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[moocowmoo]

I rather enjoyed the Coldfire Trilogy (though it was a long time ago)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldfire_Trilogy

I second this recommendation. Those are my favorite fantasy books.

[Awayfarer]

Alfred Bester's "The Stars, My Destination". 9 kinds of awesome on a scale of 1 to 7. It's more or less a sci-fi tale of revenge featureng an antihero by the name of Gulliver Foyle.

That and anything by Terry Pratchett.

[Jackrabbit]

Jackrabbit:
This

Follow the adventures of Arthur Dent recent citizen of Earth, Trillian, also of earth, Ford Prefect of a small planet near Beetleguise, Zafod Beetlebrox of the same area and recent president of the galaxy and Marvin, a manicaly depressed robot.

would have sold me the book, if I hadn't read it already(it's Douglas Adams, actually). Of R.E.Feist(those typos, eh?) I know only 'Betrayal at Krondor'(game=brilliant, book=mediocre). I understand that the magician Pug in both books is the same person? Anyway, I can't get myself to read lenghty series only to realize after flipping last page, that it was the same old story I read dozens of times, with only the setting being different. I read them and next month I forget them. Something in particular makes it stand out from the crowd?

Stand out from the crowd? Honestly, I havn't had much experience with fanatasy so I have no idea. I do like, though, that the books focus on a bunch of different characters in different situations and that they are constantly growing up over the series. I'm so far in that my favorite characters from the first book are dropping off from old age, not assassins. But stand out? I don't know.

EDIT: There is Pug, a bad ass magician and possibly the most powerful being in existence and then there's Thomas, a bad ass human-alien (Its not really a spoiler) hybrid who has a heritage which contains the previous most powerful beings in existence. And they're friends. Good thing too because I if they were enemies all hell would break loose.

[Il Palazzo]

Aquizzar: thanks, these are next on my list.

I suppose I shouldn't be such a selfish bastard, and recommend some books myself:
(a little bit of local-industry promotion might follow)
fantasy:

Spoiler: For fantasy lovers who happen to know polish, russian or spanish (click to show/hide)

 
Feliks W. Kres's books, 'The Hell and the rapier' especially - with plot resembling a cross between swashbuckling story and shakespearean tragedy, dark and gritty, with no black and white characters. Very mature and heart wrenching, this is fantasy fiction by the virtue of setting, not logical leaps or wishful thinking.

Spoiler: The Witcher (click to show/hide)

As Banzayatc mentioned before, it's very good. Fantasy again, full of new no-nonsense takes on old folklore(and neo-folklore) stories, including the seven dwarves, beauty and the beast, arthurian legends etc. I just hope that english translation preserved the wonderfuly colorful style it was written in.

sf

Spoiler: Stanislaw Lem - old school hard sf (click to show/hide)

If you've read Carl Sagan's 'Contact' and you thought that it was not sufficiently realistc take on the SETI, then try 'His Master's Voice' or 'Solaris'.
'The Cyberiad' on the other hand is a set of zany short stories about various exploits of certain robotic inventors. It couldn't care less for buildnig a belivable plot, instead it's a goldmine of sf-ideas stretched to the brink of ridicule(in this sense it vaguely resembles Douglas Adam's works).
Plus, the author has been accused by Phillip K. Dick of being a 'communist organisation', which is cool in itself.

Spoiler: Dune (click to show/hide)

We all know this one. And if you don't, then you should.

Spoiler: The left hand of Darkness by U.K.LeGuin (click to show/hide)

One of the most belivable alien worlds and societies in existence. It does a great job of making you feel alien amongst the 'humans', and not just watching a freak show. Her best book in my opinion.

Spoiler: P.K.Dick (click to show/hide)

Stories of troubled mind, filled with disbelief in reality's reality, multilayered and often metaphysical. Also amazingly varied visions of distant worlds, future and alternate history. If you ever wanted to take a glimpse of schizophrenic mind's perception of the world, try 'Valis'.

mainstream(sort of)

Spoiler:  Life of Pi by Yann Martel (click to show/hide)

 Follow a story of Pi, a boy set adrift in a lifeboat together with a chimpanzee, a hiena, a zebra and a bengal tiger, as he tries to stay alive long enough for the rescue party to arrive. There's a twist to this story that turns it from some imaginary(or at least unlikely) adventure tale into a profoundly humane masterpiece.

Spoiler: Gallic Wars by G.J.Caesar (click to show/hide)

No, I'm not trying to be sophisticated here. It's really awesome. Read of the Caesar's happy company slaughtering thousands of warriors, cleverly conquering cities and then mercilessly sacking them, selling their whole population into slavery, and playing power hungry tribal chiefs against each other. Featuring fearsome Germanic cavalry, British chariots, bridge building guide, and some well made observations about druids and unicorns.
This can be read as an adventure story, historical account, military handbook and political propaganda. And it does all those things well.

