# SF&F recommendations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847 "2008-09-30T14:25:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/1 "2008-09-30T14:25:02Z")
I have become somewhat set in my ways, and mostly re-read books I already own, or buy new releases of series I am already releasing. I would like to experience some new authors, and would prefer to target good ones, which is where your opinions comes in From the list below you’ll see I like most things. The list is as exhaustive as I can manage off the top of my head, but I’m sure I missed some. What would you suggest for me to try next Already read and like Robert Jordan - Wheel Of Time Katharine Kerr - Deverry Terry Pratchett - Discworld David Gemmell - everything George R R Martin - Song of Ice and Fire JV Jones - bakers boy series & cavern of red ice series David Farland - Runelords Iain M Banks - all, but particularly like the Culture subset Larry Niven - core Known universe books, ringworld Asimov - various, mainly Robot books and Hari Seldon books David Eddings - All - used to love them, have moved on L E Modessitt - Recluce books Robin Hobb - Farseer, Liveship, Tawny Man, Soldier Son Guy Gavriel Kay - Tigana & Fionavar Stephen Donaldson - Mordant’s need, covenant1, covenant2, covenant3, Gap series Weis & Hickman - Death’s Gate, Dragon Lance, Darksword, Rose of the Prophet, Star of the Guardians Stephen King - most but some gaps Stephen Lawhead - Pendragon cycle, Dragon King, Song of Albion, Celtic crusade Hugh Cook - Age of Darkness Greg Bear - Songs of Earth and Power, Eon, Forge of God, Darwin’s Radio Philip Jose Farmer - World of Tiers Jacqueline Carey - Kushiel Tad Williams - memory, Sorrow & Thorn, Otherland Elizabeth H Boyer - Alfar Jonathan Wylie - Servants of Ark, Unbalanced Earth Douglas Adams - HHGTTG, Anne McCaffrey - Pern Terry Brooks - Shanhara, Magic Kingdom Read and disliked Gormenghast - one series i could never finish Sword of Truth - it started OK but became total preachy drec James Clemens - Wit’ch books. Hated hated hated these, never got past 1/3 way into 1st book ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/2 "2008-09-30T14:34:46Z")
Vernor Vinge, specifically _A Fire Upon The Deep_ and _A Deepness In The Sky_. Very engaging science fiction, with some fantastic concepts wrapped around decent plots. (Don’t let the prologue to _Fire_ dissuade you; it’s thick writing, but intentionally so, and the opacity clears up in the novel proper.) ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/3 "2008-09-30T14:35:48Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Vernor Vinge, specifically _A Fire Upon The Deep_ and _A Deepness In The Sky_. Very engaging science fiction, with some fantastic concepts wrapped around decent plots. > > (Don’t let the prologue to _Fire_ dissuade you; it’s thick writing, but intentionally so, and the opacity clears up in the novel proper.) Told you I’d missed some. Those should have been on the enjoyed list. I have read his Peace War books also Whilst we’re at it, also have read the Trudi Canavan Black Magician series :smack: ---
**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:** [September 30, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/4 "2008-09-30T14:46:59Z")
Gene Wolfe, _Book of the New Sun_ series (Shadow of the Torturer, etc.), and _Book of the Long Sun_ series. Also, Knight/Wizard duology. And please tell us you have read Zelazny. Because, seriously. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/5 "2008-09-30T14:49:42Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Gene Wolfe, _Book of the New Sun_ series (Shadow of the Torturer, etc.), and _Book of the Long Sun_ series. Also, Knight/Wizard duology. > > And please tell us you have read Zelazny. Because, seriously. yes on the zelazny, just couldn’t remember his name or how to search, but the Amber books are a roger wilco. Also Harry Potter, how the hell did I forget those? have read them also add the golden compass books too, those were a bit meh for me, but were OKish Cheers for your suggestions, I shall start a list. ---
**Author:** ![beowulf573](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@beowulf573](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulf573)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/6 "2008-09-30T14:54:56Z")
I’ve been reading the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde which are kinda sorta sci-fi’ish. British absurdity. Fun stuff, specially for a book lover. ---
