Please recommend me a good sci-fi or fantasy book

[Mikeybb]

The Laundry Files.

Cthulu spy thriller, set in a department for the investigation of such things man was not meant to know that is run on pure, old fashioned British red tape.
There are three short stories on the net for free, should you be interested.
Concrete Jungle being the first I'd suggest.
The series itself is still going strong and currently full novel releases run to five titles, with a sixth releasing this year.

The new Crobuzon arc by China Meiville, starting with Perdido Street station, following with The Scar, and ending with The Iron Council.
Three books that reveal a truly unique fantasy world.
Orcs and Elves take a back seat to truly strange and alien species who share a thriving city with a somewhat rotten underbelly.

Both of these series are worth spending time with.

 

[nohorsetown]

Sci-Fi:
I recommend Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago by Octavia Butler. They're usually compiled in one volume called Lilith's Brood (previously called Xenogenesis). Humans pretty much wipe themselves out, but are saved/zoo-ified/absorbed by an alien race called the Oankali, who travel the universe integrating other species into themselves (physically). They're humanity's only means of survival, but there's a lot of resentment. Explorations of race and sexuality, among other things.

Fantasy:
They're incredibly brutal, but I recommend R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing and Aspect Emperor trilogies (though I haven't finished the latter). A sociopath antihero manipulates everyone he meets and rises to power in a grimdark, horribly sexist, pre-medieval world. The worldbuilding is fascinating and detailed, and the writing/philosophizing is great--but there are no true "good guys", and atrocity abounds. Still, depiction is not endorsement, and you said you liked the Dune books . . . so maybe give it a shot.

Also, I second Khazidhea's recommendation of The Diamond Age, by Neal Stephenson. One of my favorites.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

Since I don't think anyone else will recommend it given how obscure it is. I figured I'd recommend the book Scar Night. It was pretty good. However the two later books in the series are pretty awful but you can still kind of enjoy Scar Night for what it is.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Well, since you've hit the Frank Herbert button already, I'll switch to fantasy:

The Darksword series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is a good read. Especially when... Nah, read for yourself.

Also quite enjoyed The Elenium series by David Eddings. Give his other works a read too if you have read the trilogy.

 

[Queen Michael]

If you want good fantasy, check out The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski. Yes, that is indeed the guy who wrote House of Leaves, but this is a completely different kind of book. I'd advice you to get it from the library, because it's pretty short. Takes an evening, tops. Not that much text on each page. It's about a woman in contemporary USA who goes to a party, where there's a storyteller for the children, and... Well, I won't tell you more. Read it.

Then there's the excellent Snow Crash. It was the first SF book I finished this year. It's about a young man called Hiro Protagonist--a name he admits is stupid but wishes to point out that you will never forget--who works both as a pizza delivery man for the mob and as a hacker in the Metaverse (which is basically a VR version of the Internet). The style of writing is what I love the most about the book. Go to Amazon and use the "Look Inside" function, and judge for yourself.

 

[Cowabungaa]

I'm currently reading two surprisingly amazing books, one sci-fi (well, audiobook) and one fantasy, respectively 2312 and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

2312 Takes place in, well, 2312 in a fully colonized solar system. It doesn't really have any 'weird stuff' in the sense that human civilization as portrayed here really does feel like a logical progression of technological and cultural development and how those two intertwine. For instance, thanks to genetic and general biological modification the lines between kinds of sexuality, gender and even speciation is getting blurred. Or the ever increasing influence of partially quantum computed AI (quantum computing combined with a classical computer) and the increasingly relevant philosophical question whether they possess conciousness, from which the central conflict in the book seems to rise (I'm not that far in).

What also makes it very interesting is how the central character is an artist, creating a very interesting point of view you don't see very often in science fiction. It makes the created universe feel extremely alive, I can hardly stop listening to it.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke is, more precisely, an alternate history story set in 1807 in which magic had once existed in the world. In Britain at least (not much is said about the rest of the world, so it's not clear to me) practical magic hasn't been performed for around three centuries now. However, a grumpy, awkward and bookish little man named Mister Norrell now claims to be a practical magician who wants to help the British against Napoleon.

Now, what makes this awesome is mostly two things. The first is that it actually reads like an early 19th century British novel, with the kind of language and writing style used. Especially the Britishness, because my God is it British, which is just absolutely amazing. That dry and witty humour, the dry, snarky and extremely polite little squabbles, it's all just a delight to read. Second of all, Clarke did an amazing job of creating a vivid and believable book which just sucks you in the story and universe. For instance, the characters, often being scholarly gentlemen, refer to other books and historical events. Clarke then expands upon those books/events in footnotes, sometimes pretty damn deep too. It makes the whole thing, like in 2312, feel so more alive.

So yeah, these two come wholeheartedly recommended. What helps is that both are standalone novels, because sometimes you just don't have the time for an extensive trilogy or series.

