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Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books You Enjoy?

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(@halbert)
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I just finished Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It's dbal is my new favorite My last favorite was the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver.

~Morgan

Right now I'm reading the third book in the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. I absolutely loved the first 2 and this is growing to be one of my favorite series of all time. I'm going to continue reading Sanderson books after this, apparently they're all connected.

 
Posted : February 4, 2018 2:04 am
LDWriter2
(@ldwriter2)
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Right now I'm reading the third book in the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. I absolutely loved the first 2 and this is growing to be one of my favorite series of all time. I'm going to continue reading Sanderson books after this, apparently they're all connected.

I like that series too but I goofed it. Without realizing it I started book four which starts a different time frame. A fantastic world and great characters. I like the story better than "The Way of Kings" even though that one is very well done.

Working on turning Lead into Gold.
Four HMs From WotF
The latest was Q1'12
HM-quarter 4 Volume 32
One HM for another contest
published in Strange New Worlds Ten.
Another HM http://onthepremises.com/minis/mini_18.html

 
Posted : February 11, 2018 7:12 am
(@morgan-broadhead)
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I just finished Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It's my new favorite. My last favorite was the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver.

~Morgan

"You can either sit here and write, or you can sit here and do nothing. But you can’t sit here and do anything else."
— Neil Gaiman, Masterclass

Drop me a line at https://morganbroadhead.com
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Posted : March 2, 2018 7:40 am
mikewyantjr
(@mikewyantjr)
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That reminds me, Zer0es by Chuck Wendig is really good if you're into modern speculative fiction (and care about technological accuracy in your hacker-culture fiction).

WotF Results:

R:6
HM:17
SHM:1
SF:3
F:0
Last: SF, Q2 v41

 
Posted : March 2, 2018 7:45 am
(@morgan-broadhead)
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That reminds me, Zer0es by Chuck Wendig is really good if you're into modern speculative fiction (and care about technological accuracy in your hacker-culture fiction).

And THAT reminds me of another favorite -- BZRK by Michael Grant.

~Morgan

"You can either sit here and write, or you can sit here and do nothing. But you can’t sit here and do anything else."
— Neil Gaiman, Masterclass

Drop me a line at https://morganbroadhead.com
SFx1
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Posted : March 2, 2018 9:29 am
(@dragonrider)
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Right now I'm reading the third book in the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. I absolutely loved the first 2 and this is growing to be one of my favorite series of all time. I'm going to continue reading Sanderson books after this, apparently they're all connected.

OMG I'm addicted to Brandon Sanderson. Mistborn series was awesome. I also recommend his Reckoner series which is quite entertaining. wotf001

Oh -- and Morgan -- totally agree on Ready Player One. I hope the new movie doesn't chop it up too much. At least Speilberg is directing, so there's hope. wotf011

-- CJ

 
Posted : March 19, 2018 10:33 am
LDWriter2
(@ldwriter2)
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I too am reading the mistborn sort of. Without realizing it I started with book four the new series. Haven't gotten to the fist thee yet,

Working on turning Lead into Gold.
Four HMs From WotF
The latest was Q1'12
HM-quarter 4 Volume 32
One HM for another contest
published in Strange New Worlds Ten.
Another HM http://onthepremises.com/minis/mini_18.html

 
Posted : May 23, 2018 3:19 pm
(@blalley)
Posts: 14
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I recently discovered two gems by Robert L Forward, Dragon's Egg and Starquake. As a lifelong SciFi fan I'm ashamed to admit I hadn't read them sooner.

 
Posted : June 4, 2018 11:58 am
(@mike-resnick)
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Northwest of Earth, by C. L. Moore
Dimension of Miracles, by Robert Sheckley
Galaxies, by Barry N. Malzberg
City, by Clifford D, Simak
The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester
Star Maker, by Olaf Stapledon

Hugo & Nebula multi-award winner
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www.mikeresnick.com

 
Posted : October 17, 2018 2:01 pm
(@sataris)
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Northwest of Earth, by C. L. Moore
Dimension of Miracles, by Robert Sheckley
Galaxies, by Barry N. Malzberg
City, by Clifford D, Simak
The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester
Star Maker, by Olaf Stapledon

thanks for this! added to the queue

2017: Q4: SHM - The Tin Man, Syntax and Salt
2018: Q1: 1st Place

 
Posted : October 18, 2018 12:50 pm
(@johnprater)
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I'm a big fan of The Lord of The Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien. Also, Solaris by Stanislaw Lem is a great book. Very intriguing and I was enjoying every part. However, I started to read more non-fiction books. You can learn different things and facts from them, and I think they are very useful.

