OT - nerd books
So I just finished my last final for my undergrad and I told myself that I was going to start reading more after I was done. I'm looking for a good sci-fi/fantasy book, maybe a series. Either something with dragons and magic or something in the future but not set on earth. Any suggestions? I keep asking the gf and shes keeps telling me to read Magical Thinking and I keep telling her that i want magic in the book, not in the title.
I guess you get a nerd hall pass for not having been on top of this already since your excuse is that you were studying other books. Read the books, then watch the series on HBO. It doesn't get much better right now in fantasy/dragons/sex/magic/blood/guts/intrigue/power politics.
Yeah, you can't go wrong with the Song of Ice and Fire series, but be prepared to wait awhile for Martin to release the next book (the sixth), there have been some significant gaps in between releases.
But honestly they are worth the wait, a very good series.
my roommate has the series but out of principal i cannot accept his opinion on anything
amazing series so far (2 and a 1/2 books in).
I can't belive how well he writes and the way he uses the third person limited but with multiple characters is very well done.
jdon
It took me so long to finish that volume that I forgot what happened before, but I'm glad I made it through, because "A Dance with Dragons" picks up the pace and is much more entertaining. Skip ahead and read the last 5 chapters or so of "Feast of Crows," as major events occur therein.
Ugh, I'm a little over halfway through right now. I read the first three books in about a week each on my commute to work. This book feels like a chore to read and I've been reading it for about a month.
That said, I highly recommend the Dunk and Egg series - three short stories (so far) written by Martin that take place in the same universe about 90 years before A Game of Thrones. Read the first one novella before A Feast for Crows since the fourth book has some spoilers for the mini-series that takes away from a few of the reveals.
The first book was very good, second book good, 3rd pretty good. The storyline seems like it is being dragged out just to get some more dollars. I'm stopping at book three. There are better suggestions here IMHO.
the last two books IMO have been huge letdowns--little happens, we follow some characters that I don't care about at all, and he seems to have lost the strong narrative thread that the first three books had. I'm betting the tv series will do a better job of portraying the events in the last two books than Martin did.
HTTV
Hunger Games
I read all three books in a week...
a good suggestion, but don't expect anything special. Basically good fodder...
jdon
The wheel of time series might be the best suggestion on here (outside of harry potter, but those should be read before you turn 21) in that they are well written, extensive, and about to finish.
jdon
Release of Memory of Light (book 14) scheduled for early January.
Honestly OP, would scrounge up nickels, dimes, etc., fly to SE Asia or Europe and live it up. Books will always be available for you when you come back.
I read much of the series then gave up and donated the first 9 back to the library. I had an honest discussion with myself and decided that the reality of the situation was that I wasn't going to finish the series. Most of the books I read were good, but it got to the point where it seemed like it was long for long's sake.
Not sci-fi fantasy but it is nerdy...give this Douglas Coupland classic a bit of your time:
If you have some time and don't mind a series which has almost 40 books in it, I would highly recommend the "Discworld" series by Terry Pratchett. It is an intelligently written and pretty funny series that makes many modern references as well.
Terry Pratchett's books are fantastic, and you definitely don't have to read them in order or anything to enjoy them. He is basically the Douglas Adams of the fantasy genre, brilliant satire.
Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. I barely read any sci-fi at all, but it is fantastic.
Great fantasy series by Erikson
Not sure if it qualifies but Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorites. I'm somewhat of a nerd myself so I think you will appreciate his writing. I especially enjoy Welcome to the Monkeyhouse, a series of short stories that's very fun to dip in and out of. For a novel, Slaughterhouse Five is always a good one.
Never thought of Vonnegut as sci-fi, but his books do have tons of sci-fi influence in them it seems. Slaughterhouse Five, Sirens of Titan, and Cat's Cradle are my favorites.
Twilight. But only if you're Team BuddSegz
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams.
"The Magicians" by Lev Grossman.
Beat me to it...
I think this is what i'll start with. now i just need to get a library card
Currently reading "The Magicians" and I second that recommendation
The Magicians is great, and the second book in the series (The Magician King) is also fantastic. Third book will be coming out in the next year or so, I believe?
Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy. Don't Panic.
5 books in total, and 1 that was written by someone else, so 6 sorta.
Very good dry british humor if you are looking for something a little more light hearted.
Starts with Gardens of the Moon
is a personal favorite. Start with Sabriel. It has necromancy and plenty of other magic set in a thoroughly fleshed-out (non-earth) world.
Valis - Philip K Dick
How can you go wrong with a series set on a flat world balanced on the back of four elephants standing on a turtle? Or where Death (yes, THAT Death with robe and scythe) rides a horse called Binky and has a granddaughter named Susan?
Agreed. Everything he's written has been good. I just finished Alloy of Law and that was solid as well.
Also second the Vonnegut suggestion.