Goodreads Sci-Fi/Fantasy Authors discussion

If you write in this genre, chances are you read it, diligently. What is your favorite read, and why?

I love, love The Death Gate Cycle by Margeret Weis and Tracy Hickman. It's wonderful. I truly love the rich characters in these novels. The Wheel of Time by Robert Jorden is good too. (Very long, but good.)

Sara Douglass and Ian Irvine would be some of my favorites. Have read most of the Wheel of Time but i thought it got a bit confusing at about book 7, great story though.

David Eddings is my favorite. I have reread the Belgariad, the Mallorean, the Dreamers, and the Sparhawk series many times each. My most favorite is the Redemption of Althalus.

As far as Sci-Fi goes, I think you can't get away from the classics. I throughly enjoy H.G. Wells whenever I read him, and I enjoyed Scott Westerfield's Uglies Trilogy...even though I suppose that's only partial science fiction anyway...

I like Twilight, mostly because it includes fantasy, but also because the writing style is so good.
Er...
Do you really have to be published to be in this group?

I'd say Kafka's stories, Ellison's, Stephen King's the Stand and Naked Lunch. Naked Lunch is such a great piece of sociological sci fi in its way.

I have a three-way tie -- Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Tim Powers' Last Call, and Clive Barker's Great and Secret Show.

All fascinating novels which I just now realize all have a common thread of contemporary people confronting huge, archetypal forces.

Nathan, I started American Gods but because of grading/teaching, I had to put it down. I loved how it started. Your comments may push me to finish.
I like almost anything Stephen King puts out there, especially The Shining, Carrie, and The Green Mile. Garrett, I've heard The Stand is excellent, but again, as a teacher and a writer myself, it is hard to finish longer books.
Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes was also a good book.

Love the oppinions! Keep them coming.

Favourite read is a difficult one because the brain is so dynamic and changing experience of things is the only constant.That aside no matter what brain zone I'm in ,Stephen King's Dark Tower series,Robin Hobb,David Gemmel and Clive Barker's Imajica are definates

Hi, I just joined and would like to add 'anything by Terry Brooks'. I would also include 'everything by Gemmell', but he has already been mentioned.

David, how was Terry Brooks' version of Star Wars Episode I?

That and 'Hook' are the only two of his books I haven't read. I did read a book Terry Brooks wrote on writing, however, in which he talked about the Star Wars novel and how much touble he had doing it. He was writing the story during the filming and they kept changing the plot! It didn't sound like he was happy with the end result and I believe it turned him off of ever doing that sort of thing again.

Right now, my favorite author overall is David Gemmell. I've never been disappointed by one of his books, although I've liked some better than others.

I also love classic authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, and Kenneth Bulmer.

I'm a huge fan of Sword & Planet fiction

My favorite book doesn't really qualify as Fantasy, but it's Anne Rice's The Mummy or Ramses the D**ned. She put a completely new spin on Mummy stories and it just yanks you in & refuses to spit you out. Unfortunately, she never lived up to her word of creating a second story with Ramses & Julie.
I also enjoy Piers Anthony & David Eddings.

I love most of Anne McCaffrey's work. Urbin Fantasy is Lynsay Sands and some of Stephen King. Piers Anthony is greatness. I also like the Battle Tech & Mechwarrior series. I also enjoyed reading the classic SF authors of the 50's &60's while I was growing up.
G W Pickle

i du hav tey say my fav wud hav tey b eder da harry potter books r else the study series

lotr was gud but i fund it vry hrd tey undrstnd at sum points

class films doe :D;P

I loved “Titus Groan”, first of the Gormenghast triology (“Gormenhhast”, not so much. “Titus Alone”, not at all). And Tolkien, of course. And Pratchett, for fun. And Asimov, when it comes to sci-fi. But I think the “His Dark Materials” triology (Pullman) will have to top my list – perhaps together with some of my earliest reads: “The neverending Story” (Ende) and “The Brothers Lionheart” (Lindgren).

I'm a new member, but have been a lifelong sci-fi/fantasy freak. Regarding science fiction, my favorite series, bar none, is Dan Simmons' Hyperion/Endymion series. I also really loved Piers Anthony's Blue Adept series when I was much younger, but only the original three. Once it got beyond that he lost me. As for more recent stuff, Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' series isjust fantastic. Too bad the movie was so poor. That series really blew me away. As for serious sci-fi individual books, nothing beats Bradbury's Farenheit 451, imo. And on a less serious note, and not really a true sci-fi one, Douglas Adams' Hitch-hikers Guide series is some of the smartest and funniest stuff ever written.

