Fantasy/Sci-Fi Book Thread

[StillUnknown]

I searched for the old thread, but it was archived

 

One of my favorite authors in the genre released his new book this week:

 

 

Its the first book of his new trilogy, set in The First Law world

 

that world is one of my favorites, always loved the work he's done with the characters more than the worldbuilding itself.

 

I wasn't crazy about his Shattered Sea trilogy, but I can't wait to start reading this book. Gotta power through my current read so I can get to his one.

[Mr. Sinister]

Hmm, I might check it out. Still reading through HP Lovecrafts Complete Fiction. Gonna be awhile. Haven't been reading as much as I should be in the ladt year or so. Minds been way to loud to do so.

[PokerPacker]

5 hours ago, Mr. Sinister said:

Hmm, I might check it out. Still reading through HP Lovecrafts Complete Fiction. Gonna be awhile. Haven't been reading as much as I should be in the ladt year or so. Minds been way to loud to do so.

I also started on Lovecraft recently.  First story I read was The Rats In The Walls; I really liked it (unfortunately-named cat aside).

[Renegade7]

Reading 1818 text of original Frankenstein.

 

Apparently in the first book by Mary Shelley the monster he created wasn't slow and lumbering like even the black and white movie.

 

It was fast, climbed cliffs like a spider, and went to his hometown to kill his nephew for abandoning him.

 

Or so the book reads so far...

[No Excuses]

Next on my shelf is Semiosis by Sue Burke. Heard a lot of good things about it.

 

 

[gbear]

I have been reading The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin.  It has been very entertaining, and she does something I can not remember another Sci- Fi author doing since the choose your own adventure books I read as a kid.  She writes a large portion of the series in the second person.  That she does this putting me in the mind of a woman is a very different experience.  Most of the "you" parts of the story are fairly genderless, except that the book itself is written by a woman.  So there is already a different feel and a different way emotions and undercurrents are handled.  Even if the story wasn't good, I would have found this interesting to read.  Luckily the plot is engaging so it is merely an added bonus.

[PleaseBlitz]

Children of Time and it's sequel Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky are both extremely good.  The first one is about super-intelligent spiders in space.  

 

 

[Destino]

First Law is the series that brought us Logen Ninefingers right?  Great dark character in a memorable dark fantasy world.  I’ll add it to the list.

 

I recommend Library on Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.  Crazy book that reminds me a bit of Neil Gaiman.  
 

 

[Mr. Sinister]

I've been thinking of writing a book for a few years now (after my previous idea was literally already a movie/commercial,  and sapped my willpower). Its based on time travel/black hole theory, and the eventual exploitation of it for commercial/political/etc gain.

 

 

Gonna require basic understanding of relativistic science/physics though. **** me.

[StillUnknown]

3 hours ago, Destino said:

First Law is the series that brought us Logen Ninefingers right?  Great dark character in a memorable dark fantasy world.  I’ll add it to the list.

 

I recommend Library on Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.  Crazy book that reminds me a bit of Neil Gaiman.  
 

 

 

the bloody nine stands alone. its kinda surprising nobody has put that on television or film yet. it has some great characters, potential for amazing battle sequences, and with a story thats not overly complicated......and its finished.

 

6 hours ago, gbear said:

I have been reading The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin.  It has been very entertaining, and she does something I can not remember another Sci- Fi author doing since the choose your own adventure books I read as a kid.  She writes a large portion of the series in the second person.  That she does this putting me in the mind of a woman is a very different experience.  Most of the "you" parts of the story are fairly genderless, except that the book itself is written by a woman.  So there is already a different feel and a different way emotions and undercurrents are handled.  Even if the story wasn't good, I would have found this interesting to read.  Luckily the plot is engaging so it is merely an added bonus.

 

I think that book put me off for the very reasons you enjoy it. its one I've said i would revisit sometime in the future, but probably won't. I did like her latest book, The City We Became though. Felt good to read fantasy that used a modern setting as the basis for the worldbuilding.

