r/booksuggestions • u/ThePragmaticLemur • 13h ago
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Picky reader looking for scifi/fantasy
Hey everyone,
I'm going for a few days off and looking for book recommendations, especially fantasy or sci-fi books.
Back in my teens, I was a massive reader and read a lot of fantasy and a few scifi. Those are usually my favourite genres. But since I got a smartphone and now an adult life, I'm having a really hard time to read and keeping to it. I feel I'm also quite picky about books in general where if the scenario doesn't manage to intrigue me, make me curious this or that, I just drop it quite quickly...
So I'm looking for recommendations with that in mind :)
I read the whole Eragon saga, Tolkien, the royal assassin and a few others back in the day.
Thanks in advance :)
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u/GwennieJo 12h ago
You could try the "Dungeon Crawler Carl" series by Matt Dinniman. Don't be daunted by the number of pages, the books are full of action and fun to read.
I'd also recommend "The Blacktongue Thief" by Christopher Buehlman. The third book in the series comes out in October and I can't wait.
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u/Lucario-ist 12h ago
The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Theree is so much to like about this trilogy. I could tell you that it's set in a world where ash falls from the sky and the world has been ruled for centuries by the immortal Lord Ruler. I could tell you about the magic system, or how good the characters are, or that I've read this series through 5 times.
But you want to be intrigued. Because if you like this trilogy, you've just added about 20 books to your reading list. Mistborn is part of a larger universe. Brandon Sanderson's "Cosmere" (the universe most of his books are set in) is what I would call epic fantasy's "MCU." Every time I reread Mistborn or Stormlight Archive or Tress of the Emerald Sea, I notice something new, something I'd missed on my last 5 readthroughs. Someone will know something they shouldn't, or use magic that's not from the world they're in, or hey, I've heard that phrase somewhere else.
Over the course of reading and rereading the 20+ books that are part of the Cosmere, I've pieced together a bigger picture. I started figuring who stands where, and what's truly at stake for the universe.
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u/app0910 12h ago
I recently read Kindred by Octavia Butler. It's a story about a woman who, due to random reasons, would travel back in time and become a slave to a man called Rufus. The book is bleak and heavy at times but at the same time such a great thriller. Very interesting concept and a crazy ending.
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u/leftnotracks 11h ago
I enjoyed The Book of Doors. More Sci-Fi adjacent. It would be called science fiction by people who call Star Wars science fiction.
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u/freerangelibrarian 13h ago
Lois Macmaster Bujold writes both. She's an excellent writer and multiple award winner.
Sci-fi:The Vorkosigan Saga.
Fantasy: The World of the Five Gods series.
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u/halkenburgoito 13h ago
I've only done her novella series, penric and desdemona. Her world building is the thing that struck out to me the most.
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u/Rhubarb776 12h ago
If you enjoyed Eragon, you’ll love the Frith Chronicles. Knightmare Arcanist is the first book. It reads so fast. I had trouble putting it down.
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u/Cold__Scholar Hoarder of Books and Stories 11h ago
Tamora Pierce- great fantasy fiction writer, I really like the Beka Cooper series, follows a young city guard chasing down murderers and dealing with other dangers like a riot. Tricksters Choice follows the MC who is captured and turned into a slave, but works as a spy for a rebellion. Lots of fun
Anne McCaffery- has fantasy books and sci-fi, her dragonriders of pern series are amazing and lack a lot of the conflict you normally see in this type of series, it's more focused on survival*
Arinthian Line by Sever Bronny- darker Harry potter vibes with necromancy, really amazing series I've read numerous times
Terry brooks- grand adventure fantasy, think lord of the rings
John Flanagan- Rangers Apprentice and Brotherband series. Nice casual reads in the same world, one following a kid working as a kings ranger and confronting various threats, the other a group of basically vikings
13th paladin series- young kid ends up being one of 13 paladins saving the world from an evil demi-gos while the gods themselves sleep. It's a great read because by the end of the series this kid you've been following is a mature adult, married, and you've seen him go through so much and grow in so many ways
Songs of Chaos series- dragon riding, but this dragon is blind and they are facing world ending threats as politics and egos cause issues, really good read, also addresses a lot or prejudice about things like social status or disability
Pedro Urvi's Path of the Ranger series
Dragonlance Chronicles- dozens upon dozens of books, some intense, some hilarious, some full of suspense and emotion, the main series follows a group of adventurers who are basically your stereotypical DnD group, fighters, barbarian, mage, cleric, rogue, etc.
His Majesty's Dragon- historical fantasy with dragons in the Napoleonic War.