With the fantasy genre, for pure characters and fun, David Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean series is tremendous. They aren't particularly complex or plot based, but I just love the bantering dialogue and the characters the story offers. While I know that Terry Goodkind probably stole many ideas from Robert Jordan's 'Wheel of Time' series (including the number of volumes!), to me there's no question that Goodkind's 'Sword of Truth' series is far superior to Jordan's work, especially the first several volumes. After that Goodkind got too preachy and philosophical for my taste, and the main character Richard's many soliloquies were a bit tiresome. For another reason as well, Richard became very annoying to me. He had no flaws, he was perfection, but I don't think Goodkind meant for him to be a Christ figure. Characters w/o flaws are boring. He never made mistakes, he was always right, and everyone else around him was basically made out to be a fool, even his wife, mentor, and other close comrades. However, putting all that aside, I really enjoyed the series immensely, and consider the first three or four books as good as any I've read in the genre. I never finished Jordan's series, because I simply found it dull. Finally, a shout out to Jacqueline Carey, the most recent addition to my favorite fantasy author list. Her 'Kushiel' series is remarkable. I still am amazed that I am writing this about a series where the heroine is a prostitute (ok, sorry, a courtesan!) but I am. It's very dark and violent, and represents an extraordinarily unique and innovative take on the fantasy genre. I just got 'Kushiel's Justice' and will read it after I've finished the Hanibal Lector series I have 'Hannibal' and 'Red Dragon' left). That's some creepy stuff, even if it isn't on-genre for this group. Damn I'm longwinded! ^.~

Regarding Goodkind and Jordan, I couldn’t agree more, Daniel.
I found the first couple of Sword of Truth books to be refreshing, entertaining and intelligent. I think I made it as far as The Pillars of Creation (#7). By then, I actually hated the series. With Jordans Wheel of Time, I simply lost interest after a while. I think it had something to do with the constant self pity of the main characters.

I know I wrote way too much last night, but I totally forgot my favorite fantasy series of all time, which is George R.R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. The final volume is due out in November, and is, at root, a reshaping of the historical War of the Roses, augmented by a litany of superbly crafted and complex characters set amidst a panorama of destruction, loss, interfamilial terrorism, and political intrigue. The characters and their motivations will grab you, and the stunning plot shifts will totally blow your mind. These books evoked so many groans and verbal 'ohmygod's' from my throat that I couldn't possibly count how many. I'll soon begin re-reading them (for the third time lol) to get ready for the final book.

My first favorites in this genre were Asimov's Foundation series and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. My newest favorite is Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, and I am anxiously awaiting the publication of the third book, due out this fall!

Song of Ice and Fire is my favorite series as well. I knew that Dance with Dragons is due to come out in the fall, but I had not heard that Martin had planned it to be the last in the series. I would think it would have to be a huge volume to wrap up all the story lines.

Tuck Everlasting has been a long time favorite as well as Ender's Game. My mother's all time favorite book is The Gate to Women's Country by Sherri Tepper, and when I finally broke down and read it, it became an instant favorite. You all have mentioned entire works by a single author. I often find that I'll read one book and love it and then try to read another by the same author and can't get 5 pages into it. Anyone else have this problem?

You're right, Catherine - dunno what I was thinking. There are such a myriad of storylines and characters that finishing in one more volume would have been well nigh impossible. Wiki (not the most reliable source, but still...) says there are three more books projected. It took him 15 years to get four out, though, and Martin isn't getting any younger. I hope he's able to complete the series.

Oh, so many. The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold is the best fantasy novel of the last ten years, but I also like Tanya Huff's Valor series. Nina Kiriki Hoffman's The Thread that Binds the Bones, and Patricia McKillip's RiddleMaster of Hed trilogy are quite good in a poetic sort of way.

For fantasy I'd have to say The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. Though the story consists of combining certain old fairy tales and legends it has a weirdly realistic (and creepy) aspect to it.

As for sci-fi I'd say Brave New World by the great Aldous Huxley. It's a superb read, if you for some reason haven't read it yet I highly suggest you do.

