Former Introduction Thread Showing 3,651-3,700 of 6,846

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi Nigel, Chlorine, welcome.

[Jordan]

Hello all!

My name is Jordan Rawlins. I live in SoCal. I'm an avid SciFi and Fantasy reader and also a SciFi writer ("Monsters of the Apocalypse" is my new book). My most recent reads were Night Watch (the russian one, not the Terry Pratchett one, which I've also read) and a small paperback SciFi from the 80's called Prelude to Chaos that I found at Powell's in Portland. Prelude to Chaos has possibly the most 80's pulp cover ever! I love old paperbacks, those by Heinlein, Asimov and Vonnegut are the best of the best, but I have a huge love of cheesy ridiculous ones too. I love for books to know what they are and I seek out fun, quick books that work with archetypes. I read constantly and am always looking for more suggestions and am always down to talk about books! Glad to be a part of the group:)

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Welcome.

[David]

Hi everybody! New here, and fairly new to Goodreads. Born and raised in Metro-Detroit, traveled a whole bunch living here and there with the military, now back home.
I work from my home, and run an online bookstore in my spare time. (I will refrain from selfish plugging). Still updating my "books I have read" list, but there is plenty there to see. Happy to be here, immersed in geekdom with the rest of you. :)

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi, welcome.

[Carrie]

This is repost, as I don't check Goodreads often enough and apparently my last intro had some spoilers. Apologies!

So... My name is Carrie, but I go by Ree. I'm a 25 year old recent graduate with a much-mocked English degree (with a focus on Creative Writing, even!) I'm living in the middle of Louisiana with my army husband and (hopefully) plenty of time to read (and write!) as I work on transitioning into "the real world".

***Potential Game of Thrones Spoiler Alert!***
(view spoiler)[
I only just finished Storm of Swords as everyone was watching the Red Wedding on GoT. I felt like I had just lived through this gruesome experience and that my friends were mourning it online - talk about a surreal experience! XD
(hide spoiler)]

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi, welcome.

[David]

Hi All,
My name's Dave and I'm a high school history teacher. I've been a scifi fan all my life (more space opera than hard scifi), and have a love/hate relationship with fantasy. I also write a bit and published an ebook on Amazon recently. Look forward to some good discussions.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Welcome.

[Scott]

I'm Scott. I write, among other things, the steampunk Infini Calendar novels. Book three is coming out...eventually.

I graduated from Oklahoma Christian University in 2006 with a BA in Arts. My major was English/Writing. My minor was Bible.

I enjoy reading, TV, anime, videogames and blogging. If you want to know what book to read next, check out my blog at www.thegamecalledrevolution.blogspot.com.

[Tia]

Hello! I am an Angeleno and am a lover of all books but definitely have a soft spot for sci-fi, especially old paperbacks from the 40's-60's (Asimov, Pohl, Heinlein, Sturgeon, etc.)! One of my latest reads was "Earth is Room Enough" by Isaac Asimov.

I recently illustrated the ebook "Monsters of the Apocalypse" and am currently doing a fun, interactive art project!

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Welcome.

[Scott]

Tia wrote: "Hello! I am an Angeleno and am a lover of all books but definitely have a soft spot for sci-fi, especially old paperbacks from the 40's-60's (Asimov, Pohl, Heinlein, Sturgeon, etc.)! One of my late..."

I like Arthur C. Clarke, myself.

[Sally]

Hi, I'm Sally, 35 years old, living in a little seaside town in South Australia and working as a freelance editor. I never had much interest in fantasy books (though I've been a bookworm all my life) until I saw the first of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, fell in love with Middle-earth, then read LOTR and fell in love even harder. I majored in Literary Studies at uni (college), adore Shakespeare, love reading the classics ... Yet The Lord of the Rings is and will always be my number one, all-time favourite, desert-island book. I have almost every book ever written by Tolkien (missing The Book of Lost Tales Part Two) and several about him. Friends recently introduced me to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, and I am hooked on those, too (I'm up to Book 10 of WoT and Book 3 of Ice and Fire). My cousin has just loaned me her Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, so I can't wait to get stuck into those, too.

I look forward to chatting to you all. May you always find shade and water.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Don't worry. The people here will be more than happy to give you a list of epic fantasy reads you'll never finish. :)

Welcome Sally.

[J.delden]

Hello

Jakob here. I love to read and write and as you can see from my bookshelf there is a predominance of TP and Neil Gaiman. I read almost everything except romance. Not really in to social networks at all but stumbled onto goodreads while browsing writers cafe. Will update my bookshelf so you can see what I'm into except what's already there. And as you can see from the text above English is not my first language.

