I'm Fiending For A Good Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novel Series

[imno007]

Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series is fantastic, David Eddings Belgariad and Mallorean are also classics, along with his Elenium and Tamuli series. Terry Brooks Shannara series (also very long and still ongoing) are also an excellent source of fantasy novels.

I'll have to respectfully disagree on the Goodkind. Sword of Truth...my all time, most disliked fantasy series ever. I read all of them except maybe the last one or two - which were added after the series had supposedly already ended - only because I was stuck out in the boonies for a couple of weeks with nothing better to do. The first book was okay and I kept with them because there was a few things I liked and I cared just barely enough to want to know what happened next, but my final grade would be a big fat "D". Shallow character development, cardboard characters who often seem no more than mouth-pieces for the author to proselytize his moral and philosophical theories (he's a big Ayn Rand fan), which he continuously hits you over the head with until you want to beg for mercy, and all wrapped up with one of the most ridiculous endings I've ever had the displeasure to endure. But that's just my opinion!

 

[TPerry]

Well, for "old school" there's my old staples: Michael Moorcock, Tanith Lee, Jack Campbell, Philip K. ****, Roger Zelazny, Gene Wolfe, etc. But I thought the OP was looking for some suggestions for newer stuff.

Dang, how did I forget Zelanzy... I REALLY liked the Chronicles of Amber (now you are going to make me dig through my paperbacks so I can re-read them again!). I liked Corwin and Random probably the best - and brother Brand had some issues!

 

[Lisa]

I'll have to respectfully disagree on the Goodkind. Sword of Truth...my all time, most disliked fantasy series ever. I read all of them except maybe the last one or two - which were added after the series had supposedly already ended - only because I was stuck out in the boonies for a couple of weeks with nothing better to do. The first book was okay and I kept with them because there was a few things I liked and I cared just barely enough to want to know what happened next, but my final grade would be a big fat "D". Shallow character development, cardboard characters who often seem no more than mouth-pieces for the author to proselytize his moral and philosophical theories (he's a big Ayn Rand fan), which he continuously hits you over the head with until you want to beg for mercy, and all wrapped up with one of the most ridiculous endings I've ever had the displeasure to endure. But that's just my opinion!

If we all enjoyed the same books, there'd be a pretty limited selection

 

[EQnoble]

My mother always said that my brain in up my rear...so I try to make her happy and I sit on my books.

Am I the only weird person who doesn't really enjoy reading books but enjoys writing them?

Anyways I will give someone a dollar if they can find me any book of any subject that I will like reading.

 

[imno007]

If we all enjoyed the same books, there'd be a pretty limited selection

True, but if people didn't appreciate dissenting opinions, no one would read reviews.

 

[Edrondol]

How I missed this thread I have no idea.

Dislike intensely:

"Sword of Truth" series. Actually, the first book is amazing and then the author gets preachy and rapey.
"The Dark Tower" series. Confusing for the sake of being confusing. I know people love this but I just couldn't do it.

Outgrew:

"The Belgariad" Loved it when it first came out but I outgrew it a long time ago. And the ending? Ugh. No spoiler tag, but it's about as cliche as cliche gets.
"Xanth series" or anything by Piers Anthony, really. There's a thing I like to call the "Piers Anthony Effect" where the first book rocks and the rest of the series goes downhill precipitously from there.
"Myth series" by Robert Aspirin. These books start out fine and then spiral out of control. It then kinda just peters out & stops.

Like:

"Battlefield Earth". I know it's from the scientology guy and the movie sucked, but the book is actually pretty good.
"Dark Border Series" by Paul Edwin Zimmer. Older series, only 2 books. They say there are 4 but the last two are a damned lie. (In other words, stop after the second.)
"Silverlock" by John Myers Myers. Great book, but the sequel was tepid at best and unnecessary.
"The Chronicles of Thomas Covenent" by Stephen Donaldson. Good series about a pretty up & down hero/anti-hero.

