Greatest Fantasy/Sci - Fi Series? (Books)

[Mugen]

So Christmas has come early, through fate/cosmic alignment/blackmail i received a Kindle today.

(this is what happens when your to too lazy to get the mail yourself, Mother....

What i need from you, fellow Escapists, are recommendations for some awesome books that i can lose myself in. Now, I'm kind of a purist, and i only read Fantasy / Sci-Fi.

I am a big reader, so i would prefer series....the longer the better.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Some things i have read and enjoyed include:


The Lord Of The Rings
The Wheel of Time
A Song Of Ice And Fire
Magician (Ive read a few others set in that world also)
The Elenium & The Tamuli



An example of what i don't like - Harry Potter.

If i wanted to read about a Dark Lord whose name is not spoken (born with the blood of those he persecutes), culling those of impure blood with his army of black-clad sociopaths, i will read the journal my grandfather kept whilst fighting in WW2. At least his version wont contain so much teenage angst.

And people think those books are original (sigh)

Oh and Dumbledore is clearly Winston Churchill (The only one he ever feared, anyone?). Except less awesome. And queer

But jokes aside, what is your favorite series, and why? A short description of your recommendation would be greatly appreciated. Thank-you, and Happy Holidays!

 

[kurupt87]

I'll put what I do anytime anyone asks for a recommendation of a sci-fi series; Iain M Banks' Culture books. They are, quite simply, the best sci-fi I've read. Shit, they're the best books I've read. They're also written for adults, not young-adults.

You can read them in any order, it makes no real difference.

Some suggestions though; Consider Phlebas was the first published so that's a good start.

Matter has the most in-depth explanation of the setting of the series (all books do explain it very well though), but it is a long book for an introduction to a series (the longest). I started with it but the length may put others off.

Player of Games is a great shorter story to get you hooked. Especially good for you/us as gamers because the author took inspiration from playing the Civ games and then wrote a society that uses skill at the ultimate game of Civ to decide everything about their lives.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Saga of the Seven Suns by Kevin J Anderson was pretty good (as space operas go)

Ian Irvine's Well of Echoes and that series was seriously soul crushing, but a riveting read nonetheless.

Can't think of anything else right now...

Oh, His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire in the UK/Aus) by Naomi Novik and that series is brilliant IMO... Napoleonic Wars... WITH DRAGONS!! Beat that, bitches!

 

[Edd4224]

Belgariad and Mallorean, though I am surprised you haven't read them already as you have read the Elenium and Tamuli. Also the two books that come after, Belgarath and Polgara.
Dune.
Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman.
Anything by Alan Moore (I want his hair and beard!).

 

[Mugen]

wow, i looked up the Culture series on wikipedia, it seems really interesting. i will definatley look into it.

reminds me of one of my favorite episodes of Stargate - Atlantis where they find computer that have a game very similar to Civ, only that the ''game'' they are playing is actually giving instructions to primitive tribes of humans who revere the players as gods.

seems right up my alley, thanks!

 

[kurupt87]

Saga of the Seven Suns by Kevin J Anderson was pretty good (as space operas go)

Ian Irvine's Well of Echoes and that series was seriously soul crushing, but a riveting read nonetheless.

Can't think of anything else right now...

Oh, His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire in the UK/Aus) by Naomi Novik and that series is brilliant IMO... Napoleonic Wars... WITH DRAGONS!! Beat that, bitches!

Borrowing OPs thread for self, thanks.

I haven't read Irvine, will check the local library.

Temeraire is great, you are correct lol.

But, Saga of the Seven Suns? Good? What reality is this? It was terrible! Useless! Appaling! (Don't take it personally, I know different strokes and all that. It's just that that series is the worst sci-fi series I've ever read. So seeing it recommended threw me.)

If you want space opera go Banks or Peter F Hamilton. Hamilton is not quite as good as Banks, IMO, but he has a writing style that is very similar to Tolkien and crafts an amazing universe.

 

[WarDialler]

The Entire Discworld series by Terry Pratchett,
William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Nuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive),
Good Omens, a story by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman,
Bit of a Durr one but The game of Thrones series by...what'shisface.
've ben told Brian Jaqcues' Redwall series is good but I havent goten around to it yet.

 

[Mugen]

Saga of the Seven Suns by Kevin J Anderson was pretty good (as space operas go)

Ian Irvine's Well of Echoes and that series was seriously soul crushing, but a riveting read nonetheless.

Can't think of anything else right now...

Oh, His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire in the UK/Aus) by Naomi Novik and that series is brilliant IMO... Napoleonic Wars... WITH DRAGONS!! Beat that, bitches!

Borrowing OPs thread for self, thanks.

I haven't read Irvine, will check the local library.

Temeraire is great, you are correct lol.

