Good Books

[DaveYanakov]

Steven King's Dark Tower series was excellent and the most twisted autobiography I've ever read. If you don't mind ending on a cliffhanger I'd recommend skipping the last book though. It came off like a sort of massive "Frack You" to the readers for expecting him to write an ending. Similar to the original Neon Genesis Evangelion movie.

The First and Only books of the 40k 'verse are all quite good. As much due to the author as the subject matter but if you like your settings dark you should like it.

Anything by Brandon Sanderson is pretty much guarenteed to be a good book. You may also like the original posleen trilogy by John Ringo. One of the few times the two pages I read of a book while in the store made me cry.

[jorgebonafe]

Yeah, I read the first book of the Dark Tower, but didn't interested all that much, and also because of the cliffhanger thing I just decided not to read the rest... I also hate Evangelion completely XD

I recently read the Hunger Games trilogy, its quite interesting too

[FaceFoiled]

I like Game of Thrones. The entire series.
By the way, should I buy the new book (A Dance with Dragons)? Have you read it?

I also read Order of the Stick (Like Notch!) and D&D rulebooks...

I am reading The song of Ice and Fire books right now. Finished the first 2 (game of thrones, A Clash of Kings) and just started on A Storm of Swords. Loving them so far, I started reading them after watching the tv series from the first book (Game of Thrones). The books are very good, and if they continue as they are I strongly suggest buying the new one(s). :P I have the first 5 books (the 4th book is split up in 2) so I don't have A Dance with Dragons yet either.

[Itamarcu]

I like Game of Thrones. The entire series.
By the way, should I buy the new book (A Dance with Dragons)? Have you read it?

I also read Order of the Stick (Like Notch!) and D&D rulebooks...

:P I have the first 5 books (the 4th book is split up in 2) so I don't have A Dance with Dragons yet either.

In my language (Hebrew) every single book in the series is split up except the first one, so excluding the new one I have 7 books ...:P

[TyberAlyx]

You may have probably read this but hunger games series is a must have :D

[Thalmane]

Surprised I haven't seen anyone list this author yet.

R.A. Salvatore- wrote the absolutely wonderful Drizzt saga the spans the width and breadth of the dragonrealm ( I'll have to double check that but I'm certain it's the dragonrealm). It's heavily based on DnD but that in no ways limits his artistic creativity. Actually it only seems to fuel it which is evident by is 20 or so books that circle around the life of Drizzt and his companions.

Anne Mcaffrey- she is a sci-fi writer that has many different worlds that she writes about. She is not one for action but her stories are just so well written it's hard to peel my eyes from the pages once I get started. I suggest her "dragons of pern" series as well as her "ransom" series.
PS: I know when you hear dragons you don't think scifi but if you read the series you'll understand how it is scifi ;)

[MoRmEnGiL]

I can easily second the Dragonlance chronicles, and much to my own surprise I found the Brother's War quite enjoyable too! (Despite it being a MtG novel.)

But guys,I would suggest though to keep your suggestions to one or two per post, otherwise it gets too much and everybody gets lost, it's like information flooding ;)

[danielngtiger]

I loved the dune chronicles as well, and another series I would recommend is Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull.

[FaceFoiled]

I can easily second the Dragonlance chronicles, and much to my own surprise I found the Brother's War quite enjoyable too! (Despite it being a MtG novel.)

But guys,I would suggest though to keep your suggestions to one or two per post, otherwise it gets too much and everybody gets lost, it's like information flooding ;)

The MTG novels can be really good actually, I found several of their stories quite awesome. It's been a while, but I think the Brothers war was between Urza and his brother, where they become planeswalkers right? - If so, that one is very good.

Another one I really enjoyed was the Ice age cycle. Where you basically see this pisswizard become awesome. :P

[FurkeyRefills]

A series I've been reading over the past year is the Cherub series, basically its a bunch of kid orphans that the government throws a bunch of money at and sends them on secret missions across the world.

It's aimed mainly at teens, having a lot of underage sex and action ;)

It's been on the bestseller list for a while and it has just started the second series, following a new character.
I at first thought that switching to a new character would ruin the series and I would be longing for the character from the last series, but this was not the case and I was really surprised when I finished the book that I enjoyed it !

If you have some spare cash the whole series is mega cheap on amazon !
It also has a prequel series set in world war 2 if that's more your thing ;)

[jorgebonafe]

Thanks a lot everyone for the suggestions... I have a lot to check now :p

Also check Velocity by Dean Koontz

[Urian]

I can also recommend the Kate Daniels series by author(s) Ilona Andrews. Semi-post apocalyptic urban fantasy that e.g. goes in the other vampire direction and makes them less appealing than nosferatu ;) (note, it's not a vampire book series - they play a very minor role in most books)

[MoRmEnGiL]

It's been a while, but I think the Brothers war was between Urza and his brother, where they become planeswalkers right? - If so, that one is very good.

Yup, that's right. I thoroughly enjoyed that one. I've read it 3 times :P Very well written and interesting.

[jorgebonafe]

Don't know how I forgot to mention this on a minecraft related forum, so...

