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Crispy78 wrote:

 Jadenim wrote:
[u]
There are several series by Trudi Canavan that are really good; The Magician’s series and associated sequels/spin offs are good solid standard fantasy with a few interesting twists and The Priestess of the White trilogy is an interesting, different kind of fantasy world.

Yeah I generally enjoyed her Black Magician trilogy. The one thing that really grated with me was her (to me, anyway) unnecessary world-building where she felt the need to come up with alternate names for generally familiar stuff. She'd be talking about ceryni and faren and so on, and you'd check the glossary in the back of the book and it'd say 'yeah, that's a mouse', 'yeah, that's a spider'.

If it's just a spider, then just call it a damn spider. Or an Arachnoid ForestSkitterer(TM) if you're GW.

I enjoyed her magicians series too. Never quite liked her other works, but I did enjoy her first Magicians trilogy.

 Duskweaver wrote:
R. Scott Bakker's Second Apocalypse series. The main protagonist, Kellhus, is basically how the Emperor should have been written in the Horus Heresy books. There's a lot of 40K 'feel' in the Second Apocalypse generally, but Bakker is a far more capable author than anyone who has ever written for the Black Library, even ADB and Chris Wraight.

Well, first, I definitely second this recommendation and it's entire sentiment.

But I must ask, are you the Duskweaver? Sorry, if is a case of mistaken identity.

Also, War & Peace and Blood Meridian are perennial recommendations from me.

 H wrote:
But I must ask, are you the Duskweaver?

From the second-apocalypse.com forums, yes. Though I haven't posted there for a couple of years now. You must therefore be the H, as in 'The Original No-God Apologist'?

 Duskweaver wrote:

 H wrote:
But I must ask, are you the Duskweaver?

From the second-apocalypse.com forums, yes. Though I haven't posted there for a couple of years now. You must therefore be the H, as in 'The Original No-God Apologist'?

Guilty as charged. The forum remembers, still some of us kicking around there on the long Slog until the next book.

I tend to like stories about characters who need to deal with genuinely complicated problems that they can't just brute-force through, either because they're outmatched (Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files and Codex Alera, Wildbow, Worm and others), or because brute force would just make the situation worse (Lois McMaster Bujold, The Vorkosigan Saga, DD Webb, The Gods Are Bastards). I find the usual teenage power fantasies about how great it'd be if you could just fireball anyone who annoyed you increasingly grating as I get older, the stories that feel like they mean something are really about people and human problems, and the stuff blowing up is incidental background.

Might be why I'm increasingly burned out on Warhammer as I get older, come to think of it.

I don't read much fantasy/sci-fi, and quite dislike Black Library books (dull and pointless, most of the time). Buuuuut I'm on the Malazan Book Of The Fallen camp. The series really grabbed me, but only once I was well into the second book. At first it felt like an annoying puzzle, but then you start figuring things out and locating all the bits of information to finally see the whole picture. It's scope, twists, intricate details and world building is immense.

Otherwise, my favorites should be the russian classics, along other brilliant figures like Jung and Camus. Brothers Karamazov probably at the top. Also, Slaughterhouse-Five. So it goes.

The first couple (or maybe 3) Dune books, after that I got the feeling the whole thing had got a bit out of hand

The Earthsea books (also I suspect a influence on Sir Terry, especially Granny)

Discworld (and Good Omens of course)

Most of Moorcocks stuff, some of it is clearly rushed and herbally inspired but as an " inspiration " to Warhammer its unmatched

The Malazan Book of the Fallen is a ten book sequence. I've read each book 12-n times, where n is the position in the sequence. So, for example, I have read the final book just twice. The only exception is Deadhouse Gates, which I've read twice extra for being awesome. Apart from Lord of the Rings (Upwards of twenty times), they are the only books I have read more than twice. The Bauchelain & Korbal Broach novellas are also very good, and I enjoyed some elements of the Kharkanas trilogy.

As well as Steven Erikson's Malazan contributions, I've also read all of the ones from Ian Cameron Esslemont, which started off weak, and got markedly better in his most recent triology.

The other books I would most highly recommend, which I have not spotted here so far, as those of Mark Lawrence, especially his first trilogy. Pick up The Prince of Thorns. I am reading Prince of Thorns for the second time, and it is likely I'll read it again in future.

