Return of the Book Thread

[Viin]

Really, really enjoyed James S.A. Corey's series The Expanse ...

Been reading Leviathan Wakes, which is pretty good .. but now,  really? Come on.

[lamaros]

It gets worse.

[Quinton]

I haven't read The Madness Season but I also liked her Coldfire Trilogy books - Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, and Crown of Shadows.  There is a scifi element (humans traveled to another world) but then it goes off into a more fantasy direction... kinda. 

I'm about halfway into Black Sun Rising now and enjoying it so far.  Thanks for the suggestion!

[Samwise]

I realize I've become a boring adult when I look at my recent/current reading list and see it's mostly nonfiction.  "Twain's Feast," "Free Culture," "Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society", and "Breakfast: A History".  What happened to me?

[Rasix]

San Francisco 

I don't think I've read a non-fiction book for fun since Bruce Campbell's autobiography was released.

Finished Way of Kings and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Way of King was really interesting and didn't hit the usual snags that I do when reading Sanderson.  I just hate that he has some giant 10 book arc for it.  The dude has like 10+ projects going at the same time, which means he'll finish this goddamn thing when I'm nearing 60.  Gaiman, while a delight to read, is a giant asshole for releasing a novella for a full novel's price.  That was a really quick read, and not in a good way.

[Sky]

I realize I've become a boring adult when I look at my recent/current reading list and see it's mostly nonfiction.  "Twain's Feast," "Free Culture," "Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society", and "Breakfast: A History".  What happened to me?

I went through a couple years where I didn't read any fiction. I still probably read more nonfic now, but it's mostly educational (color theory or wiring or small engines etc).

[RhyssaFireheart]

I haven't read The Madness Season but I also liked her Coldfire Trilogy books - Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, and Crown of Shadows.  There is a scifi element (humans traveled to another world) but then it goes off into a more fantasy direction... kinda. 

I'm about halfway into Black Sun Rising now and enjoying it so far.  Thanks for the suggestion!

No problem!  I haven't reread the books in a while, I may have to do that since I brought them up.

I just got Warbreaker by Sanderson and started it.  Forgot to bring my Nook to work so I can't keep reading at lunch today.  Maybe I'll download to my phone and keep going there.

[murdoc]

I'm reading the worst book right now, but have to see it through to it's end.

Not only is it terrible, it's a sequel. Hexed by Kevin Hearne. It's a Dresden rip off with a 2,000 year old Druid living in Phoenix and fighting Nazi witches dressed like 80s glam rock groupies. It's horribly cliched, misogynistic and awful but can't seem to just walk away from it.

I'll need a good book to cleanse my palate after this one.

[RhyssaFireheart]

I'm reading the worst book right now, but have to see it through to it's end.

Not only is it terrible, it's a sequel. Hexed by Kevin Hearne. It's a Dresden rip off with a 2,000 year old Druid living in Phoenix and fighting Nazi witches dressed like 80s glam rock groupies. It's horribly cliched, misogynistic and awful but can't seem to just walk away from it.

I'll need a good book to cleanse my palate after this one.

Oh.

I have all 6 of the Iron Druid Chronicles books and I love them. 

[proudft]

I started reading Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs, which are surprisingly good and easy to read.  Lots of funny stuff so far, who knew?

And some of it is eerily prescient:

On the Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4367

[murdoc]

I'm reading the worst book right now, but have to see it through to it's end.

Not only is it terrible, it's a sequel. Hexed by Kevin Hearne. It's a Dresden rip off with a 2,000 year old Druid living in Phoenix and fighting Nazi witches dressed like 80s glam rock groupies. It's horribly cliched, misogynistic and awful but can't seem to just walk away from it.

I'll need a good book to cleanse my palate after this one.

Oh.

I have all 6 of the Iron Druid Chronicles books and I love them. 

 

Well, to be fair - I am going to finish it and I'm not afraid to walk away from books.

