Book recomendations

[Howler Dagger]

So, in another episode of the incredibly creative "Book Recomendation" thread series, I got a Kindle Fire for christmas, and $175 to spend on books and stuff (don't ask how I got that much). I have already downloaded, Plants vs. Zombies*, A Game of Thrones, Gray Wolf Throne, The Son of Neptune, and Monty Python* and the Holy Grail. So any good books i should get? I prefer Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and disdain romance.

*These are not books.

[Bastian Weaver]

Fritz Leiber - he's got great books both in sci-fi and fantasy themes.
David Gemmell - the king of british heroic fantasy.
Henry Kuttner - his Darkworld book was the inspiration for Zelazny's Amber Chronicles.

[Soras Teva Gee]

(inb4 Dresden Files)

[Toastkart]

The Firekeeper Saga by Jane Lindskold (the first book is Through Wolf's Eyes). It starts out as a fairly low magic fantasy with a great deal of political intrigue, but as the series progresses, magic starts to become more and more important. All in all, really good.

Isaac Asimov's books are really good. I liked his Robot Detective series the best, but I, Robot, Robot Visions, and Robot Dreams were also pretty good. His Foundation series was widely acclaimed, but I didn't like it as well as the others.

The stand alone novel Nightfall, also by Asimov was really interesting.

The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. Fleet based space ship combat. Really well done, from politics to action.

The Last Legion by Chris Bunch. Also sci fi military fiction. Not as good, or as deep, but can still be a fun read.

Dune by Frank Herbert is always good, but usually that goes without saying.

The Interstellar Patrol anthologies 1 and 2 by Christopher Anvil. The first is better than the second. A lot of focus on frontier colonization.

You know, I'm throwing out suggestions here without knowing whether they're even available on kindle. Can't hurt to check, I suppose.

[Shyftir]

Just gonn second David Gemmel real quick. He's not underrated just under exposed.

[Lord Seth]

I recommend The Dresden Files. It does have some romance, but it's fairly low-key.

[Vilyathas]

Dresden Files has been thirded. Also, anything by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. "Good Omens", "American Gods", "Neverwhere", just to name a few. Also, the Discworld books.

Also recommending "The Zombie Survival Guide", "How to Survive a Robot Uprising", and "How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe". Set this poster (http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/04/15/time-travel-cheatshe.html) as your wallpaper, and you're ready for the apocalypse(s). :smallbiggrin:

[Psyren]

If you like George R. R. Martin, have you given Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time series) a try? Higher fantasy but similarly epic.

Are Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey on Kindle as well? I recommend them too if so.

[Burnheart]

I recommend anything by brandon sanderson, he writes good books :smallsmile:

[Anderlith]

I say skip Robert Jordan & go with Brandon Sanderson & his Stormlight Archive series.
Also of note is David Eddings I like the Elenium/Tamuli trilogies.

[Liffguard]

The First Law books by Joe Abercrombie are some of the best fantasy to be published in recent years IMO. Relentlessly paced, diverse and fascinating characters, clever dialogue and some gleeful pitch-black humour. It's like a mix of Tolkien, Howard and Blackadder.

In terms of Sci-fi, you can't go wrong with Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. Old-school space opera set in a not-so-distant-future solar system about the tensions between Earth, Mars and the outer planets. Cool setting, cool characters and some great action.

[pita]

The First Law books by Joe Abercrombie are some of the best fantasy to be published in recent years IMO. Relentlessly paced, diverse and fascinating characters, clever dialogue and some gleeful pitch-black humour. It's like a mix of Tolkien, Howard and Blackadder.

Definitely adding my voice to this rec.
Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series is also great. It's kind of like the Ocean's movies combined with fantasy.
R. Scott Bakker's books are seriously bizarre, and philosophical, but if you can get past those two things, I think he's the best author working in modern fantasy.
And everyone loves Patrick Rothfuss. The Name of The Wind. Check it out.

[Burnheart]

And everyone loves Patrick Rothfuss. The Name of The Wind. Check it out.

and the second book, The Wise Man's Fear, is out now too.