The Mysterious Island, by Jules Verne. That book is basically how minecraft would be in real life. Don't miss it :P

[Evolution]

As another user said before me Trudi Canavans books are great, I haven't gotten to her newer works but Ive read all of the black magician and age of five books.

Also I highly recommend the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster, its a bit wonky but I personally liked them.

Last but not least I would recommend the Gor series by John Norman, it consists of 30 (soon to be 31 books)

I can easily second the Dragonlance chronicles, and much to my own surprise I found the Brother's War quite enjoyable too! (Despite it being a MtG novel.)

But guys,I would suggest though to keep your suggestions to one or two per post, otherwise it gets too much and everybody gets lost, it's like information flooding ;)

The MTG novels can be really good actually, I found several of their stories quite awesome. It's been a while, but I think the Brothers war was between Urza and his brother, where they become planeswalkers right? - If so, that one is very good.

Another one I really enjoyed was the Ice age cycle. Where you basically see this pisswizard become awesome. :P

Ive read all the MtG novels and I have to say they where all very good.

[joetalbot1]

Animorphs. 52 books, and it is damn hard to find the 49th, but I wholeheartedly reccomend it.

[Itamarcu]

Animorphs. 52 books, and it is damn hard to find the 49th, but I wholeheartedly reccomend it.

I totally agree. Although I only read books 1-18, 20, 32, 36 and a couple of bonus books.

[Harcion]

I'm going to blatantly ignore the "one or two suggestions per post" suggestion, because I'll likely only ever manage to post here once. Sorry. :)

R.A. Salvatore- wrote the absolutely wonderful Drizzt saga the spans the width and breadth of the dragonrealm ( I'll have to double check that but I'm certain it's the dragonrealm). It's heavily based on DnD but that in no ways limits his artistic creativity. Actually it only seems to fuel it which is evident by is 20 or so books that circle around the life of Drizzt and his companions.

I just acquired the last three books of the Drizzt saga, it's been quite nice so far. The story takes place in the "Forgotten Realms", however. (At least realm was correct. :) )

I'm more a science fiction person than fantasy, but some fantasy suggestions from me would be Greg Bear's "Songs of Earth and Power": it seems like one of the traditional "young man is transported to another magical world, etc." but is so much deeper than that. The ending is quite profound and on the way there the author manages to weave together tales of the world's creation (biblical and others) in a very convincing way that leaves you thinking "what if he's right?"

Naomi Novik's "Temeraire" series. This is kind of historic fiction in the time of Napoleon, with the addition of dragons of varying intellect, shapes and sizes. These are bred or caught and then used in the aerial forces with human crews much like the ships in the navies of that time.

Many have probably seen Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's "Death Gate Cycle"-series, (if not, it's quite good) but I haven't met anyone yet that has also read their "Darksword Trilogy" (4 books). In short, in the world of Thimhallan, magic is life. Everything is done by magic. If you don't have any magic at birth, you are considered dead and quietly disposed of. "Technology" is considered heresy and those who practice it are outlawed and hunted. Of course, some people who are born dead survive because of soft-hearted parents or likewise. The main character is one of these, and also heir to the throne...and then there's a particularly troublesome prophecy involved as well. The fourth and last book is another one of those "what if it's really true?" things.

"The Golden Key" by Jennifer Roberson, Melanie Rawn and Kate Elliott is another distinctly different piece of art. The world is similar to renaissance Spain with the exception that all official records, laws and such are done by paintings. If you buy a big herd of horses, the purchase is documented by a painting of said herd along with its new owners. If you are married, you are painted with your partner and any other significant details, like estates that are now shared and so on. All with a huge amount of symbolism - specific kinds of flowers mean different things, etc. Then there is also magic possible (though unknown to the general populace), if you paint in the right way and with the right ingredients...which the main character learns after a while. Melanie Rawn recently published a follow-up, "The Diviner", but I've not had time to read it yet.

Maybe "Banewreaker" and "Godslayer" by Jacqueline Carey might interest someone too. It's kind of 'Lord of the Rings' style, but written from the 'bad' guy's view. And maybe he isn't that bad at all, actually. The catch-line on the cover is something like "If all the world thinks you are evil - are you?" which summarises it quite nicely.



As for science fiction, I have to agree with everyone suggesting the "Dune" series by Frank Herbert. It's awesome, period.

One of the best books I ever read is "Anathem" by Neal Stephenson. It's a huge mix of philosophy, math, alternate realities and just in general great. The start might be a little hard to understand, but once you get it, the whole ambience is wonderful. Stephenson is great at writing from a "geek's perspective", as someone said somewhere.

More from Stephenson are "Cryptonomicon" (historic fiction with code-breakers and guest-starring Alan Turing amongst others), "The Diamond Age" (near future, very plausible nano-technology setup) and "Snow Crash" (about the world wide web, as envisioned before it really existed, and as it should've been, kindof). You might want to avoid his "Baroque Cycle" works if you're not really into history (I'm not, couldn't manage to finish the second book.)

