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Scifi/Fantasy Book Recs


Hellraiser97

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/20/2020 at 2:57 PM, BrazilHorn said:

The Girl and the Stars (The Book of Ice 1) - Mark Lawrence - Cool blend of technology and fantasy elements, civilization basically stranded and dying on a planet where the sun is decaying. Some people have latent powers that are used by a cabal of priests to delve into the depths of the ice to find iron and other tech. Really good cliffhanger. This is a good read

This is a continuation of the Book of the Ancestor series (same planet). I've read everything by Mark Lawrence, he's good.

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  • 4 weeks later...
56 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Just finished Malazan. Have read Sanderson, Wheel of Time, ASOIAF. Not looking for another 10 book epic right now. What say you, Surly?

Not exactly a fit with those but NK Jemisin's Dreamblood Duology was really good. Not a single volume romp but not a full on months long epic either.

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8 hours ago, Viper said:

Try some John scalzi. 

Solid rec, will piggy back and say to start with Old Man's War (although it is a series the first book is great as a stand-alone).

Or try The Forever War by Haldeman (he added 2 more books a few decades later to make it a series, but it's fine if you just read the first).

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20 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

Just finished Malazan. Have read Sanderson, Wheel of Time, ASOIAF. Not looking for another 10 book epic right now. What say you, Surly?

Discworld or Dresden files...jk 

Go back a page I recommended a few ‘light’ reading options like 14, Magic 2.0 that might appeal to you.  Also liked Forever War (as was just rec’d) and most Heinlein stuff.  Also might like Tiguana too.  If you want some shorter series The Magicians, Powder Mage, Demon Cycle, First Law series I also enjoyed.

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Following up more on Rob J. Hayes - 100% endorse everyone here giving his works a read.

Finishing up City of Thorns and all I can say is wow, what a delight.  Especially having read all his books in a row, to be able to experience his technical and artistic writing evolution.

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  • 2 weeks later...
5 hours ago, Grippe said:

Have you watched the Netflix series yet?

 

I watched the first season after I finished the book. I think the series wasn't nearly as good as the book. I think the series was all style with no substance. Or maybe I should say the substance was just a muddled mess with an incoherent plot.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/2/2020 at 3:50 PM, gyroprotagonist said:

Just finished the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.  It's a finished series and was really well done imo.  sword and magic (heavy on the magic).

normally I have stuck with Kindle Unlimited 'free' books but no problem buying these. 

Thanks for this recommendation, I recently finished the series.  I'm not usually one for the magic/fantasy portion of the sci-fi genre, but I very much enjoyed this.

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Just now, Chewbacca said:
12 minutes ago, DonkeyCigars said:
Has anyone read The Robert Jordan Wheels of Time series (14 books?). I read about it today and the reviewer said literally nobody who has gotten to book 4 has never not been hooked and it's supposed to make GoT look like My little Pony.

I read it a few months ago. Very good series.

All 14 books?

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WoT is a rite of passage for many fantasy readers.  It is long, and incredibly well written - with one caveat: RJ self-admittedly became too-detail oriented around book 8 and it slogs on for about 4 books (into book 12).  But you'll have to forgive him, it was during this period when the disease that eventually forced him to stop writing and ask Brandon Sanderson to finish the last books began taking over every facet of his life.

Would definitely recommend.  Even more strongly - start reading this thread at page one, there are a metric shit-tonne amounts of recommendations and comments on this series and others that will get you up to speed.  And saying TL;DR is a no-go in this forum, it's about reading!

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Has anyone read The Robert Jordan Wheels of Time series (14 books?). I read about it today and the reviewer said literally nobody who has gotten to book 4 has never not been hooked and it's supposed to make GoT look like My little Pony.

Yes. Good series. Lots of different characters and some of the later books run concurrently with others but with the stories of other characters. Jordan died before finishing but left copious notes and his widow recruited Brandon Sanderson to finish it. It was supposed to be one last book but there was so much material they broke it up into 3 books. 

 

I liked it and I think Sanderson did a good job of finishing it. Jordan was extremely detailed in his writing - which wasn't always a bad thing - and Sanderson kept the feel of the story without going into a much detail. You can tell there is a little difference when reading but not so much that it ruins the story.

 

There is a prequel novel that I'd read before starting the original series.