But, Saga of the Seven Suns? Good? What reality is this? It was terrible! Useless! Appaling! (Don't take it personally, I know different strokes and all that. It's just that that series is the worst sci-fi series I've ever read. So seeing it recommended threw me.)

If you want space opera go Banks or Peter F Hamilton. Hamilton is not quite as good as Banks, IMO, but he has a writing style that is very similar to Tolkien and crafts an amazing universe.

Temeraire seems really cool, the beauty of the Kindle is that you get the first couple of chapters free....and im already sold.

unfortunately they dont have Well of Echoes...in the entirety of the Amazon library. looked good too.

so stay away from Seven Suns? i got a preview, just haven't looked it over yet.

 

[Mugen]

Belgariad and Mallorean, though I am surprised you haven't read them already as you have read the Elenium and Tamuli. Also the two books that come after, Belgarath and Polgara.
Dune.
Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman.
Anything by Alan Moore (I want his hair and beard!).

i kind of ruined the Belgaried by reading Polgara first....when i read the original i was like, what? hasnt this happened already? i like how you see things from both sides, and how it all comes together....

but really, Eddings for me, its ALL about Sparhawk. Greatest. Character. Ever. (also Kurik - RIP)

 

[Mugen]

The Entire Discworld series by Terry Pratchett,
William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Nuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive),
Good Omens, a story by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman,
Bit of a Durr one but The game of Thrones series by...what'shisface.
've ben told Brian Jaqcues' Redwall series is good but I havent goten around to it yet.

Man, i rate the Redwall series sooo hard. I think its meant for kids, i was about 12 when i read a bunch of them but they where EPIC. Armies of mice, otters and badgers fighting rats stoats and weasels? with SWORDS? and now that i think of it, some of it is quite heavy reading.

also, his descriptions of food. what they eat at banquets and stuff would always make me hungry.

 

[WarDialler]

The Entire Discworld series by Terry Pratchett,
William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Nuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive),
Good Omens, a story by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman,
Bit of a Durr one but The game of Thrones series by...what'shisface.
've ben told Brian Jaqcues' Redwall series is good but I havent goten around to it yet.

Man, i rate the Redwall series sooo hard. I think its meant for kids, i was about 12 when i read a bunch of them but they where EPIC. Armies of mice, otters and badgers fighting rats stoats and weasels? with SWORDS? and now that i think of it, some of it is quite heavy reading.

also, his descriptions of food. what they eat at banquets and stuff would always make me hungry.

I think sir, you have just pissed all over your own point XD

 

[kurupt87]

Temeraire seems really cool, the beauty of the Kindle is that you get the first couple of chapters free....and im already sold.

unfortunately they dont have Well of Echoes...in the entirety of the Amazon library. looked good too.

so stay away from Seven Suns? i got a preview, just haven't looked it over yet.

I've been wanting a Kindle for ages, so I am jelly.

The thing with the Seven Suns was that it seemed to me to have being written backwards. The author looked for all the character archetypes and ideas he thinks are popular and then he writes a story around them, rather than writing a story and letting things evolve on their own. I got the impression it is very much a business and not a pleasure. The series itself could have ended by book 4 or so but then he just kept throwing arbitrary bollocks in to extend it, to get more books out and money in. You can tell there was no real structure for the books as he wrote them, other than good guys win.

I am coming down hard on it I know. I prefer Science Fiction to Science Fantasy and Seven Suns is very much the second. But, I can enjoy a good science fantasy book; it's just these weren't good, at all.

On to something I can recommend, Peter F Hamilton. He has Kindle books and is a fantastic sci fi author. The Nights Dawn trilogy or the Commonwealth Saga are his biggest. The Greg Mandel series is another by him. Much more recent future and a bit dystopian that last one, rather than space opera like the others. He's also got a few standalone titles.

 

[Mugen]

hahah in retrospect, it might not sound that great, but i promise it is!

Ive just lost all my credibility.

 

[DrSativa]

Stephen R. Donaldson's The Gap Cycle series of novels is certainly not for young adults and is pretty epic in scope while at the same time counterbalancing the huge scope with very interesting character developments and twists. I highly recommend that series if you like Sci-Fi.

Several other recommendations that in my opinion should be on every Sci-Fi lovers reading list:

Anything by David Brin, especially Kiln People and Earth (his uplift saga of books influenced me to want to study science and genetics).

I'm surprised nobody mentioned it yet, but The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams is by far my all time favorite series. I guess as an American kid growing up in Great Britain during the early 80's I had little choice but be exposed to the original radio series and then the books. If you like what Terry Pratchett does for Fantasy, you'll absolutely love what Douglas Adams does for Sci-Fi!

Thanks OP for a great topic, I've already added a few suggestions to my list.

