Please recommend me a good sci-fi or fantasy book

[Ihateregistering1]

If you like "Cyberpunk" type science fiction, "Altered Carbon" by Richard K. Morgan is one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time. It's very well written, has an extremely interesting premise that it explores in good depth (about 500 years in the future, they've found a way to place people's consciousness in cortical 'stacks', essentially rendering death obsolete), has a great protagonist, and an intriguing plot that is very well written.

It had two sequels ('Broken Angels' and 'Woken Furies') that were decent, but definitely not as good as the first book. The nice thing about them is that it isn't a trilogy: you can read each book individually (though I'd still read them in order) and every one can stand on its own.

 

[Guffe]

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a great series (or if you get them all in one book it's one book of course? )
Then you could try the Warhammer 40K universe, some interesting reads from there also.
Yahtzees Mogworld and Jam were entertaining in my opinion (wrong genre?)

 

[Post Tenebrae Morte]

I saw you read the sword of shannara series and its first three books. If your still interested, skip to the heirs of shannara sub series. Terry brooks himself admits that the first book, the sword of shannara, was too influenced by Tolkien and, as such, if you read from elf stones and up, the world is far more consistent.

 

[Shiftygiant]

Guns of the South
Time traveling Afrikaner Neo-Nazi's give General Lee AK-47's in the closing days of the Civil War. The author does best to keep it as realistic as possible in spite of the time travel.

Look Who's Back
Hitler is transported from the moment of his death to present day Berlin. Hijinks ensure.

Saga
One of the best damn ongoing comic series.

Man in the High Castle
A Philip K. Dick classic about an Axis dominated America

 

[kyp275]

I?m sorely disappointed at the lack of any mention of the Vorkosigan Saga in the scifi category. *shakes head at everyone in the thread* Seriously though, it?s good, you should definitely give it a shot. It has some of the best world-building and characters I?ve seen in the space opera genre.



For something that?s more recent, someone mentioned Jack Campbell?s Lost Fleet series, which is also enjoyable (though the Beyond the Frontiers continuation is starting to drag?). Marko Kloo?s Terms of Enlistment series is a pretty good military scifi, and deserves special recognition for having a protagonist that?s not a personification of deus ex machine. Andy Weir?s The Martian is also really fun read, don?t let the fact that Matt Damon is going to play the role of the main character in the movie adaptation put you off!

 

[DrOswald]

For fantasy, anything ever written by Terry Pratchet is fantastic, that should be your first stop. I would in particular recommend the Discworld novels. Start with either Guards! Guards! (an earlier work that introduces many of the important characters of the disc world, and is thus a great starting point for the series) or Going Postal (a later work that shows Terry Pratchets writing at its prime while still being a good introduction point for the disc world.) You could also start discworld with The Wee Free Men if you are looking for something lighter but every bit as good.

After that I would start working your way through the novels, starting at the beginning of one of the sub series (both Guards! Guards! and Going Postal are the first in their respective sub series)

This image explains the order of the discworld novels in each sub series, though it is missing some of the very latest books in the series: https://warosu.org/data/lit/img/0037/42/1368174210843.jpg

If you want something really light, the fablehaven series is a good one.

For Science fiction, the Culture Novels are really good, though the first one is a bit lacking. I would personally start with Player of Games, it is a much better introduction to the series than Consider Phlebas, and just better to boot.

I don't really know much light science fiction, so I can't give great recommendations there.

But seriously, the Discworld novels are some of the greatest fantasy books ever written. That is where you want to go.

 

[ecoho]

Wheel of time series- first book "eye of the world" by Robert Jordan finished by Brandon sanderson.

Mistborn series- "mistborn the final empire" is the first book its by Brandon sanderson, his other works are also quite good.

Dragon riders of pern series- by Anne McCaffery first book dragonflight

the inheritance cycle- in other words eragon its four books that are pretty good and quick to the action.

the Pendragon series- this starts out like your standard YA book but man does it get dark quickly "merchant of death" is the first book.

The Arthurian saga- by Mary stewart first book "The Crystal Cave"