SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

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Members' Chat > Former Introduction Thread

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message 3951: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Hi K, Mk welcome.


message 3952: by MK (last edited Dec 28, 2013 02:48PM) (new)

MK (wisny) | 480 comments Hi Jim, hi Mike, ty for welcome :-). Jim, Maine is my adopted state, and I have to agree with you, it's beautiful! particularly the coast, from Bangor to Kittery - what a treat, to spend 12 days meandering down it. We go tenting up in Acadia every summer - that's about 45mins or so east of Bangor, just get off 95 and head to the ocean :-). it never gets old, that camping trip. we love it.


message 3953: by Jim (new)

Jim Vuksic MK wrote: "Hi Jim, hi Mike, ty for welcome :-). Jim, Maine is my adopted state, and I have to agree with you, it's beautiful! particularly the coast, from Bangor to Kittery - what a treat, to spend 12 days m..."

While in Bangor, I visited Acadia National Park and enjoyed some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. You are fortunate to live so close.


message 3954: by MK (new)

MK (wisny) | 480 comments Jim, I canna argue! :-D


message 3955: by Ειρήνη (new)

Ειρήνη Hello everyone! I'm Eirini from Athens (Greece).
I mostly read sci-fi or epic fantasy, but the truth is that I would enjoy reading (almost) anything!
I've checked the group's bookshelf and, sadly, I've read only ten books. So... Big reading challenge for me!

Hope to "see" everyone around group discussions :)


message 3956: by Robyn (new)

Robyn Oh, I love Maine -- my aunt lives in Bar Harbor and I was lucky enough to visit fairly often ... but now that I'm in England it's a bit further away ... (wait, actually, I think it's closer, but let's just say it involves more red tape).

Thanks for the welcome!


message 3957: by MK (new)

MK (wisny) | 480 comments Hi Robyn! :-) Closer, but more red tape made me laugh :-D


message 3958: by Scott (new)

Scott | 28 comments Welcome to Mary, Giorgios, Eirini, Robyn...Great to have you Havent been to Maine but love the coast and pics I have seen of Maine are beautiful!


message 3959: by David (new)

David | 14 comments Welcome all.


message 3960: by Mike (the Paladin) (last edited Dec 29, 2013 01:32PM) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Hi Eirini, welcome. Think of all the books you still have to look forward to!


message 3961: by Becca (new)

Becca (nymeria8) | 20 comments Just stopped by to welcome all that I have missed...

Welcome everyone!


message 3962: by Ove (new)

Ove Stapnes | 1 comments Hi all,


I'm Ove from Stavanger, Norway. I have been a scfi reader most of my 36- year old life. Right now I am into Greg Bear and Anvil of Stars after having finished Forge of God. My favourites includes Peter Hamilton, Ben Bova, Robert Heinlein, John Scalzi and of course the big ones Ray Bradbury, Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov.


message 3963: by Sarah (new)

Sarah Hello, I've just joined the group. I'm Sarah from the UK. I read a lot of Fantasy. I've read 16 of the group books and I own another 15 of them so I hope to get those read through this year. I'm bound to add some of the others to my wishlist too in the process.


message 3964: by Scott (new)

Scott (thekeeblertree) | 210 comments hiya. recently joined the group and recently found out i have a love for fantasy. have to admit, i never gave it much of a chance before, but i've found quite a few authors recently that i have enjoyed and look forward to plowing through many more.

live west of the mississippi with a great lady and two of the most awesome cats in the world.


message 3965: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Hi Nymeria8, Sarah and Scott, welcome. Glad you're here.


message 3966: by Shirley (new)

Shirley (shrrlygrrl) | 1 comments Hi I'm new to this group. I've set myself a 52 book reading goal for 2014, I'm hoping to work through my to-read pile. I love Sci-Fi and Fantasy so I thought I'd try out a couple groups on here, since I have never tried one before. My favourite type of books tend to be Dystopian Sci-Fi but I read from many different genres.


message 3967: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Hi, welcome.


message 3968: by R (last edited Jan 02, 2014 10:13AM) (new)

R Mcnabb | 2 comments I'm one of those silly middle aged women who thinks she can write (and also believes the Beatles are the quintessential rock and roll brand, still eats bran muffins, and is in wrinkle denial).

