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Anything good worth reading?
Note that I have not read a single book in this genre so go crazy on the different books I should check out.
Just please, no Star Wars/Halo/Mass Effect books.
And I'd prefer more of a medivial type book but space sci-fi will also work.
I've never really been into reading, but I have read the entire series of Animorphs and I loved every part of it. There are 60+ books, I'm guessing around 65 or so. I've read every book except the two altermorph ones, which are not canon.
It's about these aliens called yeerks that are basically slugs capable of infesting people and taking over their bodies and they've enslaved lots of planets and have made their way to earth. There are other aliens called andalites that have been in a long war with them and 5 kids find one of them crash landing to earth and the andalite gave them this ability to absorb the dna of any animal and transform into it for 2 hours. If they don't transform back in the two hours, they stay in the animals form forever(this is a big part of the storyline too). They use this ability to fight back against the yeerks.
There are 54 main books that continue the story of the animorphs and there are about 10 spin offs which are all canon except for the two altermorphs books I mentioned. Best SciFi books I ever read. There was a TV show of it too, but it was cancelled pretty fast, only around 6 or 7 episodes actually aired.
There are lots of other aliens and characters that are all connected in some way. They start to find that there are more alien threats(and allies) that even the yeerks never knew about.
I really recommend reading the 3 chronicle books once you're about halfway through the series. They all happen before the yeerk invasion on earth, but it helps to know which aliens are which before you go into it.
Red Eye
Star Wars Death Troopers
Ender's Game
Michael Chriton's "Timeline" was actually a really good read, the movie was a travesty, and insult to film making and interpretation fo the written word, but the book was good.
Also, if you liked dragonlance at all and are familiar with the characters written by Margeret Weiss and Tracy Hickman, check out the "Deathgate Cycle" Those should keep you busy for a bit, as well as entertained, especially with the ties to one of their more famous characters without violating microsoft's (WOTC) write protection/copywrite and liscensing laws.... I miss TSR....
DEATH LANDS by James Axler
forgive me... i read mainly this genre....
the honor Harrington series by David Weber.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/david-weber/
the starfist series by david sherman and dan craig
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/dan-cragg/
the clone series by steven kent
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/steven-l-kent/
david drake novels such as the lt leary books.
raj whitehall if you can find them (its hard, i've only read the first.)
belisarius saga is a favorite of mine. its an alternate take on rome.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/david-drake/
if you are looking for old school rome as a subject, Cato series by simon scarrow is pretty good.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/david-drake/
lost fleet series and then the lost series; beyond the frontier by jack campbell.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/jack-campbell/
the looking glass series by Ringo was interesting as well.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/john-ringo/
elizabeth moon's vatta's war series, and serrano legacy.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/elizabeth-moon/
Mike shepherd's Kris Longknife series
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/mike-shepherd/
Jon and Lobo series by mark van name
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/n/mark-l-van-name/
if you are looking for ghost story/ wizards sort of things, check out Jim Butcher's Dresden files
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/jim-butcher/
or simon green's nightside or ghostfinders series
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/simon-r-green/
there are lots more books i've read but these stand out most for me.
also, for kindle,
the wanted series by Jason Halstead (apocalyptic future related)
first book (free): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...w_myk_ro_title
second book: http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Princess-W...d_sim_kstore_1
the spineward sectors novels (space ship related)
first book ($.99): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...w_myk_ro_title
second book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...w_myk_ro_title
Galaxy of heroes (space related misfit heroes)
first book (free); http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...w_myk_ro_title
Ender's Game.
read it first.
also, if you are a nostalgia geek, read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
I found the Mistborn trilogy to be excellent as well, its take on Magic was very interesting.
The Complete Book of Swords by Fred Saberhagen
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...Book_of_Swords
Always thought it would make a good movie trilogy.
I've been reading "The Skystone" series by Jack Whyte. Its really good, and I imagine a lot like "Game of Thrones" though I haven't read Game of Thrones yet.
The Skystone is a historical fiction novel written by Jack Whyte, which was first published in 1992. The story is told by a Roman Officer called Publius Varrus, who is an expert blacksmith as well as a soldier. In the early fifth century, amid the violent struggles between the people of Britain and the invading Saxons, Picts and Scots, he and his former General, Caius Britannicus, forge the government and military system that will become known as the Round Table, and initiate a chain of events that will lead to the coronation of the High King known as Arthur.
Fahrenheit 451. One of the greatest books ever written.
And I'm assuming medieval sci-fi equals fantasy so I'm going to say that you should read "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss and the sequel in the trilogy, a Wise Man's Fear.
Falkenberg's Legion by Jerry Pournelle is a great one.
The Belisarius Series by David Drake and Eric Flint - great series if you have the time. Like 6 books in total. If you want Sci-Fi but love sword and board this one will suck you right in.
Yes i meant Fantasy as well!
And thanks guys/gals!
