Books! Need Books!

[kriadydragon]

I got myself a Borders gift card for Christmas. Yay! Now the dillemma. What books to get? Except for the Dresden Files and a few Mangas, I haven't really been reading all that much. One, because fanfic distracts me. Two, because I've yet to find anything that really, really pulls me in like Dresden Files has. I'm incredibly picky, and have stopped reading books for little more than them being too wordy or trying to be too philosophical.

So I need book recs - fantasy and/or Sci-fi. Can be adult or young adult. And not "yeah, this was kind of an amusing story" types, but something you felt was really, really, really good. I'm looking for something that will catch my attention, hold it and never let go. Something full of action and adventure. Bonus points if there are no heavy sex scenes, which is basically my only squick when it comes to published books (sex scenes in general but the smaller, barely detailed ones are easier to skip over.)

I would really appreciate the help.

Comments

[sholio]

Heh, I just rec'd this to you at my journal, but I really think you ought to LOVE this: Devil to the Belt. It's the omnibus edition of Cherryh's Heavy Time/Hellburner series, and seriously, if you want a messed-up main character who spends most of the books a) drugged, b) injured, c) suffering from massive psychological problems, or d) all of the above at once, Paul Dekker is your guy. (Also, the way that they describe him in the books? He looks like a young Joe Flanigan. Skinny, dark-haired and so physically attractive that even the guys notice it, although mostly just to be annoyed by it. Seriously, while I read the books long before I started watching SGA, Dekker was one of the first things I thought of when I ran across the fanon intepretation of Sheppard.)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

*Squeals in delight*

[alipeeps.livejournal.com]

For Sci-Fi - Iain M Banks. All of his stuff is great but especially the Culture novels. For fantasy.. David Eddings, especially the Belgariad and the Mallorean series and also Mercedes Lackey - all of her Valdemar series books are great through, knowing of your preferences, I suggest you avoid The Last Herald Mage trilogy (though it's one of my personal favourites).

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Oh, excellent. I think Eddings was an author I've been meaning to look into. They had some of his books at the library, but they were all out of order with certain books missing (book one, always book one of any series, the dang library never has).

[imbecamiel.livejournal.com]

The first thing that springs to mind for me is the "Legends of the Guardian King" series by Karen Hancock (The Light of Eidon is the first book). They might be kind of hard to find, you may have to order them to the store, but well, well worth it. Seriously, these are the best fantasy books I've found since C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. Very, very good.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Sounds interesting. It's rare to find books that a reader can actually say is very much like Narnia or LOTR.

[bratfarrar]

Terry Pratchett is very funny, very smart, and his Night Watch books are excellent blends of mystery and adventure. I've got all of them, and reread frequently. Night watch commander Samuel Vimes is one of my favorite characters of all times.

Timothy Zahn writes excellent sci-fi mystery/thrillers, with lots of action. The Icarus Hunt is one of my favorite modern sci-fi novels, and Zahn's protagonists tend to be tough, smart, and usually get kicked around a fair bit.

For a classic, I'd highly recommend Isaac Asimov's The Fantastic Voyage, which takes the premise of a very lame movie and turns it into a non-stop "who's the saboteur" story. Again, a protagonist who can both think and roll with the punches.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Yes, Pratchett has definitely been at the top of my "authors to read" list, but he has so many books I don't know where to start.

My dad has been curious about Asimov. I shoudl tell him about that book.

[coolbreeze1.livejournal.com]

I've read a few by Timothy Zahn, but The Icarus Hunt was definitely my favorite. It really sucked me in. I couldn't put it down. I love all of Isaac Asimov as well, but not sure which ones you've already read. Phobos, by Ty Drago was another book I really enjoyed and would recommend.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I just hope I can find some of these books. I love Borders but, sometimes, it's frustrating what they have and what they don't have (like they Have Dark Angel and Battle Star Galactica books, but not one Stargate book, SG-1 or Atlantis.)

[bratfarrar]

For Pratchett, I'd probably start with Guards! Guards!, which has one of the best dedications (or inscriptions or something--can't remember the proper term) ever. The other Night Watch books, in order, are: Men At Arms, Feet of Clay, Jingo (in which Vimes arrests two armies for disturbance of the peace), The Fifth Elephant, Night Watch, and Thud!.

Or go read Going Postal, which is about a conman who's given the task of resurrecting the quite defunct postal service, and is probably my favorite Pratchett.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Alas, my fic reads are few and far between, and the last book I bought and intend to read soon is "Bitten" abou things that bite people. Non-fiction, by a doctor. Hmm, might be good for whumping Shep ;)

[sholio]

A few more book recs:

The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman is one of my very favorite fantasy series (from whence this icon comes). It starts out slow and doesn't really hit its stride until book 3, but it's got it all -- great world-building, great characters, reformed villains, unlikely heroes, dragons, h/c ...

Transformation by Carol Berg (fantasy) - really loved the first book, didn't care for the next two books in the series at all. But the first one is another for my all-time-favorite-fantasy list. Great characters and character interactions.

Roger Zelazny's Amber series - I have adored these books ever since I was a kid. Unfortunately he died without really finishing the series. *whine* But they are colorful and imaginative and just fantastically good. *I* want a magic deck of playing cards too!

Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series - there are a *lot* of them, and there are a number of books you can start with, although you'll probably be lost if you read the most recent ones first, because there's so much character history to them. For the record, it was "Brothers in Arms" and "Mirror Dance" that really, truly sold me on the series.

I am a really big fan of Diana Wynne Jones's YA fantasies. My favorite books of hers include Hexwood, The Ogre Downstairs and the first two Crestomanci books.

If you have not read "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, you absolutely must! (But most people have, or at least have heard of it.) Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman is also fantastically good.

[susnn.livejournal.com]

A good series is the Liaden novels by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. The writing style is a cross between Georgette Heyer and Lois McMasters Bujold. It's science fiction and I will be extremely surprised if you do not immediately fangirl Val Con. Start with 'Agent of Change' where he is introduced.

If you can't find the book, let me know and I'll lend you a copy. The earlier books in the series are in the process of being reprinted. More info can be found at http://www.korval.com/liad.htm which is the authors website.