Favorite Novels (Sci Fi, Fantasy)

[Woodruff]

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, by Stephen Donaldson, one on the best examples of an anti-hero in my opinion.

A great story...but it just kept depressing me with his world-view. Serious downer, I thought.

[Skittles!]

almost everything from Philip K. Dick

This. THIS. THIS.

I cannot agree more with this post. Philip K. Dick is AMAZING. My favourite author, and his writing is superb.

[Woodruff]

almost everything from Philip K. Dick

This. THIS. THIS.

I cannot agree more with this post. Philip K. Dick is AMAZING. My favourite author, and his writing is superb.

You can't fool us. You just like his last name. <grin>

[Skittles!]

almost everything from Philip K. Dick

This. THIS. THIS.

I cannot agree more with this post. Philip K. Dick is AMAZING. My favourite author, and his writing is superb.

You can't fool us. You just like his last name. <grin>

>.> SHUT UP!

[MeDeFe]

Also, I thought of another one...I think it was just called "The Swords Trilogy", though that seems awfully generic so it might not be right and I can't seem to remember the author. Read it AGES ago, but loved it. Nope, I just did a websearch, and it's not the series by Michael Moorcock. It was about three specific swords that apparently had "powers" or were "alive" or somesuch. Fascinating series...darn it.

Do you mean Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series? I agree, those were good.


A series I've never read but have desperately tried to get my hands on for years now is the Gameworld Trilogy by Samit Basu, the first part had been translated and adapted as an audiobook and I just happened to tune in at that time. Unfortunately it appears to be impossible to get books from Penguin India delivered to Germany.

[kingpin01]

I'll second the Chronicles of Narnia, as well as anything by Raymond Feist. I started with Magician: Apprentice.

[the1brother]

The Count of Monte Cristo
Anything written by George McDonald

[Woodruff]

Also, I thought of another one...I think it was just called "The Swords Trilogy", though that seems awfully generic so it might not be right and I can't seem to remember the author. Read it AGES ago, but loved it. Nope, I just did a websearch, and it's not the series by Michael Moorcock. It was about three specific swords that apparently had "powers" or were "alive" or somesuch. Fascinating series...darn it.

Do you mean Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series? I agree, those were good.

No, those don't ring a bell at all...I haven't read those, but I did enjoy the ONLY Tad Williams book I read (something about a cat).

[Woodruff]

I'll second the Chronicles of Narnia, as well as anything by Raymond Feist. I started with Magician: Apprentice.

Oh yes, Raymond Feist - excellent stuff.

[MeDeFe]

Also, I thought of another one...I think it was just called "The Swords Trilogy", though that seems awfully generic so it might not be right and I can't seem to remember the author. Read it AGES ago, but loved it. Nope, I just did a websearch, and it's not the series by Michael Moorcock. It was about three specific swords that apparently had "powers" or were "alive" or somesuch. Fascinating series...darn it.

Do you mean Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series? I agree, those were good.

No, those don't ring a bell at all...I haven't read those, but I did enjoy the ONLY Tad Williams book I read (something about a cat).

Well, the description you gave fit perfectly, three swords that are sort of alive-ish or magical, and it's an oldish trilogy (late 80s/early 90s). Do you recall anything else about the series you're refering to?

[Borderdawg]

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, by Stephen Donaldson, one on the best examples of an anti-hero in my opinion.

Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever is a good series.
Also you might try David Eddings, the Malloreon series, and David Drake's Hammers Slammers series, both are fun reads.

[Woodruff]

Also, I thought of another one...I think it was just called "The Swords Trilogy", though that seems awfully generic so it might not be right and I can't seem to remember the author. Read it AGES ago, but loved it. Nope, I just did a websearch, and it's not the series by Michael Moorcock. It was about three specific swords that apparently had "powers" or were "alive" or somesuch. Fascinating series...darn it.

Do you mean Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series? I agree, those were good.

No, those don't ring a bell at all...I haven't read those, but I did enjoy the ONLY Tad Williams book I read (something about a cat).

Well, the description you gave fit perfectly, three swords that are sort of alive-ish or magical, and it's an oldish trilogy (late 80s/early 90s). Do you recall anything else about the series you're refering to?

Of course not...not a damn thing. So hell, maybe it WAS that series. <laughing> If I were going to GUESS about the era of it, I would have guess early 80s, rather than late 80s. Maybe I'll go "Amazon it" and look at the book jackets...I'd probably recognize it.

