Introduction

[[deleted user]]

Hi, NJ, I just got here myself. Science Fiction is my genre of choice, but I also like Historical and some Mystery.

[Paul]

Howdy, I'm Paul B. Spence. I love SF in just about any form. I love some fantasy, but I prefer it to fit in a certain mold: Annals of the Black Company, The Deed of Paksenarrion, Tolkien, etc. Not a big fan of most fantasy.

[Spookykat]

Hi all! I'm Katherine and I've been a fan of sci-fi/fantasy almost from the womb (my parents were seeing the first Star Wars prequel and I apparently kicked for the first time during one of the fight scenes).

Lately I've been reading a lot of urban fantasy, but Tolkien and C.S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia) were the ones who were responsible for making me an avid reader and writer as well.

[Drew]

Hello, all. My name is Drew and I read and write scifi and urban fantasy. I'm a big comic lover and enjoy shows like Arrow, Continuum, and Falling Skies. I have a free short story if anyone is interested in checking it out (4-6 June, 2014 will be the free days). It's called "SoulMatch". In the midst of a civil war, May reflects on the love of his life, a love that may be lost. http://www.amazon.com/SoulMatch-Short...


I hope I can add to the discussions here on anything scifi related. oh, did you see the yahoo news about the "mega-earth" discovered in Keplar-10? Could it be inhabitable? I guess someone in a future lifetime will have to find out...

[Tom]

Just joined the group. While I tend to read a wide range of genres, sci-fi and fantasy was the first to which I gravitated (The Hobbit was the first real book I've read.) In recent years, I'd fallen off the reading bandwagon for various and no real reasons, but acquiring a Kindle has changed that. Now I'm revisiting the books I enjoyed as a kid (like Asimov's Foundation novels) as well as modern classics like A Song of Ice and Fire and the Silo Saga.

[Tim]

Drew, I've downloaded "Soul Match" and will duly read and submit an honest review. Thanks for putting yourself "out there" for feedback with no compensation.

[Ken]

Hello, I'm Ken and I also read and write Scifi and fantasy. I grew up watching the cheesy scifi movies and shows like Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Battlestar Gallactica. I started off reading scifi and fantasy like Robert Jordan, Piers Anthony, Terry Brooks to name a couple. I've branched out into some thrillers and military scifi and have really enjoyed David Weber's Honor Harrington and Safehold series. I've read a number of YA books out loud to my kids - Harry Potter and the Percy Jackson books.

Basically I'm sucker for a good story.

I don't have anything out there that's free right now, but there are samples you can download from either Goodreads or Amazon. They are fantasy adventure with a touch of Science Fiction.

Road to Shandara - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FV6XIS4

Echoes of a Gloried Past - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JU3LJ12

I'm looking forward to getting some good book recommendations from the group.

[Eva]

Hello from New Orleans! My name is Eva Vanrell and I just wanted to take a second to introduce myself. I'm an author and avid fantasy reader. I'm fascinated with mythology (every type), am a tea compulsive and confirmed Japanophile ;) I recently published my first book, The Butterfly Crest. My favorite books are (not in any particular order or genre): The Lord of the Rings, Kafka on the Shore, The Samurai's Garden, Cry to Heaven, Memoirs of a Geisha, Jane Eyre, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Tales of the Otori, and anything Harry Potter.

[Greg]

Hello Everyone. My name's Greg and I like sci-fi and fantasy. Back in the day I got into Forgotten Realms books and the old Rama novels.

I don't have as much time to read as I'd like now, mainly because I write a lot and also because I have a young son.

Feel free to check out some of my own fantasy books:

[Cheryl]

Hi all, Cheryl here! Just recently joined good reads as both a member and an author! I think I found not only a fun place to be, but a place where my first fantasy novel may be well received. Or at least I hope so! I've had the pleasure of reading many of the authors and books that I have noted were being discussed here, Lackey, Roberson, Jordan, Lee, Harrison, Williams. In fact some of those very authors are what inspired me to write in the first place. So for all you fantasy readers out there looking for something new, take a chance,visit my website. http://www.strandsofsollus.com/ You just may be surprised at what you discover and please by all means discuss and share your thoughts or questions with me. After all, the more I here from you the better my writing can become.

[Robin P]

Hi, My name is Robin and I just joined this group. I read a lot of different genres but since becoming addicted to audiobooks a while ago, I find fantasy books work really well on audio. My theory is that they are extended fairy tales/legends that in olden times were told around a fire rather than written down. (The down side is that you don't get maps and lists of characters unless you spring for a text or ebook accompaniment.)

I now realize that my favorite authors when I was a child were writing fantasy - CS Lewis, E Nesbitt, Edward Eager and later Tolkien - the precursors of JK Rowling.

Some of my favorite authors today are Guy Gavriel Kay, Michael J Sullivan, Patrick Rothfuss, and Scott Lynch. I was really impressed with George RR Martin through the first 3 books but lost steam with all the delays and slow telling of subsequent books. Maybe when/if he finally finishes I'll go back and read all of them together. Currently I am halfway through reading in print the 1200 pages of The Way of Kings, the first book I have read by Brandon Sanderson. I don't think it had to be QUITE so long and detailed (and it's only the first of a trilogy). It's putting a dent in my number of books read this year!

On the sic-fi side, I generally don't care for techie stuff but my new favorite is The Martian, which I am recommending to everyone. It's especially good on audio.