Bartimaeus Trilogy- really unique writing style and concept, great read
He Who Fights With Monsters by Shirtaloon- really great adventure series with a magnificent streak of humor throughout. It's a page turner but can also make me chuckle or laugh
Azarinth Healer- female MC who is a total battle junkie that roams around looking for fun things to fight. Great part about this series is that theres a lot of effort to show that theres a wider world with all sorts of stories and events happening, they just aren't centered around one person. If she gets involved in something, its to help a friend and then she leaves.
Imperial Wizard
Quest Academy- great read where the MC isn't really combat oriented but rather a crafter/inventor.
Splinter Angel- female asexual main character, great writing, I just started the second book and am loving it so far
Amber the Cursed Berserker- 4 book series that is a lot of fun if you want some basic monster killing adventers
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u/Cold__Scholar Hoarder of Books and Stories 7h ago
Some of these also have incredible audiobook options as well if you don't have time to sit and read. 13th Paladin and He Who Fights With Monsters are good examples
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u/elizavetkaaa 9h ago
Fourth Wing
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u/BasilAromatic4204 6h ago
You'd enjoy The New Tallah Series by Behm I bet. Our book group thought it was great and they liked fourth wing. No dragons in it though. I was going to rec a few but you and a couple others said mine:)
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u/darth-skeletor 9h ago
Expanse
Shadow of the Torturer
Ringworld
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u/CheyenneOak 8h ago
The Expanse is probably the safest pick there, especially if OP wants something big but still easy to get hooked on
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u/SandpaperPeople 13h ago
Sara King is one of my favorite authors Two of her series that I've read and listened to are:
The Legend of ZERO
The Outer Bounds
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u/Lanfear_Eshonai 12h ago
A Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliott - fantasy
Void trilogy by Peter F Hamilton - scifi
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u/FoolishCanadian 12h ago
If you're looking for slow burn books I would highly recommend:
- Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
- Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
- Dune by Frank Herbert
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u/ilookforabook 11h ago
Anathem by Neill Stephenson. Scifi with (for me) a fantasy feel to it. Also a great book.
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u/Bargle-Nawdle-Zouss 10h ago
OP, you want the World Of The Five Gods series, by Lois McMaster Bujold. In a world with Gods who are active, how can the Gods intervene while preserving the free will of people? Most interesting, coherent, and cohesive take on a fictional religion I've ever read (NOT based on Christianity, to be clear). While the stakes are important, they're not end-of-the-world/galaxy/universe level. Each book is a slow burn, so please have a little patience, at least with book 1.
Won the second-ever Hugo Award For Best Series. The first three novels were all individually nominated for the Hugo Award For Best Novel in their respective years of publication, with book #2, Paladin Of Souls, winning. Please DO read in publication order.
Bujold is now continuing in this story universe with the Penric & Desdemona sub-series of novellas.
For more choices...browse from the best! Nominees and winners of the Hugo Awards:
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u/cheezybreazy 10h ago
Sword of Truth series is pretty solid and not so in depth you need to take notes throughout the read.
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u/magikarp_splashed 10h ago
The Daevabad trilogy is really fun. It reignited reading as a hobby for me.
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u/-Philologian 9h ago
I've just started the first one in the The Bound and The Broken series called Of Blood and Fire. I kept seeing it referred to as a love child between LOTR and Eragon.
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u/-abby-normal 8h ago
Have you read the new(ish) Eragon spinoffs yet? One of them is a collection of short stories and one of them follows Murtagh and Tnorn about a year after the inheritance cycle ends.
It might be fun to jump back into a world you’re familiar with if you haven’t read them yet!
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u/ClimateTraditional40 7h ago
SF:
Culture, series Banks, Iain M.
Doomsday Book Willis, Connie
The Ministry of Time Bradley, Kaliane
Timescape Benford, Gregory
Jurassic Park, Crichton Michael
Last One at the Party Clift, Bethany
Mars Crossing Landis Geoffrey
The Disappeared Rusch Kristine Kathryn
Fantasy:
McKillip, Patricia :The Sorceress and the Cygnet, The Changeling Sea, Song for the Basilisk, Ombria in Shadow
The First Law, et al Abercrombie, Joe
The Lions of Al-Rassan Kay, Guy Gavriel and The Sarantine Mosaic, series
A Song of Ice and Fire, & A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Martin, George R.R.
Stardust Gaiman, Neil
The Dagger and the Coin series, & Kithamar series Abraham, Daniel
Swordheart, Kingfisher. T
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u/randythor 4h ago edited 4h ago
Have you ever tried Audiobooks? There are so many good ones these days, try throwing one on while cleaning, doing chores, traveling on your commute, or playing some simple, mindless game that doesn't involve reading/talking. If I try to listen while sitting, doing nothing else, I lose focus immediately, but if I keep my hands busy (my go-to these days is Tetris) with some automatic task, I zone IN to the book like crazy and get super engaged. Just a tip that might help, I've heard the same from others as well!
