Former Introduction Thread Showing 3,051-3,100 of 6,846

[Kim]

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Penny wrote: "I spend far too much time on goodreads when I should be working. It's my favourite tool for procrastination :) "

I think a lot of us suffer this affliction :P

[Penny]

Kim wrote: "I think a lot of us suffer this affliction :P

Glad to know I'm not alone :) I sometimes wonder if I spend as much time reading as I do looking for books to read...

[Desi]

Hey everybody,

I was born in December 15, 1991 in the near of Hamburg/Germany.
Right now I am doing the university-entrance diploma, there's not a word in english for that what we use in Germany. But I think everybody knows what I mean :)

I liked to read thriller and psychothriller in the last years but now I'm in a fantasy phase.

Right now I really enjoy reading Terry Pratchett and Walter Moers, a famous german author. Of course also Harry Potter ;)

I'm looking forward to get a lot of inspiration from you in this group!

Nice greets from Germany
Desi

[Victor]

Hello fellow fans!

I just joined the group and decided that an intro is in order even if I might not be always active here.

My name is Victor and I was born on Oct 28, 1983 in Sofia, Bulgaria but I now live near New York in the US.

Since high school I have been a fan of Tolkien, J.R.R and (a little later on), of George R.R. Martin and Raymond E. Feist. Among other authors that I have read and enjoyed are David Eddings, Robin Hobb, Robert Jordan and many more which I cannot remember now. I mostly enjoy the high fantasy books, usually in long series full of characters and adventure that take us to fantastical new worlds. But light reads are there too: I read Terry Pratchett in high school and I feel like I need to come back to the hilariousness that his books are!

I am also an avid reader of science fiction. Here the undisputed masters are Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. I like classics, as well as newer, lighter, sci-fi (such as the Star Wars extended universe). It is actually cool that the group is reading a book by Peter F. Hamilton as I am joining. Some 6-7 years ago, Fallen Dragon was a surprisingly good read that I randomly received from a book club. I might not be able to get Pandora's Star in time to join you guys but it is definitely in my to-read list. I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say about it.

The reason I join the group is to keep up to date with my two favorite genres and discover new books to read. Occasionally I might also join discussions and other activity.

Cheers!
Victor

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi, welcome.

[Frank]

"It was an odd little vine."

Hi, my name is Frank, born in '86, and it's nice to be part of this group.

The quote about the vine is what got me into the fantasy genre. My friend Danny let me borrow the Sword of Truth series, and I read Wizard's First Rule, and after that I was addicted to epic fantasy.
I loved the Wheel of Time series, even though the pace was slower. What killed epic fantasy for me a bit is actually the significantly degrading quality of Terry Goodkind's series, and the Wheel of Time series which have a wish to live immmortal and just won't die.
I do love David Eddings, Terry Brooks, though I haven't read anything from them in a while.
Also love Orson Scott Card, and more recently, the Game of Thrones series.

[Jamie]

I started posting, but I haven't introduced myself. I'm Jamie, and Piers Anthony got my hooked on fantasy as a teenager, and I've remained hooked ever since. I'm also a writer. You can read my published short stories and the first two chapters of my novel on my website. www.jamie-marchant.com.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi Frank, welcome. Ummm....just wondering, since you like Epic Fantasy have you read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings?

I'd also highly recommend The Deed of Paksenarrion. :)

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Welcome.

[Frank]

Yes, I have read the LOTR series (I did love those books) and loved The Hobbit. I think Tolkien is to fantasy was Clark was to Sci-fiction.
I will check out The Deed of Paksenarrion, thanks!

[Jamie]

Can you not like Tolkien and still be part of this group? I think the guy is far too wordy and could use a good editor. Am I a heretic?

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Yes you are...but you can still be here. We're very accepting and understand that not everyone can have impeccable taste....

:)

[Evilynn]

Jamie wrote: "Can you not like Tolkien and still be part of this group? I think the guy is far too wordy and could use a good editor. Am I a heretic?"

You should read the old Swedish translation, the translator used about 3x the words Tolkien did. ;)

[Mike]

Jamie wrote: "Can you not like Tolkien and still be part of this group? I think the guy is far too wordy and could use a good editor. Am I a heretic?"

