Reading Recommendations
Sigh. I tried posting this on the open thread at Ace of Spades HQ but it wasn't allowed for "questionable content". Anyway, Ace had asked for sci-fi and fantasy recommendations. This is my (unedited!) contribution:
Sci Fi:
The Golden Age, a trilogy by John C. Wright, is the most amazing sci-fi I've read in a decade. Takes place like a million years in the future and was written partly as a response to communist-influenced writers like Olaf Stapleton. Strong libertarian themes but the books are carried by Wright's fantastic writing and outlandish imagination.
Revelation Space, Chasm City, and Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds. Hard sci-fi space operas. Each one is better than the one before.
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. Gritty mystery with solid military and hard science angles. The sequel, Broken Angels was not nearly as good.
Vernor Vinge is highly over-rated.
Fantasy:
John C. Wright's Everness books, of which there are two. Imagine every strand of Western mythology wrapped up into an end-of-the-world battle. Not as good as his Golden Age trilogy but still damn enjoyable.
Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake novels. Vampires and werewolves in a modern setting. Great action scenes and enough undead-lycanthrope-human 3-way action to satisfy even the most twisted sexual appetites.
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey. A slow-moving but fascinating and beautifully written tale that takes place in a medieval Europe re-imagined with a mild fantasy element. Main character is basically a high-end prostitute/courtesan who uses her access to noblemen to gather intelligence. More sensuous than sexual, the book is a gripping read about court politics and machinations.
Oh, and I second the reference way above me to Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos books. There has to be about nine of them, and they are all wry, action-packed swashbuckling tales about a human assassin who uses ruthlessness, cunning and witchcraft to build a mafia empire in elvish lands.
Sci Fi:
The Golden Age, a trilogy by John C. Wright, is the most amazing sci-fi I've read in a decade. Takes place like a million years in the future and was written partly as a response to communist-influenced writers like Olaf Stapleton. Strong libertarian themes but the books are carried by Wright's fantastic writing and outlandish imagination.
Revelation Space, Chasm City, and Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds. Hard sci-fi space operas. Each one is better than the one before.
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. Gritty mystery with solid military and hard science angles. The sequel, Broken Angels was not nearly as good.
Vernor Vinge is highly over-rated.
Fantasy:
John C. Wright's Everness books, of which there are two. Imagine every strand of Western mythology wrapped up into an end-of-the-world battle. Not as good as his Golden Age trilogy but still damn enjoyable.
Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake novels. Vampires and werewolves in a modern setting. Great action scenes and enough undead-lycanthrope-human 3-way action to satisfy even the most twisted sexual appetites.
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey. A slow-moving but fascinating and beautifully written tale that takes place in a medieval Europe re-imagined with a mild fantasy element. Main character is basically a high-end prostitute/courtesan who uses her access to noblemen to gather intelligence. More sensuous than sexual, the book is a gripping read about court politics and machinations.
Oh, and I second the reference way above me to Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos books. There has to be about nine of them, and they are all wry, action-packed swashbuckling tales about a human assassin who uses ruthlessness, cunning and witchcraft to build a mafia empire in elvish lands.
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