I love fantasy and fiction, but am also interested in science and contemporary issues. Infact, I read just about anything. Some of my fav. authors include:
Tolkien (of course)
Terry Pratchett (the god of fantasy!!)
the Brontes
Thomas Hardy
Umberto Eco
Joanne Harris
etc....
2006-09-22 11:21:48 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I must say you have excellent taste in authors! Eco, Hardy, Tolkien, Pratchett...the cream of the crop. It seems to me that you like very intelligent fantasy and historicals.
From the fantasy side of things, I can make a couple of suggestions:
George R.R. Martin's 'Song of Ice and Fire Series', starting with 'The Game of Thrones'. It is the grittiest and most involving fantasy series I have ever read, and I've read a lot (too often, fantasy is very cliche and mediocre).
'Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell' by Susanna Clarke, a combination fantasy/historical novel that is set in England during the Napoleanic wars. An excellent read.
I can also suggest a couple of amazing novels in the non-fantasy vein. Both of them are "historical" novels, but they are literary in the sense that they transcend the "historical" genre by telling a larger story.
'The Crimson Petal & the White' by Michael Faber, a beautifully written story set in Victorian England about a young whore who attempts to transcend England's very stratified class-based society.
"An Instance of the Fingerpost" by Iain Pears. Part historical novel, part mystery, all wonderfully written. The novel is broken into 3 parts, each the narrative of a murder witness, yet all three witnesses tell a different story. Its an exploration of how three people can see the same event and yet remember it differently. Iain Pears reminds me a considerable bit of Umberto Eco, with his eye for detail, yet without his occasional long-windedness.
Good luck finding a great read.
2006-09-22 12:05:27 · answer #1 · answered by amsmith 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For fantasy, I'd recommend Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. It's a dark fantasy about the world beneath London and a hapless accountant who is accidentally dragged into it, as well as a murder mystery. Beautiful prose as well as some interesting plot twists and wonderful characters.
The Peshawar Lancers is an interesting alternate history by SM Stirling. It's set in a modern Earth where a comet struck the earth in 1870, causing most of the population to die. The northern hemisphere was turned into a frozen wasteland, and refugees from England moved to India, which is now the seat of the British Empire. The world-building is great, as are the descriptions and the characters.
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik is the first book in a series. It's set during the Napoleonic Wars in an alternate Earth where dragons are used by the military as an air force. The story follows a sea captain who reluctantly becomes an aviator. The characters are wonderful, and the plot is really interesting. Plus Peter Jackson has optioned it.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke - someone else recommended this, and I'll just second it.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - a futuristic dystopia, this is set in The Republic of Gilead, which is the USA after it's become a Christian theocracy. It's the story of Offred (Of Fred - Fred is her master), a handmaid - a fertile woman assigned to bear children for rich men whose wives are barren. She remembers the world before, and she and her family tried to escape but were unsuccessful. Now she's facing exile if she doesn't conceive, and is desperately looking for escape but is surrounded by spies and doesn't know who to trust. Compelling reading, up there with 1984 and Brave New World.
Beauty by Sheri S Tepper - Sci-Fi that turns fairy tales upside down. I don't want to give much away, but the hero is Sleeping Beauty.
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis - a time travel story involving the plague, both in the past and the future, that illustrates how little humanity has changed in nearly 1000 years.
2006-09-22 13:22:17 · answer #2 · answered by Rose D 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try books by George R.R. Martin, Terry Goodkind, Raymond E. Feist , Robin Hobb, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury ,The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
2006-09-22 11:32:12 · answer #3 · answered by Juniper 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can highly recommend Terry Brooks series of books about the magic kingdom of Landover. They are a very good read for teenagers and adults. I also recommend The Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R. Donaldson. Darkish and a little more adult in tone, but I read the first one when I was about 16 or 17.
2006-09-22 15:05:37 · answer #4 · answered by Tracy T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I like all of those authors and I'm telling you, you got to check out Tim Powers. He is a genius at mysic reality. The way that he slowly unrolls the world he has created and the way the he builds suspense is unparalled. You could pick up any of his titles but I highly recommend Anubis Gates or Last Call
2006-09-22 11:31:10 · answer #5 · answered by idonross 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since Joanne Harris is one of your listed favourites, I imagine you've read my favourite book this past year: Gentlemen and Players. If you haven't read it, run, don't walk, to get it.
In the fantasy genre, try out Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. They're the only fantasy I've read lately, and it's great, though very long.
Also read Gregory Maguire. I recently read Wicked, and it's very interesting and different.
2006-09-22 12:08:33 · answer #6 · answered by nellierslmm 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Read Weaveworld by Clive Barker. It's an older book now, but fabulous. Barker is the master of imagery...his stories always run through your mind like HD TV when reading! And it's a terrific fantasy story. It's quite dark but if you like tolkien darlness you'll like Barker's.
2006-09-22 16:49:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It is the most amazing book I've read in a long while. It's about a girl who falls in love with a vampire. It will have you so sucked in that you won't be able to put it down until you've read it all!
2006-09-22 17:32:51 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Harry Potter Series of books by J.K. Rowlings
The Chronicle of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
The Lemony Snicket Series of books or The Series of Unfortunate Events.
2006-09-22 16:27:12 · answer #9 · answered by Gail M 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
be attentive to you stated no vampire books...yet i think of Twilight is great! it extremely is a sturdy e book and it extremely is in a human beings perspective, no longer a vampires! it is likewise a action picture. there is: Twilight; New Moon; Eclipse; and Breaking first easy... inspite of the incontrovertible fact that Breaking first easy isn't out interior the cinema's yet... If no longer Twilight, then how approximately some Jaqueline Wilson books? they are astonishing!!! and quite humorous. desire I helped(:
2016-10-17 11:32:02 · answer #10 · answered by wach 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