What is a good fantasy/sci-fi series?

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RachelP

Member
I know I asked this question earlier, but I would like an update!

Here are some of the books I have read:
1. Mists of Avalon -- loved it but it was a long and heavy read.
2. The Hunger Games/Catching Fire -- Enjoyed it. It was a light read but a good plot.
3. Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen -- Still my favourite fantasy series, but generally preferred books 1 and 2.
4. LoTR trilogy -- enjoyed it.
5. His Dark Materials -- Really liked this one too.
6. Harry Potter series -- really liked this one.
7. The Hitchhiker's Guide series -- loved the first book!
8. The Fionavar Tapestry - meh, couldn't really get into this one.
9. Twilight - still reading but NOT enraptured by it. I don't dislike it, but it's just mediocre.

So judging by my taste in books, I would love it if people could make some educated recommendations. I've just purchased A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings, so we can leave out George R.R. Martin, unless he has written another good series.

Thanks!
 
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LarkinL

New member
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card (book 1)

The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel by Jasper Fforde (if you like Hitchhiker's Guide, you'd probably like this quirky humor book set in an alternate/future world)

Her Majesty's Wizard, Christopher Stasheff (book 1)

Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon
 
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SweetNyjah

New member
Anne Bishop's "Tir Alain Trilogy", "Black Jewels Trilogy" and other Black Jewels Books.

Robbin Hobb's "Tawnyman Trilogy", and "Farseer's Trilogy"
 
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Tash

Member
THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS SERIES by cassandra clare
it's after dark in new york city, and clary fray is seeing things. the best-looking guy in the nightclub just stabbed a bot to death - but the victim has vanished into thin air. her mother has disappeared, and a hideous monster is lurking in her apartment. with her life spiraling into an invisible war between ancient demonic forces and the secretive shadowhunters - a war in which she has a fateful role to play...

FALLEN by lauren Kate
instant. intense. weirdly familiar... the moment Luce looks at daniel she knows she has never felt like this before. except she cant shake the feeling that she has...and with him - a boy she doesn't remember ever setting eyes on. will her attempt to find out why enlighten her or destroy her?

GONE by michael grant
suddenly its a world without adults and normal has crashed and burned. when life as you know it ends at 15, everything changes..

FNNIKIN OF THE ROCK by melina marchetta
Finnikin of the rock and his guardian, sir topher, have not been home to their beloved lumatere for 10 years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then finnikin is summoned to meet evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of lumatere, price Balthazar, is alive. Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together finnikin is affected by her arrogance…and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend price Balthazar again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father. But evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only finnikins faith in her…but in himself.

BEKA COOPER SERIES by Tamora pierce
Beka cooper is a trainee dog in the lower city. Its tough beat but its where she was born. Shy beka’s talent is listening to the ghosts that pigeons carry, the cries of the unhappy dead. When she hears of a brutal underlord committing crimes against the children of the city, it is up to her and her dogs to see justice done.

hope that helps :)
 
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MissCynical

New member
The Wheel of Time- fantastic, amazing series. But only if you're REALLY into high fantasy, like big books and can handle a 12 book long series. =)
Terry Pratchett is always fun.
 
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dreamsprite67

New member
For sci-fi I love the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card
I also really like Garth Nix, and since you liked Sabriel you made too, try his other books such as Shades Children and The Keys to the Kingdom series (the first book is Mr. Monday).
One of my all time favorite authors is Neil Gaiman, who writes more fantasy. Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, are my favorite books by him.
If you like younger aged books, I also really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, which is fantasy and based loosely on Greek Mythologies.
A really long fantasy series that I enjoyed tons is Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels. it is 12( maybe only 11) books long, and he kindof looses it in book 7, but if you stick with it, it is very satisfying.
I love love love to read, you can email me if you want any other suggestions. :)
 
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dreamsprite67

New member
For sci-fi I love the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card
I also really like Garth Nix, and since you liked Sabriel you made too, try his other books such as Shades Children and The Keys to the Kingdom series (the first book is Mr. Monday).
One of my all time favorite authors is Neil Gaiman, who writes more fantasy. Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, are my favorite books by him.
If you like younger aged books, I also really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, which is fantasy and based loosely on Greek Mythologies.
A really long fantasy series that I enjoyed tons is Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels. it is 12( maybe only 11) books long, and he kindof looses it in book 7, but if you stick with it, it is very satisfying.
I love love love to read, you can email me if you want any other suggestions. :)
 
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Shelly

Member
You might enjoy some of these:

- Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. It's about this magical race called fey's and two rulers who are fighting against eachother- the winter Queen and the summer King. In order for the summer King to defeat the Winter Queen, he must find the Summer Queen who will help give him back more power to defeat the Winter Queen. He then thinks it is Aisline who does not want to join him, as she has the 'sight' to see fey (they are invisible to normal humans) and has been taught that they are not trustworthy and should be avoided. This makes a terrible problem for Aisline as he wishes to court her, and she is already in love with somebody else and does not trust them. It's really good! (The summer king is really hot too! His breath smells like the summer breeze and he glows like the hot, melting sun...)