[Zen Monkey]

For fantasy, Robert Howard's stories of Conan are very good. I haven't gotten around to his other heroes yet (Bran Mac Morn, Kull of Atlantis, or Solomon Kane) but the Conan tales are a lot of fun.

[Artemis97]

Surprised no one's mention Tery Pratchett and Discworld yet. There's over 25 books there, plenty of reading. Fantastical satire, all brilliant.

Now, if you like A Game of Thrones, you might like a historical fiction work by Louis L'Amour called The Walking Drum. He usually writes westerns, but this one takes place in 12th century Europe and is a personal favorite of mine. Word of warning, though, there was apparently meant to be a sequel, but the author died before it could be finished. The story itself is complete. A small foreshadowing is introduced late in the book, though, and it's suggested the main character will continue his travels, but... well, doesn't because we don't get the next book. I think I've rambled enough. It's a good book, though. And my dad loves his westerns, too, if you want to branch out. There's a ton of them.

[Mauve Shirt]

Surprised no one's mention Tery Pratchett and Discworld yet. There's over 25 books there, plenty of reading. Fantastical satire, all brilliant.


Also, the Discworld books.
:smalltongue:

Fourthing the Dresden Files, Discworld and Neil Gaiman, and suggesting The Magicians and The Magician King by Lev Grossman if you like urban fantasy.

[Bastian Weaver]

For fantasy, Robert Howard's stories of Conan are very good. I haven't gotten around to his other heroes yet (Bran Mac Morn, Kull of Atlantis, or Solomon Kane) but the Conan tales are a lot of fun.

You should read them. Personally, I like Bran stories better than Conan stories. Solomon Kane is quite good, too.

[Sha'uri]

I'll 5th the Discworld series!

I have always been a fan of the earlier Drizzt books:smallbiggrin:

Dies the Fire is pretty good, though its an alternate history, post-apocalyptic novel by S. M. Stirling.

Also, I have a fantasy book published. It's got a bit of Norse myth tied into it and airships. I know I'm an unknown author, but if you're willing to give it a shot, you can read the first chapter for free on my blog melissa-sasina.blogspot.com. It's available in ebook (PDF), Kindle, and NOOKbook versions.

[Howler Dagger]

I currently have American Gods, Falls the Shadows, Hitch Hicker's Guide, Way of Kings, and Infinity Blade: Awakening (what? I did love that game)..

[The-Mage-King]

6thing Discworld, 5thing Dresden Files. Should tell you something about all of us who rec those.

We have good taste in books. :smalltongue:

[Feytalist]

Richard Morgan's Kovacs Trilogy: Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies. Dark, depressing, grim cyberpunkish novels. Excellent writing. Worth a look if you're into that sort of thing.

He also wrote Market Forces and Black Man (which I'm told is called Thirteen in the US), two (unrelated) near-future novels of varying levels of grimness.

He's also busy with a fantasy trilogy called A Land Fit For Heroes: The Steel Remains and The Cold Commands (just out), which is apparently very good.

[Liffguard]

Richard Morgan's Kovacs Trilogy: Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies. Dark, depressing, grim cyberpunkish novels. Excellent writing. Worth a look if you're into that sort of thing.

He also wrote Market Forces and Black Man (which I'm told is called Thirteen in the US), two (unrelated) near-future novels of varying levels of grimness.

He's also busy with a fantasy trilogy called A Land Fit For Heroes: The Steel Remains and The Cold Commands (just out), which is apparently very good.

Second Richard Morgan, especially the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy. What I love best about that trilogy is the change of sub-genre between books whilst keeping the same atmosphere and themes. Altered Carbon is cyberpunk neo-noir. Broken Angels is military sci-fi. Woken Furies is a futuristic political/spy thriller.

[Hattish Thing]

The Edge Chronicles, I used to love those books.

