Read any good books lately?

[techbear]

I'm in a learning/absorbing mode right now, and I realize I haven't read any scifi or fantasy books in a long time. Often, good fiction will inspire me or give me cool ideas.

What do you recommend? What good fantasy or scifi novels have come out in recent years that should be on my reading list?

Thanks!

[Maupin]

Sadly I don't have any recent suggestions...

An ongoing fantasy series that has blown me away is George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice (The first book is Game of Thrones). However typically I don't really care for fantasy.

For sf, I really like the modern hard science fiction / space opera mix from authors like Vernor Vinge, Peter F. Hamilton, and to a lesser extent, Alastair Reynolds. If you haven't read Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep (tons of cool ideas) or A Deepness in the Sky, you should jump on those immediately.

Usually I spend all my time reading Agatha Christie novels and so-called "shit horror" pulp novels from Leisure and similar publishers.

[Stu]

Give Jim Butcher a try. He's got a fun 9 book series called The Dresden Files. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, demons, wizards and magic in present day Chicago.

[ChrisP]

Though it's not recent (1999 - yikes, that's nearly a decade ago, how time flies!), do check out Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson if you haven't already. I only heard of it recently and it's a great geeky book. :)

I haven't had a chance to check out his other works yet, but I will.

[Sol_HSA]

Great suggestions so far =)

On fantasy front, I'd recommend:
- Stardust 0380804557
- Howl's Moving Castle 0061478784
- His dark materials 0375823360

.. the fact that all of the above have had movie conversions recently has almost nothing to do with my recommendation =)

[chanon]

The Inheritance Trilogy was tons of fun for me. Actually book 3 hasn't even come out yet, I've been waiting for it for months. Even though the Eragon movie flopped, the books have done extremely well. (I listened to the audiobook version from Audible.com)

[cliffski]

Iain M banks is teh god. especially the latest one:

Matter (http://www.amazon.com/Matter-Iain-M-Banks/dp/0316005363/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208419527&sr=8-1)

if you like sci-fi, with a mix of swords and stuff :D

[Davaris]

- Howl's Moving Castle 0061478784

Yes Hayao Miyazaki is brilliant. Porco Russo is another one of his that I like.

[Backov]

Iain M banks is teh god. especially the latest one:

Matter (http://www.amazon.com/Matter-Iain-M-Banks/dp/0316005363/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208419527&sr=8-1)

if you like sci-fi, with a mix of swords and stuff :D

Ooh, thanks for the heads up, I love Banks and the Culture stuff specifically.

[gdunbar]

The best book I read last year was "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. It is fantasy, but not so much in the elves, wizards, and dragons sense. Highly recommended in any case.

Geoff

[Nikster]

ok I'll go for the obvious, hobbit and Pratchett's small gods, although I'm liking Robert Silverbergs work (last read: long journey home).

[bignobody]

The best fantasy series I have ever read is Steven Erikson's Malazan Book Of The Fallen (http://malazanempire.com) series. Incredible characters, immersive world, massive scope. I can't wait for book 8 this summer.

[techbear]

Thanks, everyone! These are some great suggestions. I hit the bookstore yesterday, and now I've got a LOT of reading to do.

[Bungle]

The Eleium (spelling probably needs checking) series by David Eddings is a damn good read!

[uli.s]

I remember The City and the Stars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_City_and_the_Stars) by Arthur C. Clarke gave me a real thrill and I still fondly remember it. Arthur is a good try anyway if you haven't any of his work (although that seems unlikely :D ). You might love it and read all of his books (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke).

I also liked A Fall of Moondust (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fall_of_Moondust) by him.

If you want to try something completely different try Haruki Murakami (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_Murakami) - it will be more of a spiritual/emotional experience. I love his books.

[Spiegel]

Go to your local bookstore and pickup a copy of every novel released about Discworld, then pickup every copy of forgotten realms books (especially R.A. Salvatore's), as for scifi/steampunk pickup "His Northern Lights" triology. :D

[Mark_Tempe]

Old ones but great ones :
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Neuromancer - William Gibson

yes, i'm old school ...

[fog4711]

..What do you recommend? What good fantasy or scifi novels have come out in recent years that should be on my reading list?..


How about trying some short stories? I personally find the annual "Year's best SF" anthologies edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer interesting, inspiring and often fun. It's a highlight of the year for me to visit the local SF-bookshop (in Swedish: SF-bokhandeln i Gamla Stan) and find that the latest edition has appeared. I think they also do a "Year's best Fantasy" series but that's not my cup of tea.

fog :)
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some worthless noobstuff (http://www.jonax.se/enindex.php)

[CousinGilgamesh]

Well it looks like you already hit the bookstore, but I still wanted to say that Kurt Vonnegut books are definitely worth reading.

[svero]

An ongoing fantasy series that has blown me away is George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice (The first book is Game of Thrones). However typically I don't really care for fantasy.

Yeah these books are quite good. I especially liked the first in the series.

He's got some short story collections out as well.. Dreamsongs volume 1,2,3 etc...

[lakibuk]

Well it looks like you already hit the bookstore, but I still wanted to say that Kurt Vonnegut books are definitely worth reading.
Hehe, Vonnegut being mentioned is inevitable in threads like this.

[MrBear]

I noticed nobody mention ALL of Tolkiens work (Lord of the Rings). IMO thats just fantasy as good as it gets. He is the father of fantasy for me.