Recommend me sci-fi/fantasy books

[Mordoch]

Originally posted by Micha Niven´s most popular work is the "Ringworld", but I haven´t read it yet. Any opinions on that one?

I personally didn't like it as much as "A Mote in God's Eye". It does have its moments though and the author does do a good job of being ambitious when creating the ringworld itself.

[Qilue]

Footfall which was co-wrote br Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle is quite a good book.

[Donegeal]

Isn't Footfall part of the Earthfall series?

[DeathByTheSword]

DUNE -frank herbet 5x
planetbuilders - unkown 3x
adverntures of Miles vorkisagian series- Bujold (or something like that) 2x
babel virus - unkown 4x
steel beach - unkown 4x
jenny governments - unkown 4x

[Lonestar]

I would recommend David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series, starting with On Basilisk Station.

Think of it as Horatio Hornblower in space.

[Jon Miller]

Cyteen, Downbelow Station, Gate of Ivriel, Merchanter's Luck, ... pretty much anything by Cherryh

Perdido station (and thoers in that world) byt China Melville

Lords of Light, Amber series, and a multitude of other books by Zelanzy (but not all, some aren't that great)

anytihng by Gene Wolfe

anything by Donaldson (see the Gap series, although it isn't his best)

anything by George RR Martin (his newest series is Song of Ice and Fire)

Curse of Challion by Bujold (her sci fi is decent also)

I could go on...

Jon Miller

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Lonestar
I would recommend David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series, starting with On Basilisk Station.

Think of it as Horatio Hornblower in space.

some are ok, they get worse as he goes on...

JM

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Qilue
Piers Anthony.

Here's a list so I can save typing.

http://www.hipiers.com/bibliography.html

ack, horrid horrid stuff, most isn't even entertaining..

JM
( a few are entertaining in a mildly juvenile way)

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
What about raymond feist? Anyone read? My boss' husband raves about him.

has some good stuff (for standard fantasy fun), I haven't liked hie most recent stuff however...

JM

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Micha
Larry Niven did make some good science fiction. I can recommend "The Mote in God´s Eye" (L. Niven, J. Pournelle).
It is reasonable, entertaining and quite exciting till the last dozen pages, but it´s quite a big book...

Niven´s most popular work is the "Ringworld", but I haven´t read it yet. Any opinions on that one?

The Mote in God's Eye

and the Gripping Hand

are the best books I have read by Pournelle or Niven

Jon miller

[Donegeal]

The gripping hand was a major dissapointment. It had the feel good ending like those of a star trek book. All that excitement destroyed by a simple "inversion of the Ionic gene phase". That is not an excate quote. Just thow some random scientific words together and you come up with a solution. Lame.

[Jon Miller]

ID din't say that I thought the Gripping Hand was very good...

JM
(not a Niven fan)

[quantum_mechani]

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn: This also seems a bit like fantasy standard fare, but I might give it a try.

Black Company: I recall hearing other good things abut this, I will probably give it a try.

Raymond Fiest: Read most of his series.

Larry Niven: I read a lot of his books (liked A mote in God's Eye), they tend to range from great to meh.

Piers Anthony: Read one or two of his books... I can't say I really see the appeal.

Dune: It seems OK, but I started off out of sequence which has dampened my interest in it.

Honor Harrington: I read the first book or two, but my interest trailed off.

Cherryh: Some of theses sound pretty good, I was initially put off of the author due to the ubiquitous cat people

Zelanzy: I have heard a lot of mixed reviews of his books, I might give them a try when I can't find anything else.

Gene Wolf: These have some nice reviews, I think I will try them.

Curse of Challion: Again, good reviews, I might try it.

[Jon Miller]

for Cherryh tha cat people books (despite being veryt popular) aren't her best

Jon miller
(although they are better than you would think, she doesn't write anything that is just 'Meh', everything is good or great or amazing)

[Wraith]

You don't really have many of the old masters listed. You might want to check into some of the early sci-fi works. Some author suggestions that haven't been mentioned:

Theodore Sturgeon (mostly short stories)
Fritz Leiber (his Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series should be exactly what you're looking for)
A. E. Van Vogt
William Tenn
Urusula K. Le Guinn
Alfred Bester ("The Stars our Destination")

Some other authors to consider:
Glenn Cook (such as the Black Company series)
Robert Sheckley
Jack Vance ("Tales of the Dying Earth")
Walter Jon Williams (especially "Aristoi" and "Voice of the Whirlwind")
I also quite enjoy Janny Wurt's series, the War of Light and Shadow, but it isn't going to be for everyone.

For some more unusual sci-fi, check out the works of Haruki Murakami, especially "Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" or "The Wind-up Bird Chronicles".

--"Discworld: I've heard a lot of good things about them, but it seems really confusing where to start."

You can start pretty much anywhere. You can start with the first book, just keep in mind that the first two -- "The Colour of Magic" and "The Light Fantastic" -- are more straight-up fantasy parodies than anything. After that, it takes a couple books, and his style morphs more into the comic fantasy he uses for the rest of the series.
So if you do start from the beginning, and don't like it, don't stop there. Skip a couple, maybe to "Wyrd Sisters" (although "Guards! Guards!" works, since it's the start of the Watch sub-series) and try again.

--"What about raymond feist? "

His later books are getting kind of repetitive, to me. I haven't even finished reading the latest series in his main universe just because it didn't seem that compelling. However, the early stuff, "Magician: Apprentice", etc, are quite good. Also check out the series he co-wrote with Janny Wurts, starting with "Daughter of the Empire".

--"Cherryh: Some of theses sound pretty good"

Tried some, including at least one without catpeople. Couldn't really get into them.

--"Zelanzy: I have heard a lot of mixed reviews of his books,"

His Amber series has an interesting concept, and it's carried out pretty well. Outside that, he's done a lot of various things, so I could certainly understand mixed reviews.

Wraith
Fantasy isn't our crutch -- its arcane