So I'm finally done with the Golden Compass series and now I'm looking for something else to start. I'm not into mystery or non-fiction, just not my genre. So please offer suggestions, my perferred genre is Sci-Fi/Fantasy.

I picked up 'The Works of HG Wells' at Borders over the summer for 15 bucks or so. It has The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, The First Men in the Moon, The Food of the Gods, and The War of the Worlds.

He is classic science fiction. I really like sci-fi (I have a box filled with over 100 Star Wars novels. Don't tell anyone), but subject matter aside, I often find the writing to be sub-par. This is obviously not a problem with Wells. War of the Worlds is by far my favorite story. He manages to instill a real sense of dread and fear in the reader without ever having to resort to graphic violence or shock value.

Plus the book comes in a burgundy hardcore with a really cool golden imprint of one of the tripods from War. Own!

I've read all of those =\ I agree though he's excellent. I like The Time Machine myself.

I don't think I'd have much interest in reading Star Wars. I read a couple but meh.

I would suggest some Robert Heinlein:

Stranger In A Strange Land (an all time fave)
Number of the Beast
Glory Road

to name a few.


The Foundation series by Asimov (classic SciFi)

The Berserker books of Saberhagen (where the Cylons were originated IMO)

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson (dry, but good)

The Minervan Experiment by James Hogan (a very good read)

Terry Brooks is a good writer.
All of the Shannarah series' are good, and so are the Word/Chaos series.

Did you ever read any of King's Dark Tower series?

Some of the ones Byl listed look interesting. I've read some of Heinlen's stuff it's ok I guess. I have read pretty much all of Brooks stuff save the last enstallment I got a little tired of it to be honest. Never heard of King's Dark Tower though...who is the author?

Stephen King, of course.....

I read this last year, and thought it was pretty decent.

http://www.amazon.com/Daemon-Leinad-Zeraus/dp/0978627105

hrrmm this does sound interesting....

Product Description
Matthew Sobol was a legendary computer game designer--the architect behind half a dozen popular online games. His premature death from brain cancer depressed both gamers and his company's stock price. But Sobol's fans weren't the only ones to note his passing. He left behind something that was scanning Internet obituaries, too--something that put in motion a whole series of programs upon his death. Programs that moved money. Programs that recruited people. Programs that killed. Confronted with a killer from beyond the grave, Detective Peter Sebeck comes face-to-face with the full implications of our increasingly complex and interconnected world--one where the dead can read headlines, steal identities, and carry out far-reaching plans without fear of retribution. Sebeck must find a way to stop Sobol's web of programs--his Daemon--before it achieves its ultimate purpose. And to do so, he must uncover what that purpose is . . .

Hmmmm, that is an interesting intro to the book. I will be looking for that one as well as the Book of Fate, but after suggesting the Foundation series, I ended up dusting off my set and started rereading , heh.

Give Kim Stanely Robinsons red mars, blue mars and green mars books a try.very good modern Sci-Fi read

You can't ask for "something to read" in sci fi/fantasy unless you list what you've already read.

I mean, golden compass series? does that mean you've also read narnia and harry potter?

Starship Troopers from Heinlein was the first sci fi book i ever read, and it hooked me into the genre ever since.

There's a whole range of stuff, and I wouldn't start you on the good stuff untill you've finished the mediocre stuff, because the mediocre stuff is pretty damn good...untill you read the good stuff and it ruins the rest of it for you....

If you want to get a feel for some of the basis of the DnD magic system, read some Dying Earth novels by Jack Vance....

If I listed everything I read it would be too long to list. =\ Suffice it to say that yes I've read all the more popular/mainstream stuff/stuff made into movies crap. All Tolkien books (including the later), Harry Potter, Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, all of the golden compass, most of Michael Crichton(sp), a good portion of Stephen King, Ann Rice, Elizabeth Haydon, Mercedes Lackey, some Hienlein, Frank Herbert, Arthur C. Clarke, Carl Sagan, many many many Dragonlance novels, Dan Brown, a couple Stephen Hawking books, Douglas Adams you get the idea? I could keep going here.

So yeah, even though the list is long some good suggestions have gone from this post ;)

When you say some Heinlein, if that does not include "Stranger In A Strange Land", I cannot emphasize enough how much I recommend this book, to anyone.

yep read that. in fact it was a couple of years ago b/c you had recommended it to me before in some thread we were discussing here. ;)

"All Tolkien books (including the later), Harry Potter, Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, all of the golden compass, most of Michael Crichton(sp), a good portion of Stephen King, Ann Rice, Elizabeth Haydon, Mercedes Lackey, some Hienlein, Frank Herbert, Arthur C. Clarke, Carl Sagan, many many many Dragonlance novels, Dan Brown, a couple Stephen Hawking books, Douglas Adams you get the idea? I could keep going here. "

Actually, listing authors is good. :)

Stuff I include in "everything you should have read" if you say yer a fantasy enthusiast (some not so great, but they're basicly required reading to keep your geek credentials):

David Eddings Belgariad
Raymond Feist Riftwar
Robert Zelazny Amber
Ann McCaffery Pern
Jack Vance Dying Earth
Piers Anthony Xanth (at least the first 3 anyway)
Steven Brust Jhereg

Stuff you may have missed:
Glenn Cook Black Company
Thomas T Thomas: ME (
Christopher Stashef: A warlock in spite of himself

Stuff to avoid
Robin Hobb (Hate the "morals" of assassin series, WAY too preachy.)