I avoided watching The Handmaid's Tale on TV because I did not want to ruin the book - it is too awesome.

I adore everything I've read by Michael Chabon, especially The Final Solution. He is now show runner for Picard, randomly!

Guns, Germs & Steel by Jared Diamond changed my outlook on the world. It is science, not fiction, but is utterly gripping.

Bernard Cornwell has some great stuff. The Warlord Trilogy about King Arthur was my favourite, but Sharpe is more famous, and his most recent series, about Uhtred of Bebbanburg is very good too.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel deserves the awards it won.

I keep meaning to read Sharp after seeing the TV series.

Same with the Jack and Aubry series after seeing Master and Commander.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
oh yeah, George Orwell. truly rare in that despite being a socialist, also wrote incredibly pertinent and telling literature about the dangers of extremist ideology.

the other day I read 'screwtape proposes a toast' by CS Lewis, and that was very relevant to modern times in my opinion. its a fairly short read, but worth it. I havent read the main Screwtape Chronicles, but I may do at some point.

I think it could have been a lot better if Eric--erm, George that is, hadn't been so ill when writing it. Still an incredibly book but you can feel how labored it is in parts. I think he knew he wasn't long for the world, which is why parts of it feel rushed.

True Crime books.
Alot of people dont know how obsessed i am with killers and stuff, i mostly keep it to myself.
With now im reading The Menendez murders

Have to be mainstream here and say Lord of the Rings. I could try to be clever and add to this list, and list a quality book that might be quite rare, but thinking about it, that would detract from the truth. J.R.R. Tolkien I salute you.

Thqt being said. I wouldnt normally think about 40K books themselves, but then I bought the Hachette 40K partwork series and found the investment in books worthwhile. I have had a lot of good reads.

https://hachettepartworks.com/warhammer-40k-legends-collection

I've been mostly enjoying AoS and Warhammer Classic books as they are, to me, something that a lot of modern fantasy misses which is adventuring style books.

Don't get me wrong, I love my epic stories (as noted by several in my earlier post), but sometimes I just want a dwarf and a poet smashing skaven for a few pages and perhaps saving a little town and then travelling on their way. No saving the kingdom or the world; no battling the gods or saving the entire universe. Just some good old adventure and the struggle of the "small" people.

It's also nice to have a simpler structure of characters that are easier to follow.

Are the gotrek and felix books good? They were around when I was into the hobby as a kid, but I never read them.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
True Crime books.
Alot of people dont know how obsessed i am with killers and stuff, i mostly keep it to myself.
With now im reading The Menendez murders

Have you read jigsaw man? It's written by a forensic psychologist. I read it when I was about 12 or 13.. Some messed up stuff in there.

The first five or six (written by William King) are very enjoyable. The second book, Skavenslayer, and third book, Daemonslayer, introduce some fantastic characters and a ton of humor to the series.

In no particular order

Peter V Brett, Painted Man series. Doesn't really stick the landing, sadly, but given I believe the first book was the first book he'd had published, the world building is excellent (daemons rise up from the earth at night, different species belong to different aspects of nature, humanity spends it's nights cowering in warded buildings until somebody discovers forgotten lore that allows for the fight to be carried to demo kind. Demonkind objects.)

Brent Weeks. Both the Night Angel series and the Lightbringer series. Not quite as gritty as Abercrombie, but a little more grounded than most. The magic system in Lightbringer is, AFAIK, a really original idea.

All the things David Gemmell wrote.

Special mention for the Dragonlance Books by Weis and Hickman, I'm not sure they're good, but I have great affection for them so can't really tell any more.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Are the gotrek and felix books good? They were around when I was into the hobby as a kid, but I never read them.

I've read the four Omnibus editions and found them great fun. They are adventuring style stories with quests, drunk dwarves and all. I think if you ever liked anything DnD or adventuring in general you should enjoy them. I've only held off on the rest as Im curious if the BL will publish any more combined series.

 AlmightyWalrus wrote:

Wheel of Time deserves a shout-out as well, you don't get to be the runner-up to LotR without being good.

I clocked out at book 5 I think. It was ok but don't think I will be finishing the series.

Also, can anyone tell me if the witcher books are any good? It's my wife's birthday next month and we just watched the series. She likes fantasy books so I was considering purchasing some of these.