 

[FPLOON]

Aw shit... All I got is the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, which is more than just about owls fighting each other with battle armor and specialized talon gear... Other than that, most people already said my other choices...

I really need to step my game up and shit...

 

[Vigormortis]

Philip K. Dick novels are always a good start. His collected works are usually great reads. But since you're already aiming for some of those, allow me to list a few other authors to consider:

Vernor Vinge [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernor_Vinge] - Notably: His Realtime and Zones of Thought series.

Michael Crichton [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/] - He has a number of great pulp and hard-sci-fi stories. Besides the most famous, Jurassic Park, I've always been fond of Sphere, The Andromeda Strain, and Prey.

Isaac Asimov [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov] - His Foundation and Robot series are some of the best grandiose works of science fiction I've ever read.

There were a few others I wanted to list, but other posters beat me to the punch.

Anyway, best of luck, OP. There's a wealth of incredible sci-fiction (and fantasy, I 'spose) novels out there. Hope you find something to suit you.

 

[Riddle78]

Literally anything by Brent Weeks. You won't be disappointed. The man's worldbuilding is phenomenal.

 

[Kotaro]

I just finished reading William Gibson's Neuromancer. Quite enjoyable, and a very influential book.
To put it simply: as Tolkien is to fantasy, Gibson (specifically his Sprawl Trilogy, of which this is the first) is to cyberpunk.

As for fantasy, I've been fond of Emily Rodda's Deltora Quest series ever since I was a kid. Technically they're children's books, but I re-read them every few years and they hold up really well even from an adult's viewpoint (there's also an anime based on this series--which is weird as the books were written in English first--but it's kind of mediocre).

 

[The_Great_Galendo]

In my opinion probably the two best fantasy novelists writing today are Patrick Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson (obligatory disclaimer: out of authors I've read. I'm sure there are probably better ones out there). Rothfuss is technically better, but he only has two books of a trilogy published so far, and the third one doesn't seem to be coming any time soon.

Sanderson is much more prolific, but his books are also quite hit-or-miss. I've only read some of his stuff, but the best I've read is The Stormlight Archive (first book: The Way of Kings), which also has only two books (out of a projected ten, so don't expect that story to finish anytime soon either). His Mistborn trilogy (first book: Mistborn: The Final Empire) is also pretty good, although the second book is rather...unimpressive, to put it politely. The third book does a reasonable job of redeeming the trilogy, though. More or less.

In science fiction, I can't think of anything off the top of my head, so I'll echo some of the posters above and recommend David Weber. He has a number of series available, but the thing to note is that they're all basically the same story, just told in a different setting. So once you've read one of them, the others are pretty worthless. But whichever one you pick will probably be pretty good. Of his series, I'd recommend the Honor Harrington one as the best overall (first book: On Basilisk Station), although there are a few dull books in the middle, and you should probably stick to the main series and stop reading after either book 9 (Ashes of Victory) or book 11 (At All Costs) [the main downside of reading through book 11 is that you have to read book 10, plus it ends on a slightly less happy note than book 9]. After book 11, unfortunately, David Weber's "I can only write one type of story" syndrome takes over, and everything else is basically a rehash of the first 11 books but with a different enemy and different main characters. Not worth reading, in other words.

Plus, I should mention that many of Weber's books used to be available for free online. If you poke around, you can probably still find them (though I haven't checked in a year or two myself, so I'm not sure if that's still true). I'll bet you can still find at least On Basilisk Station, though, if you look, and decide if you think the series is up your alley from there.

 

[spartan231490]

Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss First book "The Name of The Wind"
Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind First book, Wizard's First Rule
Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson First book "Eye of the World"
The Night Angel Trilogy, by Brent Weeks, First book "The way of Shadows"
The Jumper series, by Steven Gould(seriously, give it a shot, the books are nothing like the movie)
It's pretty hard to go wrong with anything Brandon Sanderson writes. Pretty much the same with Brent Weeks. Both write predominantly fantasy.

Also, the Dragaeran series, aka Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust. Can't believe I almost forgot this one, so good.

YA:
Ranger's Apprentice series, by John Flanagan. First book "The Ruins of Gorlan"
Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, First book "Lightning Theif"

Urban Fantasy/Romance
The Mercy Thompson series, by Patriccia Briggs. First book "Moon Called"
The Alpha and Omega series, by Patriccia Briggs. First book is a novella "On the Prowl"

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

In science fiction, I can't think of anything off the top of my head, so I'll echo some of the posters above and recommend David Weber. He has a number of series available, but the thing to note is that they're all basically the same story, just told in a different setting. So once you've read one of them, the others are pretty worthless. But whichever one you pick will probably be pretty good. Of his series, I'd recommend the Honor Harrington one as the best overall (first book: On Basilisk Station), although there are a few dull books in the middle, and you should probably stick to the main series and stop reading after either book 9 (Ashes of Victory) or book 11 (At All Costs) [the main downside of reading through book 11 is that you have to read book 10, plus it ends on a slightly less happy note than book 9]. After book 11, unfortunately, David Weber's "I can only write one type of story" syndrome takes over, and everything else is basically a rehash of the first 11 books but with a different enemy and different main characters. Not worth reading, in other words.