I'm looking for a good sword and sorcery fantasy novel. Suggestions? (No Terry Brooks, George R.R. Martin, David Eddings, Terry Pratchett, J.R.R. Tolkien, or Robert Jordan, please.) It should be written for young adults or older, but I would prefer it if the main character was not a teenager. Picky, aren't I?

If you are an author with this genre of book available free online, I'll look at it but won't promise I'll read it all the way through. Be forewarned: I'm difficult to please and can be harsh in my reviews when I find faults--which is almost certain.


message 3969: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Hi Lee, welcome.

Hi R....is that pronounced "are" or "ur"? Well anyway...

:)

Have you read (and all my friends know what I'm going to suggest here) The Deed of Paksenarrion ? It's a trilogy in one volume made up of Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold.

It's the story of a young woman who wants to be a soldier (in a fantasy world) and follows her from signing on with a mercenary company throughout her growth. This is one of my all time favorite books.

For basic Sword and Sorcery of course there are the Conan the Barbarian books by Robert E. Howard (and the lancer paperbacks are pretty good to).

Give us more of an idea what you like. I'm sure we'll overload you with suggestions.


message 3970: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Then you might also like Paul S. Kemp's Egil and Nix books, The Hammer and the Blade and A Discourse in Steel. They're gritty and have a good bit of magic.


message 3971: by Tom (new)

Tom (tom_shutt) | 19 comments Hi everyone, my name is Thomas and I'm new to Goodreads. Like many people here, I'm an avid reader of fantasy and sci-fi and can easily say I spend more money on books than most other goods (possible exceptions are food and shelter, haha). Anyway, feel free to friend me if you have a story that needs a reader, and thanks for welcoming me!


message 3972: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Hi, welcome.


When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.

Desiderius Erasmus


message 3973: by R (new)

R Mcnabb | 2 comments Thanks, Mike! It's pronounced "Arr!" as in pirate-speak. Be sure to give it plenty of attitude, preferably while raising a short sword or dagger. Not sure why I chose that as the name to display on goodreads. I must have been in a minimalist mood, or maybe I was just lazy.

As for what I'm looking for :

Very little or no graphic violence. Images of splattered brains and oozing entrails make me ill.

Sex needs to be of the PG-13 or milder variety. I'm not looking to share the author's personal intimate fantasies, thank you; nor do I need anatomy lessons.

I want something that is wholly set in a fantasy world. No beginning in a mainstream setting then switching over to a magical world by means of an enchanted roll of toilet paper or some such object. (I'm just not in the mood for that type of story at the present time.)

It should not begin with a) a description of the weather (unless it's a Thraxas novel) or b) the main character waking up.

While it may have dark moments, it should not have me reaching for Prozac before I'm done reading.

The author should understand humor and use it the way a gourmet chef uses spices: to enhance and complement.

The main characters should grow and develop throughout the novel.

No deus ex machina. I like surprises and plot twists, but everything should make sense and be explicable within the parameters of the world established by the author.

I prefer a novel that has been professionally edited, however I can overlook minor flaws if the author has writing talent, well defined characters that draw me in and an intriguing plot.

I'm okay with series (isn't everything a series now-a-days?) but story arc should be well thought out and naturally span all novels. Some stories are one book stories, period. When the author tries to wrench and squeeze a sequel from his brain the work is always diluted like tea from an overused teabag and just as enjoyable.

Some of the books I have enjoyed in the past are:
The Hobbit and LOTR (disappointingly predictable of me, I know)
All of Martin Scott's Thraxas novels
The Warlock in Spite of Himself by Christopher Stasheff
A Bad Spell in Yurt by by C. Dale Brittain
Harry Potter, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th books
The Sword of Shannara -first book in the series only- by Terry Brooks. Note: this book could be improved by omitting the word "wordlessly" throughout the text.
The Earthsea Triology by Ursula K. Le Guin
Most of the Night Watch novels by Terry Pratchett


message 3974: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Well the Egil and Nix books are pretty gritty so...maybe not.

