Fiction Recommendations

[Jon Miller]

So I like Faerie Tales. Not the disneyfied versions, but the type that Gaiman, Cherryh, Clarke and others write. Where the faeries are strange, and tricky, and alien.

There have been a few of this sort, of the modern variety. These are aso interesting, I think that Elizabeth Bear writes this type (I would have picked up the first book of her promethean series last night if they had had it) as does Bull (and really Gaiman's are of this type). Same sort of faeries, but dealing with modern society.

Finally, I like really alien aliens. Some of Cherryh's are like this, and Tepper's (sp?) and others. Actually, some of the aliens are sort of like the faeries in our myths, those are good too.

So what are some that I haven't named?

JM (I have read a lot more than I have named, but an exhaustive list isn't interesting.)

[duke o' york]

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

[snoopy369]

The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar - recommended by Gaiman (intro) and quite good.

Peter David's King Arthur in New York series ( Knight Life and others) was fun.

If you like Emma Bull, consider her (one-time, at least) partner Steven Brust; beyond his series stuff, which is good but not precisely in the genre you mention, he has some interesting urban fantasy, and To Reign In Hell is really quite good Christian Mythology fiction [by that I mean, writing fiction based in the mythological aspects of Christianity, namely angels, demons, etc., but firmly grounded in it, not just random angels, but Lucifer, Methiel, etc.]

Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde series, and also her Bard something or another series, both decent urban fantasy (I presume that's what you are after in general). Night Watch/Day Watch/etc. by Sergei Lukyanenko is urban vampire fantasy, but solidly in fantasy realm and not really in horror or romance at all (nobody has sex, sorry). Not one of those new vampire/romance titles. Bleck

Tanya Huff also has somewhat interesting urban fantasy, IIRC. Also consider short stories - there is a HUGE amount of good urban fantasy in the short story market, and a lot of them don't cost anything other than bandwidth. Look about Asimov's and the other sites on the 'net with online SF/F short stories.

Aliens - hmmm. What do you mean by 'really alien'? 'Don't look humanoid', or 'don't act humanoid', or 'creep me out beyond imagination'? I don't consider Cherryh's aliens particularly alien, but I'm not a huge Cherryh fan either. Maybe I haven't read the right books.

If you like Tepper, you might like Sharon Shinn (angels), from what I've seen. Also, consider Perdido Street Station by China Mieville, and similar, very strange aliens there (and some are rather fairy-like, I suppose). That's hardcore steampunk, so be warned. If you like THAT, consider Iron Angel by Alan Campbell, steampunk/angel combo.

[self biased]

larry niven's aliens are usually pretty neat. check out 'the mote in god's eye,' 'the gripping hand,' and 'footfall.'

[Jon Miller]

I don't particualrly like or am looking for Urban fantasy. Most of it I don't want to read, it just has some of the better exemplars of what I am looking for (faeries/etc) available. In fact, my preference is for books that aren't urban fantasy.

I have read more of Burst than of Bull, by a long shot. And consider him a better writer. But while fun, he isn't great, his best books are Phoenix guards (sorry, I don't like Vlad or most of his main characters). I haven't read To Reign in Hell though... didn't seem interesting based on how most of his books which aren't a homage to Dumas (sp?) go. His books seem very much wish fulfillment (what amazing and badass thing/etc can we have the badass/etc characters do this time!). I guess after reading 5-6 vlad books I have completely sworn off him.

Read all of China Mieville, own all of his books.

It is true that only (some of) Cherryh's aliens are very alien. So it is probably just that you haven't read the right books.

I have dodgeed Tanya Huff is she good? She seems sorta crappy when I look at the books. Like standard urban fantasy crap...

Mercedes Lackey is bleh.

Thanks for the recommendations on Martin Millar, Peter David, Lukyanenko, Cambell, Shinn ... but do you know of any that aren't Urban Fantasy?

JM
(added: I have also read and enjoyed Niven.)

[Naked Gents Rut]

I picked up The Order of Odd-Fish after Gaiman mentioned it on his blog. Very interesting so far, in a slightly mad way.

[snoopy369]

To reign in hell is just different... it's not standard fantasy at all, and doesn't really compare to either series. It's (sort of) the untold story around Paradise Lost, ie, the war with Heaven.