The good stuff:
Everything Neal Stephenson writes (if they have his grocery list on sale, buy it.). Even books I'm sure I'll not be interested have consistently been the best stuff I've ever read.

George Martin "a Game of Thrones". The yardstick by which I judge all other fantasy.

Jim Butcher Dresden novels. (his alera stuff is merely ok)

Graphic Novels:
Neil Gaiman's Sandman (there are 10)
Hell Blazer (just about any of them)
The Watchmen (soon to be a major motion picture in 2009!)
Grimjack (hard to find)

whoa. My geekdom is weak, I don't think I've heard of 3/4 of those authors though I have read a few of them David Eddings, Piers Anthony, and Ann McCaffery the rest? first time hearing of ;) thank you.

I still think I will try out the book Sanchek suggested just as a change of pace from what I have been reading and then I'll delve into some of these.

Thanks all for the suggestions!

A last thought, since you have plenty of ideas here, is "On A Pale Horse", the first of Piers Anthony's 'Incarnations Of Immortality' series. While the complete series may be worthy, I only read this first book completely; the others I tried did not keep me engrossed in the same manner.

An interesting premise: when Death comes calling, if you should kill him first, you are then forced to take on his duties.

I'm gonna pick up Stranger Bylimet. I loved Starship Troopers as a kid, hell I still love it rereading it at this age.

The Watchmen movie will be awesome!

That graphic novel has stuck with me for the longest. Some high quality storytelling right there...

'Incarnations of Immortality' series by Piers Anthony

Oops did not see that you already recommended Byl. Although i liked the whole series.

or the 'Recluce' series by L. E. Modesitt, Jr

Timothy Zahn's conqueror's series is pretty good, and if You haven't read Ender's Game you should.

Oh man, right. Ender's Game is a must read, though you can skip everything else orson scott card writes. He struck gold once, but managed to strike out everywhere else....

Kind of like Frank Herbert and Dune.

Another fun one...
The Cross-Time Engineer (Adventures of Conrad Stargard, Book 1)
by Leo A. Frankowski (Author)
Modern day engineer goes back in time to poland, 10 years before the mongols invade.

And just so you know where my tastes lie, I read the "the wizard's first rule" and didn't really like it, so never finished the series. I've been trying to read Glen Cook's non black company novels, but just haven't been able to get into them...same with le modset stuff....It's ok, but they just don't hold my interest.

Quick synopses:

Raymond Feist Riftwar: Four book series in the "boy from the sticks becomes a hero" genre full of all yer standard fantasy critters
Robert Zelazny Amber:two 5 book series where everything that can be imagined actually exists somewhere between order and chaos, and the people who can move through the intervening "shadows"

Jack Vance Dying Earth: it's 5 billion years in the future, and the sun's about to go nova. Magic exists, has been codified, aliens have come and left, and everyone left on earth tends to be a bit amoral.....

Steven Brust Jhereg: First in a series of books about a human assassin living in the land of a people who live a few thousand years rather than the 100 humans live.

Stuff you may have missed:
Glenn Cook "The Black Company": None of this figuring out your power stuff, this mercenary company kicks ass, takes names, and, oops, works for the evil tyrant trying to put down the prophosied "good guy" rebellion.
Thomas T Thomas, "ME": A story about an artificial Intelligence, from the perspective of the Artificial Intelligence.
Christopher Stashef "A warlock in spite of himself": Space man lands on a planet where magic works.

Stuff to avoid
Robin Hobb (Hate the "morals" of assassin series, WAY too preachy.)

The good stuff:
Everything Neal Stephenson writes (if they have his grocery list on sale, buy it.). Even books I'm sure I'll not be interested have consistently been the best stuff I've ever read.

George Martin "a Game of Thrones": The first Fantasy series where I seriously worry whether my favorite characters will make it to the end or not.

Jim Butcher Dresden novels: Harry Dresden, The only entry in the modern day Chicago yellow pages under "Wizard".

Oh man, right. Ender's Game is a must read, though you can skip everything else orson scott card writes. He struck gold once, but managed to strike out everywhere else....

Kind of like Frank Herbert and Dune.




/GASP!

Have you read "Hellstrom's Hive" by Frank Herbert? I had to read it again like a week later, it had me so engrossed in the very idea of something like that occurring.

Best SciFi book ever:

Armor (http://www.amazon.com/Armor-John-Steakley/dp/0886773687).

You've got to be kidding. That book was god awful and barely even made sense. It was Starship Trooper's crack baby. On a side note, John Steakley is apparently really good looking, which is the only reason my friend bought the book. We regretted her capriciousness.

And re: Herbert and Card,

Both of them had a number of decent short stories but novel-wise they did indeed have "one good book in them," as the saying goes. Card in particular really needs to stick to shorts (the Ender's Game short story is arguably much better than the book and touches on most of the central themes. Frank Herbert's work isn't so much bad as very dated in most cases.

As for new material, here's something non-SF:

The Killer Angels (http://www.amazon.com/Killer-Angels-Michael-Shaara/dp/0345348109/)

The sequels are all awful, though.

On a side note, John Steakley is apparently really good looking,

PIX?!:confused::confused:;)

As for new material, here's something non-SF:

The Killer Angels (http://www.amazon.com/Killer-Angels-Michael-Shaara/dp/0345348109/)



That book was written in like the 60s its not really new.