Book recommendations?

[pentapus]

Do you have a moment to recommend some books?

What is the single most memorable thing you liked about it? In other words, which button did it press? :D I am pretty sci-fi/fantasy oriented, though other genres can and have appealed. I'm a sap for a good romantic pairing set in a solid plot. Also world-building. Oh yes.


As for my favorites, these are the current top two winners for pushing all the right buttons:
The Baroque Cycle and Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (basically, historical fiction for nerds who like badasses. There is ALSO a super sweet, ridiculous--and badass, of course--love story in The Baroque Cycle. It hit all of my buttons so hard, oh my god.)

Everything by Patricia A. McKillip but especially In the Forests of Serre, Ombria in Shadow, and The Tower at Stony Wood, etc, etc. High fantasy here, without being inconveniently epic length. Love the way magic appears here -- there is no attempt to make it scientific or anything less than eerie. ♥


ETA: Also, everything by Ursula K. LeGuin (How did I forget her?!), especially The Dispossessed, The Left Hand of Darkness,, and all of the Earthsea books, including the new ones with Ged and Tenar.

Some other favorites are:
Ender's Game and Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
Last Call by Tim Powers (haven't read any others of his)
Matter by Ian M. Banks (and various culture novels)
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Alanna and Wild Magic (plus sequels) by Tamora Pierce
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffery (Yes, I like Lessa. And F'lar. And Robinton.)
Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold (though apparently this is part of a giant book universe I have never read)
Wraeththu by Storm Constantine (which is an angst-heavy love story fantasy epic about gay metahuman sorcerers whose super powers include being really beautiful. Reading it feels sort of like being drugged.)
Archangel by Sharon Shinn (More people need to read this just because every fandom needs an Archangel AU. Pre-industrial society! Watched over by winged individuals who are gifted with heavenly voices and who ask the god for good weather or medicine or for some smiting by singing beautiful music beautifully. EVERYONE HAS A JEWEL IN THEIR ARM THAT LIGHTS UP WHEN THEIR TRUE LOVE IS NEAR--well except for the Edori, who are basically Native American Jewish Tinkers. COME ON, GUYS.)

Comments

[cofax7]

You should probably read the other Bujolds. Well, the Miles Vorkosigan novels--starting with Cordelia's Honor. Those are SF, set in the same universe as Falling Free. And The Curse of Chalion, which is fantasy, pseudo-European, with a fully-thought-out and real pantheon of complicated deities. The hero of that is one of the truly nicest characters Bujold has ever created--a decent human being who is in no way boring.

I keep telling people to read Kate Elliott, but people fail to listen to me. The Crossroads trilogy starts with Spirit Gate and it has fabulous cultures, really interesting characters, adventures, neat world-building, and it's just cool. I also have great fondness for the Jaran novels, starting with Jaran, which is kind of a romance and also kind of a space opera--what do you do when a space traveling linguist accidentally lands in the middle of a nomadic tribe led by the local equivalent of Genghis Khan? The later novels are much more political and complicated but the first one hits the spot if you're in the mood for adventurous cross-cultural romance. Elliott's latest is Cold Magic, the first in a projected series--it's post-colonial icepunk with magic and romance as well.

If you're a big McKillip fan, you might enjoy Pamela Dean, whose magic also works mysteriously and unpredictably. I don't love her prose as much, but she's really creative. Tam Lin is considered a minor classic, although I might prefer Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary. And The Dubious Hills is just cool.

For a total change of pace, the Merrimack novels by R.M. Meluch are slashy classic old-school-type space opera, and she even manages to justify having her space-traveling marines use swords during battles. They're not great on gender issues, but they are quite entertaining.

[pentapus]

Thank you for the recs! On the subject of Vorkosigan novels, what's your opinion of the order they should be read? I get the feeling there's an order published and an in-universe chronological order.

I feel like I've been handed a challenge re: Kate Elliot. I'll definitely at least read a few pages in the bookstore and see if they pull me in. Thanks again for the recs and the great descriptions.

[cofax7]

The Vorkosigan novels sort of operate in sets.

Set 1 is Cordelia's Honor (two novels, now bundled), which tells the story of Cordelia Naismith, a totally awesome captain of a survey vessel, who ends up trapped on a planet with Aral Vorkosigan, a member of a traditional military (read: highly patriarchal) caste from Barrayar, and their burgeoning romance which is hampered by war and politics. The second book in that set tells of the early years of their marriage and politics and intrigue on Barrayar. And how Miles was born.

Set 2 is the Miles novels, which start when he's 17 or so, and he's a disabled, hyperactive, hyperintelligent little git, who ends up accidentally in command of a space mercenary army at 17. Among other things.

The novels are very funny, exciting, more thoughtful than you'd think on the face of it, with lots of interesting women and awesome characters. I love them so!

Also, there's a growing fandom for them--lots of stuff on AO3.

[pentapus]

Thanks for the explanation. I've been a little confused by the giant series, and that makes it much clearer!