# Sci-Fi / Fantasy recommendations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 5, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837 "2007-01-05T17:15:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/21 "2007-01-05T21:30:08Z")
I like _The Years of Rice and Salt_ very much, for alternate history. Robin McKinley’s _Sunshine_ is sort of alt history, too. I thought _Darwinia_ was good, but I was a little disappointed by the ending. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/22 "2007-01-05T21:55:55Z")
All good recommendations! My list is growing big. Any Alternate world / non-time travel themed ones? ala Rogue Wizard, Spell Singer? ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/23 "2007-01-05T22:15:58Z")
[QUOTE=Epimetheus] Any Alternate world / non-time travel themed ones? [/quote] The Rift War Saga by [Raymond Feist](http://www.raymondfeistbooks.com/) , plus his copious other novels that followed also set in his universe. [Tigana](http://www.amazon.com/Tigana-Anniversary-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0451457765) by Guy Gavriel Kay. The Black Jewels Trilogy by [Anne Bishop](http://www.annebishop.com/books.htm) (almost to the bottom of the linked page). There’s also an in-depth [wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Jewels_Trilogy) about her books. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/24 "2007-01-05T22:24:41Z")
:smack: I just re-read your OP and the recommendations in my last post don’t apply. They’re just straight-up fantasy books. If you haven’t yet read [The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Thomas_Covenant,_the_Unbeliever), they sound like they might be up your alley. I enjoyed reading the first two trilogies, but there are dopers who did not consider the reading experience as all that pleasurable. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/25 "2007-01-05T22:32:12Z")
[QUOTE=Epimetheus] Any Alternate world / non-time travel themed ones? [/QUOTE] [_Job_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job:_A_Comedy_of_Justice) and [_The Number of the Beast,_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Number_of_the_Beast_%28novel%29) both by Heinlein. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/26 "2007-01-05T22:38:58Z")
**west of Eden** , **Winter in Eden** and the thirs one, _Whatever_ **in Eden** by Harry Harrison. An alternate world where intelligent dinosaurs survive into the time of huimans, and have a non-mechanical civilization. Very interesting and weird stuff. The m,ost ambitious use of artificial language I’ve seen (the dinosaur’s language is philosophically _very_ different from human languages) ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/27 "2007-01-05T22:44:30Z")
Moonheart by Charles de Lint (and indeed, several others by him) bounce back and forth between worlds. Straight-up fantasy, and one of my favorites. Wizards and shamans and mounties, oh my! I second Thomas Covenant series, but I think it’s a love it or hate it series. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/28 "2007-01-05T23:02:08Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] **west of Eden** , **Winter in Eden** and the thirs one, _Whatever_ **in Eden** by Harry Harrison. An alternate world where intelligent dinosaurs survive into the time of huimans, and have a non-mechanical civilization. Very interesting and weird stuff. The m,ost ambitious use of artificial language I’ve seen (the dinosaur’s language is philosophically _very_ different from human languages) [/QUOTE] Agreed. I really enjoyed these books and I’m not a huge fan of science fiction. What I really liked was how the reptiles’ technology is organic and is a result of genetically manipulating plants and animals to perform particular tasks. Harrison does a great job of descrbing how it works. I also liked several of the Harry Turtledove series as well as his stand-alone novels like _Guns of the South_. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/29 "2007-01-05T23:06:56Z")
One of my favorites : [Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen](http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Kalvan-Otherwhen-Ace-F-342/dp/044106342X/sr=1-1/qid=1168038188/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-2724518-9049523?ie=UTF8&s=books). A police officer and veteran from our world is transported into an alternate North America dominated by a nasty church, the Temple of Styphon. Styphon maintains it’s power by being the sole source of the “miracle” of fireseed - gunpowder. And guess who knows how to make gunpowder . . . ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/30 "2007-01-05T23:40:26Z")
I assume you’re aware of _A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court_? And, in somewhat the same vein, _Lest Darkness Fall_? ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/31 "2007-01-06T00:18:37Z")
