Fantasy and Scifi Books.

[jayboogieman]

I know there used to be a fantasy book recommendations thread, but it is archived now.

If anyone is looking for a good scifi series, Nathan Lowell's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper series is worth a read. No galaxy or world saving, but a good series none the less. Here is a link for the first three in an omnibus.

Nevernight is a good fantasy read about assassins. 

Skyward and its sequel, Starsight by Brandon Sanderson are a pretty good coming of age scifi series.

[Captroop]

I'm set, I think, until August. 

[jayboogieman]

I've never read any of the Warhammer books. Are they any good?

Not fantasy or scifi, but Barry Eisler's books are great.

[Captroop]

1 hour ago, jayboogieman said:

I've never read any of the Warhammer books. Are they any good?

Not fantasy or scifi, but Barry Eisler's books are great.

 

Short answer: No.

Long answer: No. By and large they're pulp fiction that's written like the authors are paid by the word and are writing against a deadline with a gun to their heads. They're pure plot progression with only a hint of characterization or world-building. Most novels are really just lore or fluff that accompany and enhance the tabletop gaming experience.

BUT there are exceptions to the rule, which is great. Because the 40k universe is so terrifying, nihilistic and bleak, that it's an incredibly fun setting for sci-fi. And in particular, the books about Chaos are probably the best. Those authors, and John French in particular, play very well in the world where technology is incredibly advanced, but almost everyone has forgotten how to achieve it, so all the mighty spaceships are basically derelict, rusting and dripping with caustic, radioactive fluids, and there are malevolent gods and that exist in the immaterial plane that humanity uses for space travel, waiting for the fields that repel them to flicker for a microsecond so they can come spilling into our reality and fug everyone up.

General rule, the darker the subject matter, the better the book will be.

[jayboogieman]

23 minutes ago, Captroop said:

 

Short answer: No.

Long answer: No. By and large they're pulp fiction that's written like the authors are paid by the word and are writing against a deadline with a gun to their heads. They're pure plot progression with only a hint of characterization or world-building. Most novels are really just lore or fluff that accompany and enhance the tabletop gaming experience.

BUT there are exceptions to the rule, which is great. Because the 40k universe is so terrifying, nihilistic and bleak, that it's an incredibly fun setting for sci-fi. And in particular, the books about Chaos are probably the best. Those authors, and John French in particular, play very well in the world where technology is incredibly advanced, but almost everyone has forgotten how to achieve it, so all the mighty spaceships are basically derelict, rusting and dripping with caustic, radioactive fluids, and there are malevolent gods and that exist in the immaterial plane that humanity uses for space travel, waiting for the fields that repel them to flicker for a microsecond so they can come spilling into our reality and fug everyone up.

General rule, the darker the subject matter, the better the book will be.

Thanks for the info.