 
Posted : January 23, 2019 7:55 pm
(@thewolfemperor)
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The last SciFi book I read was Artemis by Andy Weir. It's more of a thriller and it's not as drawn out as The Martian. Like The Martian, it does take creative liberties with science. But it was a real page turner and I couldn't put it down.

 
Posted : September 3, 2019 4:18 pm
(@rilaiss)
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I'm not sure I could list them all! Older Sci-Fi/Fantasy favorites are Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, and anything by Tolkien. Newer favorites though are The Mapmaker Trilogy by S.E. Grove, Caraval trilogy by Stephanie Garber, Timeless Fairy Tales series by K.M. Shea, most of Jasper Fforde's books, Time Traveler's Never Die by Jack McDevitt, Legend of the Guardian-King series by Karen Hancock, Rock by Sharon Cameron, and The Classical Kingdoms series by Brittany Fichter.

 
Posted : October 2, 2019 6:41 am
(@wjroberts)
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To many to list, but anything by Robert E. Howard, Douglas Adams, Lovecraft, Eddings, Jordan, Weiss, Heinlin, Taylor Anderson, John Ringo, Eric Flint... the list just keeps going on and on.

 
Posted : August 29, 2020 10:17 pm
Scott_M_Sands
(@scott_m_sands)
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Some favs.

Yeah, Brandon's Mistborn series is fantastic. I've only read the first two, yet to devour the third.

I held off reading David Eddings for years (mostly I think because it was 'old'). The Belgariad is awesome, though. Big fan of the world and diverse characters.

Another winner is Raymond E. Feist. His 'Magician' trilogy (at least it started as a trilogy Smile ) has some really cool takes on magic and fight scenes in general. Compelling, easy read. Love the scope.

I'm also a massive Star Wars fan. Short of the Thrawn trilogy (also the new Thrawn: Alliances stuff) by Timothy Zahn, Darth Plagueis by James Luceno was a cool perspective to read. Plus SW books by Claudia Gray, John Jackson Miller, Karen Traviss... And of course, the Jedi Apprentice young-readers series, the first of which was written by Dave Wolverton (David Farland). I read that series over and over. Loved it.  

"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson
V36-37: R x6
V38: R, HM, R, HM
V39: HM, HM, HM, HM
V40: HM

 
Posted : June 8, 2021 11:27 pm
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DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
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I loved Mistborn, and think it has one of the best shapes to a trilogy that I've ever invested my time in (by which I mean, the whole story feels naturally complete as a trilogy, rather than feeling like three books that just happen to have been written one after another, if you follow me). Another one that meets that specific criteria for me is the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, another series of three that feels like it naturally belongs together, and where the whole exceeds the sum of its parts.

I also very much enjoyed the Engineer Trilogy by K.J. Parker.

I suspect, eventually, I might be able to say the same about the Alvin Maker series--if Orson Scott Card ever damn well finishes it, anyway--and likewise for the KingKiller series, which is still pending its final book. I hold out hope for these books with the same dwindling optimism that some others hold for The Winds of Winter (which I also hope to read, eventually). As a rule, I try not to read series if they aren't complete, and all three of these are reminders to me of why that was a good idea.

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : June 8, 2021 11:51 pm
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(@wulfmoon)
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@scott_m_sands Timothy Zahn did impressive work in Star Wars. Huge respect for his plotting skills.

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Posted : June 9, 2021 9:35 am
Erik
 Erik
(@fenrik)
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When it comes to Science-fiction I like so many writers it's always hard to name a favorite, but I really enjoy Robert A. Heinlein's 'Citizen of the galaxy', Ray Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451', Isaac Assimov's 'I, robot' (I haven't read all short stories, just one collection of them), and Richard Mathewson's 'I Am legend' to name a few. 