I voiced my negative opinion of Tolkien earlier, and they haven't kicked me out (yet), so I think you're safe.

[Allie]

Hi I'm a 20-something corporate-secret-nerd named Allie from Alberta, Canada. I'm new to goodreads but I've already started to reap the benefits of everyone's reviews and suggestions. I'm a fantasy junkie, who devours books ranging from guilty pleasure YA fantasy all the way brought much less embarrassing classics.
I look forward to reading *ahem* (stalking) your reviews soon.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Don't be embarrassed...brain candy is great! I'm 60 and I've run across some great YA reads... Of course there are some good adult level reads out there, :). Read what you like!

Welcome.

[Alan]

Hi all,
I'm Alan Zacher, and I turned fifty-nine on October the 7th. Wow, I'm old. I live in St. Louis, Missouri--if you can call living in St. Louis living. I joined Goodreads when Post Mortem Press published my mystery novel "I'm No P. I." But I'm very much into reading and writing light horror. Last year, I epublished a novel called "A Ghoulish Good Time." It's three spooky tales. Glad to be part of this group. Alan

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi welcome.

[Alan]

Thank you, Mike.

[Tyler]

Howdy. I'm Ty and I'm pretty new. I like to read a lot of different books. but I really enjoy a good Sci-fi or fantasy novel. Some of my favorite authors include Michael Crichton, C.S. Lewis (his space trilogy was a masterpiece), and J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm always looking to find more good reads so I'm hoping to socialize with people of common interest and hopefully find some more gems in the process.

[Richard]

Hello to Nick and all! I'm an old-school writer and a Native Californian though I choose to live in New York and New Mexico. I've built houses, planted trees, herded goats, canned vegetables and salmon, run my own business selling American Indian Arts (since 1985), picked steel six-string since 1959 and learned to sail in the 70s when my career was in advertising design and copy writing. Much better now. I've read fantasy and scifi hungrily since I was seven and it has always been a huge inspiration. Arthur C. Clarke and Walter M. Miller, Tolkien and Bradbury changed my life. I'm looking forward to discussion and learning while in the group.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi, welcome.

[Sharon]

Richard wrote: "I'm an old-school writer and a Native Californian though I choose to live in New York and New Mexico. "

Welcome ... at one time my plan was to retire in northern NM ... loved the area around Reserve and really did consider it. Unfortunately, not much of a market for dressage horses there, so ended up in KY.

Also a Native American art enthusiast as well, particularly liked some of the older Navajo artists, Beatien Yazz and Quincy Tahohma did some of my favorites. My last two years in MT I lived on a ranch on the Crow reservation owned by the Red Star family, had been in school with Kevin Red Star.

[Richard]

We met Kevin at the Gallup Intertribal once. Great, outgoing guy, not like a painter at all. Our home in NM is north of Albuquerque in the Sandia Foothills. Hope to get out soon.

[[deleted user]]

Hi all. I'm Chris and I'm from New Zealand, born in '75. I mostly read SF when I was younger and mainly older stuff - Heinlein, Asimov and so on. I did try Lord of the Rings when I was younger but made the mistake of starting with the prologue which fair stopped me in my tracks. When the movies came out I thought since I live a few minutes drive from the Hobbiton film set I really should find out about these books, I'd be embarrassed otherwise. This time I skipped the prologue and was hooked!

Since then I have split my reading between SF and fantasy, I am a massive Game of Thrones fan and also a massive Dresden Files fan, so much so I read the last 6 DF books in 6 days :-)

I need to find out what is good in modern SF and Fantasy and intend to catch up. Have just bought this month's SF group read, I will get to that next month probably, although nothing must come between me and the next Dresden book due end of November. Oh, and I just yesterday finished listening to the audio drama version of a Canticle for Leibowitz which blew my mind...

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi Chris, welcome.

[Brad]

Hello,

I'm a 30 something program manager for a online music service in San Francisco, CA. I have always loved to read, and ever since the introduction of digital books, the Kindle, and Audible.com I am now reading at a rapid pace. This has made my reading life 100x more enjoyable. Now that we have social sites for reading I think I'm in heaven.

