What sci-fi/fantasy do you like?

[Elok]

Speculative fiction is very hit and miss; a lot of authors have made it big by trafficking in cliches or recycling abundantly familiar tropes. And some of them are just profoundly mediocre writers who got contracts because some sci-fi fans are so voracious they'll snarf it all up so long as it doesn't contain egregious logical or grammatical errors. I am not one of those readers, but I'd like to branch out into my library's respectable sci-fi section. I've read all their Orson Scott Card (even the crap ones), Timothy Zahn, Neal Stephenson, and all the McCaffrey that sounds interesting. Probably some others I've forgotten. I tried Cherryh's Foreigner, couldn't get into it. Likewise Kameron Hurley's Mirror Empire, though The Stars are Legion seems tolerable if you eyeroll your way past her silly gender politics obsession (I figure this is only fair, since I extend the same courtesy to Card's equal and opposite obsession). I've read all the Dune that doesn't suck, and some that does. I'm done with Star Wars EU except for nostalgia purposes, not into Trek fiction. I tried The Color of Magic, said bleh three pages in, am told it's not his best, so I guess I could give Discworld in general another try. What do you guys like?

EDIT: Also, no Lovecraft. Oh, how I hate Lovecraft.

[rah]

For fanatasy I'm a big fan of L. E. Modesitt Jr His detail work sometimes seems boring but he does it in a way that I can't put it down. He could be explaining how to make ink and I'll read it. He's a good story teller. It's not always black and white. He can also do epic, based on all the different series.

For SF I like the speculative stuff best but will still read a good mil SF if the author can infuse the right level of humor.

Mysteries disguised as SF can also be real good if combined with the more speculative stuff.


And finally, your book wasn't too shabby either. Keep writing

[Jon Miller]

Foreigner is the only Cherryh I don't like. Weird (compared to other Cherryh fans), I know.

Try Wolfe's books, particularly the New Sun.

Try Bujold's work. Both fantasy (Curse of Challion is one of my all time favorites) and SciFi (everyone knows Miles).

Try Cherryh for something else other Foreigner, particularly Cyteen.

For discworld I can understand why people bounce off the Wizards, I would recommend Small Gods and Guards Guards.

JM

[Lorizael]

Contemporary favorites of mine include Alistair Reynolds, for galaxy-spanning hard-ish SF; Greg Egan for mind-expanding ideas and aliens; and Dan Simmons, for thick, literary-type stuff.

[Broken_Erika]

Babylon 5.

[Jon Miller]

That's awesome.

JM

[Elok]

Contemporary favorites of mine include Alistair Reynolds, for galaxy-spanning hard-ish SF; Greg Egan for mind-expanding ideas and aliens; and Dan Simmons, for thick, literary-type stuff.

Forgot to mention that I recently read Hyperion and liked it a great deal. Annoyingly, the library doesn't have the rest of the series. May have to ILL it.

[Jon Miller]

I didn't really like Simmons outside of the Hyperion Cantos. Not that he was bad.

I have enjoyed
Nnedi Okorafor
Max Gladstone
Elizabeth Bear
David Anthony Durham
N. K. Jemisin
Ann Leckie
Cixin Liu
Martha Wells
recently.

JM
(all multiple purchases in the last two years where I intend to buy more)
(actually Durham was earlier)

[pchang]

You could try Ian Banks and Neal Asher.

[rah]

Contemporary favorites of mine include Alistair Reynolds, for galaxy-spanning hard-ish SF; Greg Egan for mind-expanding ideas and aliens; and Dan Simmons, for thick, literary-type stuff.

Yeah, these too. I figure I've probably read close to 5000 syfi/fant and it's hard to remember all the good ones. And the bad one are more easily forgettable. And I've forgotten a lot.

[Elok]

Thank you, gentlemen; I've bookmarked this thread for the next time I go to the library.

[Ben Kenobi]

Pretty big Ben Bova fan along with Heinlein.

[The Mad Monk]

Cherryh, Cherryh, Cherryh!

Especially Chanur. Pride of Chanur is first, followed by the Chanur's Venture Trillogy.

[The Mad Monk]

Pretty big Ben Bova fan along with Heinlein.

Heinlein

[BlackCat]

Larry Niven are always worth a (re)visit.