Looking for Sci-Fi (and some fantasy recommendations)

[Quibble]

Thanks for all the replies.. Going to Waterstone Friday, so still have time, for any additional replies

But thanks to everyone who has already given their recommendation, I am looking forward to getting to browse for everything Friday

[Jetstream]

The Galactic Milieu series (Jack the Bodiless, Diamond Mask, Magnificat; (Prequel: Intervention)), by Julian May
The Saga of Pliocene Exile (The Many-Colored Land, The Golden Torc, The Nonborn King, The Adversary), also by Julian May

They're pretty damned old, and generally out of print so you'll probably be getting 'em used, but they're pretty fantastic. They portray a pretty damned bizarre future society based around what happens to humanity when Psionic abilities become relatively commonplace and after aliens make contact.

As a note, both series contain spoilers for each other, and feed into each other, so reading either of them first works. They're both sequels to each other, in a way. I started with Pliocene, my buddy started with Milieu. I'm not sure which is better

[Alcohorlick]

I'd recommend anything by Richard Morgan.
He started out as sci-fi and did the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy, Black Man(Th1rt3en in the US) and Market Forces, all of which I loved.
He's since done a fantasy trilogy, A Land Fit for Heroes, of which the first book got me back in fantasy books after a long absence.
He's got a very gritty style and can be a bit bleak at times, but the stories and characters are amazing.

I've since read a load of fantasy, the best of which would probably be:

The Mistborn series by Branden Sanderson
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
The First Law by Joe Abercrombie

and maybe The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson if you don't mind huge sprawling reads and very few overlapping characters in the early books.

[Deleted]

Sci-Fi:

1. Iain M. Banks "Culture" novels. RIP. They are simply amazing. Note the books are just a collection so order does not matter much at all
- if you want chronological order for the 10 books, "Consider Phlebas" is the first one.
- if you want a really exciting entry, then "Use of Weapons" is probably the most well-known one that many plead to be made into a film.

2. @Alcohorlick's recommendations are good to very good. From that I would recommend without question, the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy by Richard K. Morgan - these are about to be made into a TV series, if not film.

Fantasy (lately I've read far more fantasy than my sci-fi roots):

There's nothing else as good that I can think of that is strongly like the thief/con-man in Scott Lynch's excellent Gentlemen Bastard Sequence series.

However, I would highly recommend the following in fantasy.

1. The Stormlight Archive by Branden Sanderson. This incomplete trilogy is by far his best work. I was not a strong fan of his work, I merely enjoyed the "ride", until I read the Stormlight Archive. They make not only his other books pale in comparison but compare very well to the best in the fantasy genre. He's got everything from world-building to intricate careful magic systems to weird creatures to very interesting and diverse characters.

2. First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. You'll never forget these characters the grittiness of his style of writing is extremely immersive.

3. Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. If you want even more brutality but classic style fantasy with a rogue/assassin bent, this is the series to get!

4. The Broken Empire trilogy by Mark Lawrence. This is almost as brutal as the Night Angel trilogy. It is set in a long post-apocalyptic fantasy world, with nods to European-style regional in-fighting (ala. Game of Thrones), but having strange interactions between real magic and science artifacts of a bygone-age.

5. Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. The only reason that this is at the bottom is that it is a very long series. Its world-building alone probably surpasses everything else in the fantasy genre (most definitely including the Wheel of Time series). That said, it is based around and greatly expands on a much shorter and less well-known amazing series by Glen Cook called "The Black Company". "The Books of the North" trilogy from that series is well worth reading.

[apepi]

The 5 book series by James S. A. Corey: The Expanse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ex...(novel_series)

Yeah, I came to suggest this. Also I agree with @squeeze with the Stormlight Archive.

Ill also recommend Fahrenheit 451

[Space Troll]

Roger Zelazny recommendations:

Fantasy:

The Chronicles of Amber - 10 total books, can't talk about much without spoiling it. Can tell you about Worlds and Shadow Worlds. Our Earth is a Shadow World.