Love:

"Dresden series" by Jim Butcher. Love, love, love these books and man do they get darker and darker as time goes on.
"A Song of Ice and Fire" otherwise known as the Game of Thrones series. Talk about a good series, although it has slowed down a lot in the last couple books. I hope he's not going all Wheel of Time on us.
"Wheel of Time series" by Robert Jordan. Now, I know this series takes a lot of crap and that crap is well earned. Jordan wrote himself into several corners and LOVED tertiary characters and fluff. When he died it was the best thing that happened to the series. Brandon Sanderson cut through all that crap and just wrote what needed to be written. The last three books were the best thing since the first two books. I know the middle 4 or 5 books are a slog, but worth it in the end.
"Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series" by Tad Williams. Amazing series that has essentially the same ending as the Belgariad in cliche, but written so much better it's not even funny.
"Lucifer's Hammer" by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle. One-shot book about the end of the world. Well, maybe not the end, but a blow to it. Maybe a bit dated, but still worth a read.
"The Chronicles of Amber" by Roger Zelazny. Someone already mentioned this and I wholeheartedly agree.

New books worth trying out:

"The BSI Files series" by Mark Everett Stone. Think Men in Black meets Dresden Files. The first book is "Things to Do in Denver When You Are Undead" and it's a great series. (By the way, I apologize for the link, I just realized it's my associates link.)

"The City of Smoke and Mirrors" by Nick Piers (Again an associates link, sorry!) This is the first novel from this guy, very inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's about a mutant Armadillo crimefighter. Again a lot like Dresden.


I could go on. And on. And on.

But I'll stop now. I know I've left off a lot of good stuff, though. Maybe I'll add as I go.

 

[Paul B]

I read Stephen Donaldson but it just gets very annoying, very quickly.
One big sob story about a man who thinks the world hates him and is out to get him.
FFS! Man up and grow a pair!

The follow up based around Linden Avery is dire, just cashing in on the original books.

He also did a pure sci-fi series, The Gap, which was OK.

If you want some really out there vampire stuff, try Brian Lumley's Necroscope series.

 

[Lisa]

I adore the Dresden books. Was really disappointed in the tv series, although I think Paul Blackthorne was pretty close as Dresden himself.

Wheel of Time - agreed, it did go on some random waffle for a while there. I have the last few books, but haven't read them yet.

And Tad Williams... GLORIOUS series!

That reminds me of the Riftwar series as well - Raymond E Feist - they get a bit waffley for a while too, but such a great writer.

 

[Edrondol]

I read Stephen Donaldson but it just gets very annoying, very quickly.
One big sob story about a man who thinks the world hates him and is out to get him.
FFS! Man up and grow a pair!

Hence the "Like" and not the "Love". It's a good series but the protagonist is hard to like.

 

[Lisa]

I read Stephen Donaldson but it just gets very annoying, very quickly.
One big sob story about a man who thinks the world hates him and is out to get him.
FFS! Man up and grow a pair!

The follow up based around Linden Avery is dire, just cashing in on the original books.

He also did a pure sci-fi series, The Gap, which was OK.

If you want some really out there vampire stuff, try Brian Lumley's Necroscope series.

Stephen Donaldson.. I just couldn't root for a guy who rapes someone in the first few chapters. I'm sure they're a really good set of books, but that just completely put me off.

 

[Paul B]

I just couldn't root for a guy who rapes someone in the first few chapters.

Indeed.
Unfortunately that sets the tone for all six books and ....meh I can't even be bothered to write about them.

 

[Edrondol]

That reminds me of the Riftwar series as well - Raymond E Feist - they get a bit waffley for a while too, but such a great writer.

The Riftwar saga was very good as long as you stop after the original series. Then they got kinda nutty and lost their way. If you stop at "A Darkness at Sethanon" you'll be okay.

Oh, and the Recluce series by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. is pretty decent. It also starts to lose it's way a bit.
Also try Christopher Stasheff. His "Warlock in Spite of Himself" is a good enough book. The sequel was just okay, though.

 

[Edrondol]

Stephen Donaldson.. I just couldn't root for a guy who rapes someone in the first few chapters. I'm sure they're a really good set of books, but that just completely put me off.