I do not live in SF, but I work there and this means about 2-3 hours commute a day on a bus. This is my reading time, so it's great. I try to keep about 3 books going at all times, and I do a mix of 1 non-fiction book, and 2 fiction books. The non-fiction i like is pretty boring, mainly science, econ, and politics, but the fiction I like is all over the place.

SciFiction/Fantasy I'm currently reading: 1984 which is a stretch for SciFi, but it technically is. Also, I've got a big pack of kids who love to read, and we're Audible-ing The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset now, which I would put in Pop Fantasy. Within the last year one of my friend pushed me to read Gardens of the Moon which was a level of fantasy I had not gotten to and was intimidated by. I love the book. It was amazing, and now I'm not afraid to take on large fantasy series based only on suggestion. I also started A Game of Thrones, but stopped half way because of my writing.

As I just said, I also am a writer, and i just recently self published a book that I was working on (mainly on the bus again) for about 10 years. You can easily hunt it down off my profile page if you're interested, or in the Author's Books section of this group.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks Mike!

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Welcome Brad.

Hi Chris, I'm a big Dresden fan. As for science fiction it would help to know more about your taste. I tend to like Military SF as well as some mainline...of course I read more fantasy and science fantasy, LOL.

[Brad]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Welcome Brad.

Hi Chris, I'm a big Dresden fan.."

Thanks Mike. I am about to dip my toe in the Dresden pool. I have no previous exp. with his writing. Could you suggest a good novel to start with please?

Thanks in advance.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

The Dresden novels, while each one (until the last few published) holds a stand alone plot they also build on all the characters and their relations. There is also a slow building story that grows as you read them...so, definitely in order. The first one is Storm Front.

Now, I stumbled on these some years ago (I was primary care giver to my wife who was bed fast by then). I used them to "escape into" when I needed rest and read the ones published at that time back to back and loved them all. Some say that they didn't get into the first 2 quite as much. I did but I will say that (and I have rated them all 5 stars) even as good as the first novels are about the forth volume (Summer Knight) they seem to hit their stride and get even better.

Storm Front

Fool Moon

Grave Peril

Summer Knight

Death Masks

Blood Rites

Dead Beat

Proven Guilty

White Night

Small Favor

Turn Coat

Changes

Ghost Story

Cold Days 2012 November 27

[[deleted user]]

Thanks Mike. I am unsure exactly what I want to explore in SF. I can tell you that I enjoyed the Foundation series but longed for more stuff blowing up. I really enjoyed a lot of Heinlein even though it seemed dated. Probably my fave was Starship Troopers. From the other stuff of his I read seemed to me that he had just turned into a dirty old man :-)

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I read Heinlein when I was young (back in the '60s). The Lost Fleet books (Dauntless, Fearless, Courageous,Valiant, Relentless) are good and I've not read Campbell's books beyond these. Space opera based loosly on The Long March (The Long March: Xenophon and the Ten Thousand) crossed with the Sleeping Hero (King Arthur etc.) legend.

I just read the first book in the Star Force series...you can probably tell from the title it's pure "brain candy".

William C. Dietz has a good series I'd hate to try and describe in detail as I know I can't do it justice in limited room. (Well he's written a few series) but I like his Legion Series. It starts with Legion of the Damned.

Have you read Old Man's War?

Okay probably enough for now, LOL.

[[deleted user]]

Old man's War is already in my to read list. Thanks

[Sharon]

Chris wrote: "Thanks Mike. I am unsure exactly what I want to explore in SF. I can tell you that I enjoyed the Foundation series but longed for more stuff blowing up. "

If you like things blowing up, military/sci-fi you might try David Weber's Honor Harrington series or Lois Bujold's Vorkosigan series. Both classic military space opera.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks Sharon, will look into those

[John]

Hello there. My name's John Gwynne. Goodreads is a fairly recent discovery for me, but this group is the obvious place for me to visit - fantasy has always been my reading passion. I lean towards the epic, but don't rule anything out. Recently I've read some Ben Aaronovitch and Stephen Hunt, and enjoyed both, so I guess I like urban fantasy and steampunk as well.

