Susanne's comments (member since Aug 08, 2008)

Susanne's comments from the Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library group.

Some more sci-fi:

Consider Phlebas, by Iain M Banks. Anything by Iain M Banks, really. :)

Glasshouse, Charlie Stross. AWESOME read.

Polity Agent, Neal Asher.

Fantasy:

George RR Martin cannot be recommended strongly enough. Ditto Jim Butcher.

Carmen, your reaction to Goodkind sounds very much like mine to Brooks. If it wasn't for Mr Pratchett (all hail, etc) I'd be starting to believe it has something to do with the name "Terry"! :)

Linda, I'm sure someone's mentioned it in the previous thread but I don't mind repeating this recommendation: Try the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher? (First one's Furies of Calderon.) It's one of my favourite series, has extremely likeable characters, believable world building with minimal infodump, and intriguing plots. The only problem is that the next installment doesn't come out until November!

And then there's Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy - the first of which takes a little getting used to but BOY does it pay off.

Also Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards. AWESOME. (Although some people have said they've read too many stories about thieves etc... I certainly hadn't.)

If you haven't read the above and our tastes are similar, I envy you for having all this great stuff yet to come! :)

I've got a "worst" because it's the only book I've ever, EVAR thrown away. I don't even like lending my books to anyone, not to mention sell them or give them away... but Terry Brooks' Sword of Sharannah (Excuse spellin. I shall NOT look this up.) disgusted the hell out of me. I don't mind a bit of derivation, but that pile of ... trite re-telling of Tolkien was too much for me.

Review is here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15575 If that links doesn't work: http://mrs-cake.livejournal.com/241770.h...

Best is hard. I have a fierce love for the Hitchhiker even though when I read it nowadays the writing doesn't seem quite so excellent anymore.

Can I pick a graphic novel? The Sandman collection Seasons of Mist is The. Finest. fantasy story I've ever read.

Echoing the three commenters above me: I also re-read. A LOT. I think my most re-read and battered paperbacks are my Pratchetts. Whenever I want to read something and I know I don't have much time - like when I have half an hour to sit in the garden - I'll grab a Pratchett. They never ever get old.

Funnily enough, I've just finished re-reading my entire Hiaasen collection, because I'd not read them in about 3 years. It's amazing how much I forget. I think I must be a very inattentive reader.

I also re-read some series before a new installment comes out, to re-aquaint myself with the characters and where the story left off last time.

Like Rindis said, the only thing that stops me is the to-read pile. :)