Request for book recommendations

[YuenglingDragon]

This might not be the place for this thread but I can't see anywhere else to put it. Mods feel free to move it if necessary.

I'm going on a trip to the beach on Friday and I feel like I've read everything. I need new books! I mostly read sci-fi and fantasy but I'm up for any recommendations. I've already read Jordan, Hobb, George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire (What's been printed, anyway. I'm beginning to hate that guy for keeping me on Ice. Robert Jordan died and the new book came out! What's his excuse?), King's Dark Tower series,and Tolkien (of course). Any ideas? Thanks, all.

[Night Gaunt]

YuenglingDragon wrote:

This might not be the place for this thread but I can't see anywhere else to put it. Mods feel free to move it if necessary.

I'm going on a trip to the beach on Friday and I feel like I've read everything. I need new books! I mostly read sci-fi and fantasy but I'm up for any recommendations. I've already read Jordan, Hobb, George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire (What's been printed, anyway. I'm beginning to hate that guy for keeping me on Ice. Robert Jordan died and the new book came out! What's his excuse?), King's Dark Tower series,and Tolkien (of course). Any ideas? Thanks, all.

If you want a real laugh, Tim Dorsey "Florida Roadkill" is hilarious

[Sothmektri]

Currently enjoying THIS one quite a bit.

[ugly child]

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and Nation by Terry Pratchett are amongst the best reads I had in the last few years. Nation imparticular suits going to the beach I'd say.

We all are waiting on Martin. :)

[Firest]

Almost anything by Eric Flint works, but i've especially enjoyed Pyramid Scheme and Pyramid Power both of which he wrote with Dave Freer. Also Flint's 1812: The Rivers War and its sequel 1824: The Arkansas War are excellent reads that take on an era of history that few (if any) alternate history authors have touched.

As for sci-fi, I haven't read much better than Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet series, the last volume of which came out a few months ago.

[Geistlinger]

I'd recommend the Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch.

[Louis Agresta]

Geistlinger wrote:

I'd recommend the Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch.

+1 for Lies and Red Seas

Also

Sanderson's Mistborn series is pretty good. He's the dude who finished Jordan for you.
The Steel Remains, Morgan
Death's Head, Gunn
Imager Series, Modesitt
His Majesty's Dragon, Novik

to name a few...

[Larry Lichman]

Here's a few gems worth checking out from a fantasy bent (None of these are new, but they are often overlooked. My apologies if you have already read them):

The Barbed Coil by J.V. Jones

Imajica by Clive Barker

Weaveworld by Clive Barker

The Compleat Enchanter by L. Spague DeCamp and Fletcher Pratt

Myth Adventures (any book) by Robert Asprin

Lord Foul's Bane (or other books from The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever) by Stephen R. Donaldson

The Exploits of Ebenezum by Craig Shaw Gardner

Hawk of May by Gilliam Bradshaw

Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack L. Chalker

The River of the Dancing Gods by Jack L. Chalker

Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny

Usher's Passing by Robert McCammon

Swan Song by Robert McCammon

And for a non-fantasy recommendation: The Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (as an aside, the Pendergast Series, of which this is the first, is one of the best ongoing book series out there. I cannot recommend these books highly enough).

Hope this helps!

[Fangdelicious]

Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher for fantasy and his Dresden Files for more modern magic/P.I.
LOVE THESE, can't recommend them enough.

[Lindisty]

For science fiction:
1. Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga. This series has one of the most engaging protagonists, ever. I have an enormous crush on Miles.
2. David Weber's Honor Harrington series. Military sci-fi at its best, at least in the early books. The later books in the series suffer from the 'overly powerful protagonist' problem, but they're still good reads.
3. Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden Universe novels. Pure space opera, with wonderful characters.

For fantasy:
1. Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion series. (also listed at the URL provided above) I haven't read all of this, but what I have, I've enjoyed.
2. Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series. Dragons! And desert warriors! And magic! And DRAGONS!
3. Michelle West's Sun Sword series Politics, intrigue, magic, and demons.