[turkishproverb]

So, in another episode of the incredibly creative "Book Recomendation" thread series, I got a Kindle Fire for christmas, and $175 to spend on books and stuff (don't ask how I got that much). I have already downloaded, Plants vs. Zombies*, A Game of Thrones, Gray Wolf Throne, The Son of Neptune, and Monty Python* and the Holy Grail. So any good books i should get? I prefer Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and disdain romance.

*These are not books.

Kindle Fire you say...that's got android, Right?

In that case, get Schlock Mercenary in it's new PDF format.

Anything (and everything) by terry pratchett.

Same by Douglas Adams.

Complete HP LOvecraft can be gotten for like a buck.

Past that I'm not too sure what all is available on the Kindle FIRE.

[Gnoman]

Complete HP LOvecraft can be gotten for like a buck. free.


Lovecraft's works are in the public domain.

[Lord Ruby34]

Here's something I haven't seen anyone else suggest. The Sundering series by Jacqueline Carey. It's two books, Banewrecker and Godslayer. I thought it was really good when I read it. I'm not sure how famous they are, but I'd guess they mostly passed under the radar because I picked mine up for 25 cents at a Red Cross sale.

[Hattish Thing]

Havent heard of those. R.A.SALVATORE, excellent author. Anything by him is good.:smallsmile:

[Gnoman]

His later FR stuff is much less so, due to Executive Meddling.

[Soras Teva Gee]

Apparently he's only still writing Drizzt to keep Wizard from putting someone worse on the character. Salvatore clearly topped out at the latest when Wulfgar came back from the dead.

[Gnoman]

Even for awhile after that, the books are pretty good because he's a skillful writer. I'd suggest his DemonWars books for examples of what he can do without overlords.

[turkishproverb]

Lovecraft's works are in the public domain.
Yea, but i didn't know if there were "free" books on Kindle.

[Soras Teva Gee]

Yea, but i didn't know if there were "free" books on Kindle.

There are though "buyer" be warned as some of the formatting can be rough because obviously whomever puts them out isn't making money.

That said I have nabbed any for awhile, in general formatting is a lot better then it was when I first got my Kindle.

[thorgrim29]

Try the black company books by Glenn Cook (from the beginning), also the Culture books by Ian M Banks (start with Player of Games). Dresden Files, Gaiman, Pratchett, of course. I also like the Asian Saga by James Clavell, historical fiction (I prefer Shogun and Tai-Pan). Oh and I'm not sure if somebody mentioned it, but give The Name of The Wind a read.

[snoopy13a]

Lovecraft's works are in the public domain.

If you buy from a book-reader vendor, they'll change a buck or so for public domain stuff. It is simply the cost of them converting it into a file. Obviously, one could do a little research and find a download for free, but some like the convenience of, say, Barnes & Noble's website.

[Gnoman]

True enough. For those who don't know, you can turn any DRM-free document into kindle's MOBI format using Calibre.

[Lord Loss]

I reccomend Darren Shan and Dresden Files.

[Das Platyvark]

Oryx and Crake is made of awesome.

[duncan73]

I read a lot of Salvatore's early stuff and it made me fall in love with Icewind dale! I haven't read any of his non Drizzt stuff but I keep hearing good things!

If you are looking for something new I have a book for both kindle and Nook called After the Storm by Don Chase. It's post apocalyptic not fantasy, but still pretty good. You can check out the first chapter or two by clicking the click to look inside button on amazon. :smallbiggrin:

[MammonAzrael]

I just finished Black Sun Rising by C. S. Friedman, and that was quite an enjoyable read.

[Dmatix]

Beside another recommendation for the Dresden Files and Discworld, I would also like to suggegest Hyperion, By Dan Simmons. Some of the finest science fiction I ever read. The First Law, which I saw mentioned here, also gets a warm recommendation.

[Balain]

Some suggestions I didn't notice, Gordon R. Dickson. If you like fantasy and sci-fi and like to laugh the myth series combines all 3 well by Robert Asprin, and later with Jody Lynn Nye.