 

 

 

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On 9/14/2020 at 10:14 PM, DonkeyCigars said:

Has anyone read The Robert Jordan Wheels of Time series (14 books?). I read about it today and the reviewer said literally nobody who has gotten to book 4 has never not been hooked and it's supposed to make GoT look like My little Pony.

Read it last year, all 15 books (there is a single prequel which I hope Sanderson can write the other 2 Jordan had planned someday) took me 9 months.  It drags in the middle (around books 7-10 IIRC) but Jordan’s last book and Sanderson’s final 3 made it all worth it.

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41 minutes ago, Sam Lin said:

Was looking for the next book, all these posts came up, so I just bought book 1. And now I see mention of a prequel novel, so I guess I'll go find that first.

I recommend waiting to read the prequel, read them in the order they were published so go back to it after book 6 IIRC.  The prequel will ruin a little bit of the unveiling of certain characters (which would be a shame) and will talk about some aspects of legend and magic that don’t get fully explained until you read the main story.  Just my 2 cents.

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I recommend waiting to read the prequel, read them in the order they were published so go back to it after book 6 IIRC.  The prequel will ruin a little bit of the unveiling of certain characters (which would be a shame) and will talk about some aspects of legend and magic that don’t get fully explained until you read the main story.  Just my 2 cents.
Yeah, maybe so. Wait to read the prequel. No need to find out some things too early.
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On 9/14/2020 at 10:14 PM, DonkeyCigars said:

Has anyone read The Robert Jordan Wheels of Time series (14 books?). I read about it today and the reviewer said literally nobody who has gotten to book 4 has never not been hooked and it's supposed to make GoT look like My little Pony.

On 9/16/2020 at 12:01 AM, Sam Lin said:

Was looking for the next book, all these posts came up, so I just bought book 1. And now I see mention of a prequel novel, so I guess I'll go find that first.

In the next 13 months, we are getting (and these are all currently in production):

  • This December - A full-scale big-screen adaptation of the first half of Dune (Frank Herbert)
  • 2021 - A big-budget TV series of The Sisterhood of Dune (Dune spinoff series) on HBO Max 
  • 2021 - A big-budget TV series of the first book of the Foundation series (Isaac Asimov) on Apple TV
  • 2021 - A big-budget TV series of the first book of the Wheel of Time series on Amazon Prime
  • 2021 - A big-budget TV series of the Lord of the Rings on Amazon Prime.

This is just a stunning time for classic sci-fi/fantasy fans - those TV shows are all planned to be multi-season series, presumably a season or two per book, and those TV series are all on the scale of Game of Thrones on HBO, if not bigger, as far as budgets/production values.

I would recommend reading Dune first, before December 18.

After that, depending on how fast you read, pick the Foundation or the Wheel of Time series, and then read the other.   If you are steady, you probably have enough time to read most of the Foundation and WOT books before their respective series start.  

Toss in Lord of the Rings into that mix, although if you've seen the movies and the Hobbit trilogy, then you're probably okay, but the Amazon Lord of the Rings series is going to do a deep dive on all the books.  But that's three books, plus Hobbit.

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5 hours ago, Grippe said:

@THUJONEI'm having a hard time understanding your book, where are the dick pics?

(about a quarter in, seems like everyone is 'the bad guy' except the heroine - enjoying it so far)

I'm about halfway though. I get the feeling that is

I am Legend in reverse. That's a compliment, I love the I am Legend novel. The movie... eh, not so much.

Edited by hornian
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8 minutes ago, Llogg said:

I don't think Foundation really lends itself to TV or film. It has been nearly 20 years since I read the series, so maybe I just don't remember them well enough.

Apple has decided to make a run at it.  I think they will definitely take some liberties, but I think it's going to be interesting as hell.

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On 9/14/2020 at 10:14 PM, DonkeyCigars said:

Has anyone read The Robert Jordan Wheels of Time series (14 books?). I read about it today and the reviewer said literally nobody who has gotten to book 4 has never not been hooked and it's supposed to make GoT look like My little Pony.

It is a really good series but in the middle books it drags, I mean drags. Like a bit of a beating to get through. The 1st three books though are strong. It is a really good series and one that if you like epic fantasy is a much read. Be grateful you are starting it once it is finished vs having to wait for the books to come out. Robert Jordan died before finishing the series (Brandon Sanderson came in and landed it).

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On 9/19/2020 at 12:37 PM, atomheartbevo said:

I would recommend reading Dune first, before December 18.