[Kajehase]

American Gods or Stardust by Neil Gaiman - I like most of his stuff, but those two in particular.

Anything written by Terry Pratchett is worth a look at, though some of them may cause you to laugh so hard that the beach lifeguards will have to come over and make sure you're not having a seizure.

Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series is also well worth a read.
She's also written a duology called The Sundering which is a kind of dark mirror of Lord of the Rníngs.

The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, an anthology of "new" Holmes-cases with a fantastic bent, including short stories by (among others) Anthony Burgess, Neil Gaiman, and Michael Moorcock, have been gracing my ipod recently. Definately worth a read/listen.

If you're into multiple-part series you really should check out Katherine Kerr's Deverry-books. And unlike Wheel of Time, it was finished before the author croaked (she's still alive to the best of my knowledge), even if she did have to have heart-surgery between two of the books.

+1 on Scott Lynch.

In non-fantasy I'd add Lindsey Davis's Falco novels. Crime-stories set in the Roman Empire during the rule of Vespasianus;

Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels. "Hard-boiled" crime-novels set in Edinburgh (with one outing to London);

any book written by Denise Mina. Her writing, ss someone once said of Terry Pratchett, often threatens to turn into literature; ;)

and finally, Tony Hillerman's detective novels set on the Great Indian Reservation. Just. Bloody. Brilliant.

(And absolutely finally, John LeCarré. You'll never read a better spy novel than the one he's written.)

[thelesuit]

Geistlinger wrote:

I'd recommend the Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch.

This is at least a +2 AWESOME bonus!!

Brent Weeks, Night Angel Trilogy.

Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself, part of the First Law Trilogy.

K. J. Parker, The Company -- or anything really.

Steven Erikson, Gardens of the Moon.

Patrick Rothfuss, Name of the Wind.

And as a twist, anything by Joe R. Lansdale.

CJ

[Laughing Goblin]

My absolute top recommendation:
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I'll skip the obvious stuff like L.o.t.R., Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, David Eddings, Orson Scott Card, Phillip K. Dick, etc.

Good series to check out:

• The Malazan Book of the Fallen series, by Steven Erikson
  
• A Song of Fire & Ice series, by George R. R. Martin
  
• The Death Gate Cycle, by Wies & Hickman (IMHO, even better then their Dragonlance stuff)
  
• The Crimson Shadow series, by R. A. Salvatore (IMHO, drastically better then his Drizzt stuff)
  
• The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
  
• The Abhorsen Trilogy, by Garth Nix (don't let the fact this is young adult scare you off)

Good solo books:

• The Barbed Coil by J. V. Jones
  
• The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
  
• Sir Apropos of Nothing by Peter David
  
• The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
  
• Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

[Eric Tillemans]

Laughing Goblin wrote:

The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist

I'll second the Riftwar Saga recommendation.

[YuenglingDragon]

This has been great. Thank you everyone. I now have over a page (9pt Verdana, 1.15 spacing!) of suggestions.

The Name of the Wind was excellent. I eagerly await his follow up.

His Majesty's Dragon started really strong but I thought the last two books were kind of crap. Really disappointing.

Thanks, Louis, for reminding me of the Mistborn series. I'd been meaning to check him out. He hasn't done a bad job of continuing Jordan's work. You almost can't tell where his writing begins. Almost.

[Terquem]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449982468/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=A TVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0K8F0MEWTNVW4AX05Z04&pf_r d_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

[Louis Agresta]

Laughing Goblin wrote:

My absolute top recommendation:

Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Abhorsen Trilogy, by Garth Nix (don't let the fact this is young adult scare you off)[/list]

Loved Name of the Wind. Fun fact of the day: The Abhorsen Trilogy was Nix's first stab at adult, non-YA, fiction (and a good one). Not a fact that'll do you any good, but its interesting. :)

[TheChozyn]

Eric Tillemans wrote:

Laughing Goblin wrote:

The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist

I'll second the Riftwar Saga recommendation.

+1 here

Also his modern fantasy Fairie Tale is great too.