# Science Fiction Like A Song of Ice and Fire? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 23, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508 "2014-01-23T06:39:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/21 "2014-01-24T03:22:23Z")
You might like Peter F. Hamilton’s work. He specializes in big sprawling SF epics with dozens of characters. Check out _Pandora’s Star_ and _Judas Unchained_ for an example. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/22 "2014-01-24T05:27:58Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Or you can go big, and try out Dan Simmons’s _[Hyperion Cantos,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos)_ which is huge, sprawling, with complex characters, multiple points of view and terrific world-building. Plus lots of action. Yeah, this, definitely. How about the Malazan Empire books? I’ve yet to finish them, but someday . . . Maybe Robin Hobb’s Farseer/Liveships/Rain Wilds? And Gene Wolfe’s New Sun books? ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/23 "2014-01-24T06:39:11Z")
You might find Gordon Dickson’s [Childe Cycle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childe_Cycle)interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/24 "2014-01-24T16:13:26Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If you mean a fictional but realistic medieval setting in which “magic” is real but people act like people and the story is full of political machinations, then I would recommend the Deryni series by Katherine Kurtz. Oh, my goodness, yes. That lady can _write_! ---
**Author:** ![Sassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/25 "2014-01-24T22:03:24Z")
Katharine Kerr’s Deverry series remains a favorite - multiple viewpoints, politics, magic, dragons! ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/26 "2014-01-24T22:40:23Z")
In the realm of science fiction (as the OP requested), [In Conquest Born](http://www.csfriedman.com/in-conquest-born/) is worth a read. ---
**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 24, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/27 "2014-01-24T22:58:39Z")
Hey, these are the exact same novels you guys recommended in MY thread where I asked for recommended good SF reads! I’m on to you guys! ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/28 "2014-01-25T00:02:03Z")
I’ve been reading the Company Wars books by C.J. Cherryh, and they may fit the bill. Start with Downbelow Station. It takes place on a space station during a war. It’s told from multiple perspectives. Characters are fleshed out rather than caricatures. The books in the series are told from different perspective characters and cover different periods. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/29 "2014-01-25T00:32:36Z")
> [@Meloy](#): > > What **Loach** , **Alessan** , and **Left Hand of Darkness** said, that is: gritty science-fiction with multiple points of view; a huge sprawling plot-line; complex characterization; and terrific world-building in a realistic [alien] setting in which [technology] is [fantastical] but people act like people and the story is full of political machinations. Red Mars, Green Mars & Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. ETA: in case it’s not clear, those are three books, each a doorstop in its own right 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/30 "2014-01-25T01:05:37Z")
If you want epic space opera filled with terrible people doing horrible things to each other, you can’t go wrong with Stephen R. Donaldson’s Gap novels. It’s loosely based off Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Start with _The Real Story_ and go from there. The villain of the first book is Angus Thermopyle, a pirate, murderer, thief, and rapist. By the fifth book, you’ll be rooting for him. ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/31 "2014-01-25T21:27:10Z")
How about S.M. Stirling’s Emberverse series? Neo-Medieval, endless battles, and strange clans spring from a common American origin. The Emberverse is amazingly constructed. ---
**Author:** ![Longshanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Longshanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Longshanks)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/32 "2014-01-25T21:57:35Z")
Two words. Warhammer 40k. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/33 "2014-01-25T22:05:17Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Red Mars, Green Mars & Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. > ETA: in case it’s not clear, those are three books, each a doorstop in its own right 🙂 Well, this is what I’m came here to say. Well, and the Baroque Cycle. Snaked on two accounts. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/34 "2014-01-25T22:51:58Z")
> [@Meloy](#): > > What **Loach** , **Alessan** , and **Left Hand of Darkness** said, that is: gritty science-fiction with multiple points of view; a huge sprawling plot-line; complex characterization; and terrific world-building in a realistic [alien] setting in which [technology] is [fantastical] but people act like people and the story is full of political machinations. So…most anything by Peter F. Hamilton. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/35 "2014-01-25T22:56:44Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > If you want epic space opera filled with terrible people doing horrible things to each other, you can’t go wrong with Stephen R. Donaldson’s Gap novels. Yeah! In terms of misery per page, it’s a much more apt comparison to A Song of Ice and Fire than anything Peter F. Hamiliton wrote. More entertaining too. Nuts to people who come down on Donaldson. > [@](#): > > It’s loosely based off Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Start with _The Real Story_ and go from there. The villain of the first book is Angus Thermopyle, a pirate, murderer, thief, and rapist. By the fifth book, you’ll be rooting for him. Is there anything in that universe that doesn’t just suck? ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/36 "2014-01-28T16:27:08Z")
Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/37 "2014-01-28T17:57:08Z")
It’s going to be a little harder to find than some of these recommendations, but there is also [Chronicles of an Age of Darkness](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicles_of_an_Age_of_Darkness)by Hugh Cook. The first book was published in the U.S. under the title \*Wizard War \*and I see it in used book stores on a regular basis. - Sprawling? check. - Told from several viewpoints? check. (note: different viewpoints in different novels, not interlaced chapters) - People, faced by an implacable, non-human foe capable of destroying the world, squabble for minor gains? check. - Characters you like die horribly? check. The series has a major scene shift after the first 4 or 5 books, but those are great and very non-romantic (in the old sense of a Romance novel). I see from Wiki that Hugh Cook has passed away, so another likely comparison to Game of Thrones is that it never really reaches a reasonable end point. However, unlike Game of Thrones, each book is pretty much an independent, complete, stand-alone story. I strongly recommend these books. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508/38 "2014-01-28T20:22:51Z")
I’ve just been rereading Mercedes Lakey’s Valdemarr universe Spoilered to keep the post from being huge Valdemar universe: The Mage Wars The Black Gryphon (1994) with Larry Dixon The White Gryphon (1995) with Larry Dixon The Silver Gryphon (1996) with Larry Dixon The Last Herald Mage Trilogy Magic’s Pawn (1989) Magic’s Promise (1990) Magic’s Price (1990) The Last Herald Mage (1990 - omnibus) The Collegium Chronicles Foundation (2008) Intrigues (2010) Changes (2011) Redoubt (2012) Bastion (2013) Brightly Burning (2000) Vows & Honor The Oathbound (1988) Oathbreakers (1989) Oathblood (1998) Vows and Honor (1993 - omnibus) Exile’s Honor (2002) Exile’s Valor (2003) Take a Thief (2001) Kerowyn’s Tale By the Sword (1991) Heralds of Valdemar Arrows of the Queen (1987) Arrow’s Flight (1987) Arrow’s Fall (1988) Queen’s Own (1987 - omnibus) Heralds of Valdemar (1990 - omnibus) The Mage Winds Trilogy Winds of Fate (1991) Winds of Change (1992) Winds of Fury (1993) The Mage Storms Trilogy Storm Warning (1994) Storm Rising (1995) Storm Breaking (1996) The Owl Mage Trilogy Owlflight (1997) with Larry Dixon Owlsight (1998) with Larry Dixon Owlknight (1999) with Larry Dixon Valdemar Short Story Collections Sword of Ice (1997) Sun in Glory (2003) Crossroads (2005) Moving Targets (2008) Changing the World (2009) Finding the Way (2010) Under the Vale (2011) Valdemar Companion (1990) with John Helfers Each group of books stands fairly well on it’s own but they also integrate well. You don’t feel like you’re left hanging after a trilogy but it’s always good to see a new set coming. They were written out of chronolgical order so you can choose to read in either publication order or world order, both work quite well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-like-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/679508.md?page=1)