[Kastian]

Hello

I'm Konstantin, but mostly I use 'Kastian' as name. I'm living in Moscow (Russia). I love SF&F from my first books - "Hobbit" and Heinlein's "Space Cadet", which was read, when I was about eight years. Since then, I have read about 700-1000 SF&F books (Or more). Of course translated to russian. But there are troubles wis translations last ten years. So I started to learn english. Now I can read (not without dictionary), but speaking correctly is hard for me. As saying is - "English is not my native, my native is BASH and PERL", so I beg my pardon for my errors.

I work as soundengineer and IT freelanser (we call this profession - "anykeyer" :) ). What else should I say about myself? In addition to books, I'm interested in music, recording, and unix-like operating systems.

As Chlorine sad - I'm hoping to find here good recommandation, and to improve my language тоо :)

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi B.E.L., Jakob, Kastian. Welcome I think you'll enjoy the group.

Kastian, your English is better than some "native speakers" I know of. :)

[Ron]

Kastian wrote: "Hello

I'm Konstantin, but mostly I use 'Kastian' as name. I'm living in Moscow (Russia). I love SF&F from my first books - "Hobbit" and Heinlein's "Space Cadet", which was read, when I was about e..."

Your English is a lot better than my Russian, that's for sure. Welcome to Goodreads, Kastian.

For one recommendation, if you liked "The Hobbit", I'd suggest you read the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Or, at least start with "The Fellowship of the Ring", and go from there. But, I'm betting that you'll move on the "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King" eventually.

Also, pretty much anything by Greg Bear. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

[Melissa]

Hello everyone. I'm a fan of Sci-Fi and some Fantasy. I enjoy many different types of Sci-Fi, but I tend to stay away from the super political stuff. As far as Fantasy goes, I love the A Song of Ice and Fire series and the Fever Series.

I'm looking forward to the discussions. If you're looking for new friends, feel free to add me.

[Pemry]

My name is Pemry Janes and I've been reading fantasy and science fiction since I was young. Found the genre through Tolkien, I suppose a lot of people do.

I really liked the Wheel of Time series as well, though Jordan lost me around book eight. I gave up on the series, but I was looking very much forward to the new series he was supposed to begin.

Anyway, I recently took the jump of actually putting down one of the stories running around in my head and self published it.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi Melissa, Pemry welcome.

Pemry, if you've read 8 of the Wheel of Time books (and some will disagree with me of course) you could probably go ahead and read the last as the lead up to the climax will pretty much catch you up on the story line.

[Pemry]

I have heard that and I have been considering it, though what I've heard of the ending left me cold.

I suppose after so many thousands of pages, the ending has been built up so much in your own imagination that the real thing can't possibly measure up.

[Rob]

Personally I'd read the wiki summary of 9 & 10 then read 11-14. I was really happy with the ending Mr. Jordan wrote too. Then again I only started the series about the time it was announced it would have an ending, so my opinion may differ from someone waiting a lot longer.

[Salazar]

The name is Sal. I'm some tall guy who loves pizza. I read tons of manga (Japanese comic books) and science fiction books and post apocalyptic books. Of course I read the manga in English, among them I read stuff like Bleach, Naruto, ZETman, Onepunch Man, Sunken Rock, Gantz, Beelzebub, basically Comedy + Action stuff. I'm slowly making my way to books since I got me a Kindle Fire and E-books can be pretty affordable when they are on sale. So yeah, add me as a friend if like manga and stuff.

[Erik Wecks]

Hey folks, my name is Erik. I am a writer and reader. I love both science fiction and fantasy. I think one of my favorite reads this year has been Erin Morgenstern's Night Circus, and I loved The Miracle Inspector by Helen Smith. I am a contributor to GeekDad and an author of some science fiction myself, but I will put that over in the appropriate folder. :-)

[K.R.]

Today I went for a short 6km hike with some new hiking gear, a new backpack loaded up with tent, sleeping bag, water, batteries, socks, and a mattress to see where the rub points would be. I used hiking poles too for the first time (those things that look like ski poles, but are more durable and stronger) , and found they are actually really useful. It was like I had four legs!

Favourite books are Ulyssess by Bernard Evslin - got me to love the idea of adventure, White Fang by Jack London - he really understood the mind of a canine, and Lord of The Flies - amazingly written.

I have a blog at www.krcoxbooks.com if you want to read about some of my outdoor adventures or whatever.

Thanks, and HELLO!

[Jonathan]

Pleasure to meet you, folks. I am an author with quite a few past short fiction credits to my name, and I'm currently self-publishing my own work, but my purpose here is to honestly get more involved in the Goodreads community.

And, I'd like to find some good books. The folks in my family tend to shy away from the spec fiction--with the exception of horror--so I'll be looking forward to book recommendations.