Science Fiction/Fantasy:

This Immortal (Tied with DUNE as Hugo Award winner) - Post-Apocalyptic Earth, first-person experiences.

[Halicia]

Since you put Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy up top...

I'd have to heavily recommend the Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams, its been a couple decades, but I remember enjoying that "series" more than his more popular Hitchhiker novels.

[Dhrizzle]

"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" comes before "Long Dark Teatime..." and the series concludes with "Salmon of Doubt," though sadly that book is incomplete due to his passing.

[Quibble]

5. Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. The only reason that this is at the bottom is that it is a very long series. Its world-building alone probably surpasses everything else in the fantasy genre (most definitely including the Wheel of Time series).

I actually got the first book of this series on my shelve.. But I got to it just after finishing off The Wheel of Time.. And didn't really feel in the mood for another long ass fantasy series.. I will get to it eventually

"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" comes before "Long Dark Teatime..."

I didn't see yours or the previous reply before I went shopping.. but I happened to fall over the omnibus with those two stories.. And it's the book I choose to start reading on my trip back home.. It's great so far


I've tried to look up pretty much all books recommended, that I didn't have. I wasn't able to find everything though, had to leave with somewhere around 15 books unfound. Some being out of print But I got out with 24 books so it wasn't bad.

[heroim]

should read star wars Thrawn trilogy Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The last command

[Baium]

Put in another recommendation for Dune and Asimov's Foundation books.

[IIamaKing]

Rama series, by Clarke.

Foundation series, by Asimov.

[Deleted]

if you like HHGTG, you are going to like the "Hard Luck Hank" series by Steven Campbell.
I am only on audio Book 2 of 5 at the moment, but it is turning into one of my favourite comedy sci-fi's

Military Sci Fi -
Undying Mercenaries series by B.V. Larson
Star Force Series - by B.V. Larson (however, I must stress, after book 9, and the main protagonist changes from father to son, the series goes down hill imo)

Both get a little cheesy at times, but the character ""marvin" in the Starforce Series, is by far one of the most memorable characters I have read about.

Dystopia Sci Fi
The Fear Saga - Stephen Moss


If I absolutely had to choose only one book, I would go with the Hard luck Hank series, this has had me chuckling away to my self on the bus to and from work.
when you see a cover like this

you just know its going to be a story that not only does not it self seriously, it is a story that does not take anything seriously.

[apepi]

Short story for a light read.

[Zeta333]

Okay, I'm a Dane, going to London tomorrow.. I always visit Waterstone

So, I was wondering, if anyone could help with some recommendations.

Sci-Fi I have bought on previous trips, and really liked:
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Hyperion Cantos - Dan Simmons
The Stars My Destination
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August - Claire North
The Martian - Andy Weir
Gateway - Frederik Pohl
The Ender Quartet - Orson Scott Card


I've tried to put them in the order I liked them the most, but I loved all of them.

On my to buy list, I only currently have some Isaac Asimov books / collections, that I would like to try out.
Earth is Room Enough
Nine Tomorrows
Nightfall and other Stories
I, Robot.

So, what Sci-Fi books, is a must get? Or anything that are in the style of the above books, that you can recommend?

On my last trip I also bought:
The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch, and I loved it. Had to order the next two books as soon as I got back home.. I love a good con artist story.
I think the reason I ended up with that book, was because of recently reading the Rogues Anthology by George R. R Martin, which had a lot of good short stories..

So, besides the Sci-Fi recommendations, I'm also asking for tips about books with thiefs / rogues / con artist, prefferably in a sci-fi / fantasy theme.

Ohh and I love the idea of the subreddit "Humanity, Fuck Yeah!", where I've alteast been following the story "Humans don't make Good Pets"..


If anyone actually read my rabble and have got some ideas, please share.. I'm gonna go spend an entire day in Waterstone looking for books anyway.
Thanks in advance

Warhammer 40k. It has a massive library. One of the longest known story arcs spanning over 40 books so far. And is pretty grim dark military scifi. IMO some of the best right now.