# Another book post..sorry..Please could you list your favourite SciFi/Fantasy book **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 21, 2000, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484 "2000-04-21T16:06:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sealemon88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Sealemon88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sealemon88)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/21 "2000-04-21T18:42:00Z")
The Deed Of Paksenarrion(sp?), by Elizabeth Moon. Very good series. Armor. This is simply a great SF novel. * * * You say “cheesy” like that’s a **BAD** thing. ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/22 "2000-04-21T18:52:00Z")
Currently on my A list: Charles de Lint Neil Gaiman James Morrow Pamela Dean Midori Snyder There’s no way I could pick just one book, though ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/23 "2000-04-21T18:55:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Sealemon88: > > Armor. This is simply a great SF novel. > > \*\* Who wrote Armor? That’s on here more than once. I guess I’ll have to read it. * * * “It’s not death I fear so much as leaving something so beautiful as life.” ---
**Author:** ![dragonlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@dragonlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragonlady)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/24 "2000-04-21T19:04:00Z")
Venus on the Half Shell by Kilgore Trout, if you can find it. It was ghost written by Kurt Vonnegut. Kilgore Trout was a character of his. Great twist ending! * * * Always remember that you are unique, just like everybody else. MIPSIMS : where we put the fun back in dysfunctional. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/25 "2000-04-21T19:11:00Z")
Anything at all by Neil Gaiman. _War for the Oaks_ by Emma Bull _Last Call_ by Tim Powers _Doomsday Book_ by Connie Willis ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/26 "2000-04-21T19:14:00Z")
Anything by Anne Rice. * * * Try not to have a good time…this is supposed to be educational. -Charles Schulz ---
**Author:** ![Nightingale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@Nightingale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightingale)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/27 "2000-04-21T19:19:00Z")
The \* Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn \* by Tad Williams. I couldn’t put them down til I was done with them all. The first book also happens to be the source of my sig line. * * * “There are more things you don’t know than there are things that I do know. I despair of the imbalance.” – Dr. Morgenes, _The Dragonbone Chair_ ---
**Author:** ![slaveone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slaveone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaveone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/28 "2000-04-21T19:20:00Z")
Best series I have ever read by far is Robert Jordan’s _Wheel of Time_ series. This is fantasy, and anyone who thinks that nothing has ever come along to rival LOTR **needs** to read this series. I just hope Jordan is alive long enough to finish it (knock on wood). Also great was the riftwar/serpentwar sagas by Raymond Feist. Another great series was The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. A little older but it really is an imaginitive and unique series as far as I’m concerned. Very different from other fantasy series. A good scifi series is the star wars books written by Timothy Zahn. I read almost all of the Star Wars books, and this is definately the best of them. * * * “Duty is heavier than a mountain, death lighter than a feather.” - Wheel of Time ---
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/29 "2000-04-21T19:25:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Sealemon88: > **The Deed Of Paksenarrion(sp?), by Elizabeth Moon. Very good series.** _smacks forehead_ I knew I’d forget something. Thanks Seale…love this series too. * * * Homepage: [www.tiercel.com](http://www.tiercel.com) Occupation: Culling slow moving vermin Location: The wild blue yonder. Interests: Thermals, updrafts, downdrafts, air currents in general. (Profile by UncleBeer.) Environment? Nah. Mood lighting and ambience is what counts. - a genuine **WallyM7** sig ---
**Author:** ![concrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbce88/32.png) [@concrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/concrete)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/30 "2000-04-21T19:33:00Z")
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King Piers Anthony’s Xanth series Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan All of David Eddings’s series (Belgariad, Malloreon, Elenium, Tamuli) Ender series by Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind). Dune The Death Gate Cycle series by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (6 books), Stephen R. Donaldson The Riftwar Saga (4 books), Raymond E. Feist The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein. Battlefield Earth Anything by Fritz Leiber Anything by Anne Rice. The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams These are the ones I’ve read so far in this post…keep the memories coming please. ---