Be seeing you guys around. Mods, thanks for the welcome mat :)

[Denise]

Hi everyone, I'm Denise. I'm 31 and have been a member on this site for years, but I'm trying to get more involved with groups! I will read just about anything, but I seem to gravitate mostly towards fantasy. Currently trying to work my way through the Wheel of Time books. I also really enjoy sci-fi, though I've only started getting into it over the past few years so I have a lot of catching up to do.

Looking forward to getting more involved with the site and finding new things to add to my never-ending TBR list. Recommendations and new friends are welcome! :)

[ByTheFire]

Hi Everyone, I am "ByTheFire Reading" and this is my first post in my first group on Goodreads. I am currently reading "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." I have enjoyed Fantasy books since junior high and high school, but I have never really read much Science Fiction and I really don't know why. I would like to find the answer here. And I wonder, does Hitchhiker's Guide "fit" in Science Fiction? Any answers and recommendations are welcome.

[Micah]

New member here, from Frederick, Maryland (USA)...I read almost nothing other than SF. No fantasy, just SF. I was never really much of a reader until around 13 when I discovered Kurt Vonnegut. I read everything I could find of his but I was reading it in a void, not really knowing or caring that its often SF elements might hint at another world of reading out there. Once I worked my way through his catalog, though, my reading dropped off until sometime in college (late 70s) when Tolkien and Frank Herbert became known to me.

In the 80s--thanks to Ridley Scott--I finally discovered Philip K. Dick, and I suddenly found my literary home. He was, is and always shall be the best.

But I read a lot of other SF authors regularly as well:

Alastair Reynolds
Iain M. Banks
Peter F. Hamilton
Ken MacLeod
Adam Roberts
Greg Bear
Joe Haldeman
Jon Armstrong
John Scalzi
David Marusek
Robert Sheckley
Neil Stephenson

And a smattering of others, both known and little known (more or less random picks from used book stores).

[Penny]

Welcome everyone! :)

ByTheFireReading, The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy definitely counts as science fiction, although I'd also shelf it as humour. There are lots of great scifi books out there depending on your preference, and many and more that some people would call scifi and others fantasy. If you're interested in that debate there's a long conversation going on here.

Our scifi pick for September is Brave New World which is brilliant and I'd highly recommend you join us reading it :)

[ByTheFire]

Thank you, Penny, for your welcome and the link to convo. I am very interested in reading Brave New World. I read "Animal Farm" during June, although I don't think it is science fiction. It seemed more political satire. Which is your favorite Science Fiction book? Have a great Monday.

[Penny]

ByTheFire wrote: "Thank you, Penny, for your welcome and the link to convo. I am very interested in reading Brave New World. I read "Animal Farm" during June, although I don't think it is science fiction. It seemed ..."

Favourite science fiction book is an impossible question, but if I have to pick just one to recommend it would be Ender's Game.

[ByTheFire]

Thank you for the quick reply. I am running off to work, but I am interested in why you recommend Ender's Game. I must confess, I began it a couple of weeks ago and could not get through the beginning chapters. What was I missing?

[Penny]

ByTheFire wrote: "Thank you for the quick reply. I am running off to work, but I am interested in why you recommend Ender's Game. I must confess, I began it a couple of weeks ago and could not get through the beginn..."

Moving this conversation to a new thread in the suggestions folder :) Don't want to completely derail the welcome thread!

[Jonathan]

Hey guys!

I've been reading frantically this summer. I've haunted Goodreads, looked at book lists, and made Notepad files of every interesting book I found. The thing got so unwieldy that I finally joined Goodreads to keep track of it all.

Anyhow! I love all sorts of books, but especially science fiction and fantasy. I've read both "Brave New World" and "I Am Legend," but not the others! I'm excited to see future picks from you guys.

[Brenda]

Hello, hello! Just one sci-fi/fantasy geek looking for other sci-fi/fantasy geeks.

Currently reading Pat Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind. I'm only 100 pages in and I already understand why it's been getting such great praise!

I saw one of the Sept books for this group is Nightwatch. A personal fav! It'll give me an excuse to read it again. As if an excuse is really needed. ;o)

[[deleted user]]

Welcome Brenda!!! You should find what you are looking for here and happy reading!!

[Sue]

Hello everyone!!
Although Im already a member of this group for a little while, I never got to the point to introduce myself. So I thought it would be time to finally do so!

My name is Sue and I am 24. I am born in Berlin, Germany, lived the last 21 years in Belgium and moved to the beautiful UK 2 months ago. I am a secondary school teacher (English & history) and Im a qualified tennis coach.