I are old. <sigh>

Ah ha! I love Google...it was a great series by Fred Saberhagen. The series was called (quite unoriginally) "The Books of the Swords", the first of which was published in 1983 (entitled, still unoriginally "The First Book of Swords"). I highly recommend this series.

[Optimus Prime]

I read science-fiction and fantasy constantly and some of the best books I've read recently are Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy (where he tries out a magic system nobody has ever thought of before) and as of this past weekend I was enamored with James Dashner's The Maze Runner. I highly recommend both to anyone looking to expand their library in the science-fiction and fantasy genres.

[lord voldemort]

What else for me

[pimpdave]

some of the best books I've read recently are Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy (where he tries out a magic system nobody has ever thought of before)

Explain, and include spoilers if you'd like. I'm really curious but will probably never bother to read the books.

[Phatscotty]

Frank Herbert's Dune

[jonesthecurl]

One of the finest fantasy writers ever, sez me, was James Branch Cabell.

I think The Cream of the Jest is perhaps the finest novel ever, though if you don't know the author that's entirely the wrong place to start.
The best place to start is probably Jurgen.

Nobody has yet mentioned Fritz Leiber, without whom modern fantasy would be very different. Some of his stuff seems a little cliched now, but that's 'cos he has been imitated so much.

In SF, I don't think anyone's mentioned two of the best - Daniel Galouye and Robert Sheckley. Of the latter, Douglas Adams once said, "If I'd known how good the competition was, I might not have bothered".

[thegreekdog]

Frank Herbert's Dune

I really did like Dune. I might have to re-read those books.

[vodean]

Timothy Zahn

[ser stiefel]

A co-worker and I recently went down the list

Sci-Fi
http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes ... rank1.html

Fantasy
http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes ... books.html

It is surpising to me how many of these I have read!

David Brin's "The Postman" was very good, though the movie was pathetic.

The George R R Martin series "A Song of Ice & Fire" is very good, although it is not yet complete.

Another of my favorites was Roger Zelazny's "The Chronicles of Amber"

edit: I also agree about Philip K Dick. Amazing.

Also, I forgot about this one: Neal Stephenson "Cryptonomicon". A different type of read, and not easy reading, but one of my all time favorites. Really an amazing book. I am working on his series called The Baroque Cycle now, also amazing stuff.

[thegreekdog]

A co-worker and I recently went down the list

Sci-Fi
http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes ... rank1.html

Fantasy
http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes ... books.html

It is surpising to me how many of these I have read!

David Brin's "The Postman" was very good, though the movie was pathetic.

The George R R Martin series "A Song of Ice & Fire" is very good, although it is not yet complete.

Another of my favorites was Roger Zelazny's "The Chronicles of Amber"

edit: I also agree about Philip K Dick. Amazing.

Also, I forgot about this one: Neal Stephenson "Cryptonomicon". A different type of read, and not easy reading, but one of my all time favorites. Really an amazing book. I am working on his series called The Baroque Cycle now, also amazing stuff.

AWESOME. Thank you.

I read some of the Baroque Cycle and I found it a little ponderous, but I may go back to it.

[Woodruff]

What else for me

In all seriousness dude, you would probably greatly enjoy a series by Emily Drake called "The Magickers" (also the name of the first book in the series). It's definitely not a copy of Harry Potter, but it's in a similar vein. I'm just finishing up the fourth book, and I wasn't even a huge fan of Harry Potter.

[thegreekdog]

I read the first couple Harry Potter books. They were okay. Kinda funny. I'll probably read the rest someday. I really don't understand the absolute devotion of some people (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for example). But, hey, some of us get like that (ahem... Spock... ahem).

[Woodruff]

I read the first couple Harry Potter books. They were okay. Kinda funny. I'll probably read the rest someday. I really don't understand the absolute devotion of some people (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for example). But, hey, some of us get like that (ahem... Spock... ahem).

I have no idea what you mean, my good sir!

[vodean]

I read the first couple Harry Potter books. They were okay. Kinda funny. I'll probably read the rest someday. I really don't understand the absolute devotion of some people (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for example). But, hey, some of us get like that (ahem... Spock... ahem).

I have no idea what you mean, my good sir!

he means that your obsession with your avatar-topic is affecting your mind.