 

18 minutes ago, Mr. Sinister said:

I've been thinking of writing a book for a few years now (after my previous idea was literally already a movie/commercial,  and sapped my willpower). Its based on time travel/black hole theory, and the eventual exploitation of it for commercial/political/etc gain.

 

 

Gonna require basic understanding of relativistic science/physics though. **** me.

 

I'll buy a copy to support, but time travel kills me. i have yet to find a story to make me care at all about time travel.

[Destino]

I also dislike time travel stories.  It just creates a growing list of plot holes that grow with each trek back and forth.  

[Mr. Sinister]

29 minutes ago, StillUnknown said:

I'll buy a copy to support, but time travel kills me. i have yet to find a story to make me care at all about time travel.

 

8 minutes ago, Destino said:

I also dislike time travel stories.  It just creates a growing list of plot holes that grow with each trek back and forth.  

 

Right, that's why it's been so tedious. Instead of the tempting spiderweb of possibilities it would create with widespread use, I may try to create a world where it's been outlawed, or a "Philadelphia Experiment " sort of event. That might make it easier to create a story around.

[Destino]

7 hours ago, gbear said:

I have been reading The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin.  It has been very entertaining, and she does something I can not remember another Sci- Fi author doing since the choose your own adventure books I read as a kid.  She writes a large portion of the series in the second person.  That she does this putting me in the mind of a woman is a very different experience.  Most of the "you" parts of the story are fairly genderless, except that the book itself is written by a woman.  So there is already a different feel and a different way emotions and undercurrents are handled.  Even if the story wasn't good, I would have found this interesting to read.  Luckily the plot is engaging so it is merely an added bonus.

I wanted to like the series and read all three books.  Couldn’t force myself to like it though.  It’s one thing to write a dark story, but this one felt like evil versus evil... and having to read a thousand pages of one side’s endless rationalizations.  

[visionary]

I got most of the way through the first book in the Broken Earth Trilogy and I just gave up after some of the twists.  It was just too dark for me.  (But I also hated the ending of the First Law trilogy, so....)

[Destino]

15 minutes ago, visionary said:

I got most of the way through the first book in the Broken Earth Trilogy and I just gave up after some of the twists.  It was just too dark for me.  (But I also hated the ending of the First Law trilogy, so....)

If you like more light hearted fantasy I’d recommend Riyria Revelations by Michael J Sullivan.  I’ll never outgrow a well written good vs evil story, with laughs thrown in along the way.  
 

Im reading the time of Courage by John Gwynne now.  Pretty good series.

[visionary]

My brother and I went through the first 3 books in the Riyria prequel trilogy (it is kind of dark too though, lol, and the second book had me very emotional for various parts of it) and loved it, (we were listening to them on audiobook a while back).  I also really liked the Age of Myth, but never finished it because I was listening to it with my family a few years back whenever we went on long car rides together. 

 

My brother has been really into the A Pattern of Shadow & Light series by Melissa McPhail recently.  I heard part of the first book and wasn't super into it, but my brother really likes the series and said it gets a lot better.

[gbear]

14 hours ago, Destino said:

If you like more light hearted fantasy I’d recommend Riyria Revelations by Michael J Sullivan.  I’ll never outgrow a well written good vs evil story, with laughs thrown in along the way.  

 

I second the recommendation of Michal J Sullivan books.  They are excellent.

 

As for the Broken Earth, I enjoy the darkness some.  I also find the different perspective enjoyable in part because I never see other writers attempt it.  I enjoy it the way I once enjoyed the Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony years ago.  That was just so foreign of a concept to me back when I was a high school kid.  Guess that dated me a bit... 

[The 12th Commandment]

I find the Land series by Aleron Kong to be a lot of fun.  Some new fangled LitRPG style that I figured would be stupid, boredom and free had me take a look anyhow, but is actually pretty entertaining.  Not highbrow but fast paced and pretty well done.

[NickyJ]

I'm still on my sci-fi binge. I'm always devotedely waiting for the next Expanse book, but Faded Sun Trilogy has moved up into my top 5 of favorite books and series. There's just nothing I find more fascinating than books about different peoples and societies learning to interact with each other.