Looking for a new set of books to read please help!

[Riggles]

Hi so I read a lot of sci-fi fantasy books in my off time or right before bed and I used to be up to 6-8 books at a time, but I have been busy so can't swing it atm. So i just finished a pretty decent series called Mistborn By Brandon Sanderson. It was cool. I am Currently (and extremely impatiently) waiting for the next book in Patrick Rothfuss' series The Doors of Stone. (If you like fantasy its an absolute must read even though its not finished). So I am reading a series called The Crucible by I forget the authors name solely because I can't go without reading. Its my biggest passion not just sci-fi fantasy but history, philosophy, occult books, mythology, legends, astronomy as far as I can understand it. The only reason right now i'm reading sci-fi fantasy is because I'm also studying to my learning brain has to be focused on that. So I am sure with the number of wonderful and eclectic people we have here on this forum, You guys can help me out with some books to read. Please for the moment or for later reading try to stick to sci-fi fantasy. Also, I used to work at a barnes and noble and was completely up to date on what new great books are out. But I went into a period of seclusion and now am about 3 years behind on a ton of i'm sure great new releases. So please Cover me with books and remember, I don't have a ton of time, so just awesome books you have read or are reading. Wow that was a douchy sentence and I apologize but i'm sure theres millions of books I would love but I don't have a long enough life span to read them all lol. Thanks ahead of time and I will be very active in this thread asking questions and whatnot. So please bring on the greats! :excitement:

BTW I am now an honorable member yay!

 

[dbt123]

How sci-fi are you willing to go? Have you tried anything like The Mote in God's Eye (Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle)?

Also, if you like history/legend/etc, have you ever tried reading any of Harry Turtledove's 'alternate history' books? I don't think he's the world's best writer, but the alternate timelines are fun.

 

[Riggles]

How sci-fi are you willing to go? Have you tried anything like The Mote in God's Eye (Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle)?

Also, if you like history/legend/etc, have you ever tried reading any of Harry Turtledove's 'alternate history' books? I don't think he's the world's best writer, but the alternate timelines are fun.

I have some of the niven books but havent heard of or read the mote in gods eye. I have seen harry turtledoves alternate books and they looked okay but I am looking for like the best books/series people have ever read or one of them.

 

[dbt123]

The Mote in God's Eye is set in the far future (a few thousand years from now) of Pournelle's "CoDominum" universe (a universe where eventually, the US and Soviet Union became allies), concerning humanity's first contact with an alien race, a very advanced one that has been stuck in its solar system for tens to hundreds of thousands of years despite their capabilities. It has one sequel (again by Niven and Pournelle), and there's a third book I haven't read by Pournelle's daughter. I really enjoyed the two I read.

Have you read the Dune series by Frank Herbert?

 

[notcharlotte]

@Riggles, tad williams has a series about an angel. the dirty streets of heaven, and happy hour in hell are two. angels apparently walk the streets and hang out in bars while waiting to judge souls. they're kind of fun.

for hard science fiction, blindsight and echopraxia by peter watts are terrific. blindsight is the ultimate first contact book and echpraxia follows up. they're scary and i read each one twice because they're very dense.

for all-around sf i love jack mcdevitt. his books usually have a occult side to them. he also has a series about some people who deal in artifacts, sometimes traveling to abandoned ships to find them. time travelers never die is the first one. i really enjoy this series.

i don't like space operas or war-based sf, as you can see from my list. but all were enjoyable.

 

[LeeAnn]

How about the Rhapsody series by Elizabeth Haydon. Its been around for a while but I just re read it and had forgotton so much it was like new.

 

[Riggles]

How about the Rhapsody series by Elizabeth Haydon. Its been around for a while but I just re read it and had forgotton so much it was like new.

I was just looking at her books I have them and couldn't decide symphony of ages sounds a but pretentious but I will def give it a read.

@notcharlotte Whats the name of that Tad Williams series it sounds interesting and ill check out the other ones. I am a voracious reader and since i'm used to 6-8 books at a time but am only reading one at a time right now due to studying I can read a 700 page book a day.


Thanks guys I didn't think we had any readers around here lol

 

[Jambotam]

If u want a different look at the way the world works, try a few of David Ickes books, not saying I agree or disagree with his point of view, but he does make some interesting, thought provoking points

Cheers T

 

[notcharlotte]

@Riggles,
the dirty streets of heaven
happy hour in hell
sleeping late on judgement day

the bobby dollar series by tad williams

p.s. i always read the whole series too, one after another. i hate it when i pick up a book in the middle of a series and can't figure out the backstory.

p.p.s. the laundry files series by charles stross-it's about people who can do magic with their computers. they work as spies for the u.k.--love that series and it's one where the books can stand alone. the atrocity archives is the first one. i don't understand all the tech references, but you really don't need too. this series is hard sf.

