Sci-Fi / Fantasy Reads

[CheeseHead]

I feel we should have a dedicated sci-fi/fantasy books thread - I know there is a 'What are you reading at the moment' thread, but most mentions on there are for books outside of the Sci-Fi genre. As a kid I got hooked on Ray Bradbury, and it's been mostly Sci-Fi for me since!

 

As a boy growing up I remember being thrilled by Isaac Asimov's 'Foundation' series, Stephen Donaldson's 'The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever' series, all of John Wyndham's books, and later on the bizarre books of Philip K Dick.

 

Although Dune is by far my favourite fiction book of all time, a close second is a book that I recently finished - 'A Fire Upon The Deep' by Vernor Vinge. I wonder if anyone on FT has read it? It is an amazing and unique work of fiction, with the most fascinating aliens that I've ever come across.

 

For the FT sci-fi/fantasy readers out there, what/who were your own early influences?

[Zear0]

It's interesting that what I'd consider my early influences are not what I'm really into now and these are probably the only genres where this is the case.  When I was younger I would flick through things like Robin Hobb's Farseer Triology, and Ursula Le Guin's work almost anually.  Nowadays these arn't my cups of tea and works like Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun and anything Brandon Sanderson are my only real dabbles into the genre.  A couple of recent sci-fi reads that were excellent were Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Consider Phlebas by Banks.  It's pushing it to call it as fantasy, but Master and Margarita is one of the all time great books and is something I'll pick up time after time.

 

Nice to know there's someone of similar tastes...Foundation is excellent, as is almost everything by Asimov.  I did recently re-read I, Robot noting the recent AI work and it's incredible how relevant it is nowadays with respect to human emotions and relationships with machines has come.  To anyone unaware, the book has nothing to do with that travesty of a film Will Smith did.  Bradbury to is wonderful with 451 and Something Wicked being the standouts from what I've read.

 

I've not read Vinge so might put that on the already significantly large pile of "to reads". 

[urban.spaceman]

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut is a masterpiece and should be read by everyone. His writing style is truly unique. The other ones I've read of his are The Sirens of Titan and Timequake which are very good. 

 

Ubik by Philip K Dick is my personal favorite of his. A Scanner Darkly was trippy.

 

The endings to The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester and Gateway by Frederick Pohl blew my mind and have stuck with me to this day.

 

Man Plus by Pohl would be interesting to reread now in the current climate now that trans issues have become mainstream.

 

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson is DEVASTATING and I still haven't forgiven Will Smith for that ****ing awful film yet.

 

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke is brilliant.

 

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman was good. Ridley Scott bought the rights to the film a few years ago but nothing has been done, though he's really ****ing busy (on his 12th film since he turned 70!)

 

Behold The Man by Michael Moorcock is one of those that's so outrageous I can't believe the far right Christians in the states haven't burned it yet.

 

Eon by Greg Bear is well worth a read, it feels kinda similar to Rendezvous with Rama.

 

Not read much by Asimov but End of Eternity was good.

 

 

[leicsmac]

Fantasy:

 

The Lord of the Rings. There's a reason that practically every single fantasy work since takes cues from it. Tolkeins writing style isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it remains one of the greatest stories ever told.

 

Discworld. Fantasy, comedy and sometimes superb social commentary.

 

Magical Kingdom for Sale - Sold! A bit fluffy and relies on cliches, but entertaining and good fun.

 

Wizards First Rule - first book in the Sword of Truth series. Splendid fantasy fare, just don't read the rest of the series as the author descends into Objectivist bollocks.

 

Sci-fi:

 

Would second Eon by Greg Bear above.

 

The Seedling Stars by James Blish. Explores a concept in sci-fi that is a rare thing - rather novel.

 

The Expanse series by James Corey. The TV series has made the books more popular, which is good because they're excellent.

[Captain...]

I understand the question is about early influences. If you're looking for something new I can't recommend Becky Chambers highly enough. Incredible sci-fi world building with a strong satirical leaning. 

[Innovindil]

As my name would suggest I'm a huge fan of big Bobby Salvatore. And the forgotten realm books in general. Paul S. Kemp and Elaine Cunningham also a couple of my faves. 