I like the Christopher Stasheff Warlock Inspite of Himself books. have you read his Wizard in Rhyme books? The first is Her Majesty's Wizard and frankly they get better after that one. Still the same type humor and so on. You might also like the Magic Kingdom of Landover books, also written by Terry Brooks I like them far better than his Shannara books.

You might also like the Amber books by Roger Zelazny..the first series (first 5) anyway. Great series with plenty of magic and a bit of humor.

I haven't suggested any Urban Fantasy as they mostly take place in versions of the "real world" that have magic elements "most people don't know about" (a bit like harry Potter I suppose). There are a couple of those I'd also recommend if you're interested.

Hope this helps.


message 3975: by James (new)

James Hi all - this is my first Goodreads group, so I'm interested to see where this takes me :) I've set myself a book target for the first time for 2014 (30 books, excluding work & degree related stuff), am a big Sci-Fi & Fantasy geek, but also love discovering new authors & genres.

Cheers,

James.


message 3976: by Tom (new)

Tom (tom_shutt) | 19 comments Two of my favorite authors who I often recommend are Jim Butcher and Jonathan Stroud. Butcher has two winning series with The Dresden Files and the Codex Alera, which start with Storm Front and Furies of Calderon respectively. I am also a personal fan of Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy, which starts with The Amulet of Samarkand.

Butcher takes a very "real" approach to his fantasy that is refreshing; Harry Potter is basically transported to a different world by going to Hogwarts (I never really felt any danger for the Muggles) whereas Harry Dresden is a professional wizard IN Chicago and he takes it very personally when monsters cause mayhem in his city.

Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy is definitely more fantastic and aimed toward a younger audience, but it was one of the first times I've laughed out loud while reading. The footnotes are to die for, and the interactions of Bartimaeus the djinni with others are always amusing.


message 3977: by Joshua (new)

Joshua Delaney (delaney1414) | 6 comments Hey guys, I'm Josh, 16, AUS. I like fantasy books -especially books that focus heavily on magic.
I've been a member of goodreads for a little while now but have only recently bothered to take the time to update and actually integrate myself into the GR community.

Some of my favourite authors are; Jim Butcher; Raymond E. Feist; and, Garth Nix.
I'm not a huge fan of the Young Adult books that have been coming out recently -they all seem a little juvenile and the characters all seem a little too one dimensional, so I tend to read books my dad has gathered since he was a teenager (Fiest, Erikson, etc.) but I've really been trying to get into more modern books.
I love getting suggestions on what to read so if you can think of anything I would love to hear it.


message 3978: by Brett (new)

Brett (battlinjack) | 148 comments I haven't been as active as I used to be so a re-introduction may be order.
I am a prolific reader of many genres but focus on science fiction, fantasy and horror. Urban Fantasy being a particular favorite in the fantasy realm at the moment. I also am heavily into collecting with a library of over 11,000 books at the moment. Most of which truely have been read. Lol.

As with Thomas, I highly recommend Butcher. His Dresden books are amazing. Along with him you also must read Simon R Green's Nightside series. A completely different take on the "urban magician" theory.
Also among my favorites are Rachel Caine (Weather Warden series) and Patricia Briggs (Mercedes Thompson series).
Finally for something a bit different. If you enjoy mystery/suspense with a bit of otherworldly tossed in, you HAVE to read John Connolly's Charlie Parker series.

In science fiction I tend towards hard sci-fi, Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction and vast world building themes.
Examples;

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars series.
Alastair Reynolds - Pushing Ice
Greg Bear- The Forge of God
Lucifer's Hammer by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven
SM Stirling - Dies the Fire
Speaking of Stirling. I am currently reading/re-reading all his 'Changes series' and related stories. Stirling is a master and this series is well worth reading.

There are tons, literally tons of other books I could recommend, but will end with one (maybe 2) last novel I believe deserves to be read by anyone interested in science fiction.

Incandescence by Greg Egan
Ringworld by Larry Niven.

