I need a good fantasy or sci-fi recommendation urgently!

[AveAtqueVale]

Just finished Deborah Harkness’ Time’s Convert and the preceding trilogy, enjoyed it but definitely wasn’t love bit too much like Twilight.

Brandon Sanderson is one of my favourites but I think I’ve exhausted his oeuvre. Read Wheel of Time, the powder mage books, Tolkien, Pratchett, Ursula Le Guin, most Neil Gaiman and Dan Simmons too as well as a lot of enjoyable shite like the Shadowhunter books..

I’m unsure what next- very grateful for any recommendations. I need something soon though as it’s the first time in ages I haven’t had my next book/ series lined up and am feeling all twitchy!

(For full disclosure I do actually have an entire shelf of unread books but they’re not ‘speaking’ to me at the moment .)

Terry Brookes - superb. Another for Robin Hobb, she is my absolute favourite writer. I also really enjoyed the Pratchet/Baxter collaboration The long earth. It's sci fi fantasy all in one.

Stephen Donaldson the Gap Series, graphic, there are no hero's in his books - so can be a little disturbing but oh my the Gap is a seriously well written & terrifying Sci Fi Space Opera.

Another for Star Ship Troopers, loved the books and the films.

Also really enjoyed "The City of Lost Fortunes" by Bryan Camp. Fantasy murder mystery set in Old Orleans - with lots of old gods at work.

@everydayunicorns

How have I not heard of that!?! I love a murder mystery and love fantasy. That's next week a book sorted!

*weeks

Enjoying the recommendations - I suspect this thread will prove expensive for me!

The Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter ‘Long Earth’ books are great- big sci fi a la Baxter, with Sir Terry’s gift for humour and characters.

I also recommend Robin Hobb, Becky Chambers, Brent Weeks.

If you haven’t read the book, ‘The Martian’ by Andy Weir is cracking near future sci fi, and hilarious! His new book ‘Artemis’ isn’t quite in the same league, but it’s a great space adventure, with a female Muslim lead character that he writes really well.

If you haven't read Andy Weir his books are great. Also Becky Chambers.

Cross post there with @TiredofbeingaGP - great minds and all that!

The Martian is one of the best audio books to listen to. The narrator is perfect.
Rosario Dawson narrates Artemis, and she saved the book for me. He doesn't write women characters all that well; but it's still a good book.

Ooh, The Warrior Chronicles by KF Breene is a fantastic series too.

I loved the Revelation Space books by Alastair Reynolds. Hard going at first but worth the effort

Another shout out for David Gemmell, particularly the Rigante series.

Definitely Robin Hobb. Set aside a couple of years of your life right now and read them all .

I also really enjoyed Brian Staveley's Unhewn Throne trilogy.

Love this thread and already see many of my favourites here!

How about Trudy Canavan? Magician’s Guild is the first one.

Another vote for VE Schwab, her Villains duology is a bit more Sci fi and Shades of Magic series is more fantasy. Have you tried anything by Naomi Novik, or Sarah Maria Griffin's Spare and Found Parts?

Jim Butcher did a series Codex Alera, love it. I also like Simon R Green.

Ohhh this is amazing! Thank you!! I will work my way through this - some fabulous ideas and I can now construct a list for the next few months! It’s been hard to browse on bookshops lately so amazing to have other ideas :D.

Laini Taylor, Daughter of smoke and bone

Sarah J mass, Glass throne series

Rob Hobb

Juliet Marillier (my favourite author) Seven Waters series

Trudi Canavan, The Black Magician Trilogy

for a bit of proper vampire action, Charlaine Harris, Sookie Stackhouse series.

love David Eddings too.

Another one for Robin Hobbs, Rivers of London, David Eddings, Raymond E Feist, GRR Martin, VE Schwab

Also Steve McHugh's Hellequin Chronicles for urban fantasy,
And my out of the blue favourite from last year...

Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott
(Bought it cos I liked the cover)

And now I'm off to Amazon to try out some of the others recommended above

Another vote for the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Absolutely the best fantasy series I’ve read. Found the first book (Gardens of the Moon) took me a while to get into, but everything from there on in was fantastic

And Iain M Banks’ Culture novels on the sci-fo side of things.

*sci-fi

Anyone ever read the artefacts of power series by Maggie Furey?

I have but it was years and years ago. I don't remember them but do recognise them on Amanon.

Ooh oatmilk yes I did years ago
That has reminded me I love the spellsong cycle by LE Modesott Jr starts with the soprano sorceress

Try the Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) by Kim Stanley Robinson.

Also:

Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. They can get a bit repetitive when read back to back, but I'm an extremely fast reader with excellent recall, so it might be less of an issue for others. i.e. I read the entire series in about 3 weeks. The first book or two are a bit cliche, but it improves from there.

I particularly liked his take on ethics and morality - an example being "No culture has an inherent right to exist" and he plays along on the themes of free will, consequences, etc. Plenty of people disagree with his philosophy but I liked the rationality behind it, and he does a fair job of fleshing out initially cardboard characters.

With regards to sci fi - Peter F Hamilton especially Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained duology. Again, Children of Time by Tchaikovsky.

If you're into classic sci-fi then the Dune series of course, and the Aasimov books too. I can especially recommend his collection of short stories under the "I, Robot" title.