Isdihara
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Which one of your own novels (Fantasy or Science Fiction) would YOU recommend to someone as a starting point? I simply cannot seem to pick one book to get started...
Lois McMaster Bujold
Well, if I'm speaking to prospective readers one-on-one, I usually ask them a few questions about their reading preferences, and take them into account. Do they prefer fantasy or SF? Love or loathe romance tropes? Like mysteries? War stories? Coming-of-age tales, or older heroes? Prefer male or female protagonists? Want a long series or a stand-alone? Are they spoiler sensitive or don't care? Etc.
Long general answer is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...
Short answer is Shards of Honor for the SF, The Curse of Chalion for fantasy, The Sharing Knife, Vol. 1: Beguilement for fantasy/romance, or The Spirit Ring for a stand-alone with a YA vibe. That cuts it down to 4; flip a coin twice if nothing jumps out at you. Some of these books have been around for a long time, and I hope will continue to be so. They'll wait for you to catch up. The only wrong choice would be not to read any.
Good luck!
Ta, L.
Well, if I'm speaking to prospective readers one-on-one, I usually ask them a few questions about their reading preferences, and take them into account. Do they prefer fantasy or SF? Love or loathe romance tropes? Like mysteries? War stories? Coming-of-age tales, or older heroes? Prefer male or female protagonists? Want a long series or a stand-alone? Are they spoiler sensitive or don't care? Etc.
Long general answer is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...
Short answer is Shards of Honor for the SF, The Curse of Chalion for fantasy, The Sharing Knife, Vol. 1: Beguilement for fantasy/romance, or The Spirit Ring for a stand-alone with a YA vibe. That cuts it down to 4; flip a coin twice if nothing jumps out at you. Some of these books have been around for a long time, and I hope will continue to be so. They'll wait for you to catch up. The only wrong choice would be not to read any.
Good luck!
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Alli
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I love your work and my all time favorite series (not just of yours) is The Sharing Knife. I'm in a intercultural marriage so this series really hit home for me. One thing I admire about characters you write is that you show their intelligence. I always feel like I learn from your them. Could share any insight or tidbits on how you developed Dag and Fawn?
Gard Evyr
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Hi, Lois, thanks for your habitual championing of Patricia Wrede's blog, it was through you that I discovered the veritable goldmine of writing info. It took several weeks but I started at the oldest post and made my way pretty much through all (hundreds) of her posts. I felt like I read a voluminous novel on writing technique but I feel like I've learned an unquantifiable number of things. She's a brilliant didact. ?
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more