Calling all bookworms/Top Five Sci-Fi or Fantasy Novels by ServantofKushiel

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Calling all bookworms/Top Five Sci-Fi or Fantasy Novels

POSTED BY: SERVANTOFKUSHIEL
UPDATED: Friday, April 14, 2006 13:54
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VIEWED: 14436
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Thursday, April 13, 2006 3:37 AM

Quote:
Those who can read are always in advantage.

LOL

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They could not take the sky from them -
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!
I'm gonna see Serenity then
go back the next morning and see it again.
Cuz no one at Fox knew this show had no equal
C'mon Universal, and greenlight the sequel!

Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.

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Thursday, April 13, 2006 4:03 AM

REGINAROADIE

1. Farenheit 451
2. His Dark Materials trilogy
3. Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy

4. Up the Line by Robert Silverberg (I'm not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but this is without a doubt one of the most complex time travel books ever written. It actually served as a template for BACK TO THE FUTURE 2, so there's that)

5. Good Omens

And even though it's not technically sci-fi or fantasy, ANIMAL FARM. Probably one of the the greatest books ever written.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"There's only one "Return" ok, and it ain't "of the King", it's "of the Jedi."

"Maybe we should start calling your friend 'Padme' because he loves 'Mannequin Skywalker' so much, Right? (imitating robot) Danger...danger...my name is Anakin...my shitty acting is ruining saga."

Excerpt of internet teaser for CLERKS 2.

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Thursday, April 13, 2006 4:15 AM

NUCLEARDAY

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
And I'll gladly read almost any short stories by Clarke, Harlan Ellison, Niven (LOVE his "Known Space" stories and novels!), or Gibson. The Ellison-edited anthology, Dangerous Visions holds a special place in my heart, too.

Dang. So much good sci-fi, so little time to read it all. Ah, well... "Time enough at last," as Burgess Meredith said in The Twilight Zone. ;)

I'm kicking myself now for leaving Harlan Ellison and William Gibson out of my list :) For me, reading Gibson in high-school was formative to say the least, and the same with Harlan Ellison, though it took me a bit longer to get around to him. "I Have no Mouth and I Must Scream," sorta took my breath away at the time.

Also, know I saw Micheal Moorcock up there a couple times. Elric's just about the coolest doomed soul I've ever read.

Also, since William Gibson was brought up, have to mention Bruce Sterling (Islands in the Net was one of those where I had to sit there in silence a good while after finishing.)

Other favorite authors:

David Drake (great military sci-fi, and some interesting takes on fantasy on occasion.)
Roger Zelazny (Friend of mine got me hooked on the Amber books awhile back. Think his best stuff is his short stories, though.)
And of course: H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard.

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You can take my hope when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

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Thursday, April 13, 2006 4:18 AM

BOOKADDICT

1. Lord of the Rings JRR Tolkein

2.The chronicles of Thomas Covenant the unbeliever Stephen Donaldson

3. Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams

4. Journey to the center of the Earth Jules Verne

5. 2oooo Leagues under the sea Jules Verne

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Thursday, April 13, 2006 4:27 AM

CYBERSNARK

If we're including "franchise" titles, I'll yet again mention Star Trek New Frontiers by Peter David. The most fun Star Trek's ever been.

Star Trek's A Time To ___ series, by a variety of authors, chronicling the years between Insurrection and Nemesis. These can be read as a "season" in TV terms, arguably the Enterprise's "Year of Hell," as everything falls apart, and Picard's "family" will never be the same.

K-PAX by Gene Brewer. The book the movie was based on, delves a bit more into the themes of reality and perception. I didn't like the sequel as much (On a Ray of Light, published after the movie came out); it seemed a bit too self-conscious and spectacle-based.

Also, Peter David's Sir Apropos of Nothing series. Neatly takes the conventions of sword-and-sorcery Mythic Heroism and turns them on their ears, amidst much anachronistic in-jokes ("Ronnal MacDonell"), poking fun at Stupid People throughout history.

By Jo Walton, The King's Name, The King's Peace, and. . . Another book that I have mis-filed somewhere and can't find.

Basically an alternate-universe take on Arthurian legend, from the perspective of a soldier in "Urdo's" army.

I'd also like to point people toward a very little-known book that I feel that everyone should have: E.T.: The Book of The Green Planet. It's a novel, published in 1985, by William Kotzwinkle, and is as close to a sequel to E.T. as we're ever likely to get. Yes, you heard that right: a sequel to E.T. I'm amazed that more people don't know of it. Get it.

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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Thursday, April 13, 2006 7:23 AM

JYA

Geez - too many great books and series, so I am going with writers.

Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game series, Alvin Maker series, Worthing Saga - Also well worth checking out are his short stories.

Frank Herbert - Dune: the whole series is good, but there is nothing like the original novel. (Also good and supposedly in no way related to the Dune Series is "The White Plague" by Herbert. I like to look at it as the unofficial start of the Bene Gesserit.)

John Barnes - Million Open Doors series, Century Next Door series, and Jak Jinnaka series.

Chris Bunch - Last Legion series, Star Risk Ltd. series, Seer King series. He has a lot of other series, but these are the only ones I've read.

J.K. Rowling - Ok. Normally I am more hard sci-fi and not much into fantasy. But these are so much more than just kids' books. I love this world Rowling has created.

I'm cheating and adding a sixth. The Harry Potter reminded me of my all time favorite fantasy, Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I first read these books when I was 8 years old and I spent the next few years re-visiting this world over and over.

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Thursday, April 13, 2006 7:32 AM

JYA

Ok - I'm going to be a total nuisance - but I forgot one!
Simon R. Green - Deathstalker series and Hawk and Fisher series (also called Blue Moon series).

Ok - I think I'm done now?!

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Thursday, April 13, 2006 7:49 AM

INDIGOSTARBLASTER

Love your list, Kwicko. What got me hooked me on sci fi when I was kid (getting too old for the Danny Dunn series but not sure where to turn next) were James Blish's novelizations of the original Star Trek episodes.

I haven't read them in a couple of decades, though, so I don't know what I'd think of them now. I cringe a little at some of the stuff I used to love.

But speaking of Star Trek, there's one ST novel I think actually qualifies as literature: "The Final Reflection" by John M. Ford. A Klingon is the protagonist, and the story takes place about a generation before Kirk et al. I still re-read it every few years.

Indigo S.

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Friday, April 14, 2006 12:26 PM

KAYNA

I love my captain

Come on, doesn't any one else here read Mercedes Lackey or Melanie Rawn?

I've heard that Rawn's "Star Runner" and Star Scroll" series are pretty good. I haven't read them yet because I've been discruntled about the lack of Exiles: volume three, The Captal's Tower.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

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Friday, April 14, 2006 1:54 PM

WHISPER

Not much really for scifi novels but i do get into some light fantasy- meaning our world but more supernatural.

Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files I absolutely love. Those of you that haven't heard of this series should definitely check it out.

Can historical fiction count as fantasy? If so then my all time favorite novel is The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie. Seriously a great book. I have been waiting for the sequel to this novel for 8 years and it's finally coming out this year!

Want Firefly/ Serenity/ BtVS/ Angel desktop wallpapers? Take a look at the ones I've created at:
http://www.whispergraphics.net
Now hosting the Firefly Extended Gagreel
I have added a forum to my site and now I need some members!

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