[Yora]

I am a bit picky when it comes to fantasy novels ad easily find a lot in mainstream books to tear appart and call it names.

However, I've recently been intrigued by Wheel of Time, mostly through fan art, I have to admit. So this is a somewhat unusual question, but what could I expect of the novels and what kind of fantasy would you have to enjoy to like them?

[Gnoman]

Wheel of time is dense. Very dense. There is huge amounts of descriptive text, the largest cast of characers I've ever seen in a single-author (sanderson doesn't count in this case) series, many of which will be introduced in one book and show up four or five books later. As worldbuilding goes, it's superb. As far as the writing, pacing, and such, there are legitimate complaints. It is, at least, one of the only real "lived-in" world's I'm familiar with. As for the "kind" of fantasy, that's difficult to tell. It's actually pretty unique.

[Yora]

Lived-in sounds good. Too nice and simple to be true is someone I dislike the most.

[MammonAzrael]

Lived-in sounds good. Too nice and simple to be true is someone I dislike the most.

The story is extremely expansive, far broader than a standard "destined hero saves world" description would imply. It isn't gritty like A Song of Ice and Fire, though Bad Things TM still happen with decent frequency. Magic is very very much a part of the world, but is integrated extremely well. As Gnoman said, the world building in the series is incredible, it truly feels like a world, and not just a setting.

[Yora]

Does it have "destined hero saves the world"? Because Chosen Ones are the one thing I dispise more than Comic Relief characters.

[MammonAzrael]

Does it have "destined hero saves the world"? Because Chosen Ones are the one thing I dispise more than Comic Relief characters.

Sort of. But it isn't cliched terribad writing, so it shouldn't turn you away. The "Chosen One" doesn't have the feel or go through the experiences of any destined hero I've ever read. I'm not a fan of Chosen One stories, but I very much enjoy WoT.

[Yora]

Well, I think I can give volume 1 a try.
Though I think there was something like volume 0. Should I get that, or is that some kind of marketing tie-in?

I usually get all my entertainment in publication order, just like the first fans would have experienced it, play games without mods on principle, and try to avoid re-edited movies.

[Gnoman]

It does and it doesn't. Minor spoilers ahead (you should be able to figure most of it out by reading the glossary.

In this setting, there exist individuals that naturally warp the threads of fate around them. This is not a matter of consious will, but a changing of destiny itself. For example, it might cause every coin flip in the area to land on edge, or cause an entire village to burn down. Three of the main characters are such individuals, among the most powerful in history. Reincarnation is also a fact, and the nature of the characters' past lives is important.

[Douglas]

There is a "Chosen One", but he breaks a lot of the cliches about Chosen Ones quite thoroughly. He is nowhere near perfect, he makes mistakes, he very much does not want to be the Chosen One (ok, there may be cliches about reluctant Chosen Ones too, but still), and most of the world powers require a great deal of convincing before they accept that he is. Even the ones that do believe he is the Chosen One generally see no reason to not continue with business as usual for most of their politics, even though the simple fact that he exists means a struggle literally for the continued existence of the entire world is nigh.

I think the biggest contrast with what springs to mind when I think of "typical Chosen One story" is the sense of scale and complexity. In what I think of as a typical Chosen One story, the Chosen One and his small group of companions go on an adventure to some remote location (unless the bad guy is a ruler, in which case it happens in the ruler's palace/fortress), fight it out with the bad guy, and most of the world just hears about it afterwords. In the Wheel of Time, the Chosen One's opponent is a threat to the entire world (as is typical), and the entire world has to get involved in the struggle. And it's an immense and complex world, with many disparate nations and cultures, each with their own loyalties and values and goals, and somehow the Chosen One needs to unite them all. All this, with the Chosen One also having to deal with personal issues, patching up his highly deficient education, worrying about numerous prophecies that aren't always pleasant, and slowly going insane (literally, caused by something everyone knows and is worried about). Oh, and the bad guys are frequently throwing spanners into the works, along with a number of misguided people that think they're doing the right thing but are wrong for a variety of reasons, plus the people who either don't believe he's really the Chosen One or just think they can get away with a few power grabs anyway.

