Good fantasy or science fiction book please

[SlothWithACloth]

I’d love a good well written fantasy or science fiction book with some romance in it.
Any recommendations?

What other authors do you like? Easier to make recommendations if you can give a feel for the sort of thing.

Fantasy: At the lighter end, I love Gail Carriger's Parasol Protctorate series, fun steampunk romps (start with Soulless).

I'd also recommend Naomi Novik's books - Temeraire (Napoleonic wars with dragons! personally I loved the first book, less keen on the rest of the series), Spinning Silver, Uprooted, & just read & loved the first of her new series A Deadly Education.

SF: loads of good modern SF, but can't immediately bring to mind any with romance, and it depends so much what style you like.

I'd always recommend Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time & also Dogs of War (classic SF). Very current, the Fractured Europe sequence starting with Europe in Autumn (much more thrillery). Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice series is old fashioned space opera type soft SF with a bit of an updated feel.

Romance makes it harder (sf suggestions above are great (love AT’s SF!) but not romantic).

Poison Study series (fantasy) is a romance. I haven’t read all of it though.

How about Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurts Empire trilogy, starts with Daughter of the Empire, then Servant of the Empire and Mistress of the main character is a woman, Mara, struggling to rule her family after her father and brother are killed by an enemy family. They are very good and there is a bit of romance.

The Tamir Triad by Llyn Flewelling is a fantastic and underrated series, the romance is rather unconventional, but it's there. There are dark and disturbing themes running through it, but it's excellently told with fantastic characters.

For a romance-led book, Karen Lord's ,The Best of all Possible Worlds is really a love story that plays out against a scifi travelogue in a charming and gentle way.

I also love Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone series, which is saved from YA cliche by an undertow of genuine playful humour amid high fantasy romance, again with really great, likeable characters

James Maxwell - Evermen Saga
Maria Snyder - poison study trilogy and also glass series

Thank you. The romance isn’t important but would be a nice. I’m not looking for a romantic book, just a nice developing relationship would add to it for me

I’m not sure about authors as I haven’t read any in years but I loved Stephen R. Donaldson, Piers Anthony, Asimov, Douglas Adams. I can’t think of any more at the moment.
I’m trying to get back into reading fantasy and science fiction from being away from it for 15 years.

Everything Sadik said.

Also Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series (“urban fantasy”) is highly entertaining and popular.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Le Guin is the most romantic sf book I can think of.

Oh and Terry Pratchett of course.

And Neil Gaiman

Robin Hobb is a great writer and I'd recommend Realm of Elderlings. Five stand alone trilogies which all connect up. Brilliantly done fantasy with some romance.

Sarah J Maass and Karen Marie Moaning also write entertaining fantasy. Try the Court of Thorne and Roses series, Throne of Glass and Fever books.

Ok - I really enjoyed the Deathless series by Peter Newman (fantasy, with a few subplot relationships, lots of intrigue and the idea of being born into new bodies).

I’ve also been enjoying The Witcher books - but I think it helps if you’ve seen the TV show. They can be a bit hack and slash but good characters/relationships too.

Adrian Tchaikovsky has definitely been my standout SF author in the last two years. Dogs of War is exceptional and the sequel bear head due out in Jan is very good too (I got it via netgalley!)

Natasha Pullman's The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and The Lost Future of Pepperharrow are brilliant. I have them as audiobooks, very well read by Thomas Judd, and Pepperharrow is the first audiobook I've ever got to the end of and re-listened straight away to get the bits I missed.

Have you read 'The Name of the Wind' and 'The Wise Man's Fear' by Patrick Rothfuss, OP? If not then you must - they are not just my favourite fantasy books of all time, but my favourite books full stop (and I read lots of non-fantasy too). Check out the reviews! Admittedly we've been waiting a looong time for the 3rd book in the trilogy, but even if it never arrived, 1&2 are amazing on their own. There is a romance weaving its way through them, but it's not the main thing.

Really anything by Brandon Sanderson. I would start with Elantris or Warbreaker as they are stand alones so you can see if you like his style then try more of his bigger series.

Elizabeth Moon, the Serrano series has romance elements but is mainly a cracking space opera read.

Becky Chambers - A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is brilliant and has a romance in it too.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie is one of the best sci-fi books I've read in a long time, I recommend it to everyone 😂

Also Martha Wells - Murderbot Diaries series. Very funny and easy to read.

Ooh and Second Star by Dana Stabenow is also brilliant, and has a romance in it too

Guy Gavriel Kay - some of his books have romantic strands but they all have brilliantly written characters. "A Song for Arbonne", "Tigana", "The Lions of Al-Rassan", "Children of Earth and Sky", "A Brightness Long Ago" etc etc. Most of his more recent writing is sort of almost alternate history rather than high fantasy (though his more high fantasy trilogy starting with "The Summer Tree" is good as well).

Kage Baker's The Company series.

www.goodreads.com/series/41665-the-company

There's some great characters in it, and a very satisfying romance and ending.

Lois McMaster Bujold, Shards of Honour. Intensely romantic but very good science fiction.

Lois Bujold McMaster - Vorkosigan Saga.

Tea snap!

The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey

I know it's become popular because of the TV show but the books really are great, so much better than the show. And there is a developing romance in them!

Children of Time. One of the beat sci-fi books I've read and it also has a wee romance in it.

Anything at all by Lois McMaster Bujold: not just the Vorkosigan books above but also the Chalion series, Penric novellas and Sharing Knife series. All have a little romance, a nice sense of humour and a great story.

YY to all the above! Also a fantasy called The Spirit Ring by LMBujold. I read her books as a change from Dorothy L Sayers and Georgette Heyer