I was in the bookstore today and realized, yet again, how hard it is to find anything decent or novel in any of the above genres. All horror = "In the small town of ________ children/women having started turning up dead. Now it's up to detective/agent/journalist _________ to find the killer before it's too late. But the search just might take them on a ride into the horrific...and into his/her own dark past." All fantasy = "Fyaxindor the lost city is on the verge of collapse under the invading orc armies from the north. Now Tawryn and her band of rogue elves/theives/etc must adventure to the ends of the earth to find and unite the __#___ keys/relics/stones of ________ before all is lost....and something about dragons" All Science Fiction = "Planet XY#UJFG!! is on the verge of being destroyed by a collapsing star/warlike aliens ..... dog fights in space ....etc." If the book's jacket says anything like that ^, I don't want it. Is there anything decent out there anymore? Please help me find something worth reading (a good story, fresh ideas and at least decent writing). Thanks
Im a little surprised you haven't seen any good sci-fi novels, you can start off by reading these few i liked, all about war. But you might have to know a little background. Dark Apostle by Anthony Reynold's Halo, to be honest the books are just as great as the games! The Gaunt's Ghosts series by Dan Abnett, definitely my favorites And some Starcraft books are also a good read if your a fan of the '98 computer games, i know i was!! ( <--- Im a Terran noob ^^)
You might want to take a look at Iain M Banks for contemporary sci-fi. I think most people would agree he's among the best in the genre. Al
lol, Meta... I love your descriptions of each genre. Yes. George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is superb. Another fantasy you should read, if you haven't, is Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass). It's considered young adult, but the depth of its plot and its amazing characters can be appreciated by someone of any age. That's not to mention they're some of the most original stories I've ever read.
*Gasp* A fan! Finally! Hehe, haven't seen someone I can relate with on the Warhammer/40k in a while. Thanks for making me feel included Rumpole! Simply awesome
I don't know if you would be interested in romantic fantasy - and from first novel writers, considering you're wanting something different - but I read a book a while ago titled Daughter of Exile. Authored by (pseudonym) Isabel Glass, if you haven't heard of it. I thought, despite what I felt I was getting into in the beginning, that it was quite a decent novel, or at least, I ended up enjoying it. Just in case you ever see it, maybe try it out (that is again, if you haven't heard of it).
John Dies at the End. Humor, fantasy, sci-fi, and a little bit of horror all rolled into one. Best book I ever read! You can read it online here: http://www.johndiesattheend.com/1-1.html It says "adults only" because they drop the f-bomb a couple times. It's not, like, porn or anything. You can probably find the sequel on that site somewhere - it hasn't been published into an actual book yet, and I heard scary images pop up when you read it, so be careful!
If you are looking for a book that will scare the crap out of you and make you turn on the closet light before going to sleep, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danialewski is your best bet.
You've probably read it (or has it been mentioned?), but if not, Hithhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. All of them. I find them hilarious, personally.
sci fi - iain m banks, neal stephenson horror - david wellington, clive barker not into fantasy so can't help there.
Thanks for the recommendations (and thanks for the lol Silverfrost). I've spent the last hour looking through them to find my next read. Maybe the Song of Fire and Ice series? I'm usually a scifi of horror reader, so would that be a decent first foray into Fantasy? I have trouble believing that books based on video games can be any good (Starcraft, Halo). I know I shouldn't make blind judgments (a book by it's cover, and all that), but I compare books based on video games to movies based on video games. They are never any good. Prove me wrong though. And I love Neil Gaiman, so he is definitely an exception to my complaints. House of Leaves was also excellent. What I'm looking for are books like those by Gaiman and House of Leaves (and maybe John Dies at the End). I need books that are different, for lack of a more helpful term. They can't just be the same recycled crap...they need something new and creative.
Fantasy: The Gentlemen Bastards series by Scott Lynch - Currently two are out, the third is being released next year. The storytelling takes a bit to get used to, as it isn't told chronologically, but the plotting is, in my opinion at least, brilliant. And as a plus, it has nothing at all to do with saving the world. The characters are far too busy saving their own hides and ruining the lives of the rich and powerful to be concerned with something as trivial as the world. The first book is The Lies of Locke Lamora, followed by Red Seas Under Red Skies. A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson - Awkward name, incredible series. Yes, it is epic fantasy, but there's as much world destroying as there is saving. There are no victories without loss, and not all characters have good intentions. It is actually a lot like ASOIAF, only on a much larger scale. This series is just as eager to crush your soul with turned fortunes and losses, though. ~DragonHeart~
Something fresh... Something different... Well, I'd recommend these: * The Artemis Fowl Series (Hilarious, excellent plot and its a combination of sci-fi, fantasy and crime.) by Eoin Colfer * Runemarks (If you like Norse Mythology, do not hesitate. This is truly what you can call a character-driven story.) by Joanne Harris * The Septimus Heap Series (Brilliant. Just brilliant. You feel you're there, you feel connected with the characters and I find it pretty original, different from other fantasies.) by Angie Sage
For fantasy, I'd recommend The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's like the truth behind the legend, so to say. It pokes fun at the typical fantasy conventions, while at the same time has an epic undertone to it. Terry Goodkind also has written a good deal of decent fantasy, so check out his work too.
For fantasy, I would also recommend Neil Gaiman. I just read "Anansi Boys" a couple of weeks ago and loved it. It was my first time with a Gaiman novel and couldn't put it down. I've just purchased "Neverwhere", and it's on deck to be read soon. For horror, how about some Clive Barker? Particularly "The Great and Secret Show".
I have been meaning to read River of Gods by Ian McDonald. It is a sci-fi. It was runner up for the Hugo Award in 2005. You should check out the reviews, it seems new and refreshing. It is one of the first works in popular fiction to imagine a futuristic India, inhabited by ancient traditions as well as artificial intelligence, robots and nanotechnology. The sprawling novel follows a number of different characters' viewpoint around August 15, 2047, the centenary of India's partition and independence from colonial Raj. If you read it before I do, let me know what you thought.
For sci-fi, I once read this bizarre book called Door Number 3. It involved aliens, but it was such a psychological twist of a book...it was great! I can't remember the author, but I highly recommend it!
World War Z by Max Brooks for horror. Kushiel Series (Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, Kushiel's Avatar, Kushiel's Scion, Kushiel's Justice, Kushiel's Mercy) are a phenomenal alternate history/fantasy series but a word of warning-- they are not for the fainthearted. There's a lot of er... erotic content in it (something akin to bondage and s&m). They are not your typical dragon slaying books. They are more along the lines of court intrigue, cloak and dagger diplomacy, etc.
