Lori's comments

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

Note: Lori is no longer a member of this group.

Childhood's End is the book that started it all for me, I read it when I was 11.

My boy is almost 13, let me think over this and remember what books he loved at 9. What is his reading level?

But I do remember he plain wasn't interested in any book that had to with girl heroes.

Oh wait! Except for Cornelia Funke, the first of her series Inkheart. He liked that one.

The Thief by Megan Whaler Turner is fantastic.

Oh I never thought of Blindness as Dystopian. I can't remember - wasn't it just that city that was affected? But what a brilliant book. I usually have problems with novels that have no quotes with alot of dialog, since I usually read when I relax and figuring out who is talking is too much work! But Blindness was no problem. Says something for it.

I am most definitely not a Stephen King reader (OK, I get scared very easily thus no horror for me) but I've heard The Stand is great, and I plan on reading all 1,100 pages of it someday.

Yay, I haven't read any of the Discworld books, there are so many and haven't known where to start. Thanks for the advice!

And Mike, I wasn't the least offended by your post! When you're right you're right.

Mike - I stand corrected! I read Elantris and Mistborn: The Final Empire back to back, and somehow they got completely fused into one book.

Now I'm off to check Simone's profile. :D

Elantris is book one of Mistborn. I do think it's definitely part of series, as there's the danger imparted by the Emperor guy that you know is spelling doom and needs to be resolved. Hooking you onto the next book. Haven't read bk 2 yet, waiting for it from the libes.

But yes, it's very good!

For some reason I thought Kay's Lions, Arbonne, and Last Light were all part of a series? Sheesh, maybe I skipped Arbonne and Last Light - that was right around the time baby was born so little if no reading was accomplished. That means I have more Kay to read!!! YAY! Tigana is one of my favorite fantasies.

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay is a stand-alone, and it's great. Later, he went with the series stuff.

Hey hey my local used bookstore had books 1 and 3 of the Coldfire trilogy!

And I forgot to ditto the recommendation for Tim Powers. Everything I've by him so far is excellent.

Alrighty then! Coldfire is next on my list of fantasy reads.

Interesting about Lindholm/Hobb changing her name for gender reasons. Sounds so Victorian, I guess we still haven't evolved much!

Is Coldfire Trilogy as dark as Martin's Song of Fire and Ice? That's pretty dark!

Since Robin Hobb blew me away with her Fitz stories, as well as the ships, I must check out her other books with the name Lindholm. Any idea why she changed her name? And Burst sounds tremendous. Thanks!

Dittoing for

Mars trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson
Vernor Vinge
Brasyl and River of Gods - Ian McDonald

I'm not sure Lord of Light would be considered hard sci-fi but damn it's good! And Amber Chronicles is not, but it's on my Top Five Best Books list. Both by Roger Zelany.

Dennis - thanks for that Olaf suggestion, sounds great!

Guy Gavriel is excellent. But I also wanted to give a shout out for the work of Tim Powers - I've been busy reading all his work. Just brilliant stuff. It's categorized under the fantasy genre, but he's so individual it's hard to classify him with the usual stuff we think of as Fantasy because it's completely different - no quests thru the dark woods seeking the item of power against the evil. Almost alternative fiction. All his books are stand alones.

That's very good news! Thanks.

Ditto to Lasairfiona - The Amber Chronicles rates in my top 10, maybe even in my top 5 books of all time. I bought it while still in the middle of my library edition just because I knew I'd be rereading it for the rest of my life.

I had no idea that he had planned another series, this makes me want to cry. I haven't read Manna From Heaven yet - are those stories you're talking about in that?

Lord of Light is wonderful. I've been collecting all his books and I think I now have them all, but I'm being slow to pick them up because I want new Zelazny experiences to last.

I've also enjoyed reading Tim Powers, he's not like Zelazny of course but has the same kind of explosive imagination.

Nobody has mentioned Cherryh? Some of her stuff is not great, but some is just fantastic. I loved the Chanur series - great characters, plus quick reading which I can't say for Cyteen, altho that's a great one too.

Love all the Miles books by Bujold. Couldn't get into the Chalion stuff, maybe I should try again because I wanted more Miles at the time, and quite obviously this is completely different. Wrong time?

Doomsday Book and Passages bu Connie Willis - it doesn't get any better that that.

I've not read Butler, I have no idea why. So much to do, so little time? But after reading your comments, I'll place her on the top of the pile. Any suggestions for best novel? I prefer them to short stories.

George RR Martin is most definitely NOT for kids! It's very dark, and quite gruesome. And I've got a precocious advanced 11 year old, who I let read adult books, but haven't pointed him to Game of Thrones, etc.

He read Ender's Game in 3rd grade and loved it. It's scifi but most definitely in the category of what you're looking at. His favorite of all time is Eragon, and that's saying alot - he's very fussy! Another was Gregor the Overlander - a series, I may not have the exact title but it's close. Over the summer he thoroughly enjoyed another but I forget the name, I'll ask tomorrow.

As for the Martin series, I agree with both sides here. I was thinking it would follow the Starks, then it went off with Danni. I think in the end it will all come together.

AND I just joined this wonderful site, and in my previous 2 posts I have raved about Robin Hobb's The Farseer Trilogy which is followed by the Tawny Man. I loved it, even more than Martin.

STILL waiting for his next book! Please please, soon!

And no, I tried Feist, he didn't grab me.

My most favorite fantasy of all (at least at this time in my life!) was Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy, which is continued with The Tawny Man trilogy.

Do you mean you suspected him of becoming a cash cow? lol Be that as it may, I'd still love to read how it all ends.

I'd most definitely add

Roger Zelazny
Tim Powers

Actually, I wouldn't know what to call Powers, except wild! Like the Amber Chronicles, borders between scifi and fantasy.

Others I've enjoyed a great deal in recent years are

Vernor Vinge
Dan Simmons (not the new one)
Cherryh
Alastair Reynolds
William Gibson

Love Bujold, but not her latest stuff. Robin Hobb has replaced her as my favorite fantasy writer with her Farseer trilogy, continued with the Tawny Man.