re: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Recommendation & Discussion Thread

With Hobb there are two separate storylines in that world. First is the Fitz books which you started, which are just three separate trilogies, and would need to be read in order.

Then there are the Liveship/rain wild books, set in the same world. You would need to read the liveship books first before reading the rain wilds chronicles.

There is a small crossover section in the last Fitz trilogy where it intersects with the rain wilds books, but otherwise they are pretty separate. It would add to the enjoyment of the last Fitz trilogy to have read rain wilds because of that, but it's not really necessary. All those series set in that world are good though.

Don't read her Soldier's son trilogy however, it's straight garbage.

quote:

---

Did you have a favorite trilogy?

---

Hmm, probably either the first Fitz trilogy or the last Fitz trilogy, they are very close for me. I thought the middle trilogy was solid, but didn't really do it for me as much for whatever reason. But the final trilogy was a great finish to the storyline.

Though I liked the Liveship trilogy a bunch too. The Fitz series is definitely the most popular, I'd say reading those three trilogies is probably the right call, can always read the rest another time if you feel like it.

quote:

---

I read Assassin's Apprentice and... it just didn't do it for me. I think it's the point of view/narrator (Fitz reflecting back). It sucks, because I really wanted to enjoy it.

I'm a sucker for punishing characters ala GRRM, but Hobbs also kind of screwed Fitz over one time too many for me.

Anyway, I thought I would dig it because it's such a well-respected series (and I actually thought it was well written), but something just turned me off about it.

---

About 2/3s of the way into it I thought i was going to hate it - but I enjoyed the ending enough.


It was a little annoying where you had like 3 or 4 different "apprentice training" things going on.

I really liked The Fool, so once I saw the 3rd trilogy was called the fitz and the fool i decided to see if some of the other trilogy's were worth reading.


I am a little hesitant on some of the older series these days, would have enjoyed them back in the day a ton - but they can seem a little stale once you've read similar stories written after that sort of undercut those expectations.

Yeah, I've really just come back around to fantasy.

I was a total addict in my youth. I read voraciously, mainly fantasy. I loved reading so much that I majored in English and got a Masters in Literature.


I also completely stopped reading fantasy, focusing on Literature (with a capital L). Well, now my job has nothing to do with Literature, and I've found my way back to fantasy. I still like to read "good literature," but dang it's enjoyable reading fantasy and just getting lost in a page turner.

I've been working through both the Expanse and the Lightbringer series after finishing reading all the Dresden Files.

quote:

---

quote:
am a little hesitant on some of the older series these days, would have enjoyed them back in the day a


Pretty much, I think some older authors hold up well, but there are many that don't, or aren't nearly as good now as they were back when they came out.

I'm struggling getting through the foundation trilogy for that same reason, it's just very generic compared to today's sci fi/fantasy, and despite the great world building it lacks in interesting characters and action, which just makes it kinda decent but not great for me.

Some folks like Glen Cook and Zelazny I think hold up very well, a bit dated in some ways maybe, but still hold up extremely well.

Hobb doesn't hold up quite as well as she did then, but most of the annoying things about the series annoyed me then too. If you really liked the Fool and thought the Fitz books were somewhat frustrating you might want to try the Liveship books, as its less of a bittersweet/downer series, and also has more character POVs rather than just one.

---

I don't really mind that for the really good ones in sci fi, I think the themes heinlein, asimov, etc. bring to bear are really great. I don't read much sci fi and its mostly all the older classics.

quote:

---

. I plan on throwing in some additional recs as there are a ton of great works not mentioned 

---

Excellent.

quote:

---

cannot speak to the rain wilds as I never read those.

---

You might want to check them out. I didn't get around to reading them or the last Fitz trilogy until the past year and a half or so (the shaman books had pretty much put me off Hobb altogether), and the rain wilds books are pretty similar to the Liveship books in tone and follow up on that storyline well.

quote:

---

I plan on throwing in some additional recs as there are a ton of great works not mentioned as yet

---

Please do!

quote:

---

quote:
Sneaky__Sally


How is your Riyria read going?

---

On hold haha, started reading The Gap Cycle and then got caught up back to work.

Have 2 more books in the gap cycle and then will probably go for Riyaria

I may have mentioned this before but there is a new Malazan read through podcast called 10 Very Big Books. It has one host who has read the main series once, one avid fantasy reader who is reading it for the first time and one girl who is pretty much brand new to fantasy (poor girl). They discuss roughly 80 - 100 pages at a time and its future spoilers free.

Definitely recommend for someone reading the series for the first time to help you pick up on stuff you probably would have glossed over. I'm enjoying it a lot as am re-reading the books as well.

I'm finishing up deadhouse gates and then will knock out a few other books / series before picking up books 3 and 4. They have an interview with Erikson after they finish each book as well. They are working their way through book 4 now I think, but definitely worth checking out. I've never really listened to book recaps / read through podcasts, but with how much is going on in Malazan, it really helps highlight stuff you may have missed and they hosts are pretty funny as well.