Heya friends :)
Since there is a post like this on every gaming forum I though why not here as well. :) I am very much interested to hear what are your personal favorites among the Fantasy and Sci-Fi genre and maybe even what were the first books, short stories in this regard that you have ever read? What were the most defining for you and why?
Surely, this is not a questionare but a friendly sharing of mutual points of interest for the pure joy that comes out of it. (Hopefully hah)
I'll go first then
Favorite (personally best that is) :
Sci-Fi: 1) Dune Saga (the original) 2)Berserker Saga (Saberhagen) 3) Book of the New Sun(Gene Wolf) 4)Everything Heinlein 5)Hyperion (1st book)
Fantasy: Haven't read anything new for the past decade to be precise. But Tolkien, Kay and Ursula were one of the favorite. :)
Not sure that I can rate them, but I can certainly list some of my favorites.
The Black Company series - Glen Cook
The Legend of Drizzt - R.A. Salvatore
Star Wars: The Old Republic series - Drew Karpyshyn, Paul S. Kemp & Sean Williams respectively. Deceived is particularly good IMO!
I read so much its hard to pick out just a few but the series that i've reread the most has been Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and John Conroe's Demon Accord. There is a lot of decent-good RPGLit out there too on Amazon's Kindle service and if you read a lot like I do, Kindle Unlimited is your friend.
Amsai said:The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind is prrobably my favorite.
But I also like the Deathgate Cycle, The Xanth novels, and of course just about anything from the DnD novels (Drizzt, Elminster, Raistlin, etc).
I share your interests Amsai :) As well as many of the others named here. The first book of the Sword of Truth series was one of the best fantasy works I have ever laid my eyes upon - loved it entirely. Have also read through the entire Sundering series but haven't managed to get my hands on the new novels from the 5E, really want to continue reading those character story lines - some wonderful writers and Faerun is my old old love so I enjoy getting back into it always. :)
I agree with many choices above - read every story you can, your life will be better for it.
Had to mention some classics though: Andre Norton, E.E. "Doc" Smith and Roger Zelazny.
Kumu said:I agree with many choices above - read every story you can, your life will be better for it.
Had to mention some classics though: Andre Norton, E.E. "Doc" Smith and Roger Zelazny.
I have to second Roger Zelazny, "The Chronicles of Amber" is one of my favourite stories! I named my cat Amber after it :P
Rachael said:Kumu said:I agree with many choices above - read every story you can, your life will be better for it.
Had to mention some classics though: Andre Norton, E.E. "Doc" Smith and Roger Zelazny.
I have to second Roger Zelazny, "The Chronicles of Amber" is one of my favourite stories! I named my cat Amber after it :P
I had to double quote! :D One of the best series evah! XD I've just re-read it a year ago and loved it. Especially the first couple of books. Heh sometimes I wish my mind could get selectively wiped (and knowing a bit of cog. science I know what kind of a hassle that still is and will be) so that I can re-read it every couple of years :)
Some of my favorites were the Hobbit /Lord of the Rings books and then I got way into the Shanarra Chronicles. When I started playing EQ1, I used to group with a small group of friends and two of thier character names were Wuulfgar and Wulgaar and whenever someone new would join our group everone would ask if they had read the Dark Elf Trilogy. I had not, but after grouping with them for several months, I ended up finding out all about Drizzt and Cattie-Brie and all those great books from RA Salavatore. Funny thing was I had read the Elmister stories, and the Spellfire books, but hadnt the slightest clue about Drizzt and the Dark Elf Trilogy.
I see some really great titles listed here. I dont have a Top 5 list per se but, I will throw out a Fantasy book series I dont see mentioned here.. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson. It was a series of three trilogys aka The First, Second and Last Chronicles.
When a new title in the series was released, I would read it as soon as I got my hands on it, I guess it could have been compared to "binge watching" as it's known today :)
I thought the story line and character development were on par with The Hobbit/LotR and the lore and history was very detailed and just as complex. I would like to see a series developed for the movie theatres or maybe even a TV series.....Cheers
Interesting entry Oldtimer! :) I have never before heard of "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" but the short wiki description sure does look intriguing! Reminds me of the Neverending story which I have read as a young boy!
