Book recommendations? (sci-fi or fantasy)

[Kirby]

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

[singular]

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.

[Harleqin]

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

[zenith]

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.

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.

[HermanHiddema]

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.

The Belgariad and Malloreon are both very good!

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.

[wossname]

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.

"The Player of Games" is probably the most straightforward Culture book aside from the newly released "Matter". But if you didn't enjoy "The Player of Games", maybe Banks is not for you...

I'm also a Philip K Dick fan, but that's hardly recent stuff, right? :p

[kirkmc]

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.

"The Player of Games" is probably the most straightforward Culture book aside from the newly released "Matter". But if you didn't enjoy "The Player of Games", maybe Banks is not for you...

I'm also a Philip K Dick fan, but that's hardly recent stuff, right? :p

I read that Banks book a long time ago, and it didn't grab me.

I love PK Dick - I've been reading some of his novels in the recently published Library of America editions.

[kirkmc]

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.

Mitchell is brilliant; I've read several of his novels.

[Chew Terr]

How about Roger zelazny? Maybe lot of light?

[Jedo]

The Illuminatus Trilogy 100% sure

[Scrivener]

Brandon Sanderson's Elantris was pretty good. There is magic in it, but it's not overdone. He creates a magic system in his books. (Well, he did in Elantris and Warbreaker. I haven't read his other books.) Warbreaker is available for free as a promotion from his site. http://www.brandonsanderson.com/book/Warbreaker

[singular]

Brandon Sanderson's Elantris was pretty good. There is magic in it, but it's not overdone. He creates a magic system in his books. (Well, he did in Elantris and Warbreaker. I haven't read his other books.) Warbreaker is available for free as a promotion from his site. http://www.brandonsanderson.com/book/Warbreaker

You've got to give Sanderson credit for writing the best book in the Wheel of Time series so far (and rescuing the series in the process).

[kirkmc]

Brandon Sanderson's Elantris was pretty good. There is magic in it, but it's not overdone. He creates a magic system in his books. (Well, he did in Elantris and Warbreaker. I haven't read his other books.) Warbreaker is available for free as a promotion from his site. http://www.brandonsanderson.com/book/Warbreaker

You've got to give Sanderson credit for writing the best book in the Wheel of Time series so far (and rescuing the series in the process).

Really? Is he the one that finished the book that Jordan had sketched out? Is he writing more?

I found Jordan to be a bit obnoxious when he famously said, when asked how many books the series would be, that it would be as many as were necessary to send his daughters through college.

[dfan]

Brandon Sanderson's Elantris was pretty good. There is magic in it, but it's not overdone. He creates a magic system in his books. (Well, he did in Elantris and Warbreaker. I haven't read his other books.) Warbreaker is available for free as a promotion from his site. http://www.brandonsanderson.com/book/Warbreaker

I've only read his three-part Mistborn, which was really excellent. His characters are good, his writing is perfectly fine, and his plotting and worldbuilding are superb.

[chiwito]

The Illuminatus Trilogy 100% sure

I never got into Illuminatus but co-author Robert Shea wrote a nice piece of alternative history/light fantasy called Shike which I rather enjoyed. Of course I may have been biased by the fact that it has Go references.

chiwito