[SkidsFox]

Not your normal science-fiction novel (is there such a thing?) but I was very impressed by "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Although in an alternative reality of current day England, it shows how social pressures can make evil acts seem commonplace, and how we can all misinterpret other people's actions and motives. 

[moore_94]

Ready Player One

 

Very different from the film that came out a few years ago, same premise and characters but that is about where the similarities end

[Sparrowhawk]

13 hours ago, CheeseHead said:

For the FT sci-fi/fantasy readers out there, what/who were your own early influences?

Asimov, Clarke, Dune, Earthsea.

 

12 hours ago, Zear0 said:

When I was younger I would flick through things like Robin Hobb's Farseer Triology

The whole massive Fitz/Elderlings series is a strong contender for my favourite books of all time! Currently nearly finished re-reading the whole lot.

 

9 hours ago, leicsmac said:

The Lord of the Rings.

Er, yes! That. Can't believe I forgot it in my earliest sf/fantasy loves!

Also Narnia.

[Sparrowhawk]

5 hours ago, Captain... said:

If you're looking for something new I can't recommend Becky Chambers highly enough.

One for me to check out!

Recently I've loved me some Adrian Tchaikowsky, Chris Beckett's Eden trilogy and NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy.

[Wrighty22]

3 hours ago, moore_94 said:

Ready Player One

 

Very different from the film that came out a few years ago, same premise and characters but that is about where the similarities end

Read this last year and really enjoyed it. Have you read Ready Player 2?

 

Also read Amarda from the same author. That was a good read as well. 

Edited 3 August 2023 by Wrighty22

[moore_94]

2 minutes ago, Wrighty22 said:

Read this last year and really enjoyed it. Have you read Ready Player 2?

 

Also read Amarda from the same author. That was a good read as well. 

Yeah I have read that as well

 

Not quite as good as the first one, and a bit weird at times, but still good

[Captain...]

1 hour ago, Sparrowhawk said:

One for me to check out!

Recently I've loved me some Adrian Tchaikowsky, Chris Beckett's Eden trilogy and NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy.

I really enjoyed Adrian Tchaikovsky Children of Time, but struggled with the follow up. Have you read the third one? 

[Sparrowhawk]

1 hour ago, Captain... said:

I really enjoyed Adrian Tchaikovsky Children of Time, but struggled with the follow up. Have you read the third one? 

Not yet - but I definitely will, because I really enjoyed the second one (and the first)!

I also liked his The Doors of Eden a lot.

[Golden Fox]

Probably read more fantasy than anything else...

I used to read a lot, so early influences were Lord of The Rings, which as @leicsmac says, is one of the greatest stories, and was really the genesis for the whole of the fantasy genre. I couldn't get on with the hobbit, and haven't tried to get through any of his other stuff, but LOTR is one of those books that has to be read and it stands on its own.

 

As a teenager, I read a lot of the Dragonlance books - not the same standard, but the 2 first trilogies were epic in scope - particularly the Twins trilogy which struck a chord at the time.

 

I then got into the Discworld novels - which I'd break up by reading between other books - the writing style is unique! The main problem was the number of characters and different series: some are better than others and it was difficult to get a handle on pre-internet. However, having pretty much stopped reading when the kids came along and free time evaporated, I've recently started reading again after about 13 years - and not wanting something too long, serious or onerous, I'm reading the 8 Watch books in order & have just started the 5th one. Love the social commentary equating other races coming into Ankh Morpork with immigration into UK! Its a good story arc, seeing development of the characters and the Watch and much better reading them in order from the start.

 

For science fiction, Iain M. Banks was always my go to. A lot of his science fiction books are in different styles and different types, and can take some thought. e.g. one book interspersed a chapter of current events with every other chapter being an historic one, but going backwards in time, which gradually changes the view of the main character. I'd got as far as Matter when I stopped reading, so that will probably be my next project once I get through the Watch!

[Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot]

Not sure 100% fits the criteria but The Dark Tower is an immense series of books. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

Most of the above, but I'd like to make special mention of...

 

The Saga of the Exiles by Julian May

 

4 books - The Many-coloured Land - The Golden Torc - The Non-born King - The Adversary

 

The general premise is that in the future time travel is invented... but only to the past and it's a one-way journey. However, people who feel misfit in the modern world have the opportunity to travel back to the Pliocene and a simpler, survivalist way of life.

 

Or so they think.

