Good fantasy/sci-fi books?

[Ender]

I realize there was another thread started about novels, but I'm specifically looking for some good Sci-fi/Fantasy novels. I've read Ender's Game and am reading the rest of the series (duh) so don't bother reccomending that...

I'm specifically looking for books under 600 pages because I tend to lose interest with novels the size of telephone books.

 

[djheater]

Foundation Series.

 

[ThaGrandCow]

Dragonlance series

I own over 100 of the series and I love it.

 

[Shantanu]

Dragons of Autumn Twilight is good
Dark Elf Trilogy is good

The good thing about fantasy novels is that they tend to be very plot driven. There's no "books of characterization". You don't need to spend hours discussing the symbolism. And definitely none of that Hemmingway "iceberg theory" crap.

Sorry, I'm taking a 19th centry American literature class right now, and the books are just mind numbing.

 

[Ender]

Oh... and I don't want series that span too many books. I want a satisfying story/saga without having to read countless books to understand everything.

 

[Mloot]

The Magician series, by Raymond Feist. One of the best fantasy series ever.

The Belgariad, by David Eddings.

The Coldfire Trilogy, by C.S. Friedman. First book is Black Sun Rising. Mixture of sci-fi/fantasy and an incredible series.

The first 2 Dragonlance series, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Following series in the Dragonlance universe included many other authors. I thought the first ones written by Weis and Hickman were the best.

 

[BlueWeasel]

I asked for sci-fi recommendations in on another forum, and Frank Hebert's Dune was mentioned. I tried started reading it, but found that Sci-fi was just not for me.

 

[Wag]

Discworld is a hoot. Any of those.

 

[Mloot]

Oohh, oohh, I know! A Spell For Chameleon, by Piers Anthony. First novel in the Xanth series, but is a great stand-alone book. You don't have to read the others to understand everything. More than likely, you will want to, though. Also, it's not that long of a book, either.

 

[Ender]

Originally posted by: BlueWeasel
I asked for sci-fi recommendations in on another forum, and Frank Hebert's Dune was mentioned. I tried started reading it, but found that Sci-fi was just not for me.

Dune is like... 1500 pages or something? I would be turned off too if I had to read something the size of a telephone book.

 

[ThaGrandCow]

Originally posted by: Ender
Oh... and I don't want series that span too many books. I want a satisfying story/saga without having to read countless books to understand everything.

Still go with the Dragonlance series. Just get the Chronicles trilogy... it's the original trilogy in the series and the main story, everything else is bonus.

 

[yllus]

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

Long, text is fairly small, but incredible book. Especially if you're of the fiscally conservative bent.

 

[Brutuskend]

Anything by Frank Herbert

 

[Swag1138]

Dune is so worth it though. Its almost the LOTR of Sci Fi.

 

[Ender]

Up!

 

[CrazyHelloDeli]

Dune owns. Wheel of Time good but LONG!

 

[Mucman]

George RR Martins Song of Ice & Fire series! It's ruined fantasy for me since everything now pales in comparison!

 

[Kadarin]

John Varley - Steel Beach
Joan D. Vinge - Snow Queen / Summer Queen
Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash
Robert A. Heinlein - The Number of the Beast / The Cat Who Walked Through Walls / To Sail Beyond the Sunset
Glen Cook - The Dragon Never Sleeps
Vernor Vinge - Across Realtime / A Fire Upon the Deep
Steven Barnes - Streetlethal / Gorgon Child / Firedance
Marion Zimmer Bradley - (the Darkover series)
Iain Banks - The Player of Games (and other Culture series novels)
Walter Jon Williams - Aristoi
Peter F. Hamilton - the Night's Dawn trilogy

One thing about hard SF is that the better novels tend to be longer. It's difficult to build a good storyline and character development in under 600 pages.

 

[Looney]

Song of Ice and Fire from George R.R. Martin... absolutely the best series of books i've ever read. Like Mucman, it too has ruined reading for me... since my bar for quality has been raised so high now.

 

[rgwalt]

The Dune series is excellent. Start with just Dune. It isn't that big. In fact, I flew through it the last two or three times I read it.

If you've read Ender's Game, you'll make it through Dune no problem.

Ryan

 

[Krugger]

Ditto to the Dragonlance votes. Also, those authors, Weis and Hickman combined on a unrelated (for the most part) side project called the Death Gate Cycle. 7 books, completely worth the read. I'd recommend them highly.
-Krugger

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: Swag1138
Dune is so worth it though. Its almost the LOTR of Sci Fi.

How the heck can you say Dune is like LOTR of sci-fi? What do the two have in common?

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: Krugger
Ditto to the Dragonlance votes. Also, those authors, Weis and Hickman combined on a unrelated (for the most part) side project called the Death Gate Cycle. 7 books, completely worth the read. I'd recommend them highly.
-Krugger

The Dragonlance Chronicles were my favorite series before i read Song of Ice and Fire... once i would have rated Dragonlance a 10/10, but after reading Song of Ice and Fire, it's now relegated to maybe a 5 at best. It's a children's book now.

 

[Thalasi]

Well these are my fav's:
Tad Williams: Memory, Sorrow & Thorn Tril.
Terry Goodkind: Sword of Truth Series
R.A. Salvator: Demon Wars Series & Dark Elf Series
David Farland: The Runelord Series

 

[Atlantean]

Anything by Robert J Sawyer, Jack McDevitt, Stephen Baxter, Charles Sheffield, Larry Niven, Isaac Asimov... any of the classic authors are good.
Check out the Neanderthal Parallax (books hominids, humans and hybrids) by Robert J Sawyer. It is really quite good.