Fantasy/Sci-fi Book recommendations revisited

[Carpas X]

"has been called Harry Potter for adults" ... I guess I'll give it a try if I don't find anything else.
Just hoping it doesn't have elves and goblins etc.

I should really go through this thread again. I've read some amazing books that were suggested and surely some of them must have had sequels released since.
There was one particular I've been meaning to look into... it was the first book of a new series (Sanderson maybe?), some elements of magic/alchemy and power armor. That book was great.

It doesn't.

 

[pZ II Birdy]

^ cool. Thanks.

WoT was great with Jordan writing it but kind of sucks after he dies.

Are you serious? Although the first few books are great, I thought the last couple that Jordan wrote prior to death were ass... Imo it got a lot better after the author switch.

 

[RallyKazoo]

I just read Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I liked it. I think it has potential as a series.

 

[ICMeltdown]

Yeah I'm hoping the next Dresden book is better

Spoiler

since he'll be alive again and not a ghost

Spoiler

...and Queen Mab's bitch...

 

[TonyElTigre]

^ cool. Thanks.


Are you serious? Although the first few books are great, I thought the last couple that Jordan wrote prior to death were ass... Imo it got a lot better after the author switch.

Yeah i didn't really like the tone after the author switch

I thought Jordan's last couple books were pretty weak as well but the whole WoT series should have been much shorter.

 

[ICMeltdown]

May get this for the money and well rated.

$0.99 - Mageborn - Blacksmith's Son
http://www.amazon.com/Mageborn-Blac...BB8/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

2nd book is just $2.99
Amazon.com: Mageborn: The Line of Illeniel (Book 2) eBook: Michael G. Manning: Kindle Store

 

[CelticMojo]

Just picked up
Design for a great-day.

Originally written by Eric Frank Russell
But this version was updated and rewritten by Alan Dean Foster.

found it for quarter at a thrift shop that has a huge amount of paper backs... I found like 20 books I want to read in there.

 

[Rovero]

May get this for the money and well rated.

$0.99 - Mageborn - Blacksmith's Son
Amazon.com: Mageborn: The Blacksmith's Son (Book 1) eBook: Michael G. Manning: Kindle Store

2nd book is just $2.99
Amazon.com: Mageborn: The Line of Illeniel (Book 2) eBook: Michael G. Manning: Kindle Store

I read that this weekend. It is okay, but it is like a home schooled harry potteresque style. He has some good humor and character interactions that help it a long. Should probably be in the young adult section

 

[Code4]

Spoiler

...and Queen Mab's bitch...

Spoiler

so he'll be tapping that hot ass

 

[Hazee Daze]

Not sure if this graphic will render or not, but we'll see:

Also the list:

Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books : NPR

Note that this is from NPR, so it might not fit TW's taste's exactly. For serious sci-fi buffs though, this probably will hit the mark. (Whatever the fuck that means.)

 

[Darklord]

and the interactive version of that:

An Interactive Guide to NPR's List of Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

 

[Phydeaux]

An interview with Sir Terry Pratchett - Boing Boing

Author of the Discworld series. Don't bother clicking if you're not familiar with the series, there may be spoilers.

 

[Hazee Daze]

and the interactive version of that:

An Interactive Guide to NPR's List of Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

Cool link + rep.

 

[ZephyrFox]

Yeah I'm hoping the next Dresden book is better

Spoiler

since he'll be alive again and not a ghost

Butcher really pissed me off with Ghost Story:

Spoiler

1.) Harry's mind being messed with, even though he asked for it. This is now (at least) the third time that something like that has happened. Yeah, I suppose it can happen, but the whole 'unreliable narrator' thing gets old fast. I'm half afraid the BAT may end like Newhart.

2.) Maggie being taken to the 'safest' place, which is also the most obvious place.

3.) The book blurbs being about Harry having to save 3 friends without using magic, the first of which which was a lie (that a ghost used to hoodwink an archangel!) and the second of which is tossed aside before the book is even halfway done. I was really looking forward to more PI Harry than Magic Harry.

4.) Harry bargaining with Lea for 3 questions, then asking about 50 which she answers without issue.

