Author Topic: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations  (Read 40067 times)

Offline Coil

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Re: SCI FI OR FANTASY SERIES
« Reply #15 on: October 13, 2008, 09:51:44 AM »
Moving the thread and stickifying it.

Offline Petru5

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #16 on: October 13, 2008, 10:35:13 AM »
I Googled "Cyberpunk novels" and lo and behold, Amazon has a list!  http://www.amazon.com/Best-Cyberpunk-Novels/lm/RPXXO382NJZSH.  Of course, the rankings are purely opinion, but both of your books (Altered Carbon and Snowcrash) are on the list, so it appears to be legit.
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Offline Coil

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #17 on: October 14, 2008, 03:07:16 AM »
I'd also like to recommend John Scalzi's Old Man's War it is reminiscent of both Heinlein and Haldeman (Starship Troopers and Forever War). The sequels are also good.

Offline Archer

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #18 on: October 14, 2008, 05:56:24 AM »
Hmmm....

Fantasy:
  CJ Cherryh's "The Paladin".  A book on redemption and vengeance...  She does alto of stuff like that but this one I enjoyed.
  Mercedes Lackey's tomes set in Valdemar and environs.  I especially loved the Vows and Honor Duology
  R.A. Salvatore...  yeah he writes alot of D&D based fantasy but I'd say 75% of his stuff is Top Notch.

Modern/SF
 Harold Coyle's military thrillers.  Good stuff on the whole; I enjoyed The Ten Thousand was very good.
 Jerry Pournelle's Falkenburg's Legion
 Mike Stackpole.  The first books of his I ever read were the Warrior trilogy.  They helped draw me into Battletech.
 Timothy Zahn.  I like his Star Wars stuff alot; his other novels are pretty good and are worth a read.

So many books... not enough time.
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Offline warzoneD

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #19 on: December 01, 2008, 04:30:54 PM »
Check out Forever War by Haldeman.  Halfway through and lovin it.

Has anyone read Shadowclaw?


Offline Von Koss

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #20 on: January 26, 2009, 04:35:00 PM »
David Sherman & Dan Cragg's "Starfist" Si-Fi series is a very good read.  I consumed the first two and just had to get the rest.  I think it is up to book 13 in the series and it seems to be going strong.  They also have a spin-off series called "Starfist: Recon".  The "Starfist" series is very battle-graphic in detail which kinda reminds me of Dan Abnett's "Dark Blade" series.  Just my two cents.
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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #21 on: January 26, 2009, 07:58:40 PM »
I don't read a lot of fantasy novels, but I second the vote for anything R.A. Salvatore... excellent novels all of them especially the Artemis/Jarlaxle series (3 books).

But I most often read espionage/spy/secret agent type books by the following authors in no particular order:

David Baldacci.  He mostly writes stand alone novels, but have a few double, triple and quadruple series'.  The series about the Camel Club is excellent.
Robert Ludlum is excellent as well.  The Jason Bourne series is way better than the movies... and much different as well.
Nelson DeMille is a great writer.  I love his characters (very detailed).
Robert Crais' Elvis Cole stories are extremely funny.  I don't think I have laughed out loud at books as much as I have reading his novels.
Joseph Finder is a master at weaving intricate plots without losing the reader.  You see it unfold slowly just as the characters do.  Great stuff.

And then the classics that I would recommend highly:

George Orwell's - Animal Farm, 1984, and Of Mice and Men
JD Salinger - Catcher in the Rye
JRR Tolkein (of course) - Hobbit and LOTR
James Bradley - Flags of our Fathers

There are tons more but my old brain can't think right now.


« Last Edit: February 02, 2009, 07:55:13 AM by Wedge »

Offline Topkick

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #22 on: January 26, 2009, 08:08:13 PM »
If we are expanding to non SciFi/Fantasy then I heartily recommend Tony Hillerman. His books about Joe Leaphorn and the Navajo Tribal Police are masterpieces of mystery.
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Offline Veez

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #23 on: January 30, 2009, 07:43:58 AM »
Fine.  You want to play it that way:  I see your Tony Hillerman and raise you Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plumb stories! ;D
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Offline Archer

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #24 on: January 30, 2009, 12:40:53 PM »
Ah yes... Ms Plumb stories.  Janet really knows the 'Burg well.  My Ex loves those books, as does my ma.
John "Archer" Tinney

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Offline Petru5

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #25 on: January 30, 2009, 01:14:49 PM »
Ah yes... Ms Plumb stories.  Janet really knows the 'Burg well.  My Ex loves those books, as does my ma.

As does my wife and just about all the female teachers in my school. 

Okay, if you want clever mysteries, try the Fletch series.  The movies were very poor incarnations of the books...much like MC the movie pales in comparison to WZ the game.  I like sarcastic leads that use wit and verve to get themselves out of trouble.
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Offline warzoneD

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #26 on: August 18, 2009, 08:32:01 PM »
Anyone read any good NEW cyberpunk stuff.   Most recently I liked Altered Carbon....

Or any good sci-fi?  IF you what, and what's the style/idea of the book?

D

Offline Veez

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #27 on: August 19, 2009, 08:46:37 AM »
I think Cyberpunk is on the wane as elements of it have proved to either a) be completely ungrounded or b) actually have come true.
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Offline masherking

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #28 on: August 19, 2009, 09:09:50 AM »
Armor

one man
his power armor suit
endless alien horde.

the great thing is its told from those who found his helemet and view the adventure though the  recorder. the whole time going "this is impossible, no one can live though, oh wait.......dear god he did"

John Ringo's  Posleen Series
I read the adventures of Bun Bun forever.

Last battleship of Antries ( I fear I'm spelling this wrong)
I weep that I cant find my copy.
POW story told aboard an alien prison ship.
The human prisoners led by a blind man to their freedom if they like it or not.
Goddamn! its good to be the MasherKing.
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Offline warzoneD

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Re: Sci-Fi and Fantasy book recommendations
« Reply #29 on: August 19, 2009, 08:10:20 PM »
The last one sounds cool - who is the author?