[Awayfarer]

Il Palazzo, I actually had to read "Left Hand" for the sci-fi course I took this semester. Not a bad book and, yeah, the world's really well developed. I felt a little let down by the characters though. Genly Ai hardly develops as a character, he's pretty much the same person you start the book with.

I could see an argument that that was intentional. Not giving a clear idea of the main character builds him up as the outsider figure of the book, and being alone on the world, he clearly is.

Eh, guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd rate it as decent but not great. 

[Il Palazzo]

Awayfarer: Sci-fi course sound like the coolest thing on earth. What is you major field of study? Literature? Or maybe physics?

Spoiler: ramblings about the 'Left hand...' (click to show/hide)

As you said(ok, wrote) Ai's hampered development seems intentional. Anything more detailed would have, in my opinion, took away too much from the book's appeal. After all, it's more about the entire humanity's(represented by Ai) clash with a truly different culture, rather than just one man's strange adventure. Still, I'm not going to argue with you about it's value - we all know that it's in the eye of the beholder.

[Samyotix]

Some of my favorites ...

Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale
Powerfully written, slightly scifi story. Imagine the most fervent right-wing, bible-bashing lunatic fringe Bible Belters ever ... imagine how such a cult stages a revolution, machineguns Congress, takes over power, and installs a government where laws are based on the Bible.
Suddenly, anyone who was ever divorced finds himself either back in bed with his first spouse, or in a work camp. The protagonist is such a woman - and, worse, she was picked to be a handmaid instead of just being sent to the Mars Mines.
If someone's wife turns out unable to have children, they can request a "handmaid" ... just like in the Bible, where Abraham raped his servant and forced her to bear "his" children ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handmaid%27s_Tale

Tim O'Brien, Going after Cacciatto
It's the eve of some major Vietcong offensive, and a yound soldier stands on his tower and daydreams ... slightly hallucinatory; or rather, allegoric?, Vietnam novel where soldiers rush after an AWOL comrade, following him across half the globe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_After_Cacciato

Arno Schmidt, Leviathan / Schwarze Spiegel; Nobodaddy's Children
This is a very modern author of the German post-war area, but almost completely forgotten. Offers insights not just into the life and mentality of a definitely non-standard German intellectual in and after the Nazi dictatorship:
"Nobodaddy's Children" is about a german father who is disgusted by his son's wishes to join the Hitler Youth, aghast at his wife's still believing in the "final victory", and who retreats more and more into his historical studies ...
Leviathan/Schwarze Spiegel is among my all time favorites: The short story Leviathan describes how a small group of refugees attempts to leave Berlin while the Russians are invading, with the main protagonist an utter cynic; Schwarze Spiegel describes how the last survivor of the nuclear and biological war travels through Europe, scrounging for food, reading dead people's mail and blasphemously insulting the Leviathan who made all that reality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arno_Schmidt
[Some of his books are on amazon.com]

One of my all-time favorites though no one seems to know how to pronounce the name: Carl Hiaasen. ... my only gripe is that by now I know all the books, and unlike Pratchett this one doesn't have an army of ghost writers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiaasen


Totally whacko, but in a good way:
a) Tim Robbins, "Half asleep in frog pajamas" / "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" / "Skinny legs and all"
b) If you're into psychedelic 1200-page-novels with undead nazis, illuminati, magic mushrooms and submarines: Robert Anton Wilson, "Illuminatus Trilogy"
c) I used to read Hunter Thompson and Charles Bukowski a lot but, erm, be becomes a bit too much after 100 pages or so.
d) John Fowles: Mantissa.
The novel starts with a guy locked in a grey room ... promptly Mantissa, the Muse in charge of Novels, appears, scolds the author for that plump metaphor. The book unfolds, so does the relationship between the Muse and the writer. Or, the author is making love to his muse, and in a way that novel is a result of this relationship ... great fun even if it is somewhat mindboggling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fowles



PS @lemon: Wasn't that a fan fiction novel based on someone else's IP? Man, if this was now, they'd sue tha so-called prophet for copyright infringement.
OK, so I've met people who believe in that book; or how saving chickens in Europa improves the kosmic karma so donations to rabid vegan freaks really prevents african babies from starving; I've even met people who thought the road to personal enlightenment led via a strange asian Moon cult where people get married to random strangers en masse ... I just wish they'd all stop proselytizing. :-)

[Sergius]

Well, unless I missed something nobody has mentioned the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.

"The Fifth Elephant" and "Thud" are very dwarf-centric, for all the DF fans.