Blurb on the back of the book:

Rule 3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries, although they would certainly blind her if they knew of her Sight. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world.

Rule 2: Don’t speak to invisible faeries.

But now faeries are stalking her. One of them, a beautiful boy named Keenan, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule 1: Don’t ever attract their attention.

Now it’s too late. Keenan is the Summer King and has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost ...

- Graceling by Kristin Cashore, is the story of Katsa, who has been able to kill people with her bare hands since she was eight. Katsa lives in the seven kingdoms, where very occasionally, a person is born with an extreme skill called a Grace. Gracelings are feared and exploited in the seven kingdoms, and none moreso than Katsa, who's expected to do the dirty work of torture and punishment for her uncle, King Randa. But then she meets a mysterious stranger named Po, who is also a Graced fighter and the first person ever to challenge her in a fight. The two form a bond, and each discovers truths they never imagined about themselves, each other, and a terrible danger that is spreading slowly through the seven kingdoms. (Like the Hunger Games, it has a strong female character, with romance, fantasy, action... And if you're a KP fan (Katniss x Peeta fan in Hunger Games) then you'll love the other KP couple (Katsa x Po in Graceling))
Katsa is a strong female character who knows how to live in the wild, can hunt, feed herself, knows how to use all sorts of different weapons etc. Po is a sweet guy who is there for her when she doesn’t believe in herself, and is also very good at surviving. There’s also a cute romance in it, and jealousy – another guy is in love with Katsa, and he wants to win her back from Po. A very interesting fantasy with a touch of romance!

Hope I helped!
 
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Geeb

New member
Looks like you tend to read stuff a bit on the fluffy side, but since I do see, Avalon with its feminist themes, Materials - with its anti religion slant, and tolkien, despite his protestations to the contrary a religious allegory, I'll suggest things good as well as things fluffy.

If you want both good and fluffy together read some of the early Xanth things by Piers Anthony. If I remember correctly the first three or four were good before they descended into mindless drivel. The same with the first book or two of his Incarnations of Immortality, don't bother with the rest. Having said that, before he turned to crap, Anthony was a great writer. Try Marcroscope or the trilogy of Omnivore, Orn, and OX, for better stories and writing.

If you want some stuff that is fun and really well written, anything by Roger Zelazny is wonderful. But be prepared, no one is as full of literary references, symbolic meaning and obscure puns while at the same time so trusting of you go get them without explaining them. For example at one point a character asks a woman if she means to leave him pale and coldly loitering. He expects you to be familiar with "la Belle Dame Sans Merci" and he expects to understand what it means when two characters on a rooftop across from a church hear the chimes at midnight. If you are up for it his most popular are the Chronicles of Amber series. I would also suggest Lord of LIght, Isle of the Dead, This Immortal, Doorways in the Sand, or Roadmarks. He also has several short story collections that are a good introduction, like The Last Defender of Camelot or Unicorn Variations.

Another great one is Micheal Moorcock. Though most famous for his Elric stories, the early ones of which are pretty basic sword ans sorcery, even if dark and allegorical, his other work are tremendous. For a combination of ironic humor try the Dancers at the End of Time trilogy. Gloriana is also wonderful. My personal favorite, however, is The war hound and the world's pain. The later elric books ( The dreamtheifs daughter, the Skraling tree, and the White wolfs' son) are fantastic (Indeed Moorecock is the only writer I have ever read who has gotten better and better over the years rather than resting on his laurels and turning out crap that people will by simply on the strength of his name).but you would probably enjoy more with at least a basic knowledge of some of the earlier work.

The David Eddings books are good. (Other than the last series, I don't recall their names, so bad I only read the first.) I believe the first was called the Belgarid, then The Malloran. a couple of others who's series names I don't recall, others can advice you. The only problem with this group is that they are terribly repetitive. Pick one of the early series and enjoy it. Don't bother with the others, they are self plagerized..

I hope you enjoy some of these.
 
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