

I'm reading 'When Dragons Rage' by Michael A. Stackpole right now. The series started with 'Fortress Dragconic' (which was great) and the next one is the 'Grand Crusade'. The story actually starts with 'The Dark Glory Wars' which takes place 20 years before the 3 books. Anyway they are all really good.

 

[Elodan]

As I work my way through the list. I'm surprised by how few I've read. Some more comments and answers.

For an excellent take on the Star Trek "red shirt syndrome," try James Alan Gardner's Expendable. It's the first of a series, but after having read that one you can read the others in just about any sequence. The other books in the same universe are:

Commitment Hour
Vigilant
Hunted
Trapped

I've read Trapped. I've never seen any of his other books in the store and I keep forgetting about him when I'm on Amazon. It's like when you watch a movie and say i'm going to look that person up on IMDB but when you get to the site you forget which movie it was.

For sci-fi military, check out David Weber/Steve White:

Insurrection
Crusade
In Death Ground
The Shiva Option

I read most of his Weber's Honor Harrington stuff. Didn't one or both of them write a series where the moon is actually an alien spacecraft?

If you can still find them, I'd recommend:

First Flight - Chris Claremont
Grounded - Chris Claremont
Sundowner - Chris Claremont

I actually read these years ago. Good stuff.

So did you get Cryptonomicon?

I did not order it at this time, but it's in the shopping cart with a whole lot of the recommendations above. I'm trying to keep the book budget in check. My wife and I have been spending WAY to much on books latelty, a couple of hundred a month. Trying to keep it around $100/month ($50 each).

I'd be curious as to why the original poster didn't like G. G. Kay?

- track down The Garrett Files, the compilation of the first three such books by Glen Cook. It's out of print, but you should be able to get it from www.abebooks.com. Great wise-cracking fantasy private eye novels.

Maybe I shouldn't have added Kay to my do not like authors. Unlike the others I listed where I couldn't finish the books even after multiple attempts. I did read and finish Tigana a while ago. I remember not being too impressed and didn't think he was worth picking up again, but I'm open to arguments that might change my mind.

My wife has just enlightened me to abebooks.com which is a good thing considering that a fair number of the recommendations are out of print.

Also I am a huge Hubbard fan. Battlefield Earth is still a wonderful read (forget that crap that was puit out in the theatres a few years ago, hell that was barely half the book to begin with, and didn't even follow that correctly).
Right now, I am reading his decology (yep 10 books), from Mission Earth. They are funny as hell. And have interesting situations. Fast paced reading, but watch out. They are not rated PG books. A lot of sexual situations. Some of those old Sci-fi writers (hubbard and Heinlein to name a few) were a bit preverted in their day. Heh.

I read both Battlefield Earth and the entire Mission Earth series years ago. Like them both but you feel like you've run a marathon by the time you finish Mission Earth.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...

If you haven't read this book you are merely a pretender of a Sci-fi/Fantasy literature fan!

A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959)

Study Guide for Walter M. Miller, Jr.: A Canticle for Leibowitz

Review of A Canticle for Leibowitz (Spoilers)

Read it next or I will send rabid tribbles to invade your personal space!

Since I can't be a pretender and I'd hate to see what rabid tribbles are like, I'll add these to the shopping cart right now.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

if you like satire/alternate viewpoints of known settings: Wicked by Gregory Maguire

I’ve seen this book around and now it is a Broadway Musical. (What next for Boradway musical, ones about the common house cat or the king of Siam?)

Anyway, is this book any good?

 

[Garmorn]

As I work my way through the list. I'm surprised by how few I've read. Some more comments and answers.




I read most of his Weber's Honor Harrington stuff. Didn't one or both of them write a series where the moon is actually an alien spacecraft?

David Weber now has 11 books in Honor Harrington series, 3 books in the moon as a spaceship series and has a 3rd book in his fantasy series coming out in May. He is one of the top selling SF aurthors around. Regularly making the NY Top Ten Seller List for Fiction.

I actually read these years ago. Good stuff.



I did not order it at this time, but it's in the shopping cart with a whole lot of the recommendations above. I'm trying to keep the book budget in check. My wife and I have been spending WAY to much on books latelty, a couple of hundred a month. Trying to keep it around $100/month ($50 each).

For David Weber if you can find his lattest book 'Honor's War' it might have a CD in the back with several other books on it. Or you can ask around a get a copy of the CD from some one. I think I still have my. (The publisher wants the CD copied and spread around, says so right on the CD.)

 

[Mark]

Since I can't be a pretender and I'd hate to see what rabid tribbles are like, I'll add these to the shopping cart right now.

You will not regret it.

 

[Altalazar]

(Cryptonomicon)
I did not order it at this time, but it's in the shopping cart with a whole lot of the recommendations above. I'm trying to keep the book budget in check. My wife and I have been spending WAY to much on books latelty, a couple of hundred a month. Trying to keep it around $100/month ($50 each).

I know what you mean - I have probably 2500 books - and I keep ordering more even as I don't have time to read much these days. I also order DVDs, but I only have about 250 or those - and again not much time.

I do collect up books in Amazon until i finally can't take it anymore and I order some. It feels good to clear out the shopping cart with an order, but it never stays empty for long...