 

[Polynikes666]

The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. Literary sci-fi at it's finest.
The Expanse Series by James SA Corey. A fascinating but accessible space opera.
Wool and the entire Silo Series by Hugh Howey.

 

[Riggles]

The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. Literary sci-fi at it's finest.
The Expanse Series by James SA Corey. A fascinating but accessible space opera.
Wool and the entire Silo Series by Hugh Howey.

I already read the hyperion cantos and you're absolutely right. I believe I have the expanse series somewhere in my library i'd have to check, but im not a huge fan of space operas. I only say that because I dont know what a space opera is lol. I'll check out the hugh howey books. Thanks!
@notcharlotte thanks for the names of the tad williams books im gonna read em next. The other series seems kinda interesting. And I'm in IT so I might get the tech references lol. The book i'm currently reading is a bit boring but I can't not finish a book and I can't not finish a series. So i'll inhale them in a couple of days and get on to those.

 

[gsparrow]

If You liked Mistborn and Patrick Rothfuss you might like Django Wexler: fantasy, magic, political plots, and some of the most detailed descriptions of pre-modern military strategy you could ever hope to read. On the SF side I've really been enjoying Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy -- you might be aware of these since the first one won both the Hugo and the Nebula but it does live up to the hype....

 

[blueroan17]

@Riggles, not a series but Frank Fleming's "Superego" is great, both hilarious & thought-provoking, about a sociopathic hitman a few centuries into the future; I know, doesn't sound like a laugh riot, exactly; you kinda have to be there. Hmmm...and maybe be a li'l twisted, too, now that I think about it...

I'm not really into sci-fi that much (sorry, no offense! ) but I loved the dry humor, the writing is sharp, and the setting quite believable.

 

[Riggles]

Yeah I'm open to just about anything now I just primarily have been reading SciFi/Fantasy for a while but im getting into philosophy and some other just good novels. As long as it isn't a romance book with a half naked bodybuilder on the front, I'll give it a read lol.

 

[Soosie]

I recommend The Girl With All the Gifts by Mike Carey. It's a cross between sci-fi/thriller with a big dose of Zombie. And although I did not think I would enjoy the zombie aspect, it was truly riveting. I could not put it down. This is a slightly disturbing read but it also has a lot of heart and intelligence. It stayed with me long after I finished it.

 

[DulyNoted]

Aside from the obvious masters like Asimov and King two authors I found to be astonishingly fresh were:

Neil Gaiman (has some outstanding books. of his that I read are)

American Gods
Anansi Boys
Neverwhere
Smoke and Mirrors

Also Haruki Murakami

The Wind-up Girl Chronicle
HardBoiled Wonderland and the End of the World
A Wild Sheep Chase
1Q84

And then there's always House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski if you want a real challenge!

 

[blank]

My favourite author has to be Iain Banks. He wrote sci-fi under the name Iain M. Banks.

If you're into grand space operas check out his Culture series.

His non sci-fi is great too.

He died a couple of years ago, so we won't be getting any more.

 

[muser]

If you are a sci-fi fan you may have allready read all of Asimov's books, but there are quite a few of them. I'm currently really enjoying "The Stars Like Dust" which is great. It's also not that long (less than 200 pages), which may or may not be a good thing depending on how much spare time you have.

 

[PinkieToes]

@Riggles! I am halfway into the second book in the Mistborn series. I am really enjoying it.

OK I've enjoyed:

Favorite all time: The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King (must read this)

The Bone Clocks (david mitchell)
Rushed series
Wayward Pines Trilogy
Orphan Trilogy
The Infernal Devices

I am so happy you started this thread! I am always looking for books and I love series since I go through them so quickly.

 

[lesmiserables]

The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King

Wayward Pines Trilogy

Yes and YES!!!! @Riggles Seriously consider the Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch. Well, ANYTHING by Blake Crouch, honestly. You will never regret it. I'm a huge fan.

Also, after reading so much horror by Stephen King in my earlier years, I kind of gave him up.....until.....I realized his newer stuff is incredible. Really. Again, no regrets there.

Dean Koontz is so near and dear to my heart that I almost consider him a grandfather. I've read everything. He's such a prolific writer that I can't say one bad thing about any of his stuff. Except maybe is VERY early stuff.

If you like time-traveling stories, I suggest you look into Nathan Van Coops "In Times Like These" Series (#1 In Time Like These, #2 The Chronothon). I've never been really heavy into time-traveling type stories, but these were pretty good.

If you enjoy Contemporary Urban Fantasy type stuff (or are looking for something different) I really enjoyed the Girl In the Box Series by Robert J. Crane.

There are 2 books in Marcus Sakey's Brilliance Saga and they were very, very good.

Let me know what you are reading now and what you are on to next!