So I used to read a lot of sci-fi, back in the day (in the 70s), then stopped, then read a lot in the 90s, and stopped again. I'm looking to find some good, recent sci-fi or fantasy, preferably a series.

Here's what I like: hard science without clichéd dialog; fantasy without wizards and magic (such as the Dark Tower series; one of my favorites, though I love the Lord of the Rings - the problem with fantasy is that most of it just copies LotR); space operas that don't have too much weirdness in them.

I've read some of Robert Jordan's novels and got bored around book 5; I read most of one of George RR Martin's books, and found it boring (a shame, because it was promising); and, as I said above, I'm a huge Dark Tower fan.

Since I know a lot of people here read that kind of stuff, how about a nice, long recommendation thread. Of course, I can always read the Dark Tower again, if nothing suits me...

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I quite like Iain M Banks

I used to read Interzone, and Asimov's, but never got interested in reading Locus. I'm not looking far a regular diet of SF/fantasy, just something as a change. I have too many other books to read to start becoming an SF fanatic again (as I was in the past).

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China Mieville for fantastical steam-punk (or for a fantasy detective story in The City And The City, which I can't recommend enough). Beware lack of simple happy endings (in some books) if you want to feel good at the end. The 3 books around New Crobuzon (Perdido street staion, The Scar and Iron Council) are sort-of a series, but set in the same world with no real overcross of characters.

I like books by Alastair Reynolds (I read Chasm City and Redemption Ark). It's hard science fiction / space opera. Maybe you've heard of him.

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No, it's just that I don't need to commit to a subscription to just find a few books to read.

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Ok, some recommendations:

Everything by Terry Pratchett, one of my all time favorite authors. I think many people underestimate the depth of the Discworld series.

Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere, American Gods, Anansi Boys & other books. Also Good Omens (written together with Pratchett)

Tim Powers: Very good author, semi-historic fiction with fantasy elements. Anubis Gates is a good book to start with, I think, or Last Call.

Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash, The Diamond Age: Both cyberpunk, but not too weird. The Baroque Cycle trilogy (historic fiction/fantasy). Cryptonomicon, modern fiction, if it is to your taste you will like it a lot. I'm reading Anathema now, which is scifi/fantasy without magic (so far).

Julian May: I liked the Intervention trilogy a lot, SciFi with a light fantasy element. Currently reading book 3/4 of the Pliocene Exiles series, and will then read the Galactic Milieu series. All these have some related background/universe.

Robin Hobb: Farseer trilogy. Fantasy that is relatively light on the magic.

Colin Wilson: Spider world. I liked the first two books best, the fourth (and last) is a bit too esoteric for my taste (written after a 15 year gap or so, so his style had changed a bit).

Steven Erikson: Malazan Books of the Fallen series (first book is called Gardens of the Moon). Although this does include wizards/magic, in many other aspects it is completely different from your run of the mill Fantasy. I liked these books a lot better than I expected (the covers seemed to hint strongly at pretty standard Fantasy)

Never liked Pratchett; read some Gaiman, but wasn't impressed; read a lot of early Stephenson, then stopped with Quicksilver, though I might go back to his books; don't like Hobb; the others are new to me, and I'll look into them. Thanks!

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If you liked the early Stephenson but not Quicksilver, I recommend Diamond Age and Anathema heartily. Anathema in particular is slow, but builds up a heap of momentum. Lots of interesting ideas. The worlds (Snow Crash and Diamond Age in particular) tend to be made of exaggerations and such for humorous purposes, but if you like his humor in Snow Crash, Diamond Age is safe.

The Unincorporated Man is one I've read recently, and is pretty great. The best pure scifi book I've read in a while.

Also, it's more fairy tale than sci-fi or fantasy, but you might consider 'The Book of Flying' and 'The Book on Fire' (not actually related), by Keith Miller. The Book of Flying is dreadfully sad, but beautifully written.

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I read Diamond Age, and all of Stephenson up until Quicksilver, which I couldn't get into. (Interestingly, Neil Stephenson and I share the same birthday; exactly, that is, same year too.) The bits I read of Anathema looked really, really annoying; I don't know that I want to read that. But I might get a sample on my iPad; they give you a couple of chapters to try out.