I think that's a rather unfair analysis. The reason things get kinda samey is because you're dealing with basically all of humanity collapsing into interstellar war. Mission of Honor and A Rising Thunder are particularly great(volumes 12 and 13.) The Secondary series are all amazing too. In fact I'd assert that The Shadow of Saganami, Crown of Slaves, Storm from the Shadows, Torch of Freedom, Shadow of Freedom, and Cauldron of Ghosts are all probably better than some of the main series. Just due to how far they dive into the political side of things makes the Honorverse unique. Though I'll admit that In Enemy Hands is the hardest to get through. But the samey nature comes from the reason that the books fallow Honor so heavily, so you end up spending a lot of time focusing on her Career in the Royal Manticoran and Grayson Space Navies. But as the books expand there is a lot of focus on developing the universe, along with political intrigue and subterfuge.

 

[Vault101]

snip.

"American Elsewhere" by Robert Jackson Bennet seriously one of my favourite books

its about a woman who goes to a strange small town to find out about her estranged mother.

its sort of got a lot of strange "lovecraftian" stuff going on (a good comparison would be Welcome to Nightvale) aside from being [b/]fantastically[/b] written I usually don't like anything that is "urban fatasy ish" (especially of the YA variety) but this isn't really like that, its a smartly written book for adults but still an enjoyable read

he's also written a more "tradtional" (he bends genre a bit) straight up fantasy series called "city of stairs" which [I/]I might actually read[/I] <-and that's saying A LOT

if your after a space opera I started "City of Pearl" a while ago and I'm really enjoying it

its a bit out there with bombarding you with hyphenated alien names and trying to gather context but its well written and flows well, the only thing is its a longish series

snip.

I like the honor books but after a while the politics starting getting a bit on the nose (ok Weber..I get it dole bludgers are baaaaaaaaaaad)

not to mention his writing style gets painfully dull

 

[BaronVH]

I am extremely thankful I asked my question. This thread will be printed and used for future purchases. Several books and authors I have read, like the classics by Asimov, Bradbury, and others. I bought Ubik today. Will get Weber and Iain Banks next, but there are many that have been on my radar, and many that I will hit after that. I obviously came to the right place. I have read Rothfuss, and I would like to point out that he donates a lot of money to a local charity that I have given to, so he seems to be a good dude. Thanks again.

 

[Platypus540]

I name the same book every time someone makes a thread like this, so here we go again:

The Risen Empire and its sequel The Killing of Worlds (aka Succession for the whole series) by Scott Westerfeld. They go together directly and IIRC were actually written as one book and only split in two for length by the publisher. Spectacularly good space opera story, probably my favorite book ever honestly, about an extremely distant future of human civilization. Many characters, all well-written and largely very believable and interesting. An exciting and mysterious story with satisfying action but also thought-provoking scenes and themes. What more could you ask for? I might need to read it again actually...

I'd also recommend Leviathan Wakes and its sequels by James S. A. Corey for a good, fun space opera. Not as deep or thought-provoking as Succession but excellent for action, intrigue, and a little bit of horror in the not-all-that-far future. Perfect for "escapism", as you said.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

Not enough people these days know Asimov, which is too bad. The Robot novels are great, and the Foundation series is just... Read it. It's unique, fantastic, the epitome of what science fiction can do when pushed to its full potential.

Also, in see recommendations for Snow Crash. Good, listen to them. Also I heartily endorse your decision to try Philip K. Dick. He is not always the easiest author to read, but by God does he have some amazing ideas.

For fantasy, read The Eye of the World. Don't worry about the whole series itself, just read the first book and decide where to go from there. I promise you, Eye of the World is terrific fantasy.

 

[Queen Michael]

Not enough people these days know Asimov, which is too bad. The Robot novels are great, and the Foundation series is just... Read it. It's unique, fantastic, the epitome of what science fiction can do when pushed to its full potential.

I'm reading it right now, and it's good to know that others feel the way I do.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

Wow, I've seen multiple David Weber recommendations, but none involving his collaboration with John Ringo? Shame on you!

For my sci-fi recommendation:

The Prince Roger Series (March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars, We Few) by David Weber & John Ringo

For my fantasy recommendation:

The Sharing Knife Series and The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

 

[Thaluikhain]

Malus Darkblade for fantasy.
Gaunt's ghosts/Eishenhorn for sci fi.

Dan Abnett is a writing god.

Darkblade was written more by Mike Lee than by Dan Abnett, I believe, which helps a lot. Abnett has definite strengths, but he's very weak at internal consistency or sticking to the shared universe (and the OP cited world building as one of the things they liked). Also, almost all of his endings are the heroes killing the enemy leader so the enemy army runs away, some magic thing saving everyone, or both.