[Johny Cee]

Anyone have any SF/F recommendations? The best stuff they've read that I might not have gotten to yet? I feel the need for a really really good book.

Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny -- My favorite Zelazny book, and a true classic.  Most Zelazny is pretty good, but he wrote in an era when you had to churn out work to make a modest living so he does have some stinkers....  especially co-written books.  The Amber books are also something you should read.  The first five are amazing, the second five (with a new protagonist) aren't as good.

The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe -- His most famous and well-regarded work.  Basically considered one of the great sff authors.  You can substitute the Latro books, or Wizard-Knight, or a best of short story book.  He likes his unreliable narrators, and his books are pretty dense.

Magic for Beginners, Kelly Link -- Recent.  Link is very well regarded but no one reads her.  It's a short story/novella collection and is more magical realism than anything else.

[Viin]

The Deathstalker series is a great space opera if you want something light but fun.

[Mazakiel]

Anyone have any SF/F recommendations? The best stuff they've read that I might not have gotten to yet? I feel the need for a really really good book.

Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny -- My favorite Zelazny book, and a true classic.  Most Zelazny is pretty good, but he wrote in an era when you had to churn out work to make a modest living so he does have some stinkers....  especially co-written books.  The Amber books are also something you should read.  The first five are amazing, the second five (with a new protagonist) aren't as good.

Lord of Light is one of my favorite books of all time, not just in my top sci-fi books.  I reread it once a year or so. 

[Reg]

That's the way I feel about Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I must have read it a dozen times by now.

[satael]

The Deathstalker series is a great space opera if you want something light but fun.

I never really got into the Deathstalker series for some reason even though I really liked the same author's Nightside series (and actually have all of them somewhere on my bookshelves) which was a cheesy copy of Butcher's Dresden Files.

[Ard]

Simon Green is kinda a terrible author, who mostly just rewrites the same plots using almost the exact same dialog in every single book, regardless of setting.  The first book in any given series he writes is fairly good, but that's about where I'd draw the line, and I've read most of the nightside and deathstalker books.  He like characters with book ending deus ex machina powers a bit too much also.

[Viin]

No one said he was amazing, but they are easy to read, decent, and you can blow through the whole series in a couple of weeks. It's like watching network television.

[Mazakiel]

That's the way I feel about Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I must have read it a dozen times by now.

Another great one, and one I need to reread sometime soon as well. 


To add another recommendation, awhile back I read The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi.  It's been criticized for being a bit difficult to get into at first, but I thought it was a pretty good story overall.

[Khaldun]

Grant's memoirs are one of the great unexpected classics of American autobiography. Everyone was surprised when they came out and have stayed surprised ever since.

[Morat20]

No one said he was amazing, but they are easy to read, decent, and you can blow through the whole series in a couple of weeks. It's like watching network television.

That's pretty much exactly it. I read it, well, for that. "I need a book to read here, but one I can pick up and put down. But that's fairly engaging. Oh, Simon Green".

[Johny Cee]

No one said he was amazing, but they are easy to read, decent, and you can blow through the whole series in a couple of weeks. It's like watching network television.

That's pretty much exactly it. I read it, well, for that. "I need a book to read here, but one I can pick up and put down. But that's fairly engaging. Oh, Simon Green".

Sigh.

lamaros specifically asked for "the best stuff you've read" so I threw out a few books that regularly make lists of top SF/F reads that I really enjoyed.  It was followed up by "Simon Green's Deathstalker isn't terrible for a cheesy space opera".

Simon Green is kinda shitty, and I say that as someone who liked his over-the-top pulpy Nightside books as light reading.

[Viin]

You're right, it doesn't fit that criteria.

Not knowing what you've read, here some random SF that I consider good:

Dune
Early Heinlein
Asimov Foundation series
Ender's Game
Spin / Axis (Robert Wilson)
Battlefield Earth

I also thought Peter Hamilton's Mindstar series was good, though a bit space opera-like. More good popcorn sci-fi: Gammalaw series, Scazli's various books, X-wing series, etc

And Banks has some good sci-fi, of course.