 

Because what they find is that ice-age Europe is inhabited by aliens who have been stranded on Earth and are enslaving humans when they come through. Unable to send anything back, humans gradually keep coming through, so that eventually there is a large population of future humans in the past, but the story concentrates around a couple of groups that travel.

 

The aliens all have psychic abilities to different degrees and while I say the humans are enslaved by them, those that prove useful, or have latent psychic powers that their technology can amplify, can rise high in society and they are generally benign, so in general their rule over humanity is tolerated.

 

Of course, as humanity gains more and more power... well that's the story.

 

What I especially liked was how the stories entwine with ancient mythology, without being a retelling of them.

 

The first book can drag a bit, it's essentially establishing the characters, but stick with it!

 

[Trav Le Bleu]

Had to double check this one (hence separate post) as it's years since I read it.

 

Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock

 

Sort of Narnia for grown-ups. Man has wood at back of his house and the deeper he goes into it, it becomes apparent that all is not how it seems as it surely can't be this big, or contain the things that he finds.

[LcFc_Smiv]

I used to enjoy reading through my teens, and then I just stopped. Fast forward somewhat 15 years and a few weeks ago I decided I wanted to get back into it. I probably spent too much time over thinking which book I was going to start on and was looking for probably more of a crime thriller but my brother was insistent I read Dune. Wow. I forgot that feeling of reading something for the first time and just becoming totally immersed in it. I'll follow this thread for further recommendations.  

[MonkeyTennis?]

I read less SF and fantasy these days compared to when I was younger, but I still go back to it sometimes. I suppose the single biggest influence on me was Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. Like lots of people, Terry Pratchet and Iain M. Banks were also big for, me, although as a kid, it was really those Fighting Fantasy books that got me hooked on reading. 

 

In terms of fantasy series, I think R Scott Bakker's Second Apocalypse books are remarkable (the series starts with The Darkness that Comes Before). No-one seems to have heard of them, though, I guess partly because they are a hard read in terms of literary style and also because the content is really bleak and unpleasant, pretty much from page 1. Its a bit of a mix of the Dune and Lord of the Rings, with some James Ellroy thrown in, but there are things in those books that are unlike anything I have ever read in fantasy. The Heron Spear! The Inchoroi! None shall escape Golgotterath! 

 

Really liked M John Harrison's recent 'The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again,' which is about, well, something to do with canals and water. Really like Christopher Priest's 'Dream Archipelago' novels too, which are about a series of islands where time doesn't play by the normal rules. Loved William Gibson's 'The Peripheral,' and its sequel, 'Agency,' but thought the Amazon Prime TV adaptation was abysmal. 

 

Recently read Stephen King's Fairy Tale on holiday, which is a perfectly engaging fantasy adventure, but its not the best book he has written by any measure. 

[oakman]

David Gemmell was a favourite growing up and I've re-read the first 3 books of the Riftwar Saga (Magician, Silverthorn & A Darkness at Sethanon)  by Raymond E. Feist countless times. Absolutely love them.

 

More recently I've read the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik - think 'Napoleonic War with dragons', really enjoyed them.

[Scotch]

5 hours ago, Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot said:

Not sure 100% fits the criteria but The Dark Tower is an immense series of books. 

I was just going to recommend. 

 

Easily my fav book series of all time. Read it countless times. 

[Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot]

9 minutes ago, Scotch said:

I was just going to recommend. 

 

Easily my fav book series of all time. Read it countless times. 

Definitely his best work imo, enjoy his stuff on the whole in general but the scope of this series is just on another level. Very excited to see Mike Flanagan has picked up the rights to bring it to the screen. Especially after the apparent disaster that was the film (never have and never will watch it). 

[Scotch]

4 minutes ago, Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot said:

Definitely his best work imo, enjoy his stuff on the whole in general but the scope of this series is just on another level. Very excited to see Mike Flanagan has picked up the rights to bring it to the screen. Especially after the apparent disaster that was the film (never have and never will watch it). 

I've given up seeing it on screen. There's always some exciting news about it almost becoming reality and it never works out. I'm tired of the heart-break. 

[Grebfromgrebland]

Think Andy Wier deserves and mention here, even though good books can be quite similar I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary and the Martian.

 

Anything by Iain Banks and Iain M Banks same guy. Don't think he's written a bad book.