Clusterheadaches.com Message Board


    
      
        Clusterheadaches.com Message Board
        (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Posts >> Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
        
(Message started by: Tiannia on Dec 11^th, 2004, 9:55pm)

Title: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Tiannia on Dec 11^th, 2004, 9:55pm

OK guys I have asked my husband to get me some new books for chrstmas, but I need some suggestions. I know that Thomas gave me a few ideas last year but I cant remember who he said.

I LOVE the Pern Novels (Ann McCaffery). As well as her Rowan and Crystal Singer Books. I am huge fan of Meloney Rawn, but she is taking forever to right her third book in the Mage Guardian series. Of the Dragon Lance Novels, I have read probably 80+% of the trilogys. So you all can see the type of books that I like. Magic, Dragons, anything that can take me to a different world. hehe I even have all the Harry Potter Books and are currently re-reading them for the 4th time right now.

So Any suggestions I would greatly appreciate.

Thanks guys.
PF Wishes
-Tia

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Redneck on Dec 11^th, 2004, 10:07pm

;;D
David Eddings

"The Belgariad"

Don't Forget: JRR Tolkien :)

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by vig on Dec 11^th, 2004, 10:34pm

Arthur C. Clarke...
Rendezvous with Rama
Songs of Distant Earth

Robert Heinlein
Stranger in a Strange Land

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Cerberus on Dec 11^th, 2004, 11:20pm

Methinks you would really enjoy pretty much anything by Terry Pratchett
Piers Anthony always amused me
Issac Asimov (a Classic)

Those should keep you busy fer a while...specially Pratchett. :)

Ramon

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Rock_Lobster on Dec 12^th, 2004, 12:29am

Yow. I could go on for an hour.

The Thomas Covenant novels by Stephen Donaldson stood out.

Feist... Riftwar series.

All of the Eddings works mentioned by Redneck.
Anything by Clarke as Vig hit on.
Anything by Heinlein before he become perverted... you will know when you hit them.
The entire Foundation works by Asimov as Cerb mentioned.

That said... do yourself a favor and read 'A Confederacy of Dunces'. I only read SciFi & Fantasy, but had my arm twisted into reading this story a decade+ ago. A sad tale of the author goes along with it.... google it for the story.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Jimmy_B on Dec 12^th, 2004, 8:07am

Thomas Covenant....Great suggestion, Rock. As for Piers Anthony...I couldn't get enough of the "Incarnations of Immortality" series or the "Apprentice Adept" series.

Hey...he's even got the CLUSTER series. ;;D

Jimmy

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Tiannia on Dec 12^th, 2004, 5:11pm

Thanks guys. Keep them coming.

Tolkien I've read.

Anthony.. I read the first Incarnations of Imortality. It was ok.

Have all the Anne Rice novels.. Vampire Chonicels and Mayfare witchs as well.
And of course the Dune Books. He got a bit out there with Chapter House, but still got through it.

I am hopig to get him a list of stuff. hehe I cant wait to have new stuff to read.

-Tia

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by alleyoop on Dec 12^th, 2004, 6:16pm

on 12/11/04 at 22:34:11, vig wrote:

Robert Heinlein
Stranger in a Strange Land

Charley Manson's bible ::) (good read though)

........................alley

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Charlie on Dec 12^th, 2004, 7:26pm

Vig hit on the head. Great stuff.

I haven't followed newer SF but I like a lot of Robert Silverberg's old stuff.

Larry Niven's "Ringworld" is one of the best. It's what they call hard SF rather than fantasy. If you like him, his "Know Space" stories are wonderful.

Old but good: "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke

Humor SF:

To me, "Martians Go Home" by Frederic Brown was great fun. Old stuff but hilarious. Other silly stuff by Keith Laumer is easy reading and always fun.

Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke were the big three.
Heinlein wrote well. "Stranger in a Strange Land" is the big one. Other earlier stuff is good and he was the best at narrative.

I don't know much after 1985 or so. Got away from it. Don't know why.

Charlie

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Opus on Dec 12^th, 2004, 8:23pm

The only thing I can add are the 5 books of the Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy trilogy by Douglas Adams. I also enjoyed 2010, and 3001, which the author escapes me at the moment.

Opus/Paul

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Mr. Happy on Dec 12^th, 2004, 8:34pm

on 12/12/04 at 19:26:24, Charlie wrote:

I don't know much after 1985 or so. Got away from it. Don't know why.

It's the meds, man. Catches up to you after a few decades.

Tia...list a mailing address, and the rest of us SF hosers will send you a box full of dust laden SciFi books, all in order of release.