Oh and on a side note, I did forgot to mention Howard's Conan. Conan stories will always remain the defining fictional setting for my RL inspiration.
I love to read but I don't really have a favorite genre though I do tend to fancy post-apocalyptic stories. So I can't really do a top 5 sci-fi or fantasy list. One of my favorite series of the past few years does happen to be a sci-fi series though which is the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown.
In no particular order; Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown, The Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole, The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin, Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor
Lets see, I would count most story arcs from the Forgotten Realms as favorites, chief among them being Drizzt. There are several others, I tend to favor stories that span multiple volumes, I guess you could call me a fan of epics. Of course, the Lord of the Rings books fit in there. But if I had to choose an all time favorite epic story, it would be the Wheel of Time saga concieved and mostly written by Robert Jordan and completed by Brandon Sanderson.
I picked the Wheel of Time up over 10 years ago in college, I want to say that something like eight or nine of the 14 books were out at that time. It pulled me in so much that, as each new book was coming upon release, I would re-read everything leading up to it to have it fresh in my mind.
Have read *hundreds* (well into double-digits) of Sci-Fi/Fantasy books. So cannot choose 'best'.
BUT: Things you *should* have a peek at if you think you like Science Fiction/Fantasy
1. Classic Sci-Fiction :
E.E.Doc Smith (Lensman, Family D'Alembert, Masters of the Votex, Skylark etc), Robert E. Heinlein (Eg The Cat who walked through walls, Have spacesuit will travel, The Pupet Masters - made into a good movie etc), Isaac Asimov (loads) and A.C. Clarke (loads and loads)
2. Classic Sci-Fantasy:
E.C. Tubb (Dumerest Saga, some would say Sci-Fi), Xanth Series (Terry Pratchet), Frank Herbert (Dune and more people don't often hear about), Michael Morcock (Lots) and Tolkien.
3. Excellent Sci-Fantasy:
Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time), Terry Goodkind (Wizard's First Rule), Melanie Rawn (Dragon Prince). Jim Butcher (Codex Alera)
4. Missed by 99% of readers unfortunately, may be hard to find.
Wizard's Destiny (Susan Dexter), The Sword and the Satchel (Elizabeth Boyer), The Reluctant Swordsman (Dave Duncan), The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump (Harry Turtledove)
5. Recently read and better than the move :
The Martian (Andy Weir)
PS
Oldtimer said: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson.
If you start this series, you MUST read into chapter 2. Do not, under any circumstances, stop at the end of chapter 1 of Book 1. I did....and
... 10 Years later I picked it up again and read on from chapter 2 to the end of the whole series.
Evoras said:Have read *hundreds* (well into double-digits) of Sci-Fi/Fantasy books. So cannot choose 'best'.
BUT: Things you *should* have a peek at if you think you like Science Fiction/Fantasy
1. Classic Sci-Fiction :
E.E.Doc Smith (Lensman, Family D'Alembert, Masters of the Votex, Skylark etc), Robert E. Heinlein (Eg The Cat who walked through walls, Have spacesuit will travel, The Pupet Masters - made into a good movie etc), Isaac Asimov (loads) and A.C. Clarke (loads and loads)
2. Classic Sci-Fantasy:
E.C. Tubb (Dumerest Saga, some would say Sci-Fi), Xanth Series (Terry Pratchet), Frank Herbert (Dune and more people don't often hear about), Michael Morcock (Lots) and Tolkien.
3. Excellent Sci-Fantasy:
Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time), Terry Goodkind (Wizard's First Rule), Melanie Rawn (Dragon Prince). Jim Butcher (Codex Alera)
4. Missed by 99% of readers unfortunately, may be hard to find.
Wizard's Destiny (Susan Dexter), The Sword and the Satchel (Elizabeth Boyer), The Reluctant Swordsman (Dave Duncan), The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump (Harry Turtledove)
5. Recently read and better than the move :
The Martian (Andy Weir)
PS
Oldtimer said: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson.If you start this series, you MUST read into chapter 2. Do not, under any circumstances, stop at the end of chapter 1 of Book 1. I did....and
... 10 Years later I picked it up again and read on from chapter 2 to the end of the whole series.
