Posted on 09/15/2013 8:09:44 PM PDT by Kip Russell
For those who are into this sort of thing...what sfnal or fantasy literature are currently reading or have just finished?
I'm working my way through the series, "The Dresden Files" by Jim Butcher, having read the first 10 novels of the 15 published so far.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dresden_Files
The Dresden Files is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher. He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in modern-day Chicago. Butcher's original proposed title for the first novel was Semiautomagic, which sums up the series' balance of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction.
In the world of The Dresden Files, magic is real, along with ghouls, vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, zombies and other mythical monsters. Harry Dresden works to protect the general public, who are ignorant of magic and the dark forces conspiring against them. This makes it difficult for Harry to get by as a working wizard and private eye. The Chicago PD's Special Investigation unit, when led by Karrin Murphy, regularly employs Dresden as a consultant to help solve cases of a supernatural nature.
The White Council, the recognized governing body of Wizards, has decreed the Seven Laws of Magic, which all magic users are expected to follow. Breaking any of the laws, even without knowing of them, carries a death sentence except under very rare and special circumstances.
In The Dresden Files universe, each species (humans, faeries, vampires, etc.) has its own political and societal rules and organizations. The human wizards depend on the White Council, while faeries may belong to either the Summer or Winter courts, or they may belong to neither court, in which case they are known as Wyldfae. Vampires may belong to any of three vampire Courts, be it the White, Red, or Black Court. There are rumours of a Jade court based in the far east.
I'm enjoying it quite a bit...the main character takes the snark level up to 11, and frequently has to pay the consequences for doing so. Characters grow and change, and one of them is the best portrayal of a (modern-day) paladin I've ever seen.
The author also portrays the faeries of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts as what they should be...downright scary, for which I give him major brownie (sorry) points.
So...what are you reading?
ELVES by Graham McNeill.
Wonderful!
That reminds me, I have a lot of Kindle stuff I never get around to reading. I have also been lax about not working on mine, which really needs some work.
For short stories there is a contest you can all rate the stories on....
Topic is quantum mechanics of course.
I've got the Chronicles of Amber open by my thinking station in the bathroom. I've got the Singularity open on my tablet. I'm watching Supernova the movie right now. Loved Forbidden Planet. Read the Rama series decades ago and loved em.
All the best things in life are science fiction oriented :)
Godspeed
I just read two “graphic novel” retellings of Beowulf. Next I’ll listen to a reading of the original text, watch the Zemnicks (sp?) animated version again, then read Tolkein’s commentary on the story.
The Dresden files are really good, you may like “The Hollows” series by Kim Harrison. Patricia Briggs is really fun, the Mercy books and the “alpha and omega” series are great. For younger readers, I liked the “Forbidden Game” series and the original Vampire Diaries 4 book set, both by L.J. Smith. Kelley Armstrong has some good stuff.
And if you like mysteries, the “Grave” series by Charlaine Harris is not too bad, but the relationship with the 2 main characters gets really skeevy at the end.
I read several in parallel. Just finishing the re-read of A.c. Clarkes (rather unreadable) RAMA series, just to have it out of the way. Also enjoying the first of the “Colonization” series by Harry Turtledove, having just finished the Worldwar series which is a prequel.
I’m looking for what’s next, and having never done so, the Chronicles of Amber may just be it. A 10 book series feels about right ;-) So thanks for the thread!
I recommend Neal Asher- the Agent Cormac/ Polity series are excellent reads; have also read the Owner Trilogy which are good but more overtly political.
Peter F Hamilton- the Commonwealth and Confederation Universe books are lengthy but worth it- the Mandel books are decent
Dan Simmons- Flashback and The Terror (the latter is far superior as Flashback is very political/ current and not escapist as I prefer most sci-fi- libs viciously turned on Simmons for writing Flashback); neither are up to Hyperion/ Illium snuff but still worth a read
Alastair Reynolds- all well worth it
I read all four and bought the hardback of ‘Rama Revealed’ when it was published. It’s been about 20 years since I read them. I love hard scifi. Forget the fantasy stuff. Might have to dig them back out of the library...
Next up is Midst Toil and Tribulation by Webber which I predict will be neither light nor fun.
I love Harry Dresden! Fun and scary series, sometimes even thought-provoking. I’ve read all that are out, and am waiting for the newest.
I have “Dodger,” by Terry Pratchett, sitting here staring at me, waiting to be read. I recently read Lois McMaster Bujold’s “Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance,” and it was fun to see “that idiot Ivan!” come out ahead. :o) I’ve also been reading the “Warded Man” series by Peter V. Brett and enjoying that immensely.
“Obama: Bringing Americans Together”
BTW, related to both SF and politics: I recently saw a reference here on FR to Obama as “the Hindmost” and almost busted a gut laughing! SOOOOO true! (See Larry Niven & Puppeteers, if you don’t recognize the reference.) :o)
Kenyanstein
Mission Earth series by Hubbard
We’re pretty much there today as a society
Started reading Isaac Asimov back in 1954. This lead me to a career in electroinics engineering.
Chief Engineer of a TV Broadcast Station. Field Engineer in South Florida. Worked for several NASA-related companies as part of Field Engineering including having to be at Cape Kenneday (Cape Canaveral) in support of Project Gemini. Designed and built over 100 strain gauages for the Tractor Crawler later called the Transporter which takes the Saturn/Apollo to the Launch Pad (3 1/2 miles).\
Worked at Motorola Color TV manufacturing in Chicago. And worked at Texas Instruments for nearly 30 years in computer designs and manufacturing.
Yes, reading hard science fiction helps open up the mind to what you can do in the future.
The stuff they call science fiction nowaday is really fantasy with social engineering, magic, and such crap.
The whole idea is hard science for me is to inspire the mind what is possible or maybe partially possible to make a story plausible.
It made my world possible.
This sounds like a cross between “Rollerball” and the short fiction story “The Mickey Mouse Olympics”.
The U.S. Constitution.
The Los Angeles Times.
It was on the bottom of a bid cage.
Jack Vance’s series ‘the Demon Princes.’ It’s pretty funny that he has an organization called the IPPC back in 1964. Of course it is the Interworld Police Coordinating Company.
Freegards
Out of the ashes (and the rest of “The Ashes” series by William Johnstone
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