I was reminded of Ringworld tonight when watching the film 'Elysium'.


message 3979: by Brett (last edited Jan 03, 2014 05:18AM) (new)

Brett (battlinjack) | 148 comments Joshua wrote: "Hey guys, I'm Josh, 16, AUS. I like fantasy books -especially books that focus heavily on magic.
I've been a member of goodreads for a little while now but have only recently bothered to take the t..."


Heya Joshua, Glad to have you here. You can be sure to get a lot of good recommendations. People here are really cool and helpful.
I will give you a list in no particular order. I won't say anything about them, just let you take a look and make up your own mind.

Urban Fantasy Authors;
Jim Butcher
Rob Thurman
John Ridley
SJ Day
Patricia Briggs
Rachel Caine
Ann Aguirre
Justin Gustainis

Pure Fantasy;
Charles de Lint (well, not all pure fantasy)
Ursula K. Le Guin
Tad Williams
Elizabeth Moon
Andre Norton (also sci-fi)

I do have to mention a few of my absolute favorites in Fantasy;

The Belgariad series by David and Leigh Eddings
The Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey
The Black Company series by Glen Cook
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series by Fritz Leiber
The Eternal Champion series by Michael Moorcock
The Amber series by Roger Zelazny

Lastly I HAVE to mention HP Lovecraft. Now he is considered to be a horror author. One of the masters of horror in fact, but he also created a horror fantasy mythos that is still read today. His 'Cthulhu Mythos' is a 'world' where writers actively write of today.
I know, I know, this is a sci-fi/fantasy group, but I feel HPL fits into the fantasy genre in a small way.
Just my opinion for what it's worth.


message 3980: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Hi all! Lots of activity since I was on. Welcome...you to Brett.


I remember you duh-duh-duh


message 3981: by Brett (new)

Brett (battlinjack) | 148 comments Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Hi all! Lots of activity since I was on. Welcome...you to Brett.


I remember you duh-duh-duh"


Lol. uh oh


message 3982: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments What's life without a little drama?


message 3983: by Ron (last edited Jan 04, 2014 09:07AM) (new)

Ron | 12 comments Hello, my name is Ron. I've been using Goodreads for the past 2 years, ever since my wife gave me a Kindle. Since that time I've rediscovered my love for reading. Most of the books I read fall into the sci-fi/fantasy genres.

Some of my favorites of the past were Hyperion and Foundation. Since coming back I've discovered Sanderson and his, somewhat predictable yet interesting books, and Scalzi's Old Man's War series. In the past year I've also read the Dresden books and Wool series.

I never joined a book club on Goodreads, so thought I would give it a try. I saw Fuzzy Nation on the list along with the Gaiman novel. That grabbed my attention as I really like everything I've read by Scalzi, so far, and the only book I've ready by Gaiman, American Gods, I hated.

Anyways...not sure what, if anything, I'm looking for here just dropping in for chances discover anything new.


message 3984: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Hi all. Welcome.


message 3985: by Jasmine (new)

Jasmine Hi everyone! My name is Jasmine and I've been reading sci-fi and fantasy basically since i started chapter books in elementary school. I'm up for any books in both genres. My favorite college lit class I took was all sci-fi and fantasy. Our homework sounded like "Watch Blade Runner for discussion tomorrow" and things like that. Definitely miss that! I've been a member of Goodreads for a while but mainly used it to keep track of my library. I finally realized I want to discuss the books I'm reading!


message 3986: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Wow...my lit prof barely even admitted science fiction and fantasy existed. Cool, enjoy the class.

Welcome to. We'll all be more than willing to suggest more books than you can ever get through.

:)


message 3987: by Jasmine (new)

Jasmine The prof is a HUGE Tolkien fan so the class was awesome.


message 3988: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments That's good, an intelligent prof...


message 3989: by Theresa (new)

Theresa | 8 comments Hi, my name is Theresa and I LOVE reading zombie books and post apocalyptic books. I'm new to this group and just learning how to navigate the site.


message 3990: by Tom (new)

Tom (tom_shutt) | 19 comments Hi Theresa! Have you read "Earth Abides" or "Lucifer's Hammer"? Neither one has zombies, unfortunately, but they are both very intriguing post-apocalyptic novels and kind of helped define the genre, I think.