I'm not entirely sure what you consider Urban Fantasy, versus modern-day fairy tales. Urban fantasy is defined by being fantasy written in the modern day, and set in cities or otherwise in the modern urban/suburban environment [as opposed to, say, some hidden enclave of medieval goodness]. Emma Bull is Urban Fantasy. Neil Gaiman (some) is urban fantasy (Neverwhere, for example, or American Gods, though they are of course very different books).

I suppose you could subdivide Urban Fantasy into a few pieces, one of which is the "Vampire romance" genre (Laurell K. Hamilton et al); one of which is the "Traditional Fantasy in modern environment", either Charles Stross' Merchant Princes saga [which does the fantasy via multiple-worlds-with-different-time-lines], or Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl, a kid's [8-12] series that's quite fun); "Urban Mythology", like John C. Wright's Chaos series (Orphans of chaos, etc.) or American Gods; and "Underworld Fantasy", by which I do not mean Hell, but Simon R. Green's Nightside series (which is fantastic, by the way) or Neverwhere. And then there's pure urban fantasy, like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files or whatnot, which is simply a book set in the modern day that has fantasy elements [magic, vampires, etc.] but is not 'traditional [epic] fantasy' in design. Ludadenko also fits in this genre [as opposed to Vampire Romance].

Sounds like you want either Urban Mythology for sure[in which case, read Wright's series, it's great especially if you know Greek mythology well], maybe Underworld [Simon R Green's series is great, then], or perhaps a limited selection of pure urban fantasy [Dresden etc.]?

[Lord Avalon]

Artemis Fowl

series by Eoin Colfer

[Naked Gents Rut]

Read all of China Mieville, own all of his books.

Is Mieville good? Apparently I should like him since I like Gaiman and The Order of Odd-Fish...

http://leavingshangrila.blogspot.com/2008/12/order-of-odd-fish-by-james-kennedy.html

[snoopy369]

Read all of China Mieville, own all of his books.

Is Mieville good? Apparently I should like him since I like Gaiman and The Order of Odd-Fish...

http://leavingshangrila.blogspot.com...s-kennedy.html

Mieville is good if you like steampunk. He's VERY odd, though, so you have to be able to stomach oddness, and steampunk. But if you can, he's a pretty good writer.

[Naked Gents Rut]

Oddness doesn't faze me.

[TCO]

Hal Clement has good aliens. So does ealry Niven and Dickson.

[Jon Miller]

Snoopy, none of your suggestions were at all what I was looking for. Well, I didn't find Peter David and Nightwalker might be interesting some other time.

I don't like Urban Mythology either. I really think you are bad at this. I said I wanted books about otherly fairies or very alien aliens. Not about fairies behaving like humans or urban fantasy or angels. I think you are trying to troll me. Did you even read my OP? Or my posts after?

And I have repeatedly said that I wasn't impressed by American Gods, and I love Neverwhere and Stardust. For fairies, how could you be thinking the other two?

You are just clueless.

Yeah, I have read Niven and Dickson, I generally like Dickson better. I think I have read Clement also... would have to check.

JM

[-Jrabbit]

For some faerie action, you should check out the Wee Free Men series from Terry Pratchett. Ostensibly kids books, but pretty subversive. Tehh human hero is a preteen girl, tiffany Aching. A quick read.

Bizarre aliens that might really appeal to a physics major: Dragon's Egg, by Robert L. Forward -- science fiction with a lot of science. It's life on the surface of a neutron star, discovered by human spacefarers. Forward was an actual scientist (worked at Hughes Aircraft, published 200 papers, earned 18 patents, etc.). According to Wiki, he also "helped Larry Niven calculate the parameters of the Smoke Ring for his novel The Integral Trees." Anyway, it's really different and remains one of my all-time favorites.

[Jon Miller]

I have heard of Dragon's Egg. Also, I should look up teh Wee Folk.

I don't actually favor hard science fiction, I view it as the weaker part of science fiction. Science fiction is best when it is turning a warped mirror on ourselves... not when it is trying to show a real possibility.

Pretty much all my favorites are 'soft' science fiction. It is alien personalities I like, not alien physics.

JM