Game of Thrones is a high fantasy, Death Gate Cycle is an old series, Legion of the Dambed, Anne Rice, Stephen King has some good writes, Margret Weiss or Tracy Hickman, Wheel of Time...what types of things are you asking about? There are Thousands
For Sci-Fi: Dune, Ender's Game, Starship Troopers, The Foundation Trilogy (I haven't read but my friend would be mad at me for not mentioning it anyway.
For Fantasy: The Coldfire Trilogy starting with Black Sun, The Malazan Book of the Fallen starting with Gardens of the Moon! Game of Thrones
Write your own adventure :3
Emberverse Series, starting with Dies the fire. Modern times, big flash....Suddenly the following doesn't work, electricity, gunpowder, steam power. Bring out your claymores and leather jerkins, its time for war.
I keep getting stuck on the 3rd book of that series. Dunno why.
Richard K Morgan's Altered Carbon series. William Gibson's Sprawl Series. Avery Cates series by Jeff Somers. These are all great books that are centered on near future with cyberpunk themes (or progenitors of the entire genre).
I would highly recommend checking out http://www.blacklibrary.com/ , I have always been a big fan off the books and the Dawn of War pc game series.
Try Bangs And Whimpers: Stories About The End Of The World.
Halo series, even if you are say a call of duty fan boy don't let the world "Halo" keep you from those awesome novels.
Read anything by Robert Heinlein or Frank Herbert.
If you're going to read some fantasy/sci-fi novels, at least read some classics. Make it a knowledgeable experience. Fahrenheit 451, 1984...some increasingly relevant books. Fahrenheit for example is only 200 something pages long and will only take a day or two to read...well worth the lifetime of enrichment.
Anything written by:
- Stephen R. Donaldson (SciFi) The Gap Cycle - (Fantasy) The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (10 books)
- Steven Erikson (Fantasy) - The Malazan Book of The Fallen is the best I have ever read (10 books released from 1999 till 2011).
- Ian M. Banks (SciFi) - also writes contemporary fiction as Ian Banks.
- Michael Moorcock (Satirical/SciFi/Fantasy) - Listen to Hawkwind while reading.
- Kurt Vonnegut Jr.(Surrealism/SciFi)
- David Brin (SciFi)
*edit* But wait, there's more (great writers I loved reading)...
- Robert A. Heinlein (SciFi) - Stranger in a Strange Land is my favourite, but he was prolific from 1949 - 1987. Love his sense of humour.
- Philip K. D i c k * (SciFi) - Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report, are some of the movies based on his books.
- Larry Niven (SciFi) - The Mote In God's Eye and his Ringworld series.
- Peter F. Hamilton (SciFi) - The modern master of the space opera.
* HAH! The forum sensor won't allow anyone named ****.
what are books ?
I can recommend the Dune series by Frank Herbert.
Dune was the books behind the movie and later the game by the same name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_%28novel%29
Fulgrim, the warhammer 40k novel by Graham McNeill. That`s some good shiz when it comes to sci-fi reads. Hell, anything from the Horus Heresey is a great choice.
So far a lot of great suggestions. Also try E. E. Knights "Vampire Earth" series. It's a very interesting scifi take on the vampire mythos. Not at all like any vampires you'd expect.
+1 to *all* of a4nic8er's suggestions, fantastic choices there fella!
I'd also like to add Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. It deals with the clash between a medieval society and a future-tech one so covers both your bases; it's a classic and one of my top 10.
The War Against the Chtorr series by David Gerrold. They are very "Defiancy".
Someone I haven't read or heard of yet! Thanks for the tipoff, technophebe.Quote:
Originally Posted by technophebe
Just ordered "A Fire Upon The Deep" & "A Deepness In The Sky" from bookrepository.co.uk
Wow thanks everyone! I had only expected a handful of replies, not 4 pages of suggestions.
Damn you all foir making this a hard choice on where to start!
Thanks!
The Iain M. Banks culture books are some of the best in space opera. (Consider Phlebas, Matter, etc.)
Alastair Reynolds works in space opera, much like Iain M. Banks, but with a less hospitable universe. (Pushing Ice, Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, Absolution Gap, Chasm City).
Joe Haldeman's Forever War is similar in some ways to the Starship Troopers novel, but with a more melancholy note. Also deals with time dilation and culture shift.
Paul McAuley is a genius at both the science and the fiction, but also has a good handle on politics. Try Red Dust for the unusual approach of a Chinese space opera.
In The courts of the crimson kings
just go through them all.. shouldn't be too hard, I generally read a book if it catches my attention int he first chapter, otherwise it goes out the door. the amount of books to read for sci/fantasy are enormous... imo, start with what people call the "classics" and hits.. pretty much anything from dragonlance, the confessor series was fantastic, also.. there are some really good historical fiction novels.. like OUTLANDER series, From Diana Gabaldon or something like that.. time travel, scottsmen, fairy lore, karate.. war/action/romance all in one.. I was surprised to read it and find it good!
I do have a tendancy to sick with some publishing awards and best sellers.. then divert from there.. years on deployments with no electricity has found me going through more books than I can remember.