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Help with a fantasy/sci fi/fiction reading recommendation

Posted on 1/24/23 at 2:43 pm
Posted by VivaTerlingua
Carolina On My Mind
Member since Jan 2023
14 posts
Posted on 1/24/23 at 2:43 pm
I am in need of a new series to read. I have followed this board for a while and have seen some great recommendations based on past reads. Here are some of my more recent books/authors read so it is pretty easy to see the types of genres I am interested in, but I'm willing to expand out.

John Gwynne - Bloodsworn Saga
Robert Jordan - The Wheel of Time Series
Pierce Brown - Red Rising Series
GRRM - Game Of Thrones
Joe Abercrombie - First Law Trilogy + other extended universe
Frank Herbert - Dune Series
Ken Follet - The Pillars Of The Earth Series
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn Series
Steve Erickson - Malazan Series

Based on some other recs from this board I dove into The Master and Commander series as well as Lonesome Dove.

Thanks for all the help!
Posted by HailHailtoMichigan!
Mission Viejo, CA
Member since Mar 2012
69250 posts
Posted on 1/24/23 at 3:45 pm to
It may interest you to read what many critics have called the greatest fantasy novel ever written

Little, Big (or: the fairies’ parliament) by John Crowley

A beautiful 40th anniversary edition just came out


quote:


Harold Bloom included this work in his book The Western Canon, calling it "A neglected masterpiece. The closest achievement we have to the Alice stories of Lewis Carroll."[5] Bloom also recorded that, based on their correspondence, poet James Merrill "loved the book."[6]

Thomas M. Disch described Little, Big as "the best fantasy novel ever. Period."[7] Ursula K. Le Guin wrote that Little, Big is "a book that all by itself calls for a redefinition of fantasy."[8] In Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels, David Pringle described the book as "a work of architectonic sublimity" and wrote that "the author plays with masterly skill on the emotional nerves of awe, rapture, mystery and enchantment."[8] Paul Di Filippo said, "It is hard to imagine a more satisfying work, both on an artistic and an emotional level".[9]


LINK
This post was edited on 1/24/23 at 3:47 pm
Posted by VivaTerlingua
Carolina On My Mind
Member since Jan 2023
14 posts
Posted on 1/24/23 at 3:48 pm to
Thanks for that rec. I'll definitely check it out. I realize that most of my fantasy reading has been much more modern authors even though I've read through most of Tolkien (still intimidated by The Silmarillion) and most of The Shannara Chronicles worth reading.
Posted by auyushu
Surprise, AZ
Member since Jan 2011
8585 posts
Posted on 1/24/23 at 9:33 pm to
The sci/fantasy thread on here is good for that, but based on your likes a cut and paste from my post on the first page of that thread:

Nicholas Eames- the Band series
Michael J Sullivan- Riyria series
Miles Cameron- Traitor Son Cycle
Alec Hutson- The Crimson Queen series
Brent Weeks- Nightangel and Lightbringer series
Matthew Woodring Stover- Acts of Caine series
Mark Lawrence- Broken Empire, Red Queen's War series
Brian McClellan- Powder Mage series
Django Wexler- Shadow Campaigns series
Brian Staveley- Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne
Rob J Hayes- everything
Sebastian de Castell- The Greatcoats series and spellslinger series
David A Wells- Sovereign of the seven isles series
Will Wight- Cradle series
Peter Flannery- Battle Mage
M L Wang- the sword of Kaigen
Fonda Lee-Greenbone saga

Rob J Hayes is basically Abercrombie light if you are looking for more in that vein.

Will Wight's Cradle series is like crack.

Also, I was waiting till Gwynne finished the bloodsworn saga to start that one, but I assume you've read his Faith and Fallen series and the follow-up trilogy? Cause they are both great.
This post was edited on 1/24/23 at 9:45 pm
Posted by VivaTerlingua
Carolina On My Mind
Member since Jan 2023
14 posts
Posted on 1/24/23 at 9:45 pm to
From Rob Hayes, would the recommend the War Eternal or the Mortal Techniques series first?

I may also check out Brent Weeks Lightbringer.
Posted by VivaTerlingua
Carolina On My Mind
Member since Jan 2023
14 posts
Posted on 1/24/23 at 9:49 pm to
I should have waited before starting his Bloodsworn Saga but I enjoy his work so much I started against my better judgement.

I have read Gwynne’s other series and they are fantastic. Great character development and plots that keep rolling.

Thanks for the recs above!
Posted by auyushu
Surprise, AZ
Member since Jan 2011
8585 posts
Posted on 1/24/23 at 9:51 pm to
Those are both good series, but I'd suggest the First Earth saga books first (starting with the Ties that bind trilogy).