**Author:** ![Sake\_Samurai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sake\_Samurai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sake_Samurai)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/31 "2000-04-21T19:44:00Z")
I agree with DSYoungEsq that the bar is high, but I think the REAL problem with contemporary sci-fi is that we are so immersed in and obssesed with technology today that the focus is on neet, new _stuff_ rather than good writing and original concepts. Even our movies, like Sphere and the Matrix suffer from this malady. We need to come down from our technology high. My favorites: - The Silmarillian (Tolkein) - The Lord of The Rings (ibid) - Dune (Herbert) - We (Zamyatin) - I also completely am in awe of most anything written by Lord Dunsany & H.P. Lovecraft. I also really liked The Vampire Lestat even though parts bit. Ender’s Game, however was a GIANT disappointment to me. Asimov’s Robots series was great. I enjoyed the Handmaiden’s Tale, too. Bunch more, but I’m thirsty right now. * * * Yet to be reconciled with the reality of the dark for a moment, I go on wandering from dream to dream. ---
**Author:** ![slaveone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slaveone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaveone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/32 "2000-04-21T19:47:00Z")
concrete: Raymond Feist has written 12 or so books that all deal with the same place as the riftwar saga took place. I think I’ve read all but three of them, and they are all very good. If you’ve only read the riftwar saga and liked it, you should check out his other books, they continue the adventures (or misadventures) of midkemia and the tsunari world. * * * “This parrot _is_ no more.” ---
**Author:** ![concrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbce88/32.png) [@concrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/concrete)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/33 "2000-04-21T20:00:00Z")
note taken slaveone…I’ve read a few of the serpentmage/riftwar books…but not all I’m hoping to see the new Game of Thrones book “Clash of Kings”…I hate waiting for books to come in paperback, its not fair. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/34 "2000-04-21T21:05:00Z")
Ayesha: If you like Harry Turtledove, try S.M Stirling’s “Drakon” series; good alternate-history science fiction. My Picks: S.M. Stirling and his _Drakon_ series; David Drake and his _Hammer’s Slammers_ series; Plus, Drake and Stirling collaborated on a five book series collectively called _The General_ that was pretty kick ass; David Weber’s Honor Harrington seies; Charles DeLancie’s _Castle Perilous_ series; just about anything from Robert Heinlein. _ **ExTank** _ ---
**Author:** ![slaveone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slaveone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaveone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/35 "2000-04-21T21:12:00Z")
concrete: Waiting for books to come out in paperbacks is the biggest scam of all time. With Wheel of Time, I couldnt take it, I just bent over and paid $25 for the new ones. Damn, its hard enough waiting years just for the next one to be published! * * * Opinions are like assholes: everybody’s got one. ---
**Author:** ![Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilgore_Trout_1)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/36 "2000-04-21T21:16:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by dragonlady: > \*\*Venus on the Half Shell by Kilgore Trout, if you can find it. It was ghost written by Kurt Vonnegut. Kilgore Trout was a character of his. Great twist ending! > \*\* no, that book **was not** written by Kurt Vonnegut. it was written by **Phillip José Farmer**. _“And I asked my publisher, please, not to publish any more of his Trout books because the whole thing had become very upsetting to me.” -Kurt Vonnegut_ * * * _what is essential is invisible to the eye -the fox_ ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/37 "2000-04-21T21:24:00Z")
Fantasy? The Song of Ice and Fire series that George R.R. Martin is working on. A Game of Thrones A Clash of Kings A Storm of Swords (just finished and sent for editing – should be out by fall) Sci fi? The Hyperion series by Dan Simmons, especially the first two. Agree on the Gaia trilogy by John Varley Did anyone mention the Foundation series? The first couple of books in Farmer’s Riverworld series were quite good too. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/38 "2000-04-21T22:14:00Z")
Lets see: Too Many ! A Fall of Moondust Arthur C Clarke Millennium John Varley Stainless Steel Rat Harry Harrison Rendezvous with Rama Arthur C Clarke Contact Carl Sagan Space Beagle A E Van Vogt and of course: Icerigger Alan Dean Foster ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/39 "2000-04-21T22:18:00Z")
There are a few favorites that I could mention, and I’ll second the “anything by Fritz Leiber”, but I’ve got to bring up _The Gormenghast Trilogy_ by Mervyn Peake, since it hasn’t been mentioned yet. The books (first two, anyway) are centered around a sprawling castle, Gormenghast, the young heir to the throne, Titus Groan, and the bizarre, ritualistic life there. The imagery is very surreal, and the characters are some of the most memorable, grotesque characters I’ve ever encountered in a book. It’s a shame these books aren’t as well known as, say, _Lord of the Rings_. * * * …ebius sig. This is a moebius sig. This is a mo… (sig line courtesy of WallyM7) ---
**Author:** ![Absynthetic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/97f17d/32.png) [@Absynthetic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absynthetic)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2000, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484/40 "2000-04-21T22:49:00Z")
## _Ender’s Game_ by Orson Scott Card has got to be my all-time-favorite Sci-Fi book. If life gives you lemons, stuff them down your shirt to make your boobs look bigger. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-book-post-sorry-please-could-you-list-your-favourite-scifi-fantasy-book/16484.md?page=3)