Favourite sci-fi/fantasy books or authors?

[Eldros]

I also remembered China Miéville, who has a really interesting style. He writes both sci-fi and fantasy, and some people would probably call his work “New Weird.” Embassytown is a pretty great book, and Perdido Street Station was a big success too.
He also wrote a book with Keanu Reeves, but that one wasn’t quite as successful as his solo books...

 

[Frater M.M.]

I also remembered China Miéville, who has a really interesting style. He writes both sci-fi and fantasy, and some people would probably call his work “New Weird.” Embassytown is a pretty great book, and Perdido Street Station was a big success too.

Yeah, I think I read a bit of Perdido Street Station and it was good from what I remember. Great little interview as well; he seems like quite an interesting guy.

He also wrote a book with Keanu Reeves, but that one wasn’t quite as successful as his solo books...

 

[Robert Ramsay]

I also remembered China Miéville, who has a really interesting style. He writes both sci-fi and fantasy, and some people would probably call his work “New Weird.” Embassytown is a pretty great book, and Perdido Street Station was a big success too.

I started Perdido Street Station but it badly needed more editing and I gave up in exhaustion about a third of the way through. Plus very few of the ideas really excited me.

 

[Noctua]

https://imgur.com/a/bX4zxDe

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I love Christina Rosetti's Pre-Raphaelite narrative poem Goblin Market. I'll post a pdf under The Library's Book Shares section in case anyone feels like a bit of the 'olde uncanny'.

 

[Rowena]

Off the top of my head, the ones that stand out to me are:

Terry Pratchett - Discworld series
Douglas Adams - Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Mary Gentle - Grunts!
Roger Zelazny - The Amber series
Michael Moorcock - Pretty much everything
Barbara Hambly - The Darwath 'trilogy' & others
Marion Zimmer Bradley - Mists of Avalon series
Alan Dean Foster - Spellsinger series & others
Edgar Rice Burroughs - Pellucidar & Barsoom series
Julian May - Pretty much everything
Iain Banks - The Culture novels
Charles Stross - The Laundry files
J R R Tolkien - Pretty much everything
Frank Herbert - The Dune series & others
Robert A Heinlein - Pretty much everything
Ursula K Le Guin - The Hainish books
Kim Harrison - The Hollows series
A E van Vogt - Everything, but especially The Voyage of the Space Beagle
John Wyndham - Everything, but especially Day of the Triffids, Chocky, The Midwich Cuckoos, & The Kraken Wakes

 

[Frater M.M.]

Off the top of my head, the ones that stand out to me are:

Some great stuff here. The only one I'm not familiar with is Julian May. Someone else mentioned him as well. I'll have to investigate him.

 

[Noctua]

I'm not familiar with Julian May.

Likewise! Not exactly relevant, but Julian turned out to be a female author. If you don't mind boatloads of spoilers, there's a rambling but enthusiastic retrospective of her oeuvre

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.

 

[Frater M.M.]

Thanks, I watched the little intro with Dr Wiggo but had to stop to avoid spoilers. I will definitely have to add her to the ever-growing list of books to read

 

[Eldros]

Empire of the Atom --A. E. van Vogt

About Clane, a mutant born to a noblewoman after she’s exposed to some kind of radiation.
They decide to keep him alive because one of the Atom priests wants to study him, but also makes sure he gets an education.
Pretty awesome book!

 

[Frater M.M.]

Don't think I've read this one but love that cover

 

[Eldros]

I think the covers are pretty different depending on the edition…
There’s also --The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin, which James Cameron apparently took some inspiration from for the Na’vi in Avatar.
Except that Le Guin’s people are these little hairy, monkey-like creatures, less than a meter tall and completely covered in green fur.