message 3991: by Quinn (new)

Quinn | 2 comments My name is Quinn.I love fantasy books.I have been reading them all my life.Im 10 and love to read.I also write books


message 3992: by Brett (last edited Jan 05, 2014 09:07AM) (new)

Brett (battlinjack) | 148 comments I love post-apocalyptic stories and can give you a good list if interested.
Same with zombies. lol


message 3993: by Brett (new)

Brett (battlinjack) | 148 comments welcome Quinn. It's always good to get new people in here and I am especially happy you love reading. there are so many great books waiting to be read.


message 3994: by Theresa (new)

Theresa | 8 comments Brett wrote: "I love post-apocalyptic stories and can give you a good list if interested.
Same with zombies. lol"


I would be interested. I have read a lot of these but a new great read would be awesome! Thanks Brett!


message 3995: by Theresa (new)

Theresa | 8 comments Thomas wrote: "Hi Theresa! Have you read "Earth Abides" or "Lucifer's Hammer"? Neither one has zombies, unfortunately, but they are both very intriguing post-apocalyptic novels and kind of helped define the genre..."

No I haven't read these but I right now have had Amazon to send me the samples. Thank you for suggesting them!


message 3996: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments Hi all, welcome.


message 3997: by Sally (new)

Sally Howes | 15 comments Jasmine wrote: "The prof is a HUGE Tolkien fan so the class was awesome."

Colour me green with envy! Everything I know about Tolkien (which is a reasonable amount) I learned on my own. I won't complain about uni (college), though, since it gave me my loves of Shakespeare and feminist literature.


message 3998: by Brett (new)

Brett (battlinjack) | 148 comments okay.... Theresa. Here is a list for you (and anyone else interested). These are books I own and have read. They are wildly various views of the end and some may be hard to find. Others are fairly well know and used to be required reading in schools.

Apocalyptic and Post-apocalyptic novels.

The Survivalist: The Nightmare Begins – Jerry Ahern
Phoenix Without Ashes – Edward Bryant & Harlan Ellison
After Things Fell Apart – Ron Goulart
Double Planet – John Gribbin & Marcus Chown
The Day the Earth Froze – Gerald Hatch
Final Blackout – L Ron Hubbard
Masters of the Fist – Edward P Hughes
A For Anything – Damon Knight
Afterwar – Janet Morris (Editor)
Emergence – David R Palmer
Population Doomsday – Don Pendleton
Jake Strait-Bogeyman: The Devil Knocks – Frank Rich
Alongside Night – J Neil Schulman
The Muller-Fokker Effect – John Sladek
On the Beach – Nevil Shute
O-Zone – Paul Theroux
The Azriel Uprising – Allyn Thompson
The Last World War – Dayton Ward
A Canticle for Leibowitz – Walter M Miller Jr
Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman - Walter M Miller Jr
The Snowfall Trilogy – Mitchell Smith
1. Snowfall
2. Kingdom River
3. Moonrise
Alas, Babylon – Pat Frank
Z for Zachariah – Robert C O'Brien
After the Flood – PC Jersild
When World's Collide – Philip Gordon Wylie & Edwin Balmer
After World's Collide - Philip Gordon Wylie & Edwin Balmer
The Burning World – JG Ballard
The Drowned World – JG Ballard
The Chrysalids (Re-Brith) – John Wyndham
Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham
The Night of the Triffids – Simon Clark
Dhalgren – Samual R Delany
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K dick
Down to a Sunless Sea – David Graham
The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula K Le Guin
Logan's Run – William F Nolan & George Clayton Johnson


message 3999: by Brett (new)

Brett (battlinjack) | 148 comments Forgot to mention that the list is in no particular order. It's just how they are on my shelf right now.

Brett wrote: "okay.... Theresa. Here is a list for you (and anyone else interested). These are books I own and have read. They are wildly various views of the end and some may be hard to find. Others are fairly ..."


message 4000: by Mike (the Paladin) (new)

Mike (the Paladin) (thepaladin) | 874 comments ...but you didn't link them. Now we have to cut and paste titles....

walks away kicking feet forlornly


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