Most of the authors already listed are on my shelves. I'm very fond of Sheri Tepper (especially the nine books set in the True Game universe), Peter Beagle, Patricia McKillip, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, CJ Cherryh, Doris Egan's Ivory trilogy (a neat mix of sci-fi and magic), and many more.

A recent discovery is Sergei Lukyanenko's Watch series. The movies based on these books are fun, but the novels are brilliant triptyches of novellas that form one larger story of a battle between Light and Dark. Think fantasy by Dostoevsky, with a very Russian view of what is good and what is evil.

Early influences were Thurber's 13 Clocks, Baum's Oz books, Nesbit's Five Children and It, Lewis's Narnia, Alexander Key's Witch Mountain (which is really sci fi but with fantastical elements), almost everything that Andre Norton wrote, and Kipling's Jungle books.

All my favourites have already been mentioned, and all of these may not be absolutely fantasy/sci-fi but here they are; I love Philip Pullmans His Dark matrials' I think his writing is Brilliant. I also love Adam Douglas' Hitchhiker's Guide-serie, JKR's Harry Potter of course (Sry, but it's just a DUH), and Michelle Pavers Chronicles of ancient darkness (Wolfbrthers serie). These are just a few..

I've also just started David Eddings 3rd book of the Belgariad; Magician's Gambit, and I absolutely love the serie so far ^^)

i See a lot of the same types of books popping up, so i'll offer something different.

Some of my all time favorites are "On Stranger Tides" by Tim Powers and "Bridge of Birds" by Barry Hughart.

I also love the Lankhmar stories by Fritz Leiber, classics!

I'm a huge SiFi fan so it's hard to narrow it down, but I would have to say that Dune, Hyperion, and Fall of Hyperion stand at the top of my list.
Not a huge fan of fantasy. Read first five of Sword of truth and first two of Wheel of time, but they just failed to grab me. Song of Ice and Fire, however, changed my view of what fantasy can be. GREAT SERIES! From what I've heard Georege RR Martin plans the series to be seven books long.

If you haven't read the Vlad Taltos servies by Steven R Brust, I would strongly recommend you do so. Great 1st person writing with some of the best snappy dialog I've ever read. I also really enjoyed the fact that the mythology was very original as was the story line.
Would it be tacky to list myself as one of my favorite authors...

Rick
If you like 1st person, you might want to check out SENTI, Book One of the Jackwill Chronicles. I'll admit I'm predjust as I wrote the book, but I do have the 1st chapter posted on my Good Reads site.
G W Pickle

Hi Michael,

For a while I was always in the Childrens Section as that seemed to be the best place to get new and fresh ideas in books...

I found the "Wind on Fire Trilogy" by William Nicholson...

Cliff McNish's "Silver" series

Elizabeth Kay's "Divide" series

Angie Sage's "Septimus Heap" series

Also adult one's that I liked were Ricardo Pinto's "Chosen" & Judy Malloys "Gabriella"

I would love to hear if anyone else has read and enjoyed any kids stuff

I have to say that Juliet Marillier has written some of the best fantasy that I have ever read. Daughter of the Forest is in my top 5 books of all time. I re-read it every year at least.

I HATE the Twilight series, but Stephanie Meyer's other book The Host is a great read. It almost seemed like a different author to me. So if anyone was staying away from Meyer's work b/c of the stupidity of this whole Twilight thing, don't stay away from The Host.

I also love the Star Wars novels, written AFTER the classic trilogy(no prequel stuff for me...yuck). The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton is one of the funniest and sweetest books I've ever read.

I have several, but topping the list...

Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock

then

The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker
The Warhound and the World's Pain by Michael Moorcock
Weaveworld by Clive Barker
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Trilogy by Tad Williams
The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King

to name a few. :)

There are lots of books and authors mentioned here that I've never heard of! Trip to bookshops with credit card is obviously on the agenda soon.

SF I'd have to say most of the Arthur C Clarke stuff, particularly Childhood's End and Rendezvous with Rama.

The first three Dune books by Frank Herbert.

Dragon's Egg by Robert L Forward.

Fantasy, LOTR, Pavane by Keith Roberts, and the Arthurian books by Stephen Lawhead.

