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[Kofthefens]

Read it

[Delta Foxtrot]

I felt it was more appropriate to necro this rather than make yet another book thread since this isn't that old just yet. Lately I've been getting into books. Indeed, I've found that books can be quite awesome as forms of entertainment. As fun as it is to browse the library shelves looking for author/title names I recognize, I'd like some on the spot recommendations for now.

Things I've read:

• 1984
• Dune
• Ender's Game
• Starship Troopers

While 1984 was interesting with decent bits here and there, mainly the parts where O'Brien was more active. Overall the text was still fairly boring to read. It just didn't captivate me all that well. I really liked the other three books though. All had great characters that were fun to follow as far as I'm concerned. I liked Dune for its politic and religious going ons, very interesting. Starship Troopers really resonated with me with its whole Duty & Honour brothers-in-arms camaraderie. I really liked the world it portrayed, and how it was portrayed. I liked the indoctrination, both that which was directed at the characters in-book as well as the ideas the author clearly tried to instill in the reader. And Ender? Let's just say I liked Ender. Never really thought I would find a piece of fiction where adolescents were as good main characters as they were in Ender's Game.

Going through those, I think what I liked about the aforementioned works was the ever present atmosphere of militarism and all it entails. All were more or less dark or greyish shade; the characters weren't free, they were all a part of a greater whole/organization with discipline, duty and responsibilities to match. I liked reading that. Not necessarily portraying worlds I'd want to live in or people I'd want to be, but definitely something I love reading about. I liked the messianic aspects and conversations in Dune, I enjoyed the moral history & philosophy classes in Starship Troopers and I loved the parts in Ender's Game where people were talking about the justification of the bug war and the means with which they fought it.

So, what should I pick next that would strike a chord akin to the works mentioned? It doesn't have to be Sci-Fi, I just want something with atmosphere similar to the ones I've read so far. It could be fantasy, (alternate) history or modern day for all I care. And one last bit, for the time being I'm staying out of series'. I didn't read beyond Dune, I never checked Ender's Shadow or the other sequels, that's not what I'm looking for right now. The individual book can be long, sure, but for the time being no Dark Tower or Song of Fire & Ice. They may be good, I will probably look into them some day, but not now. For now I just want individual standalone works.
Maybe some more Heinlein perhaps? Or is Starship Troopers one-of-a-kind in his career?

[Willfor]

For now I just want individual standalone works.

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. A standalone work that deals with heavy themes in an fantasy version of Italy. GGK is easily one of the most literary writer in the fantasy genre, and he likes to craft his prose. It deals with the oppression of culture/history in the wake of a conqueror losing his son during his conquest, and the resistance against it.

[lordcooper]

Books are bad for the environment man, play videogames instead.

[nenjin]

Books are bad for the environment man, play videogames instead.

And participate in the wholesale rape of the power grid? I think not sir!

[lordcooper]

Books are bad for the environment man, play videogames instead.

And participate in the wholesale rape of the power grid? I think not sir!

Solar panels ftw!

[Kansa]

I would recommend Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks

[TheBeardyMan]

Two series that I highly recommend:

• The Castle Circle series by Steph Swainston:
• The Year of Our War
• No Present Like Time
• The Modern World (UK) / Dangerous Offspring (US)
• Above the Snowline
• The Tales of the Ketty Jay by Chris Wooding:
• Retribution Falls
• The Black Lung Captain
• The Iron Jackal

[Kofthefens]

I felt it was more appropriate to necro this rather than make yet another book thread since this isn't that old just yet. Lately

Thanks for necroing this- I need some more myself

[NobodyPro]

If you like fantasy and haven't done so already, I recommend The Wheel of Time. It'll take you about six months to get through at 1000 pages a book. To put it in perspective, the last book is coming next year, the audiobooks are at 419h 30m already and the original author's dead (in the preface to the first few books he stated that he would be writing till they nailed the coffin shut).
Do not skip the first book no matter how similar it is to Frodo fleeing The Shire! Nothing will make sense. Great read.

[Kofthefens]

Yep. I love that series.

[Willfor]

I felt it was more appropriate to necro this rather than make yet another book thread since this isn't that old just yet. Lately

Thanks for necroing this- I need some more myself

What did you read that we already recommended? To prevent us from recommending something that you've read that we suggested.

[Osmosis Jones]

Yay, something that panders to my interests! I have several thousand dollars worth of fantasy books (two and a half large bookcases), so I won't list them all. That said, there are some that you really do have to read, as they are downright amazing.

Look up Patrick Rothfuss; Name of the Wind and A Wise Man's Fear are his only two books, but they are better than most established authors entire works.
-tied with-
ANYTHING BY SANDERSON. The Mistborn trilogy is probably the best place to start, but really anything is good. Save The Way of Kings for last. Best book he has ever written, and it's the *start* of a WoT-esque series.

Also joining the chorus on WoT. Last few books are pure distilled awesome. Partly because of Sanderson, but also because all the groundwork Jordan was laying was starting to pull together (the last one he wrote before he passed away was really good, and that was all him).

Look up Robin Hobb (Aka Megan Lindholm). She's best known for the Assassin, Liveship and Tawny Man trilogies (all set in the same world), and they are all very good. She's currently writing more for that universe (Dragon keepers and dragon haven have already been published) that maintain the same high standard. That said, avoid her Soldier Son trilogy; it's not *bad* per se, but it doesn't live up to the rest of her work. Haven't read the rest of her stuff, but she has 3 or 4 more books.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman is also excellent.

If you like hard SciFi, I'd also suggest in addition to Asimov you read The Mote in God's Eye and its sequel The Moat Around Murchison's Eye (it was published under a different name in the states, but google will find it) by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven. Very hard SF (they got actual physicists to come up with much of the future tech, and it is awesome) that is a great read. Larry Niven's own Ringworld series is also very  good, though I think it's not quite up to the Mote.

[Kofthefens]

1. Look up Patrick Rothfuss; Name of the Wind and A Wise Man's Fear are his only two books, but they are better than most established authors entire works.

2. ANYTHING BY SANDERSON. The Mistborn trilogy is probably the best place to start, but really anything is good. Save The Way of Kings for last. Best book he has ever written, and it's the *start* of a WoT-esque series.

3. Look up Robin Hobb (Aka Megan Lindholm).

4. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman is also excellent.

5. If you like hard SciFi, I'd also suggest in addition to Asimov you read The Mote in God's Eye and its sequel The Moat Around Murchison's Eye (it was published under a different name in the states, but google will find it) by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven. Very hard SF (they got actual physicists to come up with much of the future tech, and it is awesome) that is a great read. Larry Niven's own Ringworld series is also very  good, though I think it's not quite up to the Mote.

1. I'll look into it
2. Read and enjoyed
3. Read and enjoyed
4. Read and thought was okay
5. I'm not a big fan of sci-fi (though I certainly read some), but I'll look into these.

[lordcooper]

Ye need no other authors.