- Nov 1, 2013
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Here's a list of books I highly recommend to any fan of scifi or fantasy out there. I told Loteus I'd make this list, but figured I should post it here! It's obviously not Star Citizen related but I didn't know where else to put it.
I'll try to write a little bit about each book and why I think they're good, but that second bit is hard because most of them are good for the same reasons. That doesn't mean they're the same story, it just means that they do the same things--the things I think are essential to a good story--very well. Some of these books I have read more recently than others, thus the amount I have to say about each will not be equal. This list is not in any sort of intentional order.
Science Fiction:
Continued in a second post! Stupid character limits...
I'll try to write a little bit about each book and why I think they're good, but that second bit is hard because most of them are good for the same reasons. That doesn't mean they're the same story, it just means that they do the same things--the things I think are essential to a good story--very well. Some of these books I have read more recently than others, thus the amount I have to say about each will not be equal. This list is not in any sort of intentional order.
Science Fiction:
- Tour of the Merrimack: The Myriad, Wolf Star, The Sagittarius Command, Strength and Honor (R. M. Meluch)-- The Merrimack saga is, in a word, amazing. Set almost 500 years in the future, the story mainly revolves around the re-emergence of a Roman Empire that never died, and after reading these books you'll be paranoid that every lawyer, doctor, politician, and religious figure--anyone whose profession requires a knowledge of Latin--is secretly a Roman waiting to be called away to settle the new home world of the Roman Empire, Palatine. Fantastic characters, blindsiding plot twists and beautifully-built tension set in a world (universe) as original as any I've ever read make for a phenomenal read. There's a fifth part I haven't read yet, but it's on my list of "stuff to buy within the next week"
- Leviathan Wakes (James S. A. Corey)-- It's hard for me to say much about this book without spoiling the plot, which would be a shame because the story of Leviathan Wakes is gripping, to say the least. The book centers around the executive officer of an ice-hauler ship, whose captain responds to a distress signal and is subsequently killed (with a nuclear missile, no less) along with their ship and most of the crew. The XO, along with a handful of the crew, survive the attack but are now on the run. Amidst a backdrop of imminent interplanetary war, the surviving crew must figure out what the hell is going on and try to stop the murder of countless millions of innocent lives. Much like the Merrimack books, Leviathan Wakes just hits all the storytelling nails on the head. Right down to the pacing and dialogue, this book gets it right.
- Satan's Reach (Eric Brown)-- This book did not impress me. In fact, I remember very little about the characters, plot, or setting. All I really remember is that the writing felt juvenile; by this I mean that the characters felt very two-dimensional. Cardboard cutouts, if you will, characters whose actions were predicable, whose dialogue was extremely basic and whose motives never went far beyond "there are people who want me dead and I'm trying to survive". I wouldn't recommend this book if you want a good read. Personally, I actually found it somewhat refreshing in that it was a good reminder of what can go wrong when writing a book. From what I understand it was this author's first published novel. With that in mind I'd say it was a good first work, but whether or not it was worthy of publishing... I'm not so sure.
- Marsbound (Joe Haldeman)-- Marsbound is fairly short, and presents an interesting contrast of both a believable and an unbelievable world. The space travel is much more "realistic" (by which I mean "close to what is attainable with current technology") than that in Leviathan Wakes and the Merrimack books, and even features a space elevator whose existence could probably be justified by scientific papers. At the same time, though, the story revolves around first contact with alien life on Mars. It presents something of an interesting dichotomy. I don't have much else to say about Marsbound: it makes for a good, quick read, but don't bother if you're looking for a real saga on the scale of LW or Merrimack.
- Phoenicia's Worlds (Ben Jeapes)-- This is a book I'd recommend. Phoenicia's Worlds revolves around the question of what would happen if a human colony world--still in the process of being terraformed, unable to sustain itself, and connected to Earth via an artificial wormhole--becomes stranded. Phoenicia's Worlds has sequels, and I intend to read them. That said, there are other books I'll read first.