Yes, I agree. To stop reading after the First Chronicles would be like reading The Hobbitt without reading LotR.
I was going to put wheel of time down, but honestly there are so many gender stereotypes it makes me sad and a bit peeved. I'll finish the series at some point.
I'll just give 1 since Im picky about what I recommend.
The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne
Sent via mobile
-Todd
I've really been enjoying "The Demon Wars saga" by R.A. Salvatore.
Athough I'm listening to audio books of it at work and not reading it :P, it's been a very enjoyable story so far. I'm currently on the second book of the second trilogy (technically book 6 because there a book in-between the two trilogies) :P
1. The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings/The Silmarillion/Unfinished Tales...Tolkien - Anyone who wants to write epic fantasy should read The Silmarillion...that's worldbuilding at its finest.
2. The Wheel of Time...Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson - I was sure Brandon Sanderson was going to ruin this for me. I had a couple of issues, but he did a great job. The Gathering Storm ties with Lords of Chaos for top book IMO...just slighly above The Fires of Heaven and The Shadow Rising. I'm even hooked on Sanderson's series now...Stormlight Archives.
3. A Song of Ice and Fire...George R. R. Martin - Even though I'm pretty pissed about having the books spoiled by the show, I still have to put this here. Also, I doubt we would have ever known how it ends without the show, so maybe it's not a bad thing.
4. The Legend of Drizzt...RA Salvatore - The Dark Elf Trilogy books were the first fantasy I ever read besides Tolkien and Lewis, really. I started them right after I started playing EQ. Here we are 33 books later and I'm still reading them as soon as they come out. I was pretty satisfied with the most recent book, Hero. I also loved his Cleric Quintet books (great if you like clerics and/or monks). Can't say I've read Demon Wars...I think I remember they're not Forgotten Realms and that put me off. Maybe I need to give them another shot.
5. The Name of the Wind/The Wise Man's Fear...Patrick Rothfuss - Surprised I didn't see these here already. Great books. I found out about Rothfuss when GRRM linked to Rothfuss's blog on his own blog. Rothfuss was complaining about hate mail he got because he writes so slowly...and Martin could definitely relate. I figured that if so many people were pissed that Rothfuss hadn't finished his second book, I'd better read the first one. Definitely did not disappoint.
6. Chronicles of Narnia...CS Lewis - The allegory can be a bit annoying at times, but still great storytelling. Definitely helped shape today's epic fantasy. Gotta read them all...not just popular ones...lol.
7. Shannara...Terry Brooks - I have to admit that I read everything else on this list before the Shannara books. At first, I thought he was just ripping Tolkien off...and he kind of was, but he put his own twist on it. By the second book, which I think is the best, he had definitely found his own way. As I continued reading, I realized that these books likely had a pretty large influence on The Wheel of Time. It put me off how each book took place in a different time, though. I struggled with meeting a new set of characters every book instead of coming back to old friends.
8. The Sword of Truth...Terry Goodkind - I think Goodkind is a bit of a formula writer and I had some trouble with that, but I can't deny that his magic system is brilliant. This was actually the first huge contemporaty epic fantasy series I read that actually ended...however, he's since started up with the main characters again. I think there are three extra books? I'm definitely one behind.
9. Ivanhoe...Sir Walter Scott - I know, I know...more of a classic, really, but still something that people who like the stuff we like should read. Beginning is a little rough with the swineherds, but definitely an amazing book. Won't take long before you're hooked.
10. Pillars of the Earth/World Without End...Ken Follett - More Historical Fiction. Nobody I've read has mastered the art of disappointing the reader like Follett. That's a compliment, by the way. LOL.
Edit: Sorry, couldn't keep it to five. Cut it off at Rothfuss if you must!
Thanks for the reading sugestions :)
My reading adventure started with Raymond E. Feist , (also named by Aradune and not yet listed here) which could also bring a lot of idea's into this game (ref Betrayal at Krondor).
like... opening certain chests with a puzzle