Greg Bear, mentioned earlier, is really a science fiction writer. "Eon" and "Eternity" are 'hard' science fiction about a 'habitat' asteroid that comes into Earth's orbit. Strangely, it's interior just goes on and on and on, seemingly forever... "Darwin's Radio" and "Darwin's Children" are about evolution in the present time, a distinct new kind of human is appearing in the world. "Legacy" is related to Eon/Eternity, it takes place on a world 'Lamarckia' where acquired traits are passed on genetically, in stark contrast to our own world. (Guess where the name comes from.)

I also like Peter F. Hamilton's books. These are mainly 'space opera' things, for example his "Night's Dawn" trilogy, "Commonwealth Saga" books or the "Void Trilogy". Common among them are lots of worlds, highly developed science, things like sentient habitats and in the later ones plausible kinds of aliens. It's all centered around humanity, however.

Hamilton's series about "Greg Mandel" deserves special mention. It's a near-future scenario with global warming having had drastic effects on the world's countries. The technology is on the level of some people experimenting with mind-machine interfaces. The main character is a private detective, former soldier in the "Mindstar Brigade" where the military experimented with giving people different psychic abilities. They were succesful, to some degree, and his new abilities are quite useful in his current line of work.

If you like military science fiction and haven't read anything by Elizabeth Moon, most of what I've read by her is quite good albeit somewhat too 'chatty' at times. "Vatta's War", "The Serrano Legacy" are examples. She also writes fantasy, and is the author of the well-known "Paksenarrion" trilogy that she's recently begun expanding upon with newer books with different protagonists. Kind of 'epic fantasy' but centered on humans, and with lots of nitty-gritty military details. (She was a marine.)

Some more alternate-world fiction can be had in Charles Stross' "Merchant Princes" series. A little too drawn-out for my taste, but I like the idea a lot. Basically, a genetic trait and a certain symbol can transport you to an alternate reality that is very much like our Earth, except over there it's like the middle ages were here. A family with this trait use it for highly lucrative business, by carrying drugs over there, moving them safely (with machine guns, cavalry is no big deal) through that world, then bringing them back here in another location, bypassing all border controls and simliar legal problems. Lots of politics, economy and such.

Hope that wall of text gives someone a few ideas, I got a few ideas myself from the rest of the thread - thanks. :)

[Urian]

Many have probably seen Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's "Death Gate Cycle"-series, (if not, it's quite good) but I haven't met anyone yet that has also read their "Darksword Trilogy" (4 books).

I've read Darksword but not Death Gate :p I don't really like medieval fantasy anymore though (urban fantasy is still fine).

Speaking of urban fantasy, I can also recommend the "Walker papers" series by C E Murphy. It's a bit more subtle about fantasy than most series (mostly spirits and shamans and such).

[The great randomo]

The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy series by Douglas Adams are a must. I have followed the series of 'gone' by Michael grant. If I had to say a very good series of fantasy books, it would be the ' edge chronicles' by Paul stewart and chris riddell.

[Gilberreke]

Essentials IMO:

Dune (Herbert)
The End of Eternity (Asimov)
Brave New World (Huxley)

[Ruinous]

I must recommend Heart of the Comet by David Brin, it is an exceptionally well concieved look at a realistic(ish) mission to a comet, which inevitably goes entertainingly pear shaped for all involved. Very good hard sci-fi.

I can second Dune, at least the first book.

Dan Abnetts stuff for 40k is also pretty good. Dont be warned off by his work being a books-of-a-game, he is a quality writer in his own right.

[jorgebonafe]

The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy series by Douglas Adams are a must.

Yeah, I read the first two books, they are good. I never did get to read the rest though, I might some day

[DaveYanakov]

If you've not read Terry Pratchett, you are seriously missing out.

Also, how could you mention Greg Bear and miss his Blood Music?

[Harcion]

If you've not read Terry Pratchett, you are seriously missing out.

Also, how could you mention Greg Bear and miss his Blood Music?

Wow, yes, I knew there was one I was forgetting. Thanks for reminding me (us). :)

Though honestly, I only really liked the first part of it, which was awesome, while the latter one got a little too weird and drawn-out. For new readers, it's about biological computers that become self-aware.

In general, I find that Bear is somewhat hit-or-miss. I didn't really like some of his books, like Strength of Stones, City at the End of Time, Anvil of Stars or Dead Lines. Slant, Moving Mars and The Forge of God were quite nice though, as well as Dinosaur Summer. Didn't much like Psychlone, and Queen of Angels I didn't even manage to finish because of the weird writing style he employed there. Can't really remember much about Quantico, Hegira or Beyond Heaven's River. (I had a look in my bookshelf this time :) )

Many have probably seen Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's "Death Gate Cycle"-series, (if not, it's quite good) but I haven't met anyone yet that has also read their "Darksword Trilogy" (4 books).

I've read Darksword but not Death Gate :p I don't really like medieval fantasy anymore though (urban fantasy is still fine).

Ok, in the future I'll say that I know one such person. :) I've been trending in a similar direction myself, but I still enjoyed Death's Gate when I read it a year or so ago. I'm not quite sure what 'age' it takes part in, it's more about people, magic (through probability) and the design of whole worlds rather than technology on 'item' level.