But of those two probably War eternal (though I need to read the last two books of that series he released recently, they are next on my reading list after my current book actually).

Mortal techniques is good, but they are all loosely connected stories set in the same world with different characters.
This post was edited on 1/24/23 at 9:55 pm
Posted by spehog
Little Rock
Member since Mar 2011
1006 posts
Posted on 1/25/23 at 8:09 am to
Big Sanderson fanboy, if you liked Mistborn I’d highly recommend the rest of the cosmere or at least Warbreaker and Stormlight. I’m finishing up Malazan now and looking into my next series as well, thanks for the recommendations!
Posted by VivaTerlingua
Carolina On My Mind
Member since Jan 2023
14 posts
Posted on 1/25/23 at 8:52 am to
I like Sanderson as well but was looking to branch into something different for this next series.
Posted by oauron
Birmingham, AL
Member since Sep 2011
14510 posts
Posted on 1/25/23 at 9:13 am to
I'd recommend the Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock. Quite a bit older than what you've read, but pretty good overall. Each book is pretty short and (good) concise storytelling is quite rare in the genre.
Posted by MSTiger33
Member since Oct 2007
20360 posts
Posted on 1/25/23 at 5:16 pm to
Space Team by Barry Hutchinson if you want something funny.
Posted by biglego
Ask your mom where I been
Member since Nov 2007
76175 posts
Posted on 1/25/23 at 6:19 pm to
Bernard Cornwell’s Arthur trilogy is fantastic
Posted by Speedoj
St. George, LA
Member since Mar 2022
138 posts
Posted on 1/26/23 at 5:43 am to
For fantasy, I'd go with the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.

For sci-fi, I enjoyed the Saga of the Seven Suns series by Kevin J. Anderson.

Having said that, both of these series are extremely long and at the end of each volume, you feel like you should have earned a t-shirt or something....BUT, they are great reads.
Posted by Richard Grayson
Bestbank
Member since Sep 2022
2149 posts
Posted on 1/26/23 at 6:24 am to
quote:

fantasy


Brandon Sanderson. Read them all.

Posted by VivaTerlingua
Carolina On My Mind
Member since Jan 2023
14 posts
Posted on 1/26/23 at 12:52 pm to
I have checked out a ton of the recs in here and added to my reading list. Took Auyushu's advice and downloaded Brent Weeks' The Way of Shadows. Enjoying the ride so far.
Posted by LordSnow
Your Mom's House
Member since May 2011
5498 posts
Posted on 1/26/23 at 1:07 pm to
Wool Series - Hugh Howey
Posted by Tigris
Mexican Home
Member since Jul 2005
12346 posts
Posted on 1/27/23 at 7:46 am to
Another needs a mention:

The Chronicles of Amber - Roger Zelazny.

It's two segments of 5 books each; to me only the first 5 books are essential. The last 5 were written several years later with a different protagonist; they aren't bad, really, but not up to the quality of the first 5. After Zelazny died a different author wrote several prequel books, they can be ignored.
Posted by auyushu
Surprise, AZ
Member since Jan 2011
8585 posts
Posted on 1/27/23 at 10:34 pm to
Good call on Zelazny, he's awesome. I'd recommend Lord of Light as one of my favorite Sci Fi novels on top of Chronicles of Amber. A night in lonesome October is really fun too.
Posted by Tigris
Mexican Home
Member since Jul 2005
12346 posts
Posted on 1/28/23 at 4:22 pm to
quote:

I'd recommend Lord of Light as one of my favorite Sci Fi novels


It's my favorite sci fi book, period. I love how he weaves together Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and mythology into the story which is very complex in layout, but actually pretty straightforward once you start to figure things out. I finished it on Audible last week and I can't recommend the audio book. For some insane reason they chose an author that uses a southern drawl for several key characters and that makes zero sense for the setting of the book. Zelazny was friends with and influenced Neil Gaiman and George R.R. Martin who were just starting their careers. Gaiman's American Gods was somewhat a tribute to Zelazny. Supposedly the Amber series will be a TV series soon. Weirdly enough Lord of Light was the movie that the CIA was pretending to film in Iran in order to set up the hostage rescue/release. There really was a project to make the movie as well as build a theme park outside of Denver, but it had collapsed before the hostage crisis. Lord of Light would still make for a great mini-series.
Posted by mdomingue
Lafayette, LA
Member since Nov 2010
29982 posts
Posted on 2/2/23 at 12:53 pm to
quote:

still intimidated by The Silmarillion


It's like reading a textbook for pleasure. Not an easy read But it is loaded with a ton of interesting stuff and does provide a bit of insight. At least by my recollection, I read way back, like 1978-1980 time frame.
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