I love reading! And although I would pretty much read any genre - as long as I enjoy the book - my favourite genre is and will always be fantasy. I have my 'personal best of' collection at home with books from David Eddings to Robin Hobb, S.F. Burgess, J.K. Rowling, Tolkien, Kevin Hearne,...

[Kris]

Hi all,
My name Is Kris. I'm 33yrs old and living in Columbus, Ohio. I've been an avid SciFi/Fantasy fan ever since my older sis got me Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings for Christmas when I was 11. Since then I'm always looking for the next new story to dive into. Pleas feel free to recommend something. Currently I'm looking for something along the lines of Glen Cook or Steven Erikson. Darker gritty fantasy.

[C.B.]

Hi, everyone.

I'm C.B. Pratt, author, but also reader. I've been enjoying SF/F fiction since I was a kid and picked up my first Alexander Key book (the guy who wrote Escape to Witch Mountain which is much better than Disney made it). Then it was Tripods Trilogy which set the hook in deeper. And it's just rolled on from there.

I like books that don't spend too much time on the politics of a world and royal infighting so I'm afraid I'm not much of a G.R.R. Martin fan or some of the other massive books...not that those guys aren't great writers. I just get lost among all the 'who's who'. I like sprawling adventure tales with heroes and heroines going out to beat the odds and the villains, and finding themselves in the process.

I think Lord Valentine's Castle (Silverberg) or the Curse of Chalion (Bujold) are my favorite examples of the kind of thing I like to read. If you haven't run across them, I recommend them highly.

[Al]

Hi all,

I'm Alan. Really looking forward to seeing what people can recommend!
I have a large soft spot for modern, heroic fantasy and Sci-fi and I'm currently loving The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett.
So, anything in that vein... Ditto - Pat Rothfuss (how good were the first two King Killer Chronicle books?) and Anthony Ryan. Would definitely recommend Blood Song.

Cheers, dudes

[Mina]

Hi everyone! *waving from W. Tx!*

I'm an avid reader & an author. While I read & write across the board, my favorite genres are fantasy, romance & mystery.

My favorite authors include: Sharon Shinn, Bujold, N.K. Jemisin, Terry Pratchett, and Marjorie M. Liu. I like GRRM stories too, but right now a bit mad at the books because characters I grow attached to keep disappearing.

Looking forward to bookish discussions!

[F.F.]

Hello, I am F.F. McCulligan, reader and writer of Fantasy. Actually my first published short story was science fiction about an old Western Rancher who sat on his porch talking to his friend that was some kind of alien. The alien species had no set life span and had very different internal workings, so the two of them discussed the differences like old friends, one talking like a cowboy, the other like an alien.

You know how aliens are usually depicted as more advanced and more powerful than humans? And humans are always amazed at their strength and their telekinesis...? Well I also wrote a story about how the aliens were amazed at the humans' ability to catch flying objects. Their brains needed to slowly work through things. They had great intelligence, but no instinct, great computing power, but no intuition. One of them could learn to catch things, but it would take deliberate effort to calculate the object's trajectory etc. and would take years to learn. GO HUMANS!

Ranting a bit, but it seemed interesting at the time. I really like this group so far and i bet i'll fit in pretty well.

[Penny]

Welcome to all our new members! :)

To all those looking for recommendations I'd suggest you head over the the Suggestions and Forgotten Books folder if you haven't stumbled across it already.

[Renee]

Hello I am Renee. I love to read. Lately I have discovered that I might be a science fiction fan--though I dont know about Fantasy--at least high fantasy, I've only read two fantasy books and I kind of struggled through them, I seem to be okay with urban fantasy though.
Anywho, I hope to make some awesome friends in this group. :)

[Signy]

Hi, I'm Signy from Ohio. I have always been an avid reader, but college took up a lot of my time and I'm only just now getting back into the swing of things. I've always been a fan of Sci-Fi/Fantasy books, thanks to my dad. My own novels, so far, are all fantasy books. I am hoping to read more fantasy books.

[Entazis]

Hi!

I'm from Croatia so I apologize in advance for spelling and grammar errors.
I joined in this group a few days ago but didn't really have time to introduce myself. Anyway I read a little bit of everything since I'm studying literature, but sci-fi and fantasy (and all their sub-genres and hybrids) are genres in which I enjoy most. So I joined this group because it looks like a good way to find ideas for what to read next and also for discussions.

[Andrius Tapinas]

Being a newcomer to the group I would like to say hi to everybody.I am Andrius from small nation by the Baltic sea Lithuania and I love reading and discussing sci-fi and fantasy. I am translator of "The Lord of the Rings" to Lithuanian and several books by Terry Pratchett so naturally I am a huge fan of them as well as George R.R. Martin and most of the classic writers of my latest - interest steampunk. Really looking forward to talking about them here. Cheers.