I can see that. It's one of the things I hated about it. And they justified it by saying that he went from a complete lack of sensation from being a leper to having a full range of feelings and tactile sensations. To me it was disingenuous and crass. It's also one of the reasons it took me a while to get through the first book. He does finally come to terms with what he did but it took far too long.

edit: Yes, I have read a lot of this genre over the years. My library used to be well over 1,000 books. I miss having that kind of time and discretionary income.

 

[Lisa]

The Riftwar saga was very good as long as you stop after the original series. Then they got kinda nutty and lost their way. If you stop at "A Darkness at Sethanon" you'll be okay.

Oh, and the Recluce series by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. is pretty decent. It also starts to lose it's way a bit.
Also try Christopher Stasheff. His "Warlock in Spite of Himself" is a good enough book. The sequel was just okay, though.

I read the first.. three (I think) books of the Recluse series. The writing is a bit weird, stilted like the author drifts off mid-sentence at times. I struggled to get through them and I couldn't tell you a thing about them

The Empire series, which has a link to the Riftwar saga written by Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurts I quite enjoyed too... more political than fantasy though. But that brings me to the Wars of Light and Shadow series (of which there are a few in sub sections) which I loved also. But again, kinda loses it in the middle somewhere. Something that seems to happen a lot in the longer series

 

[imno007]

Stephen Donaldson.. I just couldn't root for a guy who rapes someone in the first few chapters. I'm sure they're a really good set of books, but that just completely put me off.

Maybe you should reread that part of the book? The guy truly and completely believed that he was dreaming, that he was suffering a delusion brought on by his condition and the accident he'd just been in. He did NOT believe that anything that was happening to him was real - and under the circumstances, who could blame him?! If we were all to be judged and sentenced for the things we've done in dreams, there probably wouldn't be many of us walking around free today.

 

[Lisa]

No offense, but it really annoys me that people go on about this. Maybe you should reread that part of the book? The guy truly and completely believed that he was dreaming, that he was suffering a delusion brought on by his condition and the accident he'd just been in. He did NOT believe that anything that was happening to him was real - and under the circumstances, who could blame him?! If we were all to be judged and sentenced for the things we've done in dreams, there probably wouldn't be many of us walking around free today.

I read the entire book.. i didn't like it.. I didn't like the shallow reasons given for the rape, I didn't like the fact that he was the kind of person who - believing it wasn't real - fantasised about raping someone... deal with it .. so no offence, but maybe I'm allowed to not like it?

 

[imno007]

I read the entire book.. i didn't like it.. I didn't like the shallow reasons given for the rape, I didn't like the fact that he was the kind of person who - believing it wasn't real - fantasised about raping someone... deal with it .. so no offence, but maybe I'm allowed to not like it?

Of course you're allowed to disagree. I just don't happen to agree that his reasons were "shallow," especially when you consider how important it was for him to stay rooted in reality and be constantly mindful of his surroundings in order to stay on top of his condition. When you become a leper, get hit by a car, and then transported to a fantasy land, you let me know if your opinion has changed on the matter.

 

[Lisa]

Of course you're allowed to disagree. I just don't happen to agree that his reasons were "shallow," especially when you consider how important it was for him to stay rooted in reality and be constantly mindful of his surroundings in order to stay on top of his condition. When you become a leper, get hit by a car, and then transported to a fantasy land, you let me know if your opinion has changed on the matter.

Likewise So to stay rooted in reality, it was necessary to rape someone? Interesting theory.

 

[imno007]

Likewise So to stay rooted in reality, it was necessary to rape someone? Interesting theory.

If you absolutely believed it was a dream and didn't believe that you were hurting a real person, and thought that by doing so, by lashing out in anger and rejecting the whole enticing fantasy [of the Land!], you could wake up to reality and survive...? Hmmm. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

[Lisa]

If you absolutely believed it was a dream and didn't believe that you were hurting a real person, and thought that by doing so, by lashing out in anger and rejecting the whole enticing fantasy, you could wake up to reality and survive...? Hmmm. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Yeah, otherwise the discussion will get this thread locked.... enticing fantasy.. rape... seriously? yeah.. let's just agree to disagree at this point.