[QUOTE=ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies] :smack: I just re-read your OP and the recommendations in my last post don’t apply. They’re just straight-up fantasy books. If you haven’t yet read [The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Thomas_Covenant,_the_Unbeliever), they sound like they might be up your alley. I enjoyed reading the first two trilogies, but there are dopers who did not consider the reading experience as all that pleasurable. [/QUOTE] Oh, no, Fantasy is fine, I meant my OP to mean Sci-Fi and or Fantasy, or a combination of both, I guess I wasn’t clear enough, sorry! Anyway, great suggestions. I read some of TCOTC and didn’t much care for it, though it is definately good writing. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/32 "2007-01-06T00:55:29Z")
[QUOTE=Epimetheus] Any Alternate world / non-time travel themed ones? ala Rogue Wizard, Spell Singer? [/QUOTE] Grr, stoopid hamsters ate my post… Try Barbara Hambly’s _Time of the Dark_ series or her _The Silent Tower_ series – modern Earth persons transported to magical worlds. Also, one of MZ Bradley’s Darkover books – _Two to Conquer_ – would fit. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/33 "2007-01-06T01:18:28Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] One of my favorites : [Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen](http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Kalvan-Otherwhen-Ace-F-342/dp/044106342X/sr=1-1/qid=1168038188/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-2724518-9049523?ie=UTF8&s=books). A police officer and veteran from our world is transported into an alternate North America dominated by a nasty church, the Temple of Styphon. Styphon maintains it’s power by being the sole source of the “miracle” of fireseed - gunpowder. And guess who knows how to make gunpowder . . . [/QUOTE] Absolutely. I continue to believe that Beam Piper could have been one of the all time best if he hadn’t killed himself. Also worth reading in this vein is his collection of short stories called ‘Paratime!’ which chronicles an alternate-hopping civilization. Also, of course, check out ‘Guns of the South’ by Harry Turtledove. Imagine a Confederacy armed with 150,000 AK-47s… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/34 "2007-01-06T01:54:53Z")
[The Anubis Gates](http://www.amazon.com/Anubis-Gates-Tim-Powers/dp/0441004016/sr=8-1/qid=1168048366/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6386177-4835358?ie=UTF8&s=books) is absolutely brilliant, and sounds right up your alley. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/35 "2007-01-06T02:10:30Z")
My apologies. I confess, I did not read the original post. Having done so, here are a few recommendations: Alan Dean Foster’s Spellsinger series. (Hit or miss, most of the early ones were good.) Rick Cook’s Wizard series (Wizard’s Bane is the first. Especially good if you are a software geek like me.) I know I can think of few others as well, but they aren’t coming to me right now. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/36 "2007-01-06T02:17:32Z")
**TimeShips** by Stephen Baxter. Written as a sequel to Wells’ Time Machine. and **Tomorrow and Tomorrow** by Charles Sheffield. Not a traditional time travel book, but you’ll never find one that ranges farther. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/37 "2007-01-06T02:19:44Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] Grr, stoopid hamsters ate my post… Try Barbara Hambly’s _Time of the Dark_ series or her _The Silent Tower_ series – modern Earth persons transported to magical worlds. Also, one of MZ Bradley’s Darkover books – _Two to Conquer_ – would fit. [/QUOTE] _The Time of the Dark_ is the first novel in the Darwath series, and _The Silent Tower_ is the first book of the chronicles of Antryg Windrose. I’ve never really been able to get into either the Darkover or the Witch World series, so I won’t comment on them. But Hambly is very good. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/38 "2007-01-06T03:16:37Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] Try Barbara Hambly’s _Time of the Dark_ series or her _The Silent Tower_ series – modern Earth persons transported to magical worlds. [/QUOTE] I can’t believe I forgot the Darwath books :smack: Ingold Inglorian is the second coolest wizard ever. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/39 "2007-01-06T04:19:08Z")
A similar thread that has some good suggestions: [Your Favorite "Time Travel" Novel? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=144441) ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837/40 "2007-01-06T04:26:03Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] [The Anubis Gates](http://www.amazon.com/Anubis-Gates-Tim-Powers/dp/0441004016/sr=8-1/qid=1168048366/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-6386177-4835358?ie=UTF8&s=books) is absolutely brilliant, and sounds right up your alley. [/QUOTE] Only in the sense that it’s the best time travel story EVER!!! The best alternate worlds story in visual media ever just aired on the SciFi Channel – “The Lost Room.” It’s so good I can hardly believe it’s not a TV miniseries. Only written SF is incredibly good, with very rare exceptions. The Lost Room is one of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-fantasy-recommendations/386837.md?page=3)