5.) The pop culture references. Too many and too forced.

6.) I liked the tone of the book overall, darker and more serious. But then it ends with a battle in Molly's head on the bridge of the Enterprise with a bunch of Mollys wearing Star Trek uniforms. It's like watching Saving Private Ryan and switching halfway through the beach scene into The Office. Slightly amusing but more mood and flow breaking than anything.

7.) There are, in general, many times in the series in general that Harry doesn't ask the relevant or obvious questions. In GS, it just seemed to be much more noticeable. Stu casually mentions the Sword's identities and Harry never follows up. Lea mentions Bianca's gift again and how treacherous it was but no follow up from Harry. Uriel clearly upset and frightened about Harry using a pet name for him but no questions from Harry. Harry confused about what the parasite is that Demonreach mentions but he doesn't ask about it. How a Fallen came to be in St Marys and which Fallen it was. How Harry himself was able to enter St Marys. I know a lot of these are probably for the sake of the story, but Harry is a PI for fuck's sake!

Cold Days had better make up for it otherwise I'll just read summaries on Wikipedia for the rest of the series.

 

[Code4]

I think my biggest problem with ghost stories was That James Marster (Spike from Buffy the Vampire slayer) wasn't available to do the Audio book. I'm a huge fan of the audio book versions and Marster really does a bang up job. Supposedly Butcher has insisted that Marster will be doing the next book.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you've read the books already go back and listen to the audiobook version.

 

[Al'Muktar]

didnt read thread

just got done with 'the blade itself' and it was fucking amazing (first in the 'first law'??? trilogy?)

but I also just finished reading rynn's world (a 40k novel yeah yeah yeah) which turned out to be way way way way more than I thought it would

my plan for the next 2 weeks is to finish the book of the old sun and re-read gormenghast

edit: codfur you should really read at the mountains of madness (ves if thats been covered, havent read thread)

it's true fucking horror, since when it was written the south pole might as well have been fucking mars

 

[bobett]

^ cool. Thanks.


Are you serious? Although the first few books are great, I thought the last couple that Jordan wrote prior to death were ass... Imo it got a lot better after the author switch.

I'm reading it right now on the recommendation of a friend; so far halfway through book 3. In my opinion, book 2 was amazing and 3 is looking great so far, but book 1 was basically shit. I feel like he didn't explain basic things, that were needed for the story to make any sense at all. Even things that the main characters seemed to already know, but were never announced.

Spoiler

When the 2 Forsaken showed up at the end, I spent the entire battle saying "Who the fuck are these guys?", but every character recognized them immediately from their names. It wasn't until Moraine mentioned them being Forsaken afterward that I realized what had been going on. I felt that way throughout the entire book

Plus the way that none of the magic is ever explained until book 2, made the whole thing seem like a big Deus Ex Machina waiting to happen.

Spoiler

And the ending was, in fact, a giant Deus Ex Machina. The Eye basically takes over Rand and makes him beat the Dark One and blow up the entire enemy army.

Plus the entire book had a sort of LOTR feel to it. I can't recall specifics but I remember thinking at several points "This is direct plagiarism"

 

[|Blitzkrieg|]

I'm re-reading "Wise Man's Fear" right now, and I can't for the life of me figure out what the fuck to read afterwards. Feel like nothing is going to compare

 

[Dai Shinzo]

So since I was getting tired of regular fantasy/scifi I decided to start reading a lot of the star wars books.

Mostly everything that didn't involve episodes 1-3 and the random crap stories.

The Thrawn series
The Yuuzhan Vong series
Legacy/Fate series were all great.

Some of the Sith stuff is really good.

Now that I polished it off I'm trying to get into reading the WH40k series.

I'm on book 3 of Gaunts Ghosts and I have all of the Horus Heresy to read as well.

What are good series (preferably completed) in the 40k series to jump on?

 

[Excel]

I'm re-reading "Wise Man's Fear" right now, and I can't for the life of me figure out what the fuck to read afterwards. Feel like nothing is going to compare

Alloy of Law is out in November I think.