The first book, taken on its own, does resemble the "typical" story I outlined above, unfortunately, but taken as part of the 14 book series it's just the intro that starts setting up the world. The first few chapters were also deliberately written to feel similar to the start of Lord of the Rings, but it breaks from that pattern somewhere around or a bit before Rivendell.

With regard to the prequel, leave it for later. It works best if you already have background knowledge from the first several books.

[Feytalist]

To clarify a little bit:

The first three or so books of Wheel of Time follow the Hero's Journey relatively closely. The "Chosen One" is told about his destiny, tries to evade it, some angst, yadda yadda. The writing, world building and mythology is superb, as has been mentioned, but the story is same old. That's what I remember of it, anyway.

After that phase, though, the ballgame changes. The Chosen One becomes only one of the myriad characters, and not even the most important one, in some books. The setting really opens up in front of you. It does get a bit difficult to keep all the major characters lined up in your head after a while, but it's no big deal.

I've rarely come across a series that draws you in as much as Wheel of Time does. So try the first few books, but if you don't enjoy it, remember that the story evolves a bit later into something really good.

[pita]

I hated WOT, to be honest. I only tried the first three books, but the recommendations followed this pattern.
"I hear great things about WOT, is it decent?"
"Yes! From the first moment I was hooked!"
*reads* "That was terrible. It was the single most cliche'd novel I've ever read. Good god."
"Book two makes everything good. Trust me on this one."
"Ugh... fine..." *reads* "That was dull."
"Book three is the best. Trust me on this one."
"Ugh... okay.... but if I don't like this one, I'm giving up." *reads* "Okay, I'm done with this series."
"But the fourth book is really where it gets good!"
"**** off."
If you hate "The Chosen One", try Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss) or The Darkness That Comes Before (R. Scott Bakker).
Both have a main character who's a Chosen One, but each one plays with it differently.
Name of the Wind says outright that the Chosen One's actions have devastated the world, and that he did more harm than good. The problem with it is that it has quite possibly the most irritating romantic interest I've ever read of. By the end of book 1 you'll want to strangle her. By the end of book 2 you'll be trying to figure out what to do with the 70 pieces of dead girl you've found yourself with after the red mist has faded from your vision.
The Darkness That Comes Befores has a Chosen One who is guided entirely by the will to control others, to bend minds to his means. The introduction to him is him befriending a man, getting the man to trust him implicitly, then leaving him to die so he can escape. Note that the main character isn't the Chosen One, but more Gandalf. The problems with the series are manifold. The biggest one is how philosophical it is. Characters will have chapter-long discussions on free will and good and evil, and the author is clearly pushing his own agenda (No free will, we are all automatons dancing to our own strings). Another problem that kind of flows from the first is how slow the books are. It takes a lot of time for things to happen, and nowhere is this more evident than in the first book, which is essentially three strands of story (Imperial plotting, a wizard finding out about a demonic conspiracy, and the Chosen One's arrival) coming together so that in the last few chapters the important characters can be in a room. The third problem is that between the third and fourth books there's a change of scale that's incredibly disorienting, also caused by the twenty year gap between them (in-plot wise, not IRL-wise. IRL-wise it was a year or two). Another problem is how quickly some characters (Most notably Serwa, for those who have read the novels) become complete and utter mind-slaves. Despite my myriad complaints, these are my favorite books.
The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie (beginning with The Blade Itself) is a direct lampooning of the entire fantasy genre, mocking the tropes of Wise Wizard, Noble Savage, and Noble Child Who Becomes a Good Person Through Hardship most specifically. The problem with this series is that the cynicism wears on most people.

[Tusalu]

Well, Discworld, obviously.

Also, if you like R.R. Martin, you should take a look at Robin Hobb's Farseer books. They are less cynical than A Song of Ice and Fire, but has much of the same political intrigue mixed with fantasy adventure. Also they're really great.