**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:** [September 30, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/7 "2008-09-30T14:58:44Z")
Based on your liosty, I’d suggest: Philip Jose Farmer – The “Riverworld” series ( **to Your scattered Bodies Go, The Fabulous Riverbo0at, The Dark Design, The Magic Labyrinth**. You can ignore **The Gods of Riverworld** , as far as I’m concerned, but check out the two anthologies of Riverworld stories written by other writers, aslong with **Riverworld** and other stories by Farmer) If you liked Farmer’s Tiers series, I’ll bet you’ll like this. Robert Sheckley – If you can find them. he was a big influence of Douglas Adams (I still think Hitchiker’s Guide feels like rewritten “Dimension of Miracles”), and his stuff was ripped off for the movies without attribution (while, ironically,. movies based on his stuff are pretty bad, and not terribly faithful) Cordwainer Smith – Not sure if you’d like him – his stuff isn’t really comparable to anyone else’s. But they’ve recently reprinted a lot of his stories in a trade paperback, and it’s well worth the look. I notice that Tolkien and Robert E. Howard are missing from your list, although other fantasy is there. Are they too obvious? Or did you not really care for them? How about Lovecraft? Have you read T.H. White’s **the Once and Future King** and **The Book of Merlin**? ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/8 "2008-09-30T15:03:15Z")
Tolkien I have read, well Hobbit & Lord of the rings books, never got round to Silmarillion etc Robert E Howard is a new one on me, one for the list? Lovecraft never really floated my boat, though admittedly I didn’t try real hard. Once And Future King sounds familiar, but I have read a ton of Arthurian stuff, and they all run together in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/9 "2008-09-30T15:08:48Z")
> [@beowulf573](#): > > I’ve been reading the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde which are kinda sorta sci-fi’ish. British absurdity. Fun stuff, specially for a book lover. Oh yes, as well as his Nursery Crime Division novels. Very entertaining and silly in an understated way. **One and Only** , I half suspected it’d turn out you already read those. 😛 Also, for fairly standard sci-fi, there’s _Night Train to Rigel_ by Timothy Zahn. It’s nothing epic or grand, but it is an entertaining train mystery novel with an interesting science fiction bent. ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/10 "2008-09-30T15:12:13Z")
David Brin, the _Uplift_ series. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/11 "2008-09-30T15:17:56Z")
Anyone who digs SF&F should read Robert Anton Wilson’s and Robert Shea’s [_Illuminatus!_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Illuminatus!_Trilogy) at least once, regardless of whether it strictly qualifies, just because. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/12 "2008-09-30T15:29:11Z")
High fantasy: Greg Keyes: Kingdom of Thorn and Bone series starting with _The Briar King_ Lois McMaster Bujold: Chalion series starting with _The Curse of Chalion_ Garth Nix: Abhorsen series starting with _Sabriel_ I don’t usually recommend series that aren’t complete, but these first books in series impressed me: _The Name of the Wind_ by Patrick Rothfuss _A Shadow in Summer_ by Daniel Abraham _Mistborn_ by Brian Sanderson ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/13 "2008-09-30T15:33:16Z")
You mention Niven’s Known Space books, how about some of the Niven and Pournelle ones: _The Mote in God’s Eye_, _Lucifer’s Hammer_, _Footfall_, etc? On the fantasy side, have you tried Katherine Kerr’s Deverry series, particularly the first quartet, _Daggerspell_, _Darkspell_, _Dawnspell_, and _Dragonspell_? ETA Sorry missed second on the list :smack: ---
**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:** [September 30, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/14 "2008-09-30T15:37:06Z")
No Heinlein on your list? ---