However I'd recommend reading all the (40-something) books in the series, in Publishing order. If you however only want to read the two books I mentioned, at least do yourself a favor and read the entire "Watch" series of novels (there's a reading order guide here: http://www.lspace.org/books/) Again, I recommend reading all the books in order, not just a specific series (I did it and got confused with the timeline thankfully I got it sorted right later)

[DJ]

<3 Stanislaw Lem.

Anyway, be sure to tell how you liked the books I recommended.

[Rooster]

I guess my country just has good writers...

something obvious, but not THAT obvious : try Jules Verne

about FR :
I know Drizzt was a cool character but there are a lot cooler to rip off for example Elminster or some black characters. Drizzt is only background of FR. Now Elminster IS something!

[Awayfarer]

Awayfarer: Sci-fi course sound like the coolest thing on earth. What is you major field of study? Literature? Or maybe physics?

Spoiler: ramblings about the 'Left hand...' (click to show/hide)

As you said(ok, wrote) Ai's hampered development seems intentional. Anything more detailed would have, in my opinion, took away too much from the book's appeal. After all, it's more about the entire humanity's(represented by Ai) clash with a truly different culture, rather than just one man's strange adventure. Still, I'm not going to argue with you about it's value - we all know that it's in the eye of the beholder.

I'm an undergrad English major. The sci-fi course was a bit of a mess to tell you the truth. In a nutshell, the original professor was asked to handle the master's program and the replacement prof. got pneumonia halfway through the semester. On the plus side I did get to read a lot of books I might not have picked up otherwise.

"The Stars My Destination" was by far the best (of 8 books) on the syllabus, and the best sci-fi book I've read in a long time. I blew through it in one day, four hours start to finish. I've been badgering my girlfriend to put down "Green Mars" to read it. 

[Il Palazzo]

"The Stars My Destination" was by far the best (of 8 books) on the syllabus, and the best sci-fi book I've read in a long time. I blew through it in one day, four hours start to finish. I've been badgering my girlfriend to put down "Green Mars" to read it. 

So you think it's better than Mars trilogy? I am tempted, I must say.

Just out of curiosity, what books did they put in the syllabus apart from the two already mentioned?

[Tack]

Drizzt Dourden is in my top 10 of awesome hero's
Shane Schofield (Scarecrow) Matthew Riley
Jack Reacher (The Enemy) Lee Child
Ralan Bek (Wrath of a mad god) Raymond E. Feist
Skillgannon the damned (The swords of night and day) David Gemmel
Pug (Magician) Raymond E. Feist
Commander Vimes (Guards, Guards!) Terry pratchett (Close to vetinari)
Druss (Legend) David Gemmel
Brian Robeson (Hatchet) Gary Paulsen

Yeah, the characters half of you would know, and yes Artemis entreri would be at the top if he weren't a goddamn villian, and the dwarf out of the sellsword trilogy is mad, but i don't know his name, anyone know him?
But yeah, i'd check up the authors.

David gemmel writes really good epic fantasy, with characters you can't relate to, but would kill to be able to, he also has vivid sex scenes and sweet combat writing.
Check out legend, it's one of his best, i think his first.

Raymond E. Feist you've already heard of, but i'll chip in and say he's pretty good.

Terry pratchett is the best comedic novel writer ever. in the history of ever. EVER. if you read any of his books always read the footnotes. i think the light fantastic is his first.

Matthew riley, you probably know, typical action writer. Try Scarecrow or Seven ancient wonders, an awesome book cos the main protagonist is an Aussie!

Lee child is really good. He uses jack reacher for all of his novels, so there's no problem of mixups if you start halfway through the series, and it's a really good mix of action and intrigue, combined with the best badass ever.

And if you haven't read hatchet you deserve to be hatcheted. A really awesome book! Hatchet: Winter is just as awesome if not awesomer, but they're really short books.

And of course R.A. Salvatore. with characters... who DIE quickly, and then MYSTERIOUSLY come out of NOWHERE being RESSURECTED by a GEM which can HYPNOTISE dead people, but can't hypnotise a HALFLING who is HYPNOTISED by the THOUGHT of LUNCH! But yeah, the demon wars saga (NUMBER I!!!!!) is good, and so is the crimson shadow trilogy.

Feel free to throw in some other awesome hero's, and no it's not in that order. I haven't read any of robert jordans or terry goodkinds, or anthony horrowitz.

EDIT: another you might like is Eragon by Christopher paulini, even though the movie was a failure. He just didn't go in my list cos he's a pussy with a dragon.

[Jackrabbit]

And then he learns how to kill people by looking at them and all restraint gets thrown out the window and pissed on, lying cold and broken in the gutter. Although they are pretty good books anyway. I like Rory.

[Torak]

Only book series I've read more than once over.