In case you hadn’t read Dune in a while Herbert’s son actually finished the original series by publishing Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune not that long ago.  So  it might be worth picking it up in addition to the TV shows.

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1 hour ago, TKthunder2 said:

In case you hadn’t read Dune in a while Herbert’s son actually finished the original series by publishing Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune not that long ago.  So  it might be worth picking it up in addition to the TV shows.

I could not get into his son's stuff, but I will watch the HBO series based on his son's book(s).  On a side note, Brian Herbert will be an executive producer on the TV series (which could be a meaningless title), but Denis Villeneuve is directing the pilot.  Legendary/Warner Brothers/HBO seems to be making a serious run at having Dune be the next big.

Plot for the TV series:

Spoiler

Here’s the synopsis for the series, “told through the eyes of a mysterious order of women known as the Bene Gesserit. Given extraordinary abilities by their mastery of the body and the mind, the Bene Gesserit expertly weave through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium, pursuing plans of their own that will ultimately lead them to the enigmatic planet Arrakis, known to its inhabitants as Dune.”

Just checked on another classic novel that would be tough to do - Amazon picked up the rights for the Ringworld series a few years ago, but that was around the same time they announced they were doing Snow Crash, and I haven't heard anything about either series.  Probably bringing up the rear behind Lord of the Rings and Wheel of Time.

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43 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

I could not get into his son's stuff

I never tried, but those two books were the final two books in the main Dune Series (not prequels or spinoffs) which had originally ended at Chapterhouse Dune.  He did essentially what Sanderson did for the Wheel of Time and took his father’s notes and finished the saga.  He did try to force in some references to his prequel and spinoff works but it was satisfying to see how Herbert originally intended to end the series.  So even if you hate his son’s stuff I would still recommend it just so you can get to the end.  It really surprises me how know and love Dune but still have not finished the series.

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It is a really good series but in the middle books it drags, I mean drags. Like a bit of a beating to get through. The 1st three books though are strong. It is a really good series and one that if you like epic fantasy is a much read. Be grateful you are starting it once it is finished vs having to wait for the books to come out. Robert Jordan died before finishing the series (Brandon Sanderson came in and landed it).
Malazan drags a lot more than WOT. I almost quit at book 9.
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11 hours ago, Grippe said:

This.  This right fucking here - Malazan was a horrific experience.  Put it down and never picked it up again.

I’m currently on book 10 on the original set and 4 on Ian’s set (which I like more honestly).  He just tried to juggle too many stories and characters.  The best books are when he has a less to worry about.  But yeah I’ll finish them, but I’m don’t think I’ll be recommending them.

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On 9/19/2020 at 6:44 AM, Grippe said:

@THUJONEI'm having a hard time understanding your book, where are the dick pics?

(about a quarter in, seems like everyone is 'the bad guy' except the heroine - enjoying it so far)

Did the pics not make it in? I had the publisher PROMISE to include my many drawings. Dastardly.

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On 9/19/2020 at 12:41 PM, hornian said:

I'm about halfway though. I get the feeling that is

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I am Legend in reverse. That's a compliment, I love the I am Legend novel. The movie... eh, not so much.

 

With regard to your comparison--I never read that book. But you are now the second person to tell me it harkened to it. I've heard very good things about the book. 

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I also had the Thujone book pop up on my kindle and, no spoilers, it’s really good so far. I liked the beginning focusing on the kooky scientist making the android and raising him. It was an interesting choice to shift the focus of the story over to the android so early in the novel, but I think it pays off since the android is much more interesting due to the fact that he has scissors for hands. When he moves in with the local family there’s a great mix of humor and fish out of water situations mainly due to the aforementioned scissor hands. I’ll post a full review once I’m done, but so far it really reminds me of that movie, 500 Days of Summer.  

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On 9/25/2020 at 9:20 PM, THUJONE said:

I don't remember writing any of that, but I'm glad you like it. 

Just finished your book. Congratulations on writing and publishing. I hope it finds a good readership and is read often and loved by many, but the story wasn’t for me. I do think you’ve left yourself a good seam to continue and make this a trilogy if it sells well.

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6 hours ago, RubyManJack said:

Just finished your book. Congratulations on writing and publishing. I hope it finds a good readership and is read often and loved by many, but the story wasn’t for me. I do think you’ve left yourself a good seam to continue and make this a trilogy if it sells well.

You’re like the lady at the bus stop in Forest Gump, “You told it so well!”

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