**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:** [September 30, 2008, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/15 "2008-09-30T15:38:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Robert E Howard is a new one on me, one for the list? Howard’s the guy who wrote the original Conan the Barbarian stories, and they’re well worth the read. Fortunately for you, they’ve reprinted his original stories (along with the notes and outlines we’ve never seen before), all without the additions and pastiches by de Camp and Carter and others in a series of trade paperbacks. They’ve also reprinted a lot of non-Conan Howard stories as well. Definitely worth reading. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/16 "2008-09-30T16:26:51Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > No Heinlein on your list? tried starnger in a strange land, and didn’t like it. worth trying others? ---
**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:** [September 30, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/17 "2008-09-30T16:49:02Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > tried starnger in a strange land, and didn’t like it. worth trying others? Absolutely! I’m not sure which one(s) specifically to recommend, but definitely try something shorter than and written earlier than _Stranger_. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/18 "2008-09-30T17:04:46Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Absolutely! I’m not sure which one(s) specifically to recommend, but definitely try something shorter than and written earlier than _Stranger_. _The Door Into Summer_ is shorter and less…out there? than _Stranger_. It’s a solid time travel story which I’ve read about three times and enjoyed each time. _Job: A Comedy Of Justice_ is also well worth checking out, especially if you’re into Christianity-as-mythology, similar to _Good Omens_. Some of Heinlein’s stuff is definitely odd, like _Stranger_ and _Number of the Beast_, but not all of his works are such. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/19 "2008-09-30T17:34:22Z")
For fantasy, I recommend P.C. Hodgell’s Kencyrath novels, _Godstalk, Dark of the Moon, Seeker’s Mask_, and _To Ride a Rathorn_. They follow the adventures of a young Kencyr woman, Jame, as she tries to rejoin her people, surrounded by chaos and calamity all the while. The themes are quite complex and dark, but there’s also plenty of quirky humor to leaven them, drawn both from the heroine’s rather irreverent attitudes and the peculiarities of the world she lives in. _Godstalk_ and _Dark of the Moon_ have been combined in an omnibus edition, _Dark of the Gods_, and a new omnibus release, _The God Stalker Chronicles_, is scheduled for January 2009. There’s also an anthology called _Blood and Ivory_ with some additional Kencyr stories and (oddly enough) my favorite Sherlock Holmes story, “Ballad of the White Plague”. ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847/20 "2008-09-30T17:37:44Z")
Have you tried any of the Dresden books by Jim Butcher? If you like that sort of urban fantasy, there are several other authors I could recommend. You mentioned Trudi Canavan, have you tried her _Age of the Five_ books? [This](http://www.amazon.com/Priestess-White-Five-Trilogy-Book/dp/0060815701/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222795457&sr=1-6) is the first in the series. It wasn’t bad, although not as good as her other series. What about Piper for some SF? I liked [Little Fuzzy](http://www.amazon.com/Little-Fuzzy-H-Beam-Piper/dp/0843959118/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222795585&sr=1-10) and a couple of the other Fuzzy books, [Lord Kalvin of Otherwhen](http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Kalvan-Otherwhen-Ace-F-342/dp/044106342X/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222795662&sr=1-8) and [The Cosmic Computer](http://www.amazon.com/Cosmic-Computer-Henry-Beam-Piper/dp/1406866474/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222795766&sr=1-1). Have you tried any of the [Deryni](http://www.rhemuthcastle.com/wiki/pmwiki.php/Books/Deryni) books by Katherin Kurtz? I’m hit or miss with them but they’re enjoyable if irritating sometimes for leaving stuff out. I liked [The Magelord Trilogy](http://www.amazon.com/Magelord-Awakening-Thomas-K-Martin/dp/0441004350/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222796070&sr=1-8) by Thomas Martin. A quick read but enjoyable. I also like [The Lost Fleet](http://www.amazon.com/Dauntless-Lost-Fleet-Book-1/dp/0441014186/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222796175&sr=1-4) series by Jack Campbell. Let me know if you’d like more suggestions. Especially about the urban fantasy stuff. There are at least 3 or 4 other series out there in that genre. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-f-recommendations/465847.md?page=2)