We're like that, you know.......
RJ

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Kirk on Dec 12^th, 2004, 8:47pm

http://jsoftco.8m.com/images/jabba_the_gates.jpg

Now that was a good story [smiley=smartass2.gif]

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Lapsi_Harmaahapsi on Dec 13^th, 2004, 3:50am

Sci-fi: Orson Scott Card's Ender (and related) series.
The Culture-novels of Iain Banks.
Fantasy: Anything by Robin Hobb.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by thomas on Dec 13^th, 2004, 9:02am

Sci-fi - Dan Simmons The Hyperion series.

Fantasy, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones, Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Jeepgun on Dec 13^th, 2004, 9:13am

"Virtual Light" and "Burning Chrome," by William Gibson. Hands-down, the most awesome sci-fi I've ever read... Awesome stuff!!

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Tiannia on Dec 13^th, 2004, 11:31am

on 12/12/04 at 20:34:31, Mr. Happy wrote:

hehe - I was like that but got rid of a lot of my books (4 book cases full) when we moved down here to Vegas. Now I have read all of the books that I do have at least 4 + times (in order of release). ;;D

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Tiannia on Dec 13^th, 2004, 11:32am

on 12/13/04 at 09:02:59, thomas wrote:

Fantasy, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones, Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule.

Heah!!!!! Thank you thomas, as soon as I read the name I knew that was it.

Title: There is no free will
Post by rumplestiltskin on Dec 14^th, 2004, 2:56am

You will read
Kurt Vonnegut

unless you take yourself seriously...

or Ray Bradbury for warm fuzzy

love
den

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Rock_Lobster on Dec 14^th, 2004, 7:39am

on 12/13/04 at 09:02:59, thomas wrote:

Sci-fi - Dan Simmons The Hyperion series.

Fantasy, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones, Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule.

The Hyperion series is my all-time fav.

Did the Wheel of Time series ever end? I stopped reading it sometime after 7 or 8 books... it seemed to be going nowhere. I abandoned it when he seemed to be milking it.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by thomas on Dec 14^th, 2004, 9:05am

on 12/14/04 at 07:39:44, Rock_Lobster wrote:

The Shrike RULES! Wheel of time is still ongoing, but not as good as it used to be the first 5 books were incredible, check out George R.R. Martin, that guy is a genius.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Rock_Lobster on Dec 14^th, 2004, 9:28am

No lie. For years my name in any online game was a Shrike variant (ShriKe / ShrikeAR / ShrikeAK / SteamShovelMouth), until everyone started using it.

Rise of Endymion I found especially moving... it just tore the fuck outta me.

Did you read Ilium... the first book in Simmons new series?

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by thomas on Dec 14^th, 2004, 9:52am

on 12/14/04 at 09:28:44, Rock_Lobster wrote:

Did you read Ilium... the first book in Simmons new series?

No I haven't, is it similar? I have read the Hyperion novels about 5 times, have NOT found any sci-fi that even comes close to being as good.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by vig on Dec 14^th, 2004, 9:55am

on 12/12/04 at 20:23:53, Opus wrote:

I also enjoyed 2010, and 3001, which the author escapes me at the moment.

Opus/Paul

Arthur C. Clarke's continuation of 2001, including 2061 is great, especially if you saw the movie and were always wondering what the F*$#@ it meant.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Rock_Lobster on Dec 14^th, 2004, 11:14am

on 12/14/04 at 09:52:20, thomas wrote:

No I haven't, is it similar? I have read the Hyperion novels about 5 times, have NOT found any sci-fi that even comes close to being as good.

I enjoyed it. Was it Hyperion? No. Did it rock? Yes. I am really looking forward to the followup.

That said... do the Thomas Covenant books. You can likely find the first two sets in a used bookstore for cheap. Brutally enjoyable.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by thomas on Dec 14^th, 2004, 11:25am

on 12/14/04 at 11:14:11, Rock_Lobster wrote:

That said... do the Thomas Covenant books.

I have about half of them, have to get the rest before I start.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by ArCane on Dec 14^th, 2004, 11:32am

thomas already said my pick. Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule is the bomb. That is the first book in the Sword of Truth series. I recommend this series highly.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Jeepgun on Dec 14^th, 2004, 2:49pm

The "Stardancer" trilogy especially, but ANYTHING by Spider Robinson is KICK ASS!! The "Stardancer" trilogy is.... (at risk of hyperbole) transformative! The underlying message of it is just phenomenal. Anything in the "Callahan's" series, too. Spider Robinson is just phenomenal.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Gator on Dec 14^th, 2004, 3:05pm

Stephen King's Dark Tower Series and almost anything else by him.

Garth Nix's Seventh Tower Series.

Dean Koontz: "Seize the Night" and "Fear Nothing" For that matter almost anything by Koontz.

Title: Re: Sci fi /Fantasy book suggestions
Post by Jeepgun on Dec 14^th, 2004, 3:41pm

For horror, Bentley Little. That dude ROCKS!!! ANYTHING by him is fantastic!! May I suggest his collection of short stories. I can't remember the name of it, off the top of my head, but I read it and it scared the dogshiat out of me!