I haven't really read much sci-fi, not sure why. Read Dune about 25 years ago and loved it. Not sure where to start now, so some advice would be gratefully received.

Glad to be here.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi John, welcome. If you like Aaronovitch's stuff you'll probably like Jim Butcher's Dresden Novels. He also has a fairly typical Epic fantasy (which you mentioned you like) series, The Codex Alera. They're good, but the Dresden books are better...just my taste of course, LOL.

[John]

Hi Mike - hello again, we met on the Fantasy Book Club board yesterday. You'll be glad to know that on your recommendation I've put The Deed of Paksenarrion on my to-read list and ordered it from Amazon.

Looking forward to it.

I've heard Jim Butcher mentioned a lot. Sounds like a good place to start, thanks for the tip.

[Nadine]

Hi everyone! I'm new to goodreads and this particular group. I'm an avid fan of science fiction, and I collect vintage books from the 50s or earlier if possible. One of my favorite authors is short story writer Robert Sheckley.

Apart from reading, I also write. I have just completed my first sci-fantasy novel, "Serving Time", and it's currently being read by several beta readers. It's such a big project!

So, I need to have a look around and see how all this works! If anyone would like to know a little bit more about me and the process of writing a sci-fantasy novel, visit my blog, http://nadineonwriting.blogspot.com.

Okay, I'm going to explore the site! Bye! :-)

[Peter]

Hello,

I just found this group because I was looking around for places where sf/ fantasy etc... books where being discussed. I'm born in 1979 and have been in love with reading as far back as I can remember. I always liked reading fantasy, sf, horror and historical books. I live in the dutch speaking part of Belgium and overhere only epic fantasy (and popular horror) seems to get translated. So I started reading books in English ( books are cheaper in english than in Dutch so that is a plus also)

some of my all time favorite authors are: jrr Tolkien, David Gemmel, terry pratchet,Asimov, Roger Zelazny...

recent favorite authors of mine are: jim butcher, peter hamilton, george rr martin etc...


Here is a list of the books I read this year

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi Peter, welcome.

[Oneiric Moor]

Hi all from Florence\Italy

I was 10 when read my first SF novel (35 years ago) and I still remember nightmares with the Jack Williamson Humanoids.. i'm still lost in this world.

Cu bye

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Welcome Oneiric Moor.

[Gil]

I've loved SciFi since I was a kid...so much so that, many years later, I decided to try my hand at writing a SciFi novel. I did it - and it was published (by a small press). Now comes the hard part: persuading people to actually read it. I think I prefer the writing part to the (self-)promotion part.

[Sooz]

hi all. i've been on Goodreads for about 3 years but am brand-new to this group. my best geek friend moved a few months ago and i needed to find somewhere to talk sci-fi. i read my first when i was eleven or twelve.

not exactly a high-calibre novel, but it certainly sparked my imagination and made the universe a very real and immensely wondrous place.

not long after i read

that cemented my love and respect for sci fi. i love the questions sci fi asks and the moral dilemmas it poses regarding humanity and our evolution and our place in the bigger scheme of things.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Welcome.

[Thomas]

Alas Babylon was one of those books that had a strong influence on me as a teenager. Powerful story.

[Sooz]

Thomas wrote: "Alas Babylon was one of those books that had a strong influence on me as a teenager. Powerful story."

yes i suspect there are a lot of sci fi fans (at least fans of a certain age) that were influenced by this book.

[Dale]

Greetings!

Wanted to say hi to the group and state my motive for joining--to be part of the recommendation stream of great sci-fi and science fantasy novels.

So I thought I'd list some of my favorites and see if similarly interested readers might want to exchange recommendations...

In order of most favorite on top:

Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle books
Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos
William Gibson's Neuromancer
Guy Haley's Champion of Mars
Frank Herbert's Dune series
John C Wright's Count To a Trillion
Eric Bear's Hull Zero Three
Richard K Morgan's Altered Carbon Series

-Dale