 

[Tips_of_Fingers]

Culture Series Snip

*sigh* I have been meaning to read these for soooo long but I have so many other things to read and then I'll forget about them for a bit... I MUST TRY HARDER!

OT: I'm currently reading Frank Herbert's Dune and would highly recommend it. Dunno much about the sequels/prequels (aside from the fact that longtime fans of the original don't like them too much) but I guess they could be something to look into. You've mentioned The Wheel of Time, a series which I love...Now that I'm reading Dune, I can definitely see major similarities between the two...despite the similiarities however, the two couldn't be more different lol.

Now, I'm kind of a purist, and i only read Fantasy / Sci-Fi.

How come you're a "purist"? There are an infinite number of incredible books that aren't part of the fantasy/sci-fi genre....

On an unrelated: I just looked up from my laptop to see a fucng humongous Chinook helicopter hovering in front of my balcony. O.O

EDIT: The Redwall series was the first collection of books I fell in love with as a child. Fucking love the moles, the way they talk is hilarious! The TV show was also brilliant. = D

 

[kurupt87]

Culture Series Snip

*sigh* I have been meaning to read these for soooo long but I have so many other things to read and then I'll forget about them for a bit... I MUST TRY HARDER!

On an unrelated: I just looked up from my laptop to see a fucng humongous Chinook helicopter hovering in front of my balcony. O.O

Yeah, I sent them. READ THE CULTURE BOOKS OR DIEEEEE!

 

[Tips_of_Fingers]

Yeah, I sent them. READ THE CULTURE BOOKS OR DIEEEEE!

Haha, that amused me.

When you next find yourself on a beach, keep an ear out for that ominous hissing of shifting sand. Shai-Hulud awaits you.

 

[Mugen]

Culture Series Snip

*sigh* I have been meaning to read these for soooo long but I have so many other things to read and then I'll forget about them for a bit... I MUST TRY HARDER!

OT: I'm currently reading Frank Herbert's Dune and would highly recommend it. Dunno much about the sequels/prequels (aside from the fact that longtime fans of the original don't like them too much) but I guess they could be something to look into. You've mentioned The Wheel of Time, a series which I love...Now that I'm reading Dune, I can definitely see major similarities between the two...despite the similiarities however, the two couldn't be more different lol.

Now, I'm kind of a purist, and i only read Fantasy / Sci-Fi.

How come you're a "purist"? There are an infinite number of incredible books that aren't part of the fantasy/sci-fi genre....

On an unrelated: I just looked up from my laptop to see a fucng humongous Chinook helicopter hovering in front of my balcony. O.O

EDIT: The Redwall series was the first collection of books I fell in love with as a child. Fucking love the moles, the way they talk is hilarious! The TV show was also brilliant. = D

hmmm Dune could be interesting....i played the game what feels like a BAZILLION years ago now.

God damnit, i love the Wheel Of Time. i think when Robert Jordan died, so did a little part of me. I think his son is doing a better job than i expected of wrapping things up, too. one more book to go...and in 2012 i hear.

i think of myself as a ''purist'' only because i find that Fantasy is the only genre that i truly lose myself in. sure, i liked the Motley Crue biography (''i thought i was a real drug addict. i popped pills in the morning, smoked weed all day, and shot cocaine into my arms till late at night. Then, then i met Ozzy Osbourne....) and i enjoy crime/noir novels too, but they don't even come close to something like the WoT.

Also, i study creative writing, and my only ambition in life is to write a high fantasy epic, with a scope of such magnitude that it will dethrone even the almighty Tolkien, and to a lesser extent, George RR Martin (the Tolkien of the modern age, in my opinion.

im only in my first year, but we all start somewhere, right?

EDIT - Logalog, and the shrews, my favs in Redwall

 

[Stoplesteimer]

If you want some super long dark fantasy I would highly recommend the Black Company series by Glen Cook.
If you want to venture into more urban fantasy The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher are a must read. Also check out the Twenty Palace series, dark urban fantasy that you can pick up for at a steal (the first two books were a dollar each last time I checked)

 

[Odd Owl]

There's a relatively new trilogy called the Kingkiller Chronicle, by Patrick Rothfuss. The first is called The Name of the Wind. It's a good read. A bit like Harry Potter, in that it's a coming-of-age story. But, it doesn't have the obvious WWII references. It's more about the making of a hero, and how an extraordinary person's actions can get blown out of proportion so that he becomes a figure of legend. The third book hasn't been released yet, though, so it's hard to say where Rothfuss is going with it in the end.

Another suggestion is a two-part sci-fi series by Greg Bear: The Forge of God and the Anvil of Stars. The first tells the story of how the Earth is destroyed. The second is about a group of people seeking vengeance for the events of the first novel.