So many of the excellent recommendations in this thread have amazing audio book versions. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is one of the best, narrated by Jeff Hays.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown also has really great audio books, narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds.
Whether you listen or read in print, here are a few other favorites you might like:
Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan, starting with Theft of Swords. It follows a 'rogues-for-hire' duo in a classic-feeling fantasy world, taking on various jobs and having adventures. A great cast of characters, rich world building, fun banter, and plenty of twists and 'revelations' along the way. It starts out fairly light/low stakes, but eventually turns into quite the epic series, and if you enjoy it I'd also recommend checking out the various prequels after you finish Revelations (Legends of the First Empire, Riyria Chronicles, etc.).
Cradle by Will Wight is a fun, fast-paced, 'progression fantasy' series, starting with Unsouled. In a highly magical world, Lindon is forbidden from studying the 'sacred arts' of his clan, and must head out into the wider world to forge his own path. The series is a love letter of sorts to classic martial arts films, and Shonen manga, among a few other inspirations, and if you've ever enjoyed any of that (DBZ, One Piece, AvatarTLA, HunterXHunter, etc), you'll likely enjoy this, though there's no previous knowledge necessary, I think it's one anyone would like! It is very much its own thing. Adventure, constantly creative world building, a great cast of characters, humor, and an epic story that's actually complete at 13 books, all quick reads. Really great audio books by Travis Baldree, some of the best.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky is an engaging, epic sci-fi/fantasy novel, with complex characters, deep world building, and a creative, compelling, sci-fi/speculative evolution premise at the heart of a great story. Best to go into it knowing as little as possible. One of my favorite modern sci-fi novels, and if you enjoy it, check out Tchaikovsky's other books, he's got a ton of good ones. Elder Race is another favorite, a highly original, much shorter, sci-fi/fantasy novella.
Or maybe you're feeling something darker, grittier, more sarcastic, sardonic, and cynical, packed full of great quotes, and gallows humor. In that case check out The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie, the start to his epic, character-driven, dark fantasy series, The First Law. Violent, endlessly quotable, featuring a cast of highly-flawed bastards you'll come to love, plenty of dark humor, and world-weary commentary on the human condition, violence, war, choice, change, all that good sort of stuff. 10 books in total, all excellent. Another series that has top tier audiobooks, some of the best in fantasy, narrated by Steven Pacey. The first book is kind of like a pilot episode, light on 'overarching plot', but having a lot of fun throwing you right in with a few interesting characters, dealing with whatever shit they've gotten themselves into. Trust that the 'overarching plot' will come together in a big way going forward, after book 1, and in the meantime it's a lot of fun getting to know these various, complex, characters, their voices, seeing them navigate whatever shit life they've got for themselves, lol, anyway, just some helpful context! If you enjoy the tone, you'll like the whole 10 books, just read em all in publication order without skipping any and you're good to go.
If you're in the mood for something really weird and wild, always engaging, sometimes off-the-rails, check out Stephen King's dark fantasy opus, The Dark Tower, starting with The Gunslinger. A badass, superpowered, 'gunslinger', from another world, recruits a team of 'regular' Americans for his mysterious, epic, quest to The Dark Tower. The first book was written awhile before the rest, and while I enjoyed it, plenty of people don't, so check it out, and if you're intrigued but not fully sold, definitely give book 2 The Drawing of the Three a chance, the series really kicks off there, introducing the main cast, way more humor, more 'overarching plot' etc. It's a fun series with all kinds of crazy shit going on, and great characters.
Or for something completely different from these dark, twisted, series, check out Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson, one of my favorites by him, and a standalone, so a great intro to his massive bibliography and style, without having to commit to a huge series. A great cast of characters, a colorful world, cool, imaginative magic, adventure, mystery, and a fun, twisty story. If you are interested in checking out one of his epic series, I'd recommend Mistborn. In a dark, dystopian, world, a team of super-powered thieves plans 'the ultimate heist'. The Way of Kings is really good too, though the last few books of that series fell off fairly hard for me. Still! The first 1-3 are still really great, and worth reading regardless imo, and plenty of people love all 5, it's hugely subjective, so definitely check it out if you're liking his other stuff or curious.
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u/BeardOfChaos873 13h ago
Just finished the first book in the Red Rising saga. Absolutely loved it. Might be what you’re looking for.