- Foundation (Isaac Asimov)-- A classic if there ever was one, and yet I can barely remember it. Reading Foundation made me appreciate what I call the "old style" of science fiction, full of massive time jumps and focusing on the development of an overarching theme or story, never developing individual characters very far. This style does not resonate with me and I don't intend to read more.
- Ringworld; Fleet of Worlds, Juggler of Worlds, Destroyer of Worlds, Betrayer of Worlds, Fate of Worlds, (Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner)-- Ringworld was written in 1970, and was followed by three sequels. The Fleet of Worlds series was written between 2007 and 2012, and I accidentally skipped the three direct sequels to Ringworld written in 1979, 1996, and 2004. Worse still, the Fleet series is set 200 years before Ringworld. I think. I still haven't figured out the relationship between the two series, though it would be a lot easier if I read the three books I missed. All that said, these books are a must-read. I really can't say much more about them. They're just really, really good. Betrayal, deception, and a "who can I trust" theme run deep in these books.
- Mistborn, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages (Brandon Sanderson)-- Brandon Sanderson is, without a doubt, my favorite fantasy author. His worlds are intriguing, his settings well thought out and deep, and it's easy to become invested in his characters. The Mistborn trilogy (Mistborn, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages) are perhaps closer to the "young adult" side of the genre than I'd like, but I found them to be a good stepping-stone to get me back into the genre and reading as a whole. The Alloy of Law is a "standalone sequel" to the Mistborn books, in that it's set in the same world but several hundred years later. The world of Mistborn is somewhat post-apocalyptic, an answer to the question of "what happens if the hero fails". The main character, Vin, finds herself thrust into a plot to overthrow the emperor who has ruled since time immemorial, learning the alchemical magic of Allomancy whilst everyone realizes that maybe they don't know the whole truth of what happened when the Lord Ruler took power. The Alloy of Law is set in the same world, but many centuries after the conclusion of The Hero of Ages. Interestingly, the two story lines barely interact in any way, and the events of the Mistborn trilogy are only ever hinted at. As good as the previous books were, Alloy was, ultimately, forgettable. A good read but not really worth the time if you're looking for something noteworthy. The Mistborn books, though, are.
- The Way of Kings (Brandon Sanderson)-- The Way of Kings is the beginning of a true fantasy epic. Character-driven, set in a world of breathtaking complexity and depth, and with a story that will keep you invested the whole way through, I cannot say enough good things about this book. I'd give a basic explanation of the characters, world, and plot, but doing this book justice would take far too long. That said, don't be daunted by its 400,000-word length--even after all the books I've read these last few months, The Way of Kings is still the best book I have ever, in my entire life, read.
- Warbreaker (Brandon Sanderson)-- Warbreaker is set in an interesting world, where color is the focus of both society and magic. The story is interesting and the plot twists engaging, but ultimately I didn't find the characters to live up to the rest of the book. I'd say it's worth a read, but really only one.
- Elantris (Brandon Sanderson)-- Elantris is much the same as Warbreaker to me, in that it hits two of the focus points of a book but misses the third. This time around, though, I'd say it gets the characters and story, but leaves the setting somewhat lacking. The immediate surroundings of the main characters are fleshed-out well enough, but I found myself somewhat confused as to the layout (both geographically and politically) of the rest of the world. To say Elantris is forgettable would be a lie. Like Warbreaker it's definitely worth a read, but I can't see myself going back for a second turn.
- Is it obvious I like Brandon Sanderson's work?
- Equal Rites, Feet of Clay, Lords and Ladies (Terry Pratchett)-- Terry Pratchett is something of a legend, and I generally like his books. The only criticism I have is that they start off with large quantities of the witty puns, word plays, and hilarious dialogue, but then gradually lose that as the plot becomes more of the focus. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, I'd just like to see the stories maintain both sides.
Continued in a second post! Stupid character limits...
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