Someone else (maybe you?) mentioned Keith Miller in another thread; I'll check him out too. Thanks.

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Last good memories from SF are Dan Simmons' Hyperion (especially this one), Endymion, then Ilium and Olympos. I've recently read "The carpet makers", by Andreas Eschbach, I liked it much.

I must say that I'm not a Sci-Fi grown-up (I learnt who was Luke Skywalker's father by looking a Simpsons's episode ) and am not very fond of Sci-Fi books. So maybe those I like aren't verypopular.

Yes, I liked Hyperion, but liked the others less. I read the Eschbach in French; Andreas lives in France, actually (at least I think he still does). I met him many times at a French sci-fi convention I went to a number of times as a guest: I've translated some French sci-fi authors. I loved going there, hanging out with many famous authors, meeting some legends, and becoming friends with quite a few American and British authors (as well as French ones).

If anyone's curious, here are two chapters of a novel by French author Pierre Bordage that I translated:

http://www.mcelhearn.com/2005/05/26/fre ... e-bordage/

It never got published, because it's part of a trilogy of very big books, and English-language publishers don't care much for translations... Sigh.

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I started reading some things by Charles Stross. I haven't finished anything yet... But I like the way his stuff reads, and the worlds and characters he creates.

If you haven't already read it... William Gibson's Neuromancer -- It is a must read. Yes, it can be hard to read in parts. It completely changed the way I looked at the world though.

I like some of David Edding's work. I think the first series is called the The Belgariad. Its fantasy. It doesn't feel quite like Tolkien to me, although like you said, a lot of fantasy rolls down that hill. It does share some of the same ideas.

Grendel by John Gardner is fantastic. Its the Beowulf story through the eyes of the monster.

Piers Anthony's fantasy works are fun (wizards and magic warning...). They aren't quite as silly as Robert Aspirin's Mythadventure series, but have quite a bit a fun humor in them. Along the same lines, I assume you have read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? If not, I recommend that. I also enjoyed Douglas Adams' other novels.

Harry Potter... you could probably read the series in a month or so... the first 3 books could be dashed off in a weekend to see if you like it. The first book is pretty good, although the ending leaves you thinking "WTF, there were NO hints at that." The second book suffers from Sophmore blues. The third book really jump starts the rest of the series and is really good.

Other things... Watership Down, Fight Club, Screwtape Letters...

Like you, I also like Dark Tower. I'm on Book IV. Roland is telling his story to the group... I know bad things are about to happen in it, so I've been reluctant to get through that part...

I hope you find some stuff in this thread that suits you! Have fun! Report back.

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R Scott Bakker's "Prince of Nothing" is probably the best fantasy book written in the last decade. It's unfortunate that the next two books in the trilogy aren't as strong, but it's the same problem the Dark Tower suffered from (Bakker took a decade to write the first book... later books, not nearly as long)

Seconding the blanket recommendation of Iain M Banks, if you haven't read any. "Look to Windward" is a relatively short and good introduction to the Culture books.

I don't know if it's sci-fi exactly, but "The End of Mr. Y" was an interesting book.

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I've only read one Iain M Banks novel, 'The Player of Games', which would have been great if not for the cliched dialog and the predictability.

If you like space operas you might be interested in a 5-part series by Stephen Donaldson (who wrote the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) called 'The Gap'. I read it years ago so I don't know how well it's aged, but I thoroughly enjoyed it at the time.

My favourite sci fi author is Philip K Dick; even now there's not much that could be called 'typical' about his work, minus the stereotypes of females.

In the science fiction genre, I really liked "The Mote in God's Eye" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.

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The Belgariad and Malloreon are both very good! Trudi Canavan's 'The Black Magician' trilogy is also a good read but it does have mages/magic.

Although not a series I recommend David Mitchell's 'Cloud Atlas'. I can only describe it as a sci-fi with many twists of which its depth can only be truly appreciated once the whole novel has been read.

I enjoyed both of these very much when I first read them, but upon rereading them recently I found that they are really pretty shallow. I tried rereading his next series of books (The Elenium series), which I also enjoyed when first reading it, but stopped after one book because it was just too predictable and childish.