At the moment, I'm reading 'A handmaid's tale' by Margaret Atwood, which I'm also enjoying a lot. Additionally, I'm in the middle of reading the 'Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy trilogy' by Douglas Adams, which is very funny. 

For both Fantasy and Science fiction I really enjoy any book by Brandon Sanderson.

For just Fantasy some of my favorite writers are: Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, and Terry Pratchett. 

Currently I'm not actively reading a specific book for Fantasy, but I do have some nice books lined up on my bookshelf, which I haven't started yet. (The summer holidays are finally coming up, so those will probably all be finished then)

The latest Fantasy book I finished a few days ago was 'The witch king' by H.E. Edgmon. I enjoyed it a lot! Especially the world building. The last few sentences of the book are very funny, and make me look forward to the rest of the series. 

 

“Happiness consists in getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.”
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Posted : June 9, 2021 10:23 am
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Álex Souza
(@alexvss)
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I could name cliché'd favorite authors such as Tolkien or Bradbury, but—and although I like them a lot, I'll try to name some underrated work that need more love.

Gary Whitta's Abomination is a dark fantasy masterclass. It features lovecraftian monsters in a vinking-decimated Europe. The descriptions are great.

Thomas Olde Heuvelt's HEX has one of the most comical (and best) premises I've ever seen. A witch haunts a US town that used to be New Netherland. She's hundreds years old and just won't die, no matter the method the villagers try. So, if she won't die, what do they do nowadays? What everyone would do: create a smarthone app to keep track of her! But things escalate quickly, and the climax is terrifying!

I also like Derrick Boden's cyberpunk short-stories a lot. 

 

V38: Q3-R; Q4-HM
V39: Q1-R; Q2-N/A; Q3-P
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Debut short-story "Invisible Bodies" published in HyphenPunk and reprinted in MetaStellar.

 
Posted : July 4, 2021 5:58 pm
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Scott_M_Sands
(@scott_m_sands)
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I just finished Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy (book 3). A very cool take on allomancy and feruchemy. Such easy to read, enjoyable characters. I got up to the last 20-30 odd pages of book 3 and it still didn't really look like ending. Then it ended swiftly, with a nice twist. I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Pretty sure I have 'The Way of Kings' on my shelf, although there are a couple of other books I've been hanging to read first.

"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson
V36-37: R x6
V38: R, HM, R, HM
V39: HM, HM, HM, HM
V40: HM

 
Posted : September 19, 2021 5:55 am
storysinger
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I read an article about KJ Anderson being a fan of Terry Goodkind so I read one of his books, and another, and.......

Very good writing. I sure wish I'd met him before he left.

Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
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Posted : September 20, 2021 1:19 pm
Scott_M_Sands
(@scott_m_sands)
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I've been editing my Q1, especially the inclusion of sensory details near the beginning of scenes. I'm also reading Dune atm (some of you may have heard of it). It shouldn't come as a surprise, but it did-in every beginning of a scene or chapter, Frank Herbert beautifully describes the lighting or time of day or has someone looking over a green field (giving relative time of day). I skimmed ahead to a few other chapters-almost all of them include this. The book is over 500 pages! There must be 40-50 chapters. He adds lighting almost every time. Clearly, Frank Herbert believed setting the scene this way is important.
I just didn't realize the extent to which this is so. 

*Note-if you, like myself, haven't read the book before, you should. I'm only a few chapters in and LOVING it. It does hold a special place for me though, as I spent many hours playing 'Dune' pc games  

"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson
V36-37: R x6
V38: R, HM, R, HM
V39: HM, HM, HM, HM
V40: HM

 
Posted : November 6, 2021 6:16 am
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storysinger
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I've never played any Dune games, but I have been a fan for many years.

I was given the chance by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson to download a copy of Dune: The Duke of Caladan

They have another book, Dune The Lady of Caladan, there will be three by the time the series is concluded.

It's been so long since I read the original Dune it's time to do a reread. Thanks for igniting that fire Scott.

Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships

 
Posted : November 6, 2021 7:36 am
(@wulfmoon)
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@scott_m_sands This is all part of grounding your reader in your setting as the curtain lifts on the stage of each scene. Part of “Hinting at the Grand Vista of Your World.” Glad you see the technique. That’s the first step to duplicating it in your own work. Cheers!

 

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Posted : November 6, 2021 10:02 am
LCWhelchel
(@earthkeeper78)
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I'm a big fan of Brandon Sanderson, especially the Mistborn and Reckoners series. Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy is another one I highly enjoyed. I'm considering picking up Dune with all the hubbub about the movie, but if I do, it'll have to wait until after the New Year. My college classes have me reading more than enough already!

"Trust is like a shop. Difficult to build, but surprisingly easy to ruin. But when it is strong and true, there are few things in this world that make you feel stronger."
HM - V37/Q4, V38/Q4, V39/Q1
SHM - V38/Q3

 
Posted : November 6, 2021 11:39 am
Scott_M_Sands
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@storysinger 

More than happy to remind you, Storysinger! I was only a few pages in when I surprised myself by thinking, "I love Sci-Fi. I loved the Dune games/universe. Why haven't I read this?" It's been easy to read, hard to put down so far.

I'm sure I'll get into some of the other books in the series when I'm done with the original. Sounds like you recommend them.  popcorn  

"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson
V36-37: R x6
V38: R, HM, R, HM
V39: HM, HM, HM, HM
V40: HM

 
Posted : November 7, 2021 4:43 am
storysinger reacted
Scott_M_Sands
(@scott_m_sands)
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@earthkeeper78 

The Dune movie doesn't come out in Australia until Dec. By then, school will be nearly done (I'm a teacher). The movie will be a lovely little reward. I told myself I'd read the book before seeing the movie. I hope I hold to that.

And you're not the first I've heard talk about the Leviathan trilogy. I'm not familiar with it, but I'll have a look at some point soon. Thanks, earthkeeper.

"If writing is easy, you're doing it wrong." -Bryan Hutchinson
V36-37: R x6
V38: R, HM, R, HM
V39: HM, HM, HM, HM
V40: HM

 
Posted : November 7, 2021 4:46 am
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Mark Wilkinson
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An unusual book I stumbled across that I really enjoyed is, "The Carpet Makers," by Andreas Eschbach.  He's a German author, and this book was translated to English.  It is not a very long read, and I found it to be very clever.  It is a collection of vignettes across a galactic empire, which are seeming unrelated.  When you get to the end of the book, you see how they are all tied together.  It is one I've really remembered.

I like stores told as collections of vignettes over a long span of time.  Usually great things happen over years, woven in a complex story of interrelated events, not in an afternoon (as seemingly "Star Wars, A New Hope" does).  I wrote my first novel (unpublished) this way, but all the vignettes follow the same small group of characters.  Eschbach had different characters in each of his.  Each was its own story that didn't make a whole lot of sense on its own.

Anyway, that's my recommendation for a story you may not have heard a lot about.

Mark

https://www.MarkWilx.com

 
Posted : April 6, 2022 6:52 am
Morgan reacted
(@morgan-broadhead)
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@scott_m_sands 

You're going to love it. I totally did!

"You can either sit here and write, or you can sit here and do nothing. But you can’t sit here and do anything else."
— Neil Gaiman, Masterclass

Drop me a line at https://morganbroadhead.com
SFx1
HMx4
R/RWCx5

 
Posted : April 6, 2022 8:38 am
(@annax)
Posts: 159
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I have a habit of remembering the book titles and authors of books I've read that I thought was amazing. I haven't read lately, so these were from forever ago. Here's my list:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Dragon Keeper and the entire Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb

Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Mister Monday and the Keys to the Kingdom books by Garth Nix

Into the Land of Unicorns by Bruce Coville

Dealing with Dragons and the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede

 

~ I honestly believe that good stories write themselves. You can always start writing a story, but the characters tell their own tales and if you're lucky enough, you get to merely be in the audience watching everything unfold. ~ 8/1/2022
***
WotF - 2022, V39 Q4: R
WotF - 2022/2023, V40 Q1: HM; Q2: HM; Q3: HM; Q4:HM

 
Posted : August 1, 2022 9:37 pm
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