For very good SciFi I've not seen in the previous answers my favorite aside the older classics (e.g. Dune) is Iain Banks' culture series. Also Dan Simmons' Hyperion. Could add hundreds of more SciFi books I like here, but those I think I like the most.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Also, can anyone tell me if the witcher books are any good? It's my wife's birthday next month and we just watched the series. She likes fantasy books so I was considering purchasing some of these.

They are an ok read, but don't expect GoT or LotR quality.

First off I'd like to parrot everyone suggesting Terry Pratchett's Disc World series. Always brilliant.

Never forget the classics: anything by Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs (especially the John Carter of Mars books), and of course H.P. Lovecraft.

If I may be so crass I'd suggest the comics works of Allen Moore and Garth Ennis. Warren Ellis's Transmetrpoliton is a personal favorite.

Non fiction: Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent, and H.L. Mencken's A Treatise on the Gods.

Yeah I've read a few Alan Moores. From Hell and Watchmen - both very good. Still not sure whether I prefer the ending of Watchmen from the book or the film...

Crispy78 wrote:
Yeah I've read a few Alan Moores. From Hell and Watchmen - both very good. Still not sure whether I prefer the ending of Watchmen from the book or the film...

I kind of like both, the book ending is very comic booky (heck the squidly looks like Starro's ugly sibling), and hinted at all along the book

The film ending fits better with the film, magicing a squid in wouldnt have made a whole heap of sense

Also speaking of The Alan, his Lovecraft project Providence is rather splendid and like I've said before would be great telly but you know Alan

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Also, can anyone tell me if the witcher books are any good? It's my wife's birthday next month and we just watched the series. She likes fantasy books so I was considering purchasing some of these.

I've enjoyed them. I think that comparing them to Game of Thrones is a little unfair only in so much as the Witcher stories are more focused around a very small number of characters and are closer to adventures whilst Game of Thrones is much more an epic saga.

Note that there's roughly two witcher series. First there's a collection of short stories, which is how the Witcher stated out. It's good to start with them as whilst they are only loosely connected to each other. They do establish the character. After that there's the main series which follows a concurrent adventure.

 Turnip Jedi wrote:


Also speaking of The Alan, his Lovecraft project Providence is rather splendid and like I've said before would be great telly but you know Alan

Neonomicon wasn't bad. I gather it rather polarised opinion as it kind of filled in the details on some of the Lovecraftian 'nameless rituals' and 'blasphemous rites'... Nudge nudge, wink wink.

The Hobbit & LOTR - J.R.R. Tolkien

Star Ship Troopers - Robert A Heinlein

Dune - Frank Herbert

Battlefield Earth - L. Ron Hubbard

Dragonlance Chronicles - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Dark Elf Trilogy - R. L. Salvatore

Crispy78 wrote:

 Turnip Jedi wrote:


Also speaking of The Alan, his Lovecraft project Providence is rather splendid and like I've said before would be great telly but you know Alan

Neonomicon wasn't bad. I gather it rather polarised opinion as it kind of filled in the details on some of the Lovecraftian 'nameless rituals' and 'blasphemous rites'... Nudge nudge, wink wink.

Yeah, need to check those out. Want to read his Jerusalem book as well, but it's fething huge.

 Max Moray wrote:
For very good SciFi I've not seen in the previous answers my favorite aside the older classics (e.g. Dune) is Iain Banks' culture series. Also Dan Simmons' Hyperion. Could add hundreds of more SciFi books I like here, but those I think I like the most.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Also, can anyone tell me if the witcher books are any good? It's my wife's birthday next month and we just watched the series. She likes fantasy books so I was considering purchasing some of these.

They are an ok read, but don't expect GoT or LotR quality.

There are several threads in the Geek Media subforum for Sci Fi and Fantasy recommendations.

Crispy78 wrote:

 Turnip Jedi wrote:


Also speaking of The Alan, his Lovecraft project Providence is rather splendid and like I've said before would be great telly but you know Alan

Neonomicon wasn't bad. I gather it rather polarised opinion as it kind of filled in the details on some of the Lovecraftian 'nameless rituals' and 'blasphemous rites'... Nudge nudge, wink wink.

yep was a bit baffled by that I thought it was common assumption that with old HPL's aversion to the act of unpleasantness that those unspeakable practices were all related to holding hand or pressing belly buttons together or whatever it is real growed up's do

Are the actual lovecraft stories any good?