[Abagadro]

Did you seriously put an L Ron Hubbard book on that list?

[Margalis]

I didn't like Ender's Game - didn't even finish it. I was not surprised later to find that Card was an insane asshole. Something about the tone of the book rubbed me the wrong way almost immediately.

I also read mostly nonfiction now. Maybe I'm at the point where I find the real world is as interesting as imaginary stuff, or where escapism has little appeal, or where accumulating knowledge is more interesting. (When?) But also I just don't like most modern science fiction. And by "modern" I mean from 1980s onward. I don't think that's me just being an old fuddy duddy either, it's more that what's been in vogue doesn't appeal to me, in terms of content, form and style. I was never a fan of IP based fiction or long series and that seems to be the trend these days. I love reading a self-contained novel with original characters that just starts when it starts and ends at the end and that's it.

[Shannow]

I read Battlefield Earth when I was like 14, had no idea who L Ron Hubbard was and rather enjoyed the book. Even re-read it a couple of times.

[Morat20]

I read Battlefield Earth when I was like 14, had no idea who L Ron Hubbard was and rather enjoyed the book. Even re-read it a couple of times.

It's not bad if you're 14. There's no hard science, it's basically Mister Awesome conquers the Aliens and Gets the Girl, and all the scientology shit just goes over your head or you think "Oh, 1950s, how dumb you were!".

Good sci-fi, though...hmm. I'm fond of Charles Stross, but most of his sci-fi leaves me slightly depressed. (His latest, Neptune's Brood, might well be entilted "A brief exploration of how unless we invent FTL, which we won't, and anti-gravity and Star Trek shields, we ain't colonizing shit. It's hard enough for robots".

Modesitt has some decent stuff -- Parafaith War is one. He's generally either focusing on Space Mormans or Space Ethics. (The latter variations of "What do you do when everyone is superhuman? or How do you handle scarcity in a high-tech society" or whatnot).

Vernor Vinge should be on the list.

[craan]

I thought Hell Ship by Philip Palmer was really good.  It also made me sad.

[shiznitz]

I am reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King.  While it is not a departure for him, it is a bit different than some of his recent stuff.  If you read It and were a fan of that book, then I highly recommend i11/22/63.  Not because it is like It in any way - which it is not.  But because the protagonist visits Derry in 1958 - when the "bad stuff" was happening.  I really got a kick out of how King put a new character back into one of his old settings. 

[Salamok]

Someone needs to make a best of SF/F list that excludes all coming of age scenarios, there seems to be too much young adult getting into the mix.  I didn't mind this when I was younger but it annoys me know that I am an old fart.

[K9]

I haven't read the Wheel of Time series, is it worth going through? I'm just wondering if it's an example of a good fantasy epic, or whether starting it would hook me into a frustrating waste of time.

[Merusk]

Meh.  Read the first one through to where they split-up the group.  If you're not interested by then forget about it because you'll hate it for the later parts.

[HaemishM]

The first book is deceptive. It's really good epic fantasy and makes you think the other 11 volumes are worth the effort. I made it through 5. If you don't like copious descriptions of dresses and annoying character traits repeated ad inifinitum in the place of actual character development, don't fucking bother.

[ghost]

I haven't read the Wheel of Time series, is it worth going through? I'm just wondering if it's an example of a good fantasy epic, or whether starting it would hook me into a frustrating waste of time.

No.  It's not worth going through.  It's awful.

[dd0029]

I'm not sure it's awful. Jordan has some the best world building out there, bar none. I can still get caught thinking about how things were at various periods in "this history." I always got the sense that he knew the history for his entire landmass, from the epic scale to the more mundane. There are also moments of brilliance in the story scattered throughout the series. However, the middle to latter half is bogged down by all sorts of his own neurosis and quirks.