I hate to bring this up again, but while we're on a somewhat ranting note, may I just say that I a 164 pages into Brisingr and utterly disappointed. I had always been hesitant on reading the series anyways. Eragon was interesting, and there were some unique ideas in Eldest, but so far I am dissatisfied. Paolini, STOP TREATING YOUR AUDIENCE LIKE THEY ARE FOUR YEAR OLDS!!!!!

On that note, I would have to say that my favorite book at the moment is Cyrano de Bergerac. Now that is a play with some power.

It's so easy to criticize those who have cleared a path upon which we can walk.
Agreed. He created something completely new. I think people get really snobby about Tolkien, loving to bring him down and talk about how his stuff is only for "kids". That's ridiculous. Without him there probably wouldn't be the huge fantasy genre market there is today. He created a completely new LANGUAGE! Show some respect.

I also wanted to add Melanie Rawn to my list of fantasy authors. Her Dragon Prince series is very well done, and I'm still anxiously awaiting the last installment of her Exiles series.

Right now my favorite author is Robin Hobb. I just finished reading the first book of he second series, The Tawny Man series, which is a pick up of the Assassin series.

Other favorites are Jim Butcher, Ray Bradbury, May Stuart, Marion Zimmer Bradley, etc. I can't list them all here, it would take too long.

My all time favorite author is Martin Millar. He is the only author that I know of, who can weave fairies into real life situations, and make a believer out of you!

His latest work Lonely Werewolf Girl is a stroke of genius!

Dee Marie

I have been a fan of Anne McCafferey for 25 years, She was my first favorite author and I realize she is often criticized but I guess I'm loyal. I love Orson Scott Card because some of his work was unpredictable for me and Octavia Butler took me out of my comfort zone.

I read quite a lot of SF and fantasy between the ages of 16 and 30, although never exclusively, but once I stopped commuting to London (train journeys are great for getting through books!) I got more picky about my reading, and SF lost out to history. When it comes down to it, I find real lives more interesting than fiction!!

So my favourite fantasy authors tend to have been around for a while (and certainly pre-date Harry Potter) - Robert Heinlenn, TH White, HG Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tolkein, Mary Stewart, Ann McCaffery, Robert Silverberg, RA MacAvoy, Patricia McKillip, Andre Norton, Christopher Stasheff - plus, slightly more up to date, Terry Pratchet, David Eddings, Jean Auel. And some of the originals - the Cu Chulainn legends, the Morte d'Arthur (couldn't cope with the Mabignion) and the ballads and folksongs of England, Ireland and Scotland.

Sue

I would have to say my favorite fantasy would be Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and David Edding's, especially the Belgariad.

Aw, Sue, I lOVED the Mabingion, at least Evangeline Walton's(? can't remember her name exactly) version. My faves still remain Mary Stewart, Tolkien, and for some reason Harlan Ellison. I also adore the ballads of Great Britain.

P.I. wrote: "Aw, Sue, I lOVED the Mabingion, at least Evangeline Walton's(? can't remember her name exactly) version. My faves still remain Mary Stewart, Tolkien, and for some reason Harlan Ellison. I also ador..."

Mary Stewart! I remember going nuts trying to find one of her books - I'd bought a couple of them (possibly #1 & 3) and then couldn't find the second anywhere. Finally did, though - those were great books, I still have them.

Tolkien I borrowed from my uncle, and he got so tired of waiting for me to give them back (I kept re-reading them) that he bought me my own set.

I read the same set of the Mabinogion, and I can't remember the author's name either!

Other favorites - Marion Zimmer Bradley (Darkover, Mists of Avalon, and her Light series), Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame, Guy Gabriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry, and Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan books.

For some odd reason, I never could get into The Mists of Avalon. Don't know why. I was given most of the books we both share when I was about thirteen by a friend and I think they really affected me, being in that turbulent emotional time. Yes, I'm weird.

P.I. wrote: "For some odd reason, I never could get into The Mists of Avalon. Don't know why. I was given most of the books we both share when I was about thirteen by a friend and I think they really affected m..."

We must be right about the same age, then - I read most of those in my early teens. But they're still the ones that stand out as my favorites.

You know, it's funny but I re-read LOTR after the movies and I found that Tolkien's writing, while effective on giving visuals, was so much more simplistic than I remembered. I thought it was just me but then my sister said she'd done the same thing and came to the same conclusion! I guess that's a compliment to T's ability. Or, perhaps it was just a simpler time in his and our lives and lifetimes. Again, I'm just weird.